2014xmas & new year; passout; mead, bon-bon; squatter; speakeasy复古巴; table service, counter service; binoculars,monocular; exact science

用法学习: 1. usable I. That can be used: usable byproducts. II. 方便使用的. 方便的. 有用的. Fit for use; convenient to use: usable spare parts. 2. During an interview on US radio station Power 106 last week the pop sensation said he was calling it quits. But his manager, Scooter Braun, played down talk of retirement, insisting Bieber was simply planning some downtime(指电脑的down机时间). 3. go down that road To settle a way of doing something; do decide to do something in a particular way. We haven't decided if we want to move yet, but if we go down that road, there'll clearly be no way back没有回头路. go down I. (transitive) To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. You'll need to go down two floors to get to that office. II. (intransitive) To decrease; to change from a greater value to a lesser one. The unemployment rate has gone down significantly in recent months. III. (intransitive) To fall (down), fall to the floor. He went down in the second round, after a blow to the chin. IV. (computing, engineering) To stop functioning, to go offline. Did the server just go down again? We'll have to reboot it. V. (intransitive) To be received or accepted. To be accepted or tolerated: How will your ideas go down as far as corporate marketing is concerned? The news didn't go down well with her parents. VI. (intransitive) To be recorded or remembered (as). To come to be remembered in posterity: a debate that will go down as a turning point in the campaign. Today will go down as a monumental failure. VII. go down on sb (idiomatic, euphemistic, colloquial) To perform oral sex upon (either sex). Some people just don't like to go down. VIII. (slang) To take place, happen. A big heist went down yesterday by the docks. IX. (intransitive, of a heavenly body) To disappear below the horizon of a plane; to set. To sink: The torpedoed battleship went down. In his life, he went down on two vessels 沉船 and survived both of them. "The captain goes down with the ship 船长与船同在" is the maritime concept and tradition that a sea captain holds ultimate responsibility for both his ship and everyone embarked on it, and he will die trying to save either of them. The concept may be expressed as "the captain always goes down with the ship" or simply the "captain goes down with his ship." In most instances the captain of the ship forgoes his own rapid departure of a ship in distress, and concentrates instead on saving other people. It often results in either the death or belated rescue of the captain as the last person on board. 4. 关于passout: In the past, you could go outside the dance hall or whatever, if your hand was stamped (so you didn't have to pay again to get in). This was a passout. Unfortunately people would go outside to get drunk and then come staggering back inside. So "no passouts" means you can't come and go. wiktionary的解释是: A ticket (or similar) allowing a person to leave (a theatre etc) and subsequently re-enter. 5. nob A derogatory term for an individual or slang for a penis. Can also be used as a verb as slang for sexual intercourse. British slang term for the penis. Typically used as an excellent cheap insult. Used in jest (above "moron", just below "twat", and well below "cunt"), or used to describe someone who is doing something you think is annoying or a bit crap. That guy is such a nob! He is a fucking nob. Did you here, Bob nobbed that girl last night? Scenario 1: One of your friends walks into the room and throws an apple at you. You reply: "Don't be a nob." Scenario 2: Your aging boss thinks he has broken his laptop because the battery ran out. You say: "Hah. He's such a nob." Scenario 3: You have gonorrhoea, and it's making your nob hurt. 6. reserved I. Held in reserve; kept back or set aside. II. Marked by self-restraint and reticence. Don't be reserved. Be reserved 不要拘谨, 不要拘束自己, 不要客气: It means to 'tone it down a little'. We act more reserved in public out of respect for those around us. Example: You are sitting in a restaurant having dinner with a friend. At the next table, a group is talking very loud and being unpleasant in general. Those people should 'tone it down a little' so everyone can enjoy their dinner. These people should act reserved out of respect for everyone else who are having dinner. Reserved is typically when a person is not verbal in their thoughts or opinions. They have opinions (of course), but they don't share them with ummmmph. If that makes sense. They are not that person who will speak their mind and make their opinion known to all and any. That's not to say that they are without a thought or are not saying anything at all, it's just that they do it with mild mannered approaches and with staying low key and not to attract any attention to themselves. In other words: they just want to be low key and not out spoken. 7. mead [ˈmi:d] 蜂蜜酒 An alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey and water. Mead is an alcoholic beverage that is produced by fermenting a solution of honey and water. It may also be produced by brewing a solution of water and honey with grain mash, which is strained before or after fermentation. Depending on local traditions and specific recipes, it may be flavored with spices, fruit, or hops (which produce a bitter, beer-like flavor). A pom-pom 啦啦队用的东西 – also spelled pom-pon, pompom or pompon – is a loose, fluffy, decorative ball or tuft of fibrous material. Pom-poms may come in many colors, sizes, and varieties and are made from a wide array of materials, including wool, cotton, paper, plastic, and occasionally feathers. Pom-poms are shaken by cheerleaders and sports fans during spectator sports. Small decorative pom-poms may be attached to clothing; these are called toories or bobbles(The toorie 苏格兰人戴在帽子上的小绒球 is generally made of yarn and is traditionally red on both Balmorals and Glengarries (although specific units