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用法学习: 1. backhaul [ˈbækˌhɔːl] 回程. 回路. 回货 noun. I. a return load of cargo; cargo which is carried by a vehicle on its return journey. II. the return trip of a vehicle, as a truck, transporting cargo or freight, esp. when carrying goods back over all or part of the same route. a return journey of a vehicle after it has transported and delivered goods. the return movement of a transportation vehicle from the direction of its principal haul especially transporting a shipment back over part or all of the route. the return trip made by a cargo vehicle after delivering its cargo. II. the physical part of a communications network between the central backbone and the individual local networks. In a hierarchical telecommunications network, the backhaul portion of the network comprises the intermediate links between the core network, or backbone network 骨干网, and the small subnetworks at the edge of the network (like for example private networks, LANs, etc … the data flows along the power lines for about a kilometer before it's siphoned off the line and into an optical fiber or cellular-based backhaul system. Thirdly, the issue arises of connecting the community wireless network to the main internet, known as backhaul. In some exchanges in remote areas, a substantial investment is needed to provide the backhaul into the main network. In particular, there is the problem of the so-called backhaul infrastructure—the cost of connecting a local exchange or a new wireless base station to the core network. verb. I. to pick up (something) at one of the stops along a delivery route and transport it over part or all of the return route. The grocer has its own recycling facilities where materials to be recycled are backhauled to its distribution centres. As shipping rates increase, backhauling empty containers makes less economic sense. II. to transmit (data) over the backhaul part of a network. The exponential growth in wireless traffic … [is] forcing mobile carriers to deal with backhauling data from the cell sites to the core network. 2. turgid [ˈtɜː.dʒɪd] (书写) 晦涩难懂的 (of speech, writing, style, etc.) boring and too serious about its subject matter. If you describe something such as a piece of writing or a film as turgid, you think it is boring and difficult to understand. He used to make extremely dull, turgid and frankly boring speeches. The rest of the arts scene looks increasingly turgid by comparison. a couple of pages of turgid prose. tumescence [tʃuːˈmes.əns] 肿胀 the quality of being swollen, or a swollen part of the body, especially caused by sexual excitement: Erectile dysfunction can mean less tumescence as well as the complete absence of an erection. In time the tumescence would disappear. tumescent [tʃuːˈmes.ənt] 肿胀的, 肿大的, 充血肿胀的 wollen or becoming swollen, especially because of sexual excitement: a tumescent penis. Nocturnal penile tumescence [tʃuːˈmes.əns] (NPT) 晨勃, commonly known as "morning wood," is a natural, involuntary erection that occurs during sleep or upon waking, typically 3 to 5 times per night. It is a sign of healthy blood flow and nerve function, primarily occurring during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. REM is when dreaming, nightmares, and penile/clitoral tumescence occur. 3. "one's max" 上限, 某人的极限, 我的极限, 最多的 refers to the absolute upper limit of a person's capacity, energy, or resources. It is short for "maximum". Depending on the context, it can describe physical endurance, financial limits, or overall capabilities. I brought you a refill. One is my max, night before a game. "He pushed his body to his max during the workout." This means he trained at peak intensity or lifted the heaviest weight he possibly could. max out To reach the highest level or capacity of endurance, benefit, or benefit allowance. "I maxed out my credit card." This means you spent the absolute highest amount allowed, leaving zero available balance.  I'll give him eight out of 10, max. He twisted the throttle control to max power. "It will take 2 hours, max 最多了." Here, it is used as an adverb meaning "at most". To the max: to the highest degree or level. Doing something to the greatest degree possible. as much as possible: These athletes push their bodies to the max. Many of their employees are stressed to the max. She works her credentials to the max. The winters are so hard here that our house is insulated to the max. She revved her engine to the max. "living life to the max". 4. peg (one) as (something) = peg someone for something To believe or consider that one definitely is a certain type of person or thing. "peg someone for something" generally uses "peg" in the informal sense of identifying, labeling, or judging someone with a specific trait or role. It means to categorize or suspect them based on their character or behavior. I pegged her as a total bore when she first started working here, but since getting to know her, she's actually pretty interesting. I'm disappointed, Jake—I never pegged you as a quitter. 5. head something up 带头, 领导 to lead or control a group, part of a company, etc.. To lead some group or delegation. Who will head up the committee for this initiative? Once I retire at the end of the year, Lucy will head up the task force. Who heads up your department? Because I would like to lodge a complaint with them! He headed up a Miami-based legal team. I can put you in touch with the detective heading up the investigation. 

 How Hollywood's production crisis became a key issue in the L.A. mayor's race: Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman, who serves the 4th District, makes her way across an empty, unnamed backlot(an area outside a film or television studio used for outdoor filming.), presenting her case to be the city's next mayor."Studio lots 片场 like this one used to be filled with people, costumers, electricians, set medics, caterers, thousands of Angelenos making a living," she says in the video posted on social media. "Now these lots are quiet. Since 2018, shooting days in the city have fallen by half." After telling voters this issue is "personal" (her husband is a TV writer and producer), criticizing Mayor Karen Bass' leadership on the matter and outlining her own plans, Raman proclaims, "I'm running for mayor to make sure Los Angeles stays the film and TV capital of the world." Placing the concerns of the entertainment industry at the center of the city's mayoral race would have been unthinkable even in the last election cycle. But the production crisis, which has rocked Hollywood and pummeled its workforce, has reached a critical juncture. The state of L.A.'s signature industry is now a political flashpoint alongside affordability, crime and homelessness in the upcoming election. In campaign ads, interviews and the recent televised debate, the top three contenders: incumbent Mayor Bass, former reality TV villain Spencer Pratt and Raman, have made the ongoing production slump 衰败, 衰落 a pivotal topic, highlighting their plans to revitalize the industry while deploying the issue to undercut one another. For decades, elected officials have not had to focus on the film and TV business, let alone turn it into a campaign issue. It was simply a given that local production would continue to play a dominant role in the city's economy as it has for more than a century. But the cumulative effects of consolidation, runaway 落跑的, 跑路的 production to tax-friendly states and countries and the end of the streaming boom has caused Los Angeles to lose billions in economic activity, shed some 57,000 jobs over the last four years and led to the closing of more than 80 film and television production service businesses across the city since 2022. "For us, 'save Hollywood' is more than a slogan and more than headline. It is what needs to be done," said Pamala Buzick Kim, one of the co-founders of Stay in LA, a grassroots campaign aimed at increasing film and television production in Los Angeles. To be sure, the biggest driver of where studios and producers film are state and federal tax credits, over which the city has no control. But Buzick Kim and others argue that "there is lots the mayor can do, hand-in-hand with the City Council." For starters, say filmmakers and advocates, much can be done to tackle the city's sclerotic ( sclerotic [sklɪəˈrɒtɪk] I. affected by sclerosis (= a medical condition in which body tissue or organs become harder): sclerotic arteries. II. 僵化的. 僵硬的 not happening, developing, or changing quickly enough: The tax cuts are designed to bring growth to a sclerotic economy. III. relating to the sclera (= the white layer that covers the outside of the eye, except the coloured part): The size of the sclerotic aperture is a good estimation of the size of the cornea. The diameter of the sclerotic ring was proportionately larger in juveniles relative to adults. noun. the white layer that covers the outside of the eye, except the coloured part: The iris forms in the interior of the eye, at the anterior opening of the sclerotic. sclerosis [skləˈrəʊ.sɪs] 硬化 a medical condition that causes body tissue or organs to become harder, especially the arteries (= thick tubes carrying blood from the heart). ) bureaucracy, onerous ( onerous [ˈəʊ.nər.