上周末的答案：

1. b   2. b   3. d   4. d   5. b   6. a   7. c   8. b   9. b   10. c

今天将学习MAL和CATA两个词根。

MAL. 源自拉丁语，意为"bad." A malady is a bad condition--a disease or illness--of the body or mind. Malpractice is bad medical practice. Malodorous things smell bad. And a malefactor is someone guilty of bad deeds.

malevolent. Having or showing intense ill will or hatred.

例句：Captain Ahab sees Moby Dick not simply as a whale but as a powerfully malevolent foe.

Malevolence runs deep. Malevolent enemies have bitter and lasting feelings of ill will. Malevolent racism and bigotry can erupt in acts of violence against innocent people. Malevolence can also show itself in hurtful words, and can sometimes be seen in something as small as an angry look or gesture.

malicious. Desiring to cause pain, injury, or distress to another.

例句：The boys didn't take the apples with any malicious intent; they were just hungry and didn't know any better.

Malicious and malevolent are close in meaning, since both refer to ill will that desires to see someone else suffer. But while malevolent suggests deep and lasting dislike, malicious usually means petty and spiteful. Malicious gossipers are often simply envious of a neighbor's good fortune. Vandals may take malicious pleasure in destroying and defacing property but usually don't truly hate the owners. Malice is an important legal concept, which has to be proved in order to convict someone of certain crimes such as first-degree murder.

malign. To make harsh and often false or misleading statements about.

例句：Captain Bligh of the Bounty may be one of the most unjustly statements about.

Malign is related to verbs like defame, slander, and libel. The person or group being maligned is the victim of false or misleading statements, even if the maligner isn't necessarily guilty of deliberate lying. Someone or something that's frequently criticized is often said to be "much maligned," which suggests that the criticism isn't entirely fair or deserved. Malign is also an adjective, and writers often refer to a person's malign influence. The very similar malignant, which used to be a common synonym of malign, today tends to describe dangerous medical conditions, especially cancerous tumors(肿瘤).

malnourished. Badly or poorly nourished.

例句：When they finally found the children in the locked cabin, they were pale and malnourished but unharmed.

Malnourished people can be found in all types of societies. Famine and poverty are only two of the common causes of malnutrition. In wealthier societies, malnutrition is often the result of poor eating habits. Any diet that fails to provide the nutrients needed for health and growth can lead to malnutrition, and some malnourished people are actually fat.

CATA. 源自希腊词语kata多个意思的的一个，意为"down." A catalogue is a list of items put down on paper, and a catapult is a weapon for hurling missiles down on one's enemies.

cataclysm. (1) A violent and massive change of the earth's surface. (2) A momentous event that results in great upheaval and often destruction.

例句：World War I was a great cataclysm in modern history, marking the end of the old European social and political order.

The -clysm part of cataclysm comes from the Greek word meaning "to wash," so cataclysm's original meaning was "flood, deluge," and especially Noah's Flood itself. A cataclysm causes great and lasting changes. An earthquake or other natural disaster that changes the landscape is one kind of cataclysm, but a violent political revolution may also be cataclysmic event. Many cataclysmic could instead be called catastrophes.

catacomb. An underground cemetery(墓地) of connecting passageways with recesses for tombs.

例句：The early Christian catacombs of Rome provide a striking glimpse into the ancient past for modern-day visitors.

About forty Christian catacombs have been found near the roads that once led into Rome. After the decline of the Roman empire these cemeteries were forgotten, not to be rediscovered until 1578. Catacomb has come to refer to different kinds of underground chambers and passageways. The catacombs of Paris are abandoned stone quarries that were not used for burials until 1787. The catacombs built by a monastery in Palermo, Sicily, for its deceased members later began accepting bodies from outside the monastery; today you may wander through looking at hundreds of mummified corpses propped against the catacomb walls, dressed in tattered clothes that were once fashionable.

catalyst. (1) A substance that speeds up a chemical reaction or lets it take place under different conditions. (2) Someone or something that brings about or speeds significant change or action.

例句：The assassination of  Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo in 1914 turned out to be the catalyst for Word War I.

Chemical catalysts are substances that, in very small amounts, can bring about important chemical changes in large quantities of material. The catalytic converter in your car's exhaust system, for instance, uses tiny amounts of platinum to swiftly convert the engine's dangerous gases to carbon dioxide and water vapor. And it's easy to see how the meaning of catalyst could broaden to include nonchemical situations. We can now say, for example, that the Great Depression served as the catalyst for such important social reforms as Social Security.

catatonic. (1) Relating to or suffering from a form of schizophrenia(精神分裂症). (2) Showing an unusual lack of movement, activity, or expression.

例句：After an hour, extreme boredom had produced a catatonic stupor(不省人事) in those of the audience who were still awake.

Catatonia is primarily a form of the terrible mental disease known as schizophrenia, though it may show up in patients with a variety of other mental conditions. A common symptom is extreme muscular rigidity; catatonic patients may be "frozen" for hours or even days in a single position. Its causes remain mysterious. Serious though the condition is, most nondoctors use catatonic humorously to describe people who seem incapable of moving or changing expression.

Quiz:

Choose the closest definition:

1. malevolent      a. wishing evil   b. wishing well   c. blowing violently   d. badly done

2. cataclysm      a. loud applause   b. feline behavior   c. disaster   d. inspiration

3. malign      a. speak well of   b. speak to   c. speak ill of   d. speak of repeatedly

4. catacomb      a. underground road   b. underground cemetery   c. underground spring   d. underground treasure

5. malicious      a. vague   b. explosive   c. confusing   d. mean

6. catatonic      a. refreshing   b. slow   c. motionless   d. boring

7. malnourished      a. fed frequently   b. fed poorly   c. fed excessively   d. fed occasionally

8. catalyst      a. literary agent   b. insurance agent   c. cleaning agent   d. agent of change