have used other colours). It has evolved into the smaller pom-pom found on older-style golf caps and the button atop baseball caps. A bobble hat or bobble cap 手织的帽子, 后边有一个绒球的 is a knit cap that has a yarn "bobble" or pom-pon upon its top. It is similar to the tuque or watch cap; however, the tuque does not have a bobble on its top. Since 2000, the bobble hat has become popular with some female celebrities, and this has contributed to its having become a fashionable item. ). Christmas crackers( bon-bon)(The name bonbon (or bon-bons) refers to any of several types of sweets, especially small candies enrobed in chocolate. The first reports of bonbons come from the 17th century, when they were made at the French royal court. Their name arose from infantile reduplication of the word bon, meaning 'good'. In modern French and several other European languages, the term simply refers to any type of candy or small confection.) are part of Christmas celebrations primarily in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. A cracker consists of a cardboard tube wrapped in a brightly decorated twist of paper, making it resemble an oversized sweet-wrapper. The cracker is pulled by two people, often with arms crossed, and, much in the manner of a wishbone, the cracker splits unevenly. The split is accompanied by a mild bang or snapping sound produced by the effect of friction on a shock-sensitive, chemically-impregnated card strip (similar to that used in a cap gun). One chemical used for the friction strip is silver fulminate, which is highly unstable. Assembled crackers are typically sold in boxes of three to twelve. These typically have different designs usually with red, green and gold colours. Making crackers from scratch using tissue paper and the tubes from toilet rolls is a common activity for children. Crackers are typically pulled at the Christmas dinner table or at parties. In one version of the cracker tradition, the person with the larger portion of cracker empties the contents from the tube and keeps them. In another each person will have their own cracker and will keep its contents regardless of whose end they were in. Typically these contents are a coloured paper hat; a small toy, small plastic model or other trinket and a motto, a joke, a riddle or piece of trivia on a small strip of paper. The paper hats, with the appearance of crowns, are usually worn when eating Christmas dinner. The tradition of wearing festive hats is believed to date back to Roman times, and the Saturnalia celebrations, which also involved decorative headgear. Tradition tells of how Tom Smith of London invented crackers in 1847. He created the crackers as a development of his bon-bon sweets, which he sold in a twist of paper (the origins of the traditional sweet-wrapper). As sales of bon-bons slumped, Smith began to come up with new promotional ideas. His first tactic was to insert "love messages" into the wrappers of the sweets (cf. fortune cookies). 8. Chutney[ˈtʃʌtni] (tomato chutney) (also transliterated chatney or chatni) is a family of condiments from South Asian cuisine that usually contain some mixture of spice(s), vegetable(s), and/or fruit(s). There are many varieties of chutney. Chutneys may be either wet or dry, and can have a coarse to a fine texture. The Indian word refers to fresh and pickled preparations indiscriminately, with preserves often sweetened. Several Indian languages use the word for fresh preparations only. Traditionally, chutneys are ground with a mortar and pestle made of stone or an ammikkal (Tamil). Spices are added and ground, usually in a particular order; the wet paste thus made is sautéed in vegetable oil, usually gingelly (sesame) or groundnut (peanut) oil. Electric blenders or food processors can be used as labor-saving 省力的 alternatives to stone grinding. 9. have a lot going for you to have many good qualities or advantages that will make it easier for you to succeed. If someone or something has something going for them, that thing causes them to have a lot of advantages and to be successful: They've got a happy marriage, brilliant careers, wonderful kids - in fact they've got everything going for them. She's bound to find a job. She's got such a lot going for her. when the going gets rough/tough when a situation becomes difficult or unpleasant I run the farm on my own, but a local boy helps me out when the going gets tough. while the going is good (informal) if you do something while the going is good, you do it while it is still easy to do. If you are unsure about marrying him, get out now while the going is good. get (out) while the gettin(g)'s good and get (out) while the goin(g)'s good to leave while it is still safe or possible to do so. I could tell that it was time for me to get while the gettin's good. I told her she should get out while the gain's good. When the going gets tough, the tough get going" is a popular proverb. The phrase is a play on words involving idiomatic (Proverb) and distinct meanings of "go" and "tough." In context, "the going" means "the situation," "gets tough" means "becomes difficult," "the tough" means "people who are strong or enduring," and "get going" means "become fully engaged." Taken together (= taken all together) 总的来说, 综合来看, 加在一起, the meaning of the phrase is "When the situation becomes difficult, the strong will work harder to meet the challenge." Another interpretation could mean, "Those who act tough and proud will vacate a situation when it becomes difficult lest they be proven not as tough as they appear to be." Yet another interpretation could mean, "When the situation becomes almost impossible, those who are truly strong are wise enough to pull out, rather than being totally decimated." 