用法学习: 1. opulent [ˈopjulənt] 奢华的 something that is opulent is very impressive because it contains the best and most expensive things. We sat in the opulent surroundings of the Ritz Hotel. vicinity [vəˈsɪnəti] 读音 I. noun [singular] the area near a particular place. in the vicinity of: a university somewhere in the vicinity of London. in the vicinity of formal used before a number to show that it is not exact. The present value is in the vicinity of £120,000. go to town (on something) to do something eagerly and as completely as possible. to do something in a very eager way and as completely as possible, especially by spending a lot of money. Angie and Phil have really gone to town on their wedding. Angie and Phil have really gone to town on their wedding. Usage notes: often used to describe an activity that involves spending a large amount of money. go to town on (one's self) verb to masturbate. I went to town on myself last night. 2. haggle I. to argue in order to agree on the price of something. haggle with: You get good prices on materials by haggling with local manufacturers. haggle over/about: I didn't bother to haggle about the price. haggle someone/ something down 杀价: I haggled for a better price because the original price was too high. We haggled down the rent by about a third. I haggled off 50 bucks. II. to argue about the details of something. haggle over/about: Some countries are still haggling over the terms of the treaty. quell I. to get rid of unpleasant thoughts or feelings, or to prevent them from becoming stronger. II. to cause a violent situation to end. Mounted police were called in to quell the riot. 3. A Gold Coast mother is livid ( I. informal extremely angry. II. mainly literary dark purple or blue-grey in colour. ) after her son received the Gardisil vaccine against Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) against her wishes as part of a school vaccination program. Mellissa Blakemore told the Gold Coast Bulletin that she'd indicated that she didn't want her son to receive the vaccine on a consent 同意书 for that was sent to parents. But the boy signed his own consent form - which Ms Blakemore said he had been instructed to do by staff at Merrimac State High School. She said her son had been upset when he arrived home, and she said it was "abominable( abominable [əˈbomɪnəb(ə)l] extremely bad, offensive, or unpleasant.)" that her son had been given the vaccine against her wishes. "My son doesn't comprehend that sort of stuff, they don't actually get the other side of the story so he's not well informed enough to make those decisions when put on the spot," she said. A spokesperson for Gold Coast Health said that children under 16 were able to consent to the vaccine if "they have the capacity to do so". 4. "I've been had" is colloquial for "I have been deceived" or "I have been cheated.". When what is to be had is a thing, not a person, "to be had"means "available." Rings are to be had at a jewelry store. Used clothing is to be had at a flea market. Thus, the expression has the two above meanings - one 'to be cheated' and the other 'to be obtained'. 5. bargain v. I. to try to persuade someone to give you a better price or make an agreement that suits you better. You can get even better deals if you're prepared to bargain. more than you bargained for/not what you bargained for something different from what you expected, especially something worse. The babysitter found she had taken on more than she bargained for. bargain on something to expect something to happen, often because something else depends on it. bargain on (someone) doing something: She's bargaining on me changing my mind. n. I. something you buy that costs much less than normal. You should be able to pick up a few good bargains. a. a lower than usual price. Twenty pounds is a real bargain! II. an agreement in which two people or groups each promise to do something. After hours of negotiating, a bargain was finally reached. keep your side/end/part of the bargain (=do what you agreed): How do we know you'll keep your part of the bargain? strike a bargain (=reach an agreement): It was impossible to strike a bargain that both sides would accept. plea bargaining a process by which someone may be allowed to avoid punishment for a serious crime if they admit they have committed a less serious crime. drive a hard bargain to argue in a very determined way in order to reach an agreement that benefits you. into the bargain in addition to the things already mentioned. With careful planning, you can avoid delays and save yourself a lot of money into the bargain. 