用法学习: 1. An aftershave(Calvin Klein [klain]) is a lotion(ˈləuʃən) , gel, balm([bɑ:m]), powder, or liquid used mainly by men after they have finished shaving. It may contain an antiseptic 防腐, 消菌,杀毒的 agent such as denatured alcohol or stearate citrate to prevent infection of cuts防止伤口感染. Aftershave with alcohol also usually causes an immediate burning sensation in men who apply it post-shave, with effects sometimes lasting several minutes. Some aftershaves utilize fragrance or essential oil to enhance scent. Moisturizers—natural and artificial, are often touted as able to soften the skin. Astringents收敛剂, 收敛水 are also often used in the formulation of an aftershave. 2. every other person or thing every second or alternate person or thing. The magician turned every other card over. Every other table had an ashtray on it. leave a bad taste in someone's mouth 让人感觉不爽 [for something] to leave a bad feeling or memory with someone. to cause an unpleasant memory. Violent movies always leave a bad taste in my mouth. The whole business about the missing money left a bad taste in his mouth. It was a very nice hotel, but something about it left a bad taste in my mouth. 3. shout-out A public expression of gratitude or recognition. an expression of greeting or praise that is given to someone in the presence of many people. A shout-out is a type of name-dropping where a list of names or someone's name is spoken out expressly to direct attention at these groups or individuals, often as a means of expressing kudos or making a referral. Name-dropping is used to position oneself within a social hierarchy. It is often used to create a sense of superiority by raising one's status. By implying (or directly asserting) a connection to people of high status身份高的, 地位高的, the name-dropper hopes to raise his or her own social status to a level closer to that of those whose names he or she has dropped, and thus elevate himself or herself above, or into, present company. Name-dropping can also be used to identify people with a common bond. By indicating the names of people one knows, one makes known his or her social circle, providing an opportunity for others with similar connections to relate. As a form of appeal to authority, name-dropping can be an important form of informal argumentation, as long as the name being dropped is of someone who is an expert on the subject of the argument and that person's views are accurately represented. Justin Bieber在Miami游玩的新闻: He also shared on Instagram, "shoutout to lil wayne for showin love and opening up his park for us." Bieber also enjoyed some time doing his favorite pastime: spray-painting graffiti art! He shared a photo of him tagging a wall of the skate park with his initials. During their night out Monday, Bieber and his friends received an escort from two Opa-Locka PD cruisers. The VIP police escort is currently under investigation by the Florida cops to determine if the officers who did the escort were in compliance with 符合 regular police standards. 4. patriot (美国ˈpeitriət; 英国ˈpæt-) 爱国者 patriotic (ˌpeɪtriˈotik; esp. Brit. ˌpæ-). high life Informal An extravagant or luxurious style of living. The movie is based on the true story of Jordan Belfort, from his rise to a wealthy stockbroker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government. low life 下等人生活 the behaviour and activities of people from a low social class, especially criminal activities. She worked as a prostitute and experienced the harsher side of Parisian low life. In The Wolf of Wall Street DiCaprio plays Belfort, a Long Island penny stock( Penny stocks, also known as cent stocks in some countries, are common shares of small public companies that trade at low prices per share. In the United States, the SEC defines a penny stock as a security that trades below $5 per share, is not listed on a national exchange, and fails to meet other specific criteria. In the United Kingdom, stocks priced under £1 are called penny shares. In the case of many penny stocks, low market price inevitably leads to low market capitalization. Such stocks can be highly volatile and subject to manipulation by stock promoters and pump and dump schemes. Such stocks present a high risk for investors, who are often lured by the hope of large and quick profits. "Pump and dump" (P&D) is a form of microcap stock fraud that involves artificially inflating the price of an owned stock through false and misleading positive statements, in order to sell the cheaply purchased stock at a higher price. Once the operators of the scheme "dump" their overvalued shares, the price falls and investors lose their money. Stocks that are the subject of pump and dump schemes are sometimes called "chop stocks". While fraudsters诈骗者 in the past relied on cold calls, the Internet now offers a cheaper and easier way of reaching large numbers of potential investors. A stock promoter is someone who promotes a stock, either to sell it as part of an IPO, or to persuade others to purchase in the secondary market so that its price goes up. This is often done as part of a market manipulation scheme known as pump and dump where the price is artificially driven higher so that promotor can sell their own shares at a profit. This is considered securities fraud and illegal in most jurisdictions. ) broker who served 36 months in prison for defrauding 诈欺, 欺骗, 欺诈 (defraud sb of sth.) investors in a massive 1990s securities scam that involved widespread corruption on Wall Street and in the corporate banking world, including shoe designer Steve Madden. 