用法学习: 1. swing it 办成了, 成事, 马到成功, 能够办成, 能够成功, 能做成, 能做到, 可以做到 to succeed in achieving the result that you want, especially by persuading someone to let you do something that they do not usually let people do. It was his charm that swung it for 促成 him. to make something happen. to do or manage something successfully If he can swing it, he'll visit next month. I hope I can swing a deal that will make us all a lot of money. We all hope you can swing it. to be able to do. to arrange for something to happen, by persuading people and often by acting slightly dishonestly: If you want an interview with Pedro, I could probably swing it 促成 (for you). Downtown would be better for me. So if you can swing it, let's meet there. "if you can swing it," meaning "if you can manage to make it work out correctly". swing it" often suggests an underhand action. swing for it UK informal to be punished severely for something that has happened: If there's an error in the calculations, you know who'll swing for it! swing with (someone or something) I. To understand, agree with, or support someone or something. OK, I can swing with most of the rules you've laid out, but some of them are just silly. A: "I was thinking we could paint this room green." B: "Yeah, I can swing with that!" II. To be able to compete or contend with someone or something. Don't worry, I think I'll be able to swing with some dusty old professor in a debate. They may be a small company, but they've proved they can swing with the biggest and best in the industry. III. slang To engage in sex with someone outside of one's marriage or committed relationship. We've been swinging with couples from all over town for the past 10 years, and it has only ever made our own marriage stronger. He said that he and his wife wanted to swing with me, but I told them I wasn't into that sort of thing. 3. even (sth) out I. 平分. 平摊. to become equal, or to make something equal. to share or divide something equally, or to be shared or divided equally We would like to be able to even out the workload more fairly. The league is divided into two skill levels in order to even out the competition. II. if things even out, or if you even them out, they show fewer or smaller changes or differences. The company saw overseas growth as a way to even out swings in the UK market. resourceful 鬼点子多的, 鬼主意多的, 办法多的, 能解决问题的, 特别有办法的 good at finding effective ways to deal with problems. Someone who is resourceful is good at finding ways of dealing with problems. He was amazingly inventive and resourceful, and played a major role in my career. Her mother was a resourceful and energetic woman. Because of his adventures, he is a person of far greater experience and resourcefulness. vocabulary: If you are interviewing employees for your new pet store, you may want to ask if they are resourceful. If they are, it means they are good at problem solving, and this could come in very handy. Think of resourceful people as "full of resources," or tools for coming up with solutions. They adapt well to new or difficult situations and they are able to think creatively. For example, if a snake gets loose in the pet store, a resourceful person will be able to figure out how to lure it back into its cage again. 3. The dead cat strategy 转移话题, 死猫策略, 吸引注意力策略, 移开注意力策略, or deadcatting, refers to the introduction of a dramatic, shocking, or sensationalist topic to divert discourse away from a more damaging topic. The strategy, or at least the "dead cat" metaphor to describe it, is particularly associated with Australian political strategist Lynton Crosby. Boris Johnson employed Crosby as his campaign manager during the 2008 and 2012 London mayoral elections, and wrote of his advice that "There is one thing that is absolutely certain about throwing a dead cat on the dining room table – and I don't mean that people will be outraged, alarmed, disgusted. That is true, but irrelevant. The key point, says my Australian friend, is that everyone will shout, 'Jeez, mate, there's a dead cat on the table!' In other words, they will be talking about the dead cat – the thing you want them to talk about – and they will not be talking about the issue that has been causing you so much grief." 4. scathing [ˈskeɪðɪŋ] criticizing someone or something in a very strong way. The committee's report is quite scathing. scathing attack/comment/remark 激烈: He launched another scathing attack against the press. Researchers publish scathing critique of a hydroxychloroquine study touted by the White House. hegemony [hɪˈdʒɛməni , hɪˈɡeməni] 政治强权. 霸权. political control or influence, especially by one country over other countries. wiki: Hegemony is the political, economic, or military predominance or control of one state over others. In ancient Greece (8th century BC – 6th century AD), hegemony denoted the politico-military dominance of a city-state over other city-states. The dominant state is known as the hegemon. In the 19th century, hegemony came to denote the "Social or cultural predominance or ascendancy; predominance by one group within a society or milieu". Later, it could be used to mean "a group or regime which exerts undue influence within a society". Also, it could be used for the geopolitical and the cultural predominance of one country over others, from which was derived hegemonism, as in the idea that the Great Powers meant to establish European hegemony over Africa, Asia and Latin America. Hegemony is a situation in which one country, organization, or group has more power, control, or importance than others. In cultural imperialism, the leader state dictates the internal politics and the societal character of the subordinate states that constitute the hegemonic sphere of influence, either by an internal, sponsored government or by an external, installed government.
