Word Studio 词汇精讲

推断；推知

to work out something not directly said.

“Infer” means to work out something the text does not say directly, using the clues it does give. Notice the pattern: you infer something from evidence — never “infer about” it. Inferring is a careful step, not a guess. A guess can come from nowhere, but an inference has to be held up by details on the page, so anyone reading the same lines could arrive at it too.

• Kiwi could infer from the two blue stream crossings that the shorter track might flood.
• When a character says nothing but keeps checking the door, you can infer that she is nervous.
• Do not infer too much from a single word; look for a second clue that points the same way.

证据

a detail that supports your idea.

Evidence is the detail that holds your idea up: a fact, a line from the text, a number, or something that really happened. Evidence must be checkable, so anyone can look at the same page and see it for themselves. Notice that evidence is uncountable — say “some evidence” or “a piece of evidence”, never “an evidence”. A feeling is not evidence, because nobody else can look at it and agree.

• The clearest evidence was the thin blue line that crossed the gully track twice.
• Before you state your idea, underline the evidence you will use to support it.
• A feeling is not evidence, because nobody else can look at it and agree.

暗示；建议

to hint or show indirectly.

“Suggest” does two jobs. When a person suggests, they offer an idea for other people to consider. When a detail suggests, it hints at something without saying it out loud. The second job is the one that matters in inference: muddy footprints do not say “someone ran”, but they suggest it. Notice the pattern — suggest something, or suggest that something is true.

• The two thin blue stream lines suggest that the gully track could flood after heavy rain.
• I suggest we read the question twice before we choose an answer.
• A character’s silence can suggest more than a long speech.

焦虑的；担心的

worried or nervous.

“Anxious” describes the tight, restless feeling of waiting for something that might go wrong. Notice two patterns that mean different things: anxious about something means worried, while anxious to do something means eager. Keep the two apart and your writing becomes exact. In a story, an anxious character often shows it through small actions — checking, re-checking, touching the same object.

• Kiwi felt anxious as the others waited for her to choose a track.
• I get anxious about speaking in front of the whole class.
• Being anxious does not mean you cannot do it; it means the moment matters to you.

不情愿的

not wanting to do something.

“Reluctant” means you do something, or almost do it, but you would rather not. This is what separates it from “refuse”: a reluctant person still goes, with a push. Notice the pattern — reluctant to do something. In stories reluctance is a useful clue, because it tells you what a character is quietly afraid of, even when they never say the word afraid.

• Tui was reluctant to give up the shorter track, because she had chosen it first.
• I was reluctant to put my hand up, even though I knew the answer.
• A reluctant character often shows you the real risk in a story.

坚定的；有决心的

not giving up.

“Determined” means you keep going towards something even when it is hard. Notice the pattern — determined to do something. Determined is about the will, not the result, so a determined person can still fail and still be determined. In writing, show it through what a character keeps doing after the first difficulty, not by saying the word.

• Kiwi was determined to explain her thinking before the group voted.
• She was determined to reach the top of the ridge, even though her legs ached.
• A determined reader keeps going back to the sentence that did not make sense.

负责任的

able to be trusted.

“Responsible” means someone can be trusted to do what they said, and to think about what happens next. Notice two patterns: responsible for something, and responsible to someone. Being responsible is not the same as being blamed; it is about carrying the weight of a choice before anything goes wrong, which is exactly what Kiwi does with the map.

• Kiwi showed she was responsible by checking the map before the group set off.
• The responsible choice is often the slower one.
• Who is responsible for the first-aid bag on a school trip?

犹豫

to pause because you are unsure.

“Hesitate” means to stop for a moment because you are not sure. It is a small, visible pause — the kind a reader can see in a story. Notice the pattern: hesitate to do something, or hesitate before doing it. Hesitation is not weakness; in a story it usually marks the exact moment a character is deciding, which is why writers put it just before the choice.

