SAT Vocab sets 4-20

Word List 4 apotheosis-astigmatism

apotheosis N. /神化，典范/elevation to godhood; an ideal example of something. The apotheosis of a Roman emperor was designed to insure his eternal greatness: people would worship at his altar forever. The hero of the musical How to Succeed in Business ... was the apotheosis of yuppieness: he was the perfect upwardly-bound young man on the make.

appall V. /使惊慌，震惊/dismay; shock. We were appalled by the horrifying conditions in the city's jails. apparatus N. /器械，设备/equipment. Firefighters use specialized apparatus to fight fires.

apparition N. /鬼，幽灵/ghost; phantom. On the castle battlements, an apparition materialized and spoke toHamlet, warning him of his uncle's treachery. In Ghostbusters, hordes of apparitions

materialized, only to be dematerialized by the specialized apparatus wielded by Bill Murray.

appease V. /平静，安抚/pacify or soothe; relieve. Tom and Jody tried to appease the crying baby by offeringhim one toy after another, but he would not calm down until they appeased his hunger by giving hima bottle.

appellation N. /名字，标题/name; title. Macbeth was startled when the witches greeted him with an incorrect appellation. Why did they call him Thane of Cawdor, he wondered, when the holder of that title still lived?

append V. /追加，附上/attach. When you append a bibliography to a text, you have just created an appendix.

application N. /勤奋的付出/diligent attention. Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence, Aunt Polly praised him for his application to the task. apply, V. (secondary meaning)

apposite ADJ. /合适的/appropriate; fitting. He was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression for every occasion.

appraise V. /估价/estimate value of. It is difficult to appraise the value of old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless. appraisal, N.

appreciate V. /感激；增值；赏识/be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious of. Little OrphanAnnie truly appreciated the stocks Daddy Warbucks gave her, which appreciated in value considerably over the years.

apprehend V. /逮捕；惧怕；领会/arrest (a criminal); dread; perceive. The police will apprehend the culprit andconvict him before long.

apprehension N. /害怕/fear. His nervous glances at the passersby on the deserted street revealed his apprehension.

apprenticeship N. /学徒身份/time spent as a novice learning a trade from a skilled worker. As a child, Piphad thought it would be wonderful to work as Joe's apprentice; now he hated his apprenticeship and scorned the blacksmith's trade.

apprise V. /告诉/inform. When he was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, he decided to postpone his trip.

approbation N. /同意，批准/approval. She looked for some sign of approbation from her parents, hopingher good grades would please them.

appropriate V. /获得；挪用，据为己有/acquire; take possession of for one's own use. The ranch owners appropriated the lands that had originally been set aside for the Indians' use.

apropos PREP. /关于/with reference to; regarding. I find your remarks apropos of the present situation timely and pertinent. also ADJ. and ADV.

aptitude N. /能力，才能/fitness; talent. The counselor gave him an aptitude test before advising himabout the career he should follow.

aquatic ADJ. /与水有关系的/pertaining to water. Paul enjoyed aquatic sports such as scuba diving and

snorkeling.

aquiline ADJ. /弯曲的，钩状的/curved, hooked. He can be recognized by his aquiline nose, curved like the beak of the eagle.

arable ADJ. /可耕种的/fit for growing crops. The first settlers wrote home glowing reports of the NewWorld, praising its vast acres of arable land ready for the plow.

arbiter N. /仲裁者/a person with power to decide a dispute; judge. As an arbiter in labor disputes, she has won the confidence of the workers and the employers.

arbitrary ADJ. /反复无常；残暴；随机的/capricious; randomly chosen; tyrannical. Tom's arbitrary dismissal angered him; his boss had no reason to fire him. He threw an arbitrary assortment of clothes into his suitcase and headed off, not caring where he went.

arbitrator N. /仲裁者/judge. Because the negotiating teams had been unable to reach a contract settlement, an outside arbitrator was called upon to mediate the dispute between union and management. arbitration, N.

arboretum N. /植物园/place where different tree varieties are exhibited. Walking along the tree-lined paths of the arboretum, Rita noted poplars, firs, and some particularly fine sycamores.

arcade N. /拱廊/a covered passageway, usually lined with shops. The arcade was popular with shoppers because it gave them protection from the summer sun and the winter rain.

arcane ADJ. /秘密；谜/secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated. Secret brotherhoods surround themselves with arcane rituals and trappings to mystify outsiders. So do doctors. Consider the arcane terminology they use and the impression they try to give that what is arcane to us is obvious to them.

archaeology N. /考古学/study of artifacts and relics of early mankind. The professor of archaeology headed an expedition to the Gobi Desert in search of ancient ruins.

archaic ADJ. /过时的/antiquated. "Methinks," "thee," and "thou" are archaic words that are no longer part of our normal vocabulary.

archetype N. /原形/prototype; primitive pattern. The Brooklyn Bridge was the archetype of the many spans that now connect Manhattan with Long Island and New Jersey.

archipelago N. /群岛/group of closely located islands. When Gauguin looked at the map and sawthe archipelagoes in the South Seas, he longed to visit them.

archives N. /档案；档案馆/public records; place where public records are kept. These documents should bepart of the archives so that historians may be able to evaluate them in the future.

ardent ADJ. /激烈的；热心肠的；有激情的/intense; passionate; zealous. Katya's ardor was contagious; soon all her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing out flyers, inspired by her ardent enthusiasm for the cause. ardor, N.

arduous ADJ. /努力；奋发/hard; strenuous. Her arduous efforts had sapped her energy.

aria N. /清唱剧/operatic solo. At her Metropolitan Opera audition, Marian Anderson sang an aria

from Norma.

arid ADJ. /荒芜的/dry; barren. The cactus has adapted to survive in an arid environment.

aristocracy N. /贵族/hereditary nobility; privileged class. Americans have mixed feelings about hereditary aristocracy. we say all men are created equal, but we describe particularly outstanding peopleas natural aristocrats.

armada N. /舰队/fleet of warships. Queen Elizabeth's navy defeated the mighty armada that threatened theEnglish coast.

aromatic ADJ. /芬芳的/fragrant. Medieval sailing vessels brought aromatic herbs from China to Europe.

arousal N. /觉醒；激励/awakening; provocation (of a response). On arousal, Papa was always grumpy as a bear. The children tiptoed around the house, fearing they would arouse his anger by waking himup.

arraign V. /传讯；责问/charge in court; indict. After his indictment by the Grand Jury, the accused man was arraigned in the County Criminal Court.

array V. /排列；整理/marshal; draw up in order. His actions were bound to array public sentiment against him. also N.

array V. /衣服；穿着，装饰/clothe; adorn. She liked to watch her mother array herself in her finest clothes before going out for the evening. also N.

arrears N. /欠债/being in debt. He was in arrears with his payments on the car.

arrest V. /阻止；引起注意；吸引/stop or slow down; catch someone's attention. Slipping, the trapeze artist plunged from the heights until a safety net luckily arrested his fall. This near-disaster arrested the crowd's attention.

arrogance N. /傲慢，骄傲/pride; haughtiness. Convinced that Emma thought she was better than anyoneelse in the class, Ed rebuked her for her arrogance.

arroyo N. /干枯的河床/gully. Until the heavy rains of the past spring, this arroyo had been a dry bed.

arsenal N. /军火库/storage place for military equipment. People are forbidden to smoke in the arsenal for fear that a stray spark might setoff the munitions stored there.

articulate ADJ. /有效的；独特的/effective; distinct. Her articulate presentation of the advertising campaign impressed her employers. alsoV.

artifact N. /人造物品/object made by human beings, either handmade or mass-produced.

Archaeologists debated the significance of the artifacts discovered in the ruins of Asia Minor but came to noconclusion about the culture they represented.

artifice N. /技巧；欺骗/deception; trickery. The Trojan War proved to the Greeks that cunning and artifice were often more effective than military might.

artisan N. /工匠/manually skilled worker; craftsman, as opposed to artist. A noted artisan, Arturo was known for the fine craftsmanship of his inlaid cabinets.

artless ADJ. /坦诚；直率/without guile; open and honest. Sophisticated and cynical, Jack could not believeJill was as artless and naive as she appeared to be.

ascendancy N. /统治，控制/controlling influence; domination. Leaders of religious cults maintain ascendancy over their followers by methods that can verge on brainwashing.

ascertain V. /确认，确证/find out for certain. Please ascertain her present address.

ascetic ADJ. /苦行；禁欲/practicing self-denial; austere. The wealthy, self-indulgent young man felt oddly drawn to the strict, ascetic life led by members of some monastic orders. also N.

ascribe V. /归因于；指派/refer; attribute; assign. I can ascribe no motive for her acts.

aseptic ADJ. /抗菌的/preventing infection; having a cleansing effect. Hospitals succeeded in lowering the mortality rate as soon as they introduced aseptic conditions.

ashen ADJ. /灰色/ash-colored. Her face was ashen with fear.

asinine ADJ. /愚蠢/stupid. Your asinine remarks prove that you have not given this problem any serious consideration.

askance ADJ. /瞄，不经意的斜视/with a sideways or indirect look. Looking askance at her questioner, she displayed her scorn.

askew ADJ. /歪斜/crookedly; slanted; at an angle. When he placed his hat askew upon his head, his observers laughed.

asperity N. /严酷，粗暴/sharpness (of temper). These remarks, spoken with asperity, stung the boys to whom they had been directed.

aspirant N. /有志者；有抱负的人/seeker after position or status. Although I am an aspirant for public office, I am not willing to accept the dictates of the party bosses. alsoADJ.

aspire V. /热望；热心于/seek to attain; long for. Because he aspired to a career in professional sports, Philipenrolled in a graduate program in sports management. aspiration, N.

assail V. /攻击/assault. He was assailed with questions after his lecture.

assay V. /分析；化验/analyze; evaluate. When they assayed the ore, they found that they had discoveredavery rich vein. also N.

assent V. /同意；接受/agree; accept. It gives me great pleasure to assentto your request.

assert V. /断言/declare or state with confidence; put oneself forward boldly. Malcolm asserted that if Reesequit acting like a wimp and asserted himself a bit more, he'd improve his chances of getting a date. assertion, N.

assessment N. /评价，评估；判断/evaluation; judgment. Your SAT I score plays a part in the admission committee's assessment of you as an applicant.

assiduous ADJ. /勤奋/diligent. He was assiduous, working at this task for weeks before he felt satisfied with his results. assiduity, N.

assimilate V. /吸收；同化/absorb; cause to become homogeneous. The manner in which the United States

was able to assimilate the hordes of immigrants during the nineteenth and early twentieth

centuries will always be a source of pride to Americans. The immigrants eagerly

assimilated new ideas and customs; they soaked them up, the way plants soak up water.

*assuage V. /减轻（痛苦）；满足（饥渴）；安慰/ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger). Jiltedby Jane, Dick tried to assuage his heartache by indulging in ice cream. One gallon later, he had assuagedhis appetite but not his grief.

assumption N. /假定，设想；采取/something taken for granted; taking over or taking possession of. The young princess made the foolish assumption that the regent would not object to her assumption of power. assume,V.

assurance N. /担保，保证；确定；自信/promise or pledge; certainty; self-confidence. When Guthrie gave Guinness his assurance that rehearsals were going well, he spoke with such assurance that Guinness felt relieved. assure,V.

asteroid N. /小行星/small planet. Asteroids have become commonplace to the readers of interstellar travel stories in science fiction magazines.

astigmatism N. /散光/eye defect that prevents proper focus. As soon as his parents discovered that theboy suffered from astigmatism, they took him to the optometrist for corrective glasses.

Word List 5 astral-barb

astral ADJ. /关于星的/relating to the stars. She was amazed at the number of astral bodies the newtelescope revealed.

astringent ADJ. /收敛的/binding; causing contraction. The astringent quality of the unsweetened lemon juice made swallowing difficult. also N.

astronomical ADJ. /巨大，广阔/enormously large or extensive. The government seems willing to spend astronomical sums on weapons development.

astute ADJ. /聪明；敏锐/wise; shrewd; keen. The painter was an astute observer, noticing every tiny detail of her model's appearance and knowing exactly how important each one was.

asunder ADV. /分裂，分开/into parts; apart. A fierce quarrel split the partnership asunder: the two partners finally sundered their connections because their points of view were poles asunder.

asylum N. /庇护所/place of refuge or shelter; protection. The refugees sought asylum fromreligious persecution in a new land.

asymmetric ADJ. /不对称/not identical on both sides of a dividing central line. Because one eyebrowwas set markedly higher than the other, William's face had a particularly asymmetric appearance.

atavism N. /反祖；隔代遗传/resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; deformity returning after passage of two or more generations. The doctors ascribed the child's deformity to an atavism.

atheistic ADJ. /无神论/denying the existence of God. His atheistic remarks shocked the religious worshippers.

atlas N. /地图集/a bound volume of maps, charts, or tables. Embarrassed at being unable to distinguishSlovenia from Slovakia, George W. finally consulted an atlas.

atone V. /补偿；偿还/make amends for; pay for. He knew no way in which he could atone for his brutal crime.

atrocity N. /暴行/brutal deed. In time of war, many atrocities are committed by invading armies.

*atrophy N. /萎缩，变得没用/wasting away. Polio victims need physiotherapy to prevent the atrophy of affected limbs. alsoV.

attain V. /获得；完成/achieve or accomplish; gain. The scarecrow sought to attain one goal: he wished to obtain a brain.

attentive ADJ. /专心的，专注的；全神贯注/alert and watchful; considerate; thoughtful. Spellbound, the attentiveaudience watched the final game of the tennis match, never taking their eyes from the ball. A cold wind sprang up; Stan's attentive daughter slipped a sweater over his shoulders without distracting his attentionfrom the game.

attenuate V. /削弱/make thin; weaken. By withdrawing their forces, the generals hoped to attenuate the enemy lines.

attest V. /证明/testify, bear witness. Having served as a member of the Grand Jury, I can attest that our system of indicting individuals is in need of improvement.

attribute N. /属性/essential quality. His outstanding attribute was his kindness.

attribute V. /归因于；解释/ascribe; explain. I attribute her success in science to the encouragement she received from her parents.

attrition N. /裁员；磨损/gradual decrease in numbers; reduction in the work force without firing employees; wearing away of opposition by means of harassment. In the 1960s urban churches suffered from attrition as members moved from the cities to the suburbs. Rather than fire staff members, church leaders followed a policy of attrition, allowing elderly workers to retire without replacing them.

atypical ADJ. /非正常的，不正常/not normal. The child psychiatrist reassured Mrs. Keaton that playing doctor was not atypical behavior for a child of young Alex's age. "Yes," she replied, "but not charging for house calls!"

audacious ADJ. /大胆的；鲁莽的/daring; bold. Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia made their audacious, deathdefying leap to freedom, escaping Darth Vader's troops. audacity, N.

audit N. /核算，稽核/examination of accounts. When the bank examiners arrived to hold their annual audit, they discovered the embezzlements of the chief cashier. alsoV.

auditory ADJ. /听觉的/pertaining to the sense of hearing. Audrey suffered from auditory hallucinations: shethought Elvis was speaking to her from the Great Beyond.

augment V. /增长/increase; add to. Armies augment their forces by calling up reinforcements; teachers augment their salaries by taking odd jobs.

augury N. /占卜；预言/omen; prophecy. He interpreted the departure of the birds as an augury of evil. augur,V.

august ADJ. /威严的；令人印象深刻的/impressive; majestic. Visiting the palace at Versailles, she was impressed by the august surroundings in which she found herself.

aureole N. /日冕/sun's corona; halo. Many medieval paintings depict saintly characters with aureoles around their heads.

auroral ADJ. /曙光的，极光的/pertaining to the aurora borealis. The auroral display was particularly spectacular that evening.

auspicious ADJ. /幸运的，吉祥的/favoring success. With favorable weather conditions, it was an auspicious moment to set sail. Thomas, however, had doubts about sailing: a paranoid, he became suspicious whenever conditions seemed auspicious.

austere ADJ. /严厉的；朴素的/forbiddingly stern; severely simple and unornamented. The headmaster's austere demeanor tended to scare off the more timid students, who never visited his study willingly. The room reflected the man, austere and bare, like a monk's cell, with no touches of luxury to moderate its austerity.

authenticate V. /鉴别/prove genuine. An expert was needed to authenticate the original Van Gogh painting, distinguishing it from its imitation.

authoritarian ADJ. /独裁/subordinating the individual to the state; completely dominating another's will. The leaders of the authoritarian regime ordered the suppression of the democratic protest movement. After years of submitting to the will of her authoritarian father, Elizabeth Barrett ran away from home with the poet Robert Browning.

authoritative ADJ. /权威；独裁/having the weight of authority; peremptory and dictatorial. Impressed by theyoung researcher's well-documented presentation, we accepted her analysis of the experiment as authoritative.

autocratic ADJ. /独裁/having absolute, unchecked power; dictatorial. Someone accustomed to exercisingauthority may become autocratic if his or her power is unchecked. Dictators by definition are autocrats. Bosses who dictate behavior as well as letters can be autocrats too.

automaton N. /机器人/mechanism that imitates actions of humans. Long before science fiction readers became aware of robots, writers were presenting stories of automatons who could outperformmen.

autonomous ADJ. /自治/self-governing. Although the University of California at Berkeley is just one part of the state university system, in many ways Cal Berkeley is autonomous, for it runs several programs that are not subject to outside control. autonomy, N.

autopsy N. /验尸/examination of a dead body; post-mortem. The medical examiner ordered an autopsy todetermine the cause of death. alsoV.

auxiliary ADJ. /辅助的/helper, additional or subsidiary. To prepare for the emergency, they built an auxiliary power station. also N.

avalanche N. /雪崩/great mass of falling snow and ice. The park ranger warned the skiers to stay on themain trails, where they would be in no danger of being buried beneath a sudden avalanche.

*avarice N. /贪婪，贪财/greediness for wealth. King Midas is a perfect example of avarice, for he was so greedy that he wished everything he touched would turn to gold.

avenge V. /复仇/take vengeance for something (or on behalf of someone). Hamlet vowed he would avenge his father's murder and punish Claudius for his horrible crime.

averse ADJ. /反对的/reluctant; disinclined. The reporter was averse to revealing the sources of his information.

aversion N. /厌恶，抵制/firm dislike. Bert had an aversion to yuppies; Alex had an aversion to punks. Their mutual aversion was so great that they refused to speak to one another.

avert V. /转移；防止/prevent; turn away. She averted her eyes from the dead cat on the highway.

*aviary N. /鸟舍/enclosure for birds. The aviary at the zoo held nearly 300 birds.

avid ADJ. /贪婪/greedy; eager for. He was avid for learning and read everything he could get. avidity, N.

avocation N. /副业，业余爱好/secondary or minor occupation. His hobby proved to be so fascinating and profitable that gradually he abandoned his regular occupation and concentrated on his avocation.

avow V. /宣布/declare openly. Lana avowed that she never meant to steal Debbie's boyfriend, but no onebelieved her avowal of innocence.

avuncular ADJ. /像伯父（叔叔）一样的/like an uncle. Avuncular pride did not prevent him from noticing his nephew's shortcomings.

awe N. /敬畏/solemn wonder. The tourists gazed with awe at the tremendous expanse of the Grand Canyon.

awry ADV. /扭曲的；歪曲的/distorted; crooked. He held his head awry, giving the impression that he had caught cold in his neck during the night. alsoADJ.

axiom N. /公理，自明的道理/self-evident truth requiring no proof. Before a student can begin to think along thelines of Euclidean geometry, he must accept certain principles or axioms.

azure ADJ. /天蓝/sky blue. Azure skies are indicative of good weather.

babble V. /嘟囔/chatter idly. The little girl babbled about her doll. also N.

bacchanalian ADJ. /喝醉的，耍酒疯/drunken. Emperor Nero attended the bacchanalian orgy.

badger V. /激怒，纠缠/pester; annoy. She was forced to change her telephone number because she was badgered by obscene phone calls.

badinage N. /开玩笑，揶揄；取消/teasing conversation. Her friends at work greeted the news of her engagement with cheerful badinage.

baffle V. /挫败/frustrate; perplex. The new code baffled the enemy agents.

bait V. /欺负，玩弄，折磨/harass; tease. The school bully baited the smaller children, terrorizing them.

baleful ADJ. /恶意的，有害的/deadly; having a malign influence; ominous. The fortune teller made baleful predictions of terrible things to come.

balk V. /反对；阻止/foil or thwart; stop short; refuse to go on. When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to balk their attempt. However, he balked at punishing themby shackling them to the walls of their cells.

ballast N. /配重；沙袋/heavy substance used to add stability or weight. The ship was listing badly to one side; it was necessary to shift the ballast in the hold to get her back on an even keel. alsoV.

balm N. /（止痛的）安慰物/something that relieves pain. Friendship is the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.

balmy ADJ. /柔和的；芳香的/mild; fragrant. A balmy breeze refreshed us after the sultry blast.

banal ADJ. /平凡，陈腐，老生常谈/hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality. The hack writer's worn-out clich6s made his comic sketch seem banal. He even resorted to the banality of having someoneslip on a banana peel!

bandy V. /传话/discuss lightly or glibly; exchange (words) heatedly. While the president was happy to bandy patriotic generalizations with anyone who would listen to him, he refused to bandy words with unfriendly reporters at the press conference.

bane N. /祸根/cause of ruin; curse. Lucy's little brother was the bane of her existence: his attempts to makeher life miserable worked so well that she could have poisoned him with ratsbane for having such a baneful effect.

bantering ADJ. /可笑的，嘲弄的/good-natured ridiculing. They resented his bantering remarks because they thought he was being sarcastic.

barb N. /鱼钩，钩状物/sharp projection from fishhook, etc.; openly cutting remark. If you were a politician, which would you prefer, being caught on the barb of a fishhook or being subjected to malicious verbal barbs? Who can blame the president if he's happier fishing than back in the capitol listening to his critics' barbed remarks?

