用法学习: 1. leaven [ˈlev.ən] I. to add a substance to bread or another food made with flour to make it increase in size when it is cooked. II. to make something less serious or boring: leavened with humour 淡化, 调侃, 轻松 If a situation or activity is leavened by or with something, it is made more interesting or cheerful. His mood of deep pessimism cannot have been leavened by his mode of transport–a black cab. He found congenial officers who knew how to leaven war's rigours with riotous enjoyment. Even a speech on a serious subject should be leavened with a little humour. But Charles leavened his critique by showing deep respect for his hosts. He quoted Trump saying that the "bond of kinship" between the US and UK is "priceless and eternal." And his speech was replete [ɪˈpliːt] with praise for American historic achievements. And the harder edges were softened by the choreographed [kɒr.i.ə.ɡrɑːf] pomp of a state visit that reciprocates a trip by Trump last year. Paraphrasing President Theodore Roosevelt, the king was speaking softly while carrying a big scepter. congenial [kənˈdʒiniəl] 宜人的, 怡人的 I. friendly and enjoying the company of others. A congenial person, place, or environment is pleasant. He is back in more congenial company. II. a congenial situation is pleasant, friendly, and enjoyable. note: Congenial describes a person, place, or thing that is pleasant, friendly, and well-suited to one’s tastes or needs. It implies a harmonious or compatible nature, such as a "congenial atmosphere" or "congenial company". The term often suggests shared interests or a pleasant, sociable temperament. uncongenial [ʌnkəndʒiːniəl] 不友善的, 不友好的, 不让人愉悦的, 让人不快的, 让人不舒服的, 让人不爽的, 让人不痛快的, 让人痛苦的 If you describe a person or place as uncongenial, you mean that they are unfriendly and unpleasant. He continued to find the Simpsons uncongenial bores. Hollywood was an uncongenial place to work. congeniality People who have the quality of congeniality 亲善, 亲切友好, 平易近人 have a gift for getting along with others. They are warm, friendly, and probably well-suited to serve on welcoming committees. The noun congeniality is closely related to the word geniality, which means "friendliness." The noun congeniality is closely related to the word geniality, which means "friendliness." Congeniality can be defined the same way, but the Latin prefix con, or "with," adds a sense of connection to other people. If you can't get elected as Prom Queen, strive for the title "Miss Congeniality." In beauty pageants such as the Miss America pageant, it's an award given to the friendliest contestant as determined by a vote among the contestants. "Congenial" means friendly, welcoming, amiable. Congeniality is the quality of being friendly or welcoming. It can apply to persons (e.g., a congenial fellow) or it can be used in a more abstract sense (e.g., a congenial atmosphere).Congenial describes a person, place, or thing that is pleasant, friendly, and well-suited to one’s tastes or needs. It implies a harmonious or compatible nature, such as a "congenial atmosphere" or "congenial company". The term often suggests shared interests or a pleasant, sociable temperament. collegiality [ˌkɑlidʒˈæləti] 同事关系 the quality of being relaxed, friendly, and cooperative, as is typical among a group of close colleagues. The regular meeting schedule builds a sense of collegiality among the teachers. congenital [kənˈdʒenɪt(ə)l] 天生的, 与生俱来的, 胎里带的, 先天性的 I. a congenital medical condition is one that a person has had since they were born. II. if someone has a congenital fault, they have always had it. He's a congenital 天生的, 与生俱来的 liar. 2. conning tower [ˈkɒnɪŋ ˌtaʊə] 司令塔, 指挥塔 a structure on top of a submarine (= a ship that can travel underwater) or, in the past, a military ship, from which the ship can be controlled and that contains a periscope (= a device for seeing what is above you). A conning tower is an armored, raised structure on submarines and, historically, battleships, used as a protected command post for steering, navigation, and weapon control. Submarine conning towers (often called a "sail" or "fin" in modern designs) typically house periscopes, radar, and torpedo control systems, serving as the primary combat station. A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armoured, from which an officer in charge can conn (conduct or control) the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for the ship's engine, rudder, lines, and ground tackle. It is usually located as high on the ship as is practical, to give the conning team good visibility of the entirety of the ship, ocean conditions, and other vessels. The conning tower of the sub slowly emerged from the water. 3. In US politics, "86" is slang for removing, getting rid of, or rejecting a politician, often carrying connotations of forced removal or, in extreme interpretations, elimination. It is commonly used in phrases like "8647" to imply removing the 47th President (Donald Trump), used by critics to signify political ousting or, as argued by some, a threat of violence. Eighty-six or 86 is American English slang, generally meaning to "get rid of" someone or something. In the hospitality industry, it is used to indicate that an item is no longer available, traditionally from a food or drinks establishment, or referring to a person or people who are not welcome on the premises. Its etymology is unknown, but the term seems to have been coined in the 1920s or 1930s. The term eighty-six is used in restaurants and bars, according to most American slang dictionaries. It is often used in food and drink services to indicate that an item is no longer available or that a customer should be ejected. Beyond this context, it is generally used with the meaning to "get rid of" someone or something. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the term as to "refuse to serve (a customer)", or to "get rid of" or "throw out" someone or something. While the former FBI director James Comey has said it did not occur to him that that the numbers “86 47” – which he spotted spelled out in seashells on a beach, and posted on social media last year – could be interpreted as a call to assassinate the president, as many supporters of Donald Trump have claimed, he now faces criminal charges tied to the shells. On Tuesday, Comey was charged over the picture he posted on Instagram last year. The charges mark the latest instance in which Trump’s justice department has used its power to target the US president’s political enemies. The controversy revolves around the meaning of 86, which is common slang for stopping or getting rid of something, typically old equipment; not serving someone, for example in a restaurant; being ejected from somewhere, such as a bar; or, in a military context, stopping a plan or mission. (The number 47 could be understood to indicate Trump, the 47th president.) Merriam-Webster notes that 86 has very occasionally been used to mean “to kill” but said it did not endorse that meaning “due to its relative recency and sparseness of use”. There are differing etymologies 词源 of where the term “86” or to be “86’d” originates. The most common origin story involves Chumley’s, a prohibition-era bar at 86 Barrow Street in New York’s West Village. The bar had two entrances, one on Barrow and another via Bedford, and “86” referred to the address of the door from which intoxicated or unruly guests would be ejected. A different version of the story, narrated by the author Jef Klein in The History and Stories of the Best Bars of New York, says that when “the cops would very kindly call ahead before a [prohibition-era] raid, they’d tell the bartender to ‘86’ his customers, meaning they should exit via the 86 Bedford door” while cops came in through the Barrow Street entrance. 4. flummoxed [ˈflʌm.əkst] 困惑的, 迷惘的, 不解的, 不明白的 so confused that you do not know what to do. perplexed or bewildered No wonder Josef was feeling a bit flummoxed. He looked completely flummoxed. Doctors were flummoxed by the boy's symptoms. I have to say that last question flummoxed me. "I'm always flummoxed how travelling on the taxpayer's dime is morally correct, but on a supporter's dime covers for a maligned purpose," he said. Mr Joyce said he had been lobbied by members of the public when on a commercial flight, when explaining why a private plane was needed. 5. US - UK special relationship: In a leaked audio recording of Sir Christian's meeting with UK sixth-form students visiting the US, he can be heard saying: "'Special relationship' is a phrase I try not to utter because it's quite nostalgic, it's quite backwards-looking, and it has a lot of sort of baggage about it." "I think there is probably one country that has a special relationship with the United States, and that is probably Israel," he said. This is awkward timing for the King, who is in the US to try to bolster the UK-US "special relationship" at time when relations between Donald Trump and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer are at a low ebb 在低潮期. In the recording, Sir Christian also said the US and the UK shared "a deep history and affinity", particularly on security and defence, and noted their economies were "very close". "There are things we do together that no two other countries do." He said he did not believe the UK and the US were in a "moment of rupture 破裂期, 破碎期 (A "moment of rupture" refers to a sudden, intense interruption in continuity, marking a break in safety, stability, or historical flow, often leading to deep transformation or crisis. It encompasses both material failures and profound shifts in perception or political history. )" but that "we're certainly at the end of an era, and the era is changing". "And my advice to my prime minister is 'I can't just put my hands on my ears and say it's special, it's going to be fine,' we've got to work really clearly to see what we the UK bring to the table." It is understood that diplomats no longer use the phrase the "special relationship", a term some view as outdated. Former foreign secretary Jack Straw told BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight programme that Sir Christian was "absolutely right" to say Israel has a special relationship with the US. "The United States subsidises Israel's military spending, including its spending on United States armaments, and that alone makes the relationship special," Straw said. He added that he was "uncomfortable" using the phrase "special relationship" during his tenure as foreign secretary and would like to see it "cosigned to the bin 丢进垃圾桶 ( cosign kənˈsaɪn] I. to send something to someone. to give or send, or to put someone in an unpleasant place or situation. To consign something or someone to a place or situation where they will be forgotten or do not want to be means to put them there 丢到, 陷入. For decades, many of his works were consigned to the basements of museums. It was time to consign his bat and glove to the cupboard. It seemed that the custom of riding side-saddle would be consigned to history. She refused to consign her children to a life of poverty. be consigned to sb The goods have been consigned to you by air. II. to give something to an auctioneer and ask them to sell it for you: Most items that you consign to us for sale will be illustrated in our online catalogue. consign someone/something to something to get rid of someone or something or to put him, her, or it in an unpleasant place or situation: to be consigned to prison. After the financial disaster, she was consigned to a life of poverty. consignee [ˌkɒn.saɪˈniː] 收件人, 收货人 the person something is sent to: Goods must be signed for by the consignee. If the consignee refuses the goods, the carrier will ask the sender for instructions. ) ". In response to Sir Christian's comments on Israel, Lord Darroch said it was "hard to see anyone disagreeing with any of it" as it has been "the conversation in corridors ( the corridors of power = halls of power 掌权阶层 the higher levels of government where the most important decisions are made. the higher echelons of government, the Civil Service, etc, considered as the location of power and influence. The places or positions occupied by those with authority, especially in the upper levels of government. I want to be in the corridors of power someday—I'm sick of having to take orders from other people. Ordinary people don't make the laws, though—that's reserved for the people in the corridors of power. Well, if you make it all the way to the corridors of power, you too can boss people around one day. ) across Westminster". 6. aphrodisiac [ˌafrəˈdɪziak] 催情药, 催情剂, 春药, 激发性欲的药品(或食物), 引起性欲的 noun. An aphrodisiac is a substance—such as food, drink, or medication—believed to increase sexual desire, arousal, pleasure, or performance. Derived from the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, these substances can be natural (e.g., oysters, chocolate) or synthetic (e.g., Viagra). They often work by increasing blood flow, neurotransmitters, or hormonal levels. something, usually a drug or food, that is believed to cause sexual desire in people: Asparagus is reputed to be an aphrodisiac. Are oysters really an aphrodisiac? They say that power is an aphrodisiac. adj. 有催情作用的. 有催情功能的. 催情的. belonging or relating to an aphrodisiac: the aphrodisiac properties of champagne. ...plants with narcotic or aphrodisiac qualities. narcotic [nɑːˈkɒt.