Words & Phrases
- formative
A formative period of time or experience is one that has an important and lasting influence on a person's character and attitudes.
- She was born in Barbados but spent her formative years in east London.
她出生于巴巴多斯，但是其性格形成的關(guān)鍵期是在倫敦東區(qū)度過的。
- adore
- If you adore someone, you feel great love and admiration for them.
- She adored her parents and would do anything to please them.
她很愛自己的父母，為讓他們高興愿意做任何事。
- If you adore something, you like it very much.
- My mother adores bananas and eats two a day...
我媽媽非常喜歡吃香蕉，每天要吃兩根。 - I adore good books and the theatre.
我愛讀好書，也喜歡看戲。
- slaughter
Slaughter refers to the killing of large numbers of animals or people. When cattle are old enough, they're sent to slaughter and their meat is processed and shipped to stores.
The noun slaughter was first used in the 1300s and comes from the Old Norse word slahtr, which also described the mass killing of animals or people.
A verb form came along later, in the 1530s. You might hear slaughter used to describe the killing of large numbers of people in a war, a genocide, or a massacre. It also can be used figuratively to describe a crushing defeat, like the slaughter of your basketball team by your bitter rivals.
If you say that people do something like lambs or like lambs to the slaughter, you mean that they do what someone wants them to do without complaining or fighting.
- We follow their every word like lambs to the slaughter.
我們對他們完全言聽計從。
- dispose of
- If you dispose of something that you no longer want or need, you throw it away.
- //...the safest means of disposing of nuclear waste...
處理核廢料最保險的方法
- If you dispose of a problem, task, or question, you deal with it.
- You did us a great favour by disposing of that problem...
你解決了那個問題，可算是幫了我們一個大忙。
- To dispose of a person or an animal means to kill them.
- He alleged that they had hired an assassin to dispose of him.
他宣稱他們已雇了刺客來除掉他。
- cop
- A cop is a policeman or policewoman. [Informal]
- Frank didn't like having the cops know where to find him.
弗蘭克不想讓警察知道去哪里可以找到他。
- If you cop it, someone punishes you or speaks to you angrily because you have done something wrong. [BRIT] [Informal]
- Motel owners and restaurant managers copped it for neglecting their clients.
汽車旅館老板和飯店經(jīng)理因為冷落顧客而受到責(zé)罵。
- If you say that something is not much cop, you mean that it is not very good, and is disappointing. [BRIT] [Informal]
- The Jane's 'Triple X Album' came out in 1986, and wasn't much cop actually.
簡在1986年推出了《XXX》專輯，但事實上并不怎么樣。
- serviceble
When something is serviceable, it's useful just the way it is. You might describe your rusty old car as perfectly serviceable if it always gets you where you need to go.
If your eccentric grandmother insists on buying you a full-length fur coat, you could argue that all you need is a serviceable winter jacket — simply one that will do its job and keep you warm. On the other hand, you might long for a beautiful pair of leather boots despite having a serviceable pair of rubber galoshes. Serviceable was spelled the same way in Old English, although it originally meant "willing to be of service," and only later came to mean "usable or useful."
- thaw
When things thaw, they're coming out of deep freeze and warming up. You can thaw a chicken, and a chilly friendship can thaw too.
Anything that thaws is warming up after a frigid or chilly period. The weather thaws when spring hits, especially after a bad winter. When you take food out of the freezer, it thaws. When you have an unpleasant relationship with someone, that can thaw too. A warm, friendly gesture from one person to another can be a sign that their cold relationship is thawing.** When you think of thawing, think "Warming up."**
- season
- If you season food with salt, pepper, or spices, you add them to it in order to improve its flavour.
- Season the meat with salt and pepper...
用鹽和胡椒粉給肉調(diào)味。
I believe in seasoning food before putting it on the table.
我認(rèn)為在把食物端上餐桌前應(yīng)該先調(diào)味。
- If wood is seasoned, it is made suitable for making into furniture or for burning, usually by being allowed to **dry out **gradually. [be V-ed] [usu passive]
- Ensure that new wood has been seasoned.
確保新木材已經(jīng)風(fēng)干。
- If a female animal is in season, she is in a state where she is ready to have sex.
- marinade
A marinade is a sauce of oil, vinegar, spices, and herbs, which you pour over meat or fish before you cook it, in order to add flavour, or to make the meat or fish softer.
- dispute
- [noun] A dispute is an argument or disagreement between people or groups.
- Negotiators failed to resolve the bitter dispute between the European Community and the United States over cutting subsides to farmers.
談判者未能消弭歐共體和美國之間在削減農(nóng)民補貼一事上的爭端。
- [verb] If you dispute a fact, statement, or theory, you say that it is incorrect or untrue.
- He disputed the allegations...
他對指控表示懷疑。 - Nobody disputed that Davey was clever...
沒有人懷疑戴維是聰明的。 - Some economists disputed whether consumer spending is as strong as the figures suggest.
一些經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)家懷疑消費性開支是否如數(shù)據(jù)所顯示的那么大。
- [verb] When people dispute something, they fight for control or ownership of it. You can also say that one group of people dispute something with another group.
- Russia and Ukraine have been disputing the ownership of the fleet...
俄羅斯和烏克蘭一直在爭奪艦隊的所有權(quán)。 - //...a disputed border region.
有爭議的邊境地區(qū)
- [phrase] If two or more people or groups are in dispute, they are arguing or disagreeing about something.
- The two countries are in dispute over the boundaries of their coastal waters...
兩國在近海水域分界線上尚存分歧。
- [phrase] If something is in dispute, people are questioning it or arguing about it.
- All those matters are in dispute and it is not for me to decide them.
所有這些事項都尚無定論，也不是我可以決定的。
【Usage Note】
Do not confuse dispute and argument. A dispute is a serious argument that can last for a long time. Disputes generally occurr between organizations, political parties, or countries. An argument is a disagreement between people who may or may not know each other.
- unravel
If something such as a plan or system unravels, it breaks up or begins to fail.
- His government began to unravel because of a banking scandal...
他的政府由于一起金融丑聞而開始瓦解。 - When she returned to America, the marriage unravelled.
她回到美國的時候，婚姻破裂了。
- reservation
If you have reservations about something, you are not sure that it is entirely good or right.
- I told him my main reservation about his film was the ending...
我告訴他我主要是對他電影的結(jié)尾有保留意見。 - After three days, the strikers' demands were met almost without reservation.