Word List 6 bard-bluff

bard N. /（吟游）诗人/poet. The ancient bard Homer sang of the fall of Troy.

baroque ADJ. /华丽的/highly ornate. Accustomed to the severe lines of contemporary buildings, the architecture students found the flamboyance of baroque architecture amusing. They simply didn't go for baroque.

barrage N. /弹幕，火力网/barrier laid down by artillery fire. The company was forced to retreat through thebarrage of heavy cannons.

barren ADJ. /荒芜的，贫瘠的/desolate; fruitless and unproductive; lacking. Looking out at the trackless, barrendesert, Indiana Jones feared that his search for the missing expedition would prove

barren.

barricade N. /屏障；障碍物/hastily put together defensive barrier; obstacle. Marius and his fellowstudents hurriedly improvised a rough barricade to block police access to the students' quarter. Malcolm

and his brothers barricaded themselves in their bedroom to keep their mother from seeing the hole in thebedroom floor. alsoV.

barterer N. /交易商/trader. The barterer exchanged trinkets for the natives' furs. It seemed smarter to barter than to pay cash.

bask V. /享受（温暖）；愉快，舒适/luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth. Basking on the beach, she relaxed socompletely that she fell asleep.

bastion N. /堡垒；工事/fortress; defense. The villagers fortified the town hall, hoping this improvised bastioncould protect them from the guerillas' raids. .

bate V. /限制；抑制/let down; restrain. Until it was time to open the presents, the children had to bate their curiosity. bated,ADJ.

bauble N. /小玩意儿/trinket; trifle. The child was delighted with the bauble she had won in the grab bag.

bawdy ADJ. /猥亵的；下流的；卖淫的/indecent; obscene. Jack took offense at Jill's bawdy remarks. What kindof young man did she think he was?

beam N. /光束；铁梁，木梁；一束电波/ray of light; long piece of metal or wood; course of a radio signal. V. smile radiantly. If a beam of light falls on you, it illuminates you; if a beam of iron falls on you, it eliminates you. (No one feels like beaming when crushed by an iron beam.)

beatific ADJ. /祝福；幸福的/giving bliss; blissful. The beatific smile on the child's face made us very happy.

beatitude N. /祝福/blessedness; state of bliss. Growing closer to God each day, the mystic achieved a state of indescribable beatitude.

bedizen V. /俗丽，俗气/dress with vulgar finery. The witch doctors were bedizened in all their gaudiest costumes.

bedraggle V. /邋遢的；湿的/wet thoroughly; stain with mud. We were so bedraggled by the severe stormthat we had to change into dry clothing. bedraggled,ADJ.

beeline N. /直线/direct, quick route. As soon as the movie was over, Jim made a beeline for the exit.

befuddle V. /迷惑/confuse thoroughly. His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only in befuddling her further.

beget V. /得子；产生/father; produce; give rise to. One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily beget another.

begrudge V. /愤恨；嫉妒/resent. I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending meetings; they're a complete waste of time.

*beguile V. /欺骗，骗住；消磨时间/mislead or delude; pass time. With flattery and big talk of easy money, thecon men beguiled Kyle into betting his allowance on the shell game. Broke, he beguiled himself during thelong hours by playing solitaire.

behemoth N. /怪物；怪兽/huge creature; monstrous animal. Sportscasters nicknamed the linebacker "TheBehemoth."

belabor V. /嘴贫，过度的说；谩骂/explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; attack verbally. Thedebate coach warned her student not to bore the audience by belaboring her point.

belated ADJ. /推迟的，延期的/delayed. He apologized for his belated note of condolence to the widowof his friend and explained that he had just learned of her husband's untimely death.

beleaguer V. /攻击；使烦恼/besiege or attack; harassed. The babysitter was surrounded by a crowd of unmanageable brats who relentlessly beleaguered her.

belie V. /掩饰，造成假象；矛盾/contradict; give a false impression. His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his inner sensitivity.

belittle V. /蔑视，使渺小/disparage or depreciate; put down. Parents should not belittle their children's early attempts at drawing, but should encourage their efforts. Barry was a put-down artist: he was a genius at belittling people and making them feel small.

bellicose ADJ. /好斗的，好战的/warlike. His bellicose disposition alienated his friends.

belligerent ADJ. /好斗的，好斗嘴的/quarrelsome. Whenever he had too much to drink, he became belligerent and tried to pick fights with strangers. belligerence, N.

bemoan V. /哀叹，悲伤/lament; express disapproval of. The widow bemoaned the death of her beloved husband. Although critics bemoaned the serious flaws in the author's novels, each year his latest book topped the best-seller list.

bemused ADJ. /困惑的，发呆的/confused; lost in thought; preoccupied. Jill studied the garbled instructions with a bemused look on her face.

benediction N. /祝福/blessing. The appearance of the sun after the many rainy days was like a benediction.

benefactor N. /恩人，赞助人/gift giver; patron. Scrooge later became Tiny Tim's benefactor and gave him gifts.

beneficial ADJ. /有用的/helpful; useful. Tiny Tim's cheerful good nature had a beneficial influence on Scrooge's onceuncharitable disposition.

beneficiary N. /（遗产）受益人/person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will. In Scrooge's will, he made Tiny Tim his beneficiary. everything he left would go to young Tim.

benevolent ADJ. /慈善的/generous; charitable. Mr. Fezziwig was a benevolent employer, who wished to make Christmas merrier for young Scrooge and his other employees.

benign ADJ. /良性的，好的；和蔼可亲的/kindly; favorable; not malignant. Though her benign smile and gentlebearing made Miss Marple seem a sweet little old lady, in reality she was a tough-minded, shrewd observer of human nature. benignity, N.

bent ADJ; N. /先天的/determined; natural talent or inclination. Bent on advancing in the business world, thesecretary-heroine of Working Girl has a true bent for high finance.

*bequeath V. /遗赠，（代代）相传/leave to someone by a will; hand down. Though Maud had intended to

bequeath the family home to her nephew, she died before changing her will. bequest, N.

berate V. /严厉指责，谴责/scold strongly. He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness.

bereavement N. /丧亲/state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved. His friends gathered toconsole him upon his sudden bereavement.

bereft ADJ. /失去的，缺少的/deprived of; lacking; desolate because of a loss. The foolish gambler soon foundhimself bereft of funds.

berserk ADV. /疯狂的，狂暴的/frenzied. Angered, he went berserk and began to wreck the room.

beseech V. /乞求，恳求/beg; plead with. The workaholic executive's wife beseeched him to spend more time with their son.

beset V. /困扰/harass or trouble; hem in. Many vexing problems beset the American public school system. Sleeping Beauty's castle was beset on all sides by dense thickets that hid it from view.

besiege V. /围攻/surround with armed forces; harass (with requests). When the bandits besieged the village, the villagers holed up in the town hall and prepared to withstand a long siege. Members of the newadministration were besieged with job applications from people who had worked on the campaign.

besmirch V. /弄脏/soil, defile. The scandalous remarks in the newspaper besmirch the reputations of every member of the society.

bestial ADJ. /残忍的/beastlike; brutal. According to legend, the werewolf was able to abandon its human shape and take on a bestial form.

bestow V. /给予/give. He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.

betoken V. /预示；表示/signify; indicate. The well-equipped docks, tall piles of cargo containers, and numerous vessels being loaded all betoken Oakland's importance as a port.

betray V. /出卖；背叛/be unfaithful; reveal (unconsciously or unwillingly). The spy betrayed his country by selling military secrets to the enemy. When he was taken in for questioning, the tightness of his lips betrayed his fear of being caught.

betroth V. /订婚/become engaged to marry. The announcement that they had become betrothed surprisedtheir friends who had not suspected any romance. betrothal, N.

bevy N. /一群（少女，小鸟）/large group. The movie actor was surrounded by a bevyof starlets.

biased ADJ. /偏见的，偏差/slanted; prejudiced. Because the judge played golf regularly with the district attorney's father, we feared he might be biased in the prosecution's favor. bias, N.

bicameral ADJ. /两院制的（参，众）/two-chambered, as a legislative body. The United States Congress is abicameral body.

bicker V. /争吵/quarrel. The children bickered morning, noon, and night, exasperating their parents.

biennial ADJ. /两年一度/every two years. Seeing no need to meet more frequently, the group held

biennial meetings instead of annual ones. Plants that bear flowers biennially are known as

biennials.

bigotry N. /固执/stubborn intolerance. Brought up in a democratic atmosphere, the student was shockedby the bigotry and narrowness expressed by several of his classmates.

bilious ADJ. /消化不良，易怒/suffering from indigestion; irritable. His bilious temperament was apparent to all who heard him rant about his difficulties.

bilk V. /骗/swindle; cheat. The con man specialized in bilking insurance companies.

billowing ADJ. /波涛翻滚/swelling out in waves; surging. Standing over the air vent, Marilyn Monroe tried vainly to control her billowing skirts.

bivouac N. /帐篷/temporary encampment. While in bivouac, we spent the night in our sleeping bags under the stars. alsoV.

bizarre ADJ. /怪异的/fantastic; violently contrasting. The plot of the novel was too bizarre to be believed. blanch V. /漂白/bleach; whiten. Although age had blanched his hair, he was still vigorous and energetic.

bland ADJ. /温和的/soothing or mild; agreeable. Jill tried a bland ointment for her sunburn. However, when

Jack absentmindedly patted her on the sunburned shoulder, she couldn't maintain a bland disposition.

blandishment N. /阿谀奉承/flattery. Despite the salesperson's blandishments, the customer did not buy the outfit.

blare N. /大声喊叫，令人眩晕的强光/loud, harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light. I don't know which is worse: the steady blare of a boom box deafening your ears or a sudden blare of flashbulbs dazzling your eyes.

blasé ADJ. /厌于享乐/bored with pleasure or dissipation. Although Beth was as thrilled with the idea of a tripto Paris as her classmates were, she tried to act super cool and blasé, as if she'd been abroad hundreds of times.

blasphemy N. /亵渎/irreverence; sacrilege; cursing. In my father's house, the Dodgers were the holiest of holies; to cheer for another team was to utter words of blasphemy. blasphemous,ADJ.

blatant ADJ. /喧闹；俗丽/flagrant; conspicuously obvious; loudly offensive. To the unemployed youth fromDublin, the "No Irish Need Apply" placard in the shop window was a blatant mark of prejudice.

*bleak ADJ. /冷淡；凄凉/cold or cheerless; unlikely to be favorable. The frigid, inhospitable Aleutian Islands are bleak military outposts. It's no wonder that soldiers assigned there have a bleak attitude toward their posting.

*blighted ADJ. /完蛋了的；生病了的/suffering from a disease; destroyed. The extent of the blighted areas could be seen only when viewed from the air.

blithe ADJ. /欢乐，高兴/gay; joyous; heedless. Shelley called the skylark a "blithe spirit" because of its happy song.

bloated ADJ. /浮肿/swollen or puffed as with water or air. Her bloated stomach came from drinking so muchwater.

bludgeon N. /大头狼牙棒/club; heavy-headed weapon. Attacked by Dr. Moriarty, Holmes used his walkingstick as a bludgeon to defend himself. "Watson," he said, "I fear I may have bludgeoned Moriarty to death."

bluff ADJ. /直率的/rough but good-natured. Jack had a bluff andhearty manner that belied his actual sensitivity; he never let people know how thin-skinned he really was.

bluff N. /虚伪；欺骗；悬崖/pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff. Claire thought Lord Byron's boast that he would swim the Hellespont was just a bluff; she was astounded when he dove from the high bluff intothe waters below.

Word List 7 blunder-canter

blunder N. /错误/error. The criminal's fatal blunder led to his capture. alsoV.

blurt V. /脱口而出/utter impulsively. Before she could stop him, he blurted out the news.

bluster V. /咆哮；吓唬/blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully. "Let the stormy winds bluster," cried Jack, "we'll set sail tonight." Jill let Jack bluster. she wasn't going anywhere, no matter what he said.

bode V. /预兆/foreshadow; portend. The gloomy skies and the sulphurous odors from the mineral springs seemed to bode evil to those who settled in the area.

bogus ADJ. /赝品/counterfeit; not authentic. The police quickly found the distributors of the bogus twenty-dollar bills.

bohemian ADJ. /不合习俗；放荡不羁/unconventional (in an artistic way). Gertrude Stein ran off to Paris to livean eccentric, bohemian life with her writer friends. Oakland was not bohemian: it was too bourgeois, too middle-class.

boisterous ADJ. /狂暴；喧嚣/violent; rough; noisy. The unruly crowd became even more boisterous when hetried to quiet them.

bolster V. /支持，增援/support; reinforce. The debaters amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolstertheir arguments.

bolt N. /门闩；螺钉；布匹的长度/door bar; fastening pin or screw; length of fabric. The carpenter shut the workshop door, sliding the heavy metal bolt into place. He sorted through his toolbox for the nuts and bolts and nails he would need. Before he cut into the bolt of canvas, he measured how much fabric he would need.

bolt V. /猛冲，上门闩，囫囵吞下/dash or dart off; fasten (a door); gobble down. Jack was set to bolt out the front door, but Jill bolted the door. "Eat your breakfast," she said, "don't bolt your food."

bombardment N. /轰击（导弹）/attack with missiles. The enemy bombardment demolished the town. Members of the opposition party bombarded the prime minister with questions about the enemy attack.

bombastic ADJ. /夸张的/pompous; using inflated language. Puffed up with conceit, the orator spoke in such a bombastic manner that we longed to deflate him. bombast, N.

booming ADJ. /快速增长的，欣欣向荣；深刻的/deep and resonant; flourishing, thriving. "Who needs a microphone?" cried the mayor in his booming voice. Cheerfully he boomed out that, thanks to him, the city's economy was booming. boom,V.

boon N. /恩惠，福利/blessing; benefit. The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a boon to the whole community.

boorish ADJ. /粗鲁；笨拙/rude; clumsy; ungentlemanly. Natasha was embarrassed by her fellow spy's boorish behavior. "If you cannot act like a gentleman, Boris, go back to Russia: espionage is no job for clumsy boors." boor, N.

boundless ADJ. /无限的/unlimited; vast. Mike's energy was boundless: the greater the challenge, the morevigorously he tackled the job.

bountiful ADJ. /富足的；慷慨的/abundant; graciously generous. Thanks to the good harvest, we had a bountiful supply of food and we could be as bountiful as we liked in distributing food to the needy.

bourgeois ADJ. /中产阶级；平庸的/middle class; selfishly materialistic; dully conventional. Technically, anyone who belongs to the middle class is bourgeois, but, given the word's connotations, most people resent it if you call them that.

bovine ADJ. /牛的；迟钝的；耐心的/cowlike; placid and dull. Nothing excites Esther; even when she won thestate lottery, she still preserved her air of bovine calm.

bowdlerize V. /删除/expurgate. After the film editors had bowdlerized the language in the script, the motion picture's rating was changed from "R" to "PG."

boycott V. /抵制/refrain from buying or using. To put pressure on grape growers to stop using pesticides that harmed the farm workers' health, Cesar Chavez called for consumers to boycott grapes.

braggart N. /自夸，吹嘘/boaster. Modest by nature, she was no braggart, preferring to let her

accomplishments speak for themselves.

brandish V. /挥舞/wave around; flourish. Alarmed, Doctor Watson wildly brandished his gun until Holmes told him to put the thing away before he shot himself.

bravado N. /虚张声势/swagger; assumed air of defiance. The bravado of the young criminal disappeared when he was confronted by the victims of his brutal attack.

brawn N. /强壮的肌肉/muscular strength; sturdiness. It takes brawn to become a champion weightlifter. brawny,ADJ.

brazen ADJ. /厚颜无耻；傲慢/insolent. Her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials.

breach N. /违约；突破；打破/breaking of contract or duty; fissure or gap. Jill sued Jack for breach of

promise, claiming he had broken his promise to marry her. They found a breach in the

enemy's fortifications and penetrated their lines. alsoV.

breadth N. /宽度/width; extent. We were impressed by the breadth of her knowledge.

brevity N. /简短，短暂/conciseness. Brevity is essential when you send a telegram or cablegram; you arecharged for every word.

brindled ADJ. /有条纹或斑点的/tawny or grayish with streaks or spots. He was disappointed in the litter because the puppies were brindled, he had hoped for animals of a uniform color.

bristling ADJ. /竖立的/rising like bristles; showing irritation. The dog stood there, bristling with anger.

brittle ADJ. /易碎的；困难的/easily broken; difficult. My employer's self-control was as brittle as an egg-shell. Her brittle personality made it difficult for me to get along with her.

broach V. /介绍，提出，引见/introduce; open up. Jack did not even try to broach the subject of religion with his in-laws. If you broach a touchy subject, it may cause a breach.

brochure N. /小册子/pamphlet. This brochure on farming was issued by the Department of Agriculture. brooch N. /胸针/ornamental clasp. She treasured the brooch because it was an heirloom.

browbeat V. /吓唬/bully; intimidate. Billy resisted Ted's attempts browbeat him into handing over his lunchmoney.

browse V. /吃草；浏览/graze; skim or glance at casually. "How now, brown cow, browsing in the green, green grass." I remember lines of verse that I came across while browsing through the poetry section of thelocal bookstore.

brunt N. /冲击/main impact or shock. Tom Sawyer claimed credit for painting the fence, but the brunt of thework fell on others. However, he bore the brunt of Aunt Polly's complaints when the paint began to peel.

brusque ADJ. /唐图；直率；粗暴无礼/blunt; abrupt. Was Bruce too brusque when he brushed off Bob's request with a curt "Not now!"?

buccaneer N. /海盗/pirate. At Disneyland the Pirates of the Caribbean sing a song about their lives as bloody buccaneers.

bucolic ADJ. /田园的/rustic; pastoral. Filled with browsing cows and bleating sheep, the meadow was a charmingly bucolic sight.

buffet N. /自助餐/table with food set out for people to serve themselves; meal at which people help themselves to food that's been set out. Please convey the soufflé on the tray to the buffet. (Buffet rhymes with tray.)

buffet V. /殴打，斗殴/slap; batter; knock about. To buffet something is to rough it up. (Buffet rhymes with Muffett.) Was Miss Muffett buffeted by the crowd on the way to the buffet tray?

buffoonery N. /滑稽的/clowning. In the Ace Ventura movies, Jim Carrey's buffoonery was hilarious: like Bozo the Clown, he's a natural buffoon.

bullion N. /金条，银条/gold and silver in the form of bars. Much bullion is stored in the vaults at Fort Knox.

bulwark N. /壁垒/earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends. The navy is our principal

bulwark against invasion.

bumptious ADJ. /盲目自大/self-assertive. His classmates called him a show-off because of his bumptious airs.

bungalow N. /小平房/small cottage. Every summer we rent a bungalow on Cape Cod for our vacation home. The rent is high, the roof is low-it's a basic bungalow.

bungle V. /搞砸/mismanage; blunder. Don't botch this assignment, Bumstead; if you bungle the job, you'refired!