ɪk] 催眠药, 麻醉药 noun I. (US) 毒品. an illegal drug such as heroin or cocaine. You can also use narcotics, especially in American English, to mean any kind of illegal drug. He was indicted for dealing in narcotics. He appears to be high on some sort of narcotic. He faces three years in jail for selling narcotics. II. medical specialized a drug that makes you want to sleep and prevents you feeling pain. Narcotics are drugs such as opium or heroin which make you sleepy and stop you feeling pain. Morphine is a narcotic. adjective 催眠的. relating to drugs that make you want to sleep and prevent pain. If something, especially a drug, has a narcotic effect, it makes the person who uses it feel sleepy. ...hormones that have a narcotic effect on the immune system. narcotic drugs. a narcotic effect. narcotic painkillers. 7. find/take shelter 避险, 躲一下, 躲藏, 避难, 藏身 to go somewhere for cover and protection from danger, bad weather, etc. to protect yourself from bad weather, danger, or attack: find/take shelter in We took shelter for the night in an abandoned house. I took shelter under a tree until the rain passed. They took shelter behind a wall. The children took shelter under tables during the tornado watch. Eventually they found shelter in a barn. I assume they found shelter somewhere. They found/took shelter in a cave during the storm. "Where can I take shelter from the rain 躲雨, 避雨?" "Where can I get out of the rain?" The 29-year-old told the BBC that she took shelter in 躲在, 躲着 a nearby bookshop and saw the suspect run past in the direction of the North Circular Road. 8. despot [ˈdɛspɒt] A despot is a ruler or leader holding absolute power, typically exercising it in a cruel, oppressive, or tyrannical manner. It describes an autocrat who abuses authority, often used for dictators, and historically referred to a Byzantine title of high rank. a person, especially a ruler, who has unlimited power over other people, and often uses it unfairly and cruelly: an evil despot. The king was regarded as having been an enlightened despot. He is the despot against whom they rebelled. despotic [desˈpɑt̬·ɪk, dɪs-] 专制的 adj. having unlimited power over other people, and often using it unfairly and cruelly: a despotic government/regime. A handful of corrupt and despotic leaders make the decisions. a despotic regime. 9. tidy I. having everything ordered and arranged in the right place, or liking to keep things like this: The house was clean and tidy. My flatmate isn't very tidy. neat and tidy. a tidy solution. II. tidy sum (of amounts of money) large: His business deals make him a tidy sum. He sold the house for a tidy (= large) sum. If federal and state governments had put a share of their windfall revenue into a foreign currency future fund, thereby taking advantage of record-high mineral prices and the soaring Australian dollar, they would have amassed 聚敛财富 a tidy fortune. noun. a desk, car, sink, etc. tidy 收纳盒, 收纳箱 a small container for a few objects, that makes it easier for you to keep your desk, car, etc. tidy. princely adj. I. like a prince, being a prince, or relating to a prince or princes: The rich merchants lived and entertained in a princely manner. By the autumn of 1559, several princely suitors were vying for Elizabeth's hand in marriage. The neighbourhoods north of the Forbidden City have imperial parks and lakes, temples and towers, and princely mansions. II. used to describe a large amount of money: They were given false promises of princely wages to clear trees from the rainforest. princely sum He offered a £250 reward, a princely sum of money in 1929. the princely sum of 可怜的一笔钱 humorous used to refer to a surprisingly small amount of money: She acquired the painting at a jumble sale for the princely sum of 25p. John Lancaster managed the day-to-day running of the tramway, for which he was paid the princely sum of £1-15 shillings a week. I worked for three whole weeks for which I received the princely (= very low) sum of $100. princely state an Indian state that was ruled by a prince, although influenced and advised by Britain, before the Indian Independence Act of 1947. There were 565 princely states when the Indian subcontinent gained independence from Britain in August 1947. Patel was known for consolidating the princely states into the Indian union. 10. The artichoke [ˈɑːtɪtʃəʊk] (食托菜蓟, 雅枝竹, 菜蓟)(The artichoke is actually the bud of a thistle—a flower. The leaves (called "bracts") cover a fuzzy center called the "choke", which sits on top of a meaty core, called the "heart". ) (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus)is a variety of a species of thistle 蓟花 ( A thistle is a wild plant which has leaves with sharp points and purple flowers. The thistle is the national emblem of Scotland. New thistles begin as small prickly rosettes flat on the ground. ) cultivated as food. The edible portion of the plant consists of the flower buds before the flowers come into bloom. The budding artichoke flower-head is a cluster of many budding small flowers (an inflorescence), together with many bracts, on an edible base(bract: a specialized leaf, usually smaller than the foliage leaves, with a single flower or inflorescence growing in its axil. a type of leaf that grows from the area just below a flower and is sometimes different in shape or colour from the main leaves: Poinsettias are popular for their attractive red bracts. foliage [foʊliɪdʒ] The leaves of a plant are referred to as its foliage. the leaves of a plant or tree, or leaves on the stems or branches on which they are growing: dense foliage The dense foliage overhead almost blocked out the sun. ...shrubs with grey or silver foliage. ). Once the buds bloom, the structure changes to a coarse, barely edible form. Another variety of the same species is the cardoon, a perennial plant native to the Mediterranean region. Both wild forms and cultivated varieties (cultivars) exist. The heart is completely edible (and amazingly delicious). The fuzzy 有绒毛的, 毛茸茸的, 毛绒绒的, 有毛的 ( The fuzzy melon is the younger version of a winter melon 冬瓜. It is significantly smaller than a mature winter melon, which does not have hairy skin. Winter melon and fuzzy melon are often used interchangeably in recipes. Fuzzy melon is slightly sweeter than winter melon, but they both absorb the taste of other ingredients when cooked in soups and stir-fries.) choke is too fibrous 太多纤维的, 太柴了([ˈfaɪ.brəs] Food that is fibrous contains fibre. made of fibres, or like fibre. ) to eat in regular artichokes, but edible in baby artichokes. All but the innermost leaves are tough and you have to scrape 剥掉, 剥落, 剔掉, 剔除 them with your teeth to eat the tender parts. 11. animus [ˈæn.ɪ.məs] 敌对态度, 敌意, 恨意 a feeling of hate or anger towards someone or something: He harbours no animus toward his rival. animosity [ˌæn.