用法学习: 1. She has an excellent working relationship with her sidekick 跟班, 副手( Someone's sidekick is a person who accompanies them and helps them, and who you consider to be less intelligent or less important than the other person. His sons, brother and nephews were his armed sidekicks. ...a dim-witted sidekick. ) Sunny. Sunny is Cassie's second-in-command.
三态变化: 1. genial [ˈdʒiniəl] friendly and kind. Bob was always genial and welcoming. He was a warm-hearted friend and genial host. congenial [kənˈdʒiniəl] 宜人的, 怡人的 I. friendly and enjoying the company of others. A congenial person, place, or environment is pleasant. He is back in more congenial company. II. a congenial situation is pleasant, friendly, and enjoyable. uncongenial [ʌnkəndʒiːniəl] 不友善的, 不友好的, 不让人愉悦的, 让人不快的, 让人不舒服的, 让人不爽的, 让人不痛快的, 让人痛苦的 If you describe a person or place as uncongenial, you mean that they are unfriendly and unpleasant. He continued to find the Simpsons uncongenial bores. Hollywood was an uncongenial place to work. People who have the quality of congeniality 亲善, 亲切友好, 平易近人 have a gift for getting along with others. They are warm, friendly, and probably well-suited to serve on welcoming committees.
The noun congeniality is closely related to the word geniality, which
means "friendliness." The noun congeniality is closely related to the
word geniality, which means "friendliness." Congeniality can be defined
the same way, but the Latin prefix con, or "with," adds a sense of
connection to other people. If you can't get elected as Prom Queen, strive for the title "Miss Congeniality."
In beauty pageants such as the Miss America pageant, it's an award
given to the friendliest contestant as determined by a vote among the
contestants. "Congenial" means friendly, welcoming, amiable.
Congeniality is the quality of being friendly or welcoming. It can apply
to persons (e.g., a congenial fellow) or it can be used in a more
abstract sense (e.g., a congenial atmosphere). collegiality [ˌkɑlidʒˈæləti] 同事关系 the quality of being relaxed, friendly, and cooperative, as is typical among a group of close colleagues. The regular meeting schedule builds a sense of collegiality among the teachers. congenital [kənˈdʒenɪt(ə)l] 天生的, 与生俱来的, 胎里带的, 先天性的 I. a congenital medical condition is one that a person has had since they were born. II. if someone has a congenital fault, they have always had it. He's a congenital 天生的, 与生俱来的 liar. 2. congeal [kənˈdʒil] 变稠, 凝固, 冷凝 if a substance such as blood or fat congeals, it becomes thick and almost solid. if a substance such as blood or fat congeals, it becomes thick and almost solid. The
fat had slowly congealed in the pan. a puddle of congealed grease.
Abruptly she jerked out of her dream, slime congealing on her skin. At
least the blood congealing on the asphalt proved that his groundhog was
freshly killed. The steak was left to congeal on the plate, and Jenny
ran down to the stable as fast as she could. coagulation [kəʊaɡjʊˈleɪʃ(ə)n] 血液凝固, 凝结 the action or process of a liquid, especially blood, changing to a solid or semi-solid state. "a supplement that inhibits blood coagulation". coagulate [koʊˈæɡjəˌleɪt] 结块 if a liquid coagulates, it becomes thick and solid. Blood slowly coagulated round the edges of the cut. 3. curdle 结块, 凝固, 冷凝. I. a. To change into curd. b. To become congealed as if by having changed into curd: The blood in my veins curdled at the horrific sight. II. To go bad or become spoiled. 4. Condensation [ˌkɑndenˈseɪʃ(ə)n] 冷凝 (气态变液态) is the change of the physical state物理状态 of matter物质 from gaseous [ˈgæsɪəs -ʃəs -ʃɪəs ˈgeɪ-]/ phase气态 into liquid phase, and is the reverse of evaporation 蒸发. When the transition happens from the gaseous phase into the solid phase directly, the change is called deposition 凝固 (气态变固态) ([ˌdɛpəˈzɪʃən ˌdi:pə-]). 5. precipitate [prɪˈsɪpɪtət] I. [intransitive/ transitive] formal
to make something happen or begin to exist suddenly and quickly,
especially something bad. If something precipitates an event or
situation, usually a bad one, it causes it to happen suddenly or sooner
than normal. [formal] The recent killings have precipitated the worst crisis yet. A slight mistake could precipitate a disaster. Such headaches can be precipitated by certain foods as well as stress. II. 凝固. [intransitive/ transitive] chemistry
if a solid substance precipitates, or if something precipitates it, it
becomes separate from the liquid that it is in and drops to the bottom
of the container. III. [intransitive] science to rain, snow, hail, etc. IV. [intransitive/transitive] formal
to fall or be thrown forward quickly in a particular direction, or to
make someone do this. adj. done too quickly, and without enough thought
or preparation. A precipitate action or decision happens or is made more
quickly or suddenly than most people think is sensible. [formal] I
don't think we should make precipitate decisions. Many of our current
problems have been caused by precipitate policy making in the past. precipitate action. Somebody hired from another country is not likely to resign precipitately. He hurried precipitately away. precipitous [prɪsɪpɪtəs] I. 陡峭的. 非常陡的. A precipitous slope or drop is very steep and often dangerous. The town is perched on the edge of a steep, precipitous cliff. The ground beyond the road fell away precipitously. Tay Tay 新恋情: There has not been a re-hash of the famous Harry Styles in Central Park scene, nor the precipitous Perching on a Rock With Tom Hiddleston incident. II. A precipitous change is sudden and unpleasant. precipitous decline in population. The
stock market's precipitous drop frightened foreign investors.Meryl's
health started a precipitous decline. The company has seen its profits
fall precipitously over the past few years. III. 快到措手不及的. A precipitous action happens very quickly and often without being planned. ...a precipitous decision. They've got to act precipitously to make the deals..