3天以后，罷工人員的要求幾乎全部得到了滿足。
- make the cut
To meet or come up to a required standard (from golf where a player must do equal or better than a certain score to continue)
- The young player did not make the cut and was unable to join the team that year.
- Some say if Pluto were discovered today instead of 75 years ago, it woundn't make the cut.
- per annum
A particular amount per annum means that amount each year.
- //...a fee of ￡35 per annum...
每年35英鎊的費用 - Kenya's population is growing at 4.1 per cent per annum.
肯尼亞人口正以每年4.1%的速度增長。
- folk/folks
- You can refer to people as folk or folks.
- Country folk can tell you that there are certain places which animals avoid...
老鄉(xiāng)會告訴你有些地方動物是不會去的。 - //...old folks.
老年人
- You can refer to **your close family, especially your mother and father, as your folks **.
- I've been avoiding my folks lately.
我近來一直在避開家人。
- You can use folks as **a term of address when you are talking to several people **.
- 'It's a question of money, folks,' I announced...
“諸位，這是一個錢的問題，”我鄭重其事地說。 - This is it, folks: the best record guide in the business.
就是這個，伙計們，業(yè)內(nèi)最好的唱片指南。
- fledgling
- A fledgling is a young bird that has its feathers and is learning to fly.
- You use fledgling to describe a person, organization, or system that is** new or without experience**.
- //...the sound practical advice he gave to fledgling writers.
他給初出茅廬的作家提出的可靠實用的建議 - //...Russia's fledgling democracy.
俄羅斯新興的民主
- outreach
Outreach programmes and schemes **try to find people who need help or advice rather than waiting for those people to come and ask for help **.
- Their brief is to undertake outreach work aimed at young African Caribbeans on the estate.
他們的任務(wù)是為該住宅區(qū)年輕的非洲裔加勒比海人提供 外展服務(wù)。
- count on
- If you count on something or count upon it, you expect it to happen and include it in your plans.
- The government thought it could count on the support of the trades unions...
政府認(rèn)為可以指望獲得工會的支持。 - I'll be back. You can count on it...
我會回來的。你要相信。 - He is counting on winning seats and perhaps a share in the new government.
他期望能獲得一些席位，或許還能參與新政府的執(zhí)政。
- If you count on someone or count upon them, you rely on them to support you or help you.
- Don't count on Lillian...
別指望莉蓮。 - I can always count on you to cheer me up...
你總能使我振作起來。 - Diana seemed a strong young girl who could be counted upon to produce an heir.
戴安娜看起來是個年輕健壯的女孩，應(yīng)該能生下繼承人。
- the only game in town
The only alternative
- “The Anglo-Irish Agreement is the only game in town available to political leaders seeking a graceful way out of the Ulster morass”(Boston Globe) “He's the only game in town for the press to write about”(Leonard Garment)
“英國—愛爾蘭合約是政治領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人唯一能找尋的逃離烏爾斯特困境的體面出路”(波士頓環(huán)球)“他是該城市唯一一位新聞界能報道的人物”(倫納德·加門特)
- nurse
If you nurse an illness or injury, you allow it to get better by resting as much as possible.
- We're going to go home and nurse our colds.
我們打算回家調(diào)養(yǎng)感冒。
- hangover
- the headache and sick feeling that you have the day after drinking too much alcohol
- She woke up with a terrible hangover.
她醒來時宿醉反應(yīng)很厲害。
- ~ (from sth) a feeling, custom, idea, etc. that remains from the past, although it is no longer practical or suitable
- the insecure feeling that was a hangover from her childhood
她兒時留下的不安全感 - hangover laws from the previous administration
從上屆政府沿襲下來的法律
- persnickety
If you describe someone as persnickety, you think that they pay too much attention to small, unimportant details. [disapproval]
- He is a very rigorous man, very persnickety.
他是個很嚴(yán)厲的人，非常挑剔。
【拓展】
in BRIT, use 英國英語用 pernickety
- relentless
- Something bad that is relentless never stops or never becomes less intense.
- The pressure now was relentless.
壓力現(xiàn)在沒完沒了。 - The sun is beating down relentlessly.
太陽火辣辣地持續(xù)照射著大地。
- Someone who is relentless is determined to do something and refuses to give up, even if what they are doing is unpleasant or cruel.
- Relentless in his pursuit of quality, his technical ability was remarkable...
對質(zhì)量孜孜不倦的追求使他的技能出類拔萃。 - He was the most relentless enemy I have ever known.
他是我所遇到的最不屈不撓的敵手。
- kick in
If something kicks in, it begins to take effect.
- As discounts kicked in, bookings for immediate travel rose by 15%...
由于開始實行打折，近期旅行的預(yù)訂量上升了15%。 - When you're confronted with the problem, emotions kick in, fear kicks in, and you don't always do the rational and thought-out approach.
當(dāng)面臨這個問題時，人會變得情緒激動、恐懼不安，你不一定總能采取理性且慎重的方法。
- specialty
Someone's specialty is a particular type of work that they do most or do best, or a subject that they know a lot about.
- His specialty is international law...
他的專業(yè)是國際法。 - Both doctors and nurses have increasingly made a specialty of the care of the aged.
越來越多的醫(yī)生和護(hù)士專門從事老年人的護(hù)理工作。
【拓展】
in BRIT, use 英國英語用 speciality
- breed
[usually sing.] a type of person
- He represents a new breed of politician.
他代表著新一類的政治家。 - Players as skilful as this are a rare breed.
如此有技巧的演奏者很少見。
- multi-tasking
Multi-tasking is a situation in which a computer or person does more than one thing at the same time.
- tend
If you tend someone or something , you do what is necessary to keep them in a good condition or to improve their condition.
- For years he tended her in her painful illness...
多年來她一直受到病痛的折磨，都是他在照料。 - He tends the flower beds and evergreens that he has planted in the driveway.
他打理著他栽在車道兩旁的花壇和常青樹。
- stray
Little Red Riding Hood strayed from the path and ended up getting eaten by the Big Bad Wolf. When you stray, you wander off without paying attention to where you're going, and sometimes you get in trouble.
Stray can be used as a verb or as a noun.** Your attention may stray when you're tired and listening to a very boring lecture**. You may be the kind of person who brings home strays, the dogs and cats that have wandered away from their homes and are lost and hungry. When you're organizing your sock drawer and you've got one sock without a mate, you might find the stray sock left behind in the dryer.
- screw up
To screw something up, or to screw up, means to cause something to fail or be spoiled.