8. flex your/its muscles to act in a way that shows power or strength. This very poor nation is beginning to flex its muscles as an important producer of coffee. Conservatives are flexing their muscles in local elections this fall. Usage notes: sometimes used with an adjective to show a particular kind of influence or power: The attorney general is flexing his legal muscles to enforce gun control laws. Etymology: from the literal meaning of flex your muscles (to tighten your muscles). muscle-flexing 耀武扬威的 a public show of military or political power that is intended to worry an opponent: Opposition groups fear violence, after weeks of military muscle-flexing from the government. go from strength to strength to become increasingly successful. The firm has gone from strength to strength since she took over as manager. 9. swell I. (informal) A person who is dressed in a fancy or elegant manner. He was dressed in a flashy style, not unlike what is popularly denominated a swell. II. (informal) A person of high social standing; an important person. III. A long series of ocean waves, generally produced by wind, and lasting after the wind has ceased. Bell beach is renowned for booming swells. 10. In Australian history, a squatter was one who occupied a large tract of Crown land in order to graze livestock. Initially often having no legal rights to the land, they gained its usage by being the first (and often the only) Europeans in the area. The term soon developed a class association, suggesting an elevated socio-economic status and entrepreneurial attitude.  By 1840 squatters were recognized as being amongst the wealthiest men in the colony of New South Wales, many of them from upper and middle-class English and Scottish families. As unoccupied land with frontage to permanent water became more scarce稀少, the acquisition of runs increasingly required larger capital outlays. Eventually the term 'squatter' came to refer to a person of high social prestige who grazes livestock on a large scale (whether the station was held by leasehold or freehold title).  In Australia the term is still used to describe large landowners, especially in rural areas with a history of pastoral occupation. Hence the term, Squattocracy, a play on Aristocracy. Squatting 霸占, 强占 consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land and/or a building – usually residential – that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. Author Robert Neuwirth suggests that there are one billion squatters globally, that is, about one in every seven people on the planet. Yet, according to Kesia Reeve, "squatting is largely absent from policy and academic debate and is rarely conceptualised, as a problem, as a symptom, or as a social or housing movement." Some squatting movements are political, such as anarchist, autonomist, or socialist. 11. calibre = caliber I. (Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK) 口径 Diameter of the bore of a firearm, typically measured between opposite lands. II. The diameter of round or cylindrical body, as of a bullet, a projectile, or a column. III. (figuratively) Relative size, importance, magnitude. ability; distinction: a musician of high calibre. IV. (figuratively) Capacity or compass of mind. V. personal character. a degree or grade of excellence or worth: a man of high calibre. He is a better caliber of human being. atrocious [əˈtrəuʃəs] I. Extremely evil or cruel; monstrous: an atrocious crime. II. Exceptionally bad; abominable: atrocious decor; atrocious behavior. 12. Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom produced by BBC Television that was first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 and 1979. Twelve episodes were made (two series, each of six episodes). The show was written by John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth, both of whom also starred in the show. The series is set in Fawlty Towers, a fictional hotel in the seaside town of Torquay(torquay镇是大洋路的起点), on the "English Riviera". The plots centre around tense, rude and put-upon owner Basil Fawlty (Cleese), his bossy wife Sybil (Prunella Scales), a comparatively normal chambermaid Polly (Booth), and hapless Spanish waiter Manuel (Andrew Sachs) and their attempts to run the hotel amidst farcical situations and an array of demanding and eccentric guests. Torquay [tɔrˈki:] is a seaside town in Devon, England. The town's economy was initially based upon fishing and agriculture, as in the case of Brixham across Torbay, but, in the early 19th century, the town began to develop into a fashionable seaside resort, initially frequented by members of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars while the Royal Navy anchored in the bay and later by the crème de la crème of Victorian society as the town's fame spread. Renowned for its healthful climate, the town earned the nickname of the English Riviera and favourable comparisons to Montpellier. Torquay was the home of the writer Agatha Christie, who was born in the town and lived there during her early years. The town contains an "Agatha Christie Mile", a tour with plaques dedicated to her life and work. 13. blow-by-blow account/description Fig. a detailed description (of an event) given as the event takes place. (This referred originally to reporting on boxing.) I want to listen to a blow-by-blow account of the prizefight. She gave me a blow-by-blow account of her car crash. The lawyer got the witness to give a blow-by-blow description of the argument. trampoline [ˈtræmpəlin; -ˌli:n] 蹦床(注意读音) A strong, taut sheet, usually of canvas, attached with springs to a metal frame and used for gymnastic springing and tumbling. see eye to eye (about/on someone or something) (with someone) Fig. [for someone] to agree about someone or something with someone else. I'm glad we see eye to eye about Todd with Mary. I see eye to eye with Mary. Will labor and management ever see eye to eye on the new contract? We don't see eye to eye on a lot of things. 