ɪˈmɒs.ə.ti] 敌对事态, 敌对情绪 strong dislike, opposition, or anger: Of course we're competitive, but there's no personal animosity between us. In spite of his injuries, he bears no animosity towards his attackers. The European Community helped France and Germany forget the old animosities between them. Animosity: the feeling of hostility, more emotional. Purely an English word in common everyday usage. A straightforward word meaning strong hostility, active dislike, or ill will toward someone. It's the feeling you have when you genuinely resent or antagonize someone. "There was clear animosity between the two rivals". Animus: more about the underlying motivation or intent behind hostility, slightly colder and more deliberate. More nuanced and used in a few distinct contexts: In everyday/legal English, animus means a hostile attitude or intent — similar to animosity but slightly more formal and often implying motivated hostility. In legal contexts it can specifically refer to discriminatory intent (e.g. "the decision was made with racial animus"). In Jungian psychology, animus has a completely different meaning — it refers to the unconscious masculine side of a woman's psyche (the counterpart being the "anima," the feminine side in a man). Carl Jung used it as a technical term for inner psychological archetypes. So you might say someone acted with animus (intent) which resulted in animosity (emotional tension) between two parties. They're related but animus is more clinical and animus carries that extra layer of psychological or legal weight. 12. Situation awareness or situational awareness 观察环境, 注意环境, is the understanding of an environment, its elements, and how it changes with respect to time or other factors. It is also defined as the perception of the elements in the environment considering time and space, the understanding of their meaning, and the prediction of their status in the near future. It is also defined as adaptive, externally-directed consciousness focused on acquiring knowledge about a dynamic task environment and directed action within that environment. Situation awareness is recognized as a critical foundation for successful decision making in many situations, including the ones which involve the protection of human life and property, such as law enforcement, aviation, air traffic control, ship navigation, health care, emergency response, military command and control operations, transmission system operators, self defense, and offshore oil and nuclear power plant management. Inadequate situation awareness has been identified as one of the primary causal factors in accidents attributed to human error. According to Endsley's situation awareness theory, when someone meets a dangerous situation, that person needs an appropriate and a precise decision-making process which includes pattern recognition and matching, formation of sophisticated frameworks and fundamental knowledge that aids correct decision making.
挪威和澳大利亚对比 What Australia could have learnt from Norway's sovereign wealth bonanza: University of New South Wales economist Richard Holden said the rules and norms around global trade and economics had changed as some countries looked to exert power. There have also been a number of government bail-outs for metal facilities. Some of the interventions were necessary, according to University of Sydney's Lian Sinclair, who specialises in critical minerals. "That type of assistance is really needed because most of these minerals are really uncertain [and] opaque global markets," she said. "So, there's a role for public intervention to de-risk the market." But Dr Sinclair said the risk was not being shared. "The state is accepting all of that downside risk, but very little of the upside potential," she said. In 1969, Norway discovered one of the world's largest offshore oilfields in the North Sea. Initially, foreign companies held responsibility for developing the first gas and oil fields. But the Norwegian government later took a bigger stake in the proceeds from its resources, gaining a 50 per cent ownership interest in every production licence. By 1996, the government had established its sovereign wealth fund. It now owns almost 1.5 per cent of all shares in the world's listed companies. Decades on, the revenue from oil and gas make up less than half of the value of the fund with the bulk of it coming from investments in equities, real estate and renewable energy infrastructure. Australia's sovereign wealth fund, the Future Fund, is ranked about 16th behind other fossil fuel rich nations such as Norway, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The really big lesson from Norway is not the size of its trillion-dollar fund; it is the way every single krone of surplus revenue has been converted into foreign currency. Norway has a commodity-based economy like Australia's, but it has built a giant hedge to help manage the boom times and protect against the inevitable periods of subdued commodity prices. This explains why Norway is a creditor nation that has almost doubled its net foreign assets to around 185 per cent of GDP since 2010. That is the equivalent of Australia having amassed net foreign assets worth $3 trillion; instead, we owe the world $1 trillion. Even though China's demand for coal and iron ore may have peaked, India is likely to sustain demand for these key commodities for many years to come. A period of low commodity prices provides an opportunity to introduce such a reform, notwithstanding the likely backlash from a diminished mining industry. Second, this revenue should be channelled into a foreign currency fund to hedge against the next commodity downturn. The Labor government did try to introduce a super-profits tax in 2010, which treasury sources said could have raised $100 billion over a decade. This income was not earmarked for a sovereign wealth fund, but would at least have delivered more of the profit to the nation, rather than to the mostly foreign-owned mining corporations. However, the design of the tax was overly complex and its hasty introduction allowed the mining companies to ambush the government. In what must be one of the most comprehensive policy defeats since Federation, the miners knocked off the prime minister and then killed the tax, thanks in part to an advertising blitz costing a mere $22 million. Research commissioned by Big Dirt showed that the ads' rhetoric convinced the Australian people that the nation's prosperity was dependent on its lightly taxed mining sector. (Stock-exchange data indicates that the effective tax rate on the resources sector is around 30 per cent, less than half Norway's rate, and lower even than that of some emerging economies.).