- You can't open the window because it screws up the air conditioning...
你不能打開窗戶，那樣空調(diào)就不起作用了。 - Get out. Haven't you screwed things up enough already!...
滾出去。事情給你搞得還不夠糟啊！ - Somebody had screwed up; they weren't there.
有人把事情搞砸了;他們沒在那里。
- rethink
to think again about an idea, a course of action, etc., especially in order to change it
- to rethink a plan
重新考慮一項計劃 - a radical rethink of company policy
對公司政策的徹底反思
- consensus
A consensus is general agreement among a group of people.
- The consensus amongst the world's scientists is that the world is likely to warm up over the next few decades...
世界各國科學(xué)家一致認(rèn)為在未來幾十年里地球有可能變暖。 - The question of when the troops should leave would be decided by consensus.
部隊?wèi)?yīng)該何時撤離的問題將由大家共同決定。
- patronize
If** someone patronizes you**, they speak or behave towards you in a way which seems friendly, but which shows that they think they are superior to you in some way.[disapproval]
- Don't you patronize me!...
別在我面前擺出一副屈尊俯就的樣子！ - Cornelia often felt patronised by her tutors.
科妮莉亞常常覺得她的老師們對她擺出屈尊俯就的樣子。
- hang up
- If you hang up or you hang up the phone, you end a phone call. If you hang up on someone you are speaking to on the phone, you end the phone call suddenly and unexpectedly.
- Mum hung up the phone...
媽媽掛上了電話。 - He said he'd call again, and hung up on me.
他說他會再打過來，就突然掛斷了電話。
- You can use hang up to indicate that someone stops doing a particular sport or activity that they have regularly done over a long period. For example, when a footballer hangs up his boots, he stops playing football.
- don't / never look a gift horse in the mouth
Since horses' teeth grow over time, checking their length is a way of gauging old age. However, doing such a check would be a sign of mistrust towards the giver. From Middle English texts for “given horse”: No man ought to looke a geuen hors in the mouth. — John Heywood, 1546. The substitution of gift for given occurred in 1663 in Butler's Hudibras, because the iambic tetrameter required a shortening: He ne’er consider'd it, as loth. To look a Gift-horse in the mouth.
**When receiving a gift be grateful for what it is; don't imply you wished for more by assessing its value. **
- publishing
Publishing is the profession of publishing books.
- I had a very high-powered job in publishing.
我曾在出版業(yè)擔(dān)任要職。
- snob
- If you call someone a snob, you disapprove of them because they admire upper-class people and have a low opinion of lower-class people. [disapproval]
- Going to a private school had made her a snob...
上私立學(xué)校后，她變得很勢利。 - Kenneth is an arrogant, rude, social snob.
肯尼斯是一個傲慢粗魯只喜歡結(jié)交權(quán)貴的勢利鬼。
- If you call someone a snob, you disapprove of them because they behave as if they are superior to other people because of their intelligence or taste. [disapproval]
- She was an intellectual snob.
她自以為才智高人一等。 - //...a first class food snob.
自認(rèn)為飲食方面品位一流的家伙
- vain
If you spend all day admiring yourself in reflective surfaces — mirrors, pools of water, the backs of spoons — people may think you are conceited or vain.
If, to your horror, you have searched everywhere for a reflective surface but can't find one, you have made a fruitless or vain search for a mirror. Vain is from Latin vanus "empty," and in English it originally meant "lacking value or effect, futile"; we still say "a vain attempt" using that sense, and the phrase "in vain" means "without success." Normally, though, vain means "conceited, too proud of oneself." Carly Simon's line "You're so vain, you probably think this song is about you" is an excellent illustration of this use.
- insult
If someone insults you, they say or do something that is rude or offensive.
- I did not mean to insult you...
我不是要故意侮辱你。 - Buchanan said he was insulted by the judge's remarks.
布坎南說法官的那番話侮辱了他。
- porch
- A porch is a sheltered area at the entrance to a building. It has a roof and sometimes has walls.
- Is there a light in the porch or garden?
門廊或花園里有燈嗎？
- A porch is a raised platform built along the outside wall of a house and often covered with a roof. [Mainly AM]
- We'd eat during the hot summer evenings on the front porch.
在炎熱的夏夜，我們會在屋前走廊上吃晚飯。
- rep
See also:holiday rep;[representative]；A rep is a person whose job is to sell a company's products or services, especially by travelling round and visiting other companies. Rep is short for representative.
- I'd been working as a sales rep for a photographic company.
我一直在一家攝影公司做銷售代表。
- vaguely
Vaguely describes action that is unclear. If you vaguely recall meeting someone once before, you barely remember him or her, what you talked about, or even where you met.
The adverb vaguely probably comes from the Latin word vagus, which means “wandering,” or “uncertain.” Its origin is unclear, which is fitting for a word that means "mistily." If you don't want to go to your friend's tuba recital, you can say vaguely, "I think I might have something else to do that night. But if I don't, I'll try to make it."
- despair
Despair is the feeling of not having any hope left. If you just found out that you're having a test in math and you hadn't studied at all, you might feel despair, or despair of any hope that you can pass it.
Despair can also refer to someone or something that causes you to worry or be sad. Unfortunately, some children are the despair of their parents. The verb despair means to lose hope. Despair is from Latin desperare "to be without hope," from the prefix de- "without" plus sperare "to hope," from spes "hope."
- tote
(also 'tote bag) (NAmE) a large bag for carrying things with you
- emboss
[usually passive] ~ A with B | ~ B on A to put a raised design or piece of writing on paper, leather, etc.
- stationery embossed with the hotel's name
凸印旅館名稱的信箋和信封 - The hotel's name was embossed on the stationery.
旅館的名字凸印在信箋和信封上。
- pitch
In baseball, the ball is pitched (thrown). Elsewhere, writers, salesmen, and other folks make pitches (proposals).
There's a long list of pitches, both nouns and verbs. A salesman can give you a sales pitch, when he tells you all the reasons you should buy what he's selling. A high, short golf shot is a pitch. If you are singing the right notes to a song then you are on pitch. A rocking boat is pitching. The only way to know which pitch is meant is to look at the situation and who's using the word.
- big bucks
(NAmE, informal) a large amount of money
- We're talking big bucks (= a lot of money) here.
我們這當(dāng)兒談的可是大買賣。
- sleeve
a part of a piece of clothing that covers all or part of your arm
- a dress with short / long sleeves
短袖/長袖連衣裙 - Dan rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands.
