用法学习： 1. hostile有敌意的. abscess [ˈæbsɛs] 脓肿, 脓疮, 脓包 n. A localized collection of pus in part of the body, formed by tissue disintegration and surrounded by an inflamed area. v. (intr) to form such a collection of pus. covetous, envious, jealous: Envious implies wanting something that belongs to another and to which one has no particular right or claim (envious of her good fortune). Jealous may refer to a strong feeling of envy 嫉妒的 (it is hard not to be jealous of a man with a job like his), or it may imply an intense effort to hold on to what one possesses 爱惜的, 珍视的, 珍贵的, 珍惜的 (jealous of what little time she has to herself. He is jealous of his wife's love. He's jealous of his reputation. with jealous care. ); it is often associated with distrust, suspicion, anger, and other negative emotions (a jealous wife吃醋的, 泛酸的, 猜疑的, 猜忌的). Someone who is covetous垂涎三尺的 has fallen prey to an inordinate or wrongful desire, usually for a person or thing that rightfully belongs to another. In other words, a young man might be jealous of the other men who flirt with his girlfriend, while they might be envious of her obvious preference for him. But the young man had better not be covetous of his neighbor's wife. 2. where the rubber meets the road 检验的时刻, 见真章的时刻 Fig. at the point in a process where there are challenges, issues, or problems. A place or circumstance at which the implementation of a plan or intent is to be achieved. Where the rubber meets the road is the most important point for something, the moment of truth. An athlete can train all day, but the race is where the rubber meets the road and they'll know how good they really are. Now we have spelled out the main area of dissent. This is where the rubber meets the road. change/mend your ways 改变方式方法, 改变自己, 改一改 to improve the way in which you behave If he wants to carry on living here, he's going to have to change his ways. take the easy way out 图省事, to
get free of something by taking the path of least resistance. You can
depend on Kelly to take the easy way out of a tough situation. I'm not
the type that takes the easy way out. Your mum had to take the easy way out and give you away送人, because she could be killed at that time if people found that she was pregnant without marriage. goad [gəud]
n. I. a sharp pointed stick for urging on cattle, etc. II. anything
that acts as a spur or incitement. vb. (tr) to drive with or as if with a
goad; spur; incite. goad someone into something to urge or coerce someone into doing something. Don't try to goad me into it. I just won't do it! We goaded Mary into going with us. goad someone on to urge someone onward, possibly with jeers or challenges; to urge someone to continue. (Usually in this order.) The cheering crowd goaded the team on to victory. I goaded Jed on to taking the risk. Rudd again goads Abbott to debate. 3. 短句: Sorry I have to dash赶紧走. betel ['bi:təl] nut 槟榔果: This
palm is often called the betel tree because its fruit, the areca nut,
is often chewed along with the betel leaf, a leaf from a vine of the
Piperaceae family. Anybody with a shred of common sense有一点常识的 should take such articles with a generous amount of salt. 4. happenstance ['hæpən,stæns] n. A chance circumstance: "Marriage loomed only as an outgrowth of happenstance; you met a person". If you say that something happened by happenstance偶然事件, 碰巧, 偶然(not on purpose), you mean that it happened because of certain circumstances, although it was not planned by anyone. (whether) by accident or design 意外还是故意 whether
intended to be this way or not The system, whether by accident or
design, benefits people who live in the cities more than people who live
in the country. a happy accident 甜蜜意外 a pleasant situation or event that is not planned or intended We never planned to have a third child - it was a happy accident. more by accident than (by) design because of luck and not because of skill. I kicked the ball and, more by accident than design, it found its way into the net. whip someone into a state Fig.
to excite, arouse, or foment someone into some state. (Based on whip
someone into doing something.) The governor's speech whipped the
audience into a frenzy. The angry cries from the audience whipped the
speaker into a rage. send someone into a state/condition to
cause someone to be in a certain state or condition. The horrifying
news sent our family into hysterics. The clerk's rude behavior sent the
customer into a fit of anger. state of mind 状态不好 basic attitude or outlook at a point in time. She was in a terrible state of mind when she was interviewed for a job. one's frame of mind Fig. one's mood or mental state. the
way someone feels at a particular time. My frame of mind is sort of low at the moment. I've had a very bad day. A few hours later he was in a
much more positive frame of mind. Whether or not you enjoy the film may
depend on your frame of mind. be in the frame (British & Australian) to
be likely to achieve something or to be chosen for a job or an activity
(often + for ). Anderson was in the frame for the job in sales, but
decided not to take it. (sometimes + to do sth) Only Ferrari are in the
frame to win the championship. turn king's/queen's evidence also turn state's evidence 坦白从宽, 争取宽大处理 if
someone who has been accused of a crime turns king's evidence, they
give information in a court of law about other people involved in the
crime in order to have their own punishment reduced. She was given a
lenient sentence in exchange for turning king's evidence. a sad/sorry state of affairs 悲哀的事情, 让人不安的事情, 情形, 很悲哀 (spoken) a
bad situation that you find upsetting. It's a sad state of affairs when
schools don't provide a basic education for their students. Usage
notes: sometimes used in the form a sad state: Things have reached a sad
state when you have to pay a bribe to get something done. pretty/fine state of affairs an
unpleasant state of affairs. This is a pretty state of affairs, and
it's all your fault. What a fine state of affairs you've got us into. the state of play 现状, 现有情况, 目前的情形 (spoken) the
present situation. With the state of play on the battlefield the way it
is, the rebels will not give up but will keep attacking. stand someone in good stead [for
something] to be of great use and benefit to someone. I know that my
large vocabulary will always stand me in good stead at college. Any
experience you can get in dealing with the public will stand you in good
stead no matter what line of work you go into.
