作者的話
Language learning is a solid pathway to exploring what life has to offer!
Whenever I am introduced to a new student, one of the first questions that I ask is why they are learning English. My younger students usually say it’s because their parents are making them.
My adult students will say for work. While both answers serve as great motivation, I find that one of the greatest benefits of language learning is how much of life opens up. From making new
friends, to watching movies from different cultures, to being able to try new cuisine; language learning is a solid pathway to exploring what life has to offer.
When I was writing this book, I kept different types of motivations in mind. You will find common vocabulary that is needed for standardized tests like GEPT, TOEIC, and IELTS. You’ll also
find words, sentence structures, and idioms that are helpful in having friendly but meaningful conversations. Lastly, you’ll learn vocabulary that can help you navigate everyday life and even
potentially open up new hobbies for you.
You will need an upper beginner to lower intermediate knowledge of English to use this book. Every topic has four sections. The first is your vocabulary diagram with both English definitions
and Chinese translations. I encourage you to try to think in English by reading the English definition first. If you are still struggling, check the Chinese translation. The English definitions
are written for learners. The definitions might seem simplified compared to traditional dictionary definitions, but what we want is to give you a general understanding of a word, then for you
to move to the next section of the chapter for examples and practice. Personally, with my own language learning experiences, I have tried the method of memorizing words and their dictionary
definitions and I did gain a large vocabulary. However, there have been so many times where I just had no idea how to practically use the word. Then the word would get lost in the nether
regions of my brain. I wasted a lot of time this way and don’t want that to happen to you. I’m hoping you will avoid this by learning how to use the vocabulary words through the example and
practice section of every chapter.
The other thing you should know about this book is that it is progressive…but not. If you start from topic1 and work your way to topic 120, you will see that newly acquired vocabulary is
reinforced throughout the book. However, if you want to skip to a topic that is of interest to you, that’s perfectly okay too. The grammar throughout the book is a lower intermediate level and
doesn’t change significantly. If you see a word you don’t know, look it up!
I’ve taken my experience as a teacher but also as a language student to come up with useful topics in life, career, and testing. By the end of the book you should have the confidence, skills,
and vocabulary to interact in English socially, talk about hobbies and passions, communicate in the business world, and navigate through standardized tests. My hope is that this book will help
elevate your English skills and happily go through this demanding but exciting venture of English language learning. Happy learning!
Jennifer Lee
2018年8月
編者的話
每天早上打開手機，不論是在Line、email還是FB上，都會看到許多訊息，包括各樣新理論、新研究、新知識……。面對這些源源不絕的新資訊，我們都需要培養深度思考的能力，才能從中吸收對自己真正有用的內容。
學英文也是如此。書店的新書平台上，幾乎每個月都會出現新上市的英文單字書與會話書。相信許多讀者都會感到困惑——到底哪一本才是自己的“Right Book”？
我們深信，在資訊過於複雜的現代，唯有找對方法，培養動腦思考的能力，才能有效吸收知識，否則就算花再多時間閱讀，也是枉然。
好學、好記的曼陀羅九宮格記憶法
語樂多編輯部與Jennifer老師經過數次討論，決定以「曼陀羅九宮格」來幫助讀者進行深度學習。曼陀羅圖形的概念是，從中心到圓周，由聚集的核心向外發展，衍生出各種不同的變化。今泉浩晃博士於1970年代提出「曼陀羅九宮格」的思考方式，廣受各界的推崇與喜愛，至今已成為業界愛用、家喻戶曉的筆記法，也是團隊腦力激盪的實用工具。
曼陀羅九宮格有多種呈現方式，我們在本書中採用的是「輻射線式」的發散思考法。每單元都以九宮格開始，九宮格的中心是單元主題，而上下左右分別衍生出與主題相關的單字。
例如「Language Learning（學習語言）」這個主題，相關單字包括：
confident（a. 有信心的）
via（prep. 經由）
establish（v. 建立）
yield（v. 產生）
interact（v. 交流）
associate（v. 把……聯繫在一起）
befriend（v. 和某人成為朋友）
obstacle（n. 障礙）。
每個格子內的單字，都依詞性而有相對應的顏色，例如綠色表示名詞、紫色表示形容詞。看到單字的顏色，就能馬上知道該字的詞性，有助於加速記住單字，這是本書精心設計的一大特色。
接下來，在「會話練習」和「閱讀練習」當中，透過精彩的範例讓讀者複習單字，強化對單字的理解與應用。學會關鍵字彙的用法之後，再進行單元最後的「單字填空」，測試自己是否已經牢牢記住單字。
「曼陀羅九宮格」思考法，可以應用於生活中的各領域，幫助我們將注意力集中在特定目標上，運用大腦進行具整體性的思考，將分散的資訊統整在一起，有系統地理解、吸收，把所學內容轉變成長期記憶。聽起來很神奇，但實際成效如何呢？只有親自試過才知道。
現在，就拿出白紙，畫個九宮格吧！讓這本《曼陀羅英單記憶術：用九宮格聯想記憶英文單字》，陪你展開愉快的學習旅程。
語樂多編輯部
2018年8月
