Lesson 20
第20课
instrumental
a.（in）有帮助的；用乐器演奏的
Encouragement is more instrumental for the development of children than blame.
鼓励比责备对孩子的成长更有帮助。
insulate
vt. 使绝缘；隔离
The royal family is insulated from many of the difficulties faced by ordinary people.
王室成员都毋须应付平民所面临的许多困难。
locality
n. 地区，地点
Localities, even individual villages, developed their own languages.
许多地区，甚至各村子都有他们自己的语言。
numerical
a. 数字的，用数字表示的，数值的
We do not have any numerical information about casualties of the earthquake.
我们还没有有关地震伤亡人数方面的报告。
prone
a. （to）易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的
Children of poor health are very prone to colds in winter.
体弱的孩子在冬天易患感冒。
retrospect
n. 回顾
I am a writer of books in retrospect. I talk in order to understand; I teach in order to learn.(Robert Frost)
回顾起来我是个写书的作家。我谈论是为了理解；我教是为了学。（罗伯特·弗洛斯特，美国诗人）
propagate
vt. 繁殖；宣传，使普及 vi. 繁殖，增殖
Most plants propagate by seed.
大部分植物用种子繁殖。
resultant
a. 作为结果的，因而发生的
Her rudeness and the resultant criticism from her parents made her ashamed.
她没有礼貌结果被父母批评，这使她很羞愧。
spouse
n. 配偶
retention
n. 保留，保持
The retention of old technology has slowed the company's growth.
延用旧技术阻碍了该公司的发展。
stabilize/-ise
v. （使）稳定，（使）稳固
The patient's condition has now stabilized.
病人的情况现在已经稳定下来了。
stereotype
n. 陈规，老套 vt. 对…形成固定看法
verbal
a. 口头的；用言辞的，用文字的；动词的
Verbal communication is primary in our social interaction.
口头交际是我们社交中最主要的交际方式。
triple
a. 三部分的；三倍的 v. （使）增至三倍
The manager tripled his income.
经理使他的收入增加两倍（增至三倍）。
continuity
n. 连续（性）
aspiration
n. 强烈的愿望
Young Edison had a strong aspiration to be an inventor.
年幼的爱迪生渴望成为一名发明家。
contention
n. 论点；争论，争辩
A key area of contention is the call for the wilderness to be opened to oil and gas drilling.
引起争论的主要领域是，有人要求开发荒地、钻探石油和天然气。
ascertain
vt. 查明
The detective is trying to ascertain the truth.
那位侦探正在努力查出事情的真相。
artery
n. 动脉；干线，要道
The railway system is regarded as the artery of our country.
铁路系统被视为我国的大动脉。
traverse
vt. 横渡，横越
The Beijing-Guangzhou Railway traverses almost half of China.
京广铁路几乎穿越大半个中国。
cooperative
a. 有合作意向的；合作的 n. 合作社
The rural credit cooperative is a financial organization.
农业信用合作社是金融机构。
corporate
a. 公司的；全体的
The Chinese table-tennis team made a corporate effort to win countless championships.
中国乒乓球队通过集体的共同努力赢得了无数次冠军。
erroneous
a. 错误的，不正确的
People are scared of erroneous information they got about the terrorist attack.
人们被收到的关于恐怖袭击的错误信息吓住了。
conversion
n. 转变；改变信仰
Some people favour the conversion of royal palaces into flats for ordinary people.
有人赞成将皇室宫殿改建成公寓给老百姓住。
dock
n. 码头；（法庭的）被告席 v. 使（船）靠码头；扣（工资等）
Every month $5 is docked from our salaries for housing-repairing payment.
每个月从我们的工资中扣5美元用于修房。
exotic
a. 奇异的，外来的
We saw many exotic flowers and plants which we had never seen before at the Kunming International Fair.
在昆明世博会上，我们看到许多从未见过的国外花卉和植物。
frantic
a. 慌乱不安的；发疯似的
There was a frantic rush to get everything ready for the unexpected inspection from the superiors.
为了准备迎接上级的突然检查，这里出现了疯狂的忙乱。
exempt
vt. （from）免除，豁免 a. 被免除（义务、责任等）的，被豁免的
He is exempt from military service because of his bad sight.