5. AI13: (某女孩的audition今天再播了一遍)Sure, there was a little more backstory this time (her father, who encouraged her to pursue music, recently died), and we got to see a bit more of Marrialle's goofy personality(goofy I. silly, quirky. Glorious attacking and goofy defending: Here was a match that encapsulated the madcap appeal of this season's Premier League. II. (snowboarding) riding with right foot forward. encapsulate I. (transitive) To cover something as if in a capsule. II. (transitive) 总结, 扼要概括, 囊括. To epitomize( 摘要, 缩影. 集中体现.) something by expressing it as a brief summary. III. (software, object-oriented) To enclose objects in a common interface in a way that makes them interchangeable, and guards their states from invalid changes. madcap 一时冲动的, 未加思量的, 不慎重的, 一时兴起的, 鲁莽的 adj. impulsive, hasty or reckless; capricious. The film featured a madcap car chase that went right through a crowded café.). But this repeat was still overkill, especially so early in the season, and it could generate a backlash before she even makes it to Hollywood. Of course, my other theory is this was all a setup 设计, 安排 for a "shocking"(setup I. Equipment designed for a particular purpose; an apparatus. The laboratory included an elaborate setup for measuring the energy. II. The fashion in which something is organized or arranged. The classroom setup was simple and efficient. III. 陷阱, 设计好了的. An act to frame someone; an effort or arrangement aimed at placing the blame on somebody. Trust me, that was a setup! A Setback Is a Setup for a Comeback. IV. (computing) An installer. After inserting the disk, run the setup. V. (operations) The process of arranging resources for performing a specific operation, as a run of a particular product. A simple setup on the bottling line involves reloading bottles and labels; emptying, cleaning, and reloading the tanks; and a test run. setup fee 装机费. 安装费. An initial fee that is charged by an organization to set up an account (or similar financial instrument). ) Green Mile elimination, a la Josiah Leming of "Idol" Season 7 or Jillian Jensen of "The X Factor" Season 2, when a supposed shoo-in(大热门) gets the boot 大热门倒灶( shoo-in 大热门, 热门人选 A candidate or contestant generally agreed upon as the presumptive winner; somebody who is well-liked or widely agreed upon. She's very popular and good with numbers, so I expect she'll be a shoo-in for treasurer. ). Or maybe Fox fired the show's editor midway through the audition process, and this was just some odd editing fail编辑失误. We shall soon see. 6. 记者采访遇袭: A 7 News television reporter has been treated in hospital after he was hit with an alleged headbutt in western Sydney. A man reportedly charged at journalist Hugh Whitfeld outside a home at Edensor ParkA Seven News spokeswoman said a decision was yet to be made on whether Whitfeld or the network would press charges发起诉讼, 起诉. "It was a tough day at the office for Hugh and fortunately he wasn't badly injured. He is on the mend (on the mend I. 恢复中, 好转中. (of persons and their health) Healing or recovering, as from an injury or illness. My foot is on the mend but it still hurts to walk. II. (of situations or things) Improving or undergoing restoration to a previous, more favorable condition. Our marriage went through a difficult time, but now it is on the mend.) at home and will be back to work when he's feeling up to it( feel up to something to feel well enough or prepared enough to do something. (Often in the negative.). to feel that you are strong or healthy enough to do something. I don't feel up to eating anything. I don't feel up to jogging today. Aunt Mary didn't feel up to making the visit.).". 7. Though Harry called him "Ronnie Osmond," Ethan Harris brought a unique flair to his audition performance ( flair (flɛə) I. A natural talent or aptitude; a knack: a flair for interior decorating. II. Instinctive discernment; keenness: a flair for the exotica. III. Distinctive elegance or style: served us with flair. have a flair for something to have a talent for doing something; to have a special ability in some area. Alice has quite a flair for designing. I have a flair for fixing clocks. ) of "You'll Think of Me. 8. see to someone or something I. to take care of someone or something. Tom will see to the horses. Come to the house and freshen up. I hear the doorbell. Will someone please see to answering the door? II. to be sure that something is done Would you see to those inquiries before you leave today? Usage notes: often used in the form see to it: Tom was a good friend, so we saw to it that he got some help when he needed it. See to it that you are here promptly at nine o'clock tomorrow. see someone to something to accompany or escort someone to something or some place. (See also see someone to the door.) Let me see you to the station. Would you please see your aunt to her car?
