Lesson 44 Patterns of culture 【单词列表】

commonplace [ˈkɔmənpleis] adj. 平凡的

【例】Sometimes the commonplace things are what people want.

   有时候那些不起眼的东西才是人们想要的。

【扩】characterless 平凡的,无特征的

aberrant [æˈberənt] adj. 脱离常轨的,异常的

trivial [ˈtriviəl] adj. 微不足道的

predominant [priˈdɔminənt] adj. 占优势的,起支配作用的

【派】predominantly 主要地

【扩】regnant 占优势的,占支配地位的

* * *

A: Which do you think is the predominant partner of them two?

B: I'm afraid I don't know.

A:你看他们俩之中谁占支配地位?

B:恐怕我不知道。

* * *

manifest [ˈmænifest] adj. 明显的

【扩】palpable 明显的,易察觉的  evident 明显的,明白的

* * *

A: Fear was manifest on his face.

B: Do you mean he is the real murderer?

A:他脸上显露出恐惧的神色。

B:你是说他才是真正的凶手?

* * *

pristine [ˈpristiːn] adj. 纯洁的,质朴的

【扩】unvarnished 质朴的,无修饰的

* * *

A: She tells stories with pristine language in the book.

B: It must be very touching.

A:她在书中用质朴的语言讲述着一个个的故事。

B:那一定很动人。

* * *

stereotype [ˈsteriətaip] n. 陈规

【例】He doesn't conform to the usual stereotype of the city businessman.

   他不是典型城市商人的那个样子。

vernacular [vəˈnækjulə] n. 方言

【扩】dialect 方言  localism 方言

* * *

A: It's forbidden to communicate with vernacular here.

B: Sorry, I didn't know it before.

A:在这儿不许用方言交谈。

B:对不起,我之前并不知道这一点。

* * *

accommodation [əˌkɔməˈdeiʃn] n. 适应

【例】We have to make an accommodation to the wartime condition then.

   我们那时候必须适应战时的条件。

incumbent [inˈkʌmbənt] adj. 义不容辞的,有责任的

【扩】bounden 必须负担的  responsible 有责任的

【搭】be incumbent on sb. to do sth. 某人有责任做某事

* * *

A: It's incumbent on you to warn them.

B: But I can't get in touch with them now.

A:你有责任告诫他们。

B:但是我现在联系不上他们。

* * *

preliminary [priˈliminəri] adj. 初步的

【搭】preliminary to 在……之前

【例】Our preliminary research only covered existing users of our products.

   我们的初步调研只是在产品现有的用户中进行。

proposition [ˌprɔpəˈziʃən] n. 主张

【扩】viewpoint 主张,看法  assertion 主张,论断

【搭】a tough proposition 一件棘手的事情

* * *

A: It's not an easy proposition.

B: But nobody knows how to deal with it except you.

A:这件事不好办啊。

B:但是除了你没有人知道怎么处理啊。

* * *

preference [ˈprefərəns] n. 优先(权)

* * *

A: The elder son has preference over the younger one.

B: I think it's unfair.

A:长子较之非长子享有优先权。

B:我认为这不公平。

* * *

controversial [ˌkɔntrəˈvəːʃəl] adj. 引起争论的

【扩】moot 有争议的,未决的

* * *

A: Do you have anything to be discussed?

B: Yes, the most controversial issue is the overtime pay.

A:你们还有什么要讨论的问题吗?

B:是的,最具争议性的话题是加班费。

* * *

cactus [ˈkæktəs] n. 仙人掌

termite [ˈtəːmait] n. 白蚁

nebula [ˈnebjulə] n. 星云

variant [ˈveəriənt] adj. 不同的

【扩】varying 不同的

【搭】a variant form of a word 异体字

* * *

A: You must pay attention to the variant spellings of the words.

B: I will be careful when I read them.

A:你要注意这些单词不同的拼法。

B:看到它们的时候我会小心的。

* * *

barbarian [bɑːˈbeəriən] n. 野蛮人

pagan [ˈpeiɡən] n. 异教徒

sophisticated [səˈfistikeitid] adj. 老练的

【扩】veteran 老练的  tactful 老练的

【反】unsophisticated 单纯的

* * *

A: You look very sophisticated in the suit.

