今日主題字 👉 radical
📝測評重點
radical 屬於 CEFR C2 等級的高階單字，除了常使用於社會議題或政治演講中，出現在 TOEFL/GRE 這類高階英檢中的機會更是不少。
考點 1
在 TOEFL 閱讀中常會考單字的替換，若是出現類似以下例句，便有機會被問及 radical 的近義字為何。
例如 In order to understand the origins of law from their constitutive nature, one must fully consider the radical principles and frameworks set by our predecessors throughout history.，其中 radical 一字若被標出問其近義字的話，答案便會是 fundamental 囉！參照〈釋義A ▶ 例1〉
考點 2
另外，radical 這個字在研究所或其他高階英檢考試中，也可能拿來當填充題或克漏字的選字。
例如這個句子：Steve Job’s ________ vision to “put a computer in the hands of everyday people” was eventually realized despite the resistance from non-believers who could not embrace this shift in our traditional ways and practices.，根據前後文應是「先進的、革新性的」願景之意，故可填入 radical 為答案。參照〈釋義B ▶ 例3〉
📝字義辨析 一 Examples and Synonyms
The term “radical” is used quite often in contemporary media and political speeches. Let’s take a look at what this word actually means in different scenarios and learn its different interpretations.
「radical」一詞經常出現在當代媒體和政治演講中。讓我們來看看這個單字在不同的場景中是什麼意思，並學習它的不同解釋。
釋義A relating to the origin, thorough 根本的；基本的；徹底的
替換字 fundamental, constitutive, quintessential, deep-seated
例1 ▶ In order to understand the origins of law from their constitutive nature, one must fully consider the radical principles and frameworks set by our predecessors throughout history.
為了從法律的構成本質上理解法律的起源，我們必須充分考慮歷史上前人所確立的基本原則和框架。
例2 ▶ The late Sir Ken Robinson, an educator and architect of the idea to radically change our mindset regarding contemporary education, advocated for a fundamental shift in policy - moving away from academic testing and celebrating the diversity of human capacity.
已故的肯・羅賓遜爵士 (Sir Ken Robinson) 是一位教育家，也是徹底改變我們對當代教育的思維方式的理念的締造者，他提倡從根本上轉變政策──擺脫學術測試，慶祝人類能力的多樣性。
釋義B very different from the usual or traditional 先進的；異常的；超越凡人能接受的激進（意指思想、行動、或理念改革上激進）
替換字 avant-garde, innovative, progressive
例3 ▶ Steve Job’s radical vision to “put a computer in the hands of everyday people” was eventually realized despite the resistance from non-believers who could not embrace this shift in our traditional ways and practices.
史蒂芬・賈伯斯「將電腦放在普通人手中」的激進願景最終實現了，儘管遭到了不相信電腦的人的抵制，他們無法接受我們傳統方式和實踐的轉變。
例4 ▶ Although today we universally celebrate the genius of artists like Monet and van Gogh, there was a time when their art was not understood or valued - deemed too radical for the orthodox views of their time.
儘管今天我們普遍讚美像莫内和梵谷這樣的天才藝術家，但有一段時間，他們的藝術不被理解或重視──被認為太過激進，不符合他們那個時代的正統觀點。
釋義C advocating or favoring extreme changes in views, politics, institutions 激進派的；過激的（意指主張或贊成在觀點、政治、制度上發生極端變化的激進）
相關字 revolutionary, extremist, fanatical 革命的；極端的；狂熱的
例5 ▶ Contemporary politics in every country seem to be an unending battle of attrition between extreme, radical parties creating tension unrelentingly that results in hurting the common people.
每個國家的當代政治似乎都是極端、激進政黨之間無休止的消耗戰，無情地製造緊張局勢，結果傷害了普通民眾。
例6 ▶ The court decision set to weaken voting restrictions for minorities was postponed due to the large number of radical anarchists and cult followers engaged in violent protests outside of the courthouse.
由於大量激進無政府主義者和邪教信徒在法院外進行暴力抗議，法院原定削弱對少數民族投票限制的決定被延後了。
Other Definitions of “radical”
除了前面提到的幾個語意，radical 還有另外兩個比較特殊的用法：
釋義D 在語言學 (linguistics) 方面，意指related to the roots of a word，也就是英文的「詞根」或漢字的「偏旁、部首」。
釋義E radical 的縮寫 “rad” 是一個美國人常用的俚語 (American slang)，意指「讚啦」、「酷喔」，因為他們發現像 cool、very good、excellent 這樣的詞會讓人感到疲倦和過度使用，所以 “rad” 通常被認為是比上述更高（級）的讚美，也用作敬畏的一般表達。
B: Dude, that’s rad - let’s throw it in the chat.
老兄，太讚了──我們把它傳到聊天室吧。
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