5. take/have/be given precedence over someone or something 占优先 the right to come before someone or something else; greater importance than someone or something else. Ambulances have precedence over regular cars at intersections. My manager's concerns take precedence over mine. buy out I. business to pay money to your business partner so that you can control all of a business you previously owned together. The other directors have offered to buy me out. II. buy someone out 赎身 British to pay money so that someone can leave an organization, especially the armed forces, before the time that they had originally agreed. buy out of: He bought himself out of the army. III. buy out someone's contract American to pay a person or organization the rest of an amount of money that has been promised in a contract so that someone can leave or be forced to leave their job early. buy or buy off 收买 [transitive] [usually passive] informal to give someone something so that they will do something dishonest for you. It's nice to know that some people can't be bought. buy into something I. business to buy part of a business, especially in order to get control of it. Moves to buy into other companies have failed. II. informal to start to do something that a lot of other people are doing, or to believe something that a lot of other people believe. You don't buy into all this nonsense, do you? sell out I. if a shop sells out of something, it sells all that it has so that there is no more available. I went to get some bread, but the shop had sold out. sell out of: On a hot day, we can sell out of ice cream in an hour. a. used about goods. The tickets had sold out within a few short hours. II. informal to do something that shows you no longer have the same moral principles that you used to have. sell out to: Some fans thought she'd sold out to mainstream pop music. III. American 抛售. to deliberately sell all the goods in your business, especially because you are closing the business permanently. sell off 抛售, 甩卖 to sell something quickly and for a low price, usually because you need money. The company will have to sell off assets to avoid bankruptcy. 6. This is what happens when you remove all social stigma from an otherwise awkward encounter. Both excited and perplexed about seeing "husbands and husbands" for the very first time, little Calen quickly gets over his confusion and becomes totally cool with the concept of two men being married to each other. too much information (informal) An expression indicating that
someone has revealed information that is too personal and made the
listener or reader uncomfortable. Usually written as "TMI". Too much information(TMI), an expression indicating that someone has divulged too much personal information and made the listener/viewer uncomfortable. He began to talk about his last trip to the underwear store. I told him, TMI! When Chris updated his status with "just ate entirely too much. Should make for a great bm to share with someone later," I thought it was TMI. overshare To offer inappropriate disclosure concerning one's personal life to others. "I've been told by certain people that I have a tendency to overshare with strangers. I hope I haven't bored you with the details of my life. 7. Singapore is a pleasant oncer(I. 曾经一度, 过去式. A person who does a particular thing only once. II. Australian An MP regarded as likely to serve only one term.). 8. empty vessel 行尸走肉, 空壳, 躯壳(They are human beings, they have emotions, they are not just empty vessels.) The phrase "empty vessel" literally means a container with nothing inside. It has additional significance in various areas. Empty vessel or the empty vessel approach 徒劳无功, 白费力气, 白给人舔屁股, 什么好处也没有捞到 is a term describing the negative effects of how one ends up with a worthless outcome when trying to please everyone. The term is more commonly used in psychology and behavior analysis. Worthlessness cannot be measured, but there will be consensus among the participants that the end product最终产品 does not even come close to the previously desired outcome; because, "The Second Noble Truth with its three aspects is: 'There is the origin of suffering, which is attachment to desire. Desire should be let go of. Desire has been let go of.'" Empty vessel names are names of products, brands, or even companies that have been conjured up so as not to offend anybody. Usually, these names are not in the dictionary, but rather combinations derived from everyday words that allude to their meaning only by their similarity to the root words. Empty vessels make (the) most noise/sound. 越是话多的人越胸无城府 something that you say which means that people who talk a lot and frequently express their opinions are often stupid. David talks as if he's an expert on everything, but empty vessels make most noise. 9. pale I. light and not bright in colour. pale blue/yellow/green. a pale sky. II. 面色苍白的. a pale person has skin that is lighter than usual because they are ill, shocked, or worried. When he returned, he looked pale and weary. III. less impressive or not as good as before or when compared with someone or something similar. a pale shadow: He's become a pale shadow of his former self. a pale imitation: The squad had become a pale imitation of the team that defeated New Zealand. pale blue/grey/pink 浅蓝, 浅灰 etc something that is pale blue/grey/pink etc is a lighter type of blue/grey/pink etc than usual. pale into insignificance to suddenly seem small and unimportant when compared with something much more important or impressive. Last year's spending pales into insignificance when compared with the proposed building renovations. pasty [ˈpeɪsti] a pasty face or pasty skin looks pale and not very healthy. wishy-washy I. Wavering; lacking in commitment, certainty, or support; namby-pamby. Thin and watery, as tea or soup; insipid. The wishy-washy 水水的 orange juice served by the cafeteria not only failed to be sweet; it was barely orange. II. Not wanting to be pressed for details. Lacking in strength of character or purpose; ineffective. public relations gave a wishy-washy answer. wash out I. [transitive] to wash something quickly, especially the inside of a container. Don't you ever wash out your coffee cups? II. 