关于back up： I. [TRANSITIVE] back someone up to give support to someone by telling other people that you agree with them. If I ask for more money will you back me up? II. [TRANSITIVE] to show that an explanation or belief is probably true. All the evidence backs up her story. III. [INTRANSITIVE/ TRANSITIVE] to make a copy of information on your computer. IV. [INTRANSITIVE/ TRANSITIVE] if traffic backs up, or if it is backed up, the vehicles are in a long line and waiting to continue moving. To cause to accumulate or undergo accumulation: The accident backed the traffic up for blocks. Traffic backed up in the tunnel. Traffic is backing up 积压 on all out-of-town routes. Cars were backed up for miles. V. a. 堵塞. 不通. if a toilet, sink, or drain backs up, or if it is backed up, water cannot flow through it because something is blocking it. b. if a system backs up, or if it is backed up, it has slowed down or stopped working because there is too much of something for it to deal with. Orders are really backed up this month. VI. 退后, 倒退. [INTRANSITIVE] to move backwards a short distance. I need everyone to back up about 10 paces. VII. [INTRANSITIVE/TRANSITIVE] to make a car go backwards. See if you can back up a bit further. back something up something: I'll back the car up the driveway. I'll back it up to this big car停在...后边. VIII. [INTRANSITIVE] MAINLY AMERICAN used for telling someone to return to something that was said earlier. Back up: didn't you say they had already met? 14. put (one) out of (one's) misery I. Euph. Fig. to kill someone as an act of mercy. The vet put that dog with cancer out of its misery. Please, put my sick goldfish out of its misery. Why doesn't the doctor simply put her out of her misery? He took pills to put himself out of his misery. II. Fig. 行行好. to end a suspenseful situation for someone. to stop someone worrying, usually by giving them information that they have been waiting for. I thought I'd call her with the results today and put her out of her misery. Please, put me out of misery; what happened? I put her out of her misery and told her how the movie ended. miser [ˈmaizə] 守财奴, 吝啬鬼( money hoarder) One who lives very meagerly in order to hoard money. a person who hoards money or possessions, often living miserably. a misery guts  (ˈmizəri) 整天抱怨, 对什么都不满的人 (informal) someone who complains all the time and is never happy. Of course, your father, old misery guts, wanted to come home after half an hour because he was bored. Misery loves company. something that you say which means that people who are feeling sad usually want the people they are with to also feel sad. On a bad day, she isn't satisfied till the entire family is in tears. Misery loves company. 15. This is just a transit bus(pickup bus), we have a joining bus(connecting flight) 后续航班, 后续的巴士 later to take you to the destination. connecting flight: a flight with an intermediate stop and a change of aircraft (possibly a change of airlines). involve a change in the flight crew. A direct flight in the aviation industry is any flight between two points by an airline with no change in flight numbers, which may include a stop at an intermediate point. The stop over may either be to get new passengers (or allow some to disembark) or a mere technical stop over (i.e., for refuelling). Direct flights are often confused with non-stop flights, which are flights involving no intermediate stops. When there is a change in flight number, the subsequent flight is referred to as a connecting flight. While so-called "direct" flights may thus involve changes in aircraft, or even an airline at the intermediate point, they are typically—but not always—differentiated from "connecting flights" in that the airline will enforce a dependency between multiple legs of the flight, so that leg two cannot operate if leg one has failed to arrive at the departure airport. Direct flights involving aircraft changes typically change to planes at adjoining or nearby gates. Airlines, airports, and security authorities in a particular country enforce different policies on whether passengers may stay on the aircraft on routes which do not involve a change of aircraft. For example, flights that require stopover merely for refuelling usually do not permit passengers to disembark from the aircraft. On the other hand, flights where there is a change of passengers may require that passengers disembark and stay at a holding area 等待区(In aviation, holding (or flying a hold) 空中盘旋等待 is a maneuver designed to delay an aircraft already in flight while keeping it within a specified airspace. The primary use of a holding is delaying aircraft that have arrived at their destination but cannot land yet because of traffic congestion, poor weather, or runway unavailability (for instance, during snow removal). Several aircraft may fly the same holding pattern at the same time, separated vertically by 1,000 feet or more. This is generally described as a stack or holding stack. As a rule, new arrivals will be added at the top.  ) for security reasons and a proper headcount. In relation to this, a direct flight with stopovers may or may not involve a change in the flight crew. Airlines may also market connections to a consolidation airport, usually an airline hub, where the continuation of the flight from multiple aircraft is to a single aircraft listed under several flight numbers. Unlike traditional direct flights, multiple legs of such 'direct' flight actually operate as individual/independent legs, such that the latter leg can operate without any dependency or consideration of the former leg. In other words, the flight that comprises the latter leg can depart even if the flight that comprised the former leg failed to arrive. 