用法学习: 1. A White House fact sheet circulated earlier on Thursday accused the Hague-based ICC of creating a "shameful moral equivalency = equivalence 划等号( the state of having equal valencies. the fact of having the same amount, value, purpose, qualities, etc.: equivalency between I don't believe there is a moral equivalency between the two situations. equivalency of The survey indicates that there is an equivalency of satisfaction between in-person and telephone appointments. Comparing these two organizations is a false equivalency 等同于. equivalent to something 等同于, 等价于, 等值于 having the same amount, value, purpose, qualities, etc. as something else: At that time, five dollars was equivalent to about three pounds sterling. The territory of modern Iraq is roughly equivalent to that of ancient Mesopotamia. equivalent of something If something is the equivalent of something else, it has the same amount, value, purpose, qualities, etc. as it: These athletes are the modern equivalent of the ancient gladiators. He runs the equivalent of three marathons a week. valency [ˈveɪlənsɪ] or especially US and Canadian valence I. chemistry. 化学价 a property of atoms or groups, equal to the number of atoms of hydrogen that the atom or group could combine with or displace in forming compounds. II. linguistics the number of satellite noun phrases with which a verb combines the English verb 'give' takes a subject and two objects, so it has a valency of three. )" between Hamas and Israel by issuing the warrants at the same time. The White House accused the ICC of placing constraints on Israel's right to self-defence, while accusing the body of ignoring Iran and anti-Israel groups. Trump has repeatedly criticised the court, and took several steps to sanction the body during his first term in office. 2. reflexive [rɪˈflɛksɪv] adj. I. 反身代词. denoting a class of pronouns that refer back to the subject of a sentence or clause. Thus, in the sentence that man thinks a great deal of himself, the pronoun himself is reflexive. II. denoting a verb used transitively with the reflexive pronoun as its direct object, as the French se lever "to get up" (literally "to raise oneself") or English to dress oneself. reflexivity 反省, 自省, 省身 social science I. the fact of someone being able to examine their own feelings, reactions, and motives (= reasons for acting) and how these influence what they do or think in a situation: I had in that time developed a degree of reflexivity unusual for a teenager. In 1995, Soros stated that he believed there can be no absolute answers to political questions because the same principle of reflexivity applies as in financial markets. wiki: In epistemology, and more specifically, the sociology of knowledge, reflexivity refers to circular relationships between cause and effect, especially as embedded in human belief structures. A reflexive relationship is multi-directional when the causes and the effects affect the reflexive agent in a layered or complex sociological relationship. The complexity of this relationship can be furthered when epistemology includes religion. Within economics, reflexivity refers to the self-reinforcing effect of market sentiment, whereby rising prices attract buyers whose actions drive prices higher still until the process becomes unsustainable. This is an instance of a positive feedback loop. The same process can operate in reverse leading to a catastrophic collapse in prices. The principle of reflexivity is a theory that describes how expectations and economic fundamentals create a self-reinforcing feedback loop that can cause prices to deviate from equilibrium. It's often used in economics to explain market crashes and other financial events. Positive feedback loop: The principle of reflexivity is a positive feedback loop that can cause prices to rise or fall. For example, when investors are optimistic about the economy, they may buy stocks, which pushes up prices. This can lead to a cycle where prices rise, which attracts more buyers, which pushes prices higher still. Perceptions vs. reality: The principle of reflexivity is based on the idea that investors make decisions based on their perceptions of reality, not reality itself. Disequilibrium:The principle of reflexivity can cause prices to become increasingly detached from reality, leading to disequilibrium. George Soros: George Soros is a prominent proponent of the principle of reflexivity. He believes that the principle of reflexivity contradicts mainstream economic theory and that it can help explain financial events like the 2008 financial crisis. 3. endow [ɪnˈdaʊ,ɛnˈdaʊ] I. provide with a quality, ability, or asset. "he was endowed with tremendous physical strength". II. give or bequeath an income or property to (a person or institution). to give a large amount of money to pay for creating a college, hospital, etc. or to provide an income for it: The state of Michigan has endowed three institutes to do research for industry. This hospital was endowed by the citizens of Strasbourg in the 16th century. "he endowed the Church with lands". In 2020, Soros announced that he was creating the Open Society University Network (OSUN), endowing the network with $1 billion. III. informal have breasts or a penis of specified size."I had two brothers who were both better endowed than me" . be endowed with something to have a particular quality or feature: Some lucky people are endowed with both brains and beauty. Sardinia is generously endowed with prehistoric sites. well endowed I. having a lot of something, especially money or possessions: The city is well endowed with modern medical facilities. It is a very well-endowed college. II. humorous approving (of a man) having large sexual organs, or (of a woman) having large breasts: He's very well endowed! 3. Screaming Fit: As 20-something operatives — at least one with only a high school degree — continue to plunder ( I. to steal goods violently from a place, especially during a war: After the president fled the country, the palace was plundered by soldiers. Tragically, the graves were plundered and the contents scattered. II. to steal or remove something precious from something, in a way that does not consider moral laws or is more severe than it needs to be: Someone has been plundering funds from the company. The future of our planet is in danger if we continue to plunder its resources as we do. noun. I. an occasion when goods are stolen from a place, especially violently or during a war, or these stolen goods: Residents in the villages under attack have been unable to protect their homes from plunder. The thieves hid their plunder in the woodshed. II. a situation in which something is taken in a way that is not morally right or is too extreme: We need to put a stop to the plunder of the rain forest. ) the federal government on behalf of billionaire Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tempers are flying high. As the Washington Post reports, in one particularly eyebrow-raising incident a young DOGE staffer reporedly threw an explosive screaming tantrum, calling senior Office of Personnel Management developers "idiots," as one official told the newspaper. The outburst echoes Musk's infamously abrasive and often abusive management style, highlighting commonalities 共同点 between the billionaire and his astonishingly unqualified minions, who range between the ages of 19 and 25, and include interns at his companies and a young man who goes by the moniker "Big Balls" (it's unclear which of these whippersnappers had the hissy fit reported by WaPo.). Existing government employees have been shocked by the scope of the data the staffers have been able to access without much opposition. "It's highly likely they're improperly accessing, transferring and storing highly sensitive data outside of the environments it was intended to be contained within," British cybersecurity expert and hacker Marcus Hutchins, who rose to fame for fighting off a WannaCry ransomware attack in 2017, told WaPo. 4. recourse [rɪˈkɔːs] I. the act of resorting to a person, course of action, etc, in difficulty or danger (esp in the phrase have recourse to). a way of dealing with a difficult or unpleasant situation: If the company won’t pay me, the only recourse left to me is to sue them. II. 