əs] difficult to do or needing a lot of effort. causing great difficulty or trouble. If you describe a task as onerous, you dislike having to do it because you find it difficult or unpleasant. ...parents who have had the onerous task of bringing up a very difficult child. The tax bill was aimed at lifting the onerous tax burden from the backs of the middle class. onerous task 艰巨的, 难办的, 困难的 the onerous task of finding a peaceful solution. She found the duties of motherhood onerous. ) regulations and a slow and costly permitting process that has pushed filmmakers to flee to friendlier and cheaper locales. While steps have been put in place recently, including a pilot program offering reduced-cost filming permits for shoots that demonstrate a "low impact" to the surrounding community, many complain such steps have come too little and too late. "The industry is in collapse and people have been talking about fixing things for years, but all we get are incremental little changes," said Ed Lippman, a location manager of 34 years who lives in Sherman Oaks and has worked on such shows as "ER" and "The X-Files" and movies including "Galaxy Quest." "And if the city is not being business-friendly, the business will go elsewhere." Compounding the problem, the Los Angeles area has more than 100 jurisdictions, many of which have their own set of rules and regulations regarding filming. "There needs to be universal standards," said Travis Beck, a location manager for commercials, small films and music videos. "Burbank is different from Glendale, which is different from Pasadena." The recent kerfuffle over filming "Baywatch," the lifeguard reboot at Venice Beach, underscored both the efforts to bring production back to L.A. — enticed by a $21-million tax credit — and the complex, baffling red tape required to film here. When shooting began in March, the production encountered a number of hiccups 小问题, including that it needed nearly double the parking space it had received a permit for, which was not part of the original approvals. An anonymous crew member claimed on Facebook that government restrictions had forced production to relocate from Venice Beach. Production staff denied they had relocated. However, the incident prompted a backlash, becoming a rallying cry 集体声讨 over L.A.'s burdensome filming bureaucracy. On his Substack and various podcast interviews, Pratt has promised to slash location fees in half, speed up permit approvals, reduce on-set city staff for the majority of productions and waive all fees for shoots with budgets under $2 million. All three candidates have attacked one another over their approach to Hollywood. Pratt and Raman have said Bass moved too slowly to address spiraling production and retain film jobs, saying she enacted measures only recently as the mayoral race was heating up. Bass and Pratt have taken Raman to task, calling her out for what they say is her lack of advocacy during her time on the City Council. "She feels very strongly about it. But never offered one motion on the industry, and when motions came up on the industry she either recused 避嫌 herself, or got up and walked out," said Bass during a debate this month. Citing a potential conflict of interest over her husband's work in television, Raman refrained from voting on several motions related to Hollywood. Many working in the industry would like to see full-throttled support coming from the mayor's office that will get results. They note how New York City has successfully promoted itself as a leading film destination over the years. "For all the talk about, 'We need to support and bring back filming,' if they just did basics like lowering the fees and simplifying the process ... that would actually help people and get things produced," said Chris Fuentes, 66, who worked for 30 years as a location manager until he retired last year. "We've heard a lot of great things, but not all things are possible in the mayor's remit," said Buzick Kim, noting that tax incentives are a state and federal issue. Still, she said, "the mayor must understand that Hollywood needs to be made a priority and to find and create inspired thinking to make things easier and cheaper." Kang agrees, but says there are limits to what the mayor can achieve. "We definitely can do a lot to really open up the entertainment industry, but at the same time, we recognize the larger impact needs to come from Sacramento and Washington, D.C., because L.A. just does not have the resources to compete with other jurisdictions in providing millions of dollars in tax incentives," he said. For most working in the industry, they just want city leadership that will execute on more than just talking points. "This is the birthplace of cinema," Beck said. "It shouldn't be so hard to film here." 

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用法学习: 1. black mark 污点 informal the fact of people noticing and remembering something that you have done wrong or failed to do. A black mark against someone is something bad that they have done or a bad quality that they have which affects the way people think about them. There was one black mark against him. If I'm late for work again, it will be another black mark against me. Rhys Walkley was not my best appointment. Only after his appointment did I discover he was not a swimming coach, but an official [timekeeper/judge]. Black mark for me for not asking the right questions. However, he was willing to assist the Sportsmaster with team management and proved efficient at that. Here was Walkley, for what can only have been his own personal gratification 私欲, seeking topless photos of a pubescent student, and not just any pubescent student, but Ian. 2. The Thucydides [θuːˈsɪdɪˌdiːz ] Trap 修昔底德陷阱 is a term popularized by American political scientist Graham Allison to describe an apparent tendency towards war when an emerging power 新兴势力 threatens to displace 赶下台 an existing great power as a regional or international hegemon. The term became widely used in 2015, and primarily applies to analysis of China–United States relations. Supporting the thesis, Allison led a study at Harvard University's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs which found that, among a sample of 16 historical instances of an emerging power rivaling a ruling power, 12 ended in war. That study, however, has come under considerable criticism, and scholarly opinion on the value of the Thucydides Trap concept—particularly as it relates to a potential military conflict between the United States and China—remains divided. The expression was inspired by the ancient Athenian historian and military commander Thucydides (died c. 400 BCE), and coined by the American political scientist Graham Allison around 2011. On the basis of an observation by Thucydides in his History of the Peloponnesian War that "it was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable" (or, in the translation by Richard Crawley, "The growth of the power of Athens, and the alarm which this inspired in Lacedaemon, made war inevitable"), Allison used the term to describe a tendency towards war when a rising power (such as Athens) challenges the status of a ruling power (such as Sparta). Allison expanded this significantly in his 2017 book Destined for War, in which he argued that "China and the US are currently on a collision course for war". Though Allison argues in Destined for War that war between a "ruling power" and "rising power" is not inevitable, war may be very difficult to avoid and requires extensive and intensive diplomatic attention and exertion in the case of a "Thucydides trap".

Fashionable VS stylish VS Trendy: Fashionable 流行的 (places, ideas, and opinions): Follows current trends — what's in right now. Tied to a specific moment in time. Something fashionable today may look dated tomorrow. She's always fashionably dressed. She wore a fashionable oversized blazer. Fashionable follows trends, but carries more positive, neutral connotation. Slightly more elevated or formal in tone. Implies being well-dressed and current without the "trying too hard" undertone. Also used for places, ideas, and opinions (it's fashionable to think that...). Trendy 时兴的 (clothing, food, places, ideas, etc): Follows the very latest, often short-lived trends. Has a slightly informal or even dismissive connotation — implying something may be too of-the-moment, possibly superficial or fleeting. That café is very trendy right now. (might feel overexposed soon). Can apply to things beyond clothing — food, places, ideas, etc. Stylish 时髦的, 时尚的: Has a personal, timeless quality — a sense of aesthetic confidence regardless of trends. You can be stylish wearing something that's not currently trendy. He always looks stylish, even in simple clothes. Someone fashionable wears what's trending. Someone stylish makes anything look good. You can be fashionable without being stylish (just copying trends with no coherence), and stylish without being fashioFashionable VS stylish: Fashionable 流行的 ( = trendy): Follows current trends — what's in right now. Tied to a specific moment in time. Something fashionable today may look dated tomorrow. She wore a fashionable oversized blazer. Stylish 时髦的, 时尚的: Has a personal, timeless quality — a sense of aesthetic confidence regardless of trends. You can be stylish wearing something that's not currently trendy. He always looks stylish, even in simple clothes. Someone fashionable wears what's trending. Someone stylish makes anything look good. You can be fashionable without being stylish (just copying trends with no coherence), and stylish without being fashionable (classic, confident, but not trendy). 用例: a. Penny: Oh, thanks. This must be the beret I ordered. A couple of months ago. It was back-ordered. Sheldon: Did you know the beret is an example of piece of women's fashion adapted from male military uniforms? Another fascinating example is the epaulet. Leonard: He's not lying, he does find that fascinating. Penny: Okay, whatever. It's not like I'm running up and down the streets just buying myself berets. I bought one, like, a month ago, and it was back-ordered, look, it finally arrived, all right? Sheldon: All right. Penny: Oh, my God, would you just get off my case 省省, 别说了? b. Penny: Nice hat. Leonard: It's kind of a fashionable look these days. Penny: Maybe if you're working on a tuna boat. c. Howard: Hey, Alex, do you know where your boss just went? Alex: No. Howard: Don't you know his schedule? Alex: All I know is corduroy makes too much noise and I have to go find quieter pants. Howard: Come on. Raj: Boy, what I wouldn't give to get her out of those pants and into something a little more stylish 时尚的.nable (classic, confident, but not trendy). 用例: a. Penny: Oh, thanks. This must be the beret I ordered. A couple of months ago. It was back-ordered. Sheldon: Did you know the beret is an example of piece of women's fashion adapted from male military uniforms? Another fascinating example is the epaulet. Leonard: He's not lying, he does find that fascinating. Penny: Okay, whatever. It's not like I'm running up and down the streets just buying myself berets. I bought one, like, a month ago, and it was back-ordered, look, it finally arrived, all right? Sheldon: All right. Penny: Oh, my God, would you just get off my case 省省, 别说了? b. Penny: Nice hat. Leonard: It's kind of a fashionable look these days. Penny: Maybe if you're working on a tuna boat. c. Howard: Hey, Alex, do you know where your boss just went? Alex: No. Howard: Don't you know his schedule? Alex: All I know is corduroy makes too much noise and I have to go find quieter pants. Howard: Come on. Raj: Boy, what I wouldn't give to get her out of those pants and into something a little more stylish 时尚的.