One by U2: During the album's recording sessions录音过程 at Hansa Studios in Berlin, conflict arose 起了冲突 between the band members over the direction of U2's sound and the quality of their material(Expecting to be inspired by a "New Europe" and the reuniting city, the band instead found the mood to be bleak灰暗 and soon conflict arose over their musical direction and the quality of their material.). Tensions almost prompted the band to break up until they achieved a breakthrough with the improvisation即兴表演 of "One"; the song was written after the band members were inspired by a chord (kɔ:d) progression that guitarist The Edge was playing in the studio. The lyrics, written by lead singer Bono, were informed by the band members' fractured 破碎的, 濒临破裂的 relationships and the German reunification. Although the lyrics ostensibly 表面上的 describe "disunity"(ostensible Represented or appearing as such; ostensive: His ostensible purpose was charity, but his real goal was popularity.), they have been interpreted in other ways. The song was acclaimed by critics upon its release, and it has since been featured in polls of the greatest songs of all time. The band also had difficulty developing demos and musical ideas into completed songs. Bono and The Edge believed the lack of progress was the fault of the band, while Clayton and Mullen Jr. believed the problem was the quality of the songs. Mullen said he "thought this might be the end" of the band. Ultimately, a breakthrough in the sessions was achieved. While jamming 即兴 on a song called "Sick Puppy"—an early version of "Mysterious Ways"—the band tried different chord progressions for the bridge. The jam stopped and The Edge tried playing them alone on an acoustic guitar, as "everyone was trying to decide if they were any good." At the suggestion of 在...建议下 producer Daniel Lanois, The Edge played two separate sections sequentially. The band liked the way it flowed and decided to try and play it together. Speaking of the improvisation, The Edge said, "suddenly something very powerful [was] happening in the room." He added, "Everyone recognized it was a special piece. It was like we'd caught a glimpse of what the song could be." Soon afterwards, the band had developed the piece of music into "One". Bono recalls that "the melody, the structure—the whole thing was done in 15 minutes". He also stated that the lyrics "just fell out of the sky, a gift"; the concept was inspired by the band members' fracturing relationships, the German reunification, and Bono's skepticism of the hippie idea of "oneness". Following the song's initial improvisation, tapes of the recording sessions were delivered to assisting producer Brian Eno in order to gather his input听听他的建议; Eno spent extended periods of time away from the sessions before visiting to review songs, and he believed that distancing himself from the work allowed him to provide the band with a fresh perspective on their material each time he rejoined them. The band were rather anxious about the quality of their material, but when Eno arrived in Berlin, they were surprised to hear that he liked most of the tapes. However, as Bono recalls, Eno said, "There's just one song I really despise, and that's 'One'." Eno felt that they needed to deconstruct 解构 the song. The Edge thought that they had the foundation for the song, but that it needed "foreground". Eno interceded打断, 截断, explaining to the group that "One" was among the sessions' tracks in which "The song has gone, whatever it is you liked about this song is not there anymore", and that the track had "disappeared under layers of overdubs". He created his own mix, which gave the band a better idea of an arrangement they liked. Eno wanted the band to remove the melancholy[ˈmɛlənkəli] elements 忧郁的成分 of the song and persuaded them to remove the acoustic guitar from the song. He also worked with Lanois and The Edge to "undermine the 'too beautiful' feeling", which is why they added the "crying guitar parts that have an aggression to them". Flood, the sessions' engineer, was unconvinced by the song's mix, saying he "was the nagging 唠唠叨叨的, 牢骚不断的 doubter. I always felt it was a bit straight, until we did the final mix." The final mix was completed at Windmill Lane Studios in September 1991 on the last night of the album's recording sessions, when some last minute additions were made. Bono did not like a line in the vocals and spent most of the day re-recording it. Later, after the song's mix had just been completed by the production team, The Edge came up with a guitar part he wanted to add to the song's end near the lyric "Love is a temple". After convincing the production team to allow the addition, The Edge played the part once and had it mixed in ten minutes later. "One" was released as the album's third single in March 1992 as a benefit single, with all of the band's royalties being donated to different AIDS research organizations for each country in which the single was released. The group's manager Paul McGuinness commented on their decision: "The band feels that [AIDS] is the most pressing 最迫切的 issue of the day, and we really have to focus people's attention to the AIDS plague that has been with us for 10 years." The cover of the single release is a photograph by David Wojnarowicz. The photograph depicts buffaloes falling off a cliff after being chased by Native American hunters. The single's liner