B: The tailor makes the man.

A:你穿上这套西装看起来非常老练。

B:人靠衣装嘛!

* * *

premise [ˈpremis] n. 前提

【派】premises 营业场所

【搭】on the premise of 在……的前提下

* * *

A: We must act on the premise that the worst thing might happen.

B: OK. I will notice everyone to get prepared for it.

A:我们必须在可能发生最坏事情的前提下行动。

B:好的,我会通知每一个人都做好准备的。

* * *

supernatural [ˌsuːpəˈnætʃərəl] adj. 超自然的

 

commonplace

🇬🇧/ˈkɒmənpleɪs/ 🇺🇸/ˈkɑːmənpleɪs/
If something is commonplace, it happens often or is often found, and is therefore not surprising. 常见的

adjective [原级] 平凡的,不足为奇的;平庸的,陈腐的

Inter-racial marriages have become commonplace. 不同种族间的通婚已经变得很常见。

noun [具体名词] 司空见惯的事,常见的东西;老生常谈,陈词滥调

Simpson's much vaunted discoveries are in fact commonplace in modern sociology. 辛普森的那些被过分称赞的发现在现代社会学中实际上是老生常谈。

aberrant

🇬🇧/əˈberənt/ 🇺🇸/æˈbɛrənt/
Aberrant means unusual and not socially acceptable. 变态的

adjective [原级] 异常的;畸变的;脱离常轨的;迷乱的

Ian's rages and aberrant behaviour worsened. 伊恩的盛怒和变态行为愈演愈烈。

trivial

/ˈtrɪviəl/
If you describe something as trivial, you think that it is unimportant and not serious. 无关紧要的

adjective [原级] 琐碎的,不重要的;容易解决的,不费吹灰之力的;(人)务小的,浅薄的;(数学)平凡的

The director tried to wave aside these issues as trivial details that could be settled later. 那位主任对这些问题置之不理,视它们为可以后解决的无关紧要的细节。

predominant

🇬🇧/prɪˈdɒmɪnənt/ 🇺🇸/prɪˈdɑːmɪnənt/
most frequent or common; "prevailing winds"

adjective [原级] 明显的;占主导地位的,占支配地位的

In Greece, rhododendrons and oleander bloom only in springtime, when they are the predominant sources of nectar. 在希腊,杜鹃花和夹竹桃只在春天开花,那时它们是花蜜的主要来源。

manifest

/ˈmænɪfest/
If you say that something is manifest, you mean that it is clearly true and that nobody would disagree with it if they saw it or considered it. 明显的

verb [vt. 及物动词] 显示,表明;(鬼魂或神灵)显灵,出现;(病症)显现;把…列入货单

If you manifest a particular quality, feeling, or illness, or if it manifests itself, it becomes visible or obvious. 显现出

adjective [原级] 明显的,显而易见的

Manifest is also an adjective. 显现出的 •  The same alarm is manifest everywhere.  同样的恐慌在各地都已出现。

noun [集合/集体] 旅客名单,载货清单;货运列车编组清单

Your first edit is to the manifest file. 首先要编辑的是清单文件。

pristine

/ˈprɪstiːn/
Pristine things are extremely clean or new. 崭新的

adjective [原级] 整洁的,崭新的;未受损害的,处于原始状态的;正派的,正直的

Krill fishing in the Antarctic has worsened the pollution of the pristine waters. 南极的磷虾捕捞加剧了对原始水域的污染。

stereotype

/ˈsteriətaɪp/
A stereotype is a fixed general image or set of characteristics that a lot of people believe represent a particular type of person or thing. 模式化形象; 成见

noun [专属名词] 模式化的思想,老一套;公式化人物;铅版,铅版浇铸,铅版印刷

There's always been a stereotype about successful businessmen. 对成功的商人们总有一种成见。

verb [vt. 及物动词] 对……形成刻板的看法,(尤指)对……有成见;使用铅版

He was stereotyped by some as a renegade. 他被一些人带着成见视为一名叛逆者。

vernacular

🇬🇧/vəˈnækjələ(r)/ 🇺🇸/vərˈnækjələr/
The vernacular is the language or dialect that is most widely spoken by ordinary people in a region or country. 方言