寻求帮助的途径. 解决问题的途径. 解决办法. a person, organization, or course of action that is turned to for help, protection, etc. using something or someone as a way of getting help, especially in a difficult or dangerous situation: It is hoped that the dispute will be settled without recourse to litigation. help, usually in the form of an official system or process, for someone in a difficult situation: a recourse for sb The Ombudsman is a recourse for homeowners who feel let down by their estate agent. At present, older workers have no legal recourse if they think they have suffered age discrimination. have recourse to sth Not everyone has recourse to expensive professional advice. The workspaces are provided by the Pentagon, so media outlets have little recourse, particularly because credentials are not being revoked. Still, having a "steady presence inside the building" carries many advantages. sb's (only) recourse is to do sth Their only recourse is to file for an appeal before an administrative law judge. without/with no recourse to We should be able to resolve these types of disputes without recourse to a public inquiry. provide/seek recourse The Patients' Bill of Rights provides recourse for patients wishing to sue for damages. III. the right to demand payment, esp from the drawer or endorser of a bill of exchange or other negotiable instrument when the person accepting it fails to pay. without recourse a qualified endorsement on such a negotiable instrument, by which the endorser protects himself or herself from liability to subsequent holders. 5. I have worked so hard on myself for the last few years, this year, I'm coming to collect 开始收货, 享受成果. primary verb I. To take part in a primary election. II. (in the US) run against (the current holder of a political office) in the preliminary election a party uses to select its candidate for the main election. to challenge (the holder of an elected office) in a primary election. To challenge (an incumbent sitting politician) for their political party's nomination to run for re-election, through running a challenger campaign in a primary election, especially one that is more ideologically extreme. Being "primaried" refers to an incumbent politician (usually a member of Congress) facing a serious challenge from within their own party during a primary election. If a sitting lawmaker is "primaried," it means that another candidate from the same party is running against them before the general election. President-elect Donald Trump said senators who oppose his cabinet nominees should be primaried "if they're unreasonable." "If they're opposing somebody for political reasons or stupid reasons, I would say it has nothing to do with me. I would say they probably would be primaried," Trump said Monday morning at his first news conference since the election at Mar-a-Lago. noun. I. a preliminary election in which the voters of a state or region choose a party's convention delegates, nominees for office, etc. Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open primary", in which all voters are eligible to participate, or a "closed primary", in which only members of a political party can vote. Less common are nonpartisan primaries in which all candidates run regardless of party. II. a local meeting of voters registered with one party to nominate candidates, select convention delegates, etc. primary colour 三原色 one of the three colours, red, yellow, and blue, that can be mixed together in different ways to make any other colour. adj. more important than anything else: primary concern/consideration/focus 首要考虑, 首要考量 When oil prices started to rise sharply, the primary concern of financial markets was the possibility of inflation. Newspapers have been the primary source of news for many people for many years. The CEO has primary responsibility for making day-to-day investment decisions for each fund. primary goal/objective/purpose 首要目标, 首要任务. 6. riff noun. something that is slightly different to the usual form: Pistachio-parmesan truffles are a fun riff on those nut-covered cheese balls your mum used to make. His ingenious riff on the original script delights and provokes. verb I. in jazz or popular music, to play a short, repeated series of notes. The singer growled over acoustic guitar while his bandmates riffed on banjo, ukulele, and fiddle. II. to speak amusingly or make amusing comments or remarks. to speak for a long time on a particular subject, especially in a humorous way: He strutted and riffed on topics from global warming to parenthood. institute verb I. introduce or establish (a scheme, undertaking, or policy). "the state instituted a national lottery". The Washington Post, CNN, The Hill and The War Zone will lose workspace at the Pentagon this year under an expanded "media rotation program" instituted 实行, 引入, 采纳 by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's press office. II. appoint (someone) to a position, especially as a cleric. "his sons were instituted to the priesthood". entail verb I. involve (something) as a necessary or inevitable part or consequence. "a situation which entails considerable risks". Representatives of several newsrooms met with Pentagon officials earlier this week and expressed concerns over the rotation program. One concern entailed the "strategic disadvantage" of losing office space in the building. II. limit the inheritance of (property) over a number of generations so that ownership remains within a particular family or group. "her father's estate was entailed on a cousin". bring something to bear I. exert influence or pressure so as to achieve a particular result. They brought pressure to bear on him to resign. II. 瞄准 (train 瞄准. 冲准. 