【英語多益通】企業防疫 學遠距工作多益單字
文／Buffy Kao
新冠病毒肆虐全球，不僅許多像大甲鎮瀾宮媽祖遶境等大型活動延後或取消，更打亂了不少企業年後的復工計劃。許多公司爲了減少接觸感染，紛紛實施遠距工作。實際上，遠距工作近年已成爲新的辦公模式。有調查指出，只要提供更多彈性，要求員工在期限內完成工作，員工的效率不減反增。今天就讓我們來看看遠距工作相關的多益常考單字吧！
Productivity產能
People who are granted work flexibility see a boost in productivity.（賦予員工工作彈性，產能將提升。）
● grant (v.) grant的意思和give一樣，但是grant還帶有允許賦予的意思，屬於較爲正式的單字。作爲名詞有獎助金、補助（金）之意。● flexibility (n.) 來自「flex」這個動詞，flex有彎曲之意，flexibility因此延伸出彈性的意思。相關的形容詞有flexible，屬於-ible的字尾變化。● boost (n.) 提升之意，也可當動詞。注意不要跟boast搞混，後者爲炫耀，boast動詞和名詞同型，比如：
Jack did not feel the need to boast about his success. （Jack覺得沒必要炫耀他的成功。）
● productivity (n.) 產能，單字起源是動詞produce，產出之意，延伸出productivity的名詞變化，爲多益常見單字。相關的名詞有production 產出，另外還有形容詞productive 有產能的。
Turnover員工流動率
Flexible work options reduce turnover.（彈性的工作選擇降低了員工流動率。）
● reduce (v.) 減少，名詞變化爲reduction，形容詞變化爲reductive，兩個單字都是很直接的-tion/-tive詞性變化。● turnover (n.) 指的是員工流動（離職）率，是常見的多益單字。相關的動詞片與是turn over，有轉過來、翻頁之意，職場上延伸出「員工離開」的意思。
Participate in參與Workers who can telecommute occasionally or otherwise participate in flexible work plans tend to be healthier.（可以不時遠距工作、或者投入彈性工作計劃的員工通常比較健康。）
● telecommute (v.) tele-字首有遠距的意思，-phone原本是聲音的意思，所以telephone就是從遠方傳來的聲音。在telecommute這個單字中，-commute在這裡有互換（訊息）之意，所以與tele-組合，就成爲「從遠方交換訊息」，也就是「遠距工作」。遠距工作的其他說法還有telework，以及比較口語的to work remotely。remote有遠方的意思，接在work後面須做副詞變化。● occasionally (adj.) 偶爾地，occasion爲名詞，場合之意，occasional則是形容詞變化。 ● participate in 這個動詞片語也是多益常見片語，有參與之意，注意介係詞一定要用in。名詞變化有participation參與，以及participant，要注意字尾-ant爲人的名詞變化，所以participant的意思是參與者。另外形容詞變化是participative參與的。
Flexible work options are cost-effective.（彈性的工作選擇讓營業成本花在刀口上。）
● Cost-effective (adj.) 這是個複合形容詞，由兩個字組成。cost是成本的意思，effective的意思是有效的，這裡將兩個字組合後，就變成「在成本上有效的」，也就是錢花在刀口上的意思。掌握這個原則後，也可以自創複合詞，比如善用時間的可說time-effective。effective注意不要跟efficient搞混，後者爲有效率的，概念和時間有關，前者則是「效果」的意思，和時間沒有關係。
【多益模擬試題】
A new ruling which came into effect last week requires some homeowners to purchase new smoke alarms. The ordinance states that there should be a fire alarm installed in every bedroom of the house, and these alarms must comply with certain safety standards. Some local residents are displeased at these new regulations. Gwen Ellis of McKinley says that to meet with the new regulations, she has to buy five new alarms to replace the ones she installed just six months ago. With fire alarms costing up to $20 apiece, this is an unwelcome ruling for many people. Fortunately, the McKinley Fire Department is offering grants for homeowners and will provide and install new fire alarms free of charge. If you have small children or are older than 65 years of age, you may be eligible for these. The McKinley Fire Department has 5,000 smoke alarms to give away. To inquire about obtaining a free alarm, or to find out whether you qualify, call 692-569-0372.
1. Which of the following is true about the new rule? (A) Every house should have five fire alarms.(B) All fire alarms must be of a certain quality.(C) All fire alarms need to first be approved by the Fire Department.(D) All fire alarms must be less than six months old.
2. How much do five fire alarms cost? (A) $20(B) $100(C) $120(D) $4
3. Which of the following people may be able to receive a free fire alarm? (A) an elderly couple(B) a family of two adults and two teenagers(C) a woman living alone(D) a man who owns his own home
解析：
1. 正解爲(B)。第一句問說「那個敘述是正確的？」根據文章開頭的說明「these alarms must comply with certain safety standards.（這些警報器必須符合特定的安全標準）」，我們可以得知答案應該要選(B)，符合特定的品質（of a certain quality）指的就是安全標準。這裡注意comply with是常見表達符合的動詞片語。
2. 正解爲(B)。第二句問說「5個警報器花費多少？」文章中提到「With fire alarms costing up to $20 apiece…（每個警報器花費高達20元）」，apiece是個數量詞，指的每個單品，所以我們可簡單算出20*5=100，故答案應該選(B)。只要知道apiece這個單字的意思，這題很輕易可以選出答案。
3. 正解爲(A)。第三題問說「下面那種人可以獲得免費的警報器？」文章提到「If you have small children or are older than 65 years of age, you may be eligible for these.（如果你家中有小孩或是你爲65歲以上的居民，你便符合資格）」，而這裡的資格在前面便已經說明「the McKinley Fire Department is offering grants for homeowners and will provide and install new fire alarms free of charge（McKinley消防局提供補助給擁房居民，免費提供並安裝全新的火災警報器。）」因此答案須選(A)，一對老夫婦。Elderly通常意指年長者，符合65歲以上的規定。這裡特別要注意的片語有be eligible for…（符合…資格的），以及free of charge這個片語，指的就是免費。