buoyant ADJ. /可漂浮的，乐观的/able to float; cheerful and optimistic. When the boat capsized, her buoyant life jacket kept Jody afloat. Scrambling back on board, she was still in a buoyant mood, certain that despitethe delay she'd win the race.

bureaucracy N. /官僚机构/over-regulated administrative system marked by red tape. The Internal Revenue Service is the ultimate bureaucracy. taxpayers wasted so much paper filling out IRS forms that the IRS bureaucrats printed up a new set of rules requiring taxpayers to comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act.

burgeon V. /发芽，成长/grow forth; send out buds. In the spring, the plants that burgeon are a promise of the beauty that is to come.

burlesque V. /作秀，滑稽/give an imitation that ridicules. In Spaceballs, Rick Moranis burlesques Darth Vader of Star Wars, outrageously parodying Vader's stiff walk and hollow voice.

burly ADJ. /魁伟，结实/husky; muscular. The burly mover lifted the packing crate with ease.

burnish V. /擦拭/make shiny by rubbing; polish. The maid burnished the brass fixtures until they reflectedthe lamplight.

bustle V. /喧嚣，繁忙，熙熙攘攘/move about energetically; teem. David and the children bustled about the house getting in each other's way as they tried to pack for the camping trip. The whole house bustled withactivity.

buttress V. /支持/support; prop up. The attorney came up with several far-fetched arguments in a vain attempt to buttress his weak case. also N.

buxom ADJ. /丰满；充满活力；欢快/plump; vigorous; jolly. The soldiers remembered the buxom nurse who hadalways been so pleasant to them.

cabal N. /内阁/small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests. The cabal was defeated when their scheme was discovered.

cache N. /藏身之处/hiding place. The detectives followed the suspect until he led them to the cache wherehe had stored his loot. He had cached the cash in a bag for trash: it was a hefty sum.

cacophonous ADJ. /不和谐/discordant; inharmonious. Do the students in the orchestra enjoy the

cacophonous sounds they make when they're tuning up? I don't know how they can stand

the racket. cacophony, N.

cadaver N. /尸体/corpse. In some states, it is illegal to dissect cadavers.

cadaverous ADJ. /尸体似的，苍白的/like a corpse; pale. By his cadaverous appearance, we could see howthe disease had ravaged him.

cadence N. /平仄，重音/rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat. Marching down the road, the troops sang out, following the cadence set by the sergeant.

cajole V. /哄骗，勾引/coax; wheedle. Diane tried to cajole her father into letting her drive the family car. cajolery, N.

calamity N. /灾难，不幸/disaster; misery. As news of the calamity spread, offers of relief poured in to the stricken community.

calculated ADJ. /预先计划好的，算好的；合适的/deliberately planned; likely. Lexy's choice of clothes to wear tothe debate tournament was carefully calculated. Her conventional suit was one calculated to appeal tothe conservative judges.

caldron N. /大锅/large kettle. "Why, Mr. Crusoe," said the savage heating the giant caldron, "we'd loveto have you for dinner!"

caliber N. /能力；品质/ability; quality. Einstein's cleaning the blackboards again? Albert, quit it! A man of your caliber shouldn't have to do such menial tasks.

calligraphy N. /漂亮的书法/beautiful writing; excellent penmanship. As we examine ancient

manuscripts, we become impressed with the calligraphy of the scribes.

callous ADJ. /硬心肠的，无情的/hardened; unfeeling. He had worked in the hospital for so many years that hewas callous to the suffering in the wards. callus, N.

callow ADJ. /年幼，稚嫩；无经验/youthful; immature; inexperienced. As a freshman, Jack was sure he was aman of the world; as a sophomore, he made fun of freshmen as callow youths. In both cases, his judgment showed just how callow he was.

calorific ADJ. /产热的/heat-producing. Coal is much more calorific than green wood.

calumny N. /诽谤；中伤/malicious misrepresentation; slander. He could endure his financial failure, but he could not bear the calumny that his foes heaped upon him.

camaraderie N. /友情/good-fellowship. What he loved best about his job was the sense of camaraderie heand his coworkers shared.

cameo N. /贝壳上的浮雕；特写（演员）/shell or jewel carved in relief; star's special appearance in a minor rolein a film. Don't bother buying cameos from the street peddlers in Rome: the carvings they sell are clumsy jobs. Did you enjoy Bill Murray's cameo in Little Shop of Horrors? He was onscreen for only a minute, but he cracked me up.

camouflage V. /伪装/disguise; conceal. In order to rescue Han Solo, Princess Leia camouflaged herself inthe helmet and cloak of a space bandit.

candor N. /开诚布公；坦率/frankness; open honesty. Jack can carry candor too far: when he told Jill his honest opinion of her, she nearly slapped his face. candid,ADJ.

canine ADJ. /狗的/related to dogs; dog-like. Some days the canine population of Berkeley seems almost tooutnumber the human population,

canny ADJ. /谨慎的；节约的/shrewd; thrifty. The canny Scotsman was more than a match for the swindlers.

cant N. /伪善；黑话/insincere expressions of piety; jargon of thieves. Shocked by news of the minister's extramarital love affairs, the worshippers dismissed his talk about the sacredness of marriage as mere cant. Cant is a form of hypocrisy: those who can, pray; those who cant, pretend.

cantankerous ADJ. /脾气坏；易发怒/ill humored; irritable. Constantly complaining about his treatment andrefusing to cooperate with the hospital staff, he was a cantankerous patient.

cantata N. /大合唱；康塔塔/story set to music, to be sung by a chorus. The choral society sang the newcantata composed by its leader.

canter N. /慢跑/slow gallop. Because the racehorse had outdistanced its competition so easily, the reporter wrote that the race was won in a canter. alsoV.

Word List 8 canto-chameleon

canto N. /（长诗的）分篇/division of a long poem. Dante's poetic masterpiece The Divine Comedy is divided into cantos.

canvass V. /调查；投票/determine votes, etc. After canvassing the sentiments of his constituents, the congressman was confident that he represented the majority opinion of his district. also N.

capacious ADJ. /宽敞的/spacious. In the capacious rotunda of the railroad terminal, thousands of travelers lingered while waiting for their train.

Capacity N. /能力；角色/mental or physical ability; role; ability to accommodate. Mike had the capacity tohandle several jobs at once. In his capacity as president of SelecTronics he marketed an electronic dictionary with a capacity of 200,000 words.

capitulate V. /投降/surrender. The enemy was warned to capitulate or face annihilation.

caprice N. /反复无常；一时幻想；奇怪的想法/sudden, unexpected fancy; whim. On a caprice, Jack tried drag-racing, but paid the price-his father took his Chevy Caprice away from him.

capricious ADJ. /反复无常的/unpredictable; fickle. The storm was capricious: it changed course constantly. Jill was capricious, too: she changed boyfriends almost as often as she changed clothes.

caption N. /标题/title; chapter heading; text under illustration. The captions that accompany The Far Side cartoons are almost as funny as the pictures. alsoV.

captivate V. /迷住；迷惑/charm or enthrall. Bart and Lisa were captivated by their new nanny's winning manner.

carat N. /克拉；开；K/unit of weight for precious stones; measure of fineness of gold. He gave her a three-carat diamond mounted in an eighteen-carat gold band.

cardinal ADJ. /主要的/chief. If you want to increase your word power, the cardinal rule of

vocabulary-building is to read.

cardiologist N. /心脏病专家/doctor specializing in the heart. When the pediatrician noticed Philip had a slight heart murmur, she referred him to a cardiologist for further tests.

careen V. /倾斜/lurch; sway from side to side. The taxicab careened wildly as it rounded the corner.

caricature N. /歪曲；漫画；讽刺画/distortion; burlesque. The caricatures he drew always emphasized a personal weakness of the people he burlesqued. alsoV.

carnage N. /残杀；大屠杀/destruction of life. The film The Killing Fields vividly depicts the carnage wreakedby Pol Pot's followers in Cambodia.

carnal ADJ. /肉体的；欲望的/fleshly. Is the public more interested in carnal pleasures than in spiritual matters?Compare the number of people who read Playboy daily to the number of those who read the Bible or Koranevery day.

carnivorous ADJ. /食肉的/meat-eating. The lion's a carnivorous beast. A hunk of meat makes up his feast. A cow is not a carnivore. She likes the taste of grain, not gore.

*carping ADJ. /挑剔的，吹毛求疵/finding fault. A carping critic is a nit-picker: he loves to point out flaws. If youdon't like this definition, feel free to carp.

cartographer N. /制图者，制地图的人/map-maker. Though not a professional cartographer, Tolkien was able to construct a map of his fictional world.

cascade N. /小瀑布/small waterfall. We were too tired to appreciate the beauty of the many cascades because we had to detour around them to avoid being drenched by the water cascading down.

castigate V. /严厉批评；惩罚/criticize severely; punish. When the teacher threatened that she would castigate the mischievous boys if they didn't behave, they shaped up in a hurry.

casualty N. /严重的事故；伤亡/serious or fatal accident. The number of automotive casualties on this holiday weekend was high.

cataclysm N. /巨变；剧变；灾难/upheaval; deluge. A cataclysm such as the French Revolution affects all countries. cataclysmic,ADJ.

catalyst N. /催化剂/agent which brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged. Many chemical reactions cannot take place without the presence of a catalyst.

catapult N. /弹弓；弹舐器/slingshot; a hurling machine. Airplanes are sometimes launched frombattleships by catapults. alsoV.

cataract N. /大瀑布；白内障/great waterfall; eye abnormality. She gazed with awe at the mighty cataract known as Niagara Falls.

catastrophe N. /灾难/calamity; disaster. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was a catastrophe that

destroyed most of the city. A similar earthquake striking today could have even more

catastrophic results.

catcall N. /嘘声/shout of disapproval; boo. Every major league pitcher has off days during which he must learn to ignore the catcalls and angry hisses from the crowd.

catechism N. /教义问答手册；FAQ,Q&A/book for religious instruction; instruction by question and answer. Hetaught by engaging his pupils in a catechism until they gave him the correct answer.

categorical ADJ. /无条件；直截了当/without exceptions; unqualified; absolute. Though the captain claimed hewas never, never sick at sea, he finally had to qualify his categorical denial: he was "hardly ever" sick at sea.

cater to V. /迎合/supply something desired (whether good or bad). The chef was happy to cater to the tastes of his highly sophisticated clientele. Critics condemned the movie industry for catering to the public's ever-increasing appetite for violence.

catharsis N. /导泻，通便；疏泄/purging or cleansing of any passage of the body. Aristotle maintained that tragedy created a catharsis by purging the soul of base concepts.

catholic ADJ. /一般的，普遍的；天主教/broadly sympathetic; liberal. He was extremely catholic in his taste andread everything he could find in the library.

caucus N. /核心小组会议（秘密）/private meeting of members of a party to select officers or determine policy. At the opening of Congress, the members of the Democratic Party held a caucus to elect the Majority Leader of the House and the Party Whip.

caulk V. /填；补漏/make watertight by filling in cracks. Jack had to caulk the tiles in the shower stall to stopthe leak into the basement below.

causal ADJ. /因果关系的/implying a cause-and-effect relationship. The psychologist maintained there was acausal relationship between the nature of one's early childhood experiences and one's adult personality. causality, N.

caustic ADJ. /腐蚀；挖苦/burning; sarcastically biting. The critic's caustic remarks angered the hapless actors who were the subjects of his sarcasm.

cavalcade N. /队伍/procession; parade. As described by Chaucer, the cavalcade of Canterbury pilgrims was a motley group.

cavalier ADJ. /随便；傲慢/offhand or casual; haughty. The disguised prince resented the cavalier way in which the palace guards treated him. How dared they handle a member of the royal family so unceremoniously!

cavil V. /挑剔/make frivolous objections. It's fine when you make sensible criticisms, but it really bugs mewhen you cavil about unimportant details. also N.

cede V. /放弃；屈服于；投降/yield (title, territory) to; surrender formally. Eventually the descendants of England's Henry II were forced to cede their French territories to the King of France.

celebrated ADJ. /名人/famous; well-known. Thanks to their race to break Roger Maris's home-run record, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire are two of America's most celebrated baseball players.

celebrity, N.

celerity N. /速度/speed; rapidity. Hamlet resented his mother's celerity in remarrying within a month after his father's death.

celestial ADJ. /天体的/heavenly. She spoke of the celestial joys that awaited virtuous souls in the hereafter.

celibate ADJ. /未婚的，独身的/unmarried; abstaining from sexual intercourse. The perennial bachelor vowedto remain celibate. celibacy, N.

censor N. /审查/overseer of morals; person who reads to eliminate inappropriate remarks. Soldiers dislikehaving their mail read by a censor but understand the need for this precaution. alsoV.

censorious ADJ. /批判的/critical. Censorious people delight in casting blame.

censure V. /责怪；批评/blame; criticize. The senator was censured for behavior inappropriate to a member of Congress. also N.

centigrade ADJ. /华氏/measure of temperature used widely in Europe. On the centigrade thermometer, thefreezing point of water is zero degrees.

centrifugal ADJ. /离心；放舐/radiating; departing from the center. Many automatic drying machines removeexcess moisture from clothing by centrifugal force.

centripetal ADJ. /向心/tending toward the center. Does centripetal force or the force of gravity bring orbiting bodies to the earth's surface?

centurion N. /百夫长/Roman army officer. Because he was in command of a company of one hundred soldiers, he was called a centurion.

cerebral ADJ. /脑的；智力的/pertaining to the brain or intellect. The content of philosophical works is cerebral in nature and requires much thought.

cerebration N. /思考/thought. Mathematics problems sometimes require much cerebration.

ceremonious ADJ. /隆重的/marked by formality. Ordinary dress would be inappropriate at so ceremonious an affair.

certitude N. /确实/certainty. Though there was no certitude of his getting the job, Lou thought he had a good chance of doing so.

cessation N. /停止/stoppage. The airline's employees threatened a cessation of all work if management failed to meet their demands. cease,V.

cession N. /给与；割让/yielding to another; ceding. The cession of Alaska to the United States is discussedin this chapter.

chafe V. /摩擦；擦热/warm by rubbing; make sore (by rubbing). Chilled, he chafed his hands before the fire. The collar of his school uniform chafed Tom's neck, but not as much the school's strict rules chafed his spirit. also N.

chaff N. /废物；糠；假货；开玩笑；打趣/worthless products of an endeavor. When you separate the wheat

from the chaff, be sure you throw out the chaff.

chaffing ADJ. /开玩笑/bantering; joking. Sometimes Chad's flippant, chaffing remarks annoy us. Still, Chad's chaffing keeps us laughing. also N.

chagrin N. /伤自尊；委屈/vexation (caused by humiliation or injured pride); disappointment. Embarrassed

by his parents' shabby, working-class appearance, Doug felt their visit to his school would bring himnothing but chagrin. Someone filled with chagrin doesn't grin: he's too mortified.

chalice N. /圣餐杯/goblet; consecrated cup. In a small room adjoining the cathedral, many ornately decorated chalices made by the most famous European goldsmiths were on display.

chameleon N. /变色龙/lizard that changes color in different situations. Like the chameleon, he assumed the political thinking of every group he met.

Word List 9 champion-colander

champion V. /拥护/support militantly. Martin Luther King, Jr., won the Nobel Peace Prize because he championed the oppressed in their struggle for equality.

Chaotic ADJ. /混乱/in utter disorder. He tried to bring order into the chaotic state of affairs. chaos, N.

charisma N. /魅力/divine gift; great popular charm or appeal of a political leader Political commentators have deplored the importance of a candidate's charisma in these days of television campaigning.

charlatan N. /吹牛/quack; pretender to knowledge. When they realized that the Wizard didn't knowhowto get them back to Kansas, Dorothy and her companions were indignant that they'd been duped by a charlatan.

chary ADJ. /谨慎；吝啬/cautious; sparing or restrained about giving. A prudent, thrifty, New Englander, DeWitt was as chary of investing money in junk bonds as he was chary of paying people unnecessary compliments.

chasm N. /深渊/abyss. They could not see the bottom of the chasm.

chassis N. /底盘/framework and working parts of an automobile. Examining the car after the accident, theowner discovered that the body had been ruined but that the chassis was unharmed.

chaste ADJ. /纯的/pure. Her chaste and decorous garb was appropriately selected for the solemnity of theoccasion. chastity, N.

chasten V. /磨练/discipline; punish in order to correct. Whom God loves, God chastens.

chastise V. /惩罚/punish. I must chastise you for this offense.

chauvinist N. /盲目爱国主义/blindly devoted patriot. A chauvinist cannot recognize any faults in his country, no matter how flagrant they may be. Likewise, a male chauvinist cannot recognize his bias in favor of his own sex, no matter how flagrant that may be. chauvinistic,ADJ.

check V. /控制；阻止/stop motion; curb or restrain. Thrusting out her arm, Grandma checked Bobby's

lunge at his sister. "Young man," she said, "you'd better check your temper." (secondary

meaning)

checkered ADJ. /多变的；像国际象棋棋盘一样的方格/marked by changes in fortune. During his checkered career he had lived in palatial mansions and in dreary boardinghouses.

cherubic ADJ. /天真无邪/angelic; innocent-looking. With her cheerful smile and rosy cheeks, she was a particularly cherubic child.

chicanery N. /强辩，狡辩；欺骗/trickery; deception. Those sneaky lawyers misrepresented what occurred, made up all sorts of implausible alternative scenarios to confuse the jurors, and in general depended on chicanery to win the case.

chide V. /斥责/scold. Grandma began to chide Steven for his lying.

chimerical ADJ. /不现实，空想/fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; imaginative. As everyone expected, Ted's chimerical scheme to make a fortune by raising ermines in his back yard proved a dismal failure.

chisel N. /凿子/wedgelike tool for cutting. With his hammer and chisel, the sculptor chipped away at the block of marble.

chisel V. /欺骗/swindle or cheat; cut with a chisel. That crook chiseled me out of a hundred dollars when hesold me that "marble" statue he'd chiseled out of some cheap hunk of rock.

Chivalrous ADJ. /勇敢；诚实/courteous; faithful; brave. Chivalrous behavior involves noble words and gooddeeds.

choleric ADJ. /易发怒的；脾气坏/hot-tempered. His flushed, angry face indicated a choleric nature.

choreography N. /舞蹈术；舞蹈记谱/art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances. Merce Cunningham has begun to use a computer in designing choreography. a software programallows him to compose arrangements of possible moves and immediately view them onscreen.

chortle V. /得意的笑/chuckle with delight. When she heard that her rival had just been jailed for embezzlement, she chortled with joy. She was not a nice lady.

chronic ADJ. /慢性的/long established as a disease. The doctors were finally able to attribute his chronic headaches and nausea to traces of formaldehyde gas in his apartment.

chronicle V. /编年史/report; record (in chronological order). The gossip columnist was paid to chronicle thelatest escapades of the socially prominent celebrities. also N.

churlish ADJ. /粗鲁的/boorish; rude. Dismayed by his churlish mapners at the party, the girls vowed never to invite him again.

cipher N. /密码/secret code. Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decode the message sent tohim in cipher.

cipher N. /不重要的人或物/nonentity; worthless person or thing. She claimed her ex-husband was a total cipher and wondered why she had ever married him.

circuitous ADJ. /迂回的/roundabout. To avoid the traffic congestion on the main highways, she took a circuitous route. circuit, N.

*circumlocution N. /婉转曲折的表达/indirect or roundabout expression. He was afraid to call a spade a spade and resorted to circumlocutions to avoid direct reference to his subject.

circumscribe V. /限制/limit; confine. Although I do not wish to circumscribe your activities, I must insist that you complete this assignment before you start anything else.

circumspect ADJ. /慎重；周到/prudent; cautious. Investigating before acting, she tried always to be circumspect.

circumvent V. /智取；包围/outwit; baffle. In order to circumvent the enemy, we will make two preliminary attacks in other sections before starting our major campaign.

cistern N. /水塔；水库/reservoir or water tank. The farmers were able to withstand the dry season by usingrainwater they had stored in an underground cistern.

citadel N. /大本营/fortress. The citadel overlooked the city like a protecting angel.

cite V. /引用；掌握/quote; command. She could cite passages in the Bible from memory. citation, N.

