liberal 屬於 CEFR C1 等級的字，在 TOEFL 閱讀測驗中是個高頻單字。

考點 1    

在英檢題中最常考的是本文「字義辨析」中的第一個釋義 open-minded（開明的；不守舊的）。在 TOEFL TPO 中有篇論及「北歐四國」的文章內，也提及該處的 liberal society（開放的社會）之搭配詞，若是 a liberal attitude 便是「開放的態度」之意。

另外，在 The bride and groom share equally liberal mindsets despite their more traditional parents; they chose to embrace a new trend and host their ceremony virtually with their international friends instead of having their wedding at a physical venue. 這個句子中，liberal mindset（自由的心態）便可與上述的 liberal attitude 做近義替換。參照〈釋義A ▶ 例1〉

考點 2    

liberal 一字若當名詞用，則是指「自由主義者」，這在政經/政治方面的研究所考題中較易出現。

比方說此例句：Universities in Western countries tend to attract more liberals and free-thinkers who strive to learn more about the world around them, in contrast to others who choose to remain in their communities and preserve their values and traditions.，其中的 liberals 一字加了 -s是為複數名詞，即為自由主義者之意。參照〈釋義F ▶ 例11〉

 釋義A    broad-minded; open to new ideas 開明；寬容；不守舊的
替換字   open-minded, tolerant 

例1 ▶ The bride and groom share equally liberal mindsets despite their more traditional parents; they chose to embrace a new trend and host their ceremony virtually with their international friends instead of having their wedding at a physical venue.
儘管他們的父母比較傳統，但新郎和新娘有著同樣自由的心態；他們選擇接受一種新的趨勢，與他們的國際友人一起以虛擬方式舉行儀式，而不是在實體場所舉行婚禮。

例2 ▶ Younger university professors are increasingly more liberal in their teaching styles, often offering lighter, interactive exercises for students to collaborate with instead of forcing them to memorize massive amounts of information.
年輕的大學教授在教學風格上越來越自由，經常為學生提供較輕鬆的互動練習，讓他們進行合作，而不是強迫他們記住大量的資訊。

 釋義B    given/used in a generous way 大量的；大方的；慷慨的 

例3 ▶ The parents were liberal in their praise for the children who took the top three places in the competition.
家長們對於在比賽中獲得前三名的孩子們給予了慷慨的表揚。

例4 ▶ Patrons eagerly helped themselves to large portions of the famous chefs dishes despite the liberal amounts of seasoning he had added throughout the cooking process.
儘管在整個烹飪過程中，這位著名廚師加了大量的調味料，但顧客們還是踴躍地享用了大量的菜肴。

例5 ▶ Studies have shown that alumni with weaker academic performance are more likely to be more liberal in their donations to the school because they attribute their success to their school experience rather than to their own hard work.
研究顯示，學業成績較差的校友更可能慷慨的向學校捐款，因為他們將自己的成功歸因於學校經歷，而不是自己的努力。

 釋義C    (politics/law) relating to the political ideologies of Liberalism, which promotes ideas of individual rights, civil liberties, democracy, free enterprise, social welfare, and generally more progressive ideas and policies （政治／法律）自由主義的；自由黨的 

例6 ▶ Kenneth reads liberal propaganda extensively, thus contributing to his enduring views towards the advocacy of civil rights and liberties for minority populations in underdeveloped nations.
肯尼斯廣泛閱讀自由主義宣傳品，從而促成了他對宣導不發達國家少數民族人口的公民權利和自由的持久看法。

例7 ▶ Although Sarah comes from a rather conservative family background, she often identifies strongly with distinctly liberal concepts like feminism, free healthcare, and income equality.
儘管莎拉來自一個相當保守的家庭背景，但她經常強烈認同女權主義、免費醫療和收入平等等明顯自由主義的概念。

 釋義D    not strictly accurate; broadly understood/used; loose 不拘泥於字面 

例8 ▶ Translations of the historical scripts are based on liberal interpretations of the ancient civilizations largely unknown language, thus concerning researchers in favor of stringent accuracy.
歷史手稿的翻譯是基於對古代文明中未知語言的自由解讀，因此研究人員傾向于嚴格的準確性。

例9 ▶ Many mass media outlets today liberally misconstrue lawmakers statements in order to gain favor with the general public, thereby creating fake news that reflects little of reality.
如今，許多大眾媒體為了獲得公眾的青睞，隨意曲解立法者的聲明，從而製造出與現實不符的假新聞。

 釋義E    (education) relating to the liberal arts (in contrast to more technical or professional training) 通識教育的 

例10 ▶ Peters parents were supportive of his more liberal education due to their concerns that he would dislike the family trade specializing in more technical practice.
彼得的父母支持他接受更通才的教育，因為他們擔心他會不喜歡專門從事更多技術實踐的家族企業。