How a sister's love unraveled the tragic death of Olympic hopeful Ian Walker and unmasked the teacher who abused him: Like a cyclone on legs 像一股旋风, the stooped midfielder skittles his way through one, two, three, four, five Galen College opponents, tapping the ball along in front of him, making the waterlogged surface of VFL Park look like a bowling green. Peter McKenna, the Collingwood legend, watches the cyclone on legs crashing through and almost purrs. It leads to a goal for Haileybury College, a Melbourne private school. Walker, a wiry(wiry [ˈwaɪə.ri] 精瘦的 (sinewy 精瘦的, 精壮的, 瘦而结实的 [ˈsɪnjui]) I. (of people and animals) thin but strong, and often able to bend easily: His body is wiry and athletic. He has a runner's wiry frame. He was a wiry man 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 145 pounds. The mystery man has a wiry frame, with barely an ounce of fat on him and for some reason had a business tie on. Alec, is six foot two, pale skinned, carved out of granite and built like a Nordic god. II. 钢丝一样的头发. 粗糙而硬的头发. Something such as hair or grass that is wiry is stiff and rough to touch. If hair or fur is wiry, it is stiff and not soft. Her wiry hair was pushed up on top of her head in an untidy bun. ), lean, slightly hunched 驼背的 ball of energy, trots back to the wing on the member's side of the ground. Later, McKenna's co-commentator Stephen Phillips says Walker is "one of the best players on the ground in my book". "Awww," he says. "That was good, strong, determined play by the Haileybury player Ian Walker." It is the Herald Shield; 210 schools across the state are slugging it out ( slug it out 同场比拼, 同场竞技, 拼个你死我活 If two people slug it out, they fight or argue violently until one of them wins. Watch out, there's two guys slugging it out in the back of the bar! I slugged it out with some guy last night and earned myself a black eye for my troubles. In such a big family, my siblings and I always have to slug it out for our parents' attention. ) across months of sudden-death games. This year, Haileybury will vanquish 击败, 溃败, 打败, 击垮 ( to defeat an enemy, opponent, or obstacle completely and thoroughly, often in a battle, war, or competition. It is a strong, literary term implying total subjugation or crushing victory, rather than a simple win. Napoleon was vanquished at the battle of Waterloo in 1815. The vanquished army surrendered their weapons. A happy ending is only possible because the hero has first vanquished the dragons. With knowledge and wisdom, evil could be vanquished on this earth. Smallpox, a once deadly disease, has now been vanquished.) Billy Brownless's Assumption College on the way to the final and also win its historic first premiership in Melbourne's fiercely contested 竞争激烈的, 争夺的很激烈的 Associated Public Schools football competition, a tournament steeped in tradition(steep [stiːp] 使沉浸于, 使深深浸入 verb. I. to cause to stay in a liquid, especially in order to become soft or clean, or to improve flavour: Leave the cloth to steep in the dye overnight. We had pears steeped in red wine for dessert. II. If a place or person is steeped in a quality or characteristic, they are surrounded by it or deeply influenced by it. The castle is steeped in history and legend. He said they were unrealistic and steeped in the past. steeped in blood used to describe a place where many people have died in a violent way, or a person responsible for the deaths of many people: The castle's history is steeped in blood. steep something/someone in something If something or someone is steeped in something, they are completely surrounded by or involved in it, or know a lot about it: The college is steeped in history/tradition 丰富的历史. These ancient scholars were steeped in poetry and painting, as well as maths and astronomy. deeply imbued with But he is steeped 沉浸于, 身陷于 in the Viennese ideas of Johann Strauss, Schubert and Berg. The castle is steeped in history. adj. I. (of a slope) 陡峭的. rising or falling at a sharp angle: a steep slope. It's a steep climb to the top of the mountain, but the view is worth it. The castle is set on a steep hill/hillside. II. A steep rise or fall is one that goes very quickly from low to high or from high to low: There has been a steep increase/rise in prices. steep decline/drop/fall With the steep fall in the price of oil, the economy has slowed significantly. steep rise/increase The property market is beginning to decline after years of steep price increases. III. 昂贵的. (especially of prices) too much, or more than is reasonable. steep fee/charge/cost. Investors are concerned about the steep cost of the banking bail-out. Co-operatives could soon face steep taxes. They are having to face very steep taxes. We enjoyed our meal at the restaurant, but the bill was a bit steep. The membership fees at the golf club are pretty steep. ) and a breeding ground for future AFL stars. The Haileybury boys are the pride of their school. A few will end up on VFL and AFL playing lists and a couple will have half-decade professional careers. Ian Walker, despite his abundant gifts 各种天分, will not be one of them. The final is an off 不在状态 night for Haileybury and they lose to Parade College. That night, Walker is not his usual self 不在状态 either. He dives under packs, ducks and weaves out of tackles, but every time he breaks free, his passes hit opponents' chests. For long spells, he languishes on the bench. When you watch Ian in these long-ago moments of his youth, you get glimpses of the reasons why people still think about him, still talk about him, still want to know exactly what happened. It is impossible to miss his warp speed 闪电速度, his hair-raising courage, his willingness to take the game on. But it is equally impossible, once you know how his life panned out, to miss the other story being told by Walker's body language: scattered, jittery, unsettled( scattered 散落的, 遍地都是的, 分散的, 散布的, 疏疏落落的 I. covering a wide area. Scattered things are spread over an area in an untidy or irregular way. He picked up the scattered toys. Tomorrow there will be a few scattered showers. The fridge door was open and food was scattered across the floor. Toys and books were scattered about/around the room. My family is scattered all over the world. The forecast is for scattered showers (= separate areas of rain) tomorrow. II. If something is scattered with a lot of small things, they are spread all over it. Every surface is scattered with photographs. III. 稀稀落落的. Dispersed, spread apart into disunited units. scattered applause. IV. (meteorology, of precipitation) Affecting 30 percent to 50 percent of a forecast zone. Scattered showers. ). That he is playing hurt ( play hurt 忍着伤痛, 不顾伤病, 不顾受伤, 忍痛继续 (preserve) play though the pain. one is still playing the game although they're injured. to continue participating in a sport, game, or activity despite dealing with a physical injury, pain, or illness. The great ones play hurt. ). He is all bandages and frayed nerves. At this precise moment, Ian's sporting magic is deserting him, to be replaced by something nobody will want to remember. They'd also said Ian's sisters once doted on him so smotheringly, it was like he had three mothers. Rod and Ian had been close friends, both brilliant sportsmen. They were 1970s classmates at Beaumaris Primary in Melbourne's bayside south, now better known, via the damning findings of a government inquiry, as the scene of wholesale 集体的, 全体参与的, 系统的 ( often disapproving (especially of something bad or too extreme) complete or affecting a lot of things, people, places, etc. involving everyone or everything; complete: What the system needs is wholesale reform. wholesale changes. wholesale destruction. ) child sexual abuse by four paedophile teachers. One day, leafing through 翻看 his childhood photo albums, Owen pointed to all his former school friends and footy teammates who were unravelling, addicted or dead. Ian? Dead. Ray got him too," was Rod's pained 难受的, 痛苦万分的 assessment. In the 60s and 70s, Ray rampantly 肆虐的, 无所顾忌的, 疯狂的, 肆无忌惮的(Unbridled: 无拘无束的 "unbridled ambition/greed". Wanton: 肆意妄为, 带有恶意或不负责任的含义. Brazen: bold and shameless. Unabashed: without embarrassment or shame. Shameless: 无耻的, 强调道德层面. Audacious:大胆放肆, 有时带中性甚至正面含义. ) abused boys at four state schools and in the St Kilda Football Club's little league team, which he coached for 11 years. So, consider what follows less a companion piece 姐妹篇(a work (as of literature) that is associated with and complements another.) to the tales of Rod and other famous victims of child sexual abuse, but the story of their ignored cousins of the 1970s and 80s. Of the hundreds more golden-hued 金光闪闪的 ( something having a bright yellow, metallic, or yellowish-orange color that resembles gold. It is frequently used in literary contexts to describe a warm, shimmering appearance—such as in sunsets, light, or hair—and often symbolizes beauty, divinity, and prosperity. If so, or if you look at the star through binoculars, you might see that it has a familiar golden hue. ) men in the making, united in an irony: that the society which lauded them had unknowingly built them a pedestal [ˈpɛdɪstl] 高台 from which it was difficult to notice their vulnerability and suffering. Like most of those men, Ian was not a public figure. His death occasioned no media coverage. He was what journalism once dismissively referred to as one of "the little people". Guilt struck me 内疚来袭, 一股子内疚. I'd ruined her day. Her own plate, I learned, was full enough. She was dealing with a workplace injury whose legacy, then and now, affects every aspect of her life. And here I was, adding to those difficulties by raking up 勾起, 重提 her grief. I filled her tearful silence with all the positive things I'd heard from Ian's old friends. That he had been an Olympic-calibre 级别的 track athlete, faster than Herb Elliott, with Hollywood good looks that had sponsors chasing him. That he'd turned down an athletic scholarship at a top US college. That he was the brightest spark 最明亮的少年, 最耀眼的少年, 最耀眼的明星(bright spark 蠢驴, 大聪明 [British, informal] I. If you say that some bright spark had a particular idea or did something, you mean that their idea or action was clever, or that it seemed clever but was silly in some way. 