State of Play: 1. She had a good relationship with her mother, but Sonia and me couldn't have been closer. She told me about you. Well, not you by name. And no offence if she had, I wouldn't have known you from Adam. She just said she was seeing a man whose private life was "tricky". Was Sonia being taken for a ride 被骗, 被玩? No, Mr Baker. She absolutely wasn't. Claire and I are convinced it must have been an accident. Was that your understanding? Yes. She had no reason to kill herself. She said you made her laugh. 2. Anne's arriving in a couple of hours. You tell her before me? Jesus! Stephen! Stephen Anne's on the train. I didn't beg her, just discussed the problem. I can handle this situation, but only one thing at a time. The favour you return is not looking a mess 看上去一团糟( Her swollen lips burned and she knew she must look a mess. He looked a mess, his face covered in bruises and dried blood. mess I. [singular, uncountable] if there is a mess somewhere or a place is a mess, things there are dirty or not neatly arranged. What a mess! Sorry – the place is a bit of a mess. When I got home, the house was a complete mess. in a mess British English The burglars left the house in an awful mess. You can make cookies if you promise not to make a mess in the kitchen. clear/clean up the mess Whoever is responsible for this mess can clear it up immediately! he hates mess. II. [singular, uncountable] a situation in which there are a lot of problems and difficulties, especially as a result of mistakes or carelessness. My life's such a mess. in a mess The economy is in a terrible mess. You got us into this mess, Terry. You can get us out of it. All she could do was pray that, somehow, she might be able to sort out the mess she had got herself into. III. a room in which members of the army, navy etc eat and drink together We had lunch in the officers' mess. IV. British English informal solid waste from an animal The dog's made a mess on the carpet. make a mess of (doing) something to do something badly I feel I've made a real mess of my marriage. Many people make a mess of handling money. be a mess informal if someone is a mess, they look dirty and untidy, or are in a bad emotional state. a mess of something American English informal a lot of something a mess of fresh fish. ). Go about your business till I call you. We all agreed you present as a man with domestic problems 家庭问题, but not without rationale [ræʃənɑ:l , -næl)] 不讲道理, 没有理智, 失去理智(The rationale for a course of action, practice, or belief is the set of reasons on which it is based. However, the rationale 一系列的原因, 一系列的理由 for such initiatives is not, of course, solely economic. [+ for] The rationale of reprocessing spent nuclear fuel is inevitably being questioned.). Who's "we"? Unfortunate domestic situation that any man might find himself in. Apologetic, fine. Contrite ( contrite 悔恨不已的, 后悔的, 悔不当初的, 抱歉的 ( full of guilt or regret; remorseful. regret, sorrow, remorse, repentance ) very sorry or ashamed because you have done something bad. If you are contrite, you are very sorry because you have done something wrong. She was instantly contrite. 'Oh, I am sorry! You must forgive me.' contrition [kəntrɪʃən] The next day he'd be full of contrition, weeping and begging forgiveness. contrived [kəntraɪvd] I. If you say that something someone says or does is contrived, you think it is false and deliberate, rather than natural and not planned. [disapproval] obviously planned, artificial, or lacking in spontaneity; forced; unnatural. There was nothing contrived 设计好了的, 计划好了的 or calculated 算计好了的 about what he said. It mustn't sound like a contrived compliment. II. If you say that the plot of a play, film, or novel is contrived, you mean that it is unlikely and unconvincing. [disapproval] The plot seems contrived. ), fine. But not a bloody mess! OK. 3. Why's the party pushing for Stephen Collins to do another press conference? I haven't heard about that. The "Mail" has information he was about to leave his wife. He's only an MP. Why a press conference? He's chairman of the Energy Select. The fact he got the job means he's one to watch 需要留意, 需要当心, 潜力人员, 有潜力, 有前途, 明日之星(someone or something that people should pay attention to because they are interesting or exciting In the tournament so far, Italy's Stefania Croce looks like the one to watch.). Everybody tips Stephen Collins for the Cabinet within a few years. The spin doctors have talked Anne Collins into appearing at the press conference beside him. She's on the 9.30 train from Manchester. They'll announce it at 12. She's due on the podium at 3 to give them time to brief her on what to say when, apparently. Is this true? Is he confirming or denying a long-term affair now? How would you like me to phrase 怎么措辞 that exactly? Had your girlfriend not gone under a train, would you have left your wife for her? It's a fair question, translated into "adult". 4. Della tries to convince the police to place an armed guard at the beside of the motorcycle courier, for fear of a reprisal attack ( reprisal 报复 [rɪpraɪzəl] If you do something to a person in reprisal, you hurt or punish them because they have done something violent or unpleasant to you. There were fears that some of the Western hostages might be killed in reprisal. Witnesses are unwilling to testify through fear of reprisals. something unpleasant that is done to punish an enemy or opponent because of something bad that they have done to you. reprisal against: The State Department is concerned about possible reprisals 报复性袭击 against American civilians. in reprisal (for something): Every tenth person in the village was shot in reprisal for the deaths of the two soldiers. reprise [rɪˈpriz] n. 重复段落. In music, if there is a reprise, an earlier section of music is repeated. Verb. 重唱. 重演. If someone reprises 回归 a role or a song, they play or sing it again. They are planning a reprise of last year's award ceremony. He then proceeded to play for more than two hours, reprising every one of his hits. ). However, shortly after Della issues her warning, a fire alarm is activated in the hospital, and whilst trying to move the victim to safety, DI Stuart Brown (Rory McCann) is shot by a sniper and fatally injured just metres from her. 5. Alphabeticising your CDs! It's not a bit psychiatric? Some of the best there you recommended when I was in Manchester. Not the compilations 合集 ([kɒmpɪ'leɪʃən] A compilation is a book, CD, or programme that contains many different items that have been gathered together, usually ones which have already appeared in other places. His latest album release is a compilation of his jazz works over the past decade. [+ of]. a set of things such as songs or stories produced by different people. The CD is a compilation of disco hits from the 70s. wiki: A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for release together as a single work, but may be collected together as a greatest hits album or box set. If from several performers, there may be a theme, topic, time period, or genre which links the tracks, or they may have been intended for release as a single work—such as a tribute album. When the tracks are by the same recording artist, the album may be referred to as a retrospective album or an anthology. Compilation albums are frequently referred to as "comps" and are often comprised of tracks by various artists.), I didn't. Blokes only start buying compilations past the age of 30. Petrified 吓傻, 吓呆 of ( I. If you are petrified, you are extremely frightened, perhaps so frightened that you cannot think or move. I've always been petrified of being alone. [+ of] Most people seem to be petrified of snakes. [+ of] II. 