New words
Unit 8 TEXT A
gender
n.
[C, U] the fact of being male or female 性别
Some research tells us that between ages two and five, children become aware of gender. 有研究告诉我们，孩子在2岁到5岁之间开始对性别有所认识。
variable
n.
[C] sth. that may be different in different situations, so that you cannot be sure what will happen 易变的事；可变因素
With so many variables, the exact cost of this experiment is difficult to estimate. 有这么多可变因素，这项
实验的确切成本难以估算。
a.
likely to change often 易变的；多变的
These charges and interest rates are variable and the Bank reserves the right to change them. 这
些费用和利率是可变的，本银行保留更改的权利。
contradiction
n.
[C] a difference between two statements, beliefs, or ideas about sth. that means they cannot both be true 矛盾；不一致
It is a contradiction to say you support him but would not vote for him in the election. 你说你支持他，但选举时又不会选他，这是自相矛盾的。
intimate
a.
having an extremely close friendship亲密的；密切的
Katie has been on intimate terms with Jane since college. 凯蒂从大学开始就和简关系亲密。magnetic
a.
1 abletoattractand interestpeople verystrongly有吸引力的；有魅力的
His magnetic personality made him an influential political figure. 他富有魅力的个性使他成为了一位有影响力的政治人物。
2 capableofattractingiron objects有磁性的；有磁力的
The magnetic bulletin board has become the children’s favorite, on which they often display their creative drawings.磁性公告板成为孩子们的心爱之物。他们经常在上面展示自己富有创造力的画作。sensitive
a.
1 abletounderstandotherpeople’sfeelingsandproblems善解人意的；体恤的
Her own experiences had made her sensitive to other people’s troubles. 她的个人经历使她懂得体恤别人的难处。
2 easilyupsetoroffended byeventsorthingsthatpeople say敏感的；容易生气的
After their own defeat, people in this country are sensitive about the topic of war.战败后，这个国
家的人们对战争的话题很敏感。
Throughout her career she remained very sensitive to criticism. 在她整个职业生涯中，她总是对批评很敏感。
deliberate
a.
intended, not done by chance or by accident 故意的；有意的；蓄意的
Obviously, it was more of a deliberate crime than an accident. 很显然, 这与其说是一场事故，不如说是
蓄意犯罪。
comparison
n.
[C, U] the process of considering how things or people are similar and how they are different比较Comparison with his previous movies shows how Lee has developed as a director.比较一下他先前拍摄的电影，就可以看到李作为一名导演的成长历程。
The weather in Shanghai these days are very changeable in comparison with the same period last year. 和去年同时期相比，这些天上海的天气极其多变。
ritual
n. [C, U]
1 sth. thatyou doregularlyand alwaysin the same way例行公事；老规矩；老习惯
I start to read English aloud first thing after I get up in the morning and that has become a ritual. 我早晨起床后第一件事就是开始朗读英语，这已成为习惯。
2 aformalceremony正式仪式；典礼
The shift change between groups of officers assigned to guarding the palace is a solemn ritual. 负责守卫宫殿的卫士之间的换岗是一项庄严的仪式。
motion
n.
1 [U] theprocessoraction ofmoving运动；移动
He invented a camera which could take pictures of people and animals in motion.他发明了一种可
以拍摄移动中的人和动物的照相机。
Pull this handle to set the machine in motion. 拉这个把手来把机器发动起来。
2 [C] asinglemovementofyour handorhead, adein ordertocommunicate sth.（手或头的）示意动作；手势
He asked me to step forward with a motion of his hand. 他打了个手势要我走到前面去。sequence
n. [C, U]
1 a setofrelatedthingsthathappenorarearranged in aparticularorder一连串；连续
The police asked the witness to describe the sequence of events that evening. 警方让目击者描述一下那晚发生的一连串事件。
2 theorderin which asetofthingshappensorisarranged顺序；次序；先后
The keys have to be turned in a particular sequence to open the safe. 要按照特定顺序转动钥匙才能打开保险箱。
deficiency
n. [C, U] (fml.)
1 a lackofsth. thatisnecessary不足；缺乏
Women suffering from iron deficiency can take supplements in the form of tablets.缺铁的女性可以通过服用营养片来进行补充。
2 aweaknessorfaultinsth.缺点；毛病
If students don’t study their lessons as they were told, deficiencies will show up quickly when they take an exam.学生们如果不按要求学习课程，那么考试的时候他们的不足马上就会暴露出来。narrative
n.
[C] (fml.) a description of events in a story, esp. in a novel叙述；记叙
There is nothing remarkable about the narrative, which is about a traditional love triangle. 故事讲述的是老套的三角恋，没有什么特别出彩的地方。
retreat
vi.
1 sth. 后退；离开；退避
A firefighter tried to get into the burning house, but he was forced to retreat by the intense heat. 一名消防员试图冲进燃烧的屋子里，但却因为巨大的热浪而不得不退了回来。
2 moveawayfromtheenemyafter being defeated in battle撤退
The enemy retreated to the mountains. 敌人撤退到了山里。
steer
v.
control the direction in which a vehicle moves掌舵；驾驶
Our garage door isn’t very wide and it’s quite difficult to steer the car through it. 我们的车库门不是很宽，要把车开进去有点儿困难。
vt.
guide sb.’s behavior or the way a situation develops引导；指导
He managed to steer the conversation away from his divorce.他设法把话题从他的离婚事件上引开。
steering
n.
[U] the parts of a car, boat, etc. that allow you to control its direction （汽车、船等的）转向装置，操纵装置
The driver was accused of running red lights and crossing hands on the steering wheel. 那个司机被指控闯红灯以及双手交叉着握方向盘。
intact
a.