洗不掉, 洗不下来. [intransitive] if a substance washes out of cloth, it can be removed by washing. Permanent dyes won't wash out. All the colour has washed out of these old curtains. III. [transitive] [usually passive] if rain washes out an event, it prevents it from taking place or from continuing. It looked like the first game of the season would be washed out. it will come out in the wash informal I. 真相大白. used for saying that people will always find out the truth about something. Who knows what really happened? I guess it will come out in the wash. II. used for saying that you are sure you will find a solution to the problem that you have. Don't worry, it will all come out in the wash. 11. no love lost no feelings of respect, admiration, or affection. dislike, animosity. There was no love lost between the two opponents. They had a curious relationship – there was no love lost there. Usage notes: often used with between: There's no love lost between Morris and his publisher. animosity [ˌænɪˈmosəti] Violent hatred leading to active opposition; active enmity; energetic dislike. 12. A dune buggy is a recreational vehicle with large wheels, and wide tires, designed for use on sand dunes, beaches, or desert recreation. It is called a "Beach Buggy" in the United Kingdom, Ireland and many other English speaking countries. The design is usually a modified vehicle and engine mounted on an open chassis. The modifications usually attempt to increase the power-to-weight ratio by either lightening the vehicle or increasing engine power or both. Dune buggies designed specifically for operation on open sand are called sandrails. A similar, more recent generation of off-road vehicle, often similar in appearance to a sandrail but designed for different use, is the "off road go-kart". The difference may be little more than fitting all-terrain tires instead of sand tires and the much smaller size of the engine. 13. Ed Sheeran - The A Team: Musically, "The A Team" is a folk ballad with lyrics that speak of a crack-addicted prostitute (crack is known as a "Class A drug"). It was written after Sheeran visited a homeless shelter and heard some of the stories of the lives people had been living. Making the song upbeat was Sheeran's way of masking the heavy subject matter沉重的主题. Also using the term "Class A Team" was another way of masking it a little more. The song was sung by Sheeran, following a last-minute performance at an event for the homeless. The song was serviced to U.S. radio formats in late 2012 and became a sleeper hit ( A sleeper hit is a term used in the entertainment industry for a film that plays successfully for a long period and becomes a big success, despite having relatively little promotion or lacking a successful opening. It is also used in a similar sense for music releases.) within the United States, gradually rising up the Billboard Hot 100 to peak at number 16 – becoming Sheeran's first single on that chart. "'The A Team' came from an experience I had when I did a gig at a homeless shelter", says Sheeran of the song. "I was 18 at the time and kind of quite naïve. So, I was a bit taken aback by some of the stories that I heard. I got home that night and I just wrote a lot of the lyrics. I wanted to write it so it sounded kind of upbeat, so you wouldn't really know what it's about, because it's quite a dark subject." In a video interview with Billboard, Sheeran explained the song's title. "A drug like crack cocaine is called a 'Class A drug'. That's in the same category as heroin. Instead of making it clear and just saying what the problem was, I'd say, 'She's in the 'Class A' team.' It was kind of my way of covering up (a person's addiction), I guess, making it a bit more subtle." 13. Turnbull courted for ALP cabinet: ( court I. 取悦. [transitive] to try to impress or please someone because you want them to help you in some way. politicians courting middle-class voters. Suddenly, she's being courted by newspapers and television reporters every night. II. [transitive] 寻求 to make special efforts to get something that will benefit you. For years they had been courting influence in Britain's major companies. court publicity/popularity: He courted publicity and then complained about his loss of privacy. III. [transitive] to behave in a way that is likely to bring a bad result. court disaster/danger/scandal 找事, 自讨苦吃, 自讨苦吃(ask for trouble, bring something onto oneself): To ignore her advice would be courting disaster. IV. [intransitive/transitive] old-fashioned to have a romantic relationship with someone, especially someone that you get married to later. have it coming 自讨苦吃, 自作孽, 自作自受, 自找的 to deserve something. We worked so hard to make the business succeed that I think we have it coming. Usage notes: often said about someone who deserves something bad: The jury felt the guy had it coming, so they didn't convict her of attacking him. see it coming 有预感 to see that something is likely to happen, especially something bad. I
wasn't surprised when the company closed down. You could see it coming.
