第六单元词汇

Unit 6 The Human Touch

Text A: The Last Leaf

New words:

1. in tune: harmonious(ly) (often followed by with)

【译】他的想法与我的一样。

His ideas were in tune with mine.

【例】The price of gold coins fluctuates (波动) in tune with that of commodities.

【collocation】

out of tune with …与…… 不和谐

change one’s tune改变看法、做法等

2. stalk: v. (of an evil force) move through (a place) in a threatening way; move quietly and cautiously in order to get near

【例】Fear stalks every dark stairwell and walkway.

【译】那片水域有追寻猎物的鲨鱼出没。

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There are sharks stalking their prey in those waters.

3. scarcely: adv. not quite; almost not

【例】She scarcely speaks a word of English.

【译】他一进房间电话铃就响了。

Scarcely had he entered the room when the phone rang.

【CF】scarcely, barely & hardly

这三个词都是副词，都有“几乎不、刚好”之意。

scarcely 含有“不太够”的意思，强调不能令人满意。例如：

There were scarcely a hundred people present. 出席的人数还不足一百。He is so uneducated that he can scarcely write his name.

他太没文化了，连自己的名字都不会写。

barely含有“仅仅够、一点不多”的意思，强调没有多余。例如：

He eats barely enough. 他刚刚吃饱。

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We barely succeeded. 我们勉强成功。

hardly表示接近最低限度，差不多没有多余，而且强调困难。例如：

We could hardly endure the winter here. 我们简直忍受不了这里冬天的寒冷。

I could hardly speak for tears. 我哭得几乎说不出话来。

4. merry: adj. happy; cheerful; bright and gay

【例1】Peter and Mary were strolling about among the merry crowd enjoying Christmas Eve in Time Square.

【例2】We had a merry time at the party.

【译】The more the merrier, the fewer the better fare.

人越多越快乐, 人越少吃得越香。

【collocation】

as merry as a cricket/lark非常快活

make merry尽情欢乐；欢宴作乐

make merry over/of/about嘲弄；挖苦

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【例】He is making merry over the boy who has no shoes.

5. backward:

1) adv. with the back or end first

【例1】The helicopter can travel forward, backward, or sideways.

【例2】Radar tests indicated Venus was actually rotating backward, compared to our planet.

2) adj. late in development

【译】这个国家的一些落后地区还没有电力。

Some backward parts of the country do not have any electricity.

【例】Because of his long illness, Tom is backward in his studies.

【collocation】

backward and forward来来回回；反复地

bend/fall/lean over backward竭尽全力

They leaned over backward to make her feel at home.

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know sth. backward对某事物熟谙到倒背如流的地步

6. in a whisper: in a low voice

【例1】He bent down and addressed her in a whisper.

【例2】She said it in a whisper, so I couldn’t hear.

7. turn loose: allow (sth.) to be free of control

【例】He turned the horse loose in the field.

【译】The World Bank makes grants to developing countries but it doesn’just turn the money loose.

世界银行拨款给发展中国家，但并不听任随便使用。

8. look the part: have an appearance for a particular job, role, or position

【例1】If he wasn’t actually a thief he certainly looked the part.

【例2】Despite looking the part, Michael was not an artist at all.

9. to excess: to an extreme degree

【例1】His father never smoked or drank to excess.

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【例2】Don’t carry your grief to excess.

【Patten】in excess of 超过

【例】Never spend in excess of your income.

10. for the rest: as regards other matters

【例】The working conditions in my new job are excellent, but for the rest, I am not impressed.

【译】在其他方面，我再也没有注意到什么了。

For the rest, I could not notice anything more.

【collocation】

as to the rest 至于其他方面

and all the rest of it 以及其他等等

【例】He is young and handsome and well-educated and all the rest of it.

11. fierce: adj.

1) violent and angry a fierce looking man

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【例】It was estimated that the fierce storm killed at least several thousand people and left more than one million without homes

2) intense; strong

【例】While Apple enjoyed brighter sales, competitors in the IBM PC world fought a fierce battle for market share.

【译】由于失业人数众多，寻找工作的竞争十分激烈。

Because there is so much unemployment, the competition for jobs is very fierce.

12. mock:

1) v. ridicule; make fun of

【Pattern】 mock (at) sb./sth.

【例1】He made all the other boys laugh by mocking the way the teacher spoke and walked.

【例2】The student did his best, and the teacher was wrong to mock at his effort.

2) adj. not real or true; like (in appearance, taste, etc.) something real

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【例1】The army training exercises ended with a mock battle.

【例2】Before each debate, he is expected to engage in mock debate.

13. fancy:

A. n.

1) sth. imagined; unfounded opinion or belief

【例1】Children usually have a lively fancy.

【例2】I think he will come, but it’s only a fancy of mine.

