Unit THREE: TEXT I
Words and Expressions
1) knack (l. 5) n. a clever way of doing something
2) be in awe of (l. 13) have respect as well as fear and reverence for
3) staggering (l. 20) adj. unexpectedly surprising; astounding
e.g. The external debts of that country are staggering. (大得惊人)
stagger: vt. cause shocked disblief
e.g. He was staggered by the news that his parents were killed in that traffic accident.
4) vestiges (l. 22) pl. n. traces
e.g. With the overthrow of the monarchy, all vestiges of feudalism are gone.
vestiges of an ancient civilization 古代文明的遗迹
带否定词时用单数： without a vestige of clothing 一丝不挂
No vestige of a change appeared. 没有一点改变。
5) ultimately (l. 33) adv. finally; after a long series of events
It’s often used to describe a person or an animal that is hard to keep under one’s control.
n. a recalcitrant person. 执拗的人，桀骜不驯的人，不顺从的人
antonyms: docile/obedient
7) worry (l. 47)
vt. assail a problem again and again until it is solved, just like a dog biting some small animals repeatedly, shaking it or pulling at it with the teeth
8) surcease (l. 66) n. (archaic) cessation, pause
9) plausible (l. 81) adj. seeming to be reasonable
10) a house of cards (l. 86) an insecure scheme n. 纸牌做的房子, 不牢靠的计划
11) ineffable (l. 109) adj. unutterable; incapable of being expressed in words 不可言表的
It is used to describe something positive that is too wonderful to be described.
e.g. ~ joy / happiness / delight / beauty
12) elusively whimsical (l. 110) indescribably quaint or strange 捉摸不透的古怪
13) convey (l. 1) vt. make known (ideas, views, feelings) to another person
collocation: ~ + meaning/feeling/essence/etc. in a word
e.g. I can't convey my feelings in words.
Mary asked me to convey her gratitude to you.
Please convey to him my best wishes
14) none the worse for (l. 5) not harmed by; not adversely affected by
none the + 比较级/none too/none so: 一点也不，决没有
e.g. He got lost in the street for quite a while, but was none the worse for it.
She did it none too well. 她做得一点儿也不好。
15) plead (l. 11) v. plead with sb.: ask sb. very strongly in a begging way 向……恳求
e.g. The girl pleaded with her parents to let her go to school by herself.
plead (not) guilty: (不)服罪 plead illness: 以生病为借口
16) prodigy (l. 24) n. a person with exceptional talents or powers 天才
an infant prodigy; a child prodigy; a prodigy violinist; a prodigy of learning (非凡的学者); a prodigy of energy (精力异常充沛的人)
17) run abreast of (l. 28) abreast: adv. side by side; up to date with
run/walk/ride/march abreast (of sth.): 并肩前进
We should keep abreast of the times in science. 我们应在科学方面与时俱进。
18) offshoot (l. 36) n. a thing that is developed from something else 衍生物，分枝
19) fathom (l. 58) vt. come to understand; get the true meaning of 推测；揣摩；领会
e.g. I can't fathom what you really meant. 我不能领会你的真正用意。
20) steer (l. 62) vt. generally means “make a boat or a car go in a particular direction”. Figuratively, steer often means “direct”.
e.g. steer visitors to the park; steer a conversation away from unpleasant subjects
steer an automobile [an airplane] 驾驶汽车[飞机]
steer one's country to peace and prosperity 领导国家走向和平与繁荣
21) tamper with (l. 87)
interfere with; try to change something without permission 削弱；篡改；干涉
e.g. tamper with history 篡改历史
It’s wrong to tamper with other people’s affairs.
22) fail (l. 90) vt. leave someone helpless at a difficult time
“Words failed him” means that he could not find words to express his feelings
health/strength/courage/words/time + fail + sb.
健康状况不允许/体力不支/泄气/不到话/时间不够
e.g. He was eager to climb to the top of the high mountain, but his health failed him.
His courage failed him in the end. 到最后,他泄气了。
His name escaped me.
23) remote (l. 94) adj. distant in time and space, and in relationship
e.g. a remote village; in the remote past; a remote cousin
24) turmoil (l. 95) n. state of confusion, chaos, disorder, trouble
25) endeavor (l. 107) n. effort; attempt
26) akin (l. 119) adj. related by blood; having a similar quality or character; analogous 同族的；同类的；相似的
e.g. be ~ to: be similar to
The language is closely akin to Arabic.
Some synonyms:
1. climb; crawl; creep
a) climb
vt. suggests most strongly a laborious or tortuous moving upwards
发布评论