石化的. A petrified plant or animal has died and has gradually turned into stone. ...a block of petrified wood. mortified [mɔːrtɪfaɪd] 羞愧, 尴尬, 懊悔不已, 羞愤难当 If you say that someone is mortified, you mean that they feel extremely offended, ashamed, or embarrassed. If I reduced somebody to tears I'd be mortified. ) looking out of the loop ( out of the loop 圈外 Not part of a group that is kept up-to-date with information about something. Not privy to the most up-to-date information. I'm sorry, what is this we're discussing? I'm a little out of the loop. They tried to keep the boss out of the loop about their scheme, but she found out about it anyway.)! You've cheered up 高兴起来了, 心情好了, 心情平复了. 6. This is Della, by the way. She's as pissed off as I am that you sold us duff ( If you describe something as duff, you mean it is useless, broken, or of poor quality. [British, informal, disapproval] Sometimes you have to take a duff job when you need the money. To duff someone up means to hit them many times and injure them. [British, informal] There was a fight on a bus where some kids duffed up the bus conductor.) information. She'd like to know how it could have happened. Why were the post mortem results changed? You pushed me 催促 for early results, I gave you them. Later tox screens revealed the drugs. This is what I got from the professor of toxicology. Quote, ''That amount of crack cocaine would have been detected in the very first screening. ''Anybody who tells you otherwise is totally incompetent or misleading you.'' Which one is it, Joy? We know for a fact the police weren't involved in that decision. It was weird. The forensic laboratory 实验室 said they'd made calculation errors. When I saw the new report, I knew they couldn't be that far adrift 偏差太远, 偏差太大 (Its operating system, Windows Phone, is far adrift of 远远落后于 Google's Android and Apple's iOS. Trump also appeared rattled by recent opinion polling which suggests he is far adrift of where he needs to be to challenge Clinton in crucial swing states. His form slipped 状态下滑 thereafter but we saw enough signs in Houston, where he shot a bogey-free 65 on Saturday, to suggest he will not be far adrift at Augusta. adrift I. If a boat is adrift, it is floating on the water and is not tied to anything or controlled by anyone. They were spotted after three hours adrift in a dinghy. II. If someone is adrift, they feel alone with no clear idea of what they should do. Amy had the growing sense that she was adrift and isolated. III. If something comes adrift, it is no longer attached to an object that it should be part of. [British] Three insulating panels had come adrift from the base of the vehicle. IV. In sporting competitions, if a team or a player is adrift of their rivals, they are behind them, usually by a specified number of points or by a specified distance. [British] Aberdeen are nine points adrift of 落后于 Rangers at the top of the Scottish League. V. If something has gone adrift, it is no longer happening in the way that was intended. We have seen this as an attempt to place the blame for a policy that has gone adrift. ). I rang them. They said they'd phone back. Ten minutes later, my supervisor removed all my files on that case because it's now classified. 7. What's this in aid of 有什么帮助? Can we have a word? He's done good investigative work with the "Indie" and the "Mail". If we're talking work ethic, the guy never sleeps. We think he's got information worth having and he's not signed a contract with the "Mail". He's a pisshead. He never sleeps because he can't turn his back on a drink. He's too young mentally. Loud-mouthed bloody typist - that's all you get with him! And he's dedicated freelance, so you only have to pay for what you get. Cameron, he knows something. Honestly, he's useful. Do we know what he's earning? He hasn't even mentioned money, so he wants this. Don't give him any cash advance expenses 先支付的. He'll only blow it 大手大脚的花钱, 挥霍 on that freak he married when he was about 12. Have you met her? Lunatic! Wedding was a total farce. Gareth Gates meets "Betty Blue"! Oi! Anything you publish, you publish under your mother's maiden name. OK. And you never, under any circumstances, on these premises, ever refer to me as "Dad". Understand? So long as you're paying what I'm worth. Commensurate 等于, 般配, 匹配, 配得上 [kəˈmenʃərət] ( intended to be suitable for the quality, status, or value of someone or something. commensurate with/to something: a pay increase commensurate with job performance. ) to how much you know. And I'm the sceptical one, so don't push it, Tonto! 8. The bathroom's changed positions 换了位置了, 换了地方了( location VS position: Assume, we have teacup (with handle) on the table. Then we rotate the cup so that its handle is now pointing to other direction, but the cup itself remains in the same place. Can we say in this case that the teacup's position is changed? Can we say that the teacup's location is changed? Location definitely doesn't include orientation, but position could, but doesn't always. Location always refers to a place, and can sometimes be used more specifically to where you are inside a place, but no more. Position usually starts with layout, like stretching or yoga positions for one person, or your position on a team for multiple people. That type of position refers to your place as part of a team, and can also be used for the role you play or your job title in an office. Finally, position can be used in the same sense as location, where you are within a place. Position could include orientation for both the one person meaning and the location within a place, but it can't be assumed that it does. Really, you should just use orientation as well when you need to be specific about including that. ) since you were last here. It's first on the left now. 9. A recessive gene 隐形基因 is a gene that can be masked by a dominant gene 显性基因. In order to have a trait that is expressed by a recessive gene, such as blue eyes, you must get the gene for blue eyes from both of your parents. ... A recessive allele has to team up with another recessive allele in order to show up. That's not a recessive gene there 得自于你的遗传. 