McConnell signal to Republican Senate candidates: Distance from Trump if necessary: Sen. Mitch McConnell is allowing Republican Senate candidates to do whatever it takes to salvage their campaigns ahead of what Republicans increasingly fear could be a devastating election for their party. In recent weeks, the Senate majority leader has become so concerned over Republicans losing control of the Senate that he has signaled to vulnerable GOP senators in tough races 竞争激烈, 选情不明朗 that they could distance themselves from the President if they feel it is necessary, according to multiple senior Republicans including a source close to McConnell. That could mean breaking with Trump on the administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic and the continued efforts by the President to paint an optimistic picture despite rising cases and deaths across parts of the country, especially in many Republican states in the South and Midwest. While this may give some senators the flexibility to draw a distinction between themselves and the President, it also forces them to walk a tightrope ( 小心翼翼, 踩钢丝, 走钢丝 You can use tightrope in expressions such as walk a tightrope and live on a tightrope to indicate that someone is in a difficult situation and has to be very careful about what they say or do. They're walking a tightrope between being overprotective and not caring enough. For the past few days Corinne has been living on an emotional tightrope. ). Trump remains enormously popular with the Republican base, and any attempts to undercut him ( decimate VS dismantle VS ravage VS demolish VS undermine VS sabotage VS damage VS wreck VS devastate VS subvert. undercut I. to sell something at a cheaper price than another company or shop. If you undercut someone or undercut their prices, you sell a product more cheaply than they do. The firm will be able to undercut its competitors 打价格战, 以价格优势竞争 whilst still making a profit. ...promises to undercut air fares on some routes by 40 per cent. Prices were undercut and profits collapsed. Supermarkets can undercut small shops by as much as 50%. II. mainly American 搞破坏. to make someone or something become gradually less effective, confident, or successful. If your attempts to achieve something are undercut by something 从中作梗, that thing prevents your attempts from being effective. The appeal in Miller's pictures of Indian women is undercut at times by what the artist writes about them. Popular support would be undercut by political developments. undermine I. to make something or someone become gradually less effective, confident, or successful. If you undermine someone's efforts or undermine their chances of achieving something, you behave in a way that makes them less likely to succeed. The continued fighting threatens to undermine 削弱 破坏 efforts to negotiate an agreement. I don't want to do something that would undermine the chances of success. Business confidence was undermined by a series of major failures. Their trading position has been seriously undermined by the minister's remarks. Britain was accused of undermining international efforts to reduce pollution. II. to deliberately say or do things that make someone appear less impressive or less important. They had spoken secretly to journalists in an effort to undermine 削弱 the leadership. If you undermine someone or undermine their position or authority, you make their authority or position less secure, often by indirect methods. She undermined him and destroyed his confidence in his own talent. The conversations were designed to undermine her authority. III. to dig under something, especially so that it becomes weaker. IV. If you undermine something such as a feeling or a system, you make it less strong or less secure than it was before, often by a gradual process or by repeated efforts. Offering advice on each and every problem will undermine her feeling of being adult. Western intelligence agencies are accused of trying to undermine the government. decimate [ˈdesɪmeɪt] 摧毁, 毁灭 to spoil or destroy something, for example by getting rid of a lot of people. The department has been decimated by years of budget cuts. a. To decimate something such as a group of people or animals means to destroy a very large number of them. The pollution could decimate the river's thriving population of kingfishers. British forces in the Caribbean were being decimated by disease. ...the decimation of the great rain forests. b. To decimate a system or organization means to reduce its size and effectiveness greatly. ...a recession which decimated the nation's manufacturing industry. sabotage I. If a machine, railway line, or bridge is sabotaged, it is deliberately damaged or destroyed, for example in a war or as a protest. The main pipeline supplying water was sabotaged by rebels. The bombing was a spectacular act of sabotage. II. If someone sabotages a plan or a meeting, they deliberately prevent it from being successful. He accused the opposition of trying to sabotage the election. The explosion was designed to sabotage the negotiations. diminish [dɪˈmɪnɪʃ] ( I. intransitive to become less. The intensity of the sound diminished 减弱 gradually. Her enthusiasm was by now fast diminishing 快速消退. II. transitive to make something become less. The delay may well have diminished the impact of their campaign. His reassurances did nothing to diminish 减少 her anxiety. III. transitive to deliberately make someone or something seem less important than they really are. I did not intend to diminish the importance of 贬低 her work. ) risks alienating those voters. "These vulnerable senators can't afford to explicitly repudiate [rɪˈpjuːdieɪt] 对抗, 反驳 (不同意, 不认可) ( refute (用事实和数据成功驳斥), rebut(试图反驳), reject 拒绝, 驳回 ) ( [rɪˈpjuːdieɪt] If you repudiate something or someone, you show that you strongly disagree with them and do not want to be connected with them in any way. Leaders
urged people to turn out in large numbers to repudiate the violence.