Civil ADJ. /民事的；国民的/having to do with citizens or the state; courteous and polite. Although Internal Revenue Service agents are civil servants, they are not always civil to suspected tax cheats.

clairvoyant ADJ. N. /预知；预言者/having foresight; fortuneteller. Cassandra's clairvoyant warning was not heeded by the Trojans. clairvoyance, N.

clamber V. /爬/climb by crawling. She clambered over the wall.

clamor N. /吵闹声；噪音/noise. The clamor of the children at play outside made it impossible for her to takeanap. alsoV.

clandestine ADJ. /秘密/secret. After avoiding their chaperon, the lovers had a clandestine meeting.

clangor N. /大声喧哗；持续的铿锵声/loud, resounding noise. The blacksmith was accustomed to the clangor of hammers on steel.

clapper N. /铃舌，钟舌/striker (tongue) of a bell. Wishing to be undisturbed by the bell, Dale wound his scarf around the clapper to muffle the noise of its striking.

clasp N. /扣合；紧密合作/fastening device; firm grip. When the clasp on Judy's bracelet broke, Fred repairedit, bending the hook back into shape. He then helped her slip on the bracelet, holding it firm in the sure clasp of his hand.

claustrophobia N. /幽闭恐怖症/fear of being locked in. His fellow classmates laughed at his claustrophobia and often threatened to lock him in his room.

cleave V. /劈开；黏着；忠于/split or sever; cling to; remain faithful to. With her heavy cleaver, Julia Child cancleave a whole roast duck in two. Soaked through, the soldier tugged at the uniform that cleaved annoyingly to his body. He would cleave to his post, come rain or shine.

Cleft N. /裂缝；开裂/split. Trying for a fresh handhold, the mountainclimber grasped the edge of a cleft in thesheer rockface. alsoADJ.

clemency N. /温和；仁慈/disposition to be lenient; mildness, as of the weather. The lawyer was pleased when the case was sent to Judge Smith's chambers because Smith was noted for her clemency toward first offenders.

clench V. /牢牢抓住/close tightly; grasp. "Open wide," said the dentist, but Clint clenched his teeth even more tightly than before.

cliché N. /陈词滥调/phrase dulled in meaning by repetition. High school compositions are often marred by such clichés as "strong as an ox."

clientele N. /常客/body of customers. The rock club attracted a young, stylish clientele.

climactic ADJ. /顶点的，高潮的/relating to the highest point. When he reached the climactic portions of thebook, he could not stop reading. climax, N.

clime N. /地域；气候/region; climate. His doctor advised him to move to a milder clime.

Clip N. /剪辑/section of filmed material. Phil's job at Fox Sports involved selecting clips of the day's sportinghighlights for later broadcast. alsoV.

clique N. /小圈子；同行/small exclusive group. Fitzgerald wished that he belonged to the clique of popular athletes and big men on campus who seemed to run Princeton's social life.

cloister N. /修道院/monastery or convent. The nuns lived a secluded life in the cloister.

Clout N. /巨大的影响（政治\社会）/great influence (especially political or social). Gatsby wondered whether he had enough clout to be admitted to the exclusive club.

cloying ADJ. /倒胃口；过度的/distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental. Disliking thecloying sweetness of standard wedding cakes, Jody and Tom chose to have homemade carrot cake at thereception. cloy,V.

Clump N. /一块，一团；沉重的脚步声；草丛，灌木丛/cluster or close group (of bushes, trees); mass; sound of heavy treading. Hiding behind the clump of bushes, the fugitives waited for the heavy clump of the soldiers' feet to fade away.

coagulate V. /凝结/thicken; congeal; clot. Even after you remove the pudding from the burner, it will continue to coagulate as it stands; therefore, do not overcook the pudding, lest it become too thick.

*coalesce V. /接合/combine; fuse. The brooks coalesce into one large river. When minor political parties coalesce, their coalescence may create a major coalition.

coalition N. /伙伴；同盟，集合/partnership; league; union. The Rainbow Coalition united people of all races in a common cause.

coddle V. /娇养，溺爱/to treat gently. Don't coddle the children so much; they need a taste of discipline.

codicil N. /遗嘱的附录/supplement to the body of a will. Miss Havisham kept her lawyers busy drawing upcodicils to add to her already complicated will.

codify V. /编纂/arrange (laws, rules) as a code; classify. We need to take the varying rules and regulations of the different health agencies and codify them into a national health code.

coercion N. /威逼，强迫/use of force to get someone to obey. The inquisitors used both physical and psychological coercion to force Joan of Arc to deny that her visions were sent by God. coerce,V.

cogent ADJ. /有说服力的/convincing. It was inevitable that David chose to go to Harvard: he had several cogent reasons for doing so, including a full-tuition scholarship. Katya argued her case with such cogency that the jury had to decide in favor of her client.

cogitate V. /考虑/think over. Cogitate on this problem; the solution will come.

cognate ADJ. /同源的/related linguistically: allied by blood: similar or akin in nature. The English word "mother" is cognate to the Latin word "mater," whose influence is visible in the words "maternal" and "maternity." also N.

cognitive ADJ. /认知的/having to do with knowing or perceiving; related to the mental processes. Though

Jack was emotionally immature, his cognitive development was admirable; he was very advanced intellectually.

cognizance N. /认知/knowledge. During the election campaign, the two candidates were kept in full cognizance of the international situation.

cohere V. /粘住的/stick together. Solids have a greater tendency to cohere than liquids.

cohesion N. /内聚力；黏度/tendency to keep together. A firm believer in the maxim "Divide and conquer," the evil emperor, by means of lies and trickery, sought to disrupt the cohesion of the federation of free nations.

coiffure N. /发型/hairstyle. You can make a statement with your choice of coiffure: in the sixties many AfricanAmericans affirmed their racial heritage by wearing their hair in Afros.

coin V. /铸币；发明；杜撰/make coins; invent or fabricate. Mints coin good money; counterfeiters coin fakes. Slanderers coin nasty rumors; writers coin words. A neologism is an expression that's been newly-coined.

coincidence N. /巧合/two or more things occurring at the same time by chance. Was it just a coincidencethat John and she had chanced to meet at the market for three days running, or was he deliberately tryingto seek her out? coincidental,ADJ.

colander N. /过滤器/utensil with perforated bottom used for straining. Before serving the spaghetti, placeit in a colander to drain it.

Word List 10 collaborate-congenital

collaborate V. /协作，合作/work together. Two writers collaborated in preparing this book.

collage N. /拼贴画/work of art put together from fragments. Scraps of cloth, paper doilies, and old photographs all went into her collage.

collate V. /校对，整理/examine in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order. They collated the newly foundmanuscripts to determine their age.

collateral N. /抵押品/security given for loan. The sum you wish to borrow is so large that it must be secured by collateral.

colloquial ADJ. /口语的/pertaining to conversational or common speech. Some of the new, less formal reading passages on SAT I have a colloquial tone that is intended to make them more appealing to students.

collusion N. /勾结/Conspiring in a fraudulent scheme. The swindlers were found guilty of collusion.

colossal ADJ. /巨大/huge. Radio City Music Hall has a colossal stage.

comatose ADJ. /昏迷；熟睡/a coma; extremely sleepy. The longwinded orator soon had his audience inacomatose state.

*combustible ADJ. /易燃的/easily burned. After the recent outbreak of fires in private homes, the fire commissioner ordered that all combustible materials be kept in safe containers, also N.

comely ADJ. /清秀，美丽，漂亮；有吸引力的/attractive; agreeable. I would rather have a poor and comely wifethan a rich and homely one.

comeuppance N. /报应/rebuke; deserts. After his earlier rudeness, we were delighted to see himget his comeuppance.

commandeer V. /征用，招募/to draft for military purposes; to take for public use. The policeman commandeered the first car that approached and ordered the driver to go to the nearest hospital.

commemorate V. /纪念/honor the memory of. The statue of the Minute Man commemorates the valiant soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War.

commensurate ADJ. /相当的，相称的/equal in extent. Your reward will be commensurate with your effort. commiserate V. /怜悯，同情/feel or express pity or sympathy for. Her friends commiserated with the widow.

commodious ADJ. /宽敞，舒适/spacious and comfortable. After sleeping in small roadside cabins, they found their hotel suite commodious.

communal ADJ. /公共的/held in common; of a group of people. When they were divorced, they had troubledividing their communal property.

compact N. /合约，合同/agreement; contract. The signers of the Mayflower Compact were establishing aform of government.

compact ADJ. /紧密的，结实的/tightly packed; firm; brief. His short, compact body was better suited to wrestling than to basketball.

comparable ADJ. /相似的/similar. People whose jobs are comparable in difficulty should receive comparable pay.

compatible ADJ. /和谐的/harmonious; in harmony with. They were compatible neighbors, never quarreling

over unimportant matters. compatibility, N.

compelling ADJ. /强制的/overpowering; irresistible in effect. The prosecutor presented a well-reasoned case, but the defense attorney's compelling arguments for leniency won over the jury.

compensatory ADJ. /补偿/making up for; repaying. Can a compensatory education programmake up for the inadequate schooling he received in earlier years?

compile V. /聚集，积累，汇集/assemble; gather; accumulate. We planned to compile a list of the words most frequently used on SAT I examinations.

complacency N. /自满；装模作样/self-satisfaction; smugness. Full of complacency about his latest victories, he looked smugly at the row of trophies on his mantelpiece. complacent,ADJ.

complaisant ADJ. /彬彬有礼；殷勤/trying to please; obliging. The courtier obeyed the king's orders in a complaisant manner.

complement V. /补足；完善/complete; consummate; make perfect. The waiter recommended a glass of port to complement the cheese. also N.

*complementary ADJ. /补足的，完善的/serving to complete something. John and Lisa's skills are complementary. he's good at following a daily routine, while she's great at improvising and handling emergencies. Together they make a great team.

compliance N. /顺从/readiness to yield; conformity in fulfilling requirements. Bullheaded Bill was not notedfor easy compliance with the demands of others. As an architect, however, Bill recognized that his designfor the new school had to be in compliance with the local building code.

compliant ADJ. /顺从/yielding. Because Joel usually gave in and went along with whatever his friends desired, his mother worried that he might be too compliant.

complicity N. /共犯，共同/participation; involvement. You cannot keep your complicity in this affair secret very long; you would be wise to admit your involvement immediately.

component N. /成分/element; ingredient. I wish all the components of my stereo system were workingat the same time.

composure N. /镇定，沉着/mental calmness. Even the latest work crisis failed to shake her composure.

compound V. /混合；组合；增加/combine; constitute; pay interest; increase. The makers of the popular coldremedy compounded a nasal decongestant with an antihistamine. also N.

comprehensive ADJ. /全面的/thorough; inclusive. This book provides a comprehensive review of verbal and math skills for the SAT.

compress V. /压缩/close; squeeze; contract. She compressed the package under her arm.

comprise V. /包括/include; consist of. If the District of Columbia were to be granted statehood, the UnitedStates of America would comprise fifty-one states, not just fifty.

compromise V. /危害；妥协/adjust or settle by making mutual concessions; endanger the interests or reputation of. Sometimes the presence of a neutral third party can help adversaries compromise their differences. Unfortunately, you're not neutral; therefore, your presence

here compromises our chances of reaching an agreement. also N.

compunction N. /后悔/remorse. The judge was especially severe in his sentencing because he felt that the criminal had shown no compunction for his heinous crime.

compute V. /计算/reckon; calculate. He failed to compute the interest, so his bank balance was not accurate. computation, N.

concave ADJ. /空的/hollow. The back-packers found partial shelter from the storm by huddling against theconcave wall of the cliff.

concede V. /勉强，让步，屈从/admit; yield. Despite all the evidence Monica had assembled, Mark refused toconcede that she was right.

conceit N. /自负，自大；离奇古怪的想法/vanity or self-love; whimsical idea; extravagant metaphor. Although

Jack was smug and puffed up with conceit, he was an entertaining companion, always expressing himself in amusing conceits and witty turns of phrase.

concentric ADJ. /同心/having a common center. The target was made of concentric circles.

conception N. /开始，构思/beginning; forming of an idea. At the first conception of the work, he was consulted. conceive,V.

concerted ADJ. /协调的/mutually agreed on; done together. All the Girl Scouts made a concerted effort toraise funds for their annual outing. When the movie star appeared, his fans let out a concerted sigh.

concession N. /让步/an act of yielding. Before they could reach an agreement, both sides had to make certain concessions.

conciliatory ADJ. /抚慰，调和/reconciling; soothing. She was still angry despite his conciliatory words. conciliate,V.

concise ADJ. /简练/brief and compact. When you define a new word, be concise: the shorter the definition, the easier it is to remember.

contrived ADJ. /做作的；牵强的/forced; artificial; not spontaneous. Feeling ill at ease with his new in-laws, James made a few contrived attempts at conversation and then retreated into silence.

controvert V. /辩论；反驳/oppose with arguments; attempt to refute; contradict. The witness's testimony was so clear and her reputation for honesty so well-established that the defense attorney decided it was wiser to make no attempt to controvertwhat she said.

contusion N. /擦伤；撞伤/bruise. Black and blue after her fall, Sue was treated for contusions and abrasions. conundrum N. /谜语/riddle. During the long car ride, she invented conundrums to entertain the children.

convene V. /召集，集合/assemble. Because much needed legislation had to be enacted, the governor ordered the legislature to convene in special session by January 15.

convention N. /习俗，惯例/social or moral custom; established practice. Flying in the face of convention, George Sand shocked society by taking lovers and wearing men's clothes.

conventional ADJ. /典型的；普通的/ordinary; typical. His conventional upbringing left him wholly unpreparedfor his wife's eccentric family.

converge V. /聚合；接近/approach; tend to meet; come together. African-American men fromall over theUnited States converged on Washington to take part in the historic Million Men march.

conversant ADJ. /熟悉/familiar with. The lawyer is conversant with all the evidence.

converse N. /相反的/opposite. The inevitable converse of peace is not war but annihilation.

converse V. /聊天/chat; talk informally. Eva was all ears while Lulu and Lola conversed. Wasn't it rude of her to eavesdrop on their conversation? conversation, N.

convert N. /改变；转换；皈依/one who has adopted a different religion or opinion. On his trip to Japan, though the President spoke at length about the virtues of American automobiles, he made few converts tohis beliefs. alsoV.

convex ADJ. /凸的/curving outward. He polished the convex lens of his telescope.

conveyance N. /运输；交通工具/vehicle; transfer. During the transit strike, commuters used various kinds of conveyances.

conviction N. /定罪；深信/judgment that someone is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief. Even her conviction for murder did not shake Peter's conviction that Harriet was innocent of the crime.

convivial ADJ. /欢乐；高兴/festive; gay; characterized by joviality. The convivial celebrators of the victory sang their college songs.

convoke V. /召集/call together. Congress was convoked at the outbreak of the emergency. convocation, N.

convoluted ADJ. /围绕，卷绕；费解/coiled around; involved; intricate. His argument was so convoluted that few of us could follow it intelligently.

Copious ADJ. /丰富的，大量的/plentiful. She had copious reasons for rejecting the proposal.

coquette N. /卖弄风情的女子；蜂鸟/flirt. Because she refused to give him an answer to his proposal of marriage, he called her a coquette. alsoV.

cordial ADJ. /亲切；衷心/gracious; heartfelt. Our hosts greeted us at the airport with a cordial welcome andahearty hug.

cordon N. /警戒线/extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress. The police cordon was so tight that the criminals could not leave the area. alsoV.

cornucopia N. /象征丰饶的羊角/horn overflowing with fruit and grain; symbol of abundance. The encyclopedia salesman claimed the new edition was a veritable cornucopia of information, an inexhaustiblesource of knowledge for the entire family.

corollary N. /结果，产物/consequence; accompaniment. Brotherly love is a complex emotion, with sibling rivalry its natural corollary.

coronation N. /加冕/ceremony of crowning a queen or king. When the witches told Macbeth he would beking,

they failed to warn him he would lose his crown soon after his coronation.

corporeal ADJ. /肉体的，物质的/bodily; material. The doctor had no patience with spiritual matters: his job was to attend to his patients' corporeal problems, not to minister to their souls.

corpulent ADJ. /肥胖/very fat. The corpulent man resolved to reduce. corpulence, N.

correlation N. /相互的关系/mutual relationship. He sought to determine the correlation that existed between ability in algebra and ability to interpret reading exercises. correlate, V., N.

corroborate V. /确认；支持/confirm; support. Though Huck was quite willing to corroborate Tom's story, Aunt Polly knew better than to believe either of them.

corrode V. /腐蚀/destroy by chemical action. The girders supporting the bridge corroded so gradually that no one suspected any danger until the bridge suddenly collapsed. corrosion, N.

corrosive ADJ. /腐蚀性的/eating away by chemicals or disease. Stainless steel is able to withstand the effects of corrosive chemicals. corrode,V.

corrugated ADJ. /皱的/wrinkled; ridged. She wished she could smooth away the wrinkles fromhis corrugated brow.

Cosmic ADJ. /宇宙的；巨大的/pertaining to the universe; vast. Cosmic rays derive their name fromthe fact that they bombard the earth's atmosphere from outer space. COSMOS, N.

cosmopolitan ADJ. /世界主义/sophisticated. Her years in the capitol had transformed her into a cosmopolitan young woman highly aware of international affairs.

coterie N. /同行，圈内人/group that meets socially; select circle. After his book had been published, he was invited to join the literary coterie that lunched daily at the hotel.

countenance V. /忍受；接受/approve; tolerate. He refused to countenance such rude behavior on their part.

countenance N. /脸/face. When Jose saw his newborn daughter, a proud smile spread across his countenance.

countermand V. /取消；废除/cancel; revoke. The general countermanded the orders issued in his absence.

culvert N. /水管/artificial channel for water. If we build a culvert under the road at this point, we will reducethe possibility of the road's being flooded during the rainy season.

cumbersome ADJ. /粗笨的；累赘/heavy; hard to manage. He was burdened down with cumbersome parcels.

cumulative ADJ. /累积/growing by addition. Vocabulary building is a cumulative process: as you go through your flash cards, you will add new words to your vocabulary, one by one.

cupidity N. /贪婪/greed. The defeated people could not satisfy the cupidity of the conquerors, who demanded excessive tribute.

curator N. /主管；经理/superintendent; manager. The members of the board of trustees of the museumexpected the new curator to plan events and exhibitions that would make the museum more popular.

curmudgeon N. /脾气坏；吝啬/churlish, miserly individual. Although he was regarded by many as a

curmudgeon, a few of us were aware of the many kindnesses and acts of charity that he

secretly performed.

cursive ADJ. /流动的；连接的/flowing, running. In normal writing we run our letters together in cursive form; inprinting, we separate the letters.

cursory ADJ. /草率；匆忙/casual; hastily done. Because a cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson, we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more extensive investigation of the fire's cause.

curtail V. /减短；降低/shorten; reduce. When Herb asked Diane for a date, she said she was really sorry shecouldn't go out with him, but her dad had ordered her to curtail her social life.

cynical ADJ. /愤世嫉俗/skeptical or distrustful of human motives. Cynical from birth, Sidney was suspicious whenever anyone gave him a gift "with no strings attached." cynic, N.

cynosure N. /广受注意的目标/the object of general attention. As soon as the movie star entered the room, she became the cynosure of all eyes.

dabble V. /涉猎，尝试；溅/work at in a non-serious fashion; splash around. The amateur painter dabbled at art, but seldom produced a finished piece. The children dabbled their hands in the bird bath, splashing oneanother gleefully.

dais N. /讲台/raised platform for guests of honor. When he approached the dais, he was greeted by cheers from the people who had come to honor him.

dank ADJ. /湿的；湿透的/damp. The walls of the dungeon were dank and slimy.

dapper ADJ. /整齐的，优雅的/neat and trim. In "The Odd Couple" TV show, Tony Randall played Felix Unger, an excessively dapper soul who could not stand to have a hair out of place.

dappled ADJ. /有斑点的/spotted. The sunlight filtering through the screens created a dappled effect on thewall.

daub V. /涂抹/smear (as with paint). From the way he daubed his paint on the canvas, I could tell he knewnothing of oils. also N.

daunt V. /惊吓；胁迫/intimidate; frighten. "Boast all you like of your prowess. Mere words cannot daunt me," the hero answered the villain.

dauntless ADJ. /胆大的/bold. Despite the dangerous nature of the undertaking, the dauntless soldier volunteered for the assignment.

dawdle V. /游手好闲；混日子/loiter; waste time. We have to meet a deadline so don't dawdle; just get down towork.

deadlock N. /僵局/standstill; stalemate. Because negotiations had reached a deadlock, some of the delegates had begun to mutter about breaking off the talks. alsoV.

deadpan ADJ. /没有表情的；呆板的/wooden; impersonal. We wanted to see how long he could maintain his deadpan expression.