丹挽起袖子洗了洗手。
- mortifying
If you say that something is mortifying, you mean that it makes you feel extremely ashamed or embarrassed.
- She felt it would be utterly mortifying to be seen in such company as his by anyone.
她覺得要是讓人看到她和他在一起，會非常沒面子。
- wreckage
- When something such as a plane, car, or building has been destroyed, you can refer to what remains as wreckage or the wreckage.
- Mark was dragged from the burning wreckage of his car.
馬克被人從他著火的汽車殘骸中拉了出來。
- If something such as a plan has failed or been spoilt completely, you can refer to what remains as the wreckage of it.
- New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.
新生國家從老殖民帝國的廢墟中誕生。
- giantess
In old stories, a giantess is an imaginary woman who is very big and strong.
- frantically
When people act frantically or in an uncontrolled manner, it's best to give them their space. If there's a fire in a building, everyone will be stampeding frantically to the nearest exit. Just try not to get trampled.
The word frantically comes from the Middle English frentik meaning "insane, violently mad," which is just what someone behaving frantically acts like. This word can be used to describe any number of actions. Your mother might be frantically pacing the room if you come home well after your curfew, or you might be frantically running to a class if you're late.
- tome
A tome is a very large, heavy book. [Formal]
- tumble down
? (of a building) old and in a poor condition so that it 8looks as if it is falling down*.
- The outer walls looked likely to tumble down in a stiff wind...
外墻看起來一刮強(qiáng)風(fēng)就會倒塌。 - If the foundations are flawed the house will come tumbling down.
如果地基不牢，房子將會倒塌。
- cast...as...
To cast someone in a particular way or as a particular thing means to describe them in that way or suggest they are that thing.
- Democrats have been worried about being cast as the party of the poor...
民主黨人一直擔(dān)心被描繪成窮人的政黨。 - Holland would never dare cast himself as a virtuoso pianist.
霍蘭永遠(yuǎn)不敢說自己是位鋼琴名家。
- afterlife
The afterlife is a life that some people believe begins when you die, for example a life in heaven or as another person or animal.
- account
In business, a regular customer of a company can be referred to as an account, especially when the customer is another company. [BUSINESS]
- Biggart Donald, the Glasgow-based marketing agency, has won two Edinburgh accounts.
比加特·唐納德，這家駐格拉斯哥的營銷代理公司已贏得了兩個愛丁堡的客戶。
- in a/no mood to
If you say that you are in the mood for something, you mean that you want to do it or have it. If you say that you are** in no mood to do something**, you mean that you do not want to do it or have it.
- After a day of air and activity, you should be in the mood for a good meal...
你在戶外活動了一天，應(yīng)該很想好好吃一頓。 - He was in no mood to celebrate.
他沒心情慶祝。
- go through
When someone goes through a routine, procedure, or series of actions, they perform it in the way they usually do.
- Every night, they go through the same routine: he throws open the bedroom window, she closes it.
他們每天晚上都要上演這么一出戲：他打開臥室的窗戶，她又把它關(guān)上。
- knick-knack
(sometimes disapproving) a small decorative object in a house
【SYN】 ornament
- (filling)cabinet
See also:filing cabinet；A cabinet is a cupboard used for storing things such as medicine or alcoholic drinks or for displaying decorative things in.
- He looked at the display cabinet with its gleaming sets of glasses.
他看著陳列柜,里面擺著幾套晶瑩剔透的玻璃杯。
- launch into sth | launch yourself into sth
to begin sth in an enthusiastic way, especially sth that will take a long time
- He launched into a lengthy account of his career.
他開始羅羅嗦嗦地講述自己的工作經(jīng)歷。
- debut
A debut is a first appearance, a launch, or public introduction. So before you make your big debut at the office, check and make sure you don't have spinach in your teeth.
Perhaps you’ve heard of debutantes making their official debut into society, or actresses and actors making their debut on stage. A fun fact: debut and premiere are often thought to be interchangeable, but they’re not. A debut, as you now know, is a first public appearance. But a premiere, while also a “first,” isn't necessarily live. When a movie opens or an interview is broadcast for the first time, they're called premieres.
- the underdog
The underdog in a competition or situation is the person who seems least likely to succeed or win.
- Most of the crowd were cheering for the underdog to win just this one time.
人群里的大多數(shù)人都在為劣勢一方鼓勁，希望他哪怕就贏這一次。 - //...Webb, the underdog in this race.
在這次比賽中處于劣勢的韋伯
- sleeper
A sleeper is 8something that succeeds when no one thought it would*. That low-tech movie about shark attacks that you shot on vacation and edited in your basement? It could be a sleeper if you market it in the right way.
You probably know that sleeper can be used in an obvious sense to refer to someone who is asleep. But you also may hear the word used to describe something that becomes an unexpected success, like "a sleeper of a film" featuring unknown actors that ends up becoming the big summer hit. This sense of the word may have originated in the world of gambling in the nineteenth century. When a card player unexpectedly drew a winning card, the card was called "a sleeper."
- long shot
When a contestant of a competition has no probability of winning, but wins anyhow, it is a longshot.
When you try to guess a result of something, but in fact you don't know at all what will be the outcome of it, that is a longshot, it is a wild guess.
- I guessed the 3 last Superbowl winners, all longshots.
- memoir
A memoir is a book or article that you write about someone who you have known well. [Formal]
- He has just published a memoir in honour of his captain.
他剛剛出了一本傳記來紀(jì)念他的隊長。
- maudlin
You can use maudlin to describe something that brings tears to your eyes, or makes you feel very emotional. Tearjerkers like "Forrest Gump" and "Titanic" can be described as maudlin.
Maudlin was a form of the name Mary Magdalene, a character from the Bible represented in paintings as a weeping sinner asking forgiveness from Jesus. Maudlin is often paired with sentimental, or even schlocky, to describe cry-fests, as in "I can't watch another second of that overly-sentimental, maudlin soap opera. Turn that schlock off."
- late bloomer
A late bloomer is a person whose talents or capabilities are not visible to others until later than usual. The term is used metaphorically to describe a child or adolescent who develops slower than others in their age group, but eventually catches up and in some cases overtakes their peers, or an adult whose talent or genius in a particular field only appears later in life than is normal – in some cases only in old age.
- In planet formation, as in adolescence, you've got your late bloomers.
可能在青春期，你屬于那遲開的花朵，某些行星的形成也如此。 - I guess I was a late bloomer. I just need you to care enough about me to try.