对准. if you train a gun, camera, or light on someone or something, you point it at them. level sth at/against sth. get a fix on sb. pitch something at/toward 目标定位于, 瞄准的是: These new homes will be pitched at the upper end of the market.). aim a weapon. "he brought his rifle to bear on a distant target". III. to bring into operation or effect He brought his knowledge to bear on the situation. bring pressure/influence to bear (on somebody/something) to use your influence or power to get what you want Unions can bring pressure to bear on governments. clubbist 爱泡吧的人 A clubbist is a member of a club or someone who frequently attends clubs. It can also refer to someone who supports the principles of a political club. libertarian 自由主义者 noun. I. believing in freedom of thought and action. a believer in freedom of thought, expression, etc. The town's political climate was libertarian. wiki: a political philosophy that holds freedom and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians conceive of freedom in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according to which each individual has the right to live as they choose, so long as it does not involve violating the rights of others by initiating force or fraud against them. Libertarianism originated as a form of anti-authoritarian and anti-state politics usually seen as being on the left (like socialists and anarchists especially social anarchists, but more generally libertarian communists/Marxists and libertarian socialists). II. a believer in the doctrine of free will. determinism = necessitarianism 因果决定论 the philosophical doctrine that all events including human actions and choices are fully determined by preceding events and states of affairs, and so that freedom of choice is illusory. 7. high alert a situation in which people are told to be ready because there is a strong possibility of an attack or of something dangerous happening. put/place somebody on high alert Troops were put on high alert. on (the) alert (for something/somebody) 全身警惕 ready to notice and deal with a situation or problem Be on the alert for anyone acting suspiciously. Troops in the vicinity were put on alert. on full alert (also on high alert) (=completely ready to deal with a dangerous situation). All our border points are on full alert. I immediately went on high alert after hearing the knocks. fill out 发福, 长胖, 变大块头, 变圆 If someone who is thin fills out, they become heavier and more rounded, often because they have grown older. to become larger: When John is older and fills out some, he'll be an outstanding athlete. II. to write or type information in spaces that are provided for it: The 9m taxpayers obliged to fill out self-assessment forms must file their returns by September 30. Muzzle velocity is the speed of a projectile as it leaves the end of a gun barrel. It's a measure of how fast a bullet travels after it's fired. Factors that affect muzzle velocity - Barrel length: A shorter barrel will produce a higher muzzle velocity than a longer barrel. Bullet velocity: Bullets with higher muzzle velocities have a greater effective range. 8. 美国公共交通噩梦: "We are now in the hangover phase. But when you see something like Los Angeles finally deciding to build out a subway system, or Houston building a tramway network, that's progress," he says. Berman adds that there's one big roadblock. "The United States doesn't really have the institutional memory ( Institutional memory is the collective knowledge, experience, and expertise of an organization. It includes the information, processes, and best practices that help an organization function and make decisions. What does it include? Company policies and procedures, Lessons learned, Best practices, Information that employees acquire through work, and Information that employees learn through formal and informal training. ) to build public transport at scale, because it hasn't really been done," he says. "One thing that's necessary is to import expertise, to bring in a bunch of Japanese or French or Spanish [experts] to learn how to do this kind of transport expansion at scale. "The politics are slowly shifting in the right direction 政治上在慢慢的走向正确的方向, but it requires putting in the work and the money." And while this may not seem like much consolation when there's no sign of the number 86 tram and you've been waiting 15 minutes on High Street, it is something. 9. carve out I. to make or create (a career) he carved out his own future. II. To create (a reputation, chance, role, rank, career, victory) by hard work, or as if by cutting. carve out a niche = carve out a niche for yourself to establish yourself doing a job or creating something in an unusual way that only you or that only a small number of people do: The designer has carved out a niche for herself with her whimsical, fairytale designs. The company carved out a niche by creating traditional puddings with a modern twist. carveout I. The selling of a minority stake in a subsidiary by a parent company; a partial spinoff. II. (law) An exception to a legal provision. Australia 'making the case' for carve out 豁免 as Trump flags 25pc steel tariffs: It is already facing pressure to ensure Australia is carved out of any tariffs on the products, in a repeat of diplomatic efforts achieved in 2018. Back then Australia, along with countries like Canada, Mexico and the UK, was carved out of new tariffs placed on steel and aluminium imports to the US. Labor figures are also highlighting that it took months of diplomatic advocacy from the Turnbull government to secure the 2018 steel deal. This is a test for Anthony Albanese and Kevin Rudd to see and to make sure that we get a carve out 特例, 特殊对待. Pollyannaish 过分乐观的人, 盲目乐观的 (of a person or their attitudes) characterized by constant or excessive optimism. Pollyanna [ˌpɒl.iˈæn.ə] 乐天派, 盲目乐观的人 a person who is constantly or excessively optimistic. a person who believes that good things are more likely to happen than bad things, even when this is very unlikely. Pollyannaish hopes that we would fly under the radar have proven to be sadly misplaced. That this advice has been given the day after our deputy prime minister was in Washington to hand over billions of dollars to secure the AUKUS submarine deal is particularly troubling. 澳洲钢铝关税: "BlueScope has been investing in the United States for 30 years," a spokesperson said. "Most recently, we have spent $2 billion on acquisitions and brownfields expansion ( brownfield 工业用地 denoting or located in an urban area that has previously been built on. used to refer to an area of land in a town or city that was previously used for industry and where new buildings can be built: The Government has promised that 60 per cent of all new housing will be built on brownfield land. They propose fiscal incentives such as tax breaks for brownfield development. brownfield developments. brownfield development/land/reclamation. Planners are committed to developing the city's brownfield sites before granting permission to build on the rural outskirts. The company regenerates brownfield sites for local councils. greenfield used to refer to land that has never previously had buildings on it or been used for industry, or to buildings built on land like this: The government set a target to build 60 per cent of new housing on brownfield sites, with 40 per cent in greenfield areas. There were calls for restrictions on greenfield building. The survey suggests that many homebuyers prefer to live in older towns and cities rather than move to greenfield developments. We estimate that 23 square miles of greenfield will be lost under these plans. It may surprise you to learn that England is currently around 90% greenfield and 10% urban. ) of our operations there. BlueScope is now the fifth largest steel producer in the US, employing 4,000 American workers. "BlueScope abides by all trade rules and agreements. We will continue to work with the Trump administration and the Australian Government, as we await further details." The federal government has been at pains to point out its trade deficit( be at pains to do sth 急不可耐的做某事 If someone is at pains to do something, they are very eager and anxious to do it, especially because they want to avoid a difficult situation. to try very hard to do something: She is at pains to point out how much work she has done. Mobil is at pains to point out that the chances of an explosion at the site are remote. go to/take great pains to do something to make a lot of effort to do something: I went to great pains to select the best staff available. ) with the US since Mr Trump won last year's election. 