dearth N. /稀缺；缺乏/scarcity. The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade

schools.

debacle N. /崩溃/sudden downfall; complete disaster. In the Airplane movies, every flight turns into a debacle, with passengers and crew members collapsing, engines falling apart, and carry-on baggage popping out of the overhead bins.

debase V. /贬低，降低/reduce in quality or value; lower in esteem; degrade. In The King and l, Anna refuses to kneel down and prostrate herself before the king, for she feels that to do so would debase her position, and she will not submit to such debasement.

debauch V. /堕落，放荡/corrupt; seduce from virtue. Did Socrates' teachings lead the young men of Athens to be virtuous citizens, or did they debauch the young men, causing them to question the customs of their fathers? Clearly, Socrates' philosophical talks were nothing like the wild debauchery of the toga parties inAnimal House.

debilitate V. /使虚弱，衰弱/weaken; enfeeble. Michael's severe bout of the flu debilitated himso much that he was too tired to go to work for a week.

debonair ADJ. /温文尔雅；友好；殷勤/friendly; aiming to please. The debonair youth was liked by all who met him, because of his cheerful and obliging manner.

debris N. /碎片；残骸/rubble. A full year after the earthquake in Mexico City, they were still carting away thedebris.

debunk V. /揭穿；奚落/expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc; ridicule. Pointing out that he consistently had voted against strengthening anti-pollution legislation, reporters debunked the candidate's claim that he was a fervent environmentalist.

debutante N. /初次参加社交活动的女孩/young woman making formal entrance into society. As a debutante, she was often mentioned in the society columns of the newspapers.

decadence N. /颓废；腐坏/decay. The moral decadence of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period.

decapitate V. /斩首，杀头/behead. They did not hang Lady Jane Grey; they decapitated her. "Off with her head!" cried the Duchess, eager to decapitate poor Alice.

decelerate V. /减慢/slow down. Seeing the emergency blinkers in the road ahead, he decelerated quickly. Word List 13 deciduous-dermatologist

deciduous ADJ. /落叶的/falling off as of leaves. The oak is a deciduous tree; in winter it looks quite bare.

decimate V. /残杀（十个里面杀一个）/kill, usually one out of ten. We do more to decimate our population inautomobile accidents than we do in war.

decipher V. /破译，解密/interpret secret code. Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decipher thescrambled message sent to him from the KGB.

declivity N. /下坡/downward slope. The children loved to ski down the declivity.

decollete ADJ. /低肩露颈的服装/having a low-necked dress. Current fashion decrees that evening gowns

be decollete this season; bare shoulders are again the vogue.

decomposition N. /瓦解；腐烂/decay. Despite the body's advanced state of decomposition, the police were able to identify the murdered man.

decorum N. /礼貌；温文尔雅/propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners. Even the best-mannered students have trouble behaving with decorum on the last day of school. decorous,ADJ.

decoy N. /引诱/lure or bait. The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy. alsoV.

decrepit ADJ. /老化，磨损/worn out by age. The decrepit car blocked traffic on the highway.

decrepitude N. /衰老；老耄/state of collapse caused by illness or old age. I was unprepared for the state of decrepitude in which I had found my old friend; he seemed to have aged twenty years in six months.

decry V. /强烈反对/express strong disapproval of; disparage. The founder of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, strongly decries the lack of financial and moral support for children in America today.

deducible ADJ. /可推导的，可推论的/derived by reasoning. If we accept your premise, your conclusions areeasily deducible.

deface V. /丑化/mar; disfigure. If you deface a library book, you will have to pay a hefty fine.

defame V. /丑化；诽谤/harm someone's reputation; malign; slander. If you try to defame my good name, my lawyers will see you in court. If rival candidates persist in defaming one another, the voters may concludethat all politicians are crooks. defamation, N.

default N. /不作为，无动于衷/failure to act. When the visiting team failed to show up for the big game, they lost the game by default. When Jack failed to make the payments on his Jaguar, the dealership took back the car because he had defaulted on his debt.

defeatist ADJ. /失败主义者/attitude of one who is ready to accept defeat as a natural outcome. If you maintain your defeatist attitude, you will never succeed. also N.

defection N. /缺点；逃跑，叛逃/desertion. The children, who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his defection from our cause.

defer V. /推迟，延期/delay till later; exempt temporarily. In wartime, some young men immediately volunteer to serve; others

defer /缓招/making plans until they hear from their draft boards. During the Vietnam War, many young men, hoping to be deferred, requested student deferments.

defer V. /听从/give in respectfully; submit. When it comes to making decisions about purchasing software, we must defer to Michael, our computer guru; he gets the final word. Michael, however, can defer these questions to no one; only he can decide.

deference N. /尊重的，尊重他人的/courteous regard for another's wish. In deference to the minister's request, please do not take photographs during the wedding service.

defiance N. /抵抗；不屈服/refusal to yield; resistance. When John reached the "terrible two's," he

responded to every parental request with howls of defiance. defy,V.

defile V. /污染；亵渎/pollute; profane. The hoodlums defiled the church with their scurrilous writing.

definitive ADJ. /完全的；最终的/final; complete. Carl Sandburg's Abraham Lincoln may be regarded as thedefinitive work on the life of the Great Emancipator.

deflect V. /反舐，偏转/turn aside. His life was saved when his cigarette case deflected the bullet.

defoliate V. /落叶/destroy leaves. In Vietnam the army made extensive use of chemical agents to defoliatethe woodlands.

defray V. /偿付/pay the costs of. Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgraduate education. deft ADJ. /灵巧的，敏锐地/neat; skillful. The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop.

defunct ADJ. /死的；不存在的，报废的/dead; no longer in use or existence. The lawyers sought to examine thebooks of the defunct corporation.

defuse V. /拆弹；化解（危机）/remove the fuse of a bomb; reduce or eliminate a threat. Police negotiators aretrained to defuse dangerous situations by avoiding confrontational language and behavior.

degenerate V. /恶化/become worse; deteriorate. As the fight dragged on, the champion's style degenerated until he could barely keep on his feet.

degradation N. /降级；降格；退化/humiliation; debasement; degeneration. Some secretaries object tofetching the boss a cup of coffee because they resent the degradation of being made to do such lowly tasks. degrade,V.

dehydrate V. /脱水/remove water from; dry out. Running under a hot sun quickly dehydrates the body; joggers soon learn to carry water bottles and to drink from them frequently.

deify V. /神化/ turn into a god; idolize. Admire Elvis Presley all you want; just don't deify him.

deign V. /屈服，屈尊/condescend; stoop. The celebrated fashion designer would not deign to speak to a mere seamstress; his overburdened assistant had to convey the master's wishes to the lowly workers assembling his great designs.

delectable ADJ. /使人愉快的/delightful; delicious. We thanked our host for a most delectable meal.

delete V. /删除/erase; strike out. Less is more: if you delete this paragraph, your whole essay will have greater appeal.

deleterious ADJ. /有害的/harmful. If you believe that smoking is deleterious to your health (and the Surgeon General certainly does), then quit!

deliberate V. /深思熟虑的；商讨/consider; ponder. Offered the new job, she asked for time to deliberate before she told them her decision,

delineate V. /描绘；描述/portray; depict; sketch. Using only a few descriptive phrases, Austen delineates

the character of Mr. Collins so well that we can predict his every move. delineation, N.

delirium N. /精神错乱/mental disorder marked by confusion. In his delirium, the drunkard saw pink panthers and talking pigs. Perhaps he wasn't delirious: he might just have wandered into a movie.

delude V. /盅惑/deceive. His mistress may have deluded herself into believing that he would leave his wifeand marry her.

deluge N. /冲（水）（刺）/flood; rush. When we advertised the position, we received a deluge of applications.

delusion N. /错觉/false belief; hallucination. Don suffers from delusions of grandeur: he thinks he's a world-famous author when he's published just one paperback book.

delve V. /挖掘；调查/dig; investigate. Delving into old books and manuscripts is part of a researcher's job.

demagogue N. /煽动政治家/person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader of people. He was accused of being a demagogue because he made promises that aroused futile hopes in his listeners.

demean V. /降级；贬低/degrade; humiliate. Standing on his dignity, he refused to demean himself by replying to the offensive letter. If you truly believed in the dignity of labor, you would not think it would demean you to work as a janitor.

demeanor N. /风度；行为/behavior; bearing. His sober demeanor quieted the noisy revelers.

demented ADJ. /疯狂的/insane. Doctor Demento was a lunatic radio personality who liked to act as if he were truly demented. If you're demented, your mental state is out of whack; in other words, you're wacky.

demise N. /死/death. Upon the demise of the dictator, a bitter dispute about succession to power developed.

demolition N. /拆除/destruction. One of the major aims of the air force was the complete demolition of all means of transportation by bombing of rail lines and terminals. demolish,V.

demoniac ADJ. /魔鬼的/fiendish. The Spanish Inquisition devised many demoniac means of torture. demon, N.

demur V. /反对；犹豫/object (because of doubts, scruples); hesitate. When offered a post on the board of directors, David demurred: he had scruples about taking on the job because he was unsure he could handle it in addition to his other responsibilities.

demure ADJ. /端庄的；认真的；腼腆的/grave; serious; coy. She was demure and reserved, a nice modest girl whom any young man would be proud to take home to his mother.

demystify V. /澄清；揭秘/clarify; free from mystery or obscurity. Helpful doctors demystify medical

procedures by describing them in everyday language, explaining that a myringotomy, for example, is an operation involving making a small hole in one's eardrum.

denigrate V. /抹黑/blacken. All attempts to denigrate the character of our late president have failed; the people still love him and cherish his memory.

denizen N. /居民；常客/inhabitant or resident; regular visitor. In The Untouchables, Eliot Ness fights AI Capone and the other denizens of Chicago's underworld. Ness's fight against corruption was the talk of all the denizens of the local bars.

denotation N. /指示；根据名字区别/meaning; distinguishing by name. A dictionary will always give us the denotation of a word; frequently, it will also give us the connotations. denote,V.

denouement N. /结局；结果/outcome; final development of the plot of a play. The play was childishly written; the denouement was obvious to sophisticated theatergoers as early as the middle of the first act.

denounce V. /咒骂；批评/condemn; criticize. The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officers for having betrayed the public's trust. denunciation, N.

depict V. /描述/portray. In this sensational exposé, the author depicts Beatle John Lennon as a drug-crazed neurotic. Do you question the accuracy of this depiction of Lennon?

deplete V. /耗尽；减少/reduce; exhaust. We must wait until we deplete our present inventory before we order replacements.

deplore V. /悔恨/regret; disapprove of. Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language, I defend your right to express yourself freely.

deploy V. /散开；部署/spread out [troops] in an extended though shallow battle line. The general ordered thebattalion to deploy in order to meet the enemy offensive.

depose V. /革职/dethrone; remove from office. The army attempted to depose the king and set up a military government.

deposition N. /宣言，誓言/testimony under oath. He made his deposition in the judge's chamber.

depravity N. /堕落，腐坏/extreme corruption; wickedness. The depravity of Caligula's behavior came to sicken even those who had willingly participated in his earlier, comparatively innocent orgies.

deprecate V. /抗议；蔑视/express disapproval of; protest against; belittle. A firm believer in old-fashionedcourtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names. deprecatory,ADJ.

depreciate V. /折旧/lessen in value. If you neglect this property, it will depreciate.

depredation N. /掠夺/plundering. After the depredations of the invaders, the people were penniless. deranged ADJ. /不理智/insane. He had to be institutionalized because he was mentally deranged.

derelict ADJ. /遗弃的；废弃的/abandoned; negligent. The derelict craft was a menace to navigation. Whoever abandoned it in the middle of the harbor was derelict in living up to his responsibili-ties as a boat owner. also N.

deride V. /打趣；取消/ridicule; make fun of. The critics derided his pretentious dialogue and refused to consider his play seriously. derision, N.

derivative ADJ. /派生的/unoriginal; derived from another source. Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature,the critics thought she had promise and eventually would find her own voice.

dermatologist N. /皮肤病专家/one who studies the skin and its diseases. I advise you to consult a dermatologist about your acne.

Word List 14 derogatory-disgruntle

derogatory ADJ. /贬低的，贬损的/expressing a low opinion. I resent your derogatory remarks.

descant V. /全面而详细的讨论/discuss fully. He was willing to descant upon any topic of conversation, evenwhen he knew very little about the subject under discussion. also N.

descry V. /看到/catch sight of. In the distance, we could barely descry the enemy vessels.

desecrate V. /亵渎/profane; violate the sanctity of. Shattering the altar and trampling the holy objects underfoot, the invaders desecrated the sanctuary.

desiccate V. /弄干/dry up. A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate food in order to preserve it.

desolate ADJ. /荒无人烟的/unpopulated. After six months in the crowded, bustling metropolis, David was sosick of people that he was ready to head for the most desolate patch of wilderness he could find.

desolate V. /放弃/rob of joy; lay waste to; forsake. The bandits desolated the countryside, burning farms and carrying off the harvest.

despise V. look on with scorn; regard as worthless or distasteful. Mr. Bond, I despise spies; I look down onthem as mean, despicable, honorless men, whom I would wipe from the face of the earth with as little concern as I would scrape dog droppings from the bottom of my shoe.

despoil V. /掠夺/plunder. If you do not yield, I am afraid the enemy will despoil the countryside.

despondent ADJ. /忧郁的；沮丧的/depressed; gloomy. To the dismay of his parents, William became seriously despondent after he broke up with Jan; they despaired of finding a cure for his gloom.

despondency, N.

despot N. /暴君/tyrant; harsh, authoritarian ruler. How could a benevolent king turn overnight into a despot?

destitute ADJ. /一贫如洗/extremely poor. Because they had no health insurance, the father's costly illness left the family destitute.

desultory ADJ. /慢无目的的；断断续续的/aimless; haphazard; digressing at random. In prison MalcolmXset himself the task of reading straight through the dictionary; to him, reading was purposeful, not desultory.

detached ADJ. /分离的/emotionally removed; calm and objective; physically unconnected. A psychoanalyst must maintain a detached point of view and stay uninvolved with his or her

patients' personal lives. To a child growing up in an apartment or a row house, to live in a

detached house was an unattainable dream.

detergent N. /洗洁精；洗涤剂/cleansing agent. Many new detergents have replaced soap.

determination N. /决定；测量，计算；解决/resolve; measurement or calculation; decision. Nothing could shake his determination that his children would get the best education that money could buy. Thanks to my pocket calculator, my determination of the answer to the problem took only seconds of my time.

deterrent N. /挫败；使气馁/something that discourages; hindrance. Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers? deter,V.

detonation N. /引爆，爆炸/explosion. The detonation of the bomb could be heard miles away.

detraction N. /诽谤/slandering; aspersion. He is offended by your frequent detractions of his ability as a leader.

detrimental ADJ. /有害的/harmful; damaging. The candidate's acceptance of major financial contributions from a wellknown racist ultimately proved detrimental to his campaign, for he lost the backing of many of his early grassroots supporters. detriment, N.

deviate V. /背离/turn away from (a principle, norm); depart; diverge. Richard never deviated fromhis daily routine: every day he set off for work at eight o'clock, had his sack lunch (peanut butter on whole wheat) at 12:15, and headed home at the stroke of five.

devious ADJ. /拐弯抹角的；偏僻的/roundabout; erratic; not straightforward. The Joker's plan was so devious that it was only with great difficulty we could follow its shifts and dodges.

devise V. /设计；发明/think up; invent; plan. How clever he must be to have devised such a devious plan! What ingenious inventions might he have devised if he had turned his mind to science and not to crime.

devoid ADJ. /缺乏的/lacking. You may think her mind is a total void, but she's actually not devoid of intelligence. She just sounds like an airhead.

devotee N. /热心的追随者/enthusiastic follower. A devotee of the opera, he bought season tickets every year.

devout ADJ. /虔诚的；诚恳的/pious. The devout man prayed daily.

dexterous ADJ. /灵巧的；右撇子/skillful. The magician was so dexterous that we could not follow himas heperformed his tricks.

diabolical ADJ. /恶魔的/devilish. "What a fiend I am, to devise such a diabolical scheme to destroy GothamCity," chortled the Joker gleefully.

diagnosis N. /诊断/art of identifying a disease; analysis of a condition. In medical school Margaret

developed her skill at diagnosis, learning how to read volumes from a rapid pulse or a hacking cough. diagnose, V.; diagnostic,ADJ.

discomfit V. /扰乱/put to rout; defeat; disconcert. This ruse will discomfitthe enemy. discomfiture, N.

discomfited,ADJ.

discomposure N. /心乱；不安/agitation; loss of poise. Perpetually poised, Agent 007 never exhibited a moment's discomposure.

disconcert V. /迷惑；扰乱；使难堪/confuse; upset; embarrass. The lawyer was disconcerted by the evidenceproduced by her adversary.

disconsolate ADJ. /悲伤；沮丧/sad. The death of his wife left him disconsolate.

discord N. /冲突的；不和谐的/conflict; lack of harmony. Watching Tweedledum battle Tweedledee, Alice wondered what had caused this pointless discord.

discordant ADJ. /不和谐的；冲突的/not harmonious; conflicting. Nothing is quite so discordant as the soundof a junior high school orchestra tuning up.

discount V. /漠视；解散/disregard; dismiss. Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife.

discourse N. /演讲；谈话/formal discussion; conversation. The young Plato was drawn to the Agora to hear the philosophical discourse of Socrates and his followers. alsoV.

discredit V. /不信任；丢脸/defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve. The campaign was highly negative intone; each candidate tried to discredit the other.

discrepancy N. /相差；缺乏一致/lack of consistency; difference. The police noticed some discrepancies inhis description of the crime and did not believe him.

discrete ADJ. /分离；没有关系的/separate; unconnected. The universe is composed of discrete bodies.

discretion N. /判断力；审慎的/prudence; ability to adjust actions to circumstances. Use your discretion in this matter and do not discuss it with anyone. discreet,ADJ.

discriminating ADJ. /有识别能力的；有偏见的/able to see differences; prejudiced. A superb interpreter of Picasso, she was sufficiently discriminating to judge the most complex works of modern art. (secondary meaning) discrimination, N.

discursive ADJ. /散漫的；不得要领的/digressing; rambling. As the lecturer wandered from topic to topic, wewondered what if any point there was to his discursive remarks.

disdain V. /蔑视/view with scorn or contempt. In the film Funny Face, the bookish heroine disdained fashion models for their lack of intellectual interests. also N.

disembark V. /登陆；靠岸/go ashore; unload cargo from a ship. Before the passengers could disembark, they had to pick up their passports from the ship's purser.

disenfranchise V. /剥夺（公民权）/deprive of a civil right. The imposition of the poll tax effectively disenfranchised poor Southern blacks, who lost their right to vote.

disengage V. /脱离；分离/uncouple; separate; disconnect. A standard movie routine involves the hero's desperate attempt to disengage a railroad car from a moving train.

disfigure V. /诬陷，抹黑，诽谤/mar in beauty; spoil. An ugly frown disfigured his normally pleasant face. disgorge V. /吐出，涌出，呕吐/surrender something; eject; vomit. Unwilling to disgorge the cash he had

stolen from the pension fund, the embezzler tried to run away.

disgruntle V. /使郁闷/make discontented. The passengers were disgruntled by the numerous delays. Word List 15 dishearten-duplicity

dishearten V. /挫败/discourage; cause to lose courage or hope. His failure to pass the bar exam

disheartened him.

disheveled ADJ. /邋遢，肮脏/untidy. Your disheveled appearance will hurt your chances in this interview.

disinclination N. /不情愿，厌恶/unwillingness. Some mornings I feel a great disinclination to get out of bed

disingenuous ADJ. /不诚恳的/lacking genuine candor; insincere. Now that we know the mayor and his wifeare engaged in a bitter divorce fight, we find their earlier remarks regretting their lack of time together remarkably disingenuous.

disinter V. /挖出，出土/dig up; unearth. They disinterred the body and held an autopsy.

disinterested ADJ. /公允的/unprejudiced. Given the judge's political ambitions and the lawyers' financial interest in the case, the only disinterested person in the courtroom may have been the court reporter.

disjointed ADJ. /断开/disconnected. His remarks were so disjointed that we could not follow his reasoning.

dislodge V. /强制移除/remove (forcibly). Thrusting her fist up under the choking man's lower ribs, Margaret used the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the food caught in his throat.

dismantle V. /拆除/take apart. When the show closed, they dismantled the scenery before storing it.

