用法学习： 1. racketeer 敲诈勒索. [,ræki'tiə] n. A person who commits crimes such as extortion, loansharking, bribery, and obstruction of justice in furtherance of( The furtherance of something is the activity of helping it to be successful or be achieved. The thing that matters is the furtherance of research in this country. "Pakistan does not aspire to any . . . role in furtherance of the strategies of other powers". ) illegal business activities. v. To carry on illegal business activities that involve crimes. to operate a racket. 2. pay cut收入锐减, 工资锐减. rally against = protest. Medicos rally against skewed seat ratio, rural posting. Animal lovers rally to fight testing bill. Adam Scott dated former tennis World No. 1 Ana Ivanovic in 2010. They separated
in September of that year after Ivanovic's poor on-court form led to her
sliding down 排名下滑 the rankings. The pair reunited复合 in 2011, before
splitting up one year later. 3. a piece of work是个人物 I. A remarkable person, achievement, or product: "He's a very tough piece of work". II. A person who has a strong and unusual personality, especially one with
seriously unpleasant character flaws (e.g. a nasty piece of work). Someone who -- although often interesting -- is difficult to get along with on an every day basis. They often make simple things overly complex, or argue points ad infinitum. Can you drive by my house this evening on your way to work? Sure, I'll drive by. Do you want me to stop and pick you up when I'm driving by? Of course I do. You're a real piece of work, aren't you? Known as Pixie for his fresh looks, and Dr Death for his cold stare of
disapproval, Rudd was said to have few friends in Canberra. Former Labor
leaders Paul Keating and Mark Latham described him, respectively, as "a
menace" and "a terrible piece of work". cold stare冷冷的看一眼, 冷眼以对 = cold-eyed stare a look that makes u feel cold and makes u wanna hide. A look that is given to someone who does not belong, either in terms of location, attitude, or gender. The look is related to the cold shoulder, however much more offensive and usually done to someone you don't know. Best described as if the person wanted to pounce on your face but was restraining themselves. I came back to my dorm and there were literally 20 girls standing in the hall talking. And all of them managed to give me a cold stare as I passed. All I could say was "I live here...". icy Chilling in manner: an icy stare; icy detachment. cold-eyed unfriendly or not showing emotion: She gave him a cold-eyed stare. What a piece of work is man: Man is a supreme creature. Origin: From Shakespeare's Hamlet, 1602: What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? man delights not me: no, nor woman neither, though by your smiling you seem to say so.More recently, in the 20th century, the phrase 'a real piece of work' has been coined to mean 'a really bad person, lacking morality and scruples'. This goes further than Shakespeare's usage which, while appearing to glorify man, is ironic in suggesting that man is very far from a masterpiece. 4. Shooting fish in a barrel 小菜一碟 Shooting fish in a barrel is an idiom, describing an effortless or simple action, with guaranteed success. The Mythbusters team tested and proved the accuracy of their interpretation of the idiom. If the fish does not die from the shot, it is quite likely to die from the shockwave冲击波. Before the days of refrigeration, fish were packed and stored alive in large barrels. The barrels were packed to the rim full of fish. Any shot that entered the barrel would hit at least one of them. Thus nothing can be easier than shooting fish in a barrel. Like shooting fish in a barrel and as easy as shooting fish in a barrel. ridiculously easy. Jane's a good mechanic. Changing a tire is like shooting fish in a barrel, for her. That comedian has an easy job. Making fun of politicians is like shooting fish in a barrel. round up I. 围捕, 围歼. 包围. This is a plan to round up the enemy spies. Police did a roundup of suspected drug sellers. II. 使聚拢; 围拢. 合拢. 聚起来. 聚齐. to gather people, animals, or things together into one place. to collect a group of people or things; to organize people or things into a group. Cowboys do a roundup of cows. The cowboys rounded up the cattle for market. See if you can round some helpers up. Two dogs helped round up the sheep. Time to round everybody up! Dinner is ready! III. 积攒. 积蓄. 攒钱. It took the young couple a long time to round up enough money for a trip to Europe. IV. 四舍五入. to increase an amount to the next higher whole number. Round all of the
numbers up to the nearest tenth. All measurements have been rounded up
and are not exact. I rounded up 8.789 to 9. You should round $65.99 up to $66. round up/down/off to something to express a number in the nearest whole amount or nearest group of 1, 10, 100, 1,000, 1/10, 1/100, 1/1000, etc. When doing taxes, Anne rounded her figures off to the nearest dollar. These census population figures are rounded up to the nearest million.