10. Broadly speaking uniform policies are about unity and uniformity, says Kayla Mildren. She's a PhD candidate 博士在读生 from Griffith University researching uniform policies in Australian high schools. "Many schools say it binds community together, giving common and coherent purpose," Ms Mildren says. The researcher has spoken to students across Australia about uniform policies and says while some state a uniform acts as a "genuine symbol of achievement and belonging", others say it has "actively othered them" because the school "didn't care about who they were". For the most part, Ms Mildren says disciplinary procedures around not conforming with uniform policy operate similarly to other breaches and may involve warning notes, contact with a parent 叫家长, detention or suspension. 11. USAID争议: However, the United States does not spend $68 billion on foreign aid simply out of the goodness of its heart 出于好心, 出自善心(out of the goodness/kindness of one's heart out of personal generosity and not because he or she wanted to get anything for himself or herself. to do something out of kindness, not because you have been asked or expect a reward All these people were helping us out of the goodness of their hearts. He offered to help us out of the goodness of his heart.). Foreign assistance has always been a tool for furthering U.S. national security interests. But foreign aid does more than spread goodwill and positive attitudes toward the U.S. A world that is freer (USAID supports democracy promotion programs), more economically liberal (USAID fosters local entrepreneurship and economic growth), healthier and better educated is also less prone to conflict. Some critics suggest that the financial ties between NZ media and US government-affiliated organisations raise questions about potential soft power influence 软实力影响 and the undemocratic shaping of public discourse. 12. taker I. a person who takes something, esp a bet, wager, or offer of purchase. No takers 没有人感兴趣, 没有人上钩? II. someone who accepts or wants what someone is offering. a person interested in what has been offered: But now at 60 years old, she found no takers for her labor. few/no/not many takers few, no, or not many people interested in what has been offered: I put an ad on the website to sell my bike but I haven't had any takers. III. a person who does something: Census takers use a mathematical formula and apply it to the overall locality. kick up a fuss/row/stink = make a fuss 公开反对, 大声反对 object loudly or publicly to something. "local people are kicking up a fuss about the noise and smells from the farm". to show great anger about something, especially when this does not seem necessary: The service in the restaurant wasn't very good, but we decided not to kick up a fuss/stink about it. He kicked up a tremendous fuss about having to wait. kick/whip/stir up a storm to create a situation in which many people are very angry, upset, critical, etc. His racial comments kicked/whipped/stirred up a storm 引起骚乱, 引起一阵哄乱 in the newspapers. munchkin [ˈmʌntʃ.kɪn] 小个子, 小矮子 I. one of the small people with very high voices who are characters in the book and film "The Wizard of Oz". a very small person: I didn't expect this little munchkin to be able to play guitar like that. I was a Munchkin in a school production. You can listen to the audiobook 25 percent faster, without it sounding like a munchkin. II. a name for a small child or someone you love: My cousin and her husband were going to bring their munchkin to visit. Their boyfriends all say "Yes munchkin, whatever you want munchkin." wiki: A Munchkin is a native of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by American author L. Frank Baum. Although a common fixture in Germanic fairy tales, they are introduced to modern audiences with the first appearance in the classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) where they welcome Dorothy Gale to their city in Oz. The Munchkins are described as being the same height as Dorothy and they wear only shades of blue clothing, as blue is the Munchkins' favorite color. Blue is also the predominating color that officially represents the eastern quadrant in the Land of Oz. The Munchkins have appeared in various media, including the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, as well as in various other films and comedy acts. 13. waterfront a part of a town that is next to an area of water such as a river or the sea. the area of a town or city alongside a body of water, such as a harbour or dockyard She owns a popular tourist restaurant on the town's waterfront. "On the waterfront 靠近海, 在河边, 海边" means "located by the edge of a body of water, like a river or ocean," essentially referring to a part of a city or town situated along the shoreline or harbor area; cover the field/territory/waterfront 详实详尽, 详细, 包括方方面面, 全面 To be thorough and comprehensive in what is presented or dealt with. This thesis will attempt to cover the field of English Law from 1950 to the present. Your final paper is expected to cover the field of Romantic poetry, so you can't limit yourself to just Keats and Wordsworth. If you want an A, you really need to cover the field of Dickens' works. You should spend at least some time on every work we read this semester. self-portrait [ˌsɛlfˈpɔːtreɪt] 自画像 a portrait that an artist produces of themselves. a picture, photograph, or piece of writing that you make of or about yourself. a portrait one draws or paints of oneself. "a self-portrait of Rembrandt dating back to 1635". A self-portrait is a portrait an artist makes of themself. Although self-portraits have been made since the earliest times, the practice of self-portraiture only gaining momentum in the Early Renaissance in the mid-15th century that artists can be frequently identified depicting themselves as either the main subject, or as important characters in their work. With better and cheaper mirrors, and the advent of the panel portrait, many painters, sculptors and printmakers tried some form of self-portraiture. Portrait of a Man in a Turban by Jan van Eyck of 1433 may well be the earliest known panel self-portrait. He painted a separate portrait of his wife, and he belonged to the social group that had begun to commission portraits, already more common among wealthy Netherlanders than south of the Alps. The genre