Cavour later repudiated what he regarded as his youthful follies. ...his public repudiation of the conference decision. a. to say formally that something is not true. They repudiated 驳斥 all accusations of unlawful activity. b. to state that you do not accept or agree with something. Party members appeared on television to repudiate 拒绝接受 policies they had formerly supported. III. legal if you repudiate a contract or other agreement, you refuse to accept it. ) Trump," said one senior Republican on Capitol Hill. "They just need to show they are independent on issues important in their states." Still, Trump continues to give GOP senators ways to make their break with him easier. The President's sustained assault on mail-in voting ( sustained 可持续的, 连续的 continuing at the same level or rate for a long time sustained economic development. a sustained attack. sustain I. If you sustain something, you continue it or maintain it for a period of time. But he has sustained his fierce social conscience from young adulthood through old age. The parameters within which life can be sustained on Earth are extraordinarily narrow. ...a period of sustained economic growth throughout 1995. II. If you sustain something such as a defeat, loss, or injury 遭受, 受到, it happens to you. to experience loss, injury, damage etc. One of the officers sustained minor injuries in the fire. Both sides sustained heavy losses in the war. Every aircraft in there has sustained some damage. A tourist died of injuries sustained in the bomb blast. III. If something sustains you, it supports you by giving you help, strength, or encouragement 给予力量, 希望和帮助. to give someone strength, energy, or hope A cup of coffee isn't enough to sustain you until lunchtime. Throughout the trial he was sustained 挺过来, 坚持下来 by the support of his family. The cash dividends they get from the cash crop would sustain them during the lean season. I am sustained by letters of support and what people say to me in ordinary daily life. Sustained by this wonderful breakfast, we boarded our plane. IV. to provide the conditions in which something can happen or exist. Only two of the planets could sustain life. Analysts believe present economic growth can be sustained without inflation. ) lacks GOP allies. And his suggestion on Thursday morning to delay the election drew open rebukes ( rebuke [rɪˈbjuːk] 怒斥 to tell someone that they have behaved badly. The usual word is tell off. If you rebuke someone, you speak severely to them because they have said or done something that you do not approve of. The company has been publicly rebuked by one of its largest shareholders over its executive pay levels. The UN delivered a strong rebuke to both countries for persisting with nuclear testing. 'Silly little boy' was his favourite expression of rebuke to his pupils. ) from many top Republicans, including multiple senators up for reelection, as well as McConnell. "Never in the history of the country, through wars, depressions and the Civil War, have we ever not had a federally scheduled election on time. We'll find a way to do that again this November 3rd," the majority leader said in an interview with WNKY. Republicans currently have a three-seat majority and at least six incumbent senators who face serious Democratic challengers. Sens. Joni Ernst of Iowa and Steve Daines of Montana are also of concern. While some Republicans believe they are both in good shape, other GOP sources tell CNN those races are exceedingly tight 选情异常胶着 and that both candidates' fortunes may ultimately depend on how Trump does on Election Day in both states. But the size of a net defeat for the GOP matters. Even if they lose control of the majority, Senate Republicans can effectively play defense against Democratic legislation with a large enough minority and a handful of moderate Democratic defectors. But if GOP losses in the Senate are too great, their ability to use the filibuster ( [ˈfɪlɪˌbʌstə(r)] a situation in which a politician deliberately delays or prevents a proposal from becoming law by continuing to speak until the end of a debate. A filibuster is a long slow speech made to use up time so that a vote cannot be taken and a law cannot be passed. The senator has threatened a filibuster to block the bill. verb. If a politician filibusters, he or she makes a long slow