'Why not give out one of the cybercafe's email addresses?' suggested one bright spark. Some bright spark turned the heating off last night! a stupid person: Some bright spark left the door open overnight. II. a person who is intelligent, and full of energy and enthusiasm. A person who is regarded as clever or intelligent. The term can also be used sarcastically to mean the opposite. Primarily heard in UK, Australia, New Zealand. Timmy's the bright spark of the family—he graduated at the top of his class. Some bright spark at the auto repair shop forgot to tighten the lug nuts on my wheels after he rotated my tires. A: "Adam appears to be pulling on a door that's clearly marked 'push.'" B: "Yeah, he's a real bright spark, isn't he?" ) in his year at Haileybury College. That his fearlessness and athleticism on football fields had prompted St Kilda to try to recruit him to its junior development squad, but that he'd declined 拒绝了 ( Decline an offer 语气最正式, 婉拒. Turn down an offer 口语 = Reject an offer 语气强硬, 明确拒绝. ) this offer too. Karen knew all this already, but she was now reassessing why her brother had rebuffed the Saints 拒绝了. I told her Ian had inspired in his friends a depth of love and devotion that middle-aged men rarely verbalise. There was a tender, profound sense of longing in their anecdotes, about Ian's graceful stride around athletics tracks, his effortless command of a room 轻松吸引所有注意力, his wide-ranging intelligence and cheeky humour, and how his friends, in those highly impressionable and deeply felt early years of getting to know themselves and the world, based a portion of their self-worth 自我价值 on what Ian Walker thought of them. Time and again, people had billed themselves as Ian's "best friend", each more vehement that they'd known him most intimately, each so animated in their explanations of his extraordinariness, I suspected grief and nostalgia were enhancing the story beyond its true proportions. Suicide, they said. Without doubt. On some Melbourne train track 铁路上, 铁轨上 or other. Tragic, but the inevitable conclusion of a human disaster that gradually drove all of Ian's friends away and then lingered iridescently ( iridescently [ˌɪr.ɪˈdes.ənt.li] 五彩缤纷的 (A riot of colors 争奇斗艳, 色彩绚烂, 五光十色的, vibrant: 鲜艳夺目的, 缤纷的) in a manner that displays a spectrum of colours that shimmer and change due to interference and scattering as the observer's position changes. in a way that reflects many bright colours: Below the boat, dozens of squid began flashing iridescently, red-white-red. The beach is grey rather than white, while the water shines iridescently thanks to an oil slick. ) in their memories. Tallying 一一列出来重新计算 everything, Karen conceded that Ian surely had been sexually abused by Darrell Ray. She was not surprised that another friend of Ian's had recalled, with dread, Ian's involvement in a disturbing re-enactment of Ray's abuse. But I was confused: she knew Ian had been sexually abused, knew it had led to his addictions and death, but knew nothing about Darrell Ray and the abuse epidemic at Beaumaris Primary? Perhaps, Karen now wondered, the abuse at Haileybury had been the final straw. It had blighted Ian's life so completely, she explained, that he'd never recovered. She'd always understood it as the single most decisive factor 最大原因 in her brother's death. To the Walkers, in whose family lore ( lore 传说, 故事 I. traditional knowledge and stories about a subject: According to local lore, the water has healing properties. A lot of cultural lore surrounds the apple. II. background information about the fictional (= invented) characters in a book, film, computer game, etc. and the fictional place and situation in which its events happen that is accepted as true by its fans (= people who are very enthusiastic about something and like to write or talk about it): There are alternate takes on the lore of the World of Warcraft. If you are a hardcore Tolkien lore fan, you will find this information surprising. ) Haileybury loomed large 挥之不去, the news of Ian's abuse had been particularly crushing. An uncle, Geoff Walker, was among Haileybury's most celebrated athletic prodigies of the 1950s, lending young Ian's feats the air of a dynasty 王者身份, 王者风范. Haileybury was also central to the self-mythology(Self-mythology is the psychological and creative practice of elevating 抬高 ( elevate I. to raise something or lift something up. to raise or lift up: She wore high heels that elevated her a few inches above 5 feet. The platform was elevated by means of hydraulic legs. II. 捧高, 吹捧, 抬高 to make someone or something more important or to improve something. to give someone a higher or more important position: They want to elevate the status of teachers. These factors helped to elevate the town to the position of one of the most beautiful in the country. be elevated to something 升职 formal to be given a higher rank or social position: He has been elevated to deputy manager. He was elevated to the chairmanship of the House Armed Services Committee. They hoped to elevate the position of women in society. ) your personal narrative into a profound, empowering life story. It involves framing your memories, experiences, and identity so that you become the active protagonist—giving everyday struggles and triumphs a deep sense of purpose. Personal mythology refers to an individual's fundamental stories for making sense and meaning of the world. According to Dr. David Feinstein and Dr. Stanley Krippner, "A personal myth is a constellation of beliefs, feelings, images, and rules—operating largely outside of conscious awareness—that interprets sensations, constructs new explanations, and directs behavior. ...Personal myths speak to the broad concerns of identity (Who am I?), direction (Where am I going?), and purpose (Why am I going there?). For an internal system of images, narratives, and emotions to be called a personal myth, it must address at least one of the core concerns of human existence." ) of Ian's father, Ian Snr; his own parents ran out of money for his matriculation year (matriculate [məˈtrɪkjəˌleɪt] I. to officially become a student at a university. II. to be formally admitted to a university at a special ceremony You must matriculate within two terms of starting your course, otherwise you will be unable to take a University examination. In some countries, if you matriculate, you register formally as 登记注册为 a student at a university, or you satisfy the academic requirements necessary for registration for a course. I had to matriculate if I wanted to do a degree. The head decided I should have another go at matriculation. Elon briefly attended the University of Pretoria before moving to Canada at age 17 to avoid conscription. He matriculated at Queen's University and transferred to the University of Pennsylvania two years later, where he received a bachelor's degree in economics and physics. note: Matriculation ([məˌtrɪkjʊˈleɪʃn]) 入学 is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. In Australia, the term matriculation is seldom used now. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, all states replaced the matriculation examination with either a certificate, such as the Higher School Certificate (HSC) in Victoria and New South Wales, or a university entrance exam ( = admission examination) 大学入学考试, such as the Tertiary Entrance Exam in Western Australia. These have all been renamed (except in New South Wales) as a state-based certificate. Some Catholic university colleges in Australia have reintroduced matriculation ceremonies 入学仪式. New students at the College of St John the Evangelist within the University of Sydney and new students at Campion College Australia sign the college register during a formal ceremony whilst wearing academic dress. In Canada, the term is used by some older universities to refer to orientation ("frosh": "Frosh" is a common slang term for a first-year student in high school or university. It is a shortened, informal alternative to "freshman". ) events, however, some universities, including the University of King's College, still hold formal Matriculation ceremonies. The ceremony at King's is quite similar to the matriculation ceremonies held in universities such as Oxford or Cambridge. In Hong Kong, the term is used interchangeably with the completion of sixth-form 六年级结业. After sitting for 参加考试 the Certificate of Education examinations, eligible students receive two years of sixth-form education. Upon completion, they sit for the A-level examinations. Most secondary schools offer the sixth-form programme, and there are also a few sixth-form colleges. Students obtaining good grades 考试成绩好的 in the A-level examinations will be admitted to a university. In the British universities of Oxford, Cambridge, the term is used for the ceremony at which new students are entered into the register (in Latin matricula) of the university, at which point they become members of the university. Oxford requires matriculants 入学者 to wear academic dress 学术服 with subfusc ( [ˈsʌbfʌsk] refers to the dark, formal attire worn beneath academic gowns during examinations, matriculation, and degree ceremonies at the University of Oxford and other historic institutions. ) during the ceremony. At Cambridge and Durham, policy regarding the wearing of academic dress varies amongst the colleges. Separate matriculation ceremonies are held by some of the colleges in Durham. Also at Durham, not all students are entered into the register, but one person from each college is selected to sign their own name for the whole college. At most universities and colleges in the United States, matriculation refers to mere enrollment or registration as a student at a university or college by a student intending to earn a degree, an event which involves no special ceremony. Some colleges that have a formal matriculation ceremony call it as such, while others call this enrollment ceremony for new students a "convocation". Universities and colleges in the United States commonly have a category of students known as special students, non-matriculated students or non-matriculating students 旁听生, 非正式学生. Generally these are students who are not merely auditing a class, but receive credit which is potentially transferable, pay full tuition, and often receive benefits that other students receive such as access to facilities and health care. These students typically are enrolled as matriculated students at other institutions and are visiting scholars of some type. However, sometimes students attend classes for the purpose of a standalone non-degree education. A commencement ceremony 毕业典礼 is a formal academic event celebrating the completion of studies and the beginning of a new chapter, often featuring speeches and the symbolic walking across a stage. While graduation is the technical conferral of a degree, commencement is the celebratory, often optional, ceremony where students are recognized. It serves as a rite of passage, officially celebrating students' academic accomplishments before they receive their physical diplomas by mail. ). Haileybury was the finishing school(a private, often post-secondary institution designed to teach young women social graces, etiquette, and cultural refinements to prepare them for entry into high society. Traditionally, these schools "finished" a woman's general education with non-academic training in deportment, grooming, and household management, commonly popular in Europe (especially Switzerland) from the late 19th century until the 1960s. A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects the fact that it follows ordinary school and is intended to complete a young woman's education by providing classes primarily on deportment, etiquette, and other non-academic subjects. The school may offer an intensive course or a one-year program. In the United States, a finishing school is sometimes called a charm school.  ) where Ian would evolve from child prodigy to man of destiny 天选之人 ( refers to a person who is believed to be chosen by fate to achieve greatness, fulfill a grand historical purpose, or drastically alter the course of events. The phrase is most famously used as a direct historical epithet for Napoleon Bonaparte. Because of his extraordinarily rapid rise from a modest Corsican background to the Emperor of France, Napoleon himself strongly believed he was chosen by fate. His contemporaries and historians often used the term to describe his seemingly unstoppable momentum and genius. (the) master of (one's) own destiny/fate 掌握自己命运的人, 自己掌握命运 One who makes one's own decisions about or directly controls the course of one's future, independent of the desires, expectations, or machinations of others. After being under the thumb of my family for so many years, it felt incredible to finally be the master of my own destiny. Do you feel trapped in your career, with no say in the way you spend your working hours? Our three-day motivational seminar will give you the tools and confidence you need to be the master of your own destiny. You're in college now. You can be the master of your own destiny.). He'd escaped Darrell Ray; now the rest of his life would begin. He is an experienced "outreach" officer, familiar with the most squalid 最龌龊的, 最肮脏的, 最不堪的 scenes of drug addict despair 绝望. Yet for years afterwards, he will remember the sight, this day, of a young man crumpled 蜷缩, 蜷曲 on the footpath — not just under the influence of "heroin, pills and cannabis", but with "third-degree burns on his body as a result of being over exposed to sunlight due to his drug addiction". Does he know this young man was once the pride of a swanky private school? It wouldn't matter. He helps Ian Walker to his feet 扶起来, consoles him, takes him to the Alfred Hospital, arranges some counselling. In his kindness, the social worker becomes probably the second or third person Ian trusts enough to explain the state he's in. "Ian was a schizophrenic who was dealing with issues of sexual abuse that had occurred when he was at school," the social worker later writes in a statement to police. "He was also addicted to heroin, amphetamines and prescription pills." If Ian Walker's sporting feats 体育成绩 as a young boy convinced his peers that super stardom was fait accompli 铁打的事实, 既成事实([ˌfeɪt ə.kɑːmˈpliː. fate uh-com-plee] is a French phrase that translates to "an accomplished fact". In English, it is used to describe a decision, action, or event that has already happened or been completed, making any opposition, debate, or attempt to reverse it entirely useless. something that has already happened or been done and cannot be changed: The policy change was presented to us as a fait accompli, without consultation or discussion. ), the Walker family tree proves that nothing in life is foreordained 命中注定的. In the hedonistic, bohemian Beaumaris of the 1970s, the Walkers stood out by their wholesomeness. Patriarch Ian Snr, a coal miner's son, was the first in his family with a university education, and dedicated himself to building a small empire of pharmacies. Ian's mother Judith, quirky and warm, provided the family's emotional nourishment 滋养. Ian was the cheeky one, spoiled by his older sisters, who both entered caring professions: Michele was a nurse and Karen pursued a career in workplace health and safety. They called him "Ian D."' At nearby Beaumaris Primary School, Ian's intelligence, sporting brilliance and social magnetism ensured a lofty position in the pecking order. It also put a target on his back 成为别人的目标. To what extent and for how long Darrell Ray abused Ian is unclear, but a Saints Little League teammate who witnessed many sights he would prefer to forget forlornly described Ian as "one of Ray's absolute favourites". In 1981, as Ian was rebuffing ( rebuff 婉拒, 拒绝 to refuse to accept a helpful suggestion or offer from someone, often by answering in an unfriendly way: She rebuffed all suggestions that she should resign. the act of refusing to accept a suggestion or offer from someone, often by answering in an unfriendly way: Her desperate request for help was met with a rebuff. The comments drew sharp rebuffs from budget experts in parliament. ) St Kilda FC, a local newspaper article outlined his rising stocks 蒸蒸日上 in the world of athletics: Sprinter-stayer Ian Walker of Deauville Ct, Beaumaris, is Victoria's most outstanding junior athlete. Walker's 800m times this season surpassed the great Herb Elliott's time (2 min. 3.4 sec.) at the same age. Ian is the most promising middle distance 中长距离 prospect 希望之星 in Victoria. The article hinted at the pressures and expectations buffeting ( buffet 敲打, 冲击, 击打 (of wind, rain, etc.) to hit something repeatedly and with great force. to hit something or someone repeatedly and, usually, hard: Many fierce