notes(Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.) explain that Wojnarowicz "identifies himself and ourselves with the buffalo, pushed into the unknown by forces we cannot control or even understand". After the release of Achtung Baby, critics praised "One". In its review of the album, Entertainment Weekly called the song "biting 抓人的 ( I. Causing a stinging sensation; nipping: biting cold. II. Capable of gripping and affecting or wounding; cutting. sarcastic; incisive: a biting comment. a biting aphorism. III. Of or relating to insects and certain other animals that wound the skin with a sting, mouthparts, or fangs.) and unprecedentedly emotional" and opined that its "extravagant stylings and wild emotings [...] put it among Bono's most dramatic moments on record". In its review of the album, Rolling Stone called the song a "radiant ballad", noting that "Few bands can marshal such sublime power, but it's just one of the many moments on Achtung Baby when we're reminded why, before these guys were the butt of cynical jokes, they were rock & roll heroes—as they still are."
Ticket price gouging taking consumers for a ride( take someone for a ride I. Lit. to carry someone about, usually for recreation, in a car, plane, boat, etc. Would you take us for a ride in your boat? Please take me for a ride in your new car. II. Fig. to deceive someone. You really took those people for a ride. They really believed you. I was taken fora ride on this matter. III. Fig. to take away and murder a person. (Underworld.) Mr. Big told Mike to take Fred for a ride. The gang leader had said he thought Mike had better take Walter for a ride. ): So, you've decided this weekend to see the Sydney Festival's baroque (bəˈrok; bəˈrəuk) 巴洛克 show-stopper Dido & Aeneas; choreographer Sasha Waltz's underwater spectacular set to Purcell's 17th-century opera at the Lyric Theatre. How deep are your pockets? You're about to be slugged ( slug I. Informal A shot of liquor. An amount of liquid, especially liquor, that is swallowed in one gulp; a swig. II. A small metal disk for use in a vending or gambling machine, especially one used illegally. III. US and Canadian a metal token for use in slot machines, etc. IV. A round bullet larger than buckshot. V. US and Canadian a slow-moving or lazy person or animal. v. I. Informal To drink rapidly or in large gulps: slugged down a can of pop. II. To strike heavily, especially with the fist or a bat. 也可做名词表示:A hard heavy blow, as with the fist or a baseball bat. III. (Commerce) (tr) Austral and NZ to charge (someone) an exorbitant price. exorbitant (iɡˈzɔ:bitənt) 不合理的价格. 过分的价格 = outrageous. adj (of prices, demands, etc) in excess of what is reasonable; excessive; extravagant; immoderate. slug it out I. to fight, compete, or struggle with fortitude. to fight something out; to argue intensely about something. They finally went outside to slug it out. We'll just have to sit down in the conference room and slug it out. II. to compete against someone or something for first or highest position Will the rest of the country find these teams interesting enough to watch them slug it out on TV for seven games? Two new mystery novels are slugging it out in the bookstores. Etymology: based on the literal meaning of slug it out (to fight, esp. by hitting with the hands). duke it out I. to compete against someone or something. The airlines are duking it out, offering better service and cheaper fares as a way of attracting passengers. Usage notes: often used in newspaper writing to describe competition between political candidates: Candidates are still duking it out in state primaries, with no one the clear winner yet. Etymology: based on the slang meaning of duke (to hit or fight someone with your hands). ) a booking fee that Australian consumer advocacy group Choice criticises as ticket sellers "creaming" ( cream I. To puree, to blend with a liquifying process. Cream the vegetables with the olive oil, flour, salt and water mixture. II. To turn a yellowish white colour; to give something the color of cream. III. (slang) To obliterate, to defeat decisively. To defeat overwhelmingly: creamed our rival on their home court. We creamed the opposing team! To damage severely; destroy: My camera got creamed when I dropped it. IV. (vulgar, slang) To ejaculate (used of either gender). n. Semen. V. (transitive, cooking) To rub, stir, or beat (butter) into a light creamy consistency. VI. (transitive) To skim, or take off by skimming, as cream. VII. 取其精华. 