16. You won't find better shaken or stirred drinks in Melbourne than at this Gertrude Street speakeasy(A speakeasy 复古巴, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Speakeasies largely disappeared after Prohibition was ended in 1933, and the term is now used to describe retro style bars. Retro is a term used to describe aspects of modern culture which are consciously derivative or imitative of those trends, modes, fashions, or attitudes of the recent past which have or had come to be seen as unfashionable. It generally implies a vintage of at least fifteen or twenty years. For example, clothing from the 1980s or 1990s could be retro.). That's just a fact. This is Michael Madrusan's joint, and the man doesn't mess around( mess around/about I. to waste time; to do something ineffectually. to play with or fiddle with something idly and with no good purpose. Don't mess around with the ashtray. You'll break it if you don't stop messing about with it. Stop messing around and get busy. I wish you wouldn't mess about so much. You waste a lot of time that way. II. to play [with someone] sexually. Those two have been messing around. Pete was messing around with Maria during the summer. III. to experiment with something; to use and learn about something. We had been messing about with some new video techniques when we made our discovery. The people in this lab are messing around with all kinds of polymers.). He tips his hat to the jazzy golden era of bartending, when ice was hewn from giant blocks, hair was slick, and four ingredient cocktails were king. The menu is short, sharp and classic: Champagne, a couple of expressions of Blanton's, a handful of Daiquiris, and the wildcard bartender's choice. No vodka. Everything is just so. A Whisky Freezer of Scotch, lime, sugar and mint is built with soda over a perfect column of ice. It's the best almost-Mint Julep you've ever had. It will likely be made for you by Alistair Walker – a pommie repository of drinks skill and entertaining facts. Get him to make you a Mary Pickford. It's a tarty little number of fresh pineapple juice, light rum and Maraschino. Unless you know your posse 伙伴, 同伴 well(posse [ˈposi] I. A group of people summoned by a sheriff to aid in law enforcement. II. A search party. III. A gang involved in crimes such as running guns and illegal narcotics trafficking. IV. Slang A group of friends or associates.), the candlelit booths can be a little intimate. Chin up, though, because next door Madrusan has opened the Elk Room: a wonderland of peacock feathers, deer busts and Chesterfields if you want to sprawl. This isn't a place for picking up or dancing on tables. It's table service only(Food Service 饮食业 (US English) or catering industry (British English) defines those businesses, institutions, and companies responsible for any meal prepared outside the home. This industry includes restaurants, school and hospital cafeterias, catering operations, and many other formats. Counter service is a form of service in restaurants, pubs, and bars where food or drinks are ordered at the counter. Counter service is sometimes also referred to as a "bar service," such as used for "juice bar" or in the case of pubs and bars where the counter is also called the bar. Customers may take-out the food, or carry it to a table, or eat at the bar, using chairs or stools provided for the purpose. Counter service is compared with table service where service is provided at the table. With counter service, the customer generally pays before consuming the food or drink. Some fast food restaurants offer only counter service while table service is the common form in most restaurants. For pubs and bars, bar service is the norm in both Ireland and the United Kingdom whereas table service is the norm in Continental Europe. Table service is food service served to the customer's table by waiters and waitressess, also known as "servers". Table service is common in most restaurants, while for some fast food restaurants counter service is the common form. For pubs and bars, counter service is the norm in the United Kingdom. With table service, the customer generally pays at the end of meal. Various methods of table service can be provided. See, for instance, silver service. In recent years, restaurants have began to train their servers using e-learning programs in an effort to lower training costs. ), and carousing (carouse [kəˈrauz] 大声喧哗, 吆五喝六 vb (intr) to have a merry drinking spree; drink freely. To engage in boisterous, drunken merrymaking. carousel [ˌkærəˈsɛl; -ˈzɛl] I. A merry-go-round, as one at an amusement park. II. 行李传送带 A circular conveyor on which objects are displayed or rotated: a baggage carousel in an airport. III. A tournament in which knights or horsemen engaged in various exercises and races. wiki: A carousel, or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders. The "seats" are traditionally in the form of rows of wooden horses or other animals mounted on posts, many of which are moved up and down by gearwork to simulate galloping, to the accompaniment of looped circus music. This leads to one of the alternative names, thegalloper. Other popular names are jumper, roundabout, horseabout and flying horses. Carousels are commonly populated with horses, each horse weighing roughly 100 lbs (45 kg), but may include diverse varieties of mounts, like pigs, zebras, tigers, or mythological creatures such as dragons or unicorns. Sometimes, chairlike or benchlike seats are used as well, and occasionally mounts can be shaped like airplanes or cars. Any rotating platform may also be called a carousel. In a playground, a roundabout or merry-go-round is usually a simple, child-powered rotating platform with bars or handles to which children can cling while riding. At anairport, rotating conveyors in the baggage claim area are often called carousels. Various photographic slide projectors, notably those made by Kodak until 2004, used rotating trays or magazines called carousels to hold the slides and were often known as "carousel projectors". ) ain't allowed. But if good drinks excite you, you're in for a fistful of fun. 17. Jersey ([ˈdʒɜrzi], officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, French: Bailliage de Jersey), is a British Crown dependency just off the coast of Normandy, France. Jersey is a self-governing 自治的 parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, with its own financial, legal