storms had buffeted the coast before, but this one was worse than usual. The little boat was buffeted mercilessly by the waves. ) Ian as he was reeling from sexual abuse. Said an almost reproachful 遗憾的, 失望的( Reproachful expressions or remarks show that you are disappointed, upset, or angry because someone has done something wrong. She gave Isabelle a reproachful look. He turned to Alex and his tone was reproachful. Luke's mother stopped smiling and looked reproachfully at him. ) Aarsman: "Ian is the most promising middle distance prospect in Victoria, and he's still only "playing" at athletics 只是玩玩 — after all, he's playing football for Haileybury, hardly proper winter preparation for running. We're bringing him along quietly, to peak around 21." Did Haileybury notice Aarsman's broadside? Perhaps. From that moment forward, Karen told me, Haileybury's expectations of Ian only intensified, simultaneous to Ian's louder and louder cries for help. Haileybury was another story. The school, it seemed to Karen, cared only that Ian performed in athletics meets 运动会 and in football games, where despite being an under-age player who kept injuring himself due to his reckless attack on the contest, Ian was a star of Haileybury's history-making first premiership team in the Associated Public Schools (APS) 1st XVIII competition. "Haileybury putting Haileybury's brand as a sporting school ahead of Ian's education did not sit well with the family," Karen recalled. "He'd done something to his wrist and he was wearing a sling, and the principal [Michael Aikman] had burst into 冲进去 the exam room and interrupted Ian, asking if he'd be fit to play football the following Saturday." In taking this stand, Ian had flunked out of high school and was made to take a job at Red Rooster, very far from a Rhodes scholarship. Many of the mates who'd once worshipped him would never see his face again. For weeks afterwards, in painful therapy sessions with two local psychiatrists, Ian edges closer to explaining his misery. In one session, the psychiatrist registers a note of frustration about his "quite bright" patient: "Ian is usually guarded in what he says and how he answers," he writes. But when you read the treatment notes with the benefit of hindsight, the hints are there. By late 1996, Ian was as desperate and as unhappy as he'd ever been. Evicted once more, he went on a drug-fuelled spiral that came to a literally crashing end. Ian fell through a plate glass ( Plate glass, flat glass or sheet glass is a type of glass, initially produced in plane form, commonly used for windows, glass doors, transparent walls, and windscreens. For modern architectural and automotive applications, the flat glass is sometimes bent after production of the plane sheet. Flat glass stands in contrast to container glass (used for bottles, jars, cups) and glass fibre (used for thermal insulation, in fibreglass composites, and for optical communication). ) window, causing life-threatening gashes all over his body. Having staunched ( staunch [stɔːntʃ] verb. = stanch in the USA. I. to stop something happening, or to stop liquid, especially blood, from flowing out: staunch the bleeding 止血. The country's asylum laws were amended to staunch the flow/flood of economic migrants. Mike pressed hard on the wound and staunched the flow of blood. The government claims this is the only way to staunch the flow of illegal drugs into the country. Efforts to staunch the spill of crude oil from a tanker off the north coast of Scotland are being held up by gale force winds. To staunch a wound, or to staunch the blood from a wound, means to stop the wound from bleeding. Tom tried to staunch the blood with his handkerchief. II. To staunch is also to keep something from continuing: The company abandoned the plan to staunch the departure of more managers. adj. strongly loyal to a person, organization, or set of beliefs or opinions: a staunch defender of free speech. He was staunchly opposed to a public confession. She staunchly supports the party's candidates. staunch supporter/defender He is a staunch supporter of free trade. ) the bleeding, doctors noticed other problems: Ian's lung was punctured and he'd suffered a heart attack. They missed the alarming brain damage his drug use had done, but his survival was declared a miracle. "I spoke to the specialist police in child sex abuse and they fobbed me off 打发走, 敷衍," she explained. "They initially said, 'We need a first-hand account 本人陈述', and I said, 'Well, how do you investigate murders?' I spoke to Haileybury, who tried to buy me off by offering to name a sports scholarship in Ian's name. I didn't respond to the email. This is the school that Ian would not want to have anything to do with. "But, of course, they didn't want to talk about that at all. They deflect 转换话题. They ask what you want. 'How can we make you go away?'". Theoretically, if Ian's abuser had been sacked, as the school's then-principal Michael Aikman (who died in 2005) told Ian's parents in 1988, a paper trail must have survived. Not so, Karen was told in her communications with Haileybury. Around the time of the Haileybury abuse, I discovered, Ian had entrusted at least one of his school friends with a disclosure. Now a middle-aged man, that friend had shared the information with me. These twin tragedies, just 12 months apart, carried a payload of grief that obliterated 摧毁 the Walker family. Most importantly, he reconciles with his parents, planning a trip to their new home in Queensland. "He was really rapt ( rapt [ræpt] I. ​literary 万分感兴趣的. 兴趣十足的. 全神贯注的. 全情投入的. completely interested and involved in something. I noticed that everyone was watching me with rapt attention. Delegates sat in rapt silence as Mrs Fisher spoke. Phillips had a rapt expression on his face. He had held his audience rapt. ...listening raptly to stories about fascinating people. the audience's rapt attention. If someone watches or listens with rapt attention, they are extremely interested or fascinated. I noticed that everyone was watching me with rapt attention. Delegates sat in rapt silence as Mrs Fisher spoke. Phillips had a rapt expression on his face. He had held his audience rapt. ...listening raptly to stories about fascinating people. II. ​Australian​ informal = wrapped. very happy and pleased. ) at the thought of this," one of Ian's case workers later writes. "He felt this meant his family were beginning to trust him again." As August dawns, not even a pending court date for a shoplifting charge brings Ian down as much as it would have in the past, and his housemate is able to reassure him that things will be fine. As I sift through the material generated in the five years Karen and I spent trying to identify the Haileybury abuser, the predominant feeling is of frustration. How could it be, that at a school so proud of its former students and staff and so diligent 细致, 事无巨细 in its documentation 档案 of their achievements, that Ian's abuser didn't leap at us 没有那么明显 from the pages of Haileybury's annuals? And even accounting for 即便考虑到, 即便算上, 就算是 forgetfulness and inevitably fading memories, how could so many of Ian's friends not remember the name of this "swimming coach", even when presented with team photos and staff lists? Equally, the picture Ian's friend painted of the school's junior campus in those years was an unwholesome one. "I don't want to get Haileybury in trouble," he said. "But I think back in those days and as a young boy, it was a bit of a minefield with these guys around. There were active paedophiles in Haileybury, just pursuing boys quite openly when I look back at it." A lead that seemed important came from a former counsellor of Ian's, who remembered Ian admitting to travelling by train to a park near his abuser's house and sitting on a bench in the hope of catching the man coming or going. But my door-knock sessions at plausible addresses yielded nothing, ditto three trips up a precarious alpine road to find a former counsellor of Ian's, who'd apparently died between attempted visits two and three. There was more success exploring Ian's friend's adamance (adamance [ˈædəməns] = adamancy [ˈæd.ə.mən.si] a state of resoluteness. the quality of being impossible to persuade, or unwilling to change an opinion or decision: A spokesperson denied that the president's adamancy had caused a chill in relations between the two countries. Despite her earlier adamancy that she would see no one, she allowed us in. adamant [ˈæd.ə.mənt] 固执己见, 执拗 impossible to persuade, or unwilling to change an opinion or decision: I've told her she should stay at home and rest but she's adamant that she's coming. ) that a broader culture of sexual abuse had existed at Haileybury. Back in 2021, whereas the sexual abuse histories of numerous other Melbourne private schools had made constant media headlines, there was no hint of scandal about Haileybury. But a canvas of specialist 专门的, 专职, 专注于 law firms that handle historical 历史上的 sexual abuse cases revealed that numerous legal matters related to Haileybury were gathering steam. Serious allegations hovered over several former Haileybury teachers. But none of them were swimming coaches at the Brighton campus. Another explained that he'd been one of the few married teachers in those days, and that staff at the school's main campus in Keybsorough had referred to Brighton as "Queen's college" on account of its numerous gay and unmarried teachers. Leery ( leery [ˈlɪə.ri] I. 