A article from Reader's Digest about a father and how he felt about the girl's grow-up: Now more than two years old, Chip, a toy bear constructed by my daughter Bridgette from hide(兽皮) and stuffing -- plus ample doses of love looked out of place不合时宜 beneath the ceiling posters of Hilary Duff and Usher. I'd assumed Bridgette had outgrown her stuffed animals. To be sure, a plush长毛绒的 menagerie(动物园, 动物展览) still occupies the lower bunk bed, where my younger daughter, Audrey, sleeps. But that's understandable. She's seven. Standing there, I surrendered(放弃, surrender all hope. surrendered himself to grief) a wistful smile( wistful [ˈwistful] I. Full of wishful yearning. II. Pensively sad; melancholy. ). I also felt a knot in my stomach. How did a throwback(返祖现象= atavism) like Chip figure into ( figure I. figure in, To include, as in making an account: figured in travel expenses. II. figure on To depend on, To take into consideration; expect: We figured on your support, I figured on an hour's delay. III. figure out, To discover or decide: Let's figure out a way to help. ) the ever-changing life of my older-than-her-years daughter? And more to the point更准确更明白的说, why did the sight of him make me feel like crying? I thought back to回想起 an earlier time in Bridgette's life and reflected on the kind of traveling companion I'd been to her as she journeyed from little girl to, well, bigger little girl. In other words, I did my best to change her mind. But Bridgey was determined. As she trudged down the subway steps with Bebe and her mom, glancing at me over her shoulder, I frantically(疯狂的，发疯的) tried to make up for弥补 my selfish counsel劝告. The next afternoon, she barreled into冲进 our apartment, raving about 兴高采烈的说 (rattle off 倾倒,滔滔不绝于) how much fun she had. This would be the first of many times she'd toss off掀翻 the security blanket ( A comfort object, transitional object, or security blanket is an item used to provide psychological comfort 提供精神安慰, 提供心理安慰, especially in unusual or unique situations, or at bedtime for small children. Among toddlers, comfort objects may take the form of a blanket, a stuffed animal, or a favorite toy, and may be referred to by English-speaking toddlers as blankey and lovey. In human childhood development, the term transitional object is normally used. It is something, usually a physical object, which takes the place of the mother-child bond. Common examples include dolls, teddy bears or blankets. ) of childhood as she climbed one rung(横档) higher on the jungle gym ( The jungle gym, monkey bars供小孩攀爬的东西, or climbing frame, is a piece of playground equipment made of many pieces of material, such as metal pipe or rope, on which children can climb, hang, or sit. The monkey bar designation refers to the rambunctious, climbing play of monkeys. Large, metal, geometric-shaped jungle gyms were once common on playgrounds, but they sometimes led to injuries when children hit their heads on the bars or swung on them improperly, causing bruises, sprains and fractures. Newer jungle gyms are often made of alternative materials, including PVC, other plastics, rope varieties, wood/pipe and other materials. Non-metallic jungle gyms have the advantage of being user-friendly even on a very hot or very cold day, because they do not get too hot or too cold to the touch. Jungle gyms and monkey bars made of PVC and plastic flex when struck; absorbing the impact better than more-rigid metal models. PVC and plastic will not rust, even in the wettest of climates. Geodesic-shaped 测地学的( geodesic [,dʒi:əu'dɛsik -'di:-] relating to or involving the geometry of curved surfaces. geodesic line the shortest line between two points on a curved or plane surface.) jungle gyms (monkey bars) provide benefits over ladder-rung models
because they develop a broader range of muscles, including those in the
legs and abdomen, in addition to the traditional development of arm
muscles. Geodesics also develop eye-hand coordination, planning skills, and other benefits. A geodesic allows a child to rest before continuing on—with minimum effort; a benefit not afforded by ladder-rung-type bars.