speech in order to use up time so that a vote cannot be taken and a law cannot be passed. They simply threatened to filibuster until the Senate adjourns. A group of senators plans to filibuster a measure that would permit drilling. ) to force a supermajority vote to proceed on legislation will be rendered meaningless. "Even if we lose the majority, it matters that we have 49 seats," said the senior Republican on the Hill. "If we have 45, we can't stop (with) the filibuster. Every seat counts." And the trajectory of the presidential race -- Joe Biden leads Trump by 14 points nationally in the most recent CNN poll -- and the persistence of the coronavirus pandemic have made the project of protecting the GOP's margin even more urgent. There are a few signs Republicans are already beginning to differentiate themselves in subtle ways from Trump. Publicly, McConnell has embraced and promoted mask-wearing as the "single most important thing" people can do -- days and weeks before Trump finally tweeted his support for mask-wearing. A new Collins ad shows a photo of her surrounded by Democratic colleagues as she claims to be "bipartisan" and "effective" for Maine, while Gardner has emphasized his environmental conservation 环保 bona fides. "They are being elected to represent a state, so they ought to have the freedom to represent the people who are voting for them," said Zeidman. "And if that means taking positions that are not totally approved of or consistent with the White House, that's what a democracy is about." Getting reelected as a Republican in 2020, however, is largely about changing the subject from Trump and his response to the pandemic. Endangered GOP senators have turned to touting 吹嘘 their own positive acts, from individual line items in the first pandemic economic stimulus bill to extra efforts to solve testing problems in their home states. Last week Gardner joined three of his colleagues in tough races -- Tillis, Collins, and McSally -- to sign a public letter encouraging McConnell to include spending on clean energy projects in the latest round of stimulus spending."
特朗普建议推迟选举的评论: "His false claims that the election is being rigged against him are part of that strategy. They aren't true, but they will prime his base to reject the results ( prime 准备 I. If you prime someone to do something, you prepare them to do it, for example by giving them information about it beforehand. Claire wished she'd primed Sarah beforehand. Arnold primed her for her duties. The press corps was primed to leap to the defense of the fired officials. II. If someone primes a bomb or a gun 设置, 准备, they prepare it so that it is ready to explode or fire. He was priming the bomb to go off in an hour's time. Tom keeps a primed 10-foot shotgun in his office. prime the pump to help a business or activity to be successful, especially by providing money at the start. To prime the pump means to do something to encourage the success or growth of something, especially the economy. ...the use of tax money to prime the pump of the state's economy. the money was intended to prime the community care pump. )," said Brian Klaas, assistant professor of global politics at University College London. They also undercut the Trump administration's strident criticism ( strident [ˈstraɪd(ə)nt] I. [disapproval] holding firm opinions or beliefs 不顾别人感受的发表意见, 强势的 and tending to express them frequently, in a way that offends some people. If you use strident to describe someone or the way they express themselves, you mean that they make their feelings or opinions known in a very strong way that perhaps makes people uncomfortable. ...the unnecessarily strident tone of the Prime Minister's remarks. Demands for his resignation have become more and more strident. He was arrested in 1984 on suspicion of being a spy–a charge he stridently denies. In the late 1920s the party began to adopt a more stridently nationalistic posture. a strident opponent of European union. strident criticism. II. a strident voice or sound is loud and unpleasant. ) of China in the wake of Beijing's move to strip semi-autonomous Hong Kong of some of its freedoms. Trump's tweet is the latest in a long line of 一长串的 norm-smashing 打破常规 moves that experts say have damaged America's global reputation. These unilateral actions also diminish [dɪˈmɪnɪʃ] ( I. intransitive to become less. The intensity of the sound diminished 减弱 gradually. Her enthusiasm was by now fast diminishing 快速消退. II. transitive to make something become less. The delay may well have diminished the impact of their campaign. His reassurances did nothing to diminish 减少 her anxiety. III. transitive to deliberately make someone or something seem less important than they really are. I did not intend to diminish the importance of 贬低 her work. 