fluctuate v.波动；变动

同alternate, wave

some investors panic when stock prices fluctuate wildly.

当股票价格大幅波动时,一些投资者便开始恐慌起来。

gainsay v.否认

同deny, disagree

there was no gainsaying the astronomer’s knowledge about the planets.

这位天文学家对于行星的知识是毋庸置疑的。

*astronomer n.天文学家

hybrid n.混种；混血儿

同half-breed, mixture

scientists have developed a hybrid of rice that is more resistant to diseases and insects.

科学家已开发出一种对疾病与虫害更具抵抗力的杂交水稻。

idiom n.习语；惯用语

同expression, phrase

when studying a foreign language, idioms are often the most difficult thing to learn.

学习外语时，习语常是其中最难学的部分。

inappropriate adj.不适合的

同unsuitable, improper, unfit, incongruous

this movie is very violent and is inappropriate for children to watch.

这部电影暴力倾向严重，不适合儿童观看。{)X0;p\NMf@bC" ( 贵州 学 习 网 外语园地托福 ){)X0;p\NMf@bC"hTTp://wWw.gZu521.cOm

innocuous adj.无害的

同harmless, inoffensive, vapid, insipid, innocent

i don’t understand how such an innocuous children’s book could cause such an uproar.

我不明白为何这本对儿童无害的书竟会引起如此的骚动。

*uproar n.骚动

jerk n.拉扯

同twitch, pull, yank

i felt a jerk on my sleeve, then realized it was just a tree branch.

我觉得有人拉我的袖子，后来发现只不过是树枝而已。

laconic adj.简洁的

同concise, compact, pithy, short, succinct

henry’s date was very laconic, only saying two sentences the entire evening.

亨利的约会十分简洁，整晚他只说了两句话。

lumber n.木材

同wood, timber, logs

a lot of lumber was needed to build the smith’s new house.

建造史密斯的新家需要大量木材。

magnify v.放大

同enlarge, expand, amplify, augment

danny used a lens to magnify the tiny insect.

丹尼利用镜片来放大那只微小的昆虫。*lens n. (pl.)镜片

maritime adj.海洋的

同marine, oceanic, nautical, seafaring

the city is building a maritime museum near the harbor.

该市正在港口附近建造一座海洋博物馆。

merge v.合并

同combine, blend, amalgamate

the two mountain streams merged to form a single stream.

这两条山间的小溪汇合成一条河流。

obsequious adj.逢迎的；谄媚的

同abject, servile, fawning, cringing

the manager’s obsequious assistant annoyed the other employees in the department.

谄媚的经理助手惹恼了部门内的其他职员。

ornate adj.装饰的；华丽的

同beautiful, ornamented, elaborate

for my birthday, my father gave me a pair of ornate silver earrings.

父亲送给我一对华丽的银耳环作为我的生日礼物。

pact n.协定；条约

同agreement, treaty, compact, contract

the two countries signed a pact to end their fighting.

这两国签署了一项终止战争的协定。

perpendicular adj.垂直的

同at a right angle, steep, upright

main street runs perpendicular to pine street, and they meet at the city library.梅因街和松树街垂直交汇，路口就是市立图书馆。

plume n.羽毛

同feather, plumage

the plumes of the peacock are beautiful and brightly colored.

孔雀的羽毛十分华丽而且颜色鲜艳。

exercise: fill in the blanks.

1. it is _____ to wear a t-shirt and jeans to a wedding ceremony.

2. the teacher’s _____ explanation answered all our questions.

3. the cell was _____ ten times under the lens of the microscope.

4. these two banks have _____ to form the largest bank in the country.

5. the trade _____ was the most important agreement ever signed between the two countries.

解答:1. inappropriate 2. laconic 3. magnified 4. merged 5. pact

prickly adj.麻烦的

同complicated, troublesome, intricate, trying

she doesn’t know how to deal with the prickly problem of inviting her ex-boyfriend to her wedding.

她不知道该如何处理邀请前任男友参加婚礼这种麻烦问题。

querulous adj.爱抱怨的；发牢骚的

同complaining, discontented, fretful

the child’s querulous questions were driving me crazy.

那小孩所抱怨的问题快令我发疯了。

radical adj.①基本的②偏激的

同1.basic, fundamental 2.extreme, rash, drastic

there was a radical difference between the two professors’ theories.

这两位教授的理论有根本的不同。

relinquish v.放弃；撤退

同give up, forgo, disclaim, renounce

nora was not willing to relinquish her high paying job for more free time.

诺拉不愿意为了拥有更多的空闲时间而放弃高薪的工作。

retard v.阻碍

同delay, hold up, stunt, impede

lack of sunlight will retard the growth of most plants.

缺乏阳光会妨碍大多数植物的生长。

saline adj.咸的同salty

ocean water is so saline that you cannot drink it.

海水太咸而不能饮用。

sequel n.续集同consequence, continuation

scarlett is the immensely popular sequel to gone with the wind.

《斯嘉丽》是《飘》极受欢迎的续集。

slogan n.标语；口号

同motto, catch-phrase

the advertising company had to come up with a good slogan for the new brand of soda.

广告公司必须为这种新牌子的汽水想一个很好的广告语。

spontaneous adj.自然的

同natural, impulsive, ingenuous, instinctive

thesgroupsof children on the bus began a spontaneous singing of songs.

公交车上的那群小孩很自然地唱起歌来。

strenuous adj.费力的；奋斗的

同energetic, ardent, arduous, vigorous

ralph was not used to strenuous exercise, and hiking up the hill exhausted him.

拉尔夫不习惯费力的运动，所以登山使他筋疲力尽。

surmise v.臆测

同guess, presume, conjecture, suppose

we surmised by the clothes she was wearing that she was a chef.

我们由她的穿着推断她是主厨。

tactic n.策略

同maneuver, strategy

harry often cleans his room as a tactic to avoid doing his homework. vD7/Ql|@2P)ba{"%( 此_文_来_源_于_我_的_学_习_网 外语园地托福 ]vD7/Ql|@2P)ba{"%httP://Www.Gzu521.Com

哈里常以打扫房间作为逃避做作业的计策。

tier n.层

同layer, stratum

the newly-married couple had a three-tiered wedding cake at the banquet.

这对新婚夫妇在喜宴上摆了一个三层的蛋糕。

*banquet n.宴会

ultimatum n.最后通牒；哀的美敦书

同demand, exaction, requirement

the kidnapper’s ultimatum was two million dollars by midnight, or the man would be killed.

绑匪发出最后通牒，称在午夜以前须备妥200万元，否则那名男子将遭杀害。

vagabond n.流浪汉

同wanderer, vagrant, hobo

many vagabonds gathered at the back of this restaurant to find food.

许多流浪汉聚集在这家餐厅的后面找寻食物。

walkout n.罢工

同protest, strike, stoppage

factory workers staged a walkout to protest for proper working conditions.

工厂的工人为了争取合理的工作环境而发动了罢工。

yearn v.渴望

同desire, long for, covet, hunger

elsa yearns for the day she can return to her native country.

埃尔莎渴望有朝一日能回到自己的祖国。

exercise: fill in the blanks.

1. lack of money will definitely _____ our project’s progress.

2. thomas suddenly stood on the restaurant table and brokesintos_____ song.

3. nora has developed many _____ to avoid runningsintosher boss in the hallways of the office.

4. the _____ found a bench in the park to sleep on for the night.

5. he was _____ to return to his home once more and see his family.

解答:1. retard 2. spontaneous 3. tactics 4. vagabond 5. yearning