Vocabulary Must-Buy for 2008 Postgraduate Entrance Exam English

Author: Ma Degao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: This book is divided into six major sections:
1. Familiar Words with Unfamiliar Meanings
Many students often encounter situations where they recognize all the words in a sentence but still fail to understand the meaning. 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 exam questions, the 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 significant score loss. Given this, we have dedicated considerable time and effort to selecting all the familiar words with unfamiliar meanings from the syllabus for students to study, helping them overcome the pitfalls of familiar words.
2. Gap Words
The compilers of this book have shown great ingenuity by comparing the syllabi for the CET-4, CET-6, and postgraduate entrance exams. 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 better 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 vocabulary (core vocabulary) in daily life in English-speaking countries is only around 2,500 words. The compilers of this book have used advanced computer statistics technology to analyze all the vocabulary that has appeared in past postgraduate entrance exam questions. They have also referred to the latest authoritative statistical data from the Oxford and Longman dictionaries to select and compile the most frequently appearing words from past exam questions and commonly used words in daily life. This section of core vocabulary requires students to 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 key component of the postgraduate entrance exam. The vocabulary in this section is essential for 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 analyzing question stems can help overcome this challenge, all of this relies on a solid foundation of knowledge, and the foundation of reading 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 exam setting, we have carefully selected the "vocabulary beyond the syllabus" in this book from the latest English and American periodicals and newspapers with themes similar to those of recent postgraduate exam reading passages. This aims to ensure that the 3% of words beyond the syllabus in the exam do not fall outside this section. By studying this part, students not only master the syllabus vocabulary but also learn some words beyond the syllabus, truly outperforming others in terms of vocabulary. Familiarity with this section will not only help students read passages smoothly but also enable them to directly answer questions that test vocabulary meanings.
6. Reading-Specific Vocabulary
All reading comprehension passages in past postgraduate exams have been sourced from English and American corpora and are almost entirely documents with strong topical relevance. For students, reading comprehension is often the biggest hurdle. The best approach is to "enter the tiger’s den to catch the tiger," meaning to memorize the frequently occurring unfamiliar, difficult, and new words in English and American periodicals and newspapers to achieve a basic mastery of the vocabulary commonly used in postgraduate reading comprehension. Moreover, mastering the vocabulary of English and American periodicals will also help with translation from English to Chinese questions. An expanded vocabulary will further aid in writing essays.