I wasn't surprised when they divorced - you could see it coming. a can of worms引火上身,自讨苦吃 (informal) a situation which causes a lot of trouble for you when you start to deal with it. Quite what we do with all the waste generated by this industry is another can of worms. Once you start making concessions to individual members of staff, you really open up a can of worms. (= cause a lot of trouble for yourself). dig your own grave自掘坟墓, 自讨苦吃 to do something stupid that will cause problems for you in the future. He's dug his own grave really. If he'd been a bit more cooperative in the first place they might still employ him. give sb. grief. make mischief 捣乱, 找麻烦 to cause trouble. Bob loves to make mischief and get other people into trouble. Don't believe what Mary says. She's just trying to make mischief. do yourself a mischief if you tell someone they will do themselves a mischief if they do something, you mean they will hurt themselves You want to be careful jumping over spikes like that - you might do yourself a mischief! put yourself out (for someone) to do something to help someone even if it causes problems or difficulties for you. I don't see why I should put myself out for him. put yourself out to do something: She really put herself out to get everything ready for us. You guys don't know what it's like是什么感觉 to put yourself out there like that and just get shot down(费劲心机去讨好, 却上来就直接被打枪). invite nemesis 自找事, 找麻烦, 找死. ) Former independent MP Rob Oakeshott tried to convince Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull to become a minister in a Labor-led minority government ''rainbow cabinet'' he envisaged while negotiating with Julia Gillard to back her into the prime ministership. Oakeshott recounts回忆 that during that period, he had numerous private conversations with Turnbull and raised with him the idea of 提起这个主意 joining the cabinet of a Gillard-led minority government. The conversations were nothing more than "flirtatious", Oakeshott says, and Turnbull does not recall the suggestion being made at all. Oakeshott's memoir also gives a frank account of what it is like to be lobbied by billionaire James Packer. The billionaire took Oakeshott on a tour of his Crown Casino in 2012, when controversial gambling reforms were being discussed by the Gillard government. Oakeshott says Packer schmoozed( schmooze [ʃmu:z] to talk with someone in a friendly and informal way, often with the intention of gaining an advantage or of persuading them to do something that you want) him with a chilli-laden meal before trying to pressure 施加压力 the MP by letting him know he was ''very close friends'' with senior government members Senator Stephen Conroy and Mark Arbib. The latter left politics and now works for Packer.