10. Dominic, you look scared. Who's scaring you? You know, I don't exactly know what I'm doing here. Well, think about why you said yes and work backwards 倒推 from there. 11. What was he doing down the West End at that time in the morning? If there was anything valuable in the bag, he'd try doing a deal with the owner. Stupid, but people pay more to get address books back than they can sell the phones for. Stuff like that. He thought he was being clever. If I'd have been there, he wouldn't have dared. Had he done a deal recently? Mum says she saw him from here with a metal briefcase like a camera case. She had a go at him about it. He denied it. She reckons he was really wound up about it ( wound up [waund] very worried, nervous, or angry: She gets pretty wound up before a game. ). Have the police got it? We didn't tell 'em. As if it's not gonna prejudice 先入为主, 增加成见, 加深成见 what they think( predispose [priːdɪspouz] I. If something predisposes you to think or behave in a particular way, it makes it likely that you will think or behave in that way. They take pains to hire people whose personalities predispose them to serve customers well. Certain factors predispose some individuals to criminal behaviour. Franklin was predisposed to believe him. ...people who are predisposed to violent crime. II. If something predisposes you to a disease or illness, it makes it likely that you will suffer from that disease or illness. ...a gene that predisposes people to depression. Some people are genetically predisposed to diabetes. [+ to]. preconceptions 既有的想法, 固有的想法, 先入为主的想法 an opinion about something that you form before you have a lot of information about it or experience of it. Before meeting with a client, you must try to erase any preconceptions you may have about them. Put it out in the open 昭告天下, 公之于众, get other Muslims to reexamine 重新审视 their preconceptions. preconceived [priːkənsiːvd] 先入为主的 If you have preconceived ideas about something, you have already formed an opinion about it before you have enough information or experience. Maybe he had preconceived ideas about me. We all start with preconceived notions of what we want from life. condition verb I. if someone is conditioned by their experiences or by another person, they are influenced by them so that they think or behave in a particular way. If someone is conditioned by their experiences or environment, they are influenced by them over a period of time so that they do certain things or think in a particular way. Richard is straight but doesn't conform to the strict heteronormative toxic masculinity we're all conditioned to expect. We are all conditioned by early impressions and experiences. You have been conditioned to believe that it is weak to be scared. People are conditioned into believing that they have no power over their situation. ...a conditioned response. [VERB-ed] Consumers have been conditioned to expect cheap gas. II. formal to control or influence something. Her responses to the questions were conditioned by political considerations. III. to make your hair or skin feel smoother, softer, and more healthy by putting a substance on it. condition noun I. If you talk about the condition of a person or thing, you are talking about the state that they are in, especially how good or bad their physical state is. He remains in a critical condition 身体状态 in a California hospital. I received several compliments on the condition of my skin 皮肤状态. The two-bedroom chalet is in good condition. You can't drive in that condition. II. The conditions under which something is done or happens are all the factors or circumstances which directly affect it. This change has been timed under laboratory conditions. The mild winter has created the ideal conditions 环境 for an ant population explosion. The conditions are ripe 条件成熟 for the spread of disease. III. The conditions in which people live or work are the factors which affect their comfort, safety, or health. People are living in appalling conditions 状况. He could not work in these conditions any longer. The conditions in the camp are just awful. IV. The condition of a group of people is their situation in life, especially with regard to the difficulties they have. The condition of the people could be elevated by a programme of social reform. The government has encouraged its people to better their condition. ...the human condition. V. 条件. A condition is something which must happen or be done in order for something else to be possible, especially when this is written into a contract or law. ...economic targets set as a condition for loan payments. [+ for] ...terms and conditions of employment. Egypt had agreed to a summit subject to certain conditions. VI. If someone has a particular condition, they have an illness or other medical problem. Doctors suspect he may have a heart condition 心脏病. ...a rare condition 少见的病症, 疑难杂症 that causes degeneration of the brain tissue.). They'd say there were drugs in there. Isn't that a possibility? Kelvin would not go near drugs. Believe me there. 12. Your best friend Sonia? Ex Sonia? So? Inseparable 穿一条裤子的 Sonia? How come you shot off to Spain rather than go to her funeral? I was upset. Hey, her family were doing cartwheels ( do cartwheels 高兴的跳脚 to be extremely happy. I was doing cartwheels after she said she'd go to prom with me. cartwheel: a fast, skilful movement like a wheel turning, in which you throw yourself sideways onto one hand, then onto both hands with your legs and arms straight and your legs pointing up, before landing on your feet again. somersault [ˈsʌmərˌsɔlt] 空翻: a rolling movement or jump, either forwards or backwards, in which you turn over completely, with your body above your head, and finish with your head on top again: The bus plunged down the embankment, somersaulted 打滚 twice, and finally landed on its side. She was so happy she turned three somersaults on the lawn. back flip, front flip 前翻滚, 后翻滚, 地翻 (handstand 倒立): A front flip, also known as a front tuck, is an advanced gymnastics move. If you want to execute an impressive front flip, you need to have the strength, flexibility, and determination to pull it off. Learn how to do a front roll and dive roll first. Then, practice the different parts of a front flip with a spotter. Once you're comfortable, you'll be able to execute the flip on your own. With some patience and practice, you’ll soon be flipping across the floor like a pro! A sideways roll 侧翻滚 is also known as a log roll, barrel roll, or pencil roll. This can be started by lying down on the back or front with the body outstretched. The