Some studies even suggest that a geodesic can improve a child's math
and reading skills. Jungle gym shapes may include wooden platforms with
ladders and railings around the outer edges. A variety of shapes are
seen in school playgrounds, parks, and backyards, including geodesics,
rocket-shaped structures, and other configurations. One common type of
jungle gym is a row of overhead bars, high enough for a child to hang from, but not so high as to cause serious injury in a fall. A child can "walk" hand-over-hand from one end to the other.) of young adulthood. For a guy who's kept a close watch on his kids' growth, I felt humbled, as if I'd suddenly lost track of who Bridgette really was. Experts say this is natural -- that most parents feel lost in the fog如坠雾中, 摸不着头脑, 入坠云里雾里 as their children enter the tween years(A child between middle childhood and adolesence, usually between 8 and 12 years old). The backswing 回归 to stuffed animals and other trappings of babyhood, they say, not only helps kids negotiate( 成功地应付,成功完成 To succeed in going over or coping with. ) the road ahead, but also allows them moments of safety during preadolescence.
喋喋不休, 唠叨, 滔滔不绝(chatter, jabber, rattle, ramble): 1. sound like a broken record 就像被刮坏了的唱片一样, 喋喋不休, 唠叨个没玩 to
say the same thing over and over again. (Fig. on a scratch in a
phonograph record causing the needle [or stylus] to stay in the same
groove and play it over and over.) He's always complaining about the way
she treats him. He sounds like a broken record! I hate to sound like a
broken record, but we just don't have enough people on the payroll to
work effciently. 短句: a. Again, thank the person and
hang up. Don't let her rattle on(喋喋不休地说),
which is a waste of your time and hers. b. Right after Foster's speech aired live on the West Coast my Facebook page was littered with commentary about how rambling喋喋不休, incoherent前言不搭后语, bitter and defensive she was. c. The next afternoon, she barreled into冲进 our apartment, raving about 兴高采烈的说 how much fun she had. d. The stock market is in the middle of one of the great rallies恢复复原 of a generation, but for weeks there has been a nagging fear (I. 唠叨的;挑剔的 I have a nagging wife. II. 使人不得安宁的, 挥之不去的. I've got a nagging pain in my lower back. I had a nagging feeling that I had forgotten something. I had a nagging worry that we weren't going to get there.) fear that bad news was never far off. e. "Now boys, stop badgering 少唠叨了 (['bædʒə] I. 唠叨. 啰嗦. To harass or pester persistently. To pester, to annoy persistently. He kept badgering her about her bad habits. II. (UK, informal) To pass gas; to fart. ). Not everyone is as lucky as you are, getting
to 可以, 有机会 live together and be naughty whenever they like," scolds Aunt Emily. If you talk for more than 10-15 minutes, you'll likely be rambling 滔滔不绝 and you'll lose your audience. 2. harp I. 竖琴. harp on something 喋喋不休, 唠叨个不停 to repeat something many times in an annoying way I'm tired of people who keep harping on what is wrong with the country. Usage notes: said especially about complaints. keep harping on something to continue to talk or complain about something; to keep raising a topic of conversation. Why do you keep harping on the same old complaint? You keep harping on my problems and ignore your own!. gush v. 喷涌, 迸发, 滔滔不绝的说 William watched the murky liquid gushing out威廉看着那混浊的液体喷涌而出. Young mothers are gushing over their babies年轻的母亲滔滔不绝地谈论她们的婴儿. His words gushed out [forth]他的话滔滔不绝. yapper I. 话匣子, 滔滔不绝的人. A person who
enjoys to chatter non-stop. This is usually the person who you
constantly think "Will you shut the fuck up?!" around."Oh did you see Johnny the other day? What long hair..I think he needs
to cut it. On second thought I think I'll just invite him over and
suggest him do that...Did you catch that news report about the..oh well,
it's to embarrassing to say..." II. Another word for "mouth." Will you shut your fucking yapper?! bang/beat the drum 滔滔不绝, 鼓吹 to speak eagerly about something that you support (often + for ) Once again she was banging the drum for pre-school nurseries. The opposition parties are always beating the environmental drum. an earful 在耳边唠叨个不停, 唠叨个没完 Fig. a great amount of discussion, criticism, gossip, or complaint. (get ~; have ~; give someone ~.) to have a lot to listen to, to tell someone how angry you are with them You can just imagine the earful he gave her when they got home. She was really mad about something, and I sure got an earful. Sue was standing around the corner while Jim and Mary were arguing and got an earful. Usage notes: often said about criticism or unwanted suggestions: I got a very unpleasant earful from a truck driver who thought I was in his way. 3. chatter (away) (at someone or something) = rattle away I. Lit. to talk incessantly or noisily to or at someone or something. The parrot was chattering away at its reflection in the mirror. The kids were chattering away, Stop chattering at me! II. 