foreground .
【考法 1】 vt. 强调，重视： to indicate the importance of by centering attention on
【例】 He repeatedly foregrounded his experience in international affairs in the course of his campaign for the presidency. 在他竞选总统的过程中，他一再强调自己在处理国际事务方面的经验。
【近】 accent, accentuate, emphasize, feature, highlight, illuminate, press, punctuate, stress
【反】 de-emphasize, understate, play down 轻描淡写
gawky .
【考法 1】 adj. （举止）笨拙的： having or showing an inability to move in a graceful manner
【例】 The pathetic gawky woman was once a lithe ballerina but got severely injured in a car accident. 这个可怜的步态笨拙的妇女本来是一名轻巧优雅的芭蕾舞女，但是在一次车祸中受了重伤。
【近】 awkward, clumsy, gawkish, graceless, uncoordinated, ungainly
【反】 agile, graceful, lithe, nimble 灵巧的，敏捷的；elegant 优雅的
【派】 gawkiness n. 笨拙
indecorous .
【考法 1】 adj. 不合乎礼节的，不得体的： conflicting with accepted standards of good conduct or good taste
【例】 How can you make such an indecorous joke for a solemn moment in the marriage ceremony ? 你怎么
能在庄严肃穆的结婚典礼上开那样一个不得体的玩笑呢？
【近】 amiss, graceless, improper, inapposite, infelicitous, malapropos, perverse, unbecoming, unfit, unseemly, unsuitable, wrong
【反】 appropriate, becoming, befitting, decorous, felicitous, fit, genteel, meet, proper, seemly, suitable 得体的，合乎礼节的
lax
【考法 1】 adj. 松弛的，不紧的，不严格的： not tense, firm, or rigid
【例】 exercises to improve lax muscles 锻炼松弛的肌肉‖The guidelines for the essay contest were fairly lax, permitting a wide variety of topics. 本次作文大赛的要求相对比较宽松，允许写多种类型的主题。
【近】 flabby, flaccid, insecure, loose, loosened, relaxed, slackened, unsecured
【反】 taut, tense, tight 紧固的，牢固的；hard, harsh, rigid, rigorous, severe, stern, strict 严格的
【考法 2】 adj. 懈怠的，漫不经心的： failing to give proper care and attention
【例】 The university has been lax about enforcing these rules. 学校对于这些规定的施行显得漫不经心。
【近】 careless, derelict, disregardful, heedless, lazy, neglectful, neglecting, negligent, remiss, slack
【反】 attentive, careful, cautious, conscientious, heedful, mindful, vigilant, wary 注意的，留心的
lionize .
【考法 1】 vt. 追捧，把…捧为名人： to look on or treat (a person) as a celebrity
【例】 She was lionized everywhere after her novel won the Pulitzer Prize. 在她的小说获得普利策奖之后，她无论走到哪都受到追捧。
【近】 aggrandize, canonize, deify, dignify, elevate, ennoble, enshrine, ensky, enthrone, glorify, magnify
【反】 abase, degrade, demean, humble, humiliate 贬低，瞧不起
lurid .
【考法 1】 adj. 恐怖的，令人反感的： causing horror or revulsion
【例】 We quickly drove past the lurid scene of the crash. 我们迅速驶过了可怕的车祸现场。
【近】 appalling, atrocious, dreadful, frightful, ghastly, gruesome, hideous, horrid, horrific, macabre, monstrous, nightmarish
【近】 agreeable, appealing, delicious, delightful, enjoyable, enticing, inviting, pleasant, satisfying 令人愉悦的
【考法 2】 adj. 面色苍白的，病态的： wan and ghastly pale in appearance
【例】 The doctor was alarmed by the patient's lurid complexion. 病人惨白的面色给医生敲响了警钟。
【近】 ashen, ashy, blanched, cadaverous, doughy, livid, mealy, paled, pallid, pasty, peaked, wan
【近】 blooming, florid, flush, full-blooded, glowing, rosy, rubicund, ruddy, sanguine 红润的，健康的
malignant .
【考法 1】 adj. 恶毒的，邪恶的： having or showing a desire to cause someone pain or suffering for the sheer enjoyment of it; disposed to do evil
【例】 She has a malignant wish to poison everyone who was smarter, richer, or better-looking than she was. 她有着一个恶毒的愿望，那就是毒死所有比她聪明、有钱或者是比她更漂亮的人。
【近】 atrocious, brutal, cruel, despiteful, malevolent, malicious, malign, mean, nasty, spiteful, vicious, virulent
【反】 benevolent, benign, benignant 慈善的，和蔼的；merciful 仁慈的
notoriety .
【考法 1】 n. （尤指因为丑闻而出名的）名人： a person who is widely known and usually much talked about, especially for something bad; a notorious person
【例】 a television show featuring notorieties from 20 years of scandals 以二十年来因各色丑闻而出名的名人为卖点的电视节目
【近】 figure, icon, luminary, megastar, name, notable, personage, standout, star, superstar
【反】 nobody, noncelebrity 不知名的人
【考法 2】 n. 坏名声： the quality or condition of being notorious; ill fame
【例】 She gained notoriety when nude photographs of her appeared in a magazine. 她的裸照出现在杂志上让她声名远播。‖His comment about the President has given him a notoriety that he enjoys very much. 他对于总统的评论让他获得了很让他满意的名声。
【近】 infamy, obloquy, odium, opprobrium
【反】 anonymity, oblivion, obscurity 不知名，默默无闻；celebrity, fame, renown, repute 好名声
overshadow
【考法 1】 vt. 使变黯淡： to make dark, dim, or indistinct
【例】 Large trees overshadow the yard and darken the house for much of the day. 大树为院子遮挡了阳光，并使屋子里一天之中的大多数时候都很昏暗。‖Her mother's illness overshadowed her childhood. 她母亲的疾病让她的童年缺乏亮色。
【近】 becloud, befog, blacken, blear, blur, darken, dim, fog, haze, mist, obscure, overcast, overcloud, shroud
【反】 brighten, illuminate, illumine, lighten 照明，照亮
【考法 2】 vt. （在重要性上）超越，超过： to exceed in importance
【例】 The forward's outstanding performance should not overshadow the achievements of the rest of the team. 其他队员的贡献不应该因前锋的精彩表现而被忽略。
【近】 eclipse, outrank, outshine, outstrip, overbalance, overweigh
【反】 fall behind 落后
pioneer .
【考法 1】 n. 扩荒者，先驱者： one of the first to settle in a territory
【例】 the hardships that the pioneers endured while taming the wilderness 在驯服自然的过程中扩荒者所受到的种种磨难‖a pioneer in aviation 航空业的先驱
【近】 colonist, colonizer, homesteader, settler
【反】 follower 跟随者
【考法 2】 adj. 最初的，最早的： coming before all others in time or order
【例】 the nation's pioneer institutions for the education of African-Americans 为了非裔美国人的教育而设立的第一批教育机构
【近】 earliest, foremost, headmost, inaugural, initial, leadoff, maiden, original, premier, virgin
【反】 final, last, latest, terminal, terminating, ultimate 最后的，终结的
【考法 3】 vt. 开创，创造： to open up (an area) or prepare (a way)
【例】 He single-handedly pioneered the university's institute for medical research. 他单枪匹马创建了这所大学里的医学研究所。‖rockets that pioneered outer space 开创了外太空纪元的火箭
【近】 begin, constitute, establish, inaugurate, initiate, innovate, institute, introduce, launch, plant, set up
【反】 close, end, shut,terminate, phase out 终止，淘汰
【派】 pioneering adj. 先驱性的，先导性的