他由于视力不好而免服兵役。
fringe
n. （头发的）刘海；饰以流苏的边；边缘 a. 附加的vt. 作为…的边缘
It was easier to move about on the fringe of the crowd.
在人群外围移动比较容易。
interim
a. 暂时的，临时的 n. 间歇，过渡期间
The full report isn't ready yet, but you can see the interim report.
正式报告尚未写好，但你可以先看看这份临时报告。
nurture
vt./n. 养育，培育
Nurture your mind with good reading.
用优秀读物来陶冶你的心智。
monetary
a. 货币的，金融的
The monetary system of certain countries used to be based on gold.
某些国家的货币制度过去一直是金本位的。
intersection
n. 道路交叉口
In Guangzhou City there are many intersections on the roads and streets.
广州市街道的交叉点很多。
intermittent
a. 间歇的，断断续续的
Sometimes there are intermittent thunderstorms all day in summer.
夏天有时整天有断断续续的暴风雨。
lubricate
vt. 使润滑
You should lubricate the moving parts of your car every 5,000 kilometers.
汽车每跑5000公里你就应该给运动部件上油。
stimulus
n. 促进；刺激
The promise of a bonus was a stimulus to them.
答应发给奖金是对他们的一种刺激。
ritual
n. 仪式；例行公事 a. 作为仪式一部分的；例行的
prospective
a. 预期的，可能的
They want to sell their house and already have a prospective buyer.
他们想卖房，并且已经有了一位有意向的买主。
proposition
n. 论点；建议，提案；命题
The man wanted to buy our house and made us an attractive proposition.
这人想买我们的房子并愿出好价钱。
stern
a. 严厉的，严格的，严峻的 n. 船尾
A father is usually much sterner with his children than a mother is.
父亲一般比母亲对孩子要严厉得多。
upgrade
vt. 提升，使升级 n. 向上的斜坡
Israel makes every means to upgrade its military defenses.
以色列千方百计地提升其军事防务水平。
tuition
n. 教学；学费
The tuition of higher education in the USA is much higher than that in China.
美国高校的学费比中国要高许多。
strand
n. （线等的）股，缕；一个组成部分 vt. 使搁浅
If you were stranded in a strange town without money or friends, what would you do?
如果你被困在一个陌生的城市，既没有钱，又没有朋友，你会怎么办？
stray
vi. 迷路；分心，走神 a. 迷路的；孤立的 n. 走失的家畜
The streets were empty except for a few stray taxis.
除了偶尔可以看到的几辆出租车外，街上空荡荡的。
tuck
vt. 把（衬衫、餐巾等）的边塞到下面； 把…夹入，把…藏入 n. （衣服等的）褶，裥
A bird usually tucks its head under its wing when it sleeps.
鸟在休息时通常把头缩进翅膀下。
visualize/-ise
vt. 想象，设想
When you read novels, do you visualize the scene as it is described?
你读小说时是否想象所描绘的场景呢？
assimilate
vt. 吸收；使同化 vi. 被吸收；被同化
The U.S. has assimilated people from many European countries.
美国同化了许多来自欧洲国家的移民。
authoritative
a. 权威性的；专断的
That the moon moves around the earth and the earth around the sun is an authoritative opinion.
月亮围绕地球运转，地球围绕太阳运转是权威的观点。
authorize/-ise
vt. 授权
I am authorized to act for the manager.
我受委托代表经理行事。
corrupt
a. 腐败的，贪赃舞弊的 vt. 腐蚀，使堕落
The businessman was sent to prison for trying to corrupt a tax official with money.
那个商人因企图向税务官员行贿而被判入狱。
correlate
vt. 使相互关联 vi. （to, with）相关，关联
We should correlate theory with practice.
我们必须把理论与实践联系起来。
counterpart
n. 与对方地位相当的人，与另一方作用相当的物
Their Secretary of State is the counterpart of our foreign minister.
他们的国务卿相当于我们的外交部长。
bypass
n. 旁道；分流术 vt. 绕过；置…于不顾
If we bypass the town we'll miss the rush hour traffic.
如果我们绕过市中心，就可避开交通高峰时间的拥挤。
corrode
vi. 受腐蚀 vt. 腐蚀，侵蚀
Acid causes metal to corrode.
