Lesson 15
第15课
terrific
a. 极妙的；极大的
In the newly-completed movie theater we saw a terrific film by Zhang Ziyi.
在新落成的电影院我们看了一部由章子怡主演的极妙的电影。
petition
n. 请愿书，诉状 v. 请愿
The villagers all signed a petition asking for a hospital to be built.
村民们都在请愿书上签名要求建一所医院。
Catholic
a. 天主教的；(c-)普遍的n. 天主教徒
Most non-Christians find it hard to understand why a Catholic isn't a Protestant.
非基督徒很难理解天主教徒与新教徒有什么不同。
rectify
vt. 纠正，修复
I want to rectify my error before it was too late.
趁还来得及我想纠正我的错误。
plaster
n. 灰浆；石膏；膏药 vt. 在…上抹灰泥
When we went to see him, Malcolm's right leg was in plaster—from a car collision.
我们去探望马尔科姆的时候，他的右腿还包着石膏。那是撞车造成的。
vein
n. 静脉，血管；叶脉，矿脉；纹理；方式
Along the edge of the mountain there is a rich vein of silver.
沿着山脉的边上，有丰富的银矿脉。
straightforward
a. 径直的；正直的；易懂的
They took a straightforward route to the beach and you didn't avoid detours.
别人去海边取直道，而你却走了弯路。
plateau
n. 高原；（上升后的）稳定时期（或状态）
As a rule, one makes rapid progress at the beginning and then it reaches a plateau.
通常，一个人开始的时候进步神速，之后就进入平稳时期。
savage
a. 残暴的；野蛮的 n. 野蛮人 vt. （狗等）乱咬；激烈抨击
Is a civilized man who kills his fellows with guns less savage than a primitive man killing animals with bows and arrows?
难道用枪射杀同类的现代人不是比用弓箭捕杀动物的原始人更野蛮吗？
timid
a. 羞怯的，胆小的
You are every inch as timid as a mouse. Just speak up!
你真是十足地胆小如鼠。有什么想说的大声说出来吧！
captive
a. 被俘获的 n. 俘虏
Lying in my hospital bed, I was a captive audience to these uninteresting old stories.
躺在医院里的病床上，我只好听那些乏味的旧故事。
warfare
n. 战争（状态）；冲突
Under certain conditions, guerrilla warfare works better to the overall victory than trench warfare.
在某些条件下，对于战争全局的胜利来说，游击战比阵地战更有效。
ample
a. 足够的；宽敞的
Saudi Arabia once claimed that it would guarantee ample supply of oil with low prices.
沙特阿拉伯曾经声称会保证世界原油供应充足，而且油价低廉。
brisk
a. 轻快的；兴隆的；寒冷而清新的
Britney Spears speaks in a brisk tone, drawing everyone's attention.
布兰妮·斯皮尔斯讲话声调轻快，引人注目。
bronze
n. 青铜；古铜色；青铜（艺术）制品，铜牌
King David's statue was made of bronze and it attracted many sculptors.
大卫王的塑像是用青铜铸造的，吸引了许多雕塑家。
biography
n. 传记
A biographer tends to flatter the person he intends to write about in his biography.
传记作者常常在传记中美化主人公。
commend
vt. 表扬；推荐
We should commend good people and good deeds.
我们应当表扬好人好事。
deem
vt. 认为
Murdock deemed it was time for a change, so he quit the Time Warner Corporation.
默多克觉得是时候换换环境了，于是辞职离开了时代华纳公司。
doom
vt. 注定 n. 厄运
In many science fictions, the doom day of human beings comes after the whole world has been controlled by robots.
在许多科幻小说中，世界被机器人控制了以后，人类的末日就到了。
racket
n. 喧嚷：敲诈：（网球等的）球拍
The boys are making a hell of a racket downstairs. Tell them to be quiet.
楼下的男孩子们太吵了。要他们安静点。
endeavo(u)r
vt./n. 努力，尝试
Sweden has failed in its endeavor to rank among the world powers in table tennis.
瑞典力图在世界乒乓球强国中占有一席之地，但是失败了。
drought
n. 干旱，旱灾
When a drought wrecks havoc in Africa, millions of people are compelled to run for life.
非洲旱灾肆虐的时候，数百万人被迫流离失所。
feminine
a. 女性的；女子气的
Michael Jackson has a feminine face after the face-lifting.
整容后，迈克尔·杰克逊有着一张女性化的脸。
reap
vt. 收割；获得
They are just shameless—we invented the idea and they reaped its profit.
他们真是寡廉鲜耻：主意是我们想出来的，好处却被他们占了。
shabby
a. 破旧的；衣衫褴褛的；卑鄙的
Cinderella looks rather shabby in that shabby old dress.
灰姑娘穿着那件破旧的裙子显得很寒酸。
endow
vt. 捐赠；赋予
Great musicians like Mozart and Beethoven certainly were endowed with musical talent.