and judicial systems, and the power of self-determination自主. The island of Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands. Although the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey are often referred to collectively as the Channel Islands, the "Channel Islands" are not a constitutional or political unit. Jersey has a separate relationship to the British Crown from the other Crown dependencies of Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It is not part of the United Kingdom, and has an international identity separate from that of the UK but the United Kingdom is constitutionally responsible for the defence of Jersey. Jersey is not a part of the European Union but has a special relationship with it, being treated as part of the European Community for the purposes of free trade in goods. The Crown dependencies皇家属地 are self-governing possessions of the British Crown. They are distinct from the overseas territories of the United Kingdom. As of 2013, three jurisdictions held this status: the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey in the English Channel and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea. Being independently administered jurisdictions, none forms part of the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth of Nations, or the European Union. 18. A cruise ship or cruise liner 游船 is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages[ˈvɔɪɪdʒ], where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way. Transportation is not the prime purpose, as cruise ships operate mostly on routes that return passengers to their originating port, so the ports of call停靠码头 are usually in a specified region of a continent. In contrast, dedicated transport oriented ocean liners客船 do "line voyages" and typically transport passengers from one point to another, rather than on round trips. port of call: A port where ships dock in the course of voyages to load or unload cargo, obtain supplies, or undergo repairs. 19. scarce 少见的, 稀少的, 稀有的. sparse 稀疏的 Occurring, growing, or settled at widely spaced intervals; not thick or dense. scattered 分散的, be thin on the ground (British & Australian) if things or people are thin on the ground, there are not many of them Bears are getting rather thin on the ground in European forests. I get the impression work is a bit thin on the ground at the moment. 20. Months after Steve Ballmer announced plans to step down as chief executive, Microsoft heads into 2014 still searching for the right candidate. In the last few months of 2013, several names of rumored CEOs-in-waiting got bandied about( bandy about/around (transitive) pass on or discuss an idea or rumor in a casual way. if a word, a name, etc. is bandied about, it is mentioned or talked about by many people, often in a careless way传播；散布: The stories being bandied about are completely false. $40,000 is the figure that has been bandied about. bandy =  bandy-legged)  adj. (of a person's legs) curved so as to be wide apart at the knees. (of a person) having legs that are curved in such a way; bowlegged. 罗圈腿. ) -- Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Microsoft's VP of its cloud-and-enterprise group, Satya Nadella -- often mentioned as the front-runners. (Mulally has since indicated he plans to remain in Detroit.). This latest episode in executive handicapping falls under the heading of "those who talk don't know and those who know aren't talking." But this is what we do know: Microsoft plans to make its selection known sometime early in 2014, and at that point, the close scrutiny begins. 21. easy peasy = easy-peasy (childish) Really simple. Now now Benny Wenny, don't cry about it, learning how to add fractions is easy peasy! easy peasy lemon squeezy, easy peasy Japanesey, easy peasy pumpkin peasy. 论坛回复: Err, guys, the oft-repeated OzBargain credo(A credo ([ˈkre:do:]) is a statement of religious belief, such as the Apostles' Creed. The term especially refers to the use of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed (or less often, the Apostles' Creed) in the Mass, either as text, Gregorian chant, or other musical settings of the Mass.) of "buy first think later" is mostly a joke about how fast the best bargains sell out, not a real philosophy for making sensible purchases. This thread is full of people berating OP for not making an impulse buy. Now, I do agree that he should have just bought it if he had the time to ask the guy if Wollongong would have it. But… That doesn't make the Dick Smith staff less negligent(failing to take proper care over something.) here. They still gave him the wrong info, causing him to miss out. He's warning us about DS staff incompetence. 22. fluorescent [flu'rɛs ənt] 荧光的 I. a. Of or relating to fluorescence. b. Exhibiting or produced by fluorescence: fluorescent plankton; fluorescent light. II. Glowing as if with fluorescence; vivid: bright fluorescent colors. florescence (florescent) (flɔ:ˈrɛsəns)  花期, 花季, 开花 A condition, time, or period of flowering. efflorescence (ˌɛflɔːˈrɛsəns) a bursting forth or flowering. the state or a period of flowering. effervescent [ˌɛfəˈvɛsənt] adj I. 沸腾的. 冒气泡的. (Chemistry) (of a liquid) giving off bubbles of gas; bubbling. II. high-spirited; vivacious. adolescent [ˌædəˈlɛsənt] adj I. of or relating to adolescence. II. behaving in an immature way; puerile. 23. pose I. (transitive) present or constitute (a problem, danger, or difficulty):  the sheer number of visitors is posing a threat to the area. The model was posing carefully. The artist posed his model carefully. pose an obstacle to. She is always posing装腔作势. The model adopted a suitable pose. II. 提出 raise (a question or matter for consideration): a statement that posed more questions than it answered. Allow me to pose a question. You've posed an awkward question. n. I. 姿势, 姿态 He sat in a relaxed pose. a dramatic [stage] pose舞台亮相, a pose cultivated by the upper classes. strike [put on] a pose of  II. 