主动: When something diminishes, or when something diminishes it 减弱, 减低, it becomes reduced in size, importance, or intensity. The threat of nuclear war has diminished. Federalism is intended to diminish the power of the central state. Universities are facing grave problems because of diminishing resources. This could mean diminished public support for the war. 被动: If you diminish someone or something 贬低, you talk about them or treat them in a way that makes them appear less important than they really are. He never put her down or diminished her. He could no longer cope; he relied on me, and felt diminished by it. ) America's diplomatic heft ( verb. If you heft something, you lift it upward. Emmy straightened, hefting her burden. He hefted the heavy camera up onto his shoulder. noun. I. The heft of something 重量级, 等级 is its weight or bulk. ...a friendly wireless Internet gadget about the size and heft of a thick pork chop. II. If something such as an idea or argument has heft 有分量, 有力度, 有劲, 有影响力, it has the power to influence or impress people. Goldstone wished Tom Hill were there to add heft to his argument. The 155-page American edition of the book packs the intellectual heft of a much longer text. ), according to Dr. Jennifer Cassidy, a diplomatic scholar at Oxford University. "The truth is, that is where real soft power 软实力 lies and he has done a lot of damage over his four years in office," Cassidy said. "And while America's allies might welcome a Biden presidency, seeing it as a return to something more normal, America's enemies may arguably be much slower to view the Trump presidency as an outlier ( outlier [ˈaʊtˌlaɪ(r)] 意外, 飘离的因子, 游离在外的可能性 I. maths a result that is very different from the other results in a set. II. a person who lives a long way from where they work. III. a person who is very unusual or successful and not like others in the same group. ). If Trump happened once, then why would Iran or China believe someone like him won't happen again?" The Institute for Democracy published an open letter last month, in which more 500 former world leaders and Nobel Laureates warned that authoritarian regimes are using the pandemic to erode democracy. Cheeseman believes that their cries would have packed more of a punch (pack a punch 效果更强, 效果更好, 更有力 informal to have a lot of force or a great effect: His speech packed quite a punch. These cocktails taste quite innocent, but they really pack a punch! a. to have a strong effect. The play still packs a punch, as last week's production proved. II. to be able to hit someone hard with your fist. (as) pleased/proud as Punch very pleased/proud: She was as pleased as Punch about the news.
feeling great delight or pride. This expression alludes to the
self-congratulatory glee displayed by the grotesque, hook-nosed Punch,
anti-hero of the Punch and Judy puppet show. punch I. [countable] the action of hitting someone or something with your fist (=closed hand). throw/land a punch: Bellamy landed a series of good punches. II. [countable/uncountable] a sweet drink made with fruit juice and usually alcohol. a bowl of fruit punch. III. [uncountable] the emotional power of something such as a performance that affects how people feel. Many British movies lack emotional punch 情感冲击力. IV. [countable] a tool for making a hole in something. can/can't take a punch (=is difficult/easy to hurt) 弱不禁风, 容易受伤: Nichols can't take a punch. hole punch 打孔机 a piece of equipment used for putting small holes in paper. proof of purchase 销售证明, 购买证明 something such as a receipt that proves something has been paid for. punch above your weight I. a country or organization that is punching above its weight has more influence internationally than its size would suggest. Many would consider Britain's role in Kosovo to be a prime example of a small country punching above its weight 不自量力, 以小博大, 以小胜大.
