B5L4 Butterflies & ElephantsBy Jessica Li

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ReadingParagraph I∆ Some people were giggling, _____ others were

quietly attentive. while∆ _____(A) To wear (B) Wore (C) Wearing my

white polka-dot dress, I stood onstage. (C)∆ represent (V) = be on behalf of sb

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Ex. Ben represented his boss to attend the meeting. = Ben attended the meeting on behalf of his boss.∆ give a speech = address Victoria was assigned to give a speech/ address in a

rally.∆ fear of public speaking stage fright

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Paragraph II∆ Little did the audience know that as I stood there

looking “all together,” my heart was actually beating like a drum.

V1 +Ving (主動 )/ PP (被動 ) Ex. Bathed in the warm sunshine, Mary sat by the

window reading her favorite novel “The Help.” Ex. The poor girl stood still paralyzed by the

deafening gunshot. look “all together” = look the same/ look calm

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∆ have butterflies in one’s stomach feel nervous Ex. I had butterflies in my stomach as I was waiting

for my turn to have a vaccine shot.∆ The thundering herd was threatening to trample me

thoroughly. a pack of wolves a school of dolphins a swarm of mosquitoes a herd of cattle

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∆ N + fill + 地方 . Ex. It is tranquil by the lake. And I feel peaceful. Tranquility fills the lake, making me feel

peaceful.∆ light-hearted (a)= timid The thrilling roller coaster in the Universal

Studio isn’t meant for the light-hearted.

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Paragraph III∆ Aware of the heads bobbing in the sea of faces

before me, I began my speech. When I was aware of -----, I began ----- EX. 知道生物多樣性即將在 10年內減少一半，她加入綠色和平組織為環保的重要性發聲。 Aware of the fact that biodiversity will reduce by

50%, she joined Green Peace to voice the importance of environmental protection.

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∆ A few phrases tumbling out quickly, the tremor in my voice was noticeable.

S + Ving/ PP, S + V. The speaker standing still onstage, the audience

kept ridiculing her cracking voice.∆ a growing sense of confidence began to build build confidence∆ ease (V) make sth less unpleasant, painful, severe The building of the new highway can help ease the

traffic congestion on holidays.

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Paragraph IV.∆ potential downfall = possible failureParagraph V.∆ Outwardly paralyzed with horror and humiliation, I

frantically/ hurriedly plotted what I should do next. Although I was standing still with horror and

humiliation, I hurriedly made a secret plan in my mind.

∆ Time seemed to stand still, crystallizing a moment ---

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making me understand that the momentwas an opportunity to me --- to show myintent to the audience.

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Paragraph VI.∆ I chose neither of my first two quick solutions. (1) to run off the stage in despair or (2) wait for

the power to return to the microphone∆ forced out het hot anxiety in my lungs to make room

for what I intended to do force out = drive out Move away the stuff on your desk so we can

make room for the laptop.

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Paragraph VII.∆ --- as if I were a bird, singing for the very first time∆ It reached far into the recesses / the deepest parts

of the upper balcony, where I could see people no longer bobbing in front of me, but sitting fascinated --.

∆ recess (n) break Ex. Some senior students make good use of the

recess to continue with their studies regardless of the noises around them.

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Paragraph VIII.∆ Then, all of the students shouted and cheered, the

large room vibrating with applause.∆ be bursting with N = be filled with N∆ master + difficulty = conquer difficulty∆ a big extra dose of unforeseen adversity a big unexpected difficulty∆ this loud cheering was a new kind of elephant ___

(thunder) in my ears. thundering

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Paragraph IX.∆ In an instant = At a moment∆ sweep over sb = suddenly affect sb strongly A wave of tiredness swept over her at the end of a

day.∆ feel a glow of N = have a strong pleasant feeling

about N feel a glow of contentment/ pleasure/ pride Ex. I felt a glow of great pleasure when learning that

I was admitted to NTU.

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∆ (inside of me) (existed/ was) ( a young woman once tested.)

(s)+ v + (prep. 地方 ) = (prep. 地方 ) + v + (s). Ex. On the grass lay a boy fiddling his smartphone.

a young woman (who was once) tested

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Vocabulary

1. Despite/ In spite of + N Despite/ In spite of the fact that + S+V. Despite the fact that a blizzard was

coming, the traveler insisted on flying back to his homeland.

∆ persist in N = never stop Ving In order to achieve his goal, he persisted in studying

hard for a whole year.