装腔作势, 伪装 The President's visit to the slums was a mere pose. His brave words are merely a pose. Don't take his behaviour seriously— it' only a pose惺惺作态. strike a pose to position oneself in a certain posture. Bob struck a pose in front of the mirror to see how much he had bulked up. Lisa walked into the room and struck a pose, hoping she would be noticed. poser n. I. 难题;困难;棘手的事 The dilemma presented quite a poser. II. 装腔作势的人;装模作样的人 a person who acts in an affected manner in order to impress others. I hate to see posers showing off. 24. rack something up I. Lit. to place something onto or into its rack. You had better rack the billiard balls up when you finish this game. Please rack up the balls. II. Fig. to accumulate something; to collect or acquire something. to score a large number of points. Even though Miller racked up 28 points, the team still lost. They all racked a lot of profits up. We racked up twenty points in the game last Saturday. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd racks up $29,676 phone bill in six months. Kids racking up huge bills on mobile games.  III. Sl. to wreck or damage something. Fred racked his new car up. He racked up his arm in the football game. be on the ball (informal) to be quick to understand and to react to things. To be alert; in command of one's senses. I rely on my co-driver to be on the ball. I didn't sleep well last night and I'm not really on the ball today. on the bubble On the threshold; finely balanced between success and failure; for example, if a qualifying competition for an event allowed the top eight runners to proceed to the next round then those who were close to qualification and could get through by a small increase in performance would be said to be 'on the bubble'. 'On the wagon 戒酒' abstaining from alcohol. 'Off the wagon' - returned to drinking after an attempt to give it up. On the warpath Intent on a confrontation or fight. on the quiet/ on the QT secretlyThe slang term 'qt' is a shortened form of 'quiet'. There's no definitive source for the phrase 'on the q.t.' His marriage broke up when his wife found out he'd been seeing someone else on the quiet. 25. Do you have air-conditioning at home? Most homes in warm climates have air conditioning. For some, air conditioning may be a luxury, but for many, it is a necessity. 26. A monocular 单眼望远镜 is a modified refracting telescope used to magnify the images of distant objects by passing light through a series of lenses and sometimes prisms; the use of prisms results in a lightweight telescope. Volume and weight are less than half those of binoculars 双筒望远镜 of similar optical properties, making it easy to carry. Monoculars produce 2-dimensional images, while binoculars add perception of depth (3 dimensions). Binoculars, field glasses or binocular telescopes are a pair of identical or mirror-symmetrical telescopes mounted side-by-side and aligned to point accurately in the same direction, allowing the viewer to use both eyes (binocular vision) when viewing distant objects. Most are sized to be held using both hands, although sizes vary widely from opera glasses to large pedestal mounted military models. Many different abbreviations are used for binoculars, including glasses, nocs, binocs, noculars, binos and bins. Unlike a (monocular) telescope, binoculars give users a three-dimensional image: for nearer objects the two views, presented to each of the viewer's eyes from slightly different viewpoints, produce a merged view with an impression of depth. 27. 企鹅岛说明: It's summer and little penguin breeding season. Couples share chick-rearing duties(chick The young of any bird.). It takes about 8 weeks for chicks to grow up. For the first 2-3 weeks, parents take turns guarding 看护, 照看, 护理 the chicks in the burrow. pasture 牧场, 草场 a. Grass or other vegetation eaten as food by grazing animals. b. Ground on which such vegetation grows, especially that which is set aside for use by domestic grazing animals. put out to pasture I. To herd (grazing animals) into pasturable land. II. Informal To retire or compel to retire from work or a full workload. greener pastures a better or more exciting job or place A lot of scientists are seeking greener pastures abroad because of the scarcity of opportunities at home. pastures new  (British) also new pastures (American & Australian) if someone goes to pastures new, they leave their job or home in order to go to a new one. Tom's off to pastures new. He's got a transfer to Australia. wiki: Pasture in a wider sense additionally includes rangelands, other unenclosed pastoral systems and land types used by wild animals for grazing or browsing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are distinguished from rangelands by being managed through more intensive agricultural practices of seeding, irrigation, and the use of fertilizers, while rangelands grow primarily native vegetation, managed with extensive practices like controlled burning and regulated intensity of grazing. Soil type, minimum annual temperature, and rainfall are important factors in pasture management. Sheepwalk is an area of grassland where sheep can roam freely. The productivity of sheepwalk is measured by the number of sheep per area. This is dependent, among other things, on the underlying rock. Sheepwalk is also the name of townlands in County Roscommon, Ireland and County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Prior to the advent of factory farming with its use of "zero-grazing" feeding techniques, pasture was the primary source of food for grazing animals such as cattle and horses. It is still used extensively, particularly in arid regions where pasture land is unsuitable for any other agricultural production. In more humid regions, pasture grazing is exploited extensively for free range and organic farming. It is an important biotic resource. ranch I. An extensive farm, especially in the western United States, on which large herds of cattle, sheep, or horses are raised. II. A large farm on which a particular crop or kind of animal is raised: a mink ranch, a fruit ranch. 