sovereign wealth fund 主权财富基金: A sovereign wealth fund (SWF), or sovereign investment fund, is a state-owned investment fund that invests in real and financial assets such as stocks, bonds, real estate, precious metals, or in alternative investments such as private equity funds or hedge funds. Sovereign wealth funds invest globally. Most SWFs are funded by revenues from commodity exports or from foreign exchange reserves held by the central bank. Some sovereign wealth funds may be held by a central bank, which accumulates the funds in the course of its management of a nation's banking system; this type of fund is usually of major economic and fiscal importance. Other sovereign wealth funds are simply the state savings that are invested by various entities for investment return, and that may not have a significant role in fiscal management. SWFs are primarily commodity-based and many have been established by oil-rich states. SWFs of China are a notable exception to this more typical model. Other reasons for creating SWFs may be economic, or strategic, such as war chests for uncertain times(war chest 钱袋子, 小金库 money that has been collected or saved to pay for something, especially a long fight to achieve something: The candidates are gathering money for their election war chests. wiki: A war chest is a metaphor for any collection of tools or money intended to be used in a challenging or dangerous situation. Historically, it referred to an actual chest located in the homes or barracks of soldiers or military leadership, in which arms and armor were stored. Traveling armies, such as that of Hannibal, collected the spoils of war and used them to negotiate with others to resolve conflicts through economic exchange rather than violence. In the modern era, the term refers to amassed funds, expertise, and/or equipment which allows a person or organization to survive a challenging situation. In politics, a war chest is funding obtained from donors well in advance of a campaign, usually accumulated by an incumbent for either re-election or to contest a more advanced office, or provided by a wealthy candidate to their own campaign. The possession of such excess funds may discourage otherwise viable candidates from a primary or general election challenge. In arms and armor, a war chest 武器库 is a container for the personal weapons and protective gear of a
citizen-soldier, kept in the household, and is the origin of the term.
The term's modern meaning originates with the medieval practice of
having a chest, literally, filled with money to open in time of war. In business a war chest, or cash mountain is a stash of money set aside to deal with unexpected changes in the business environment, or to use when expansion possibilities arise. Today companies can use accumulated cash or rely on quickly raised debt which costs less to carry when you do not need it. This is not always a reasonable substitute, as the credit available to a company typically drops as a result of the same actions that require the war chest to be opened. The Future Fund 澳大利亚的主权财富基金 is an independently managed sovereign wealth fund established in 2006 to strengthen the Australian Government's long-term financial position by making provision for unfunded superannuation liabilities for public servants that will become payable during a period when an ageing population is likely to place significant pressure on the Commonwealth's finances. ). For example, the Kuwait Investment Authority during the Gulf War managed excess reserves above the level needed for currency reserves (although many central banks do that now). The Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, Temasek ([təˈmɑːseɪk]) 淡马锡控股 Holdings, or Mubadala are partially the expression of a desire to bolster their countries' standing as an international financial centre. The Korea Investment Corporation has since been similarly managed. Sovereign wealth funds invest in all types of companies and assets, including startups like Xiaomi and renewable energy companies like Bloom Energy. According to a 2014 study, SWFs are not created for reasons related to reserve accumulation and commodity-export specialization. Rather, the diffusion of SWF can best be understood as a fad whereby certain governments consider it fashionable to create SWFs and are influenced by what their peers are doing.