我可真是大器晚成啊! 我只是需要你在乎我, 哪怕只是試著去做
- corny
If you describe something as corny, you mean that it is obvious or sentimental and not at all original. [disapproval]
- I know it sounds corny, but I'm really not motivated by money.
我知道這聽起來像是老生常談，但我真的不是為了錢。 - //...corny jokes.
老掉牙的笑話
- porno
A porno is a pornographic movie, a type of film featuring sex and only meant to excite people sexually.
Like romantic comedies, science fiction, westerns, thrillers, and cartoons, a porno is a type of movie — specifically a dirty movie featuring people having sex. Pornos don't have much plot or artistic value: they show sex and are meant to get people in the mood for sex. Many moves have sexual elements but aren't considered pornos. A porno has sex and not much else that would make it worth watching.
- mutter
When you mutter, you mumble under your breath, often in an angry way. You might mutter to yourself as you clean graffiti off your garage, for example.
An irritable teenager might mutter when her parents make her get off the couch and mow the lawn, and your uncle might mutter at the television every night when he watches the news. When someone mutters, she speaks in a low voice, either to herself or to another person. Mutter was originally moteren in the fourteenth century, and it comes from a Proto-Indo-European root, mut, which was most likely imitative — in other words, it sounds like its meaning.
- admit
accept truth
~ (to sth / to doing sth) | ~ (to sb) (that...) to agree, often unwillingly, that sth is true
- She admits to being strict with her children.
她承認(rèn)對自己的孩子很嚴(yán)厲。 - Don't be afraid to admit to your mistakes.
不要怕認(rèn)錯。
- dictate
- If one thing dictates another, the first thing causes or influences the second thing. [V n] [V wh] [V that]
- The film's budget dictated a tough schedule...
影片的預(yù)算決定了拍攝進(jìn)度會很緊張。 - Of course, a number of factors will dictate how long an apple tree can survive...
當(dāng)然，影響一棵蘋果樹壽命的因素有很多。 -
Circumstances dictated that they played a defensive rather than attacking game.
比賽形勢決定了他們要打防守戰(zhàn)而不是進(jìn)攻戰(zhàn)。
- You say that reason or common sense dictates that a particular thing is the case when **you believe strongly that it is the case and that reason or common sense will cause other people to agree.
- Commonsense now dictates that it would be wise to sell a few shares.
現(xiàn)在，常識告訴我們賣掉一些股票是明智的。
- comical
Something comical is humorous, amusing, silly, or just plain funny; it makes people laugh.
When you think comical, think** laughter-causing**. Stand-up comedians and comic strips intend to be comical. People like to share comical moments: for example, by posting videos of their pets doing comical things, like a dog going bananas in a water sprinkler. Just like the dog doesn't know it's being funny, people are unintentionally comical too. If a person absorbed in his cell phone conversation falls down a manhole, many will find it comical.
- smash
If you smash something or if it smashes, it breaks into many pieces, for example when it is hit or dropped.
- Someone smashed a bottle...
有人摔碎了一個瓶子。 - Two or three glasses fell off and smashed into pieces.
兩三只杯子掉了下來，摔得粉碎。
- pound
（of heart / blood）to beat quickly and loudly
- Her heart was pounding with excitement.
她激動得心臟怦怦直跳。 - The blood was pounding (= making a beating noise) in his ears.
他聽到血液在耳中怦怦搏動的聲音。 - Her head began to pound.
她的頭開始怦怦地抽痛。 - **a pounding headache **
錘擊般的頭痛
- not particularly
not very much
- The lecture was not particularly (= not very) interesting.
講座并不特別精彩。 - 'Did you enjoy it?' 'No, not particularly (= not very much).'
"你玩得開心嗎？" "不很開心。"
- stutter
If you've ever heard a young child stammer and trip over his words, you know what it means to stutter.
Use the verb stutter when someone gets stuck on certain word sounds, either because she's speaking too quickly or eagerly, or because she has an actual speech disorder, also called a stutter. The word itself is somewhat onomatopoeic — a word that sounds like what it means — with its repeated t sounds. Stutter is thought to be related to the Middle Low German word stoten, "to knock or strike against," which is the way a stutterer's words sometimes sound.
- backward
having made less progress than normal; developing slowly
- a backward part of the country, with no paved roads and no electricity
該國的一個落后地區(qū),沒有鋪設(shè)馬路也沒有電力 - a backward child
遲鈍兒童 (BrE, informal) - She's not backward in coming forward (= she's not shy).
她勇敢地站出來。
- trip
If you trip when you are walking, you knock your foot against something and fall or nearly fall. [V on/over n]
- She tripped and fell last night and broke her hip...
她昨晚絆倒了，摔壞了髖骨。 - He tried to follow Jack's footsteps in the snow and tripped on a rock...
他想要跟著杰克在雪中留下的腳印走，卻讓一塊石頭絆倒了。 - The cables are all bright yellow to prevent you tripping over them.
電纜都是亮黃色，以防絆倒人。
- plaque★
A plaque is a flat piece of metal or stone with writing on it which is fixed to a wall or other structure to remind people of an important person or event.
- After touring the hospital, Her Majesty unveiled a commemorative plaque.
女王陛下巡視完這家醫(yī)院后，為紀(jì)念匾揭了幕。
- inn
An inn is a small hotel or pub, usually an old one. [OLD-FASHIONED]
- //...the Waterside Inn.
水畔客棧
- fret
When you fret, you worry so much about something that it eats away at you. Many people fret about taking standardized tests, but really, they're nothing to sweat.
Fret comes from the Old English word freton which means to devour like an animal. When you fret over something, it consumes your thoughts. If you tell your mother to not fret about you while you're at a sleepover camp, you're telling her to not worry about you too much. Sometimes it means to be agitated though. When you're waiting for the results of an exam, you might fret and wring your hands. In a totally unrelated meaning, a guitar player calls the raised lines on the neck of the guitar that help him play correctly frets.
- groan
A groan a sound of pain or disapproval that doesn't consist of words, usually heard after homework is assigned or bad jokes are told.
People groan for lots of reasons: headaches, stomachaches, traffic jams, and bad news are just a few groan-worthy things that can provoke that moaning, "uuugghhhhh" sound. If someone is complaining about something, you could say she's "moaning and groaning." People like to moan and groan about the weather, politics, and just about everything else.
- dunno
Dunno is sometimes used in written English to represent an informal way of saying 'don't know'.
- 'How on earth did she get it?' — 'I dunno.'