像莫扎特、贝多芬那样的伟大音乐家确实具有音乐天赋。
heritage
n. 遗产，传统
Every generation has the duty to pass down heritage of knowledge from the past.
每一代人都有责任把过去继承的知识传下去。
imperative
a. 必要的，极重要的；命令的 n. 必要的事，必须完成的事；祈使语气
It is absolutely imperative that the whole international community should work together to stop polluting the earth.
国际社会共同行动，制止环境污染是极为必要的。
lame
a. 跛的，瘸的；站不住脚的，蹩脚的
Sleeping late is a lame excuse for being late.
睡过了头不能成为迟到的充足理由。
mock
v. 嘲笑，嘲弄；（为了取笑）模仿 a. 模拟的，演习的；假的，假装的
He made us laugh by mocking the way the teacher spoke.
他模仿老师说话的样子，把我们逗笑了。
paralyze/-yse
vt. 使瘫痪；使丧失作用；使惊愕
The electricity failure paralyzed the train service.
电力中断使得列车无法运行。
oath
n. 誓言，誓约；咒骂，诅咒语
George W. Bush took the oath of office as the 43rd President of the United States.
乔治·W.布什宣誓，成为美国第43任总统。
gossip
n. 流言飞语；爱说长道短的人 vi. 传播流言飞语，说长道短
It is ridiculous that here newspapers are read mainly for their gossip columns.
真滑稽，这里的人们读报主要是冲着闲话栏目而去。
silicon
n. 硅
formulate
vt. 构想出；系统地阐述
The idea of setting up this corporation was formulated over coffee.
喝咖啡的时候，成立该公司的想法形成了。
sovereign
n. 君主，元首 a. 拥有最高统治权的，至高无上的；具有独立主权的
The true sovereigns of a country are those who determine its mode of thinking.
国家的真正领袖是那些决定该国思想方式的人。
successor
n. 接替的人或事物，继任者
J. F. Kennedy Sr. would have blown his top at hearing what his unworthy successor had done.
要是老肯尼迪知道他卑劣的继任者的所作所为，他一定会气爆的。
autonomous
a. 自治的；独立自主的
With your own business you will be autonomous.
有了自己的企业，你就可以自己掌握了。
bless
vt. （with）使有幸得到；为…祈神赐福
The farmers are blessing propitious winds and rains.
农民们正在祈求风调雨顺。
buzz
vi. 发出嗡嗡声；（around, about）忙乱；发出嘈杂的谈话声 n.嗡嗡声；嘈杂的谈话声
What's all this buzzing about? Can't you discipline yourselves?
你们在嗡嗡地说什么？安静点不行吗？
commonwealth
n. (the C-)英联邦；联邦，联合体
The former USSR republics formed by themselves the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).
前苏联共和国自发组成了"独立国家联合体（独联体）"。
carve
vt. 切；雕刻
The talented artist carved an interesting decoration from this piece of tree root.
天才的艺术家把这块树根雕成一件有趣的装饰品。
denounce
vt. 谴责，指责；告发
The president's speech denounced the killing of hostages by the terrorists.
总统的讲话谴责了恐怖分子杀害人质的暴行。
disturbance
n. 打扰；混乱；心神不安
The noise of cars passing along the road is a continual disturbance to our quiet home.
马路上的车辆声不断扰乱我们家中的安宁。
ecology
n. 生态；生态学
When the ecology of a region is disturbed, it takes years to return to normal.
如果一个地方的生态被破坏，往往要多年才能恢复正常。
generalize
v. 概括，归纳，推断
Knowledge is generalized experience.
知识是经验的总结。
incorporate
vt. 包含；把…合并
The three largest Japanese banks incorporated into the world's largest banking group.
日本最大的三家银行合并，组建了全球最大的金融集团。
flank
n. 肋，肋腹；侧翼，翼侧 vt. 位于…的侧面
During the march, we were attacked on our left flank, but they got no advantages.
行军途中，敌人向我们的左翼发起了进攻，但是他们没有占到便宜。
foul
a. 难闻的；糟透了的；污浊的；下流的；（天气）恶劣的；邪恶的 vt. （比赛中）对…犯规；弄脏，污染 n. 犯规
It's a foul night tonight; it's pouring with rain, with thundering and lightning.
今夜大雨倾盆，电闪雷鸣，天气坏极了。
hinge
n. 铰链 v. 装上铰链
The lid of the suitcase had a broken hinge, so it doesn't open easily.
手提箱箱盖的铰链坏了，因此不容易打开。
legend
n. 传说，传奇故事；传奇人物
Robin Hood was a well-known figure in English legends.
罗宾汉是英国传奇故事中的着名人物。
masterpiece
n. 杰作
The famous French writer Dumas Sr. once wrote that Dumas Jr. was his masterpiece.
法国大文豪大仲马曾经写道，他的儿子小仲马是他的杰作。
monopoly
n. 垄断；垄断商品
The influence of mass media has made new technical terms no longer the monopoly of the specialist.