Does fashion really dress like 'The Devil Wears Prada'? When "The Devil Wears Prada" was released in 2006, it won over countless fans: critics adored how it spikily 尖刻的, 尖锐的( I. Something that is spiky has one or more sharp points. Her short spiky hair is damp with sweat. ...tall, spiky evergreen trees. II. British informal ill-tempered. easily annoyed and not polite: a spiky teenager. III. characterized by violent or aggressive methods. spiky protestors. ) satirized the sudsy ( sudsy [ˈsʌd.zi] 充满泡泡的 full of or like suds or froth; foamy. covered in soap bubbles. ) but serious business of fashion magazine publishing; Meryl Streep, playing formidable magazine editor Miranda Priestly, and costume designer Patricia Field (who also masterminded the looks on "Sex and the City") earned Academy Award nominations; and the film grossed over $300 million. But fashion insiders were not among the reverent. Not only did Anna Wintour, upon whom Miranda is based, ignore the 2003 book — "I cannot remember who that girl is," she said to a colleague upon learning that her former assistant, Lauren Weisberger, was publishing a novel based on her time as the Vogue editor's underling — but she glided above ( glide across (something) 滑过 To move across a surface or area in a very smooth manner, similar to floating. Those ballroom dancers are very talented—they just seem to glide across the dance floor! A: "Wow, how do you just glide across the ice like that? You make it look so easy." B: "Well, I did grow up ice skating." We stood on the footbridge and watched the swans glide across the water. glide 滑过, 飘过 I. If you glide somewhere, you move silently and in a smooth and effortless way. to move easily without stopping and without effort or noise: She came gliding gracefully into the ballroom in a long, flowing gown. I love my new pen - it just glides across/over the paper. Waiters glide between tightly packed tables bearing trays of pasta. II. When birds or aeroplanes glide, they float on air currents. ... the albatross, which glides effortlessly and gracefully behind the yacht. to fly by floating on air currents instead of using power from wings or an engine: We saw a condor gliding high above the mountains. glide through Unlike other spacecraft, the shuttle can glide back through the atmosphere, land safely, and be reused. III. to move or progress without difficulty or effort: Some people glide effortlessly through life with no real worries. ) the film's existence while nonetheless benefitting from its chilly portrait. She eventually attended a screening, wearing Prada. The clothes, though, were a particular pain point 痛点 for the industry. In 2006, The New York Times interviewed fashion figures who griped about 吐槽 the costumes, which comprised head-to-toe Chanel outfits and ladylike coats for Anne Hathaway as Miranda's hapless assistant Andy, and several enormous furs and aviator frames for Miranda. Elle magazine's then-fashion news director Anne Slowey deemed the clothes "a caricature of what people who don't work in fashion think fashion people look like." Those inside Vogue's office recall feeling the same. "We were terribly snobbish and disparaging about everyone else's clothes, and particularly about anyone who attempted to portray the fashion industry," said Plum Sykes, a longtime Vogue contributing editor. "The Chanel boots that Andy wore, we all thought — this is a very English phrase — gopping error(gopping: vile, disgusting, or very ugly. refers to a glaring, hideous mistake or a fashion faux pas. )!" she added, referring to the over-the-knee shoes that Andy dons post-makeover, which inspired one of the film's most quoted exchanges: "Are you wearing the..." her baffled rival, assistant Emily (played by Emily Blunt), sputters. "The Chanel boots?" purrs a victoriously coiffed ( coiffed [kwɑːft] 打扮一新的, 精心打扮的 If someone has neatly coiffed hair, their hair is very carefully arranged. styled. Coiffed hair is carefully arranged in an attractive style: immaculately coiffed How do those TV mothers always manage to look so immaculately coiffed as they do the housework? perfectly coiffed Her makeup was immaculate, her blonde hair perfectly coiffed. Her hair was perfectly coiffed. ) Andy. "Yeah, I am." "We never would have worn a Chanel jacket, with the Chanel boots with the Chanel skirt," Sykes said. "American Vogue at that time was really in the moment of personal style — capital P, capital S — where you broke up all the designers. So: the boot was a Manolo Blahnik. Long, skinny Manolo, very high heel. The skirt was Prada. And then you might have thrown a Chanel jacket, with not too many logo buttons, over that. And then you might have put a vintage fur stole 披肩 ( I. a long piece of
cloth or fur worn around the shoulders, especially by women in the past
on special occasions: a mink stole. II. a long, narrow piece of cloth,
especially silk, worn over the shoulders by some priests in the
Christian Church during religious ceremonies. note: A stole is a long, narrow scarf-like garment, typically made of fur, silk, or high-quality fabric, designed to be draped around the shoulders or arms. Often worn over formal evening wear, it provides warmth and a fashionable look. Stoles differ from shawls by being narrower and from scarves by being more formal and often wider. ) around the collar." The sequel's costume designer Molly Rogers, who also worked on the first film as Field's protege, described the costumes of the first film as "timeless," adding that Field thought of them as "heightened reality(I. 强化. to increase, esp. an emotion or effect. If something heightens a feeling or if the feeling heightens, the feeling increases in degree or intensity. The move has heightened tension in the state. These latest murders have heightened fears of further attacks. Cross's interest heightened. ...a heightened awareness of the dangers that they now face. As the excitement heightened, the audience began stamping their feet. The high winds heightened concerns about forest fires. Especially when you are struggling a little with your game, time in hotel rooms only serves to heighten the feeling of being under siege. This could heighten the risk to the investor if the bank got into trouble. They heighten awareness, but would they help a golfer over a five-hour round? That came amid heightened concerns that its second bailout could unravel. II. to increase or make something increase, especially an emotion or effect: The strong police presence only heightened the tension among the crowd. )." The characters "only needed the framework 骨架, 大框架 of the fashion world. They weren't loaded up with things." But in the two decades between "The Devil Wears Prada" and its sequel, which releases this Friday, fashion editors have come to look fondly on director David Frankel's funhouse vision. Vogue has gone on a marketing bonanza for the sequel, with Wintour posing alongside Streep on the magazine's May cover and attending the New York premiere. Wintour's biographer Amy Odell reported that the Vogue maverick even visited the set and suggested a change to the color of floral bouquets. A spokesperson for Vogue clarified that there is no financial relationship between Disney and Conde Nast, and that Vogue and Wintour are not incentivized 动机. 