is venerable ( deserving respect because of age, high position, or religious or historical importance: a venerable tradition/company/family. She has worked at such venerable institutions as Boston's Museum of Fine Arts and the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York. ), but not until the Renaissance, with increased wealth and interest in the individual as a subject, did it become truly popular. Self-portraiture, or Autoportraiture is the field of art theory and history that studies the history, means of production, circulation, reception, forms, and meanings of self-portraits. Emerging in Antiquity and becoming popular from the Renaissance as an artistic practice, as a specific field of study, self-portraiture is recent, but it has been expanding rapidly. Ana Peraica wrote, about self-portraiture today, in view of the prolification of the production of self-portraits, particularly the so-called selfies: Culture of the Selfie is an in-depth art-historical overview of self-portraiture, using a set of theories from visual studies, narratology, media studies, psychotherapy, and political principles. Self-portraiture does not only encompass the visual arts. Studies emerge from various areas, such as Philosophy. Language development is dynamic and a reality. The term selfie, for example, only emerged in the 1980s. But the term, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, self-portraiture has been known since the seventeenth century.[6] Although, when we refer to self-portraiture almost simultaneously, we are remitted to artistic production, however, if we look at the contemporary literature, we will see that the universe of academic studies, mainly, is focused on several disciplines. It is possible that self-portraiture has accompanied the emergence of the individual's perception in modern society. 14. Charcuterie ( [ʃɑːrˈkuːtəri] 熟肉, 腌肉: cooked cold meats. cold cooked or preserved meat: You might serve a plate of charcuterie to start. II. a shop that sells cold cooked or preserved meat: We used to have a charcuterie and a butcher in the village. ) is a branch of French cuisine devoted to prepared meat products, such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, ballotines, pâtés, and confit, primarily from pork. Charcuterie is part of the garde manger chef's repertoire. In larger restaurants, a dedicated specialist known as a charcutier may prepare charcuterie instead of the garde manger. Originally intended as a way to preserve meat before the advent of refrigeration, meats are prepared today for their flavors derived from the preservation processes. A charcuterie board is of French origin and typically served as an appetizer on a wooden board or stone slab, either eaten straight from the board itself or portioned onto tableware. It features a selection of preserved foods, especially cured meats or pâtés, as well as cheeses and crackers or bread. In Europe 'charcuterie' refers to cold meats (e.g. salami, ham etc.) and the term 'charcuterie board' would not be widely used for a board with cheese, fruit and a small amount of meat as is the case in North America. Instead the term cheese board might be used for a dish with largely cheese or some other descriptive title used for a board with a large variety of different cold food-stuffs. cloche [klɒʃ] I. a small translucent cover for protecting or forcing outdoor plants. II. a woman's close-fitting bell-shaped hat. "Catch the wrath" means to experience the full force of someone's intense anger or fury, often implying a potential for punishment or retaliation for a perceived wrongdoing; essentially, to be on the receiving end of someone's extreme displeasure. to experience or face intense anger or indignation. "If you don't finish your homework, you will feel my wrath". 15. chew the fat/rag I. to argue over a point. II. 闲聊. 闲谈. to talk idly; gossip. chat in a leisurely and prolonged way. to talk with someone in an informal and friendly way: We sat in a bar most of the evening just chewing the fat. "we were chewing the fat, telling stories about the old days". trim the fat 去掉细枝末节, 删减一下, 删掉不必要的 To excise or discard elements that are seen as superfluous or unnecessary. A: "Our annual budget is still too high. Surely you can trim the fat a bit more." B: "Sir, there's no more fat to trim—if we cut the budget any further, we won't be able to operate properly." Your story is good and your writing is solid, but you need to trim the fat a bit. There are just so many characters and plot points that aren't meaningful. ruffle verb I. to touch or move something smooth so that it is not even: She affectionately ruffled 弄乱 his hair with her hand as she passed. The birds ruffled their feathers (up) in alarm. II. to annoy or upset someone, or to make someone very nervous: He's easily ruffled by criticism. III. (of a bird) to erect (its feathers) in anger, display, etc. noun 蕾丝花边 a series of small folds made in a piece of cloth or sewn onto it, as decoration. a strip of lace or other material, gathered along one edge to make an ornamental frill on a garment or other piece of fabric. ornate [ɔːˈneɪt] adjective I. 装饰繁复的. 装饰华丽的. heavily or elaborately decorated. having a lot of complicated decoration: ornate jewelry/buildings. a room with an ornate ceiling and gold mirrors. II. (of style in writing) overembellished; flowery. Language that is ornate contains too many complicated words or phrases: Some students are put off studying his work because of the ornate 辞藻华丽的, 华而不实的, 花里花哨的, 花哨的 language of the poetry. gasp [ɡɑːsp] 惊叹不已, 惊呼, 叹为观止, 惊为天人 verb I. (intransitive) to draw in the breath sharply, convulsively, or with effort, esp in expressing awe, horror, etc. o take a short, quick breath through the mouth, especially because of surprise, pain, or shock. to take a short quick breath through the mouth, esp. because of surprise, pain, or shock: The circus acrobats drew gasps 引起一阵惊呼 from the crowd. When he collapsed on stage, the audience gasped. People gasp every time when I bring out that plate. gasp in When she saw the money hidden in the box she gasped in surprise. "Help me!" he gasped. II. (intr; foll by after or for) to crave. III. (transitive; often foll by out). to utter or emit breathlessly. IV. to breathe loudly and with difficulty, trying to get more air: gasp for He pulled her aboard the boat and she sprawled on the deck, coughing and gasping for breath. be gasping to be very thirsty. be gasping for to want or need something very much: I'm absolutely gasping for a cigarette. crave to have a very strong feeling of wanting something. to desire something strongly: crave attention Many young children crave attention. The neglected kids just crave attention. 