“她到底怎么得到它的？” ——“我不知道。”
- surly
Someone who is surly behaves in a rude bad-tempered way. [WRITTEN]
- He became surly and rude towards me.
他變得對我粗暴無禮。
- work up
- If you work yourself up, you make yourself feel very upset or angry about something.
- She worked herself up into a bit of a state...
她把自己弄得有點兒緊張。 - Don't just lie there working yourself up, do something about it.
不要光躺在那兒生氣，要做點兒什么。
- If you work up the enthusiasm or courage to do something, you succeed in making yourself feel it.
- Your creative talents can also be put to good use, if you can work up the energy...
如果你能讓自己精力充沛起來，你的創(chuàng)作才能也能得到很好的發(fā)揮。 - Malcolm worked up the nerve to ask Grandma Rose for some help.
馬爾科姆鼓起勇氣請羅絲奶奶幫點忙。
- If you work up a sweat or an appetite, you make yourself sweaty or hungry by doing exercise or hard work.
- You can really work up a sweat doing housework...
做家務(wù)真的會讓人大汗淋漓。 - It was around seven when I finished at the library. I wasn't hungry, but I'd worked up a thirst.
我從圖書館出來時大約是7點。我不餓，但是覺得口渴。
- If you work up something such as a piece of writing, you spend time and effort preparing it.
- I sketched the layout of a prototype store and worked up a business plan...
我畫出店的布局草圖，擬訂了一份商業(yè)計劃。
- clog
~ (up) (with sth) | ~ sth (up) (with sth) to block sth or to become blocked
- The narrow streets were clogged with traffic.
狹窄的街道上交通堵塞。 - Tears clogged her throat.
她哽咽了。 - Within a few years the pipes began to clog up.
沒有幾年管子就開始堵塞了。
- carton
- A carton is a plastic or cardboard container in which food or drink is sold.
- //...a two-pint carton of milk.
一盒兩品脫的牛奶
- A carton is a large, strong cardboard box in which goods are stored and transported. [Mainly AM]
- vindaloo
a very spicy Indian dish, usually containing meat or fish
- lamb vindaloo
辛辣咖喱羊肉
- as per
If something happens as per a particular plan or suggestion, it happens in the way planned or suggested. [Formal]
- When they reach here they complain that they are not being paid as per the agreement...
來到這里后，他們抱怨工資沒有依照協(xié)議發(fā)放。 - I approached an Intourist official, as per instructions.
我按照指示接洽了一位蘇聯(lián)國際旅行社官員。
- galosh
A galosh is a shoe you can wear on a rainy day. Galoshes are usually made of rubber, and sometimes slide on over your regular shoes.
A galosh is one kind of wet-weather footwear, most often made from a stretchy kind of rubber so it can be slipped on to protect your shoes from getting damp. You're most likely to come across this word in its plural form, galoshes, since they come in a pair. Galosh comes from the Middle English, for a sort of clog, from gallica solea, "a Gallic sandal" in Latin.
- fuzzy
- beige
- strenuous
A strenuous activity or action involves a lot of energy or effort.
- Avoid strenuous exercise in the evening...
晚上不要做劇烈運動。 - These trips were strenuous, and the couple did not enjoy them...
一路舟車勞頓，這對夫婦玩得并不開心。
- not that
You use not that to **introduce a negative clause that contradicts something that the previous statement implies. **
- His death took me a year to get over; not that you're ever really over it...我用一年時間慢慢接受了他去世的事實，但其實你永遠(yuǎn)不會真正完全忘掉。
- It occurred to Tom to wonder whether Jane was quite trustworthy. Not that he thought she was in any way politically active.
湯姆突然想到簡是不是值得信任，并不是說他認(rèn)為簡有些熱衷于政治。 - 'Not that it matters,' said Tench indifferently.“那并不要緊,”坦奇漠然地說。
- reverent
If you describe some-one's behaviour as reverent, you mean that they are showing great respect for a person or thing.
- //...the reverent hush of a rapt audience...
一位全神貫注的觀眾心存恭敬的靜默 - Ellen looks almost reverent.
埃倫看起來近乎虔誠。
- eulogy
At every funeral, there comes a moment when someone who knew the dead person speaks about their life. They are delivering what is known as a eulogy. A eulogy is a formal speech that praises a person who has died.
Usually a eulogy makes the dead person sound a lot more impressive than they really were. A couple of less common synonyms for this kind of "praise the dead" speech are panegyric and encomium. Sometimes the dead person was so unimpressive that there's nothing nice to say. And sometimes they were so awful that the only appropriate speech is a dyslogy that describes their faults and failings.
- insufferable
If something is insufferable, it's unbearable and impossible, like the insufferable humidity of the "rain forest room" at the zoo on a hot summer day.
You can see the word suffer in insufferable — and it's no coincidence. If it's unacceptable or too much to handle, it's insufferable. An egotistic co-worker is insufferable, and so is a blizzard that leaves six-foot drifts against the doors of your house, or insufferable working conditions in many of the factories that produce goods around the world.
- indulgent
Someone who is self-indulgent gives themselves a lot of treats. Parents who are indulgent cave to ever desire their child expresses. Indulgent means lenient, or overly generous.
Indulgent is a word that, here in Puritanical North America, is hard to know how to take. Is it okay to “indulge yourself” as so many spa advertisements suggest? Or is indulgent always associated with excess? You can indulge fantasies of figuring out the answer, or you can give in to an indulgent shrug and move on to another word.
- modestly
- Britain's balance of payments improved modestly last month.
上個月英國的國際收支差額稍有改善。
- 'You really must be very good at what you do.' — 'I suppose I am,' Kate said modestly.
“你的工作一定非常出色。”——“也許是吧，”凱特謙虛地說。 - She sat down cautiously on the red canvas cushions, knees modestly together.
她小心翼翼地在紅帆布墊上坐下，膝蓋矜持地并攏著。
- jest
A jest is a joke. Are you a playful prankster? A jocular jokester? A witty wisecracker? Then you are definitely well versed in the art of the jest.
To jest means to tease and joke in a playful way — like that "court jester"! Back in medieval times, the court jester was hired to tell funny gestes, or tales. But nowadays he's always cracking jokes and teasing the ladies about their wacky hairdos. All in jest of course. Otherwise the king would have his head.
- counter
A counter is a surface used for making transactions in a store or in a home kitchen for preparing food. In a store, you pay for items at the counter.