谨慎的, 意识到的, 小心的. not trusting someone or something and usually avoiding him, her, or it if possible. If you are leery of something, you are cautious and suspicious about it and try to avoid it. Executives say they are leery of the proposed system. They were leery about investing in a company controlled by a single individual. II. [disapproval] If someone looks or smiles at you in a leery way, they look or smile at you in an unpleasant way, usually because they are sexually interested in you. ...a leery grin. I've always been a little leery of authority figures. ) of the common homophobic conflation of homosexuality and paedophilia in the 1970s and 80s, I pushed him further: was there a suggestion of boys being targeted and abused? He couldn't think of any obvious candidates, explaining that any number of teachers could have been and were drafted into the duties of swimming coach. His final pertinent (pertinent [ˈpɜː(r)tɪnənt] 有关的, 有关系的, 相关的, 有关联的 relevant to something. Something that is pertinent is relevant to a particular subject. She had asked some pertinent questions. Pertinent information will be forwarded to the appropriate party. ...knowledge and skills pertinent to classroom teaching. 'If we pay players, how far do we go?' Gresson asked pertinently. Where had they learned all this, or, more pertinently, why had they remembered it? I do not see the pertinence of most of this material. He was determined to ask Mrs McMahon a few pertinent questions. pertinent to: information pertinent to the accident investigation. It's probably pertinent to point out that everyone on the show has full access to mental health professionals as well as support from the Warner Bros. Australia and Network 10 teams before, during and after production. ) observation muddied the waters even further: he distinctly recalled the constant, gushing staffroom chatter, from all directions. Ian has a productive session with the outreach worker, the kindly man who'd peeled him off a Fitzroy street three years earlier and has since done everything in his power to turn Ian's life around. With his Paddington bear duffel coat, thick biker beard and gravel voice, Michael Stretton is difficult to size up 看不透 at first glance, but his gnomic ( gnomic [ˈnəʊ.mɪk] used to describe something spoken or written that is short, mysterious, and not easily understood, but often seems wise. A gnomic remark is brief and seems wise but is difficult to understand. ...the somewhat gnomic utterances of John Maynard Keynes in his General Theory. Peter is always coming out with gnomic utterances/ pronouncements. ) wisdom and diffidence 害羞, 腼腆 ( the quality of being shy and not confident of your abilities: The biggest difficulty is overcoming natural British diffidence. There was a diffidence in her soft voice. diffident [ˈdɪfɪd(ə)nt] shy and not confident of your abilities. Someone who is diffident is rather shy and does not enjoy talking about themselves or being noticed by other people. Helen was diffident and reserved. He entered the room with a certain diffidence. 'Would you,' he asked diffidently, 'like to talk to me about it?' a diffident manner. diffident about You shouldn't be so diffident about your achievements - you've done really well! ) hint at his vast first-hand experience of life's darker side. Like Ian, Michael came from a respected family with high expectations. Scattered among the Stretton family tree were judges, high-ranking army officers, lawyers and public intellectuals. Michael's own career has been a patchwork of jobs that don't entirely jibe with personality( jibe = gibe n. 凶狠攻击的话. 恶狠狠的话. 狠话. an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect. A facetious or insulting remark; a jeer or taunt; v. To be in accord; agree 一致: Your figures jibe with mine. jibe with something [for something] to agree with something. Your story doesn't jibe with what we heard from the arresting officer. Her tale jibes with yours quite well.) and a few that do, like the years he spent counselling sexual abuse survivors at the Mayamurri healing centre. Its logo is tattooed on his body. He counselled, sadly, with a wealth of lived experience 亲身经历 to draw upon, thanks to the childhood degradations inflicted upon him by 'Uncle Harold' Greenwood, a war veteran who befriended Michael's father when they were members of the same Freemasonry Lodge. "A lot of my earliest memories are of Harold," Michael told me plainly when we sat down to discuss his life. Harold Greenwood's sexual abuse of Michael Stretton started, he figures, before he was old enough to retain memories 记事起, 不记事. In hindsight, Michael understands why their friendship splintered, why Ian was sometimes angry and mean, why it was natural that Michael eventually felt the "very distressing" need to pull back. He was only 19 on his final trip to see Ian at the new Walker family home in Bonbeach. Michael brought marijuana. Ian, already into heavier drugs, had sneered 轻蔑, 嗤之以鼻. Karen is surprised by his candour. "Uncharacteristically (uncharacteristically 不像他的, 和平常不一样的 doing something in a way that is not typical or usual for a person or thing. It describes behavior that deviates from the norm in a way that is not typical of someone: I noticed that this usually social young man was uncharacteristically silent. He looked down at his hands, uncharacteristically shy. ), he talks about his drug problem, which he rarely acknowledges to me, and about being knocked down by a car, which apparently led to him being admitted here," Karen writes. "I've been sectioned 圈住了, you know … I can't leave even if I wanted to. I must have overdosed on the drugs I was taking … I can't remember coming here". "I don't know what to do to help him either. What can I say?" Indeed, there are no grand plans to be hatched, no fists driven into tabletops, like in the Hollywood version, only the poorly timed 不合时宜的, 不凑巧的 appearance of a dishevelled woman in a dressing gown, who interrupts Ian's emotional outpouring and asks for change to use the phone. "Sorry, I don't have any money," says Ian, sympathetic and kind. "Why don't you call reverse charges?" But at first, it was Karen, not me, explaining to Michael that he needn't have subjected himself to decades of blame and self-recrimination 自责. The closeness and rapport they developed almost immediately was a huge relief. Like Michael, Karen had spent a decent portion of his career helping people who suffered from mental health crises. With their combined skills, they could offer one another much-needed emotional ballast( ballast [bæl.əst] I. 压载. Ballast is any substance that is used in ships or hot-air balloons to make them heavier and more stable. Ballast usually consists of water, sand, or iron. heavy matter such as sand, stone, or water that is used at the bottom of a ship or a hot-air balloon to make it heavier, or the small stones on which railways and roads are made: The weed may have been accidentally imported in soil used as ship ballast. A ship sailing with an empty hold will have filled its ballast tanks at its source port. II. 精神依靠. 精神支柱. 定海神针. 中流砥柱. 顶梁柱. 主心骨. 定盘星 something that helps someone or something to succeed, especially by keeping them or it under control, or making them or it more serious: He needed his platoon mates around him. They were his ballast. The team is struggling because of a shortage of the ballast that senior players provide. wiki: Ballast is dense material used as a weight to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability. A compartment within a boat, ship, submarine, or other floating structure that holds water is called a ballast tank. Water can be moved in and out from the ballast tank to balance the ship. In a vessel that travels on the water, the ballast will be kept below the water level, to counteract the effects of weight above the water level. The ballast may be redistributed in the vessel or disposed of altogether to change its effects on the movement of the vessel. ). Immediately, Karen became calmer and more confident. Despite the enormous emotional damage he'd sustained himself, Michael was sensitive and emotionally perceptive, anticipating and ameliorating ( ameliorate [əˈmiːl.jə.reɪt] 扭转, 好转, 缓解, 缓和, 中和 to make a bad or unpleasant situation better. If someone or something ameliorates a situation, they make it better or easier in some way. Nothing can be done to ameliorate the situation. He expected me to do something to ameliorate his depression. ...a demand for amelioration of conditions. Foreign