Postgraduate Entrance Examination English Vocabulary: Must-Know 2007

Author: Ma Degao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-02-01
Features: This book is meticulously compiled to align with and surpass the new syllabus, offering a comprehensive revision based on the original text while preserving its many strengths. According to the varying learning needs of candidates at different levels and stages, and the diverse requirements for vocabulary assessment, the book creatively categorizes postgraduate entrance exam vocabulary into six major sections for targeted and focused study. Additionally, it updates the original content, refining memory techniques to achieve greater clarity and conciseness in usage summaries, thereby helping candidates improve their vocabulary skills more scientifically and vividly.
The book is divided into six sections:
1. Common Words with Uncommon Meanings
Many candidates have encountered situations where they recognize all the words in a sentence but still fail to understand the meaning. One reason is the lack of comprehensive understanding of the multiple meanings of words, turning familiar words into unfamiliar ones and affecting reading speed and quality. In recent years' postgraduate entrance exam papers, setters have noticeably emphasized this aspect, causing many candidates to struggle, especially in reading and translation sections, where misinterpretations of word meanings often lead to significant score losses.
To address this, we have dedicated considerable time and effort to selecting all common words with uncommon meanings from the syllabus, accompanied by abundant and lively example sentences for contextual understanding and specialized study. This helps candidates overcome blind spots and avoid pitfalls associated with familiar words.
2. Gap Vocabulary
With unique creativity, the book's compilers compare the syllabi for the CET-4 and CET-6 with the postgraduate entrance exam syllabus, identifying vocabulary that appears in the latter but not in the former. This forms a "gap vocabulary" list, ensuring candidates focus on words they are unlikely to know. Candidates should target these words for intensive memorization, using the CET-4 and CET-6 syllabi as stepping stones to reach the peak of postgraduate entrance exam vocabulary.
This section includes:
(a) Relative Gap Vocabulary (words in the postgraduate syllabus that can be derived from CET-4 vocabulary)
(1) CET-4 Direct to Postgraduate Vocabulary
(2) Vocabulary with Notable Morphological Changes
(3) Words to Avoid Literal Interpretation
(b) Absolute Gap Vocabulary (words that cannot be derived from CET-4 vocabulary)
3. Core Vocabulary
According to surveys by English and American lexicographers, the most commonly used vocabulary in daily life in English-speaking countries consists of only about 2,500 words. Leveraging advanced computer statistics, the compilers analyzed all vocabulary from past postgraduate entrance exam papers and consulted the latest authoritative statistical data from the Oxford and Longman dictionaries. This resulted in a selection of frequently appearing words in past exams and commonly used words, forming the core vocabulary for postgraduate entrance exams. Candidates must master the various usages of these words to improve practical application skills and achieve fluency in listening, speaking, reading, writing, and translation.
To cater to candidates' actual proficiency and learning needs, each entry includes mnemonic aids, phrases, collocations, and usage notes, providing a comprehensive learning experience.
This section includes:
(a) Ten-Year Exam Vocabulary (entries are color-coded, with underlined meanings in past exams and frequency marked)
(b) Core Vocabulary (common and frequently used words)
4. Less Common Vocabulary
Reading comprehension has always been a critical component of postgraduate entrance exams, and this section covers key vocabulary for tackling it. Many candidates report that despite solving countless problems and reading numerous passages, their scores remain stagnant. While techniques such as analyzing complex sentences, grasping text structure, and interpreting questions can help, they all rely on a solid foundation of vocabulary.
To address this, the compilers thoroughly studied past exam papers and used efficient computer frequency analysis to select the "less common vocabulary" section from the postgraduate syllabus, serving as essential material for focused reading comprehension preparation. Combined with the "reading classification vocabulary" and "off-syllabus vocabulary" discussed later, candidates can confidently overcome reading comprehension challenges and achieve outstanding results.
5. Off-Syllabus Vocabulary
The syllabus requires that 3% of exam questions include off-syllabus words. Based on past experience and an understanding of the exam's direction, the compilers carefully selected off-syllabus words from the latest English and American periodicals with themes similar to recent postgraduate exam passages. This aims to ensure that the 3% off-syllabus words in the actual exam fall within this selection.
By familiarizing themselves with this section, candidates not only master syllabus vocabulary but also expand their overall word bank, truly outperforming peers in vocabulary. This section helps candidates read passages smoothly and directly answer questions that solely test word meanings.
This section includes:
(a) Ten-Year Exam Off-Syllabus Vocabulary (entries are color-coded, with underlined meanings in past exams and frequency marked)
(b) Common Off-Syllabus Vocabulary
6. Reading Classification Vocabulary
All reading comprehension passages in past postgraduate entrance exams have been sourced from English and American databases and are overwhelmingly composed of time-sensitive literature. For candidates, reading comprehension remains a major challenge. "No pain, no gain"—by memorizing frequently occurring unfamiliar, difficult, and new words in English and American periodicals, candidates can grasp the common vocabulary used in postgraduate reading comprehension.
Mastering these words also aids in English-to-Chinese translation tasks, and expanding vocabulary benefits essay writing. Therefore, this section organizes specialized reading vocabulary from past exams into three major categories: economics, science and technology, and humanities, supplemented by (marking words) to help candidates better understand sentence structures. Additionally, the compilers selected time-related reading vocabulary from the latest English and American journals, including Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Times. For easier memorization, these words are categorized by subject, including economics and finance, science and technology, music and art, mass media, sports, and more than a dozen other topics, aiming to help candidates overcome obstacles posed by specialized vocabulary in reading.
This section includes:
(a) Ten-Year Exam Reading Classification Vocabulary
(b) Time-Related Reading Classification Vocabulary
It must be emphasized that the book includes professionally and authentically recorded vocabulary pronunciations, enabling candidates to learn and memorize words simultaneously through listening, achieving optimal results. Psychological research shows that 25% of memory comes from visual input, 15% from auditory input, and combining both can achieve 65% efficiency. Therefore, the book features audio recordings of words by English and American experts, allowing candidates to integrate visual and auditory learning for the best memory outcomes.
The audio recordings are designed to be used alongside the book, providing a portable and convenient way to study English vocabulary anytime, anywhere, and reinforcing memorization.