noun [专属名词] 本地话,方言;(建筑的)民间风格;<非正式>行话,术语;动植物的俗名

...books or plays written in the vernacular. …用此方言写的一些书或剧本。

adjective [原级] 方言的,本地语的;(建筑)民间风格的;(艺术的)民间风俗的

Worst of all, for a playwright specializing in characters who use the vernacular, he has a tin ear for dialogue. 最糟的是,作为一个专门刻画使用方言人物的剧作家,他在对话方面没有鉴赏力。

accommodation

🇬🇧/əˌkɒməˈdeɪʃ(ə)n/ 🇺🇸/əˌkɑːməˈdeɪʃ(ə)n/
Accommodation is buildings or rooms where people live or stay. 住所

noun [专属名词] <美>住宿,膳宿;<英>住处,办公处,停留处;(楼房或交通工具内的)空间,座位;和解,调和;(通过改变眼球晶状体形状)自动调焦

The government will provide temporary accommodation for up to three thousand homeless people. 政府将为多达三千无家可归的人提供临时住所。

incumbent

/ɪnˈkʌmbənt/
An incumbent is someone who holds an official post at a particular time. 在职者

adjective [原级] 在职的,现任的;职责所在的,义不容辞的;(公司)占市场份额大的

...the only candidate who defeated an incumbent senator. …惟一击败了现任参议员的候选人。

noun [专属名词] 在职者,现任官员;教区牧师,领圣俸者

In general, incumbents have a 94 percent chance of being re-elected. 一般情况下,现任官员有94%的几率会再次当选。

preliminary

🇬🇧/prɪˈlɪmɪnəri/ 🇺🇸/prɪˈlɪmɪneri/
Preliminary activities or discussions take place at the beginning of an event, often as a form of preparation. 初步的

adjective [原级] 初步的,预备的

Preliminary results show the Republican Party with 11 percent of the vote. 初步结果显示共和党得到11%的选票。

noun [抽象名词] 初步行动,准备工作;预赛,预试

You all know why I am here. So I won't waste time on preliminaries. 你们都知道我为什么在这里。所以我就不浪费时间讲客套话了。

proposition

🇬🇧/ˌprɒpəˈzɪʃ(ə)n/ 🇺🇸/ˌprɑːpəˈzɪʃ(ə)n/
If you describe something such as a task or an activity as, for example, a difficult proposition or an attractive proposition, you mean that it is difficult or pleasant to do. 事情

noun [抽象名词] 主张,观点;(尤指商业或政治上的)提议,建议;(美国的)法律修正案;欲做的事,待处理的问题;(数学或逻辑)命题;(尤指被视作有冒犯性的)性交提议,求欢

Making easy money has always been an attractive proposition. 轻轻松松地赚钱一直是令人向往的事。

verb [vt. 及物动词] 向(某人)提议;(尤指冒犯地)提出与……性交,向……求欢

As a business proposition, it's a non-starter. 作为一份商业建议,它不可能取得成功。

controversial

🇬🇧/ˌkɒntrəˈvɜːʃ(ə)l/ 🇺🇸/ˌkɑːntrəˈvɜːrʃ(ə)l/
If you describe something or someone as controversial, you mean that they are the subject of intense public argument, disagreement, or disapproval. 有争议的

adjective [原级] 有争议的,引发争论的

Immigration is a controversial issue in many countries. 移民在很多国家都是一个有争议的问题。

cactus

/ˈkæktəs/
A cactus is a thick, fleshy plant that grows in many hot, dry parts of the world. Cacti have no leaves and many of them are covered in prickles. 仙人掌属植物

noun [专属名词] 仙人掌科植物,仙人掌

Don't water the cactus every day. 仙人掌不要每天浇水。

termite

🇬🇧/ˈtɜːmaɪt/ 🇺🇸/ˈtɜːrmaɪt/
Termites are small insects that do a lot of damage by eating wood. 白蚁

noun [专属名词] [昆] 白蚁

When the next termite finds that grain, they drop theirs too. 当下一只白蚁发现那粒谷粒时,它们也会扔下它们的谷粒。

nebula

/ˈnebjələ/
A nebula is a cloud of dust and gas in space. New stars are produced from nebulae. 星云