dismay V. /使沮丧；使害怕/discourage; frighten. The huge amount of work she had left to do dismayed her. also N.

dismember V. /分解，肢解/cut into small parts. When the Austrian Empire was dismembered, several new

countries were established.

dismiss V. /拒绝；排除/put away from consideration; reject. Believing in John's love for her, she dismissedthe notion that he might be unfaithful. (secondary meaning)

disparage V. /忽略，轻视/belittle. A doting mother, Emma was more likely to praise her son's crude attempts at art than to disparage them.

disparate ADJ. /大相径庭的；没关系的/basically different; unrelated. Unfortunately, Tony and Tina have disparate notions of marriage: Tony sees it as a carefree extended love affair, while Tina sees it as a solemn commitment to build a family and a home.

disparity N. /不同；差距/difference; condition of inequality. Their disparity in rank made no difference at all to the prince and Cinderella.

dispassionate ADJ. /平静的；公平的/calm; impartial. Known in the company for his cool judgment, Bill

could impartially examine the causes of a problem, giving a dispassionate analysis of what

had gone wrong, and go on to suggest how to correct the mess.

dispatch N. /急速；急件/speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed. Young Napoleondefeated the enemy with all possible dispatch; he then sent a dispatch to head-quarters informing his commander of the great victory. alsoV.

dispel V. /散开；分裂；消失/scatter; drive away; cause to vanish. The bright sunlight eventually dispelled themorning mist.

disperse V. /散开/scatter. The police fired tear gas into the crowd to disperse the protesters. dispersion, N.

dispirited ADJ. /没情绪的，沮丧的/lacking in spirit. The coach used all the tricks at his command to buoy upthe enthusiasm of his team, which had become dispirited at the loss of the star player.

disputatious ADJ. /好辩的/argumentative; fond of arguing. Convinced he knew more than his lawyers, Alanwas a disputatious client, ready to argue about the best way to conduct the case. disputant, N.

disquiet V. /使焦虑，使难受/make uneasy or anxious. Holmes's absence for a day, slightly disquieted Watson; after a week with no word, however, Watson's uneasiness about his missing friend had grown intoa deep fear for his safety. disquietude, N.

dissection N. /分析；解剖/analysis; cutting apart in order to examine. The dissection of frogs in the laboratory is particularly unpleasant to some students.

dissemble V. /伪装，做作，掩饰/disguise; pretend. Even though John tried to dissemble his motive for takingmodern dance, we all knew he was there not to dance but to meet girls.

disseminate V. /分发，扩散，散布/distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds). By their use of the Internet, propagandists have been able to disseminate their pet doctrines to new audiences around the globe.

dissent V. /反对/disagree. In the recent Supreme Court decision, Justice O'Connor dissented fromthe majority opinion. also N.

dissertation N. /论文（博士生）/formal essay. In order to earn a graduate degree from many of our universities, a candidate is frequently required to prepare a dissertation on some scholarly subject.

dissident ADJ. /持不同意见的；难于对付的/dissenting; rebellious. In the purge that followed the student demonstrations at Tiananmen Square, the government hunted down the dissident students and their supporters. also N.

dissimulate V. /伪装，做作，掩饰/pretend; conceal by feigning. She tried to dissimulate her grief by her exuberant attitude.

dissipate V. /驱散，消散；浪费/squander; waste; scatter. He is a fine artist, but I fear he may dissipate his gifts if he keeps wasting his time playing games.

dissolute ADJ. /放纵，挥霍/loose in morals. The dissolute life led by the ancient Romans is indeed

shocking.

dissolution N. /解散；终止；解体/breaking of a union; decay; termination. Which caused King Lear more suffering: the dissolution of his kingdom into warring factions, or the dissolution of his aged, failing body?

dissonance N. /不和谐的（声音）/discord. Composer Charles Ives often used dissonance-clashing or unresolved chords-for special effects in his musical works.

dissuade V. /劝阻；使灰心/persuade not to do; discourage. Since Tom could not dissuade Huck fromrunning away from home, he decided to run away with him. dissuasion, N.

distant ADJ. /冷漠的；远离的/reserved or aloof; cold in manner. His distant greeting made me feel unwelcomefrom the start. (secondary meaning)

distend V. /扩大；扩张/expand; swell out. I can tell when he is under stress by the way the veins distend onhis forehead.

distill V. /蒸馏；萃取，提炼，提纯/extract the essence; purify; refine. A moonshiner distills mash into whiskey; an epigrammatist distills thoughts into quips.

distinction N. /出名；出格/honor; contrast; discrimination. A holder of the Medal of Honor, George servedwith great distinction in World War II. He made a distinction, however, between World War II and Vietnam, which he considered an immoral conflict.

distort V. /扭曲，歪曲/twist out of shape. It is difficult to believe the newspaper accounts of the riots becauseof the way some reporters distort and exaggerate the actual events. distortion, N.

distraught ADJ. /使悲伤；使焦虑/upset; distracted by anxiety. The distraught parents frantically searched theravine for their lost child.

diurnal ADJ. /日常的/daily. A farmer cannot neglect his diurnal tasks at any time; cows, for example, must be milked regularly.

diva N. /著名女歌唱家，天后；歌剧女主角/operatic singer; prima donna. Although world famous as a diva, she didnot indulge in fits of temperament. ..

diverge V. /多样的；各异的/vary; go in different directions from the same point. The spokes of the wheel diverge from the hub.

divergent ADJ. /分歧的/differing; deviating. Since graduating from medical school, the two doctors have taken divergent paths, one going on to become a nationally prominent surgeon, the other dedicating himself to a small family practice in his home town. divergence, N.

diverse ADJ. /丰富多样的/differing in some characteristics; various. The professor suggested diverse ways of approaching the assignment and recommended that we choose one of them. diversity, N.

diversion N. /转移；解闷/act of turning aside; pastime. After studying for several hours, he needed a diversion from work. divert,V.

diversity N. /多样性/variety; dissimilitude. The diversity of colleges in this country indicates that many

levels of ability are being cared for.

divest V. /剥夺/strip; deprive. He was divested of his power to act and could no longer govern. divestiture, N.

divine V. /运用直觉，超能力；预见/perceive intuitively; foresee the future. Nothing infuriated Tommore thanAunt Polly's ability to divine when he was telling the truth.

divulge V. /揭开，暴露/reveal. No lover of gossip, Charlotte would never divulge anything that a friend toldher in confidence.

docile ADJ. /驯服的，听话的；善良的/obedient; easily managed. As docile as he seems today, that old lion was once a ferocious, snarling beast. docility, N.

doctrinaire ADJ. /教条的；顽固的/unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding. Weng had hoped that the student-led democracy movement might bring about change in China, but the repressive response of the doctrinaire hard-liners crushed his dreams of democracy.

doctrine N. /教育；学说/teachings, in general; particular principle (religious, legal, etc.) taught. He was socommitted to the doctrines of his faith that he was unable to evaluate them impartially.

document V. /书面证明/provide written evidence. She kept all the receipts from her business trip in order to document her expenses for the firm. also N.

doff V. /脱/take off. A gentleman used to doff his hat to a lady.

dogged ADJ. /顽固的；顽强的/determined; stubborn. Les Miserables tells of Inspector Javert's long, doggedpursuit of the criminal Jean Valjean.

doggerel N. /打油诗/poor verse. Although we find occasional snatches of genuine poetry in her work, most of her writing is mere doggerel.

dogmatic ADJ. /独断的，教条的，固执的/opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal. We tried to discourage Doug frombeing so dogmatic, but never could convince him that his opinions might be wrong.

doldrums N. /忧郁，悲伤/blues; listlessness; slack period. Once the excitement of meeting her deadline was over, she found herself in the doldrums.

doleful ADJ. /悲伤/sorrowful. He found the doleful lamentations of the bereaved family emotionally disturbing and he left as quickly as he could.

dolt N. /愚蠢的人，蠢货/stupid person. I thought I was talking to a mature audience; instead, I find myself addressing a pack of dolts and idiots.

domicile N. /家/home. Although his legal domicile was in New York City, his work kept him away fromhis residence for many years. alsoV.

domineer V. /暴力压制/rule over tyrannically. Students prefer teachers who guide, not ones who domineer.

don V. /穿上/put on. When Clark Kent has to don his Superman outfit, he changes clothes in a convenient phone booth.

doodle V. /涂鸦；浪费时间/scribble or draw aimlessly; waste time. Art's teachers scolded him when he doodled all over the margins of his papers.

dormant ADJ. /睡着的；隐匿的/sleeping; lethargic; latent. At fifty her longdormant ambition to write flared uponce more; within a year she had completed the first of her great historical novels.

dormer N. /天窗/window projecting from roof. In remodeling the attic into a bedroom, we decided that we needed to put in dormers to provide sufficient ventilation for the new room.

dossier N. /档案，资料/file of documents on a subject. Ordered by J. Edgar Hoover to investigate the senator, the FBI compiled a complete dossieron him.

dote V. /昏聩；溺爱/be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline. Not only grandmothers bore youwith stories about their brilliant grandchildren; grandfathers dote on the little rascals, too. Poor old Alf clearly doted: the senile old dotard was past it; in fact, he was in his dotage.

douse V. /浸泡；弄湿；弄灭/plunge into water; drench; extinguish. They doused each other with hoses andwater balloons.

dowdy ADJ. /邋遢的；衣衫不整/slovenly; untidy. She tried to change her dowdy image by buying a newfashionable wardrobe.

downcast ADJ. /沮丧/disheartened; sad. Cheerful and optimistic by nature, Beth was never downcast despite the difficulties she faced.

drab ADJ. /迟钝的；单调的/dull; lacking color; cheerless. The Dutch woman's drab winter coat contrasted withthe distinctive, colorful native costume she wore beneath it.

draconian ADJ. /极其严重/extremely severe. When the principal canceled the senior prom because someseniors had been late to school that week, we thought the draconian punishment was far too harsh for sucha minor violation of the rules.

dregs N. /沉淀物；残渣/sediment; worthless residue. David poured the wine carefully to avoid stirring up thedregs.

drivel N. /胡言乱语；愚蠢/nonsense; foolishness. Why do I have to spend my days listening to such idiotic drivel? Drivel is related to dribble: think of a dribbling, driveling idiot.

droll ADJ. /滑稽可笑；离奇古怪，怪里怪气/queer and amusing. He was a popular guest because his droll anecdotes were always entertaining.

drone N. /闲人；雄蜂/idle person; male bee. Content to let his wife support him, the would-be writer was inreality nothing but a drone.

drone V. /嗡嗡声；语气呆板的声音/talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee. On a gorgeous day, who wants to bestuck in a classroom listening to the teacher drone ?

dross N. /渣滓，废物/waste matter; worthless impurities. Many methods have been devised to separate thevaluable metal from the dross.

drudgery N. /苦差事，苦工/menial work. Cinderella's fairy godmother rescued her from a life of drudgery. dubious ADJ. /可疑的/questionable; filled with doubt. Many critics of SAT I contend the test is of dubious

worth. Jay claimed he could get a perfect 1600 on SAT I, but Ellen was dubious: she knew

he hadn't cracked a book in three years.

ductile ADJ. /柔软的，有韧性/malleable; flexible; pliable. Copper is an extremely ductile material: you can stretch it into the thinnest of wires, bend it, even wind it into loops.

dulcet ADJ. /甜美的（声音）/sweet sounding. The dulcet sounds of the birds at dawn were soon drowned out by the roar of traffic passing our motel.

dumbfound V. /使人惊讶/astonish. Egbert's perfect 1600 on his SAT I exam dumbfounded his classmates, who had always found him to be perfectly dumb.

dupe N. /易被开涮的人/someone easily fooled. While the gullible Watson often was made a dupe by unscrupulous parties, Sherlock Holmes was far more difficult to fool. alsoV.

duplicity N. /奸诈，狡猾；伪善；两面三刀，两面派/double-dealing; hypocrisy. When Tanya learned that Mark hadbeen two-timing her, she was furious at his duplicity.

Word List 16 duration-encroachment

duration N. /持续时间/length of time something lasts. Because she wanted the children to make a good impression on the dinner guests, Mother promised them a treat if they'd behave for the duration of the meal.

duress N. /（非法的）限制，关押/forcible restraint, especially unlawfully. The hostages were held under duress until the prisoners' demands were met.

dutiful ADJ. /恭敬的；尊重的/respectful; obedient. When Mother told Billy to kiss Great-Aunt Hattie, the boy obediently gave the old woman a dutiful peck on her cheek.

dwarf V. /使看上去矮小/cause to seem small. The giant redwoods and high cliffs dwarfed the elegant Ahwahnee Hotel, making it appear a modest lodge rather than an imposing hostelry.

dwindle V. /缩水；减少/shrink; reduce. The food in the life boat gradually dwindled away to nothing; in theend, they ate the ship's cook.

dynamic ADJ. /充满活力的/energetic; vigorously active. The dynamic aerobics instructor kept her students on the run; she was a little dynamo.

earthy ADJ. /粗糙的；未加工的/unrefined; coarse. His earthy remarks often embarrassed the women in his audience.

ebb V. /衰退/recede; lessen. Sitting on the beach, Mrs. Dalloway watched the tide ebb: the waters receded, drawing away from her as she sat there all alone. also N.

ebullient ADJ. /热情的，激动的/showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm. Amy's ebullient nature could not be repressed; she' was always bubbling over with excitement. ebullience, N.

eccentric ADJ. /古怪的，奇怪的/irregular; odd; whimsical; bizarre. The comet veered dangerously close to theearth in its eccentric orbit. People came up with some eccentric ideas for dealing with the emergency: someone even suggested tieing a knot in the comet's tail!

eccentricity N. /怪僻，古怪；特性/oddity; idiosyncrasy. Some of his friends tried to account for his rudeness to strangers as the eccentricity of genius.

ecclesiastic ADJ. /神职的/pertaining to the church. The minister donned his ecclesiastic garb and walkedto the pulpit. also N.

eclectic ADJ. /折衷的/composed of elements drawn from disparate sources. His style of interior decoration

was eclectic: bits and pieces of furnishings from widely divergent periods, strikingly juxtaposed to create aunique decor. eclecticism, N.

eclipse V. /超越；衰落；失色/darken; extinguish; surpass. The new stock market high eclipsed the previous record set in 1995.

ecologist N. /生态学家/a person concerned with the interrelationship between living organisms and their environment. The ecologist was concerned that the new dam would upset the natural balance of the creatures living in Glen Canyon.

economy N. /俭省节约的，经济的/efficiency or conciseness in using something. Reading the epigrams of Pope, I admire the economy of his verse: in few words he conveys worlds of meaning. (sec-ondary meaning)

ecstasy N. /全神贯注，入迷，高兴/rapture; joy; any overpowering emotion. When Allison received her long-hoped-for letter of acceptance from Harvard, she was in ecstasy. ecstatic,ADJ.

eddy N. /漩涡/swirling current of water, air, etc. The water in the tide pool was still, except for an occasional eddy.

edict N. /法令，号令；布告/decree (especially issued by a sovereign); official command. The emperor issuedan edict decreeing that everyone should come see him model his magnificent new clothes.

edify V. /教导；启迪，陶冶/instruct; correct morally. Although his purpose was to edify and not to entertain his audience, many of his listeners were amused rather than enlightened.

eerie ADJ. /怪异的/weird. In that eerie setting, it was easy to believe in ghosts and other supernatural

beings.

efface V. /抹掉/rub out. The coin had been handled so many times that its date had been effaced.

effectual ADJ. /有效的/able to produce a desired effect; valid. Medical researchers are concerned becauseof the development of drug-resistant strains of bacteria; many once useful antibiotics are no longer effectual in curing bacterial infections.

effervescence N. /泡腾，沸腾；兴奋，活泼/inner excitement or exuberance; bubbling from fermentation or carbonation. Nothing depressed Sue for long; her natural effervescence soon reasserted itself. Soda that loses its effervescence goes flat. effervescent, ADJ. effervesce,V.

efficacy N. /功效/power to produce desired effect. The efficacy of this drug depends on the regularity of thedosage. efficacious,ADJ.

effigy N. /假人（被人憎恨的，如秦桧）/dummy. The mob showed its irritation by hanging the judge in effigy.

effrontery N. /厚颜无耻/shameless boldness. She had the effrontery to insult the guest.

effusive ADJ. /激情澎湃的/pouring forth; gushing. Her effusive manner of greeting her friends finally began toirritate them. effusion, N.

egoism N. /自我中心，利己主义/excessive interest in one's self; belief that one should be interested in one's self rather than in others. His egoism prevented him from seeing the needs of his col-leagues.

egotistical ADJ. /极度自我中心；自以为是，逞能/excessively self-centered; self-important; conceited. Typical egotistical remark: "But enough of this chit-chat about you and your little problems. Let's talk about what's really important: Me!"

egregious ADJ. /及其令人痛恨的，声名狼藉；令人吃惊的/notorious; conspicuously bad or shocking. She was anegregious liar; we all knew better than to believe a word she said. Ed's housekeeping was egregious: he let his dirty dishes pile up so long that they were stuck together with last week's food.

egress N. /出口/exit. Barnum's sign "To the Egress" fooled many people who thought they were going to see an animal and instead found themselves in the street.

ejaculation N. /迸出；惊叹/exclamation. He could not repress an ejaculation of surprise when he heard thenews.

elaboration N. /细节；复杂/addition of details; intricacy. Tell what happened simply, without any elaboration. elaborate,V.

elated ADJ. /过分高兴的；兴高采烈/overjoyed; in high spirits. Grinning from ear to ear, Bonnie Blair was clearly elated by her fifth Olympic gold medal. elation, N.

elegy N. /挽歌，悲歌/poem or song expressing lamentation. On the death of Edward King, Milton composed the elegy "Lycidas." elegiacal,ADJ.

elicit V. /得出/draw out by discussion. The detectives tried to elicit where he had hidden his loot.

elixir N. /包治百病，万能药/cure-all; something invigorating. The news of her chance to go abroad acted onher like an elixir.

ellipsis N. /省略/omission of words from a text. Sometimes an ellipsis can lead to a dangling modifier, as inthe sentence "Once dressed, you should refrigerate the potato salad."

elliptical ADJ. /椭圆的；有意模棱两可的/oval; ambiguous, either purposely or because key words have beenleft out. An elliptical billiard ball wobbles because it is not perfectly round; an elliptical remark baffles because it is not perfectly clear.

eloquence N. /雄辩；修辞/expressiveness; persuasive speech. The crowds were stirred by Martin Luther King's eloquence. eloquent,ADJ.

elucidate V. /解释；启迪/explain; enlighten. He was called upon to elucidate the disputed points in his article.

elusive ADJ. /难懂的，难捉摸的；令人困惑的/evasive; baffling; hard to grasp. Trying to pin down exactly when

the contractors would be finished remodeling the house, Nancy was frustrated by their

elusive replies. elude,V.

emaciated ADJ. /瘦弱的，脆弱的/thin and wasted. His long period of starvation had left him emaciated. emanate V. /散发，发出/issue forth. A strong odor of sulphur emanated from the spring.

emancipate V. /释放，解放/set free. At first, the attempts of the Abolitionists to emancipate the slaves wereunpopular in New England as well as in the South.

embargo N. /禁运/ban on commerce or other activity. As a result of the embargo, trade with the colonies was at a standstill.

embark V. /开始旅程，开始，登机，上船，上车/commence; go on board a boat or airplane; begin a journey. Indevoting herself to the study of gorillas, Dian Fossey embarked on a course of action that was to cost her her life.

embed V. /封装，嵌入，插入/enclose; place in something. Tales of actual historical figures like King Alfredhave become embedded in legends.

embellish V. /装饰/adorn; ornament. The costume designer embellished the leading lady's ball gown withyards and yards of ribbon and lace.

embezzlement N. /偷窃，侵占/stealing. The bank teller confessed his embezzlement of the funds.

embody V. /具体化；包含，收录/personify; make concrete; incorporate. Cheering on his rival Mark McGwire's efforts to break Roger Maris's home run record, Sammy Sosa embodied the spirit of true sportsmanship.

embrace V. /拥抱；接受，包含/hug; adopt or espouse; accept readily; encircle; include. Clasping Maid Marianin his arms, Robin Hood embraced her lovingly. In joining the outlaws in Sherwood Forest, she had openly embraced their cause.

embroider V. /镶边，绣花；添油加醋/decorate with needlework; ornament with fancy or fictitious details. For her mother's birthday, Beth embroidered a lovely design on a handkerchief. When asked what made her late getting home, Jo embroidered her account with tales of runaway horses and rescuing people froma ditch. embroidery, N.

embroil V. /连累，牵连；使其混乱，麻烦缠身/throw into confusion; involve in strife; entangle. He became embroiled in the heated discussion when he tried to arbitrate the dispute.

embryonic ADJ. /胚胎的；未开发的，原始的/undeveloped; rudimentary. The evil of class and race hatred must be eliminated while it is still in an embryonic state; otherwise, it may grow to dangerous proportions. emend

V. correct; correct by a critic. The critic emended the book by selecting the passages which he thought most appropriate to the text.

emendation N. /改进；修订/correction of errors; improvement. Please initial all the emendations you havemade in this contract.

eminent ADJ. /高的/high; lofty. After his appointment to this eminent position, he seldom had time for his former friends.

emissary N. /代理；信使，使者/agent; messenger. The secretary of state was sent as the president's special emissary to the conference on disarmament.

emollient N. /缓和，安抚/soothing or softening remedy. The nurse applied an emollientto the inflamed area. alsoADJ.

empathy N. /移情作用，心入/ability to identify with another's feelings, ideas, etc. What made Ann such a finecounselor was her empathy, her ability to put herself in her client's place and feel his emotions as if they were her own. empathize,V.

empirical ADJ. /经验主义/based on experience. He distrusted hunches and intuitive flashes; he placed his reliance entirely on empirical data.

emulate V. /仿效；抗衡/imitate; rival. In a brief essay, describe a person you admire, someone whose virtues you would like to emulate.

enamored ADJ. /爱情的；坠入爱河的/in love. Narcissus became enamored of his own beauty.

encipher V. /编码/encode; convert a message into code. One of Bond's first lessons was how to encipher the messages he sent to Miss Moneypenny so that none of his other lady friends could decipher them.

enclave N. /飞地/territory enclosed within an alien land. The Vatican is an independent enclave in Italy.

encomium N. /赞美之词/high praise; eulogy. Uneasy with the encomiums expressed by his supporters, Tolkien felt unworthy of such high praise.

encompass V. /包围/surround. Although we were encompassed by enemy forces, we were cheerful for we were well stocked and could withstand a siege until our allies joined us.

encroachment N. /侵蚀；“和平演变”/gradual intrusion. The encroachment of the factories upon the neighborhood lowered the value of the real estate.