赶走, 驱走. Fig. [for a small animal, such as a squirrel] to try to scare off someone or something. The little squirrel chattered away at the crow. The crow came close and the squirrel chattered away again. chatter about someone or something 说闲话 to talk idly and actively about someone or something. All the guests were chattering about something or other. People are chattering about you and Claire. Do you want to know what they are saying? chatter from something [for one's teeth] to shake noisily with a chill from the cold, the dampness, a fever, etc. My teeth were chattering from the extreme cold. It was a terrible illness. My teeth chattered from the chills that followed the fever. the chattering classes有闲阶层 (British humorous) educated people who like to discuss and give their opinions about political and social matters. Football has recently become a trendy topic among the chattering classes. Who chatters to you, will chatter of you来说是非者, 必是是非人; 搬弄是非. rattle somebody's cage to make someone angry on purpose, often in order to make them seem silly She tried to rattle his cage with questions about his failed army career. 4. jibber-jabber 滔滔不绝的废话 (informal, pejorative) Excessive or meaningless talk. blather 废话不已 (pejorative) to talk rapidly without making much sense. n. (pejorative) nonsensical or foolish talk. jabber I. (intransitive) To talk rapidly, indistinctly, or unintelligibly; to utter gibberish or nonsense. II. (transitive) To utter rapidly or indistinctly; to gabble. wiki: Jibba Jabber was a doll made by the toy company Ertl in the mid-1990s. The dolls came with various hair colors including red, blue, pink and green. The female version of the doll had a pink body with pink nose and the male version had a black body with yellow nose. The distinguishing property 突出特色 of the Jibba Jabber was the distinct 'choking' or 'strangling' sound (resembling a groan tube) made by the wobbling head when shaken. The toy was recommended as an adult stress reliever 压力缓解器 and gift for corporate executives. When Ertl was told about Shaken Baby Syndrome, the company responded, as reported by the US Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, by "plac[ing] an insert 插页 (A promotional leaflet inserted into a magazine, newspaper, etc. This software can print compact disc inserts if you have the right size of paper. ) in Jibba Jabber packaging explaining that while Jibba Jabber is for fun, a lethal form of child abuse involves the shaking of babies. The pamphlet lists seven ways to react positively to a child rather than resorting to violence." yabber = Jabber (jabber away) 滔滔不绝说些废话的人, 话多屁稠的人 To jabber (something) or engage in jabbering. Talking a lot. usually, with nothing good to say. All katie does is yabber, why doesn't someone tell her to shut her face? 3. talk someone's head off I. Fig. [for someone] to speak too much. Why does John always talk his head off? Doesn't he know he bores people? She talks her head off and doesn't seem to know what she's saying. II. Fig. to talk to and bore someone. John is very friendly, but watch out or he'll talk your head off. My uncle always talked my head off whenever I went to visit him. talk someone's ear off 耳朵听的起茧, 没玩没了的谈 Fig. to talk to someone endlessly; to bore someone with too much talk. My aunt always talks my ear off when she comes to visit. Stay away from Mr. Jones. He will talk your ear off if he gets a chance. talk a blue streak 滔滔不绝, 说话快而多, 说话快如闪电 Fig. to talk very much and very rapidly. Billy didn't talk until he was two, and then he started talking a blue streak. I can't understand anything Bob says. He talks a blue streak, and I can't follow his thinking. Susan is lovely, but she has one problem - she talks a blue streak. At dinner she chattered away so fast I couldn't get in a word edgewise. I doubt I'll ever ask her out again. talk until one is blue in the face 说到脸色发青 Fig. to talk until one is exhausted. I talked until I was blue in the face, but I couldn't change her mind. She had to talk until she was blue in the face in order to convince him. 5. To discuss repeatedly or at length; harp on. 喋喋不休于. Don't belabor the point别再罗嗦这事儿了. ) the point( belabor the point 纠缠不休 to spend too much time on one item of discussion. I
don't want to belabor the point, but the sooner we get this matter
settled, the better. If the speaker would agree not to belabor the point
further, I will place it on the agenda for resolution at the next
meeting. 'belabor the obvious啰嗦废话, 废话连篇' point out the obvious repeatedly and in a annoying way. to explain or insist on excessively. Her
habit of belaboring the obvious makes her a very boring speaker. Please
don't belabor the point. He uses his newspaper column to belabor
writers for even the most minor grammatical errors. Belabor means to go at something with everything you've got. When you say, "Don't belabor or agonize over the decision," it means, "Move on." Belabor is made up of the Latin roots be and labor meaning "to exert one's strength upon." You can belabor a point by using excessive detail, or you could belabor the obvious by stating over and over what everyone already knows. Belaboring can be a physical attack as well. A person can belabor or beat the living daylights out of you with a club. beat/knock the (living) daylights out of somebody. beat the shit/hell out of sb. beat the socks/pans off of sb. beat the stuffing/tar out of someone; to hit someone very hard many times I'll knock the living daylights out of him if I catch him doing it again! ) 6. flog [flog] I. (tr) to beat harshly, esp with a whip, strap, etc. 鞭笞, 用鞭子抽打 II. (Brit slang) to sell. 关于SGS的合同问题: Given they are trying to flog the Galaxy Ace on a $59 plan and it's worse than the first GGS I doubt it will be on a $49 plan, I'll be surprised if it's on anything less than $79 without large phone payments making the cheaper plan pointless. III. NZ to steal. flog/beat a dead horse(鞭打死马) I. 喋喋不休于无人感兴趣的话题.