noun [专属名词] 星云;角膜云翳

As the nebula collapsed caused by its gravity, it spun faster and flattened into a disk. 当星云因其重力而坍缩时,它旋转得更快,并压扁成一个盘状。

variant

🇬🇧/ˈveəriənt/ 🇺🇸/ˈveriənt/
A variant of a particular thing is something that has a different form from that thing, although it is related to it. 变体; 变种

noun [抽象名词] 变种,变形;(单词拼写或读音的)变异,变体

The ASCOD features a Lockheed-designed turret for the Scout variant. ASCOD 机械化步兵战车具有由洛克希德设计的 Scout 侦察车变型炮塔的特征。

adjective [原级] 不同的,变体的,变种的

It does, however, have earlier origins in other senses. It is a variant of hallo, which dates to 1840 and is a cry of surprise. 然而,它确实在其他意义上有更早的起源。它是hallo的变体,可追溯到1840年,是一种表示惊讶的叫声。

barbarian

🇬🇧/bɑːˈbeəriən/ 🇺🇸/bɑːrˈberiən/
In former times, barbarians were people from other countries who were thought to be uncivilized and violent. 蛮族人

noun [专属名词] 野蛮人;未开化的人;无教养的人

The Roman Empire was overrun by Nordic barbarians. 罗马帝国被北欧蛮族推翻了。

adjective [原级] 野蛮的;未开化的

We need to fight this barbarian attitude to science. 我们需要向这种对待科学的野蛮态度作斗争。

pagan

/ˈpeɪɡən/
Pagan beliefs and activities do not belong to any of the main religions of the world. They are older, or are believed to be older, than other religions. 异教徒的

noun [专属名词] 异教徒(信非主流宗教者);非基督教徒;新异教主义者;无宗教信仰者

The pagans used torchlight parades and bonfires to celebrate important events. 异教徒们用火把游行和篝火来庆祝重大的事件。

adjective [原级] 异教的,异教徒的

The Christian church has adapted many pagan ideas over the centuries. 几个世纪以来,基督教会已经采用并改编许多异教思想。

noun [专属名词] (Pagan)(美、爱)帕干(人名)

We can speculate that the stone circles were used in some sort of pagan ceremony. 我们可以推测,这些石头排成的圆圈是用于某种异教崇拜仪式的。

sophistication

/səˌfɪstɪˈkeɪʃn/
The sophistication of people, places, machines, or methods is their quality of being sophisticated. 老练; 复杂性; 先进

noun [抽象名词] 精明老练;(人的)高度文化修养;(机器、方法的)精密,复杂,先进;诡辩

It would take many decades to build up the level of education and sophistication required. 要花好几十年的时间来逐步达到所需要的教育和发展水平。

premise

/ˈpremɪs/
The premises of a business or an institution are all the buildings and land that it occupies in one place. 经营场所; 办公场所

noun [抽象名词] 前提,假设;(企业或机构使用的)房屋及土地(premises);上述各项

A premise is something that you suppose is true and that you use as a basis for developing an idea. 前提

verb [vt. 及物动词] 以…为基础,以…为前提;预先提出,事先提到;<古>声明,说明

His reasoning is based on the premise that all people are equally capable of good and evil. 他的推理是以人可以为善亦可以为恶为前提的。

supernatural

🇬🇧/ˌsuːpəˈnætʃrəl; ˌsjuːpəˈnætʃrəl/ 🇺🇸/ˌsuːpərˈnætʃrəl/
Supernatural creatures, forces, and events are believed by some people to exist or happen, although they are impossible according to scientific laws. (生物、力量、事件等) 超自然的

adjective [原级] 超自然的;神奇的,不可思议的

The Nakani were evil spirits who looked like humans and possessed supernatural powers. 纳卡尼是恶魔,看起来像人类,却具有超自然力量。

noun [抽象名词] 超自然现象;不可思议的事

He writes short stories with a touch of the supernatural. 他写带点儿超自然物的短篇故事。

preferential

/ˌprefəˈrenʃ(ə)l/
If you get preferential treatment, you are treated better than other people and therefore have an advantage over them. 优等的

adjective [原级] 优先的,优待的,优惠的;(投票,选举)表明选择顺序的;(债权人)要求债务人优先偿还的

Offering preferential treatment to wealthy countries. 向富裕国家提供优惠待遇。