aid is badly needed to ameliorate the effects of the drought. vocabulary: To ameliorate is to step in and make a bad situation better. You could try introducing a second lollipop to ameliorate a battle between two toddlers over a single lollipop. The verb ameliorate comes from the Latin word meliorare, meaning "improve." Food drives can ameliorate hunger. An air conditioner can ameliorate the discomfort of a stiflingly hot summer day. A sympathy card can ameliorate grief. Family therapy can ameliorate severe sibling rivalry. Anything that can lift a burden or make something better can ameliorate.) many of Karen's most difficult moments. In Karen's comments about Michael, I soon recognised the blossoming of a love that ran deep and defied the labels we usually place on romantic couples. But Karen and Michael did become a couple. They began referring to each other as "my partner". It was not a typical love story, but boy was it a relief that they had each other. In the last five years, Karen has blossomed into a relentless and formidable advocate, not just for Ian but many other survivors and victims of sexual abuse. One particular focus has been to dismantle the institutional roadblocks faced by secondary victims in families like hers. Most gamely 大胆的, 有胆识的, 勇敢的, in seeking Ian's criminal history to help us piece together a timeline of his desperate final decade, Karen took the FOI department of Victoria Police to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). Karen self-represented, significantly increasing a heavy workload that began with a 9,000-word written statement. The case hinged on the fact that Karen was not Ian's "senior next of kin". At length, she explained that in her parents' stead, and by then with her mother's approval (they had spoken, cordially, for the first time in decades) she was seeking important information that would help piece together her brother's life. It was a story she was certain that Ian would want told. It nagged 烦恼不已, 纠缠着我, 挥之不去 at Karen that 摆脱不掉 Ian might have confronted the Haileybury abuser in such a way that it had prompted interactions with police, and that details of such a confrontation might remain on file. In what she came to view as a pointless administrative cruelty, Karen lost. When her appeal failed too, the police minister and attorney-general were unwilling to intervene. For Karen, such drawn-out fiascos have been far too common. As in Karen's story Missing Person, it is the unadorned 没有修饰的, 赤裸裸的 details of the train driver's four-paragraph statement that haunt. Others spoke of Ian's limitless potential, his devilish grin 坏笑( devilish I. extremely difficult or clever. You can use devilish to emphasize how extreme or difficult something is. ...a devilish puzzle. It is devilishly painful. I'd been devilish lucky. a devilish problem. devilish cunning. II. morally bad but in an attractive way, slightly bad, but sometimes in an amusing way. a devilish grin. III. A devilish idea or action is cruel or unpleasant. ...the devilish destructiveness of modern weapons. ), their sorrow at not realising the source of his teenage angst. Ian's younger cousin, Tina, remembered her early childhood obsession with Ian, and how a family member pulled her aside and explained that she was probably not going to be able to marry her cousin. I cannot bring myself to blame Karen that her longstanding mistrust of Haileybury College has, over the last five years, festered into a seething contempt 鄙视. But occasionally, I played devil's advocate and asked: is it possible they genuinely don't know who did this to Ian? This quest for the truth did nothing less than wreak emotional havoc in Karen and Michael's lives. Almost inevitably, the precarious combination of grief and love that brought them together eventually drove them back apart. Perhaps it was inevitable that a love forged in such circumstances would flame out 熄灭, 灰飞烟灭. But it leaves both short on support, and their respective legal matters — Karen's against her former employer, Michael's against the Freemasons — are unresolved. For me, having taken on dozens of similar stories in the meantime, there have been entailments 必然关系 ( the relationship between two statements when for one to be true, the other must also be true. a relationship between propositions such that one must be true if the others are. Cause and effect = causal [ˈkɔː.zəl] relationship. causal relationship, link, etc. a relationship, link, etc. between two things in which one causes the other: Is there a causal relationship between violence on television and violent behaviour? There is no causal relationship between the two. The two are not causally linked. We need to distinguish between correlation 相关性 and causation. 佛教中的因果关系: Karma / the law of cause and effect in Buddhism. ) predictable to anyone with knowledge of historical child sexual abuse and its investigation: depression, anxiety, a good old-fashioned nervous breakdown. I respected their courage and did my best to honour it by probing institutions, seeking out witnesses, collating documents and writing stories. Sometimes it helped. Often it fell on deaf ears. Occasionally it felt like I'd merely raked up 激起悲惨往事 miseries best left in the past. Like all of Ian's other friends, the man had never known the precise circumstances of Ian's death and was tentatively ( tentatively I. in a way that shows you are not certain or confident: "I have come to see Mrs Edgerton," she said 犹犹豫豫的 tentatively. II. in a way that may be changed later: The project, tentatively called Viva, is in the early design stages. The meeting has been tentatively scheduled for next week. tentative I. (of a plan or idea) not certain or agreed, or (of a suggestion or action) said or done in a careful but uncertain way because you do not know if you are right, not certain or agreed: The car company and the union reached a tentative agreement. a tentative deal/plan/settlement. The proposals are tentative and subject to bargaining. tentative plan I have tentative plans to take a trip to Seattle in July. tentative agreement. tentative deal. tentative step. II. 小心翼翼的, 谨慎的 said or done in a careful way because you do not know if you are right: While analysts are tentative at the moment, they remain basically optimistic. The company began last year to take tentative steps towards a flotation. ) eager to hear them. When my summary was over, he was so overcome with sadness and delayed grief, he pushed his chair back and strode away from the cafe and out of sight. Another male member of staff complained to me that Rhys had propositioned (proposition [ˌprɒp.əˈzɪʃ.ən] noun. I. 商业提案. 商业提议. an offer or suggestion, usually in business. a suggestion or statement for consideration: The chairman was advised that it was a risky business proposition. He wrote to me last week regarding a business proposition he thought might interest me. I've put my proposition to the company director for his consideration. an offer or suggestion about a business activity: put/make a proposition to sb I've put my proposition to the company director for his consideration. accept/back/consider a proposition I need more time to consider your proposition. The line, which has advanced high-speed InterCity trains, is considered to be a highly attractive proposition for the private sector. a risky/viable proposition. a business/investment proposition. a commercial/economic proposition. II. an idea or opinion. a statement containing an idea or opinion: The proposition that the real rate of interest will be lower in future because of lower and more stable inflation is a myth. They were debating the proposition that "All people are created equal". III. mathematics, language specialized a statement or problem that must be solved or proved to be true or not true: Pythagoras's theorem is the mathematical proposition that in any right-angled triangle, the square on the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares on the other two sides. IV. politics US specialized in some states of the United States, a new plan that is voted on by the people of a state. in the US, a suggested change to state law that is voted on by people living in that state: proposition to do sth A proposition to increase the sales tax by a quarter cent to fund parks projects passed by 33 votes. He proposed an unsuccessful state proposition 提案. Under Proposition 71, the state will commit $3 billion to studying stem cells over the next 10 years. verb. I. to ask someone who you are not in a relationship with if they would like to have sex with you: I was propositioned by a complete stranger. ) him. Official views on such matters were much less tolerant in those days and he was required to leave at the end of the year. But Walkley had not even seen out送走 the 1981 school year. I found a newspaper advertisement for his job during the mid-year school holidays, in July, 1981; Aldred confirmed it meant Walkley had departed mid-year, with unusual abruptness.