2) liking formed without the help of reason

【例】I have taken a fancy to that silly hat.

【译】他停下来细看那件引起他兴趣的展览品。

She stopped to examine the exhibit that struck her fancy.

B. vt.

1) form a picture of; imagine

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【例1】Fancy her having a fool like that for a husband!

【例2】Can you fancy yourself on the moon?

2) have a liking for; wish for

【例1】I fancy something sweet to eat.

【例2】I had a suspicion that they fancied each other.

C. vi. form a picture of sth.; imagine

【译】想象一下！Just fancy!

D. adj. ornamental or brightly colored; not ordinary fancy cakes

【例】That pattern is too fancy for me.

14. persistent: adj. continuing; occurring again and again

【例1】The persistent growth of the EU countries has been remarkable.

【例2】Neither high prices nor high wages could explain persistent depression and mass unemployment.

15. mingle: v. mix (followed by with)

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【Pattern】mingle with

be mingled with

【例1】Laughter mingled with the music, and appreciative comments.

【例2】Her excitement was mingled with a slight feeling of fear.

【译】空气中的香水味和汗臭味混杂在一起。

The smell of perfume and perspiration mingled in the air.

16. stand out: be easily seen above or among others

【例1】The trip to Africa stood out in my memory.

【例2】These writers stood out above the rest.

【collocation】

stand by支持

stand for代表

stand on坚持

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stand well with …与……相处得好

17. wear away:

1) (of time) pass gradually

【例1】The day wore away, and we still couldn’t find a solution to the problem.

【例2】The fullness of spring has not yet worn quite away.

2) (cause to) become thin or damaged by constant use

【例】The pattern on the handle had completely worn away.

【译】滴水正不断地磨损着这石头。

The dripping of the water is wearing away the stone.

【collocation】

wear down磨损

wear off磨损掉

wear out穿破

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18. cling to: hold tight to

【例1】The frightened child clung to her mother.

【例2】She wore a silk dress that clung to her figure.

19. sin: n. offence against God, religion or good morals

【例1】In Christian theology, the first sin was committed by Adam.

【例2】The man confessed his sin to the priest.

【CF】 sin, crime & evil这几个词都可用作名词，都有“犯罪、罪恶”之意。sin 意为罪恶，尤指违背宗教和道德原则的恶行。例如：

Hester did not confess her sins to the priest.

海斯特没有向神父认罪忏悔。

Lying, stealing, dishonesty, and cruelty are sins.

说谎、偷窃、不诚实和残酷都是罪恶。

crime多指刑事上的犯罪，也可指缺德。例如：

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The police prevent and detect crime. 的职责是防范和侦察犯罪活动。

It’s a crime that he bullies his children that way.

像他那样威吓自己的孩子真是缺德。

evil 意为、不善。例如：

to do evil 做坏事

to return good for evil 以德报怨

20. acute: adj.

1) (of diseases) coming quickly to the critical stage

【例1】She was taken to the hospital suffering from acute appendicitis (阑尾炎).

【例2】His disease is not acute but chronic.

2) severe

【例】Food shortages in some African countries are becoming acute.

【译】他在这份报道上对记者的怀疑特别厉害。

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His distrust of reporters was particularly acute on this story.

3) (of the mind or the senses) able to notice small differences, esp. of meaning or sound; working very well; sharp an acute thinker

【例】Dogs have an acute sense of smell.

【CF】 acute, critical & crucial

这三个词都是形容词，都有“严重的、紧急的”之意。

acute 通常指情况恶化而处在了危机或紧急状态之中。例如：

There was an acute lack of food. 食物严重缺乏。

The problem is at its most acute in major cities. 这个问题在大城市里尤为尖锐。

critical意为严重的、关键性的、危急的，与crucial一样都可指转折关头，但该词比crucial表现出更大的严重性，经常暗示某种情况略有变化就会导致深远的影响。例如：

I didn’t realize the unemployment problem was all that critical.

我没有意识到这里的失业问题竟如此严重。

Another minute’s lack of oxygen could be critical. 再缺一分钟氧气就危险了。

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crucial 意为至关重要的、决定性的、紧要关头的，指紧急情况或危机的转折关头，强调为了取得满意的结果，某事绝对有必要发生。例如：

Speed is crucial to our success. 速度是我们成功的关键。

They are carrying out the crucial part of the experiment.

他们在进行试验的决定性部分。

21. flutter:

1) v. (cause to) move about in a quick, irregular way

【例1】The bird fluttered its wings wildly but it could not get off the ground.

【例2】The butterfly fluttered into the room.

【译】他激动得心怦怦跳。His heart fluttered with excitement.

2) n. fluttering movement

【例1】There was a flutter of wings among the trees.

【例2】Her new book on violence caused a flutter.

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