28. Please be conscious of the time请注意时间, 请别忘记时间(及时回来, 及时去做某事, 别晚回来). bar-hopping: Where I live bar-hopping basically means club hopping. So going to big/ trendy nightclubs where people really dress up etc. Pub-crawling is going to more low key bars...like not as dressy or trendy/fancy clubs. pub crawl: a tour of bars or public houses (usually taking one drink at each stop). circuit: a journey or route all the way around a particular place or area; "they took an extended tour of Europe"; "we took a quick circuit of the park"; "a ten-day coach circuit of the island". bass作为贝斯是读音和base一样, 作为姓名(George Bass)和鱼, 以及啤酒品牌时读作"败思", 比如bass strait. I went fishing and caught a bass the other day. I was in the pub drinking Bass the other day. So bass in the musical sense has its origins in base, and the current spelling is influenced by the Italian basso. In other words, the spelling changed out from under the pronunciation. Bass as in a bass guitar is indeed pronounced the way you say. However, the fish named bass is pronounced just the way it is spelled (with a short a, rhymes with gas). Asking why in English generally isn't all that productive. The issue with English is that it has been a written language for a very long time. Pronunciations of words often change over time, but they remain spelled the same way for historical reasons. Then sometimes we borrow words verbatim from other languages where the rules are completely different. Bass could be either, as a lot of our technical music words came unchanged from French and Italian back in the late Renaissance. Basically, words are just spelled the way they are spelled and you have to memorize them all. If you find one pronounced in some way analogous to how it is spelled, consider yourself lucky. 29. A mashup 歌曲混编, 歌曲混搭 (also mesh, mash up, mash-up, blend, bootleg 非法贩卖 and bastard pop/rock) is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another. To the extent that such works are "transformative" of original content, they may find protection from copyright claims under the "fair use" doctrine of copyright law. Mashups are known by a number of different names: Bootlegs (mostly in Europe), Boots (but not "booty" which is a branch of electro), Mash-ups, Mashed hits, Smashups (or smash-ups), Bastard pop (as in the combined songs are unofficial; this term is rarely used anymore), Blends, Cutups (or cut ups, a term originally coined by William S. Burroughs to describe some of his literary experiments that involved literally "cutting up" different texts and rearranging the pieces to create a new piece.), Powermixing (usually the pace has to be speeded up to allow for more song to be played and thus cannot play any single blend for the full length of the song), Crossovers, but it is in a form of mashup, or version vs. version. In addition, more traditional terms such as "edits" or (unauthorized) "remixes" are favored by many "bootleggers" (also known as 'leggers). bootleg v. 非法制造或贩卖. (esp. of liquor, computer software, or recordings) made, distributed, or sold illegally. adj. 非法制造或贩卖的 bootleg corn whiskey during Prohibition. a bootleg radio station 地下无线电台, 地下电台. 30. look at: I. look at someone/something to direct your eyes towards someone or something so that you cansee them. He turned and looked at her. II. look at something to think about a situation or subject carefully, especially in order to make a decision. We're looking carefully at all the options. III. look at something to read something quickly so that you can give an opinion on it. Would you like me to look at your essay before you hand it in? IV. look at someone/something if an expert looks at someone or something, they examine themand decide what to do. I'd like a skin specialist to look at that rash of yours. V. [ALWAYS IN IMPERATIVE] SPOKEN used for giving an example that proves that what you are sayingis true. Look at Helen. She's much happier now she's changed jobs. VI. look at that SPOKEN used for telling someone to look at something because it is surprising, unusual etc. Look at that! Someone's taken my parking space! VII. look at you SPOKEN a. used for telling someone that you are not impressed by them, especially in reply to acomment that they have made about you or your behaviour. Look at you! It's eleven o'clock and you're still in bed. b. used for telling someone that you are surprised or impressed by them. Look at you, all dressed up in a suit! VIII. not look twice at used for saying that you are not at all interested in someone or something. I wouldn't look twice at someone like him. IX. not much to look at 长得一般 INFORMAL not very attractive. He's not much to look at, but he has a great personality. 31. Tiger Airways客服经理谈客服: Customer service is not an exact science(exact science a science (as physics, chemistry, or astronomy) whose laws are capable of accurate quantitative expression. any scientific field in which accurate quantitive techniques are used and there are accurate means of testing hypotheses and repeating results： Mathematics is an exact science. sth is not an exact science 无规律可循, 无定律, 无标准可循 there are no set rules to follow, or something may produce results that are not wholly accurate. Forecasting floods is not an exact science. Controlling inflation is not an easy or an exact science. ), and at times it can be frustrating. More often than not, I end up just spending time with my kids, but that time is time well spent. Having a good work environment goes a long way有很长的路要走 and this is easily heard in their voices on the calls they receive throughtout the day. 32. As the weather warms天气变热, Perth's collection of outdoor cinemas reopened for the year. Flip a coin to decide what's for dinner. Newly reopened following an extensive refit全面装修(face lift, renovation), the restaurant.... Don't be surprised to hear the person reel off a list of popular restaurants.