只有悉尼能代表澳大利亚: But why isn't Melbourne in the top 10? And where do the likes of Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide feature? Unfortunately, we'll never know – the people doing the survey simply didn't bother to look at any other Australian cities. This is hardly unusual. If a global study needs a selection of 40 or 50 cities, it's often the case that Sydney will be the only one from Oz making the cut入选. It's the biggest city in Australia, and barring a few quibbles (n. a complaint or criticism about something that is not important. v. to argue or complain about something that is not important. ), it acts as a decent proxy for the country as a whole. The other cities? Well, they're kinda expendable. Australia is not the only country where this is the case. The good folk of Manchester or Birmingham in England spit feathers when(spit feathers/tacks/chips I. be very thirsty. II. be very angry.) London is used as the sole urban representative of the UK. This is all reflective of 反映了一个 a fairly uncomfortable truth(reflective I. formal showing that something exists, or showing what something is like. reflective of: These cases are reflective of a more general problem. II. showing a tendency to serious and careful thought.) – for most foreigners, Sydney is the only Australian city that matters. This is partly because, by global standards let alone local ones, Sydney is exceptional. Arguably only the likes of Cape Town, Vancouver and Rio De Janeiro can rival it 匹敌 for natural setting. We can argue about relative merits of cultural scenes, dining options and lifestyle until the cows come home(till/until the cows come home for a very long time You can diet until the cows come home, and you still won't be a size 4. You can crank the engine until the cows come home, but it won't start without fuel. Notes: Possibly from the fact that cows may be expected to return for milking in the morning; thus, for example, a party that goes on "until the cows come home" is a very long one. Alternatively, assuming a Scottish origin, from the fact that cows in the highlands are put out on the common grazing until the end of summer, when they will find their way back home to be let in for feeding. Grass on the hill (common) is plentiful, so cows may stay out for months before scarcity of food brings them home in the autumn. until one is blue in the face (duration, idiomatic) For a hopelessly long time. You can explain it until you're blue in the face, but he will never understand. a cold day in Hell (idiomatic, slang) The time of occurrence of an event that will never happen. It'll be a cold day in hell when that happens. that'll be the day! (idiomatic) Said in reply to something that one believes will never happen. I'm going to get into work on time today. — That'll be the day! ), but in the eyes of a visitor prepared to fly half way across the world to visit Australia, looks give Sydney a monstrous head start. So before grumbling about Sydney getting all the limelight, it's probably worth putting local pride and petty parochiality ( parochial [pəˈrəukiəl] I. showing disapproval not interested in things that do not affect your local area directly. a parochial self-interest. a. not willing to accept new ideas or methods. II. [only before noun] relating to a particular parish. a parochial church council.) aside 放在一边 for a second to ask yourself one question: If a friend from overseas had three weeks to spend in Australia, where would you suggest they go? Personally, I'd check roughly what they're into, drill the idea of not trying to do too much in, then settle on something fairly predictable. Sydney, a bit of beach and bush, the Great Barrier Reef, and a taste of the Outback – probably in the Top End. If they're really, really into cities, then I'd suggest Melbourne too. Now it has toned down the insanely pointless "most European city in Australia最欧洲化的城市" nonsense and has the confidence not to resort to comparisons, it's a strong enough primary destination in its own right. Is this something Australians should be up in arms about欢呼 or embarrassed 尴尬 by? Not really. Many countries don't have a single city worth going so far out of the way for. Others have one or two. For a nation of under 23 million people and a considerable geographical disadvantage to have one undisputed urban draw card and another debatable one is pretty good going很不错了, 很棒了, 干得不错(going I. used for talking about how fast or easily you make progress. slow/heavy going: The first half of the film is pretty slow going (=is rather boring). tough/hard going: It's hard going until you get back onto the path. good going: We'd reached London by six o'clock, which was good going. a. British used about achievements. She now runs her own company, which is pretty good going for a working-class kid. II. an occasion when someone leaves a place or job permanently. None of us knew the reasons for his going.). Sydney may be the only Australian city foreigners care about – but that still represents a country punching above its weight.