16. kitchen-sink approach An approach to something that involves many different things, often to the point of excess or redundancy. An allusion to the phrase "everything but the kitchen sink," meaning nearly everything one can reasonably imagine. If this launch fails, we'll go bankrupt, so we need to take a kitchen-sink approach when we troubleshoot the app before it goes live. The politician has taken a kitchen-sink approach to her election campaign, promising to fix every political issue under the sun. Artificial leather 人造革, also called synthetic leather, is a material intended to substitute for leather in upholstery, clothing, footwear, and other uses where a leather-like finish is desired but the actual material is cost prohibitive or unsuitable due to practical or ethical concerns. Artificial leather is known under many names, including leatherette, imitation leather, faux leather, vegan leather, PU leather (polyurethane), and pleather(Pleather 假皮, 人造皮, also known as plastic leather, is a synthetic material that is designed to look and feel like real leather. It is often used as a cheaper alternative to leather in clothing, footwear, and upholstery.). Someone's heart sinks to/into their boots 心情跌到了谷底 UK informal (also someone's heart falls to/into their boots, someone's heart sinks/falls into their shoes) someone feels very sad, disappointed, worried, etc.: She smiled to show that her heart had not just sunk into her boots. My heart fell to my boots when I realized he was going to pick me. When I realized he had found and read my diary, my heart fell into my shoes. put the boot in 踹上一脚 = sink the boot to kick someone when they are already on the ground. to make a bad situation worse, by criticizing or being unkind: After he lost his job, his wife put the boot in by announcing she was leaving him. 17. descent ( -escent suffix forming adjectives. beginning to be, do, show, etc. convalescent.) noun. I. the state or fact of being related to a particular person or group of people who lived in the past: of African, European, Asian, etc. descent 后裔 There are more than a hundred million people of African descent in Latin America. The disease is most common among people of northern European descent. descent from The evidence supports our descent from a common ancestor. claim descent 声称是后羿 40 million people in the world claim Scottish descent, she says. direct descent They are looking for people with direct descent 直接后裔 from the indigenous peoples who lived here before Europeans arrived. line of descent They trace their line of descent back to a French duke. II. an occasion when a group of people arrive somewhere, usually suddenly or unexpectedly: descent on 纷至沓来, 光临, 下榻 We weren't prepared for the descent of thousands of journalists on the town. III. a movement down: final descent 降落, 下降 The plane began to make its final descent into the airport. The descent was a little bumpy. IV. a surface that slopes downwards, such as the side of a hill: descent to There is a steep descent to the village below. The resort has one of the longest vertical descents in the Alps. V. a change in someone's behaviour, or in a situation, from good to bad: descent into 衰落, 跌落 His descent into crime was rapid. descend [dɪˈsend] I. 走下去. to go or come down: The path descended steeply into the valley. Jane descended the stairs. II. If darkness or night descends 夜色降临, 夜色将至, it becomes dark and day changes to night. III. If a negative or bad feeling descends, it is felt everywhere in a place or by everyone at the same time: descend on A feeling of despair descended on us as we realized that we were lost. Gloom descended yesterday as the news was announced. IV. If a condition, usually a negative condition, descends, it quickly develops in every part of a place: descend on Silence descended on the room. descend over 笼罩 An eerie calm descended over the city. The babble of voices ceased, and a hush descended. descend from something to have developed from something that existed in the past: All living creatures are thought to descend from an organism that came into being three billion years ago. be descended from someone to be related to a particular person or group of people who lived in the past: Her father is descended from Greek royalty. descend into something 衰落, 堕落 If a situation descends into a particular state, it becomes worse: The demonstrations in the capital rapidly descended into anarchy. descend on/upon someone/something 突然到访, 光临 If a group of people descend on a place or person, they arrive, usually without warning or without being invited: Sorry to descend on you like this, but we didn't have a phone to call you. The police descended on the house in the early hours of the morning. descend to something 堕落到 to behave badly in a way that other people would not expect you to: I never thought she would descend to stealing. descendent = descendant [dɪˈsɛndənt] adj. I. coming or going downwards; descending. II. deriving by descent, as from an ancestor. noun. I. a person who is related to you and who lives after you, such as your child or grandchild: He has no descendants 后代. descendant of They claim to be descendants of a French duke. We owe it to our descendants (= people younger than us who will live after we have died) to leave them a clean world to live in. II. an animal that lives after and is related to another animal that lived in the past: descendant of Lemurs are descendants of the earliest primates. III. something that is similar to and influenced by something that existed before it: descendant of Freeride skiing is a hybrid, trick-oriented descendant of skateboarding and snowboarding. The file-sharing service and its descendants allowed users to download music for free. 18. someone's province 责任, 职责, 兴趣范围 formal a subject or activity of special interest, knowledge, or responsibility: the province of Marketing is within the province of the sales department. Renaissance art is not really his province - he specializes in the modern period. I didn't feel it was my province to give legal advice. With this kind of interdisciplinary approach, everything is your province. This kind of spyware has largely been the province of internet fraudsters. Marbury v. Madison (1803): It is emphatically the province and duty of the judicial department to say what the law is. Those who apply the rule to particular cases, must of necessity expound and interpret that rule. If two laws conflict with each other, the courts must decide on the operation of each. the provinces 大城市以外的地方 the parts of a country that are not the capital city or near a large city: He didn't want to teach at a university in the provinces. defraud 骗钱 to take something illegally from a person, company, etc., or to prevent someone from having something that is legally theirs, by making statements that are not true: He was found guilty of defrauding the Inland Revenue. defraud someone/something of something They are both charged with conspiracy to defraud an insurance company of $20,000. An architect and two surveyors defrauded a charity trust of £3.5m by invoicing it for work they did not do and by inflating fees in building contracts. The police made a number of arrests at the company's head office in connection with a conspiracy to defraud investors. firebrand I. a piece of burning or glowing wood or other material. a piece of burning wood: With firebrands in their hands, they ran to to the murderers' houses, determined to burn them down. II. 煽动闹事者, 挑动政治争端的人. 惹是生非的人. 