spartan

【考法1】adj. 简朴的，节约的：marked by simplicity,frugality, or avoidance of luxury and comfort

【例】Accommodations on the windjammer are spartan but clean and comfortablenevertheless. 帆船上的装饰十分朴素，但还是很干净和舒适。

【近】austere,plain, simple, stark

【反】deluxe,luxurious, plush 奢华的

spat

【考法1】n. （小的）争吵：a brief petty quarrel or angry outburst

【例】Like anycouple, they have their spats. 像其他夫妻一样，他们也会有争执。‖They were typical sisters, spatting one minute, playing together thenext. 她们是典型的姐妹：上一分钟还在吵架，下一分钟又玩在一起了。

【近】altercation, controversy, disagreement, dispute, imbroglio, quarrel, squabble,tiff, wrangle

【近】amity,concord, harmony, rapport, rapprochement 和睦，友好

spate

【考法1】n. 突发的洪水：sudden flood

【近】bath,deluge, flood, inundation, overflow, torrent

【反】drought 干旱

【考法2】n. 大量：a large number or amount

【例】a spate ofbooks about GRE 很多关于GRE 的书

【近】abundance,bundle, dozen, multiplicity, myriad, plentitude, profusion, scad,shipload, slew, volume, wealth

【反】ace, bit,driblet, glimmer, handful, hint, mite, mouthful, nip, ounce, pittance,sprinkle, trace 少量

specific

【考法1】adj. 特有的，独特的：of a particular or exactsort

【例】We need aspecific type of pen to sign the diplomas. 我们需要一种特制的笔来签署学位证书。

【近】concrete,distinct, especial, peculiar, precise, special, unique

【反】general,generic, universal 普遍的

【考法2】adj. 明确的：so clearly expressed as toleave no doubt about the meaning

【例】specificinstructions regarding the interrogation of prisoners 有关如何审问犯人的明确指示

【近】clear,definite, definitive, explicit, express, unambiguous, unequivocal, univocal

【反】ambiguous,equivocal, implicit, indefinite, inexplicit, unspecific, vague 模糊的

specious

【考法1】adj. 似是而非的，欺骗性的：having a false look oftruth or genuineness

【例】a speciousargument that really does not stand up under close examination 一段经不起仔细推敲的论证

【近】beguiling,deceitful, deceiving, deluding, delusive, delusory, fallacious, false,misleading

【反】aboveboard, forthright, straightforward 明确的

speck

【考法1】n. 小点，少量：a very small amount: bit

【例】She writeswithout even a speck of humor. 她字里行间一点幽默感也没有。

【反】ace, bit,driblet, glimmer, handful, hint, mite, mouthful, nip, ounce, pittance,sprinkle, trace

【近】abundance,bundle, dozen, multiplicity, myriad, plentitude, profusion, scad,shipload, slew, volume, wealth 大量

spectator

【考法1】n. 观众，目击者，旁观者：one who looks on or watches

【例】join theorganization as temporary spectator 作为短期观察员加入该组织‖The accident attracted a large crowd of spectators. 事故引来了大量的围观群众。

【近】bystander,observer, onlooker, viewer, watcher

【反】actor,performer, player 表演者

spectrum

【考法1】n. 范围，系列：a broad sequence or range of related qualities, ideas, oractivities

【例】the wholespectrum of 20th-century thought 20 世纪所有不同的思潮‖A political spectrum is a way of modeling different politicalpositions by placing them upon one or more geometric axes symbolizingindependent political dimensions. 所谓的政治光谱是一种将不同的政治立场可视化的模型，它通过一根或者多根几何坐标轴来定位不同的政治态度。

【近】diapason,gamut, scale, spread, stretch

speculate

【考法1】vt. 推测，揣测：to take to be true on the basis of insufficient evidence

【例】Ispeculate that someone has been using this cabin as a trysting place. 我猜测有情侣把这个小屋当做他们幽会的地方。

【近】assume,conjecture, daresay, imagine, presume, speculate, suppose, surmise, suspect

【反】prove,substantiate, validate 证明

【考法2】vi. 投机倒卖：to buy or sell in expectation of profiting from market fluctuations

【例】speculating on the oil market 在石油市场上投机倒卖

spendthrift

【考法1】n. 挥霍者，败家子：a person who spends improvidently or wastefully

【例】Thespendthrift managed to blow all of his inheritance in a single year. 这个败家子只用了一年就把自己继承的遗产挥霍一空。

【近】fritterer,profligate, spender, squanderer, waster, wastrel

【反】economizer,penny-pincher 节约的人；hoarder,miser, niggard 吝啬鬼

【考法2】adj. 挥霍的，不节俭的：given to spending moneyfreely or foolishly

【例】Spendthrift consumers amassed a mountain of debt on their credit cards. 那些爱挥霍财富的消费者们在他们的信用卡上累积了一大笔债务。

【近】extravagant, improvident, squandering, thriftless, unthrifty, wasteful

【反】conserving, economical, frugal, penny-pinching, provident, scrimping, skimping,thrifty 节俭的