大众传媒的影响已使新的技术术语不再为专家们所垄断。
nominal
a. 名义上的，有名无实的；（费用等）很少的；名词性的
In constitutional monarchy, the king and the queen are only nominal. The country is ruled by the prime minister and the cabinet.
在君主立宪制中，国王和王后只是象征性的，国家由首相和内阁统治。
opaque
a. 不透明的，不透光的；难理解的，晦涩的
The jargon in his talk was opaque to me.
他谈话中使用的行话让我一头雾水。
plague
n. 瘟疫；灾难 vt. 使痛苦
The incidence of cholera in the camps has reached plague proportions.
营中霍乱流行已酿成瘟疫之灾。
reckless
a. 鲁莽的
I never think it's advisable for ordinary people to possess guns: they might be reckless under certain conditions.
我从来认为普通人拥有枪支是不好的，因为在某些情况下他们会不考虑后果。
recite
v. 背诵，朗诵；列举，一一说出
Don't encourage him, or he will recite the whole family history!
你可别鼓励他，要不他会把他的家族史和盘托出！
pave
vt. 铺（路），铺筑
This agreement is expected to pave the way for a lasting peace between the two countries.
人们期待这个协议将为两国间的持久和平铺平道路。
preach
vt. 宣讲；竭力鼓吹 vi. 布道，说教
You have faith in him? He is just a tiger preaching benevolence.
你居然相信他？他就像一只鼓吹仁道的老虎一样。
setback
n. 挫折，倒退，失败
The team suffered a major setback when their best player was injured.
最优秀的队员受了伤，使得这支队伍的实力大打折扣。
simultaneous
a. 同时发生的
There was a simultaneous broadcast of the concert of the world's three most renowned tenors on TV and radio.
全球最着名的三位男高音歌唱家参加的那场音乐会由电视和无线电台同时播送。
apt
a. 易于，有（做某事的）倾向；适宜的；聪明的
The former world heavyweight boxing champion, Tyson, is apt to get irritable.
世界前重量级拳击冠军泰森很爱发怒。
blunt
a. 钝的；率直的，直言不讳的 vt. 使迟钝；使钝
Too much alcohol made the young driver's senses blunt.
过量饮酒使得那个年轻司机感觉迟钝。
sculpture
n. 雕刻；雕刻作品
Pygmalion liked his sculpture so much that he couldn't but love her.
皮格马利翁是如此喜欢他的雕塑作品以至于身不由己地爱上了她。
weary
a. 疲劳的；令人厌倦的 vi. （of）厌烦，不耐烦
Weary of his prototyped roles in the motion picture, Ricky Martin decided to try something different.
瑞奇·马丁厌倦了在影片中的固定角色，决心尝试不同的角色。
unify
vt. 统一；使一致
In my opinion, Abraham Lincoln was honored mostly in the U.S. because he unified the country.
在我看来，美国人敬重林肯，主要是因为他统一了美国。
verge
n. 边缘 vi. （on）接近
Don't blame her; she is on the verge of tears.
别再责备她了；她都要哭了。
tenant
n. 房客，佃户
Tenants of apartments often try to find partners to share it to pay less rent.
公寓套房的租户常常试图找到合住者以少付些房租。
trench
n. 沟，沟渠
The soldiers are opening trenches to prepare for yet another, more violent attack from the enemy troops.
士兵们正在挖战壕，准备应对敌军再一次更猛烈的攻击。
certify
vt. 证明；发证书给
This butter is certified Grade A and is certainly of the best quality.
这种黄油被验证为A级，当然是质量最好的。
brutal
a. 残忍的；冷酷的，难以忍受的
Those four white Los Angeles policemen gave the black suspect brutal treatment and killed him.
那四个洛杉矶白人警察野蛮拷打那个黑人嫌疑人，使其毙命。
burial
n. 葬，掩埋，葬礼
In view of her popularity, Diana's burial was a worldwide event.
由于戴安娜深受人们喜爱，她的葬礼令全球瞩目。
climax
n. 高潮，最令人兴奋（或感兴趣）的部分
The opening ceremony of Asian Games reached the climax when the cauldron was lit.
亚运圣火被点燃，至此，亚运会开幕式达到高潮。
cordial
a. 热情友好的
default
n. 违约，拖欠；弃权；缺省 vi.拖欠
He lost the chance to win champion by default.
他因弃权而失去了获得冠军的机会。
crisp
a. 脆的，（果蔬等）鲜脆的；挺括的；（天气）清新的；简明扼要的 n. (pl.)油炸土豆片
Bake until the pastry is golden and crisp.
把油酥糕点烤至金黄酥脆。
diploma
n. 毕业证书
electrician
n. 电工，电气技师
It looks as though you've blown a fuse; send for an electrician as soon as possible.
看样子你把保险丝烧了，尽快找个电工来。
enclosure
n. 四周有篱笆的场地，围场；（信中的）附件
There's a special enclosure where you can look at the horses before the race starts.
这里有一处特备的围场，在比赛前你可以先看看马。