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2. considerable (a) great considerably (adv) greatly considerate (a) thoughtful Ex. The blackout had shut down the

factory for more than 6 hours and thus caused ____ loss, amounting to millions of dollars.

considerable Ex. It is a stereotype to see the males who

tend to be ____ as homosexuals. considerate

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Ex. The need for sleep varies ___ from person to person. considerably ∆ be under consideration = under discussion Ex. The proposal about the restoration of the

old school building is currently under consideration.

∆ take sth into consideration/ account Ex. The applicants’ experiences and qualifications will

be taken into consideration when the decision is made. 18

3. conquer (V) conquest (N) There are several ways to conquer fear, one

of ___ (A) them (B) that (C) which is to face it directly.

(C) which The conquest of my stage fright built

confidence in me and I started to participate in more speech contest.

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4. trample (V) step heavily tread (V) trod, trodden, treading Ex. Careful and don’t ____ in that puddle

(水坑 ). tread Ex. When the movie caught fire, several

people were nearly ____ to death in a rush for the exits.

trampled

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Ex. During the recession, I decided to ____ water under a better job came along.

tread (making no progress when you are waiting for sth)

Ex. Regrettably, the government _____ on people’s right and didn’t permit anyone to voice any complaint.

trampled

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5. thoroughly (adv) completely thorough (a) complete, detailed The situation is a thorough mess. Ex. She is very thorough and conscientious. (一絲不苟 ) 6. vein (N) 血管 /靜脈 artery (N) 動脈

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7. tumble (V) Roger flew into a rage, and harsh words

began to tumble out of his mouth, which then led to a heated argument with his friends.

9. glare (V) (N) Frank gave his younger sister a hostile

glare after she broke his favorite model airplane on purpose/ deliberately.

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10. strangle (V) to kill a person by pressing the neck, to stop sth from developing

The thief tried to strangle the woman to death with a thick rope. Fortunately, she made a narrow escape (僥倖逃過一劫 ) and reported the incident to the police.

The country’s aging population is the most crucial factor that is strangling the country’s industrial development.

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11. inanimate (a) animate (a) (V) make sth/sb more lively animated (a) lively animation (n) animated film = cartoon Ex. It was an ____ conversation because I and Carolina had a lot in common. animated 25

Ex. Humans, horses, and trees are examples of ____ beings.

animate

Ex. Pixar is a computer ____ studio, which has earned 27 Academy awards.

animation

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12. outwardly (adv) outward (a) Outwardly, James P. Sullivan may appear serious and distant, but he is actually a humorous and warm-hearted person. --------------------------------- We should never judge other people based strictly on their outward appearance.

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13. paralyze (V) paralyzed (a) The blackout last night paralyzed many parts of the city. To make matters worse, dozens of residents got stuck in elevators, and some were seriously injured.14. frantically (adv) frantic (a) Despite the frantic efforts of all the

members of the medical team, they were unable to save the patient.

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15. despair (N) (V) The sudden collapse of his business

empire sent the CEO of the company into the depths of despair.

--------------------------------------------------------- The infertile couple despaired of having

their own children, so they decided to adopt one.

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16. intent (N) = intention intent (a) showing strong interests and

attention. Ex. The woman denied possessing drugs

with intent to supply. ∆ to all intents and purposes = almost Ex. The two items are, to all intents and

purposes, identical. ∆ an intent gaze Ex. The investigator gave the fingerprint

left on a glass an intent gaze.30

∆ be intent upon N = intend to VR/ focus on Ex. I was so intent on my work that I didn’t

notice the time. Ex. The exposition (公開 ) of the tape is

intent upon ruining the politician’s reputation.

17. obstacle (N) barrier, adversity, difficulty A lack of empathy often becomes a serious

obstacle to effective communication between members of the opposite sex.

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19. boom (V) in a loud and deep voice, prosper boom (N) loud deep voice/ 熱潮 ∆ voice + boom out EX. Texas is beginning to boom because of

the discovery of oil shale (油頁岩 ). Ex. The only way to satisfy the golf boom is

to build more courses. ∆ booming housing market stock market

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20. vibrate ≤ quake= rock (V) vibration (n) quake (n) ∆ vibration mode Ex. Please turn your cellphone to the

vibration mode when you are attending a conference.

Ex. A devastating earthquake rocked the village last night and all the houses were flattened in seconds.

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21. dose (n) an amount of sth unpleasant (n) an amount of drug (v) take drugs dosage (n) 劑量 ∆ a dose of bad luck / failure / frustration /

downfall ----- Ex. The doctor prescribed a dose of

painkiller for my sore back/ backache. Ex. The man was heavily dosed with

painkiller to ease his migraine (偏頭痛 ).

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Ex. Do not exceed the recommended dosage because it may cause side effects, such as kidney failure.

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