泰国军事政变: Thailand is locked in a protracted power struggle between supporters of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra and opponents backed by the royalist establishment that has polarised the country and battered 重创 its economy. The general made his broadcast after a meeting to which he had summoned the rival factions, with the aim of finding a compromise to defuse anti-government protests. But no progress was made and Prayuth wound up the gathering by announcing he was seizing power, according to a participant. The Thai armed forces have a long history of intervening in politics - there have been 18 previous successful or attempted coups since Thailand became a constitutional monarchy in 1932, most recently when Thaksin was deposed in 2006(dispose of something I. to get rid of something that you no longer need or want. Please dispose of your litter thoughtfully. II. to remove something such as a problem by dealing with it successfully. Most complaints can be disposed of pretty quickly. dispose of someone I. to kill someone. II. to defeat someone in a game, competition etc. Ghana had disposed of Togo with a 1–0 victory.). The army had declared martial law on Tuesday, saying it was necessary to prevent violence. Twenty-eight people have been killed and 700 injured since the anti-government protests erupted late last year. "Martial law may have been to test the waters; the army gave the opposing camps a chance to negotiate a way out, but I think the endgame ( 结局. 终局. the final part of a game, battle, or political process when the result is decided. mind game I. a series of actions intended to affect how someone thinks and feels, especially in order to make them confused or less confident. II. a mental activity such as a puzzle that people enjoy trying to solve. ) was always the military taking over," said Kan Yuanyong of the Siam Intelligence Unit think-tank. "The possibility of conflict is now much higher," he said. "Thaksin will fight back." Former telecommunications tycoon Thaksin has lived in self-imposed exile since 2008 to avoid a jail term for graft, but commands the loyalty of legions of poor voters and exerts a huge influence over politics, most recently through his sister's government. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said there was no justification 没有道理, 没有必要
for a coup, which would have "negative implications" for ties. The
United States was reviewing 重新评估, 重新考虑 its military and other assistance,
"consistent with U.S. law". Under U.S. law, no foreign aid may flow
to a country whose duly elected ( duly [ˈdju:li] I. in the way that you expect or think is suitable. The guests were all duly impressed with Jack's cooking. II. at the correct or arranged time. Murphy was duly elected vice-president the following June.) head of government is deposed in a coup,
but the language of the law gives the Obama administration some
latitude ( I. [countable/uncountable] science the distance of a point on the Earth from the equator (=the imaginary line around the middle of the Earth), measured in degrees north or south. II. latitudes [plural] a place or region at a particular latitude. The plant grows best in cooler latitudes. III. [uncountable] formal 自由度. 自由空间. freedom to use your own methods and judgment in doing something. He was allowed a lot of latitude in implementing company policy. ) in how to interpret it. In a first round of talks on Wednesday,
Prayuth had called on the two sides to agree a compromise based on the
appointment of an interim prime minister, political reforms, and an
election. But both sides stuck to their entrenched positions. Yingluck
was forced to step down as premier by a court two weeks ago, but her
caretaker government limped on( limp v. I. 艰难前行, 拖着腿走. to walk with difficulty because of an injured leg or foot. Coyne limped off the pitch with an ankle injury. He was limping slightly and he looked tired. II. to move or continue existing with difficulty. The yacht is limping towards the island. limp along: The council will have to limp along until fresh elections can be organized. adj. I. not firm, stiff, or strong. a limp salad. limp and lifeless hair. II. done without energy or enthusiasm. Let your arms hang limply at your sides. a limp effort. limp-wristed (informal) a man who is limp-wristed seems weak and lacks the qualities that people usually admire in a man My mother liked him though I suspect my father thought he was a bit limp-wristed. ). Thailand's economy shrank by 2.1 percent
in January-March from the previous three months, largely because of the
unrest, adding to fears that it is stumbling into recession. But weary
investors have generally taken Thailand's political upheavals in their
stride, and analysts said the impact on markets in Southeast Asia's
second largest economy might not be too severe. The anti-government
protesters want to rid Thailand the influence of Thaksin, who they say
is a corrupt crony capitalist who commandeered ( I. to officially take someone's property for military use. II. to take something that belongs to someone else. ) a fragile democracy and
used taxpayers' money to buy votes with populist ( [ˈpopjulɪst] representing the interests and opinions of ordinary people. ) giveaways.For many of the opposition PDRC's supporters, a coup is the end result they had been hoping for. But questions remain. Did Gen Prayuth really expect to achieve success in talks in two short meetings? Or was it always his intention to make a token 象征性的 nod towards negotiations before stepping in? Could the talks really have been a ruse 花招, 伎俩 to get all the key leaders in one place before detaining them? There has been some suggestion that elements within the Thai army may have forced his hand. The rush from martial law to full-blown coup has left many here shaking and scratching their heads.
