Daily Writing Vocab(1)

roadblock

1 : a place where police or military officers stop drivers especially in order to examine vehicles 2 US : something that stops progress That's the one roadblock to the plan. roadblocks on the path to success.

wimpy

A timid or unadventurous person I'm far too wimpy to go rock climbing. I was too wimpy to be a boxer so I decided to be a musician.

ill-founded

Having no factual basis. His fears proved ill-founded. Suspicion and jealousy, however ill-founded, can poison a marriage.

mull

If you mull something, you think about it for a long time before deciding what to do. Last month, a federal grand jury began mulling evidence in the case. [VERB noun] Do you know why he was mulling and hesitating? [VERB]

skid

Tony's car skidded on some ice and hit a tree. 托尼駕駛的車在冰上打滑，撞上了一棵樹

gibble-gabble

senseless chatter. I hate a gibble-gabble and a rimble-ramble talk.

insignia

the royal insignia 君王標誌

exhilarate

to cause (someone) to feel very happy and excited — usually used as (be) exhilarated I feel exhilarated!

cannon

verb. 突然撞上，碰撞 I was rushing along with my head down when I cannoned into an old lady walking the other way. 我正一路低頭跑著，突然撞上了一個迎面走來的老婦人。 noun [ C ] （舊時的）大炮，火炮，加農炮

entail

使必要；牽涉 Such a large investment inevitably entails some risk. 這樣的钜額投資必然會有一定的風險。 [ + -ing verb ] Repairing the roof will entail spending a lot of money. 修屋頂免不了要花好多錢。

infuse

使（某人）充滿（某種感情）；將（某特性）注入（某物） The pulling down of the Berlin Wall infused the world with optimism. 柏林圍牆的倒塌使全世界歡欣鼓舞。 The arrival of a group of friends on Saturday infused new life into the weekend. 星期六一群朋友的到來給週末生活注入了新的活力。

demise

倒閉；敗落；垮臺 The demise of the company was sudden and unexpected. 該公司出人意料地突然倒閉了。

preferential

優先的；優待的，優惠的 Inmates claimed that some prisoners had received preferential treatment. 犯人聲稱有些囚犯受到了優待。

rife

充滿；充斥 The office was rife with rumours. 辦公室裡謠言層出不窮。 （指不良事物）盛行的；流行的；普遍的 Dysentery and malaria are rife in the refugee camps. 痢疾和瘧疾在難民營肆虐。

imposture

冒名行騙

frigid

冷淡的；極正式的 She turned her frigid gaze on him. 她轉過去冷冷地看著他。 （天氣或室內溫度）寒冷的，嚴寒的 Few plants can grow in such a frigid environment. 幾乎沒有甚麽植物能夠在如此寒冷的環境下生

snub

冷落，怠慢 I think she felt snubbed because Anthony hadn't bothered to introduce himself. 我想她覺得受了冷落，因爲安東尼根本沒有作自我介紹。

furlough

准許...休假；強制...休假 After safety concerns, the company furloughed all 4,000 of its employees. 出於安全考慮，該公司強制所有的4000名僱員休假。 280,000 federal workers have been furloughed.

fortitude

勇氣，堅韌，剛毅 I thought she showed remarkable fortitude during that period. 我認為她在那段時期表現出了驚人的勇氣。

grudge

吝惜；勉強地做，勉強地給 She grudged every hour she spent helping him. 她很不情願花時間幫他。 認為...不應得到；忌妒 [ + two objects ] I don't grudge you your holiday, it's just that you've chosen a bad time to go. 我不是認為你不該去度假，只是覺得你選的時機不合適。

outcry

吶喊；大聲疾呼；強烈抗議 The release from prison of two of the terrorists has provoked a public outcry. 釋放兩名恐怖分子激起了公眾的強烈抗議

unilateral

單邊的；單方的 The party leader has actually declared her support for unilateral nuclear disarmament (= giving up her country's nuclear weapons without first waiting for other countries to do the same). 該黨領導人實際上已經宣佈了她支援單方面核裁軍的決定。

meticulous

嚴謹的，一絲不苟的；非常注意細節的 Many hours of meticulous preparation have gone into writing the book. 為寫此書，投入了大量時間細心做前期準備。

benchmark

基準（點） Her outstanding performances set a new benchmark for singers throughout the world. 她的精彩表演為全世界歌手樹立了新典範。

advisory

報告；公告；警告 weather/travel advisories 天氣報告／旅遊公告 Television companies sometimes broadcast advisories before violent movies. 電視臺在播放有暴力內容的電影前，有時會先作警示。

munch

大聲咀嚼 He was munching on an apple. 他大口啃著蘋果。 We watched her munch her way through a bag of peanuts. 我們看著她津津有味地嚼完了一包花生。