When counter is a verb, it means "to speak up in opposition," like when you counter your opponent's argument in a debate. When something conflicts, you can say it "runs counter to," like a fancy car that runs counter to your philosophy of living simply. You can think of this meaning as "in the opposite direction," like "counter-clockwise," meaning the direction that's opposite of clockwise.
- redden
If someone reddens or their face reddens, their face turns pink or red, often because they are embarrassed or angry.[WRITTEN]
- He was working himself up to a fury, his face reddening...
他勃然大怒，臉漲得通紅。 - She reddened instantly...
她的臉立刻紅了。 - Pearson massaged his reddened cheek.
皮爾遜揉了揉自己泛紅的臉頰。
- tub
- A tub is a deep container of any size. [N of n]
- He peeled the paper top off a little white tub and poured the cream into his coffee...
他把小白盒上的紙蓋撕去，然后把奶油倒進(jìn)他的咖啡里。 - Shrubs can be grown in tubs or large containers.
灌木可以種植在盆里或大型容器中。
- A tub of something is the amount of it contained in a tub.
- She would eat four tubs of ice cream in one sitting.
她以前常常一次就吃4桶冰激凌。
- A tub is the same as a bathtub . [Mainly AM]
- She lay back in the tub.
她向后靠著躺在浴缸里。
- spread
When something is spread, it's stretched or extended as far as it can go. It's a beautiful sight to see a bald eagle spread its wings and fly.
When you spread a picnic blanket on the ground, you open it and stretch it across the grass. You can also see the ocean spread out in front of you, or spread butter on toast, for example. Any way you use it, spread implies an extension across some distance, a stretching of some sort. The expression spread too thin means you are having trouble finding the time and energy to do everything in your life.
- prop
If you prop an object on or against something, you support it by putting something underneath it or by resting it somewhere.
- He rocked back in the chair and propped his feet on the desk...
他往椅背上一靠，把腳搭在桌子上。 - He propped his bike against the bus.
他把自行車靠在公共汽車上。
- dopey
- Someone who is dopey is sleepy, as though they have been drugged.
- The medicine always made him feel dopey and unable to concentrate.
那種藥物總是讓他覺得昏昏沉沉的，無法集中注意力。
- If you describe someone as dopey, you mean that they are rather stupid. [disapproval] [Informal]
- go on about
If you go on about something, or in British English go on at someone, you continue talking about the same thing, often in an annoying way.
- Expectations have been raised with the Government going on about choice and market forces...
政府不斷地宣揚選擇權(quán)和市場的力量，人們的期望值也因此提高了。 - She's always going on at me to have a baby.
她一直嘮叨著要我生個孩子。
- cutesy
If you describe someone or something as cutesy, you dislike them because you think they are unpleasantly pretty and sentimental.[disapproval] [Informal]
- Macaulay Culkin receives his first screen kiss from cutesy 11-year-old Anna Chlumsky.
麥考利·卡爾金的銀幕初吻來自于忸怩作態(tài)的11歲童星安娜·克魯姆斯基。 - //...cutesy paintings of owls.
矯飾的貓頭鷹畫像
- widower
A widower is a man whose wife has died and who has not married again.
- armpit
Your armpits are the areas of your body under your arms where your arms join your shoulders.
- stubbly
If a man has not shaved recently, he has a stubbly chin.
- He had long unkempt hair and a stubbly chin.
他的頭發(fā)又長又亂，臉上胡子拉碴。
- curdle
When things curdle, they turn from liquid gradually to solid, forming clumps along the way. If you leave milk out of the refrigerator long enough, it will curdle.
When a liquid curdles, it forms curds, or lumpy solid masses. In some cases this is deliberate, as when you make cheese or tofu. Other times, you might accidentally let something curdle, like a custard or sauce, or a forgotten container of cream at the back of your refrigerator. Curdle was originally crudle, from crud (later curd), "any coagulated substance," or "congeal."
- pass out
If you pass out, you faint or collapse.
- He felt sick and dizzy and then passed out...
他感到惡心、眩暈，然后就昏了過去。 - She passed out drunk.
她醉倒了。
- fortify
If you add nutrients to something you fortify it. Food scientists have found ways to fortify cereal, but in addition to vitamins C and D, they usually add a lot of sugar.
If you strengthen your defenses, you fortify them, perhaps by adding more arms or increasing your defensive walls. Sometimes the defenses you fortify will be tangible and sometimes the word is used metaphorically to mean give courage. If a castle was originally vulnerable to attack, the owner might fortify it by adding a moat — and maybe filling it with crocodiles. If you're nervous about giving a speech, you should fortify yourself with a pep talk first.
- dent
If one thing makes a dent in another, it reduces it by a large amount.
- The commission had barely begun to make a dent in the problem...
委員會幾乎還沒有在這個問題上取得任何進(jìn)展。 - I hated to put any dents in his enthusiasm, but I was trying to be realistic.
我不想打擊他的熱情，只是試圖現(xiàn)實一些。
- disgrace
Use the verb disgrace to say that someone has brought shame upon himself. Your brother might disgrace himself at the family reunion by being rude to your Uncle Bob.
You probably notice that grace makes up a big part of disgrace. Combine this with the dis- prefix, meaning “the opposite of,” and you get a word that involves shame and dishonor. Think of disgrace as a kind of fall from grace — it’s what happens when you do something that causes you to lose favor or damages your reputation. You could disgrace yourself by losing your tennis match badly, or you could disgrace yourself by cheating on an exam.
- nerd
If you say that someone is a nerd, you mean that they are stupid or ridiculous, especially because they wear unfashionable clothes or show too much interest in computers or science. [disapproval] [Informal] [OFFENSIVE]
- Mark claimed he was made to look a nerd.
馬克稱自己被搞得像個傻瓜。 - //...the notion that users of the Internet are all sad computer nerds.
認(rèn)為因特網(wǎng)用戶全是可悲的計算機(jī)呆子的看法
- time-honoured
A time-honoured tradition or way of doing something is one that has been used and respected for a very long time.
- The beer is brewed in the time-honoured way at the Castle Eden Brewery.
伊登堡釀酒廠以傳統(tǒng)釀制方式釀造啤酒。
- heritage
Heritage can refer to practices or characteristics that are passed down through the years, from one generation to the next. Researching your family tree would help you gain a sense of your personal heritage.
Heritage is often used to discuss a cultural aspect or tradition that has been passed down through generations. For example, one might speak of an area’s "rich musical heritage.” Heritage can also refer to a** person's ethnic or cultural background**. In a legal sense, heritage is property that you inherit, like a silver teapot your great aunt Sally left to you.