gymnast then rolls onto their side and does a complete rotation of the body, remaining parallel to the performing surface. The log roll is a sideways roll with the hands next to the waist and the pencil roll is with the hands stretched above the head. A sideways roll can also be performed when a gymnast over-rotates or loses their balance in a vertical, forward or sideways direction. A dive roll is an acrobatic stunt that begins with a horizontal forward diving motion and results in a forward roll. Alternate forms such as a Jigaree are also notable. It is considered an advanced forward roll, demonstrating flight and a smooth landing. It is also used in other sports such as wrestling to reinforce the motion of landing correctly. ) She was in a state. If it was suicide, I'm thinking I could have helped. What kind of state? Her relationship with Collins. I mean, He's just you know. He was just taking the piss(taking the piss is a Commonwealth term meaning to take liberties at the expense of others, or to be joking, or to be unreasonable. It is a shortening of the idiom taking the piss out of, which is an expression meaning to mock, tease, joke, ridicule, or scoff. It is not to be confused with "taking a piss", which refers to the act of urinating. Taking the Mickey (Mickey Bliss, Cockney rhyming slang), taking the Mick or taking the Michael is another term for making fun of someone. These terms are most widely used in the United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. ). You know, it's funny, 'cause everybody else apart from you describes her as positive and buoyant 开心乐观的 before she died. And stop pretending it was suicide. Were you jealous? No. So why send letters anonymously? I loved her. I didn't wanna face Anne Collins saying her husband was knobbing my friend. Girlfriend. So, when Anne Collins couldn't give a shit? I was wound up 气急了, yeah. You know, jealous. A little bit. Not in the way you're thinking. Really? How am I thinking? I don't know. I'm thinking what the police are thinking. 13. With phone records seemingly confirming a link between the two victims, the investigation continues to gather pace ( gather momentum/ pace 取得进展 I. to become gradually stronger or more successful. to start to happen more quickly and have more success. Opposition to the new law is gathering momentum. After 1946, support for European unity began to gather pace. II. to start to move more quickly. ). have an axe to grind 心怀目的, 别有目的 to have a strong personal opinion about something that you want people to accept and that is the reason why you do something: Environmentalists have no political axe to grind - they just want to save the planet. In an attempt to ramp up the pressure, Della tries to convince Bell to create a smoke screen 创造一种假象 ( I. a cloud of smoke spread to screen the movements of troops, ships, etc. a cloud of smoke that is created to hide the movements of soldiers. II. anything said or done to conceal or mislead. something that you say or do as a way of hiding your real feelings, intentions, or activities. something that hides the truth about a person's actions or intentions: The story served as a useful smoke screen to conceal where he really got the money.) by trying to trace Foy at both his home and work addresses. 14. You're scaring him. What's the matter with you? Tell him you're needed in the office. OK, or just um bike it round (bike I. [adverb/preposition] informal to ride a bicycle She bikes to work every day. II. [transitive] to take something to someone by motorcycle in order to get it there quickly. bike something over/round We're late for our deadline. Can you bike the photos over to us? ). 15. So Foy was employing Sonia Baker. Well, he wasn't screwing her any more. Not biblically ( know someone in the biblical [ˈbɪblɪk(ə)l] way/sense to have had sex with someone. of biblical proportions very big or important, especially in a bad or unpleasant way. an epidemic of biblical proportions. ), anyway. Syd reckons he's gay. I heard his voice. I turned to get a peek. He saw me looking, and kind of Game on. I beg your pardon? He half-smiled. Somebody half-smiles and you have sex? No. Well Yeah, mostly. That's bloody primitive 原始的. Dad, can we just? Syd. I waited outside the shop, pretended to gas on my mobile. He came out and hung around 晃来晃去, 晃过来晃过去. I walked back the other way, as if I'd just checked in. We got in the lift together. I waffled on about hating hotels and missing your mates and that. He asked if I fancied a drink. I said, Yeah. Look, Syd, don't milk it. I went to his room. We had a beer. Half a beer. Not even half. Then he dives on me 扑过来. Do I stop there? No, you go and work for the "Star". How long from when you met him? Nine minutes? That's not a record. You didn't do all that just to prove a point. Plus, he's fit. Thanks, Syd. This won't involve a bonus. Major contradiction being? It doesn't disprove he loved Sonia. He could have been bi, or jealous. 16. I wanted to see if you were OK. I'm running a shop, which you lot think is odd, Partly why I enjoy it. I'm going to have to run it a lot better as a single parent. I want you to know we're doing all we can. We're putting out stories to eclipse 转移注意力 Stephen. Not for my benefit. The energy report's imminent. You wouldn't want that tainted. It's an independent report, but nobody wants to degrade its value, given the hard work. 17. If U-EX Oil planted Sonia as a spy on the Select Committee we've got a major corporate crime, sure. But if she was doing such a great job, why knock her off? Who do we know at U-EX Oil? You do. Eh? She used to be one of his journalism lecturers with a penchant 偏好, 喜欢 for twitchy ( 神经紧张的. [informal] If you are twitchy, you are behaving in a rather nervous way that shows you feel anxious and cannot relax. He was still twitchy and we awaited Ann's return anxiously. Afraid of bad publicity, the department had suddenly become very twitchy about journalists. [+ about] ) undergraduates. When she was fired, there was an uproar. She got Head of Communication at U-EX Oil. Find out if she's still there. If we start digging up at U-EX Oil, they'll bolt the door. We'll get nowhere. Can't we work up from Dominic Foy? No. 18. What have you contributed to this story, Pete? Mainly stuff you couldn't be bothered chasing. Cal, calm down. We wouldn't have Dominic Foy without Pete, would we? Would we? 19. Ever heard of Dominic Foy? PR guy. Small independent. Not one of ours. I've got an information budget of 16 million a year. Please, I don't need to use whitebait (Whitebait 小虾米, 小鱼饵 is a collective term for the immature fry of fish, typically between 1 and 2 inches (25 and 50 mm) long. Such young fish often travel together in schools along the coast, and move into estuaries and sometimes up rivers where they can be easily caught with fine meshed fishing nets. Whitebaiting is the activity of catching whitebait. Whitebait are tender and edible, and can be regarded as a delicacy.[citation needed] The entire fish is eaten including head, fins, bones, and guts. Some species make better eating than others, and the particular species that are marketed as "whitebait" varies in different parts of the world. ). What if I know that he's banked 75 grand from U-EX lobbyists Warner-Schloss? Warner-Schloss don't just lobby for us. The account code for those payments go back to you. 19. swan around /off