to insist on talking(=to harp on 喋喋不休) about something that no one is
interested in, or that has already been thoroughly discussed. II. 做徒劳无功的事情
pursue the solution of a problem long realized to be insoluble. to
waste time trying to do something that will not succeed (usually in
continuous tenses). You're flogging a dead horse trying to persuade Simon to come to Spain with us - he hates going abroad. Do you think it's worth sending my manuscript to other publishers or I am just beating a dead horse? Jill:
I think I'll write the company president another letter asking him to
prohibit smoking. Jane: There's no use beating a dead horse, Jill; he's
already decided to let people smoke. flog sth to death(本意为鞭打致死) (唠叨个没完而让人失去了兴趣) to
persuade a person so persistently of the value of (an idea or venture)
that he loses interest in it. to dwell on something so much that it no
longer has any interest. Stop talking about this! You've flogged it to death. Walter almost flogged the whole matter to death before we stopped him. 7. rattle I. 咣咣铛铛的声音. 叮叮当当的声音. to make or cause to make a rapid succession of short sharp sounds, as of loose pellets colliding when shaken in a container. II. 摇晃 to shake or cause to shake with such a sound the explosion rattled the windows. The doors rattled in the storm. III. to send, move, drive, etc., with such a sound. the car rattled along the country road. The wind rattled the metal can across the roadway. IV. (intr; foll by on) to chatter idly; talk, esp at length. He rattled on about his work. rattled on about this and that. V. (tr; foll by off, out etc.) to recite perfunctorily or rapidly. rattled off a list of complaints. VI. (tr) Informal to disconcert; make frightened or anxious. To fluster; unnerve: The accident rattled me. n. I. a rapid succession of short sharp sounds. II. 铃铛. an object, esp a baby's toy, filled with small pellets that rattle when shaken. A device, such as a baby's toy, that produces short percussive sounds. III. (挂在动物身上的)一串铃铛. a series of loosely connected horny segments on the tail of a rattlesnake, vibrated to produce a rattling sound. IV. any of various European scrophulariaceous plants having a capsule in which the seeds rattle, such as Pedicularis palustris (red rattle) and Rhinanthus minor (yellow rattle). V. idle chatter. VI. an idle chatterer. reel/rattle something off 连珠炮似的, 报出一串 to recite something quickly and accurately. She can really reel song lyrics off. Listen to Mary rattle off. Usage notes: often used when someone gives a list of facts or other related information from memory: Walter could rattle off the statistics of players from the 1920s. rattle its/one's saber Fig. to make threatening statements or actions. The president is just rattling his saber. He would never attack such a small country! saber = sabre ['seibə] I. A heavy cavalry sword with a one-edged, slightly curved blade. II. A light dueling or fencing sword having an arched guard covering the hand and a tapered flexible blade with a cutting edge on one side and on the tip. saber-rattling threatening behaviour which is intended to frighten someone. After months of sabre-rattling, the two sides have agreed to a peaceful resolution of their differences. rattle on (about someone or something) Fig. to talk endlessly about someone or something. Martin talked incessantly. He would rattle on about any topic whenever he could trap an unfortunate listener. rattle away to chatter endlessly and aimlessly. The two old men sat there and rattled away at one another. Tom rattled away at Jane for a few minutes and then left the house. slightly rattled I. Inf. 一点点恼火, 有点火大, 有点不爽 upset; confused. Tom was slightly rattled by the policeman at the door. I'm slightly rattled. I'll get over it. II. Inf. tipsy; intoxicated. He's only slightly rattled. He'll recover by morning. She can be really drunk and still seem only slightly rattled. rattle somebody's cage to make someone angry on purpose, often in order to make them seem silly She tried to rattle his cage with questions about his failed army career. 8. ramble I. To move about aimlessly. II. To walk about casually or for pleasure. III. To follow an irregularly winding course of motion or growth. IV. To speak or write at length and with many digressions. ramble on I. to wander about aimlessly. (As with a traveler or a winding path.) The road rambled on through mile after mile of wilderness. II. [for a structure] to spread out over a large area, perhaps in a random way. This old house rambles on, way back into the woods. III. (about someone or something). Fig. [for someone] to talk endlessly and aimlessly about someone or something. I wish you wouldn't ramble on about your first husband all the time. Must you ramble on so?