肇事者. a person who causes unrest or is very energetic. a person who causes political or social trouble by opposing authority and encouraging others to do so: He is trying hard to dispel his image as a left-wing firebrand. Conservative firebrand Steve Bannon pleaded guilty to defrauding donors in a fundraising effort to build a wall along the southern US border in a deal that allowed him to avoid prison. Bannon pleaded guilty to one state felony count of a scheme to defraud in the first degree and was sentenced to a three-year conditional discharge. He will not serve any time in prison, nor will he be required to pay any restitution under the deal. the queen of something = the uncrowned 无冕之王 king/queen of something the woman or place that is considered the best in a particular area or activity With 42 albums, she was the queen of pop. Paris, the queen of fashion. the person who is thought to be the best or most famous in a particular activity the uncrowned king of jazz. The existential threat to his administration is the queen of lawfare Letitia James. another tool for (one's)/the toolbox 多一项技能, 又一项技能, 又一个本事 An additional skill, strategy, tactic, etc., that one can use in some endeavor or pursuit. Look, recovery from this sort of trauma requires a lot of different approaches. Therapy is just another tool for the toolbox. I'm really happy you're taking that course on cloud platform development. It's going to be another useful tool in your toolbox as your career in software development progresses. This medication is just another tool for the toolbox, to be taken on those days when your headaches are intolerably painful. I've been smeared by a political prosecution, persecution for years. In going to trial, I need to be more aggressive. We'll use every tool in the toolbox 浑身解数, 所有本事 to fight this. transactional [trænˈzækʃənəl] 交易性质的 relating to buying and selling: You can download all your transactional information on your credit cards and bank account. transactional charges/costs/fees Customers must be made aware of the transactional charges associated with their purchases. His mother capitalizes on his sex appeal to gain power and money - so the sex scenes should have a transactional element to them. "I told them that I want the equivalent, like $500 billion of rare earth, and they've essentially agreed to do that, so at least we don't feel stupid. Otherwise we're stupid. I said to them, we have to get something. We can't continue to pay this money," Trump added. Whereas the Biden administration said its support for Kyiv was to defend "the right of people to determine their own futures," and to maintain "the principle that a country can't change its neighbor's borders by force," Trump's comments reinforce his more transactional approach 在商言商的, 商人特质的, 交易性质的 to geopolitics. Trump revealed his transactional nature 交易本性, 生意人本性 in his latest salvo on NATO. He formalized his demand for members to more than double their defense spending to 5% of GDP. boon [buːn] 有用的东西, 大大有帮助的东西 something that is very helpful and improves the quality of life. something good or very helpful. something extremely useful, helpful, or beneficial; a blessing or benefit online check-in is a boon for many travellers. Spring rains are a boon to local farmers. Guide dogs are a great boon to the partially sighted. Trump's comments will likely come as a boon to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has sought to justify his invasion of Ukraine by falsely asserting that Russians and Ukrainians are "one people – a single whole," and that Ukraine is not a sovereign country. 19. raucous [ˈrɔː.kəs] loud and unpleasant. loud, excited, and not controlled, esp. in an unpleasant way: I heard the raucous call of the crows. Raucous laughter came from the next room. The party was becoming rather raucous. The 25-year-old superstar received a raucous welcome 受到热烈欢迎 from the home crowd at Crypto.com Arena, who were gifted No. 77 Dončić T-shirts in celebration of the blockbuster trade that brought him to the City of Angels on February 2. rowdy adj disapproving [ˈraʊ.di] noisy and possibly violent. noisy and seeming likely to become violent: The theater was full of rowdy teenagers throwing popcorn and yelling. a rowdy party. rowdy behaviour. flabby I. lacking firmness; loose or yielding. flabby muscles. II. having flabby flesh, esp through being overweight. soft and fat: flabby arms/thighs. I was starting to get a bit flabby around my waist. III. lacking vitality; weak; ineffectual. weak and without force: a flabby argument. The White Lotus still has writer and director Mike White's fingerprints 印迹, 烙印, and occasionally his iconoclasm and inventiveness. But this uneven iteration feels flabby and elongated 拖长了的, with far less satiric bite. iconoclasm [aɪˈkɒnəˌklæzəm] 反传统的, 反传统信仰 the acts or beliefs of an iconoclast. strong opposition to generally accepted beliefs and traditions: His iconoclasm may be why he never got a Nobel Prize. The artwork draws its power primarily from iconoclasm and irreverence. That ominous pattern reflects the plots of every season of The White Lotus. But unlike the credit sequence and the previous two instalments, the rest of this very slow-burn season doesn't get to the danger nearly fast or vividly enough. iconoclastic [aɪˌkɒn.əˈklæs.tɪk] 反传统的, 反世俗的 strongly opposing generally accepted beliefs and traditions: His plays were fairly iconoclastic in their day. iconoclastic views. inventive approving adj. very good at thinking of new and original ideas. having or showing the ability to design or create something new: He is famous for his zany, inventive books for children. He is very inventive, always dreaming up new gadgets for the home. The White Lotus III installment: The show always skewers ( skewer I. to put pieces of food, especially meat, on a skewer or other long pointed object: Simply skewer the carrots, potatoes, leeks, and green pepper chunks. Shashlyk is a Russian dish of marinated lamb and onions, skewered and grilled. II. to criticize someone or something, or make an unkind joke about them, in a way that is very accurate or reveals the truth about them: The comedian skewered 讽刺, 讥讽 authority figures, corporate jargon, and mindless consumerism. The newspaper has often skewered developers and city officials. ) the ultrarich while heading toward the murder, so it makes sense that the most intriguing characters are a wealthy financial advisor and his family, even though the jabs at their privilege are toothless ( used to describe an organization or a rule that has no power: This well-intentioned but toothless law will do nothing to improve the situation.). Tim Ratliff finds himself in serious, predictable business trouble back home, but Jason Isaacs makes the character's desperation visceral and urgent. His wife, Victoria, is a one-note ( not changing or varying, as in subject matter or tone; uniform; monotonous.) character always zonked out on ( to fall asleep, esp from physical exhaustion or the effects of alcohol or drugs .) anti-anxiety drugs. White's astute casting 精准的选角 often makes the season better than the story suggests, though, and the Ratliff children are especially well played. The middle child, earnest Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), has led the family to Thailand so she can research her college thesis on Buddhism, one of the few plot points that actually has to do with Thailand. The oldest son, Saxon, is a good-looking, sex-obsessed dolt ( dolt [dəʊlt] derogatory a person who lacks intelligence or sense. a stupid person ). Patrick Schwarzenegger effectively channels the layers of this bro-guy ( a bro guy is a chilled out pot head who just chills with his friends and smokes pot. He/She also wastes alot of time, doing things such as oragami or sitting on the computer. Anyone who smokes with them is likewise considered a bro-guy.) whose hedonism comes back to bite him. Sam Nivola plays the youngest child, shy high-school senior Lochlan. If you get the unsettling sense that the sexual boundaries in this family are a little too loose, trust your instincts. And Natasha Rothwell returns as Belinda, the spa manager in Maui in the first season, now in Thailand for job training in wellness. Rothwell has always made the character touching, with a sweet diffident smile ( diffident [ˈdɪfɪd(ə)nt] modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence. shy and not confident of your abilities: a diffident manner. diffident about You shouldn't be so diffident about your achievements - you've done really well! "a diffident youth". ) that signals how little she expects from life. Here she is used mostly as a plot device, but it's a clever plot full of call-backs to earlier seasons and too spoilery to detail. Some major themes come to the fore ( to the fore to public attention or into a noticeable position: Various ecological issues have come to the fore since the discovery of the hole in the earth's ozone layer. The prime minister has deliberately brought to the fore those ministers with a more caring image. It was an issue that came to the fore in the recent presidential election. It is in his later works that his sense of humour really comes to the fore. the forefront the position or situation of being very important or noticeable: at the forefront of His team is at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. in the forefront of She was one of the politicians in the forefront of the campaign to free the prisoners. There are many exciting environmental projects going on locally and we are at the forefront. We want to bring these concerns to the forefront. The issue of artificial intelligence has really come to the forefront in the last few years. to the dregs I. If you drink something to the dregs, you drink all of it: He drained his glass to the dregs and asked for another. She had drunk her evening cocoa to its dregs. II. often disapproving until only very few parts of something are left, often the worst parts: By this time the company was down to the dregs of its cash reserves. Now the team has been reduced to the dregs. to the exclusion of If you do something to the exclusion of something else, you do it so much that you do not have time for the other thing: He was obsessed, almost to the exclusion of everything else, with a family feud. They worship money and power to the exclusion of every other part of human life. We should not be using data collection to the exclusion of all other approaches. The state has invested in road construction almost to the exclusion of other types of transport infrastructure. Our penal system is preoccupied with control and containment to the exclusion of rehabilitation. ) as the eight-episode season winds down, especially when Piper visits a Buddhist monastery. 20. purveyor [pəˈveɪ.ər] 贩卖者 a business that provides goods or services: purveyors of seafood. a purveyor of leather goods. Purveyors of Jams and Marmalades to Her Majesty the Queen. a business that sells a particular type of goods or service: a purveyor of fine wine. a leading purveyor of online news. a food/tea/water purveyor. The report, released on Monday by Washington-based research group India Hate Lab, documented 1,165 such instances last year, adding that politicians like Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah were among the most frequent purveyors of hate speech.
"Abide by 个人的承诺尊重," "comply with 符合要求, 满足规定," and "conform to 融入群体的要求", observe, follow, obey: all mean to follow or obey a rule, law, or standard, but with slightly different nuances:
Abide by: This phrase emphasizes a strong commitment to following something, often with a sense of respect or loyalty; it implies actively upholding a rule or agreement. refers to guidelines or rules. "I abide by the rules".
Comply with: This phrase indicates simply following a rule or requirement, often with a focus on meeting specific criteria or avoiding consequences for non-compliance. more often used when describing meeting a certain requirements. "We ensure all of our staff comply with governmental safety regulations".
Conform to: This phrase suggests aligning oneself with a group standard or expectation, sometimes implying a need to fit in or adapt to a particular behavior pattern. a choice someone makes to fit in. "Everyone at the company wears a tie to work, so I conform and also wear a tie".
Obey: associated with obedience. So you would often say that someone "obeys a command" or "obeys an order". You would also obey your strict parents.
"All employees must abide by the company's dress code." "The company must comply with all safety regulations." "To be accepted in this community, you need to conform to their social norms."
Key takeaway: "Abide by" implies a more personal commitment to following something, while "comply with" focuses on simply meeting a requirement, and "conform to" highlights fitting in with a group standard.
A Snuff movie is a movie that shows the murder of a person, or a group of people, for the entertainment of the audience. Snuff movies are made to gain money. They do not use special effects. The first such movie was El Angel de la Muerte. It is an Argentine horror movie made in 1976. One of the scenes shows how the makers of the movie kill one of the actresses. The English title of the movie was Snuff. This turned out to be a marketing ploy. The actress was not killed. Today, no real snuff movie is known. Since the 1970s, the theme has been used by different movements in the United States. These groups usually argue that the government needs to control the media more than it currently does. The last such debate was about happy slapping. The debate is also fueled by violent pornography or videos of executions and murders. Happy slapping is a trend in which innocent people are hurt, for no apparent reason. Most of the time, happy slapping is done in groups. One person in the group will hit an innocent person, while another films the onset. In English-speaking countries, the crime is usually deemed assault. In some cases, the victims are beaten to unconsciousness, or even killed. Mostly, the name is used for small acts of violence such as hitting or jumping on the victim, but the media has also used it for more serious crimes such as murder, rape, and sexual assault. Red rooms: In Montreal, fashion model Kelly-Anne attends the trial of Ludovic Chevalier, accused of broadcasting his murder of three teenage girls in a "Red Room", a chat room on the dark web where people pay to watch snuff films. The case has become a media circus and attracted the attention of both the press and "fans" of Chevalier, some of whom believe he is being framed due to his meek nature and kindly demeanor.