[British, informal] If you describe someone as swanning around or swanning off, you mean
that they go and have fun, rather than working or taking care of their
responsibilities. She spends her time swanning around the world. The mother was widowed and had swanned off. He just swans around like he's everyone's friend. He wouldn't resent 不高兴, 气愤 her sleeping with Collins? No, he probably found it amusing. 20. It's just that you faxed me an invoice earlier and I can't track payment 找不到支付的记录. Have we paid? I don't want it coming off the card 用信用卡支付 and I haven't got enough to clear it 没有足够的钱去支付(Cleared Balance is the amount of funds available to you for transactions. Clear balance in bank account refers to the amount lying in an account after considering all transactions including the debit and credit till any particular date. Such balance shall exclude any unclear check if any or unclear credits if any till the closing hours of bank for that particular date. Uncleared Balance is the amount of funds not available to you, because it is waiting to be cleared. Balance is the combined amount of all funds in the account. Cleared funds are the balance in an account that is able to be withdrawn or used in financial transactions. Until funds are considered to be cleared funds they are considered to be pending, and investors or customers will be unable to conduct transactions with them. Available funds are not the same as cleared funds. Total Balance is the amount currently in your account. Clear Balance is the Total Balance minus any holds. Holds include ATM transactions that have been authorized but haven't cleared the account yet, checks that are pending, and certain deposited items. Banks are required by law to make a certain portion of deposits available to the depositor within a few days of the deposit. However, that does not mean the money has been moved from the check writer's account. If available funds are withdrawn from the account and the deposited check does not actually clear, the amount of the check will be withdrawn from the depositor's account possibly resulting in a negative balance. Your balance due has been cleared / your account has been settled 款项已到账. This is because the client no longer owes money to the company. ). Collins. Two nights full board 一日三餐, room 546. The account has been cleared 款项已经支付. Who by? Open debit to the company. Which company? Warner-Schloss. Settled in full 全款支付. 21. We think he recruited Sonia to work for you. I recruited 招聘, 招进来 her. We interviewed six people, male and female. How can a plant be that arbitrary? The money U-EX spend on lobbying, they can afford to put every CV on your desk. These things aren't advertised. You hear names. From? Civil servants, colleagues. Like? Look, she didn't work in a bloody shop. She was cleared by appointment, cleared by security services. You told me the other day your secretary picked Sonia. Greer's been at this game longer than I have. Good instincts. She just picked someone she'd feel more comfortable working with. You ask her yourself. 22. U-EX paid for that weekend very early on in your relationship. Dates aren't relevant 不重要. They are if you wanna prove they set you up. Is the report recommending legislation that might hit them financially 打击? You're not quoting any of this. I'm just trying to find out why people died. A few billion quid might constitute 足以构成 a motive. The Committee was a threat to them, because they'd done wrong. Not just U-EX, all of them. An all-party consensus after the last fuel crisis. Nobody wanted to go like the States. Oil industry dictating whether a government stands or falls. 23. Do you think Stephen is capable of taking a backhander 贿赂 ( [British, informal] A backhander is an amount of money that is illegally paid to someone in a position of authority in order to encourage them to do something. )? No. And I'm not discussing your work for you. I've been worried sick here. I want to know what he's thinking. He's only just realised how much trouble he's in. Has he taken backhanders? I don't know. 24. My job is emails and phone calls. I can do that freelance. I've put feelers out ( put out feelers ( trail balloon, test the waters) (触角) 把话传出去 to make informal suggestions as a way of testing other people's opinions on something before any decisions are made. to begin to find out what people think about something you are hoping to do. To explore or watch for; ask around; investigate. I will put out feelers and see what I can find out about that. They have started putting out feelers to local residents and interest groups. Etymology: An allusion to animals which use their feelers to gain awareness of their surroundings. trail balloon: An idea, suggestion, or prospective action, product, etc. offered to an audience or group in order to test whether it generates acceptance or interest. ). And besides, after a story like this, I'm hardly going to be invisible, am I? I'll call you tonight. Yeah. After ten. I'll leave the phone on. No, it's all right. There's nothing in it. Anne, you ring me tonight. 25. Mr McCaffrey. Take a seat. You brought the sunshine with you. He knows you're coming, so he can't be far. Coffee? Coffee's great. Black. Actually, Greer, it's you that I wanted to talk to. Oh, I'm in no position to speak for him. Stephen reckons you compiled the list of interviewees for Sonia Baker's job. Yes, well, that's private information, and. Stephen knows I'm talking to you. He's downstairs. Ring him if you don't believe me. I compiled that list. Can I see it? It's private. Even with Stephen's permission? Sonia was well-enough qualified for the job. She stood out. I liked her. It was Stephen's choice, but I think my opinions counted for something 起点作用( count for (something) 有价值, 有意义, 有用, 不白费 To have value. This phrase is often used in the negative to convey the opposite. to be valid for something; to be worth something. Doesn't all my work count for anything? Your positive attitude counts for a lot as far as I'm concerned. Doesn't his long tenure count for anything? or Does this tournament count for computer points? If I fail the test after weeks of studying, all of that effort will count for nothing 白费. I at least sent her a text. That's got to count for something 也算点数吧! count for nothing 不算数, 白费, 付诸东流, 付之东流 Have no influence or effect. All his work counts for nothing since they've dropped the project. ). 