Take a look at the card that doesn’t play by the rules.
In a deck of cards, one special card stands out from the others. It adds an element of surprise to games. It’s the Joker, a card with the face of a strange character who appears to have a few tricks up his sleeve.
The history of the modern Joker card can be traced back to the 1800s. It was designed for Euchre, a card game that was popular among soldiers during the American Civil War. As Euchre’s rules evolved, players began adding an extra blank card to the standard card deck. This blank card became the highest trump card in the game. Card manufacturers quickly realized the potential of this additional card and began producing cards with images instead of leaving them blank. The earliest example of the Joker card was created by Samuel Hart in 1863. The name Joker appeared shortly after as it captured the card’s wild spirit.
The Joker was likely inspired by the Fool card from the Tarot deck. Like the Fool, the Joker doesn’t belong to any of the four major suits. Over time, the use of the Joker became more common. It was included in many other games, such as Poker and Spades.
單字片語整理
Words in Use
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trick
[trɪk]
n. 惡作劇；竅門；把戲
vt. 欺騙
=
cheat
Anna tricked Tim into carrying drugs for her.
安娜欺騙提姆替她攜帶毒品。
Billy was playing tricks on his little brother.
比利在戲弄他弟弟。
The soup tastes a bit plain, but maybe a little more pepper will do the trick.
這湯喝起來有點無味，但也許再加一點胡椒就會很美味了。
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
老狗學不會新把戲。— 諺語
多益藍色
英檢初級
高中 Level 2
●
blank
[blæŋk]
adj. 空白的
n. 空白處，空格；（頭腦）一片空白
Please write here and leave the bottom of the page blank.
請你寫在這裡，這一頁底部留白。
Fill in the blanks first, please.
請先把這些空格填好。
My mind was a blank when the teacher asked me the question.
老師問我問題時，我的腦中一片空白。
My mind went blank when the teacher asked me the question.
老師問我問題時，我的腦中一片空白。
The TV screen went blank again.
電視螢幕又壞了。
多益綠色
英檢初級
高中 Level 2
●
image
[ˋɪmɪdʒ]
n. 形象；意象；影像，圖像
The aim of this activity is to improve the public image of the politician.
這個活動的目的就是要改善這位政治人物的公眾形象。
You can find images of spring everywhere in the poem.
你在這首詩裡到處可以看到春天的意象。
The images of people at war make me feel uncomfortable.
那些處於戰爭時期人們的圖像讓我感到很不舒服。
高中 Level 2
●
capture
[ˋkæptʃɚ]
vt. 逮捕；獲得，引起（注意）
n. 逮捕
vt. 刻畫，描繪
=
seize
=
arrest
=
apprehend
Police have finally captured the leader of the criminal organization.
警方終於逮捕了該犯罪組織的首腦。
The singer captured the audience’s attention with her good looks and beautiful voice.
這位歌手以其亮麗外型與美妙歌聲獲得觀眾注目。
J.K. Rowling captured the headlines shortly after the release of her novel Harry Potter.
J.K. 羅琳發表她的小說《哈利波特》之後，旋即獲得媒體大篇幅報導。
The capture of the rebel leader is a great victory for the government troops. 俘虜叛軍領袖是政府軍的一大勝利。
The Great Gatsby captures the lifestyle in the US in the 1920s.
《大亨小傳》刻畫出美國 1920 年代的生活樣貌。
多益藍色
英檢中級
高中 Level 3
●
spirit
[ˋspɪrɪt]
n. 精神（不可數）；鬼魂（可數）；情緒，心情（恆用複數）
The coach tried hard to improve the team spirit.
教練很努力要提高團隊精神。
Some people believe in evil spirits.
有些人相信邪靈的存在。
Wendy, you seem to be in high spirits today.
溫蒂，你今天似乎心情很好。
多益藍色
英檢初級
高中 Level 2
Practical Phrases
●
stand out
顯眼；突出
With purple hair, Dan stands out in a crowd.
頂著紫色的頭髮，阿丹在人群中很顯眼。
●
be traced back to + 明確的時間／時期
回溯至⋯(某時)；追溯到⋯(來源)
Henry's fear of dogs could be traced back to an experience in his childhood.
亨利對狗的恐懼可追溯到他孩童時期的一次經驗。
●
belong to sb/sth
屬於……；是……的成員
All the things you see here belong tome.
你在這兒所看到的東西都屬於我。