酸会腐蚀金属。
arrogant
a. 傲慢的
drawback
n. 缺点，欠缺，不利条件
In spite of all its drawbacks, CET-4 and CET-6 greatly promote English teaching in colleges and universities.
尽管有这样或那样的缺点，但是大学英语四六级考试还是极大地促进了大学的英语教学。
dual
a. 双（重）的
A Buick is a car with dual exhaust pipes.
别克轿车是有双排气管的汽车。
expertise
n. 专门知识，专长
Modern college students must acquire technical expertise to survive in society.
当代大学生要想在社会上立足就必须有技术专长。
exquisite
a. 精致的；敏锐的，有高度鉴赏力的；剧烈的
He has exquisite tastes and manners.
他有高尚的情趣和举止。
fury
n. 狂怒，暴怒；狂暴，猛烈
He flew into a fury when I said I couldn't help him.
当我说不能帮助他时，他立刻暴跳如雷。
irony
n. 反语；嘲弄
He is too slow to understand the irony of his opponent.
他反应太迟钝，居然没有听出对手的讽刺挖苦之意。
fusion
n. 联合，合并；核聚变
This series of symphony is a fusion of several different styles of music.
这一组交响乐曲是揉合几种不同风格的乐曲而成的。
inventory
n. 详细目录，存货清单 vt. 开清单；清点存货
Some stores inventory their stock once a month.
有些商店每月盘货一次。
invert
vt. 使倒转，使倒置，使颠倒
The magician inverted the bag to show it was empty.
魔术师把袋子由里向外翻，表明里面是空的。
limp
a. 软弱的；软的 vi. 蹒跚 n. 跛行
mourn
v. 哀悼；（对…）感到痛心（或遗憾）
The whole nation mourned the death of the much-loved leader.
举国上下哀悼这位敬爱的领导人。
luminous
a. 发光的，发亮的，光明的
It is said that there was a luminous UFO flying over New York City.
有人说曾经有一个发光的不明飞行物飞越纽约市上空。
marshal
n. 元帅；总指挥；执法官 vt. 整理
proximity
n. 接近，邻近
Swift's major writings have a proximity and a relevance that is splendidly invigorating.
斯威夫特的主要作品有令人非常激动的亲切感和现实意义。
quench
vt. 止（渴），扑灭（火焰）
The disapproval of my colleagues quenched my enthusiasm for the plan.
同事们的反对减弱了我对这项计划的热情。
rotary
a. 旋转的，转动的
Some large stores have rotary doors.
有些大商场的大门是旋转的。
stumble
vi. 绊倒；跌跌撞撞地走；（说话等时）结结巴巴
A horse stumbles that has four legs.
人有失手日，马有失蹄时。
rot
v. （使）腐烂，（使）腐朽 n. 腐烂，腐朽
The ripe fruit began to rot when no one came to pick it.
没有人来摘这些成熟的水果，它们已经开始烂了。
rupture
n. 破裂；（关系的）决裂，断绝 v. （使）破裂
Iran ruptured its diplomatic relations with Iraq.
伊朗断绝了与伊拉克的外交关系。
streamline
vt. 使成流线型；精简，使效率更高
Now cars are streamlined for speed and beauty.
为了提高速度、增强美观，现在小轿车均采用流线型设计。
turnover
n. 营业额，成交量；人员调整
The textile export turnover has been increased 67% this year in China.
中国的纺织品出口额今年增长了67%。
sue
vi. 控告；（for）请求 vt. 控告
The Palestinians sued for peace.
巴勒斯坦人祈求和平。
suffice
vi. 足够
No words will suffice to convey my grief.
没有言语能够表达我的悲伤。
vocal
a. 直言不讳的；嗓音的 n. (常pl.)声乐节目
A cricket's chirps are not vocal; they are made by rubbing the legs.
蟋蟀的鸣声不是从嗓子发出的，而是通过摩擦双腿发出来的。
tumble
vi. 跌倒；翻滚；（价格等）暴跌；不由自主地卷入 n. 跌倒
When a baby is just learning to walk, he will often tumble over.
幼儿刚学走路时会经常跌倒。