They're dressed to thrill 看起来好像挺... 被说的很 (dressed to kill. )( dressed to the nines and dressed to the teeth Fig. dressed very stylishly with nothing overlooked. She showed up for the picnic dressed to the nines. Clare is usually dressed to the teeth in order to impress people. ) but it's betel nut that stimulates: TEN years ago they were a common sight常见的东西 on Taipei's roadsides. Today they are harder to find, clustered outside the city limits near the on-ramps of expressways that link Taiwan's major cities. Yet if you search for them, particularly at night, you can hardly miss them: scantily-clad穿着暴漏的 young women inside brightly lit glass-fronted boxes, with flashing lights and neon signs with enticing titles such as ''Forbidden City''. When cars pull up, the women totter out in high heels and miniskirts to deal with customers through passenger-side windows. But not all is as it seems一切并不如表面看起来那样. In a country with the highest concentration of convenience stores, Taiwan's ''betel nut girls'' have carved a niche. Their mainly male working-class clientele are not just attracted by skimpy outfits and friendly smiles, but by their stock of a carcinogenic ( A cancer-causing substance or agent. ) and addictive, albeit legal, stimulant: betel nut. Betel nut is a fruit from the areca palm tree and the world's fourth-most popular psychoactive substance after nicotine, alcohol and caffeine. It keeps truck and taxi drivers awake for long shifts and produces a bright red juice that stains teeth and footpaths throughout south-east asia. Betel-nut women were once a Taipei tourist drawcard. In the mid-1990s, the phenomenon exploded. Competition saw the young women wearing increasingly revealing outfits. In 2002, legislators cracked down, blaming them for everything from damaging the nation's moral climate to causing car accidents. Yet the most harmful aspects of the betel-nut trade extend beyond provocatively dressed vendors. Betel nut use causes up to 80 per cent of oral cancers in Taiwan, while the lucrative crop drains soil of nutrients. The areca palm's shallow roots provide little protection against landslides in Taiwan's mountainous areas. Despite these dangers, debate has focused on betel-nut beauties摈榔西施 who are banned from Taipei City. A strict dress code is enforced, known as ''The Three Bs'' - it requires breasts, buttocks and bellies be covered at all times. At dusk by a busy, gun-barrel-straight 笔直的路 stretch of road in Taoyuan City, about 40 kilometres from Taipei, Sha Tang, 22, is preparing for her evening shift. She applies make-up and false eyelashes under fluorescent light in her cubicle, a splash of pink一抹粉红 in a row of shuttered motor scooter repair shops. It is winter, so a tight, fake fur-collared leather jacket almost covers the low- cut dress. Sha, who left school at 15, has been in the job for almost a year. She earns around $TW40,000 ($A1280) a month. Comparatively比较之下, a university graduate can expect a starting salary of $TW26,000 in an office. Between trips outside to serve customers, she condones the stricter conditions placed on her profession. ''Girls used to be able to wear hardly anything, but it's better now because customers show more respect,'' she says. Yet while she says the work is generally ''easy and fun'', she often encounters customers who expose themselves to her. In a room behind Sha's cubicle, Sha's manager, Chou Chou, a stall-owner in her early 40s, prepares her product for sale. ''It used to be easier to make a living,'' she says. ''The dress code has had an effect.'' A 10-year veteran, Chou Chou believes her industry is misunderstood. ''The girls would earn much more as prostitutes,'' she says, ''but they choose to work here.'' Chou employs eight ''girls'' in her three stalls that operate around the clock. She is understaffed and occasionally has to don a micro-skirt herself. She admits that betel nut use in Taiwan is declining. The practice has a turbulent history and has been part of indigenous culture for centuries. The Japanese banned the chewing of betel nut during their 50-year occupation. Along with health risks, it carries a social stigma. Many view it as a cultural embarrassment. Recently, T-Life, the national high-speed rail network magazine, spruiked betel-nut beauties as a must-see ( spruik ['spru:ik] vb (intr) Austral archaic slang to speak in public (used esp of a showman or salesman). ) in the north-eastern city of Hsinchu. The minimal coverage drew complaints from Hsinchu's mayor and his constituents. Ultimately, an apology was issued. China Daily sniffed a story and interviewed the local police chief who claimed to have 20 betel-nut vendors under surveillance along a single stretch of road. ''There's certainly a degree of class discrimination in Taiwanese attitudes to betel-nut beauties, who often drop out of school and are from poorer country areas'', says Taipei-based photographer and filmmaker Tobie Openshaw. South African-born Openshaw, an authority on betel-nut beauties through a nine-year documentary project, adds that Taiwanese, while generally tolerant, prefer to keep things behind closed doors. The betel-nut beauties' exhibitionism offends sensibilities and leads to prejudice. ''Issues of exploitation and health aside, the stalls have developed into a unique form of urban art. Most girls I speak to just ask for a little more tolerance and respect from their countrymen.''