精华尽出 (transitive, figuratively) To take off the best or choicest part of. creamed off the highest-paying jobs for her cronies. creamed the whole department to form his management team. the cream 精华 of the crop. the cream of a collection of books or pictures. VIII. (transitive) To furnish with, or as if with, cream. ) ticket buyers. Most of this money is going directly to the festival organisers or to the venue, or is split with the ticketing agency if selling is outsourced. The usual culprits - credit-card charges - account for little of booking fees. The Reserve Bank of Australia estimated in September the average merchant service fee for MasterCard and Visa is 0.81 per cent of the transaction. On the Sydney Festival website, the general "how to book" and "ticketing fine print" pages state "transaction fees may apply" without stating amounts没说明. The Dido & Aeneas page gives the price range of seats, with no mention of extra fees. Choose a cheap "restricted view" seat, select a date and you're told $55 is the "full price". But, after selecting the number of tickets, the truth is revealed: "a transaction fee of $6.50 will be applied to this booking", a 12 per cent mark-up on a $55 ticket, but the same flat fee is charged to those buying $199 premium seat tickets. It's more expensive to book those same Dido & Aeneas seats on the Ticketmaster website, which, before selecting your seat, states "a handling fee from $7.95 per transaction applies". The Sydney Festival's phone lines - managed by Ticketmaster - charge $7.95 per transaction, too. A Sydney Festival spokeswoman said no one was available to explain where the booking or handling fee money goes. However, she pointed out it was possible to avoid ticket fees by buying the small number of $25 bargain tickets made available for many shows each day at the Tix 4 Nix booth in the Hyde Park festival garden. Ticketing agencies are often the only option when a big concert name tours. Tickets for the Rolling Stones at Allphones Arena on March 25 are $99 to $577.70. But the Ticketek website says in fine print below the event you will also be up for a "service/delivery" fee "from $5.35 per transaction" - and the additional 1.95 per cent "credit/debit card processing fee". The Sydney Opera House adds an $8.50 fee per phone, internet or email transaction, or $5 at the box office. A spokeswoman said that, as a non-profit organisation, the Opera House must generate 85 per cent of operating costs 运营费用 independently of government. Such surcharges are "standard practice worldwide惯用手段, 惯例", she said, and "cover the costs of running a ticketing operation - this includes a call centre, website, box office counters, back office operations, sales and marketing and significant technology development and infrastructure". But Choice spokesman Tom Godfrey said such surcharges are excessive and the price of a show ticket should already include the cost of providing the ticketing service. "Sure, the Opera House needs to make some money but it shouldn't be doing it at the expense of the consumers' interest," Godfrey says. "Surcharges should not be over and above what it costs to administer the service." The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which declines to disclose how many complaints it has received about booking fees, says while businesses are free to set their prices定价, it is investigating whether there is adequate disclosure of fees and charges, with concerns noted about the entertainment industry. "The practice of incremental disclosure of additional fees and charges - often referred to as drip pricing(Defined by the FTC, drip pricing is when a company advertises a low price for its product or service, and consumers learn that there are additional surcharges or add-on fees only later in the purchase process. Drip pricing is used by many types of companies including the airlines, hotels, automobile dealers, car rental agencies, telecommunication companies, and financial institutions. For some industries, this pricing structure has been so successful that it has quietly become the normal way to do business, a fact that the FTC is not happy about. Research done by the FTC has found that when a company advertises only part of a price, often a deceptively 欺诈性的, 欺骗性的 low price, that it may be a financial win for the companies doing it, but a loss for the consumers who experience it. ) - is a key focus主要焦点," an ACCC spokeswoman said. Godfrey says ticket buyers should be quoted the full price. Booking, transaction and service delivery fees are "credit-card surcharges by another name换了个名字", Godfrey says. He says credit-card surcharges should be capped at less than 1 per cent of a transaction. Ticketmaster, which merged with Live Nation in 2010 and calls itself the world's largest ticketing company票务公司, and Ticketek, which bills itself as Australia's largest sports and entertainment ticketing company, charge "astronomical fees", Godfrey says. A Ticketmaster spokeswoman said only the managing director could comment and was overseas. Ticketek did not respond to Fairfax Media's request for comment before deadline. As of March 18 last year, the Reserve Bank introduced new rules allowing credit-card companies to cap 封顶 retailers' credit-card surcharges closer to what the companies actually charge as a merchant service fee. But, in Australia, there is no regulatory body overseeing 监管 the setting of ticket prices or pricing structure. At Sydney Theatre Company, patrons pay $7.50 per online transaction and $8 over the phone but there is no extra charge on tickets sold over the counter. "Transaction fees go to the costs associated with running and maintaining a box office," a Sydney Theatre Company spokesman said. "And yes, STC does need to pay credit-card companies a merchant fee, which is calculated against the gross cost of the transaction." Choice has noted smaller ticketing agencies, such as Moshtix, charge a few dollars less for online and phone bookings than the Ticketmaster-Ticketek duopoly.