- shuffle
To shuffle is to drag your feet slowly along the ground as you walk. A kid might shuffle reluctantly off to his room only after being told five times that it's bedtime.
Shuffle also means to wiggle around, like if you shuffle uncomfortably in your seat while watching a five-hour movie. If you get lost in the shuffle, you’re lost in the crowd. Another way to use shuffle is to mean "mix up in a random way," as you do with a deck of cards before dealing a hand. Shuffle probably comes from the Low German word schuffeln, which means both "to walk clumsily" and "to deal dishonestly."
- bona fide
Something bona fide is the real deal, the real McCoy, genuine — it's not a fake or a counterfeit.
We talk about things being bona fide when we're interested in how real or genuine they are. A counterfeit hundred dollar bill is not bona fide. When you earn your college diploma you're a bona fide college graduate. If you spend your whole life studying music, you're a bona fide musician. The opposite of bona fide is fake. We also say people make a bona fide effort: they're making a true, sincere attempt to do something.
- gamine
If you describe a girl or a woman as gamine, you mean that she is attractive in a boyish way.
- She had a gamine charm which men found irresistibly attractive.
她有一種令男人難以抗拒的帥氣迷人的魅力。
【拓展】Gamine is also a noun.
- //...a snub-nosed gamine.
鼻子短平上翹的假小子
- swerve
The noun swerve means a sudden turn off your path. As a verb, it means to move off your original route, possibly to avoid a collision. You can swerve either toward something or away from it.
- morgue
Most hospitals have an area called a morgue, where dead bodies are stored until they are buried or cremated.
After a person dies, that person's body is often placed in a morgue until it can be transported to a funeral home, church, or temple for a memorial service or funeral. Occasionally, a body needs to be identified by relatives, and that often happens in a morgue as well. Another word for morgue is mortuary. The word comes from the French La Morgue, which was one specific building in 1800s Paris. It replaced the much more blunt term "dead house."
- melodramatic
If you're writhing on the floor, howling in pain over the splinter in your finger, you're being a tad melodramatic, that is, exaggerated, affected, or histrionic.
This term was first used in early-19th-century theater, as the adjective form of the noun melodrama, which is a performance piece featuring exaggerated characters with emotional appeal. Outside the theater, melodramatic behavior is also characterized by a kind of performance or exaggeration of emotions, but it's very rarely appreciated or awarded extra points for artistic merit. The common phrase "Quit being so melodramatic!" is a terse way of pointing out to someone that they are overreacting.
- steer
In defining steer, I would steer clear of complicated examples and just say: to steer is to control which direction one is going.
Everyone who owns a car has learned to point his car in the right direction using the steering wheel. It's a bad idea to let your five year-old steer; you might end up in a sandbox. But the use of steer doesn't need to be limited to wheels and handle bars. If you have a friend torn between whether or not to go to college, you can help steer her towards the right decision. The President's job is "to steer the Ship of State."
- badge
Police officers wear a badge — a shiny piece of metal that lets you know they're cops. Badges can also be metaphors — for example, a scar could considered be a badge of honor.
Police officers are the best-known badge-wearers, but lots of employees — especially federal employees — have to wear some kind of badge to work. The badge lets other people know who you are and what you do. Other kinds of badges are not so official. If a football player broke his leg during a big game, the cast could be called a "badge of honor," because of his playing and his toughness. All badges let others know who you are and why you're important.
- heck
- [EXCLAM] People sometimes say 'heck!' when they are 8slightly irritated or surprised*. [feelings] [Informal]
- Heck, if you don't like it, don't vote for him...
如果你不喜歡，不要投他的票不就得了。 - Oh, heck. What can I write about?
真見鬼。我能寫些什么呢？
- People use a heck of to emphasize how big something is or how much of it there is. [emphasis] [Informal]
- They're spending a heck of a lot of money...
他們正大把大把地花錢。 - The truth is, I'm in one heck of a mess.
事實上我麻煩大了。
- You use the heck in expressions such as 'what the heck' and 'how the heck' in order to emphasize a question, especially when you are puzzled or annoyed.[emphasis] [Informal]
- What the heck's that?...
那到底是什么鬼東西？ - The question was, where the heck was he?
問題是，他究竟人在哪里？
- You say 'what the heck' to indicate that you do not care about a bad aspect of an action or situation. [feelings] [Informal]
- What the heck, I thought, I'll give it a whirl.
管它呢，我想，我就試試吧。
- bastard
Bastard used to be a not nice thing you called a child whose parents weren't married. But now it's a more general insult hurled toward a jerk or bad person. Bastard can also simply mean "fraudulent."
This is a great example of how words change in meaning over time. Today, if you were called a bastard, it probably has nothing to do with whether or not your parents are married: it just means someone doesn't like you (unless they call you a magnificent bastard, which is a compliment). Bastard can also mean phony or fake, like a bastard version of French that is not correct. When you think bastard, think illegitimate.
- hotshot
If you refer to someone as a hotshot, you mean they are very good at a particular job and are going to be very successful.
- //...a bunch of corporate hotshots...
一群公司精英 - She's a hotshot broker on Wall Street.
她是華爾街一名業(yè)績斐然的經(jīng)紀(jì)人。
Grammer
- not much of
If you describe something as not much of a particular type of thing, you mean that it is small or of poor quality.
- It hasn't been much of a holiday...
這簡直不像是假日。 - It's not much of a career, you may think.
你可能想這根本算不上是一份職業(yè)
- too much of ... to
too much of a…to do sth 是英語中的一個固定表達(dá)，是too…to…句式與much of a…句式的混合用法。much of a…雖然有時也用于肯定句，但更多是用于否定句，如與not, too, never等否定詞或是含有否定意義的詞語連用。對于初學(xué)者來說，可以簡單地將too much of a 理解為too，而將其后的名詞理解為形容詞，即將整個結(jié)構(gòu)理解為“太……”，如：
將too much of a coward理解為“太膽怯”；
將too much of a risk理解為“太危險”或“太冒險”；
將too much of a gentleman 理解為“太紳士”；
- Flouting the law was too much of a risk.
藐視法律太危險了. - There is too much of a competitive element in the sales department.
銷售部門競爭太大。 - I was too much of a coward to argue.
我太膽怯，沒有反駁。 - He was too much of a gentleman to ask them for any money.
他太紳士氣了，不好意思向他們要錢。