新闻故事: 1. NSW brothel boss gets three years jail: Chee Mei Wong was found guilty in April of running a business that involved the sexual servitude ( [ˈsɜ:vi,tju:d] n. I. the state or condition of a slave; bondage. II. the state or condition of being subjected to or dominated by a person or thing. servitude to drink. III. Law a burden attaching to an estate for the benefit of an adjoining estate or of some definite person. IV. 强制劳动. 劳动改造. Forced labor imposed as a punishment for crime: compulsory service or labor as a punishment for criminals: penal servitude in labor camps. penal servitude. easement 通行便利权 ['i:zmənt] n. I. Property law the right enjoyed by a landowner of making limited use of his neighbour's land, as by crossing it to reach his own property. II. the act of easing or something that brings ease. ) of others and also of four counts of employing a person in breach of their visas and knowing they were being exploited. In sentencing her to a maximum of six years on Friday, Judge Deborah Sweeney said Wong had treated the women "not as human beings but as commodities - machines to make money". While at the brothel, the women were forced to carry out demeaning and harmful sexual acts under threat of deportation驱逐出境, including having unprotected sex, Judge Sweeney said. "(They) were paraded in front of customers with only numbers to identify them." Each week Judge Sweeney said the women were given an envelope which contained no money but showed how much debt they had paid off. Judge Sweeney said Wong also gave the women medication to stop their periods so they could work - slapping one girl when she menstruated. She found no evidence of the 39-year-old showing any signs of remorse没有丝毫的愧疚感, 悔恨. Taking into account time already served, her earliest date of release will be May 30, 2016. 2. TV insider says audience pushed Melissa Doyle off Sunrise赶出去: Melissa Doyle breaks into holiday to say( break into something I. = burst into sth. to begin to perform or utter suddenly, especially with song, speech, chattering, tears, etc. Suddenly, she broke into song. As soon as the movie started, the people behind me broke into loud chattering. II. to illegally get access to a computer system. Spies have been trying to break into the army's computers for years, but no one has stolen any important data yet. III. to divide something into smaller pieces. For the next basketball season there will be 24 teams broken into four divisions. IV. to enter a place by using force. His apartment has been broken into twice, even though he had good locks on the door.) she wasn't pushed from Sunrise, she jumped at a new challenge. Departing Sunrise presenter Melissa Doyle this morning posted a response to claims she'd been dumped from her job. The message, posted on Sunrise's Facebook page says: "I'm still on holidays before completing a couple of overseas work assignments but it seems the rumour mill 谣言工厂 has been working overtime. I don't normally bother responding to fictional stories编造的故事 but judging by the number of comments I've received I thought it best to reply. "What I said on air and in all the media interviews when I announced my departure was correct. It was then, it is now那会儿如此, 现在也是如此( that was then...this is now 此一时彼一时 Used as a management speak put down for those who resist change and hark back to the good old days. After a novel of the same name by S.E.Hinton (later film starring Emilio Estevez). Employee - "I don't see why we should do it that way, we never used to". Manager (with obvious irritation and finality) - "I don't care, that was then...this is now!" ). Obviously you can't stop people making up stories and that seems to be what is happening now." She said her holiday was long-planned and had nothing to do with her move from Sunrise, except for the fact she wanted to announce her decision to leave before she went on the trip. "The network supported my decision to do so. I wanted to ensure our viewers heard it from me and that it didn't leak out泄漏出去. "I was presented with a new opportunity at the network and I decided to accept it. Of course I will be sad to leave the Sunrise couch, but I'm also excited and happy about my new challenge. I know the conspiracy theorists阴谋论者 would like you to believe otherwise, but it's just not true." And as the furore over Doyle's apparent demotion贬职 and reported pay cut heats up甚嚣尘上, 日渐升温, 愈演愈烈, 炒热, 越炒越热( heat someone up Fig. to make someone angry. (One old [now folksy] past tense is het.) This kind of nonsense really heats me up. Mean talk heats up the kids. heat something up (to something) 加热, 升温 to raise the temperature of something to a certain level. Please heat this room up to about seventy degrees. Can you heat up the room a little more? heat up I. Lit. to get warmer or hot. It really heats up in the afternoon around here. How soon will dinner be heated up? II. Fig. 越来越激烈 to grow more animated or combative. The debate began to heat up near the end. Their argument was heating up, and I was afraid there would be fighting.), Sky News presenter Tracey Spicer says Seven's move to appoint a younger co-host could be "discrimination". Spicer, who won a $250,000 settlement in her own 2006 discrimination case against Channel 10 said that "it sounds like it's happened here, where a woman is discriminated against because she either is not seen as sexy enough, seen as too 'mumsy'( [ˈmʌmzɪ] out of fashion; homely or drab 妈妈似的. drab adj. I. a. 