激励 ( something that encourages a person to do something by offering them a reward: incentive to Bonus payments provide an incentive to work harder. incentive for The state offers generous incentives for business investment. incentive for someone to do something There's no incentive for the unions to make concessions now, since they've always been given what they asked for. There is little incentive for people to leave their cars at home when public transport remains so expensive. Executives had a strong incentive to destroy papers they knew would incriminate them in court. incentive scheme 激励机制 UK The company has adopted incentive schemes to boost productivity. incentive program US The company has adopted incentive programs to boost productivity. something that encourages a person to do something: Tax incentives are sometimes effective in encouraging people to save money. These kids have no incentive to learn. financial/fiscal/monetary incentive Cash grants were part of the financial incentives given to developers of new solar power technology. a big/great/generous incentive. be/have little/no incentive There will be little incentive to consolidate before new tax laws take effect. incentive package/plan/system. create/offer/provide an incentive. tax incentive an arrangement for a person or organization to pay less tax if they do something, as a way of encouraging them to do it: Tax incentives have been very effective in encouraging people to save and invest more of their income. Even substantial tax incentives could not stop the company from moving overseas. economic incentive something, often money or a prize, offered to make someone behave in a particular way: The state has an economic incentive program that provides an additional incentive to companies that already are located and employ workers here and are considering expansion. group incentive 团队激励, 集体激励 money or a reward given to a group of employees who achieve something together: One of the most overlooked benefits of group incentives is the good feeling that naturally develops between teammates. The entire division spent a week in Barbados, all expenses paid by the company, as part of the group incentive scheme. sales incentive money or a reward offered to salespeople for selling a particular amount of goods or services: Our new sales incentive: commissions are doubled for every tenth unit sold before the end of the quarter. share incentive plan = stock incentive plan 股权激励 an arrangement where employees own a percentage of their company's shares so that they make money when the company makes a profit: He will continue to defer the receipt of shares received under a 2007 stock incentive plan. disincentive 打消积极性 something that makes people not want to do something or not work hard. something that makes a person or organization less willing to do something: High taxes are a disincentive to business. A culture of corruption is a disincentive to investment and trade. serve as/act as a disincentive High severance costs can act as a disincentive to hire new workers. a disincentive (for sb) to do sth The tax on large pensions could be a disincentive to save for retirement. a disincentive to doing sth Working on a fixed-fee basis is a disincentive to agreeing to act for certain clients. a major/strong/powerful disincentive. create/provide a disincentive Prices send signals to producers telling them what to supply, while taxes create disincentives. incentivise to make someone want to do something, such as to buy something or to do work, especially by offering prizes or rewards: incentivize sb to do sth They incentivized workers to adopt the less expensive health care plan by giving more paid vacation. Headquarters has incentivized employees with free offers of tickets to sporting events. We need to incentivize our sales managers to achieve these targets.) to promote the film. The success of the sequel, projected to make a nearly $200 million debut globally, and the enduring appeal 长盛不衰的, 持久的魅力 of the beloved original is all down to good timing, said Odell. The 2006 movie arrived during the final high-flying days of the magazine business, cementing a picture of a seemingly untouchable era of lavish authority for Vogue and Wintour. "People were so afraid of Anna. She was so intimidating and so mysterious and very powerful. Magazine publishing was really rocking. She was at her peak: Apex Anna. The film squeaked in just before the recession, and obviously Conde Nast and the magazine industry never recovered from that." Now, both the fashion and publishing industries are struggling. "That gives brands more of an incentive to take part in this cultural phenomenon," Odell said. "They're glomming onto it ( glom onto something/someone I. US informal to become very interested in something such as a new idea or fashion or in someone: Retailers are glomming onto a new fashion among teens for outsize clothes. This guy glommed onto me at Tasha's party and wouldn't take no for an answer. II. to get or take something that you want: He glommed onto a couple of my comics and I can't get them back from him. ) because it's guaranteed to be huge." Labels from Starbucks to Google Shopping have launched promotional tie-ins 周边, 捆绑销售 (co-brand 联名, collaboration. ) ( A tie-in is a product, event, or marketing campaign intentionally linked to another (like a movie-themed toy or book) to boost sales. As a phrasal verb, "tie in" means to coordinate, match, or connect with something else. It implies collaboration or association, such as, "The book was released to tie in with the movie". "The toy company is investing less in film and book tie-ins". "His book The War of the World is a tie-in with a coming Channel 4 series". "The product launch date was set to tie in with the movie release". "Her description tied in with that of the other witness". "Fixed-rate mortgages usually tie borrowers in with early repayment charges". tie (something) in When ideas or statements tie in, they agree or are closely connected, and if you tie them in, you make them agree or connect closely. tie (something) in with something I can't tie in what he said today with what he told me last week. The product launch date was set to tie in with the movie release. If our product is reviewed in a journal, we try to tie it in with an advert placed in the same journal. tie in with something To match or work well with something: The plan does not quite tie in with the aspirations of the club's owners. tie sb in to make people agree to particular conditions when they borrow, invest, or buy a product, especially relating to the minimum period of time the agreement can last: Watch out for bonus accounts that tie you in after the bonus period. tie sb in with sth Fixed-rate mortgages usually tie borrowers in with early repayment charges. tie sb in for sth You need to know your mortgage rate and how long you are tied in for. tie-in I. a connection between two