• Kiwi did not hesitate to speak, even though everyone was watching her.
• Do not hesitate to ask for the question again if it went too fast.
• If you hesitate before you answer, take one breath and start with your evidence.

瞥一眼

to look quickly.

“Glance” means to look at something quickly and then look away. Notice the pattern — glance at something. It is not the same as “stare”, which means to keep looking. In stories a glance is a clue: what a character glances at, and how often, tells you what is on their mind, often before the character is willing to say it.

• Kiwi took one glance at the dark line of trees, then looked back at the map.
• I glance at the clock whenever the lesson feels long.
• One glance at a character’s hands can tell you how they feel.

避免

to keep away from something.

“Avoid” means to keep away from something, or to stop it from happening. Notice the pattern — avoid doing something, never “avoid to do”. In a story, what a character avoids is often as revealing as what they choose, because avoidance shows fear or dislike. Kiwi does not avoid the argument; she avoids the flood, which is a different kind of courage.

• The group chose the ridge track to avoid the flooded stream crossings.
• I avoid reading on the bus because it makes me feel sick.
• What a character tries to avoid often reveals what they are afraid of.

安慰；使安心

to make someone feel less worried.

“Reassure” means to make someone feel less worried, usually with words or a small action. Notice the shape of the word: re + assure — to assure again, because one promise was not enough. Reassuring someone is not the same as lying to them, and that is the point: comfort that turns out to be false costs more trust than it buys.

• Tui’s low whistle was enough to reassure Kiwi that the choice had been right.
• My teacher took a moment to reassure me that one low mark would not decide the year.
• A good leader can reassure the group without hiding the real difficulty.

独立的

able to do things without much help.

“Independent” means able to work or decide without needing someone else to do it for you. Notice the pattern — independent of someone. Being independent does not mean refusing help; it means knowing when you need it and asking for the right thing. The navigation challenge is independent work precisely because the teacher stays quiet while the group decides.

• The navigation challenge was meant to be independent work, so the teacher stayed quiet.
• Independent reading time is when you choose the book yourself.
• Independent learners check the answer themselves before the teacher marks it.

动机

the reason why someone does something.

“Motivation” is the reason behind an action — the thing that makes a character bother. Notice the pattern — motivation for doing something. Motivation is not the same as the action itself: the action is what we see, and motivation is what we infer from it. Kiwi’s motivation is not to win the argument; it is to bring everyone home dry.

• Kiwi’s motivation was not to be right; it was to keep the group safe.
• My motivation for finishing homework early is a free evening.
• When you name a character’s motivation, point to the moment that shows it.

自信的

sure about what you can do.

“Confident” means you believe in what you can do. Notice two patterns: confident about something, and confident that something will happen. Confidence is not loudness — a quiet person can be confident, and a loud one can be unsure. The most durable confidence comes from evidence you have collected yourself, which is why Kiwi grows calmer after she has checked the map.

• Kiwi grew more confident once the group agreed with her.
• I feel confident about this topic because I have read about it before.
• She felt confident about her answer because she had checked it twice.

体贴的

thinking about other people’s feelings.

“Considerate” means you think about how your choice will affect other people before you make it. Notice the pattern — considerate of someone. It is close to “kind”, but more exact: kindness is a feeling, and being considerate is a habit of checking. Kiwi is considerate because she explains her reason instead of simply overruling Tui in front of everyone.

• Kiwi was considerate enough to explain her reason instead of overruling Tui.
• It was considerate of you to save me a seat.
• A considerate writer explains a hard idea twice, in two different ways.

后果

a result of an action.

“Consequence” means what happens because of something else. Notice the pattern — the consequence of an action. Consequence is not always punishment: a good choice has consequences too, and those are the ones worth naming. When you infer, thinking about consequence helps you predict what a character will do next, because most people move away from the result they do not want.

• The consequence of taking the gully track could have been a long walk back.
• One consequence of leaving homework until Sunday is a rushed Monday.
• A character who understands the consequence of a choice usually makes the safer one.