Unit 1 The Fourth of July Language Work 词汇.doc

Unit 1 Language WorkParagraph 1suppose vt. assume, believe, accept as true; pretend that sth. is true; take sth. as a facte.g. I dont suppose for a minute that he will agree.Everyone supposes him to be poor, but he is in fact very wealthy.be supposed to do sth: be expected or required to do sth.e.g.Am I supposed to clean all the rooms or just this one?You are not supposed to play football in the classroom.fabled adj. famous in fables; legendarye.g. There are some fabled cities in that small country.The deserted house is fabled to have been inhabited by ghosts.“fabled and famous” an example of alliteration (头韵)Paragraph 2milk train: a train that chiefly carries milk, usually very early in the morning.Paragraph 3“Preparations were in the air around our house before school was even over.”Paraphrase: Preparations were being made in our house even before school was closed for the summer vacation.in the air: in the sky; prevalent; gaining currency; not decided, indefinitee.g.The feather floated lightly in the air. At that time there were some rumors in the air. feast n. an unusually large or elaborate meal; (fig.) sth. that pleases the mind or the senses with its richness or variety; a religious festival celebrated with rejoicinge.g. The food on the table is actually a feast for eyes as well as for palate. The picture is a feast of colors. “In fact, my first trip to Washington was a mobile feast.”Paraphrase: Actually, my first trip to Washington was a wonderful or elaborate meal that we enjoyed in the chugging train.Explanation: Indeed, my first trip to Washington was like a very pleasant or very agreeable feast, because I started eating as soon as we were comfortably settled in our seats and did not stop until somewhere after Philadelphia.ensconce vt. (esp. passive) establish or settle oneself or sb. in a safe and comfortable placee.g.At night in winter, the young couple are happily ensconced by the fire, each reading a good book.We have ensconced ourselves in the most beautiful villa in the South of France. Paragraph 4dainty adj. (of things) small and pretty; (of people) neat and delicate in build or movement; fastidious esp. about foode.g.The bowls are all made of dainty porcelain. She is a dainty girl, but she is very capable. Mrs. Smith is very dainty about foodscallop vt. decorate with a row of curves forming an edge or pattern on pastry, etc. e.g.They decorated the cake with scalloped edges.His parents had scalloped his birthday cake. marigold n. any of various types of a garden plant with orange or yellow flowers (金盏花；金盏菊；万寿菊)rock-cake n. a small currant cake with a hard rough crust 岩皮饼mayonnaise jar: a container used to hold thick creamy sauce made of egg-yolks, oil and vinegar, used esp. on cold foods such as salads; dish made with this.dill n. a herb with scented leaves and seeds used for flavoring pickles (莳萝，小茴香) pickle n. food, esp. marinated vegetables, i.e., vegetables preserved in vinegar or salt water; particular vegetables preserved this way.e.g.I like red cabbage pickle.His hometown, Yangzhou, is famous for pickles. Activity: tongue twisterPeter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers.A pack of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.If Peter Piper picked a pack of pickled peppers,Wheres the pack of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked? fuzz n. fluff; fluffy or frizzled hair; short, fine hair that sticks up e.g.A peach skin is covered with fuzz.His chest is covered with fuzz.bruise n. an injury caused by a blow or knock to the body or to a fruit, discoloring the skin but not breaking ite.g.He was covered in bruises after falling off his bicycle. The young man had a few cuts and bruises but nothing serious.bruise v. cause a bruise or bruises on sth.; show the effect of a blow or knock e.g.He fell and bruised his legs.Her face was badly bruised in the crash. Peaches bruise easily.Paragraph 5for the umpteenth time: for numerous times; for countless timese.g. For the umpteenth time, I tell you I dont know. The thief stole mobile phones for the umpteenth time.umpteen det. (infml) numerous, too many to count e.g.Umpteen of them left. She had umpteen reasons for being late.Paragraph 6in private: with no one else presente.g.She asked to see him in private.The manager wanted to talk to her in private“We still take among-you to Washington .”Paraphrase: We will still take you, all three of you, to Washington.among-you: your kind; you in a groupavow vt. (fml) admit; declare sth. openly; state firmly and openlye.g.He avowed his belief, faith and conviction at the conference.She avowed herself to be a generous woman, but in fact she wasnt.“not just for an overnight in some measly fleabag hotel”Paraphrase: not merely staying for one night in a small, lousy hotelExplanation: The word overnight is usually an adverb or adjective, meaning for or during the night; however, it is used as a noun, which is very rare, meaning an overnight stay.overnight adj. & adv. during or for the night; suddenly or very quicklye.g. He stayed overnight at a friends house.She become a celebrity overnight.measly adj. ridiculously small in size, amount and valuefleabag n. a dirty or unpleasant person or animal; a cheap and dirty hotele.g.I hate the old lady next door she is a real fleabag.We had to make do with the fleabag motel for the night.Paragraph 7“an extra cot for me”Explanation: an additional smaller bed for mecot (cf. cot, BrE, crib-AmE) n. a bed for a young child, usu. with sides to protect the child from falling out; simple narrow bede.g. The baby is slumbering in the cot.A camp bed or a bunk bed on a ship is a typical cot.Cot is a word in British English, while crib (only for babies) is a word in American English.