26. Who's leaned on you ( lean I. rely on or derive support from. "they have learned to lean on each other for support". "Jack had always been there, a strong shoulder to lean on". They had leaned on the dictionary as the authority that answered all their questions. II. 施加压力. 施压. put pressure on (someone) to act in a certain way. to try to influence someone, especially by threatening them. He won't pay unless you lean on him. "a determination not to allow the majority to lean on the minority". )? Several people. When? Since we opened this story. So why start being obstructive 制造障碍, 搞破坏 now ( If you say that someone is being obstructive, you think that they are deliberately causing difficulties for other people. Mr Smith was obstructive and refused to follow correct procedure. I'm arresting you on suspicion of perverting the course of justice. You do not have to say anything which later may harm your defence when being questioned. )? I can't afford to see my house flash before my eyes and you worry me. Your bias in Stephen Collins' favour has nudged upwards ( nudge I. 胳膊肘捅了捅. 捅了一下. If you nudge someone, you push them gently, usually with your elbow, in order to draw their attention to something. I nudged Stan and pointed again. 'Stop it,' he said, and nudged the boy lightly with his knee. She slipped her arm under his and gave him a nudge. II. If you nudge someone or something into a place or position, you gently push them there. Edna Swinson nudged him into the sitting room. The civil servant nudged him forward. McKinnon gave the wheel another slight nudge. III. If you nudge someone into doing something, you gently persuade them to do it. Bit by bit, Bob had nudged Fritz into selling his controlling interest. Foreigners must use their power to nudge the country towards greater tolerance. British tour companies are nudging clients to travel further afield. I had a feeling that the challenge appealed to him. All he needed was a nudge. IV. 年近, 将近. 接近. If someone or something is nudging a particular amount, level, or state, they have almost reached it. ...a little-known stage play writer and actress who was nudging 40 and going nowhere. The temperature when we were there was nudging 80°F. a nudge and a wink/nudge-nudge wink-wink. ) since you started poking his presumably guilt-ridden [ˈrɪd(ə)n] 自觉罪虐深重的, 懊悔不已的, 自责不已的 wife. Stephen Collins is being stitched up. Not without substantial contributions from himself. He was still shagging his researcher when she was murdered. If that's not a story, what is? Which he's admitted. Say thanks for confirming the bloody obvious! He came to me with all that Craymore House stuff. I'm the last person he'd want to confide in and he came to me as he's got nowhere else to go. He's shitting himself! You've got to admit that takes a lot of guts to do that. Bob Coutts made a telling error. He said we can't afford to upset the government over this. We've got nothing on paper that implicates the government. You must've talked to somebody within shouting distance (= short distance) recently? 27. George Fergus recommended Sonia. Fine. Did they mention him by name? They didn't. Sonia did. All right, months down the line 几个月后, OK, Stephen Collins' secretary got a bit steamed up over ( steam up I. If someone gets steamed up about something, they are very annoyed about it. The general manager may have got steamed up about nothing. I remember going to the lecture in my first week and getting very steamed up. II. When a window, mirror, or pair of glasses steams up, it becomes covered with steam or mist. ...the irritation of living with lenses that steam up 水蒸气 when you come in from the cold. The glass is all steamed up still. ) her CV, all right? Sonia had upped her degree in politics to a First from a 2:1. The secretary found out accidentally and blew her top(to lose one's temper.), OK? And we all thought she was gonna get fired. Then in steps George Fergus, everything's cleaned up. Why didn't Greer go to Stephen Collins with this? How come the secretary never told Collins? All I know is the one time Sonia came close to being found out, the secretary goes upstairs and George Fergus smoothes out the creases. He shouldn't have had anything to do with this. Stephen Collins is meant to be running an independent committee. Sonia Baker was paid double wages to feed information to 传递消息 U-EX Oil? Yes. Was she efficient? She kept her job. 28. Can we talk? I haven't finished going through it all. Glad you're not a proof-reader. I'm glad you don't compile crosswords. Dominic Foy's changed his story every time. It's a process. U-EX's lawyers would bounce him all over court. Look, if you don't want the story, then give it back. The copyright is mine. You're a staff writer. Cameron sacked me long before all this. I'm freelance. 14-day rolling contracts. Only because I brought that story. My terms say I can walk if it's not picked up. Well, we had no option. We wanted the story. Adam, go over Cal McCaffrey's freelance contract. I want to know how much it will cost me to break the terms. Do I sound like I'm not serious? You hard-faced bastard. 29. Cal, no offence, don't be thick (stupid, slow, or insensitive. unintelligent: a thick person.)! If U-EX contrived Sonia's appointment in Collins' office. If? I thought we were taking that as read(take something as read 当做真理接受, 默认, 接受为事实, 公认为事实, 达成共识 to accept that something is true without needing any more information or proof. to accept that something is true without making sure that it is: I just took it as read that anyone who applied for the course would have the necessary qualifications. You can take it as read that he'll say no.). Which is unlikely, given the scrutiny a job like that attracts. Sonia Baker was recommended for that position by Greer Thornton. Change your ribbon! Cameron. Every other applicant for that job was more experienced and qualified than Sonia Baker. You lot got jobs when there were better against you. Sometimes it's an economic compromise 因为经济原因而妥协. You're tying yourselves in knots 作茧自缚. Just wrap it up, get some decent professional coverage. Start putting my money where your mouth is! 30. Greer, about nine years back, I spent a whole year as Stephen's campaign manager. I fought to get him elected. Stephen is very intelligent. I'm sure he achieved most of that on his own. Yeah, OK, my ego! But I was handling his life, his schedule working out what he said when. I got to know him and like him. For all the reasons you do. Now, somebody somewhere wants to see him hang for 想毁了他, 想他去死 something he hasn't done. Stephen's not bent 腐蚀, 被收买. No. You're not telling me a woman with your experience and workload is gonna go for the least qualified joker in a deck like this? Somebody advised you to pick Sonia Baker as Stephen's researcher. Only as a professional recommendation. 