II. if you say that someone is punching above their weight, you mean
that they are having a romantic relationship with someone who is a lot
more attractive than they are. My husband was informed after his work Christmas party that he is punching above his weight. not pull any/your punches 气势凌人, 得理不饶人 to express your feelings and opinions, especially criticism, very clearly. James did not pull any punches in his criticism of our work. roll with the punches 逆来顺受 to change the way you do things so that you are not seriously affected by difficulties you experience. Being an actor isn't easy, but I've learned to roll with the punches. ) had they been arranged by the world's only hyperpower. "If America had marshalled democratic countries ( 分派. to bring people or things together and organize them so that they can be used in an effective way. Western powers are marshalling their military resources. The government hopes to marshal support for the ban. If you marshal people or things, you gather them together and arrange them for a particular purpose. Richard was marshalling the doctors and nurses, showing them where to go. ...the way in which Britain marshalled its economic and political resources to protect its security interests. a. to organize information or ideas, especially in order to make an argument. his ability to marshal facts. noun. I. A marshal is an official who helps to supervise a public event, especially a sports event. The Grand Prix is controlled by well-trained marshals. II. In the United States and some other countries, a marshal is a police officer, often one who is responsible for a particular area. A federal marshal was killed in a shoot-out. III. A marshal is an officer in a fire department. ...a Cleveland county fire marshal 专员. IV. In Britain and some other countries, a marshal is the most senior officer in an army or air force. ...Air Chief Marshal Sir Kenneth Cross. ) around the world to support democracy in the age of coronavirus, I think that could have been really significant. The signal that sends is we are watching you and we are on it." Instead, the President has spent much of the pandemic as he has spent much of his presidency: picking fights and sowing division 制造分歧 both at home and abroad. Should this happen, it's hard to see how it benefits anyone in America other than the President, nor how it stops the international impression that the US is at serious risk of being on an inexorable [ɪnˈeksərəb(ə)l] 无法阻止的, 停不下来的, 无法停止的 slide 下滑 ( impossible to stop the inexorable growth of multinational companies. You use inexorable to describe a process which cannot be prevented from continuing or progressing. ...the seemingly inexorable rise in unemployment. ...his steady, inexorable decline. Spending on health is growing inexorably. The crisis is moving inexorably towards war. vocabulary: When a person is inexorable, they're stubborn. When a thing or process is inexorable, it can't be stopped. This is a word for people and things that will not change direction. An inexorable person is hard-headed and cannot be convinced to change their mind, no matter what. You can also say that a process, like the progress of a deadly illness, is inexorable because it can't be stopped. A speeding train with no brakes is inexorable; it's not stopping till it crashes. When you see the word inexorable, think "No one's stopping that." ) towards becoming an unstable political basketcase( basket case 疯狂的人, 疯子 I. [informal] an insulting word for someone who is unable to do anything because they are too nervous or upset. If you describe someone as a basket case, you think that they are insane. You're going to think I'm a basket case when I tell you this. II. [informal, disapproval] a country or organization that has serious financial problems. If someone describes a country or organization as a basket case, they
mean that its economy or finances are in a seriously bad state 一团乱麻的状态. The country is an economic basket case with chronic unemployment and rampant crime. ).
Donald Trump's election delay tweet is a distraction from coronavirus's toll on the US economy - Trump tried the 'dead cat' distraction strategy but even his staunchest allies smacked him down: The smouldering ( smouldering = US smoldering [ˈsməʊldərɪŋ] 闷烧 I. burning slowly without flame, usually emitting smoke. for fear of turning the smouldering fire into a full-blown conflagration. Whole blocks had been turned into smouldering rubble. II. communicating suppressed or half-suppressed feelings, esp of anger, desire, etc. His darkly smouldering eyes never left her face. his smouldering hatred. Smouldering or smoldering is the slow, flameless form of combustion, sustained by the heat evolved when oxygen directly attacks the surface of a condensed-phase fuel. smoulder I. to burn slowly, producing smoke but no flames. If something smoulders, it burns slowly, producing smoke but not flames. A number of buildings around the Parliament were still smouldering today. Whole blocks had been turned into smouldering rubble. II. 憋着气. 生闷气. 憋在心里的情绪. 压抑的情感. mainly literary to feel very strong emotions that you do not express in words, especially anger or sexual feelings. If a feeling such as anger or hatred smoulders inside you, you continue to feel it but do not show it. Baxter smouldered as he drove home for lunch. That's a lot of people smouldering with resentment. III. If you say that someone smoulders, you mean that they are sexually attractive, usually in a mysterious or very intense way. The actress seems to smoulder with sexuality. His darkly smouldering eyes never left her face. ) economic wreck that America has witnessed on the streets for months has finally shown up in official growth figures. The economy shrank by 9.5 per cent between April and June, an eye-watering figure, more than three times the magnitude of any other contraction on record since 1947. When extrapolated ( extrapolate [ɪkˈstræpəleɪt] I. 在事实基础上推测. 