“a back-street hotel”Explanation: a hotel located on a by-street away from the main streetsMass n. celebration of Christs Last Supper, esp. in the Roman Catholic ChurchParagraph 8“I was squinting because I was in that silent agony that characterized all of my childhood summers, from the time school let out in June to the end of July, brought about by my dilated and vulnerable eyes exposed to the summer brightness.”Paraphrase: As they were often exposed to the summer brightness, my eyes became larger and wider and more vulnerable, which made me suffer silently and terribly throughout all of my childhood summers, from the time school let out in June to the end of July. As I was in that silent agony, my eyes were half shut or turned sideways while looking at things.squint vi. look at sth. with eyes half shut or turned sideways, or through a narrow openinge.g.We have to squint in the bright sunlight.She squinted through the letterbox.dilate v. (cause sth.) to become wider, larger or further opene.g.The pupils of your eyes dilate when you enter a dark room.The horse dilated its nostrils.vulnerable adj. that which can be hurt, wounded, or injured; exposed to attack or dangere.g.Young birds are vulnerable to predators.Cyclists are more vulnerable than motorists.The election defeat puts the party leader in a vulnerable position.Paragraph 9corolla n. a whorl or whorls of petals forming the inner envelope of a flower 花冠travesty n. absurd imitation of or inferior substitute for; distortione.g.The trial was a travesty of justice.In their view, the play was a travesty of the truth.Paragraph 11“Even the pavement on the streets was a shade lighter in color than back home.”Paraphrase: Even the footpath or sidewalk on the streets was slightly lighter in color than back home.Paragraph 12“We were a proper caravan, mother bright and father brown, the three of us girls step-standards in-between.”Paraphrase: We were just like a group of tourists traveling together across a desert, feeling hot and thirsty, mother in possession of a bright complexion, father a brown complexion, and the three of us girls looking neither bright nor brown, but in gradual shades from bright to brown.caravan n. a group of people (e.g. merchants, gypsies, etc.) traveling together across a place such as a desert“My father decreed yet another treat”Paraphrase: My father decided to give us another special treat, something that was unexpected and that was not always available.decree vt. order sth. as if by an official command or decision e.g.The governor decreed a day of mourning. Fate decreed that they would not meet again.flair n. a natural ability to do sth. well; original and attractive qualitye.g.She doesnt show much flair for the piano. She has a real flair for languages.specialness n. a state of being particular, being out of the ordinary; peculiaritye.g.This kind of God grants humans specialness, is noble, is more sacred! Paragraph 14“Indoors, the soda fountain was dim and fan-cooled, deliciously relieving to my scorched eyes.”Paraphrase: Inside the store, the soda fountain was glum and gloomy and cooled by electric fans, which agreeably relieved my eyes of the strong sunlight and heat outdoors.fan-cooled adj. cooled by blowing a current of air on with or as if with a fanmy scorched eyesExplanation: my eyes affected by strong light and heat; my eyes injured by heatParagraph 15“Corded and crisp and pinafored, the five of us seated ourselves one by one at the counter” Paraphrase: Still wearing our well-tied, smoothly-ironed outer garments, the five of us seated ourselves one by one on counter stools.corded adj. tied, bound, or connected by thick strings or lacescrisp adj. with a stiff, uncreased, or unspoiled surface; well-ironedpinafored adj. wearing a sleeveless, collarless outer garment that is usu. tied at the backParagraph 16I said I kin give you to take out . Paraphrase: “I said I can allow you to take the food out .Explanation: The word kin is an intact reproduction of the waitress informal utterance of the word can. In other words, the waitress said clearly that the writer and her family could be allowed to take the food out, but not to eat it in the ice-cream store.“Then she dropped her eyes looking very embarrassed”Paraphrase: Then she lowered her eyes, looking very awkward and uncomfortableParagraph 17“No one would answer my emphatic questions with anything other than a guilty silence.”Explanation: Here, the word guilty is used as a transferred epithet. 移位修辞e.g. restless night The night was not restless, but the person who was awake through it was. happy morning Mornings have no feelings, but the people are. guilty silence: silence affected by a sense of guilt Paragraph 18anticipate vt. to expect; foresee, realize beforehande.g. The writers parents should have anticipated the injustice.We anticipated a favorable decision, but we were disappointed in the end.“My fury was not going to be acknowledged by a like fury.”Paraphrase: My rage was not going to be echoed by a similar fury.“Even my two sisters copied my parents pretense that nothing unusual and anti-American had occurred.”Paraphrase: Even my two sisters followed my parents pretending that nothing unusual and anti-American had happened. / Following our parents example, even my two sisters pretended that the injustice had not happened to the family.copy vt. to imitate, mimic, follow as a pattern or modele.g.The child copies his parents manners.Good morning, boys and girls, the naughty boys said, copying his teachers voice.“made me sick to my stomach ”Paraphrase: made me feel sick at heart; deeply affected me with repellent or repulsive disgust; made me obsessed with the detestable experiencebruise scarExplanation: bruise indicates an injury of the surface flesh, caused by a blow that does not necessarily break the skin and that results in a marked skin; the word can also suggest the tendency to turn black-and-blue from small impacts. Scar refers to the forming of a mark over a healed wound or suggests the doing of damage that will leave a lasting mark.dampen soakExplanation: Dampen is to make or become somewhat wet, emphasizing the moist condition that results. In a figurative sense, the word means to depress. Soak means to wet thoroughly, implying immersion. To soak something is to place it in liquid and leave it long enough for the liquid to act upon it.acknowledge admitExplanation: Acknowledge is to accept responsibility for something one makes known, and we acknowledge something embarrassing or awkward, and usually not voluntarily; more often, the acknowledgment is extracted from one more or less unwillingly. Admit is a bold acknowledgment of implication in something one has formerly tended to deny or to equivocate about. agony anguishExplanation Agony represents suffering, the endurance of which calls forth every human resource. Its severity is of such extent that the word is often used to denote the struggle and pain that may precede death. Anguish points to the extremity of grief which so terrifies the spirit as to be insupportable. Questions for ParagraphsParagraph 1: questions1. When and where did the writers family go for a visit?2. W