things, businesses, etc., often a connection between two products that are related or are sold together: The rules bar advertisements for products that have tie-ins to children's shows. In 1998 regulations were introduced banning tie-ins between holiday offers and travel insurance. II. a product such as a toy or book that is related to a film, television programme, etc.: The show pioneered product tie-ins for kids, including colouring books and dolls. III. the activity of marketing a product by connecting it to a film, event, TV show, etc.: merchandising/movie/promotional tie-in 周边 The potential for merchandising tie-ins makes the TV deal very attractive. The BBC animated series was a great hit and led to one of its first major tie-in deals. IV. a condition stated in an agreement, especially relating to the minimum period of time the agreement can last: When remortgaging, borrowers should be wary of very low-rate deals that come with extended tie-ins. adj. used to describe a product such as a toy or book that is related to a film, television programme, etc.: The movie has a tie-in book. The audience was offered the whole range of Spiderman tie-in products. ) with the film; Old Navy is even selling a capsule collection that includes a replica of the saggy cable knit sweater Miranda degrades in her famous "cerulean" monologue. When an industry is encouraging you to buy what it once made fun of, you know it's in trouble. And fashion fanatics now consider the clothes iconic. Those "gopping" Chanel boots retailed for $1,500 in 2006 and now sell for over $4,000 on resale sites. The film's aesthetic of maximalist opulence has also spread to other movies, with Field consulting on the costumes of Netflix's "Emily in Paris," and Rogers spreading the gospel of extravagance 极奢 with the polarizing "Sex and the City" reboot "And Just Like That." "I think the costuming in 'The Devil Wears Prada,' both the original and the sequel, is more realistic now, because in the intervening years, a handful of stylists and editors have become influencers that have a similarly maximalist approach 极奢风 to getting dressed," said Chelsea Fairless, who cohosts the "Every Outfit on Sex and the City" podcast with writer Lauren Garroni. "And now I really think there is an assumption that a large part of the industry does dress like Law Roach or Eva Chen on a regular basis, and the film kind of reinforces 强化那种观点 that." According to Rogers, the rumors that designers and labels were reluctant to appear in the original movie for fear they might be blacklisted by Wintour isn't quite correct: "There were just a handful of people." But brands this time around were so eager to have their products included in the sequel that "it could have easily been a commercial." In a hint that today's audiences may take sides with 站队, 选边 Sykes and her old school Vogue colleagues, the first trailer met with controversy when Miranda was pictured wearing a pair of Valentino Rockstud heels, a shoe style that peaked in appeal over a decade ago. Rogers says that someone from the marketing team put the shoes on Streep while she was off set, acknowledging that while the production was "extremely collaborative," her creative vision didn't always align with those "looking for eyeballs 抓眼球 in marketing." For Rogers, part of her goal was to protect the integrity of what these characters would wear while balancing brands eager to collaborate on their own terms. "A lot of houses are like, 'No, you're not going to get that look unless you do head-to-toe.' That is not layered and meaningful to an actor or myself. That is a walking advertisement," Rogers said. Dior was more open. In the movie, Emily is now an executive at the French luxury house and is dressed throughout the film almost exclusively in its designs. According to Rogers, the brand recognized Emily as "a character that has been established, she's gotten this big promotion — mix and match away." Sykes, Fairless, and Garroni, all of whom had not yet seen the film at the time of writing, remained underwhelmed by the many looks in the sequel's various trailers. "I think they look exactly the same as they did before, despite the films being twenty years apart," said Sykes. It may be that outrageousness is more intelligible to most of us than carefully cultivated taste. "I think most people in the fashion industry are a bit more pragmatic, and they just want a Charvet shirt and a pair of Prada loafers," said Fairless. But of course, audiences aren't going to buy a ticket to see how fashion editors really dress, which often looks inscrutable, or even boring, to the outside observer. Today, fashion editors are more likely to be seen in the cerebral sexy silhouettes of Alaia, the quirky quietude of The Row, or carefully hunted vintage than they are in Valentino Rockstud heels. They are not in the thrall of( in (somebody's/something's) thrall = in thrall to somebody/something I. controlled or strongly influenced by somebody/something: The country's economy is still largely in thrall to the big companies. My daughter's new boyfriend has her totally in thrall. She seems to go along with everything he says. I worry about him doing every little thing his professor says. It's like she has him in thrall or something. A: "It's so annoying how you get totally in thrall every time you date someone new." B: "I do not!" II. Very interested in or paying close attention (to something). I was thrilled to see my students in thrall during the assembly, instead of talking or passing notes. A: "Why is it so quiet in the playroom?" B: "The kids seem to be in thrall watching that movie." Did you hear that wild story she told? I was in thrall the whole time! ) social media trends like quiet luxury either. "I think we were all shocked to hear 'Toteme' in that final trailer," said Garroni. In the closest the sequel gets to a makeover montage, Stanley Tucci's character Nigel says Andy needs a two-piece set from Toteme as he's pulling looks for her weekend trip to Miranda's Hamptons house. And while Miranda's Dries Van Noten tassel jacket, which she wears to meet a team of corporate consultants brought in to cut budgets at Runway, seems a bit whimsical for a high-ranking magazine editor, Rogers said it serves as a storytelling device. "She would wear it to meet pinstripe suits — the enemy," Rogers reasoned. "It's art versus commerce in that scene." Now, as the fashion world races to embrace the film that it once attempted to take down a peg 贬低, it finds itself indulging a vision of fashion that may not jibe with what its own power players deem in style. The dominance of red carpet and social media, where nostalgia for earlier eras rules, means that fewer people today are learning about fashion from carefully styled magazine spreads. "Back then," said Sykes, "if it's already been seen, it was over with a capital O, and it's not a trend unless it's the next thing. With Anna, it was always: what's the news?" Rather than pushing forward an agenda of newness, the industry has eagerly hopped onto the bandwagon of what was once. The question is: who will tell us what to wear next?