单调的, 了无生气的. Of a dull grayish to yellowish brown. b. Of a light olive brown or khaki color. drab colors单调的色调, 单调的颜色. II. 平淡无奇的, 黯淡无光的. Faded and dull in appearance. lacking in brightness, spirit, etc.; dull. III. Dull or commonplace in character; dreary: a drab personality. n. I. A dull grayish to yellowish or light olive brown. II. Cloth of this color or of an unbleached natural color. drab2 n. I. A slattern. 邋遢女人. II. A woman prostitute. v. To consort with prostitutes: "Even amid his drabbing, he himself retained some virginal airs" (Stanislaus Joyce). drab3 n. A negligible amount: finished the work in dribs and drabs一点一滴的.) or is a little older than they'd hoped". "If she has been moved aside (for those reasons), I think it's a travesty ( The absurdy lenient sentence is a travesty of justice. 对法律的嘲弄. )滑稽模仿, 拙劣做法. 拙劣演出," she said. Sources claimed the decision to "rejuvenate" Sunrise was a pre-emptive move 先发制人 in the lead up to the launch of former executive producer Adam Boland's new breakfast program on Ten. But Seven has angrily hit back at 还击 the "demotion" story, saying the $150,000 pay cut claim was "wrong" and that all of the research about Doyle, including her age and image, had been positive. "It's a promotion. She is moving to a new prime time initiative from the news department." Wood said they have big plans for Doyle, which they are not yet ready to reveal. "I can't explain it because it will tip Nine and Ten off to 泄漏天机 ( tip someone off (on/about someone or something) to give someone a valuable piece of news about someone or something. I tipped the cops off about Max and where he was going to be that night. I tipped off the mayor about the financial crisis. Usage notes: often said about information given to the police or other authorities: Someone called the police to tip them off that the painting was in a locker at the bus station. ) what we're doing." Nine's David Hurley said Seven's move smacked of ( smack of something 有...的意味, 暗含 to be reminiscent of something; to imply something. to have some of the characteristics or qualities of something. The book smacks of having been written by a committee rather than an author with a point of view. The whole scheme smacked of dishonesty and deception. All of this story smacks of illegal practices. ) "panic" as the Today Show gains ground on Sunrise, a "high risk strategy because she's so associated with the so-called Sunrise Family". "Here's their 'mumsy' - that's former EP Boland's description of her - long term co-host just thrown out the door 扫地出门(push sb off. ) and offered a huge pay cut and a laughable job on a multi-channel, or at best reading a much unwatched 4.30pm News. So much for 不过如此啊 loyalty and family( so much for that is the end of something. He told me how his parents divorced, then said, "So much for the storybook romance." A bird hit my windshield, and I thought, so much for that bird. Usage notes: usually said about a disappointing end. )," he said. "Usually you'd justify these decisions on the basis of they're not performing表现不好 or the ratings are plummeting and none of those have come out before," he said. Despite what is or isn't happening with Doyle, Spicer said the networks had moved on from the institutional sexism of a decade ago and the idea female presenters had to be sexy was losing traction. "I know that attitude doesn't exist at Sky or the ABC or SBS, but there are still remnants of it ( remnant [ˈrɛmnənt] 余孽, 余党. I. Something left over; a remainder. II. A piece of fabric remaining after the rest has been used or sold. III. A surviving trace or vestige. a surviving trace or vestige, as of a former era. a remnant of imperialism. a remnant of his past glory. IV. A small surviving group of people. Often used in the plural. ) at the major networks," she said, adding there are more mature women on television than ever before. 3. 'Too expensive' Sydney slips from top 10 tourism list: For only the second time since before its hosting of the Olympics in 2000, Sydney has failed to make the top 10 cities list in the prestigious Travel + Leisure US World's Best Awards, with the city rating poorly among the magazine's readers for value-for-money性价比. The New York-based Nancy Novogrod, editor-in-chief of the parent US edition of Travel + Leisure, one of the world's highest-circulating and influential travel magazines, said that while Sydney "fares well for its sights and its people in the World's Best Awards survey this year, the value category, which is always very competitive, is one area where the city fell short". A spokeswoman for the Tourism & Transport Forum, the peak industry lobby group, said that its chief executive, Ken Morrison, was unable to comment on Sydney's rare non-appearance缺席 in the top 10 best cities list. However, the city's competitiveness as a major international tourism destination is likely to have improved in recent times with the recent steady decline of the Australian dollar against its US equivalent.