美一县立法禁露臀裤(saggy pants, unsightly, loose-fitting pants. droopy pants.): The Cape May County municipality has banned sagging pants on its boardwalk in hopes of making the resort community more family-friendly. Those caught with trousers that sink 3 inches below the hips, exposing either underwear or bare skin, are subject to fines of as much as $200 and 40 hours of community service. The ordinance法令['ɔ:dinəns] also prohibits bare feet and shirtlessness after 8pm. "I'm not the fashion police and I do realize there are societal changes," Mayor Ernest Troiano said in an interview. "But in the same breath ( [stated or said] almost at the same time. He told me I was lazy, but then in the same breath he said I was doing a good job. The teacher said that the students were working hard and, in the same breath, that they were not working hard enough. ), it's called underwear. It's not outerwear." Wildwood, a community of 2,500 residents about 60 kilometres south of Atlantic City, escaped heavy damage( of hurricane). Yet, like other beach enclaves in the Garden State, it's struggling to let people know it is open for business. The town relies on a 12-week beach season to drive its economy. About 9 million visitors a year come for its attractions, including food stands, 1950s-era motels built in Wildwood's idiosyncratic "doo-wop" architectural style and carnival rides. Troiano said he's received calls and e-mail from people as far away as Louisiana who said they plan to travel to Wildwood this summer to support the town's willingness to "do something" about unsightly, loose-fitting pants. One person from Colorado told the mayor he planned to shorten a trip缩短行程 to Washington in order to visit. Dress codes worldwide are relaxing, Morey said. Even the Wimbledon tennis tournament in England allows players to wear colors other than white, he said. He called saggy pants merely a "reflection of popular culture," saying it doesn't make sense economically for a community driven by visitors to spurn ( I. To reject disdainfully or contemptuously; scorn. II. To kick at or tread on disdainfully. ) people based on their dress. "This is a good old tacky-and-proud-of-it 土气但自豪的 place," said Morey, whose father built the pier in 1969 and who grew up atop the Pan American Hotel, a local landmark. "Disney's a wonderful place, but Disney is fake. In my opinion, Wildwood can't be fake." Generational battles over fashion and social mores aren't new, of course. Elvis Presley was filmed only from the waist up on 1950s television. Skirt lengths were mandated at high school dances. The Beatles' shaggy hair created an uproar when the group appeared on US television in 1964. To Troiano, sagging is much less innocent. It glorifies the "thug" image popular in hip-hop culture, which can intimidate visitors, he said. "If anybody says this is racist, that's a load of crap," said the mayor, who is white. "It's about decency." Ofer said his group hasn't determined yet whether it will mount a legal challenge to the ordinance. Other municipalities, including suburbs of Miami and Atlanta, have also banned droopy ( ['dru:pi] adj hanging or sagging downwards. a droopy moustache. ) trousers, according to the Associated Press. "Even if you think saggy pants are distasteful没品味的, 品味不佳的, they are not a crime," he said. "This ordinance criminalizes innocent behavior the same way that in the 1960s local towns tried to ban men from having long hair. Today, they're trying to ban young men from having saggy pants. We don't need the police to tell us what is and what isn't indecent. The police are not are our parents." Fred Askin, a constitutional law professor from Rutgers University's campus in Newark, said boardwalks are public areas akin to streets and that Wildwood's ability to outlaw 非法化 clothing styles on it are limited. The ban would likely be shot down if it were challenged in court, he said in an interview. "They can use it to try and see if people abide by it, but if they ever had to go to court, the town would probably lose," Askin said in an interview. Troiano said he isn't concerned about legal ramifications法律影响. What's important is preserving Wildwood's image as a place where parents can take children and building a customer base for the future. "If someone is good enough or gracious enough ( gracious 友善的, 好心的 I. characterized by or showing kindness and courtesy. II. condescendingly courteous, benevolent, or indulgent. III. characterized by or suitable for a life of elegance, ease, and indulgence. gracious living gracious furnishings. IV. merciful or compassionate. graceful是优雅的. ) to come spend their money in our community, I want them to have a great experience," the mayor said. "It's about being family- friendly. It's a shred of decency. That's all."
