2008 Spark English Vocabulary for Postgraduate Entrance Exam Must-Remember Words

Author: Ma Degao, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-02-01
Features: This book is divided into six major sections:
1. Familiar Words with New Meanings
Many students often encounter situations where they recognize all the words in a sentence but still fail to understand it. One reason is that they haven’t fully grasped the multiple meanings of words, turning familiar words into unfamiliar ones, which affects reading speed and comprehension. In recent years’ postgraduate entrance examination papers, the test setters have significantly strengthened the assessment of this aspect, causing many students to struggle. Particularly in reading and translation sections, misunderstandings of word meanings often lead to substantial score loss. Given this, we have dedicated significant time and effort to selecting all the familiar words with new meanings from the syllabus to help students overcome the pitfalls of familiar words.
2. Gap Words
The compilers of this book have shown great ingenuity by comparing the syllabi of the CET-4, CET-6, and postgraduate entrance examinations. They have specifically identified the words that appear in the postgraduate syllabus but not in the CET-4 or CET-6, forming a "gap words" list. When learning vocabulary, it’s essential to start with the unfamiliar. Students should target this section for focused memorization, using the CET-4 and CET-6 as stepping stones to reach the summit of postgraduate-level vocabulary!
3. Core Vocabulary
According to surveys by English and American vocabulary experts, the most commonly used words (core vocabulary) in daily life in English-speaking countries are only around 2,500. The compilers of this book have used advanced computer statistics to analyze all the vocabulary that has appeared in past postgraduate entrance examination papers. They have also referred to the latest authoritative statistical data from the Oxford and Longman dictionaries to select and compile the most frequently occurring words in both past exam papers and daily usage. This section focuses on helping students truly master the various usages of these words, improving practical application skills, and achieving fluency in listening, speaking, reading, writing, and translation.
4. Less Common Vocabulary
Reading comprehension has always been a crucial part of the postgraduate entrance examination. The vocabulary in this section is key to mastering reading comprehension. Many students report that despite doing countless exercises and reading numerous articles, their scores remain stagnant. While techniques such as analyzing complex sentences, grasping the structure of passages, and understanding question stems can help overcome this challenge, all of these rely on a solid foundation of vocabulary knowledge. The foundation of reading comprehension is vocabulary.
5. Vocabulary Beyond the Syllabus
The syllabus requires that 3% of the words in each year’s exam be beyond the syllabus. Based on past experience and an understanding of the trends in postgraduate entrance examination questions, the compilers have carefully selected the "vocabulary beyond the syllabus" from the latest English and American periodicals that closely match the of recent exam papers. The goal is to ensure that the 3% of syllabus-excluded words in the exam do not fall outside this section. By familiarizing themselves with this part, students not only master the syllabus vocabulary but also gain exposure to some syllabus-excluded words, truly outperforming peers in vocabulary. This section not only helps students read articles smoothly but also enables them to directly answer questions that test word meanings alone.
6. Categorized Reading Vocabulary
All reading comprehension passages in past postgraduate entrance examinations have been sourced from English and American databases and are almost entirely documents with strong topical relevance. For many students, reading comprehension is the biggest hurdle. The best approach is to "enter the tiger’s den to catch the tiger," meaning students should memorize the frequently occurring unfamiliar, difficult, and new words found in English and American periodicals to achieve a basic grasp of the vocabulary commonly used in postgraduate reading comprehension. Mastering these words is also beneficial for tackling English-to-Chinese translation tasks. Expanding vocabulary further aids in writing essays.