Word List 17 encumber-etymology

encumber V. /拖累，负担/burden. Some people encumber themselves with too much luggage when they take short trips.

endearment N. /爱慕；爱的表示/fond statement. Your gifts and endearments cannot make me forget your earlier insolence.

endemic ADJ. /地方的；小范围内流行/prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country. This disease is endemic in this part of the world; more than 80 percent of the population are at onetime or another affected by it.

endorse V. /认可，默许；支持/approve; support. Everyone waited to see which one of the rival candidates for the city council the mayor would endorse. (secondary meaning) endorsement, N.

enduring ADJ. /持久的；不朽的/lasting; surviving. Keats believed in the enduring power of great art, which would outlast its creators' brief lives.

energize V. /鼓舞/invigorate; make forceful and active. Rather than exhausting Maggie, dancing

energized her.

enervate V. /使变弱/weaken. She was slow to recover from her illness; even a short walk to the windowwould enervate her.

enfranchise V. /赋予公民权（投票权）/to admit to the rights of citizenship (especially the right to vote). Although Blacks were enfranchised shortly after the Civil War, women did not receive the right to vote until 1920.

engage V. /吸引；雇佣；答应；结合；订婚/attract; hire; pledge oneself; confront. "Your case has engaged my interest, my lord," said Holmes. "You may engage my services."

engaging ADJ. /有魅力的，有吸引力的/charming; attractive. Everyone liked Nancy's pleasant manners and engaging personality.

engender V. /产生，导致/cause; produce. To receive praise for real accomplishments engenders self-confidence in a child.

engross V. /独占/occupy fully. John was so engrossed in his studies that he did not hear his mother call.

enhance V. /增加；改进/increase; improve. You can enhance your chances of being admitted to the collegeof your choice by learning to write well; an excellent essay can enhance any application.

enigma N. /谜/puzzle; mystery. "What do women want?" asked Dr. Sigmund Freud. Their behavior was anenigma to him.

enigmatic ADJ. /朦胧的；谜一样的/obscure; puzzling. Many have sought to fathom the enigmatic smile of theMona Lisa.

enmity N. /憎恨；仇恨/ill will; hatred. At Camp David, President Carter labored to bring an end to the enmity that prevented the peaceful coexistence of Egypt and Israel.

ennui N. /厌倦/boredom. The monotonous routine of hospital life induced a feeling of ennui that made

him moody and irritable.

enormity N. /巨大的，严重的，极恶劣/hugeness (in a bad sense). He did not realize the enormity of his crimeuntil he saw what suffering he had caused.

enrapture V. /使其狂喜/please intensely. The audience was enraptured by the freshness of the voices andthe excellent orchestration.

ensconce V. /安排妥当/settle comfortably. Now that their children were ensconced safely in the private school, the jet-setting parents decided to leave for Europe.

ensemble N. /全体；歌舞团；套装/group of (supporting) players; organic unity; costume. As a dancer with theOakland Ballet, Benjamin enjoyed being part of the ensemble. Having acted with one another for well over a decade, the cast members have developed a true sense of ensemble: They work together seamlessly. Mitzi wore a charming two-piece ensemble designed by Donna Karan.

entail V. /要求，需要；牵涉到/require; necessitate; involve. Building a collegelevel vocabulary will entail

some work on your part.

enterprising ADJ. /有魄力/full of initiative. By coming up with fresh ways to market the company's products, Mike proved himself to be an enterprising businessman.

enthrall V. /俘获/capture; enslave. From the moment he saw her picture, he was enthralled by her beauty.

entice V. /吸引；引诱/lure; attract; tempt. She always tried to entice her baby brother into mischief.

entitlement N. /权利/right to claim something; right to benefits. While Bill was entitled to use a company car while he worked for the firm, the company's lawyers questioned his entitlement to the vehicle once he'dquit his job.

entity N. /实体/real being. As soon as the Charter was adopted, the United Nations became an entity andhad to be considered as a factor in world diplomacy.

entomology N. /昆虫学/study of insects. Kent found entomology the most annoying part of his biology course; studying insects bugged him.

entourage N. /随从，随行人员/group of attendants; retinue. Surrounded by the members of his entourage, the mayor hurried into city hall, shouting a brusque "No comment!" to the reporters lining the steps.

entrance V. /使其着迷；使其神志恍惚/put under a spell; carry away with emotion. Shafts of sunlight on a wall could entrance her and leave her spellbound.

entreat V. /恳求/plead; ask earnestly. She entreated her father to let her stay out till midnight.

entrepreneur N. /商人，企业家，承包人/businessman; contractor. Opponents of our present tax programargue that it discourages entrepreneurs from trying new fields of business activity.

enumerate V. /枚举/list; mention one by one. Huck hung his head in shame as Miss Watson enumeratedhis many flaws.

enunciate V. /阐明/speak distinctly. Stop mumbling! How will people understand you if you do not enunciate?

eon N. /时代/long period of time; an age. It has taken eons for our civilization to develop.

ephemeral ADJ. /朝生暮死，短暂，短命/short-lived; fleeting. The mayfly is an ephemeral creature: its adult lifelasts little more than a day.

epic N. /史诗；剧作/long heroic poem, or similar work of art. Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai is an epic portraying the struggle of seven warriors to destroy a band of robbers. alsoADJ.

epicure N. /老饕；享乐主义者/connoisseur of food and drink. Epicures frequent this restaurant because it features exotic wines and dishes. epicurean,ADJ.

epigram N. /警句；讽刺民谣/witty thought or saying, usually short. Poor Richard's epigrams made BenjaminFranklin famous.

epilogue N. /尾声；收场白/short speech at conclusion of dramatic work. The audience was so

disappointed in the play that many did not remain to hear the epilogue.

episodic ADJ. /插曲式的/loosely connected; divided into incidents. Though he tried to follow the plot of Gravity's Rainbow, John found the novel too episodic; he enjoyed individual passages, but had trouble following the work as a whole.

epistolary ADJ. /书信的/consisting of letters. Mark Harris's Wake Up, Stupid! is a modern epistolary novel that uses letters, telegrams, and newspaper clippings to tell the hero's story. The movie You've Got Mail tells a story using e-mail; does that make it an e-pistolary movie? epistle, N.

epitaph N. /墓志铭，挽联/inscription in memory of a dead person. In his will, he dictated the epitaph he wanted placed on his tombstone.

epithet N. /绰号/word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing. So many kings of France were named Charles that you could tell them apart only by their epithets: Charles the Wise was someone far different from Charles the Fat.

epitome N. /典型，摘要/perfect example or embodiment. Singing "I am the very model of a modern Major-General," in The Pirates of Penzance, Major-General Stanley proclaimed himself the epitome of anofficer and a gentleman.

epoch N. /时代/period of time. The glacial epoch lasted for thousands of years.

equable ADJ. /平静的，均衡的，稳定的/tranquil; steady; uniform. After the hot summers and cold winters of NewEngland, he found the climate of the West Indies equable and pleasant.

equanimity N. /镇定/calmness of temperament; composure. Even the inevitable strains of caring for an ailing mother did not disturb Bea's equanimity.

equestrian N. /骑师/rider on horseback. These paths in the park are reserved for equestrians and their steeds. alsoADJ.

equilibrium N. /平衡/balance. After the divorce, he needed some time to regain his equilibrium.

equine ADJ. /似马的/resembling a horse. His long, bony face had an equine look to it.

equinox N. /昼夜平分点，春分，秋分/period of equal days and nights; the beginning of Spring and Autumn. Thevernal equinox is usually marked by heavy rainstorms.

equitable ADJ. /公平的，公允的/fair; impartial. I am seeking an equitable solution to this dispute, one that will be fair and acceptable to both sides.

equity N. /公平，公正/fairness; justice. Our courts guarantee equity to all.

equivocal ADJ. /蓄意误导；含混，模棱两可/ambiguous; intentionally misleading. Rejecting the candidate's equivocal comments on tax reform, the reporters pressed him to state clearly where he stood on the issue. equivocate,V.

equivocate V. /撒谎；误导/lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth. The audience saw through his attempts to equivocate on the subject under discussion and ridiculed his remarks.

erode V. /侵蚀/eat away. The limestone was eroded by the dripping water until only a thin shell remained. erosion, N.

erotic ADJ. /激情的/pertaining to passionate love. The erotic passages in this novel should be removed as they are merely pornographic.

erratic ADJ. /奇怪的；不可预测的/odd; unpredictable. Investors become anxious when the stock market appears erratic.

erroneous ADJ. /错误/mistaken; wrong. I thought my answer was correct, but it was erroneous.

erudite ADJ. /博学的/learned; scholarly. Though his fellow students thought him erudite, Paul knewhe would have to spend many years in serious study before he could consider himself a scholar.

escapade N. /胡闹；奇怪、出格的行为/prank; flighty conduct. The headmaster could not regard this latest escapade as a boyish joke and expelled the young man.

escapism N. /逃避现实，纸醉金迷/avoiding reality by diverting oneself with amusements. Before you criticizeher constant reading as mere escapism, note how greatly her vocabulary has improved since she began spending her days buried in books.

eschew V. /避免/avoid. Hoping to present himself to his girlfriend as a totally reformed character, he triedto eschew all the vices, especially chewing tobacco and drinking bathtub gin.

esoteric ADJ. /难以理解的，深奥的/hard to understand; known only to the chosen few. The New Yorker short stories often include esoteric allusions to obscure people and events: the implication is, if you are in the in-crowd, you'll get the reference; if you come from Cleveland, you won't.

espionage N. /间谍行为/Spying. In order to maintain its power, the government developed a systemof espionage that penetrated every household.

espouse V. /接受，支持/adopt; support. She was always ready to espouse a worthy cause.

esteem V. /尊重；估价/respect; value. Jill esteemed Jack's taste in music, but she deplored his taste in clothes.

estranged ADJ. /分离的；孤立的/separated; alienated. The estranged wife sought a divorce. estrangement, N.

ethereal ADJ. /轻的，空气的；像天堂的/light; heavenly; unusually refined. In Shakespeare's The Tempest, thespirit Ariel is an ethereal creature, too airy and unearthly for our mortal world.

ethnic ADJ. /种族的/relating to races. Intolerance between ethnic groups is deplorable and usually is basedon lack of information.

ethos N. /社会精神特质，思潮，风气；气质/underlying character of a culture, group, etc. Seeing how tenderly ordinary Spaniards treated her small daughter made author Barbara Kingsolver aware of how greatly children were valued in the Spanish ethos.

etymology N. /语源学/study of word parts. A knowledge of etymology can help you on many English tests: if you know what the roots and prefixes mean, you can determine the meanings of unfamiliar words.

Word List 18 eulogy-faculty

eulogy N. /颂词；赞美词/expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone's death. Instead of delivering a spoken eulogy at Genny's memorial service, Jeff sang a song he had written in her honor.

euphemism N. /委婉的表达/mild expression in place of an unpleasant one. The expression "he passed away" is a euphemism for "he died."

euphonious ADJ. /悦耳的/pleasing in sound. Euphonious even when spoken, the Italian language is particularly pleasing to the ear when sung. euphony. N.

euphoria N. /非常愉快；病态的愉快，愉悦症/feeling of great happiness and well-being (sometimes exaggerated). Delighted with her SAT scores, sure that the university would accept her, Allison was filledwith euphoria. euphoric,ADJ.

evanescent ADJ. /消散的；凋零的/fleeting; vanishing. Brandon's satisfaction in his new job was evanescent, for he immediately began to notice its many drawbacks. evanescence, N.

evasive ADJ. /逃避的/not frank; eluding. Your evasive answers convinced the judge that you were withholding important evidence. evade,V.

evenhanded ADJ. /公平的/impartial; fair. Do men and women receive evenhanded treatment fromtheir teachers, or, as recent studies suggest, do teachers pay more attention to male students than to females?

evince V. /表示/show clearly. When he tried to answer the questions, he evinced his ignorance of the subject matter.

evocative ADJ. /唤起的/tending to call up (emotions, memories). Scent can be remarkably evocative: the aroma of pipe tobacco evokes the memory of my father; a whiff of talcum powder calls up images of my daughter as a child.

ewe N. /母羊/female sheep. The flock of sheep was made up of dozens of ewes, together with only a handful of rams.

exacerbate V. /恶化，加剧/worsen; embitter. The latest bombing exacerbated England's already existingbitterness against the IRA, causing the prime minister to break off the peace talks abruptly.

exacting ADJ. /苛刻的/extremely demanding. Cleaning the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was an exacting task, one that demanded extremely meticulous care on the part of the restorers. exaction, N.

exalt V. /晋升；赞扬/raise in rank or dignity; praise. The actor Alec Guinness was exalted to the rank of knighthood by the queen.

exasperate V. /激怒/vex. Johnny often exasperates his mother with his pranks.

exceptionable ADJ. /不可的，可反对的/objectionable. Do you find the punk rock band Green Day a highly exceptionable, thoroughly distasteful group, or do you think they are exceptionally talented performers?

excerpt N. /摘抄，摘录/selected passage (written or musical). The cinematic equivalent of an excerpt fromanovel is a clip from a film. alsoV.

excise V. /去除/cut away; cut out. When you excise the dead and dying limbs of a tree, you not only improve its appearance but also enhance its chances of bearing fruit. excision. N.

exclaim V. /呼喊，大叫/cry out suddenly. "Watson! Behind you!" Holmes exclaimed, seeing the assassin hurl himself on his friend.

excoriate V. /责难，挖苦，批判；揭露/scold with biting harshness; strip the skin off. Seeing the holes in Bill's new pants, his mother furiously excoriated him for ruining his good clothes. The tight, starched collar chafed and excoriated his neck, rubbing it raw.

exculpate V. /开脱，洗脱/clear from blame. He was exculpated of the crime when the real criminal

confessed.

execrable ADJ. /非常糟糕的/very bad. The anecdote was in such execrable taste that it revolted the audience.

execute V. /执行，完成/put into effect; carry out. The choreographer wanted to see how well she could execute a pirouette. (secondary meaning) execution, N.

exegesis N. /解释，注解，通译/explanation; interpretation, especially of a biblical text. The minister based her sermon on her exegesis of a difficult passage from the book of Job. exegetical,ADJ.

exemplary ADJ. /出色的；典范的；（杀鸡儆猴的）例子/serving as a model; outstanding. At commencement thedean praised Ellen for her exemplary behavior as class president.

exemplify V. /作为典型；具体化/serve as an example of; embody. For a generation of balletgoers, Rudolf Nureyev exemplified the ideal of masculine grace.

exempt ADJ. /被免除的/not subject to a duty, obligation. Because of his flat feet, Foster was exempt from

serving in the armed forces. alsoV.

exertion N. /努力，尽力/effort; expenditure of much physical work. The exertion spent in unscrewing the rusty bolt left her exhausted.

exhaustive ADJ. /彻底的，完全的/thorough; comprehensive. We have made an exhaustive study of all published SAT tests and are happy to share our research with you.

exhilarating ADJ. /爽快的，使人愉快的/invigorating and refreshing; cheering. Though some of the hikers found tramping through the snow tiring, Jeffrey found the walk on the cold, crisp day exhilarating.

exhort V. /劝诫，忠告/urge. The evangelist exhorted all the sinners in his audience to reform. exhortation, N.

exhume V. /出土，发掘/dig out of the ground; remove from the grave. Could evidence that might identify theserial killer have been buried with his victim? To answer this question, the police asked the authorities for permission to exhume the victim's body.

exigency N. /紧急情况/urgent situation. In this exigency, we must look for aid from our allies.

exodus N. /离开，启程/departure. The exodus from the hot and stuffy city was particularly noticeable on Friday evenings.

exonerate V. /开脱，免罪/acquit; exculpate. The defense team feverishly sought fresh evidence that might

exonerate their client.

exorbitant ADJ. /过度的/excessive. The people grumbled at his exorbitant prices but paid thembecause hehad a monopoly.

exorcise V. /驱邪/drive out evil spirits. By incantation and prayer, the medicine man sought to exorcise theevil spirits which had taken possession of the young warrior.

exotic ADJ. /陌生的，外来的，奇异的，异国情调/not native; strange. Because of his exotic headdress, he was followed in the streets by small children who laughed at his strange appearance.

expansive ADJ. /扩张的；爽快的；广阔的/outgoing and sociable; broad and extensive; able to increase in size. Mr. Fezziwig was in an expansive humor, cheerfully urging his guests to join in the Christmas feast. Looking down on his expansive paunch, he sighed: if his belly expanded any further, he'd need an expansive waistline for his pants.

expatriate N. /放逐；被放逐者/exile; someone who has withdrawn from his native land. Henry James was anAmerican expatriate who settled in England.

expedient ADJ. /合适的，有利的；策略性的/suitable; practical; politic. A pragmatic politician, he was guided by what was expedient rather than by what was ethical. expediency, N.

expedite V. /加速，催促/hasten. Because we are on a tight schedule, we hope you will be able to expeditethe delivery of our order. The more expeditious your response is, the happier we'll be.

expenditure N. /支出，花费/payment or expense; output. When you are operating on an expense account, you must keep receipts for all your expenditures. If you don't save your receipts, you won't get repaid without the expenditure of a lot of energy arguing with the firm's accountants.

expertise N. /专业知识，技能/specialized knowledge; expert skill. Although she was knowledgeable in a number of fields, she was hired for her particular expertise in computer programming.

expiate V. /赎罪/make amends for (a sin). He tried to expiate his crimes by a full confession to the authorities.

expletive N. /感叹词；咒骂/interjection; profane oath. The sergeant's remarks were filled with expletives that offended the new recruits.

explicate V. /解释，澄清/explain; interpret; clarify. Harry Levin explicated James Joyce's often bewilderingnovels with such clarity that even Finnegan's Wake seemed comprehensible to his students.

explicit ADJ. /清晰的；坦率的/totally clear; definite; outspoken. Don't just hint around that you're dissatisfied: be explicit about what's bugging you.

exploit N. /壮举/deed or action, particularly a brave deed. Raoul Wallenberg was noted for his exploits inrescuing Jews from Hitler's forces.

exploit V. /开发，开拓/make use of, sometimes unjustly. Cesar Chavez fought attempts to exploit migrant farmworkers in California. exploitation, N. exploitative,ADJ.

expository ADJ. /解释性的/explanatory; serving to explain. The manual that came with my VCR was no masterpiece of expository prose: its explanations were so garbled that I couldn't even figure

out how to rewind a tape. exposition, N.

exposure N. /曝光，揭露；暴露（于疾病、恶劣的环境等）的状态/risk, particularly of being exposed to disease or to the elements; unmasking; act of laying something open. Exposure to sun and wind had dried out her hair and weathered her face. She looked so changed that she no longer feared exposure as the notorious IreneAdler, onetime antagonist of Sherlock Holmes.

expropriate V. /没收，剥夺，征用/take possession of. He questioned the government's right to expropriatehis land to create a wildlife preserve.

expunge V. /取消，去除，排除/cancel; remove. If you behave, I will expunge this notation fromyour record.

expurgate V. /清除，净化/clean; remove offensive parts of a book. The editors felt that certain passages inthe book had to be expurgated before it could be used in the classroom.

extant ADJ. /现存的/still in existence. Although the book is out of print, some copies are still extant.