31. She told him she wanted to pull out of the whole deal, to stop working for Collins. Against him? Yes, against him. She couldn't handle it any more. The dirty money was getting to her. She was terrified of being found out. But Paul just went into orbit( go ballistic = go into orbit 气得转圈圈 to increase or succeed very quickly or to be in a state of extreme activity. [for someone] to get very excited. She was so upset, she went into orbit. Todd went into orbit when he heard the price. Prices have gone into orbit this year.). He tells her he knows she's screwing Collins and he said that he'd blow it to the press if she downed tools ( down tools 撂挑子, 罢工, 怠工 stop work, especially as a form of industrial action. to refuse to continue working, especially because you are not satisfied with your pay or working conditions: The printers are threatening to down tools if the pay offer is not increased to eight percent. "the union instructed its members to down tools" ). It was as simple as that. By the time I got round to her flat, she was totally freaked. You know, she was inconsolable. She'd fallen in love with Collins. She'd got herself pregnant to him. She said if he ever found out how she landed in that office, that she'd rather die than have to face him with that. 32. Look, if I'm wrong about this, everybody will just use that as an excuse to stall the story. The board, Yvonne Shaps, they'll just dive on anything that can weaken it. If you're right, people need warning before we get the arse sued off us. Della, not to Cameron, not to your copper. If I'm right, then it still doesn't excuse what U-EX has done and it certainly doesn't excuse what the government is up to, does it? 33. Have you blown Cal out ( blow out I. [intransitive/transitive] if you blow out a flame, or if it blows out, it stops burning because you blow on it or because of the wind. He blew out all 60 candles on his birthday cake. II. [intransitive/ transitive] if a window blows out, or if something blows it out, it breaks into pieces that fall outside the building. The bomb blew out all the windows on the bus. III. [transitive] 让...失望, 甩了, 打败 mainly American informal to defeat someone easily. to disappoint someone by not meeting them or not doing something that you had arranged to do together: She was supposed to go to that party with me, but she blew me out. They've blown out every team they've played this season. blow itself out if a storm blows itself out, it ends. blow over 被遗忘, 被忘记. 消停
I. (of trouble) fade away without serious consequences. if a dangerous
or embarrassing situation blows over, people stop worrying about it and
soon forget about it. It was a major scandal, and we all hoped it would soon blow over. "if he would simply cool off, the whole matter would soon blow over". II. When an argument blows over, it becomes gradually less important until it ends and is forgotten: I thought that after a few days the argument would blow over. III. if something blows over or is blown over, the wind makes it fall. The dustbins have blown over and there's rubbish everywhere. Several trees had been blown over in the gale. IV. if a storm blows over, it ends. )? Is that what he says? It speaks for itself, you being here. I just think it's a bit more complicated than Cal wants it to be. You'd take me back tomorrow, wouldn't you? With changes, but they'd be minimal. I'm just trying to be more civilised than my gut says(civilised I. 文明的. If you describe a society as civilized, you mean that it is advanced and has sensible laws and customs. a civilized country, society, etc. has developed an advanced culture and institutions. A civilized society does not solve conflicts in a way that causes so much suffering. I believed that in civilized countries, torture had ended long ago. II. If you describe a person or their behaviour as civilized, you mean that they are polite and reasonable. polite and reasonable. If a person or their behaviour is civilized, they are polite and behave in a calm and reasonable way: Let's discuss this like civilized people (= politely and calmly). Let's discuss this in a civilized manner. I wrote to my ex-wife. She was very civilised about it. ). I mean, we've got two kids who need someone to say, "It'll be fine. Everything will be OK." Let's just try to find a way through this that doesn't screw up our entire family. Cal's a really good option for you. I beg your pardon? I can't make any more changes for anybody. If you were happy to even consider me, I'd do you and the kids the favour of saying no. You and him are looking at me like somebody without a bloody map 迷途羔羊, 迷失了方向. Is that what you think? Good. 'Cause for every time you've pumped yourself up into something that you're not, I've had the benefit of knowing exactly where I don't want to be. No wonder you and Cal ended up glued to each other. You're like peas in a fucking pod! 34. Sonia hinted twice before that I might not like her flipside 不为人知的那一面. I assumed she was referring to self-esteem. She wasn't always so confident. One Monday morning I was feeling a bit rough. I'd taken the day off work. Food poisoning. It was only the second time I'd stayed at her place. She'd gone into work 去工作了, 去上班了. I was half-asleep, half-awake when the phone went. Bloke's voice. "Sonia, can we bring tomorrow forward to 1.30 提前到? I have a meeting at three." 35. It wasn't my idea. What? That. Which bit, Stephen? Killing her? Oh, that was Bingham's solution, was it? I freaked out. I told him to shut his mouth. Was he listening? He wasn't, was he? So what did you do, then? Fire him? Go to the police? I told him no. Oh, you told him no. Well, big fucking deal! You still carried on paying him, didn't you? I loved Sonia! You go saying I didn't and I've got nothing left! I was prepared to turn my family inside out! For Christ's sake, she's turning in her bloody grave here! Along with all the other poor sods Bingham's murdered! Sonia Baker stood up to U-EX Oil. She scared the shit out of them. She had guts. She would have blown it wide open because she loved you enough to take the flak! She was trying to protect you because she'd found out she was pregnant. I only realised that yesterday! She felt like the best thing that ever happened to me, but all the proof said the opposite. 36. Tell me this, 'cause I won't get it. What did you think you could ever have achieved, however high you went, that was worth demolishing all those families? You're no good to Anne any more. This is going on the front page with your name. When you've had your own, you'll realise.