事实数字之上的推算. formal to say what is likely to happen or be true by using information that you already have. It's possible to predict students' success by extrapolating from current exam scores. If you extrapolate from known facts 基于已知事实的推测, you use them as a basis for general statements about a situation or about what is likely to happen in the future. Extrapolating from his American findings, he reckons about 80% of these deaths might be attributed to smoking. It is unhelpful to extrapolate general trends from one case. His estimate of half a million HIV positive cases was based on an extrapolation of the known incidence of the virus. II. maths to calculate an amount that you do not know by basing your calculations on amounts that you already know. ) out to an annual figure, it's 32.9 per cent. The figure amounts to $US1.8 trillion ($2.5 trillion) in lost economic output, in the space of three months. In terms of shrinkage, this is like taking steroids before swimming in Antarctic waters without a wetsuit. But here's the thing: Pundits and politicians are talking about Americans being on the edge of the cliff 悬崖边缘 now — and in danger of falling off. In other words, things could be about to get much worse. Negotiations over a new coronavirus relief bill have hit a brick wall in Congress. There's an enormous gulf between 巨大鸿沟 the Democrats' $US3 trillion wide-ranging proposal and the Republican's $US1 trillion bill. Ever since passage of the "Cares Act" in March, people on unemployment benefits have been getting a $US600 ($836) bonus every week, over and above the regular payment. The measure was put in place because politicians in Congress thought it wasn't fair that workers were tossed out of gainful employment because of the Government's coronavirus response. But it's created a problem, at least anecdotally. Business owners claim they can't get their staff to come back, because they're earning more sitting on the couch than they ever could slogging it out at work. Republicans want the supplement reduced to $200, while Democrats want it to stay at $600. And here's the nub of the problem ( nub [nʌb] The nub of a situation, problem, or argument is the central and most basic part of it. the most basic or essential part of something The real nub of the problem is public indifference. That, I think, is the nub of the problem. Here we reach the nub of the argument. the nub of the problem/matter/argument etc 问题核心, 争论的焦点 the main point of a problem etc The real nub of the matter is money. ). Without a deal in Congress, the unemployment bonus will expire on Saturday. As well as helping laid-off workers deal with the sudden loss of their jobs, the generous sum has acted as a temporary strut for ( strut verb. Someone who struts walks in a proud way, with their head held high and their chest out, as if they are very important. He struts around town like he owns the place. to walk in an especially confident and proud way. strut around/about: Phyllis struts around like she owns the place. strut your stuff to show people how good you are at doing something, or how attractive you look. Let's go and strut our stuff on the dance floor. noun. A strut is a piece of wood or metal which holds the weight of other pieces in a building or other structure. ...the struts of a suspension bridge. ) the failing economy. The economic pain was self-inflicted by Governments that shut down their states in order to save lives. The White House and the Governors hoped the payoff would be worth it, in terms life and livelihoods. Trump talked a lot about a "rebound" coming as early as April, as a result of the "pent-up demand". And he's still talking about a "V-shaped" economic rebound 复苏, 经济重启. Many economists think it'll be more like a "W", in which any recovery now, with the re-opening of businesses since June, will be short-lived and followed by a long period of tepid [ˈtepɪd] growth or recession( tepid [ˈtepɪd] I. 温吞的. 不冷不热的 = lukewarm[luːkwɔːm]. warm when it should be hot. tepid bathwater. a. warm when it should be cold. Water or another liquid that is tepid is slightly warm. She bent her mouth to the tap and drank the tepid water. tepid 热嘟嘟的 beer. II. 情绪不高涨的. 反响平淡的. 不热情的. not very excited or enthusiastic. If you describe something such as a feeling or reaction as tepid, you mean that it lacks enthusiasm. His nomination, while strongly backed by the President, has received tepid support in the Senate. a tepid response. ). Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics put it this way: "The markdowns are coming because of the clear economic damage the virus is doing," he said. Now the President is going to great lengths to divert attention anywhere else, even going so far as to raise the question of delaying the election. Trump's tweet was classic utilisation of the "dead cat" strategy, whereby a feline carcass thrown on the dining room table will force everyone to stop what they're talking about (in this case, the economy) and voice their disgust at what's been served up. Even his staunchest [stɔːntʃ] allies rejected it outright, pointing out that the US election has not once been delayed, even during the Civil War and the Great Depression. It's another example of Republican members of Congress finally standing up to the President, after four years of subservience 说什么, 是什么. 言听计从. This week, Republicans also rejected outright the President's push to include another payroll tax cut in the stimulus bill currently being debated. It suggests the Republicans, who are also up for election in November, are putting distance between themselves and the President because they're worried he'll drag them to defeat as well. Trump staked 堵在, 下注在 his entire re-election strategy on the strength of the economy. Now he regularly tries to explain to disgruntled voters that he had no option but to shut it down, in order to save millions of lives. He's right that the loss of life would have been catastrophically worse if he'd done nothing at all. But in reality, standing idly by as bodies piled up in the streets was never an option.