Unfortunately, all of them are in libraries or private collections; none are for sale.

extent N. /范围；程度/degree; magnitude; scope. What is the extentof the patient's injuries? If they are not too extensive, we can treat him on an outpatient basis.

extenuate V. /弱化；减轻/weaken; mitigate. It is easier for us to extenuate our own shortcomings than thoseof others.

extol V. /赞美/praise; glorify. The president extolled the astronauts, calling them the pioneers of the SpaceAge.

extort V. /敲诈，勒索/wring from; get money by threats, etc. The blackmailer extorted money fromhis victim.

extradition N. /引渡/surrender of prisoner by one state to another. The lawyers opposed the extradition of their client on the grounds that for more than five years he had been a model citizen.

extraneous ADJ. /肤浅的，不重要的/not essential; superfluous. No wonder Ted can't think straight! His mindis so cluttered up with extraneous trivia, he can't concentrate on the essentials.

extrapolation N. /推测，推断/projection; conjecture. Based on their extrapolation from the results of the primaries on Super Tuesday, the networks predicted that Bob Dole would be the Republican candidate for the presidency. extrapolate,V.

extricate V. /解脱，放出，释放/free; disentangle. Icebreakers were needed to extricate the trapped whales from the icy floes that closed them in.

extrinsic ADJ. /外围的，不重要的；外来的/external; not essential; extraneous. A critically acclaimed extrinsic feature of the Chrysler Building is its ornate spire. The judge would not admit the testimony, ruling that it was extrinsic to the matter at hand.

extrovert N. /性格外向的人/person interested mostly in external objects and actions. A good salesman is usually an extrovert, who likes to mingle with people.

extrude V. /挤压，逼/force or push out. Much pressure is required to extrude these plastics.

exuberance N. /富得流油的；精力充沛；浪费，过度/overflowing abundance; joyful enthusiasm; flamboyance;

lavishness. I was bowled over by the exuberance of Amy's welcome. What an enthusiastic greeting!

exude V. /卸下，流出/discharge; give forth. We get maple syrup from the sap that exudes fromthe trees inearly spring. exudation, N.

exult V. /高兴，兴高采烈/rejoice. We exulted when our team won the victory.

fabricate V. /制造；编造（谎言）/build; lie. If we fabricate the buildings in this project out of standardized sections, we can reduce construction costs considerably. Because of Jack's tendency to fabricate, Jill hadtrouble believing a word he said.

facade N. /正面的；表面的，肤浅的/front (of building); superficial or false appearance. The ornate facade of thechurch was often photographed by tourists, who never bothered to walk around the building to viewits other sides. Susan seemed super-confident, but that was just a facade she put on to hide her insecurity.

facet N. /（宝石的）琢面；方面/small plane surface (of a gem); a side. The stonecutter decided to improve therough diamond by providing it with several facets.

facetious ADJ. /不合时宜的玩笑；幽默/joking (often inappropriately); humorous. I'm serious about this project; I don't need any facetious, smartalecky cracks about do-gooder little rich girls.

facile ADJ. /充足的；容易完成的；肤浅的/easily accomplished; ready or fluent; superficial. Words came easily toJonathan: he was a facile speaker and prided himself on being ready to make a speech at a moment's notice.

facilitate V. /促进；帮助；使变容易/help bring about; make less difficult. Rest and proper nourishment should

facilitate the patient's recovery.

facsimile N. /复制品/COPY. Many museums sell facsimiles of the works of art on display.

faction N. /派别；内讧；纠纷/party; clique; dissension. The quarrels and bickering of the two small factions within the club disturbed the majority of the members.

faculty N. /才能，教职员工/mental or bodily powers; teaching staff. As he grew old, Professor Twiggly fearedhe might lose his faculties and become unfit to teach. However, he had tenure: whether or not he was in full possession of his faculties, the school couldn't kick him off the faculty.

Word List 19 fallacious-flinch

fallacious ADJ. /假的；误导的/false; misleading. Paradoxically, fallacious reasoning does not always yielderroneous results: even though your logic may be faulty, the answer you get may nevertheless be correct. fallacy, N.

fallible ADJ. /容易犯错的/liable to err. I know I am fallible, but I feel confident that I am right this time.

fallow ADJ. /休耕地；潜伏的；不活跃的/plowed but not sowed; uncultivated. Farmers have learned that it is advisable to permit land to lie fallow every few years.

falter V. /犹豫；踌躇/hesitate. When told to dive off the high board, she did not falter, but proceeded at once.

fanaticism N. /狂热的，盲目的/excessive zeal; extreme devotion to a belief or cause. When Islamic fundamentalists demanded the death of Salman Rushdie because his novel questioned their faith, world opinion condemned them for their fanaticism.

fancy N. /爱好；奇特；想象/notion; whim; inclination. Martin took a fancy to paint his toenails purple. Assuming

he would outgrow such fanciful behavior, his parents ignored his fancy feet. alsoADJ.

fanfare N. /号角声/call by bugles or trumpets. The exposition was opened with a fanfare of trumpets and the firing of cannon.

farce N. /闹剧；嘲笑/broad comedy; mockery. Nothing went right; the entire interview degenerated into a farce. farcical,ADJ.

fastidious ADJ. /挑剔的；难伺候的/difficult to please; squeamish. Bobby was such a fastidious eater that hewould eat a sandwich only if his mother first cut off every scrap of crust.

fatalism N. /宿命论/belief that events are determined by forces beyond one's control. With fatalism, he accepted the hardships that beset him. fatalistic,ADJ.

fathom V. /领会；调查，测量/comprehend; investigate. I find his motives impossible to fathom; in fact, I'mtotally clueless about what goes on in his mind.

fatuous ADJ. /愚蠢的；不可理喻的；不理智的/foolish; inane. He is far too intelligent to utter such fatuous remarks.

fauna N. /动物志/animals of a period or region. The scientist could visualize the fauna of the period by examining the skeletal remains and the fossils.

fawning ADJ. /奉承/courting favor by cringing and flattering. She was constantly surrounded by a group of fawning admirers who hoped to win some favor. fawn,V.

faze V. /折磨，打击/disconcert; dismay. No crisis could faze the resourceful hotel manager.

feasible ADJ. /可行的/practical. Is it feasible to build a new stadium for the Yankees on New York's West Side? Without additional funding, the project is clearly unrealistic.

fecundity N. /丰饶/fertility; fruitfulness. The fecundity of his mind is illustrated by the many vivid images inhis poems.

feign V. /假装；捏造/pretend. Lady Macbeth feigned illness although she was actually healthy.

feint N. /假的，淡的，不鲜明的；佯攻/trick; shift; sham blow. The boxer was fooled by his opponent's feint anddropped his guard. alsoV.

felicitous ADJ. /措辞巧妙的；精巧的/apt; suitably expressed; well chosen. He was famous for his felicitous remarks and was called upon to serve as master-of-ceremonies at many a banquet. felicity, N.

felicity N. /欢乐；适当/happiness; appropriateness (of a remark, choice, etc.). She wrote a note to the newlyweds wishing them great felicity in their wedded life.

fell ADJ. /凶猛的，致命的/cruel; deadly. The newspapers told of the tragic spread of the fell disease.

fell V. /放倒，打倒/cut or knock down; bring down (with a missile). Crying "Timber!" Paul Bunyan felled themighty redwood tree. Robin Hood loosed his arrow and felled the king's deer.

felon N. /重罪犯/person convicted of a grave crime. A convicted felon loses the right to vote.

feral ADJ. /野生的，未驯服的/not domestic; wild. Abandoned by their owners, dogs may revert to their feral state, roaming the woods in packs.

ferment N. /激怒；挑起骚动、暴乱/agitation; commotion. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, much of Eastern Europe was in a state of ferment.

ferret V. /侦查；搜出；赶出/drive or hunt out of hiding. She ferreted out their secret.

fervent ADJ. /炙热的/ardent; hot. She felt that the fervent praise was excessive and somewhat undeserved. fervid ADJ. /炙热的/ardent. Her fervid enthusiasm inspired all of us to undertake the dangerous mission.

fervor N. /热情；激情/glowing ardor; intensity of feeling. At the protest rally, the students cheered the strikers and booed the dean with equal fervor.

fester V. /使溃烂，化脓/rankle; produce irritation or resentment. Joe's insult festered in Anne's mind for days, and made her too angry to speak to him.

festive ADJ. /欢乐；庆祝/joyous; celebratory. Their wedding in the park was a festive occasion.

fetid ADJ. /恶臭的/malodorous. The neglected wound became fetid.

fetter V. /羁绊/shackle. The prisoner was fettered to the wall.

fiasco N. /彻底失败/total failure. Our ambitious venture ended in a fiasco and we were forced to flee.

fickle ADJ. /变化无常的；薄情的/changeable; faithless. As soon as Romeo saw Juliet, he forgot all about his old girlfriend Rosaline. Was Romeo fickle?

fictitious ADJ. /想象的/imaginary. Although this book purports to be a biography of George Washington, many of the incidents are fictitious.

fidelity N. /忠诚/loyalty. A dog's fidelity to its owner is one of the reasons why that animal is a favorite household pet.

figment N. /发明；臆造的事务/invention; imaginary thing. That incident never took place; it is a figment of your imagination.

figurative ADJ. /比喻/not literal, but metaphorical; using a figure of speech. "To lose one's marbles" is a figurative expression; if you're told that Jack has lost his marbles, no one expects you to rush out to buy him a replacement set.

figurine N. /小雕像/small ornamental statuette. In The Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade was hired to trace the missing figurine of a black bird.

filament N. /灯丝；精细的织物或线/fine thread or fiber; threadlike structure within a light bulb. A ray of sunlight illuminated the filaments of the spider web, turning the web into a net of gold.

filch V. /偷/steal. The boys filched apples from the fruit stand.

filial ADJ. /子女的/pertaining to a son or daughter. Many children forget their filial obligations and disregardthe wishes of their parents.

filibuster V. /（发表长篇演讲来）阻挠法案通过/to block legislation by making long speeches. Even though wedisapproved of Senator Foghorn's political goals, we were impressed by his ability to filibuster endlessly tokeep an issue from coming to a vote.

finale N. /结论，结尾，结局/conclusion. It is not until we reach the finale of this play that we can understand theauthor's message.

finesse N. /精密的技巧/delicate skill. The finesse and adroitness with which the surgeon wielded her scalpel impressed all the observers in the operating room.

finicky ADJ. /过分讲究；鸡毛蒜皮/too particular; fussy. The little girl was finicky about her food, leaving over anything that wasn't to her taste.

firebrand N. /总惹麻烦的人，惹事生非者，捣乱人/hothead: troublemaker. The police tried to keep track of all thelocal firebrands when the President came to town.

fissure N. /裂缝；分歧/crevice. The mountain climbers secured footholds in tiny fissures in the rock.

fitful ADJ. /断断续续；间歇/spasmodic; intermittent. After several fitful attempts, he decided to postpone the start of the project until he felt more energetic.

flabbergasted ADJ. /大吃一惊；目瞪口呆/astounded; astonished; overcome with surprise. In the filmFlubber, the hero invents a remarkable substance whose amazing properties leave his coworkers flabbergasted. flabbergast,V.

flaccid ADJ. /软弱的；无活力的/flabby. His sedentary life had left him with flaccid muscles.

flag V. /萎缩；衰退/droop; grow feeble. When the opposing hockey team scored its third goal only minutes into the first quarter, the home team's spirits flagged. flagging,ADJ.

flagrant ADJ. /非常坏的；残忍的；恶名昭著的/conspicuously wicked; blatant; outrageous. The governor's appointment of his brother-in-law to the State Supreme Court was a flagrant violation of the state laws against nepotism (favoritism based on kinship).

flair N. /才能/talent. She has an uncanny flair for discovering new artists before the public has become aware of their existence.

flamboyant ADJ. /华丽的/ornate. Modern architecture has discarded the flamboyant trimming on buildings and emphasizes simplicity of line.

flaunt V. /招摇；炫耀/display ostentatiously. Mae West saw nothing wrong with showing off her considerable

physical charms, saying, "Honey, if you've got it, flaunt it!"

fleck V. /使起斑点/spot. Her cheeks, flecked with tears, were testimony to the hours of weeping.

fledgling ADJ. /无经验的/inexperienced. While it is necessary to provide these fledgling poets with an opportunity to present their work, it is not essential that we admire everything they write. also N.

fleece N. /羊毛外套/wool coat of a sheep. They shear sheep of their fleece, which they then comb into separate strands of wool.

fleece V. /抢劫；诈骗/rob; plunder. The tricksters fleeced him of his inheritance.

flick N. /轻弹；轻打/light stroke as with a whip. The horse needed no encouragement; one flick of the whip was all the jockey had to apply to get the animal to run at top speed.

flinch V. /畏首畏尾，退缩；犹豫/hesitate, shrink. He did not flinch in the face of danger but fought back bravely.

Word List 20 flippant-gaffe

flippant ADJ. /轻率的，没礼貌的，嬉皮笑脸的/lacking proper seriousness. When Mark told Mona he loved her, she dismissed his earnest declaration with a flippant "Oh, you say that to all the girls!" flippancy, N.

flit V. /掠过/fly; dart lightly; pass swiftly by. Like a bee flitting from flower to flower, Rose flitted fromone boyfriend to the next.

floe N. /浮殡冰块；大浮冰/mass of floating ice. The ship made slow progress as it battered its way through theice floes.

flora N. /植物志/plants of a region or era. Because she was a botanist, she spent most of her time studyingthe flora of the desert.

florid ADJ. /华丽的；红润的/ruddy; reddish; flowery. If you go to Florida and get a sunburn, your complexion

will look florid.

flounder V. /挣扎，辗转；困难地奋斗/struggle and thrash about; proceed clumsily or falter. Up to his knees inthe bog, Floyd floundered about, trying to regain his footing. Bewildered by the new software, Flo floundered until Jan showed her how to get started.

flourish V. /生长；繁荣；装饰/grow well; prosper; decorate with ornaments. The orange trees flourished in thesun.

flout V. /轻视；嘲笑；愚弄/reject; mock. The headstrong youth flouted all authority; he refused to be curbed.

fluctuate V. /波动的；起伏的，摇摆不定的/waver; shift. The water pressure in our shower fluctuates wildly; youstart rinsing yourself off with a trickle, and, two minutes later, a blast of water nearly knocks you down.

fluency N. /（语言）流利/smoothness of speech. He spoke French with fluency and ease.

fluke N. /意外；小概率事件/unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune. When Dou- glas defeated Tyson for the heavyweight championship, some sportscasters dismissed his victory as a fluke.

fluster V. /使混乱，使迷惑/confuse. The teacher's sudden question flustered him and he stammered his reply.

flux N. /变迁；流动/flowing; series of changes. While conditions are in such a state of flux, I do not wish to commit myself too deeply in this affair.

fodder N. /粗饲料；饲养/coarse food for cattle, horses, etc. One of Nancy's chores at the ranch was to put fresh supplies of fodder in the horses' stalls.

foible N. /缺点；弱点/weakness; slight fault. We can overlook the foibles of our friends; no one is perfect.

foil N. /烘托；衬托/contrast. In Star Wars, dark, evil Darth Vader is a perfect foil for fair-haired, naive LukeSkywalker.

foil V. /打击；打败，挫败/defeat; frustrate. In the end, Skywalker is able to foil Vader's diabolical schemes.

foliage N. /树叶/masses of leaves. Every autumn before the leaves fell he promised himself he would drivethrough New England to admire the colorful fall foliage.

foment V. /鼓动，煽动/stir up; instigate. Cheryl's archenemy Heather spread some nasty rumors that fomented trouble in the club. Do you think Cheryl's foe meant to foment such discord?

foolhardy ADJ. /愚勇的；傻大胆儿/rash. Don't be foolhardy. Get the advice of experienced people before undertaking this venture.

fop N. /花花公子；过分注意衣着的男人/dandy; man excessively concerned with his clothes. People who dismissed young Mizrahi as a fop felt chagrined when he turned into one of the top fashion designers of his day. foppish,ADJ.

forbearance N. /耐心/patience. We must use forbearance in dealing with him because he is still weak fromhis illness.

ford N. /津；浅滩/place where a river can be crossed on foot. Rather than risk using the shaky rope bridge, David walked a halfmile downstream until he came to the nearest ford. alsoV.

forebears N. /前人；祖先/ancestors. Reverence for one's forebears (sometimes referred to as ancestor worship) plays an important part in many Oriental cultures.

foreboding N. /不详的预感/premonition of evil. Suspecting no conspiracies against him, Caesar gently ridiculed his wife's forebodings about the Ides of March.

forensic ADJ. /法院的；适于法庭的/suitable to debate or courts of law. In her best forensic manner, the lawyer addressed the jury. forenSiCS, N.

foreshadow V. /预言；预测/give an indication beforehand; portend; prefigure. In retrospect, political

analysts realized that Yeltsin's defiance of the attempted coup foreshadowed his emergence as the dominant figure of the new Russian republic.

foresight N. /洞察力/ability to foresee future happenings; prudence. A wise investor, she had the foresight to buy land just before the current real estate boom.

forestall V. /预防/prevent by taking action in advance. By setting up a prenuptial agreement, the prospective bride and groom hoped to forestall any potential arguments about money in the event of a divorce.

forgo V. /放弃/give up; do without. Determined to lose weight for the summer, Ida decided to forgo dessert until she could fit into a size eight again.

forlorn ADJ. /孤苦的，凄凉的/sad and lonely; wretched. Deserted by her big sisters and her friends, the forlornchild sat sadly on the steps awaiting their return.

formality N. /仪式；礼节/ceremonious quality; something done just for form's sake. The president received

the visiting heads of state with due formality: flags waving, honor guards standing at attention, anthems sounding at full blast. Signing this petition is a mere formality; it does not obligate you in any way.

formidable ADJ. /威胁的，险恶的/menacing; threatening. We must not treat the battle lightly for we are facinga formidable foe.

forsake V. /放弃/desert; abandon; renounce. No one expected Foster to forsake his wife and children andrun off with another woman.

forswear V. /放弃/renounce; abandon. The captured knight could escape death only if he agreed to forswear Christianity and embrace Islam as the one true faith.

forte N. /强项，特殊才能/strong point or special talent. I am not eager to play this rather serious role, for my forte is comedy.

forthright ADJ. /坦率的；豪爽的/outspoken; straightforward; frank. Never afraid to call a spade a spade, shewas perhaps too forthrightto be a successful party politician.

fortitude N. /勇敢的/bravery; courage. He was awarded the medal for his fortitude in the battle.

fortuitous ADJ. /偶然的/accidental; by chance. Though he pretended their encounter was fortuitous, he'd actually been hanging around her usual haunts for the past two weeks, hoping she'd turn up.

forum N. /论坛/place of assembly to discuss public concerns; meeting for discussion. The filmopens withashot of the ancient Forum in Rome, where several senators are discussing the strange new sect known as Christians. At the end of the movie, its director presided over a forum examining new fashions in filmmaking.

foster V. /养育，培养；鼓励/rear; encourage. According to the legend, Romulus and Remus were fostered by a she-wolf who raised the abandoned infants with her own cubs. alsoADJ.

founder V. /完全失败；沉默/fail completely; sink. After hitting the submerged iceberg, the Titanic started taking in water rapidly and soon foundered.

founder N. /创办人/person who establishes (an organization, business). Among those drowned when theTitanic sank was the founder of the Abraham & Straus department store.

fracas N. /争吵；混战/brawl, melee. The military police stopped the fracas in the bar and arrested the belligerents.