(not before noun) not broken, damaged, or spoiled完好无损的；未受损伤的
The tornado destroyed our garden but left our house intact. 龙卷风毁坏了我们的花园，但是我们的房子却完好无损。
mission
n. [C]
1 animportantjobthatsb.hasbeengiventodo, esp. whentheyaresentto anotherplace重要任务；使命Apoll
o 17 was the final mission of the United States’s Apollo lunar landing program. 17 号是美国登月计划中的最后一次任务。
2 sth. thatyoufeel youmustdo because itisyourduty职责；天职；使命
Her work at the charity organization was more than just a job; she made it her mission in life. 她在慈善机构的工作不仅仅是一份工作，她把它看成自己的人生使命。
evident
a.
easy to see, notice, or understand 明显的；明白的
From the look on Jill’s face it was evident that the news came as a complete shock. 从吉尔脸上的表情看来，这个消息显然令她十分震惊。
utter
vt.
(fml.) say sth. 讲；说出
Everyone ignored the warnings that he uttered. 大家都把他作出的警告当成耳旁风。
inevita ble
a.
certain to happen and impossible to avoid 必然发生的；难以避免的
As long as nuclear reactors exist, the hazard of radiation is inevitable.只要核反应堆存在，辐射的危险就不可避免。
inevitably
ad.
必然发生地；难以避免地
Inevitably, the situation did not please everyone.这种局势必定不能让所有人都感到满意。
microphone
n.
[C] a piece of equipment that you speak into to record your voice or make it louder when you are speaking or performing in public麦克风；话筒；传声器；扩音器
spill
vi.
(~ out of/from) if people spill out of a place, they move out in large groups （人）涌出
During the break time, students began to spill out of the building. 课间休息的时候，学生们开始涌出大楼。
vt.
accidentally pour a liquid out of its container （意外地）使溢出，使泼洒，使溅出
He carried the cup across the room, walking carefully for fear of spilling the tea. 他端着杯子小心翼翼地穿过房间，生怕把茶洒出来。
elaborate
a.
1 carefullyplanned andorganized in greatdetail精心制作的
Today, many companies will conduct elaborate market research before they introduce new products. 如今，许多公司在推出新产品之前都会先进行精心的市场调查。
2 havingalotofsmall partsordetailsputtogetherinacomplicatedway详尽的；复杂的
With this method, you can produce really elaborate designs with the simplest machines. 通过这种方法，你可以用最简单的机器做出极其复杂的设计。
The chemical make-up of coal is very elaborate. 煤的化学成分极其复杂。
vi.
give more details or information about sth. 详尽说明；阐述
He said he was not coming to the party, but he did not elaborate on his reasons.他说他不来参加聚会了，
但是没有细说原因。
drama
n.
1 [C, U] sth. unusualorexcitingthathappens戏剧性事件
His life was full of dramas, exciting travel adventures, and personal idealism. 他的生活充满了戏剧性事件、刺激的旅行冒险经历和个人理想主义。
accidents, burst pipes, and other domestic dramas意外事故、水管爆裂及其他家庭生活中的戏剧
性事件
2 [C] a playforthetheater, television, orradio戏剧；电视剧；广播剧
She played a major role in a new TV drama. 她在一部新的电视剧中饰演主角。
rigid
a.
1 unabletomove becauseofa strongemotionsuch asfearoranger（因强烈的感情而）僵硬的，僵
直的
I heard a noise and woke up rigid with fear. 我听到一个声音惊醒过来，吓得浑身僵直。
2 (ofmethods, systems, etc.) verystrictand difficulttochange（方法、体制等）严格死板的，僵化的Some students complained about the rigid rules and regulations at school. 有些学生抱怨学校的规章制度太死板。
3 veryunwillingtochange yourideasorbehavior顽固的；不通融的
Crossed arms may show a rigid state of mind, not open to interaction. 双臂交叉可能表示思想刻板，不愿交流。
farewell
n.
[C, U] (old-fashioned) the action of saying goodbye告别
The company rewarded him for his years of service with a grand farewell party and several presents. 公司用一场隆重的欢送派对和一些礼物来回报他多年的服务。
abrupt
a.
sudden and unexpected 突然的；出其不意的
Cautious people might feel more comfortable with a gradual rather than an abrupt change. 相对于突然的变化，谨慎的人可能更乐意接受逐步的变化。
abruptly
ad.
突然地；出其不意地
The chat was abruptly discontinued as the boss entered the meeting room. 老板走进会议室时，闲谈戛然而止。
panic
n.
[C, U] a sudden strong feeling of fear or nervousness that makes you unable to think clearly or behave sensibly 惶恐；惊恐；惊慌
汽车驾驶教程
She was filled with panic when she entered the empty dark room. 她走进那个黑洞洞的空房间时，内心充满了惶恐。
v.
(panicked, panicking) suddenly feel so frightened that you cannot think clearly or behave sensibly, or make sb. do this （使）恐慌；（使）惊慌失措
Hearing a war was breaking out, many people were panicked into buying a lot of things for storage. 听说要打仗了，许多人很恐慌，购买了很多东西储藏起来。
splash
vi.
(a l so~about/around)makewaterflyupintheairwithaloudnoisebyhittingitorbymoving around in it
哗啦哗啦地使水飞溅
I enjoy watching my kids splashing in the water. 我喜欢看着我的孩子们在水里嬉戏。
scare
vt.
make sb. feel frightened or worried吓唬；使惊恐；使害怕
I don’t want to scare you, but we should all be prepared for natural disasters to happen. 我不想吓
唬你，但是我们都应该作好准备，应对自然灾害的发生。