ration

對...實行配給；定量供應；限定...的量 Do you remember when petrol was rationed to five gallons a week? 你還記得以前每週配給五加侖汽油的時候嗎？ My children would watch television all day long, but I ration it. 要不是我加以限制，孩子們會整天整天地看電視。

address

對付，應付；處理 The issue of funding has yet to be addressed. 資金問題尚未得到解決。 演講，演說 She gave an address to the Royal Academy. 她在皇家藝術院作了場演講。 對...講話，對...發表演說，致辭；給...寫信，致函 He addressed a few introductory remarks to the audience. 他向觀眾說了幾句開場白。 He likes to be addressed as "Sir" or "Mr Partridge". 他喜歡被稱為「先生」或「派特裡奇先生」。 She stood up to address a hushed courtroom. It's incorrect to address people by their first names at these formal events. He stepped out onto the balcony to address the multitude below. Kindly address your remarks to the bench, Mr Smith. All questions should be addressed to the chair.

apex

巔峰，全盛時期 He reached the apex of his career during that period. 那個時期他的事業達到頂峰。

wraith

幻影，朦朧的景象 He watched the misty wraiths of moisture making patterns on the window pane. 他看到朦朧的濕氣在窗格上形成不同的圖案。

annul

廢除，取消（法律、協議等）；宣佈（婚姻）無效 His second marriage was annulled because he never divorced his first wife. 他的第二次婚姻被判無效，因為他從未與第一任妻子離婚。

spark

引起，導致，觸發（尤指爭論或打鬥） This proposal will almost certainly spark another countrywide debate about immigration. 這項提議很可能會再一次引起全國性的關於移民的爭論。 The recent interest-rate rises have sparked new problems for small businesses. 近期利率的調升為小型企業帶來了新問題。 The visit of the G20 leaders sparked off (= caused the start of) mass demonstrations. G20國家領導人的到訪引發了大規模示威遊行。

overhaul

徹底檢修，大修；改造；改進 I got the engine overhauled. 我徹底檢修了引擎。 The government has recently overhauled the healthcare system. 政府最近徹底改革了公共醫療保健服務。

staunch

忠實的；堅定的 a staunch friend and ally 忠實的朋友和盟友 He gained a reputation as being a staunch defender/supporter of civil rights. 他堅決捍衛民權，因此贏得了聲譽。

wimp

懦弱無用的人 I'm afraid I'm a wimp when it comes to climbing up ladders. 要說爬梯子，恐怕我會有點膽小。

truncate

截短，刪節，縮短（尤指去尾） Television coverage of the event was truncated by a technical fault. 對比賽的電視直播因技術故障而被縮短。

recap

扼要重述；摘要說明；概括 Finally, the teacher recapped the main points of the lesson. 最後老師又概括了一下這一課的重點。 To recap, our main aim is to increase sales by 15 percent this year. 簡要地說，我們的主要目標是把今年的銷售額提高15%。

provision

提供；供給；準備 The provision of good public transport will be essential for developing the area. 提供良好的大眾運輸對該地區的發展極為重要。 規定，條款 We have inserted certain provisions into the treaty to safeguard foreign workers. 我們在條約中增添了一些條款以保護外籍勞工。 為...做好準備（尤指經濟上的保障） He hasn't made any provision for his retirement yet. 他在經濟上還沒做好退休的準備。

panicky

擔心的，恐慌的 a panicky feeling/expression/action恐慌感／恐慌的表情／恐慌的動作 Is he the panicky type?他是那種遇事就慌的人嗎？

avenue

方法；途徑；管道/（兩邊有樹或高樓的）大街；（鄉間寬闊的）林蔭大道 Fremont Avenue弗里蒙特大街 We should explore/pursue every avenue in the search for an answer to this problem. 我們應該嘗試一切途徑尋求該問題的答案。

respite

暫停；暫時中止；暫時緩解 We worked for hours without respite. 我們一刻不停地工作了好幾個小時。 Their teacher was away, so they had a day's respite before their essays were due. 他們的老師外出，所以他們交論文的期限往後拖了一天。

skyrocket

暴漲，飛漲 Housing prices have skyrocketed in recent months. 近幾個月房價飛漲。

unsuspected

未知的；未被想到的 an unsuspected talent/complication/problem/illness 未發現的才能／未知的複雜性／未知的問題／未知的疾病

pinnacle

極點；頂點，頂峰 尖頂，小尖塔；山頂 By the age of 32 she had reached the pinnacle of her career. 她在32歲時事業達到巔峰。 The pinnacles of the Himalayas were visible above the clouds. 喜馬拉雅山脈的諸峰顯現在雲端之上。

upbeat

樂觀的；快樂的；積極向上的 Live music and a parade set an upbeat mood for the official opening.

makeshift

權宜的；臨時代用的 Thousands of refugees are living in makeshift camps. 數千個難民居住在臨時帳篷裡。

narcotic

毒品（如海洛因或古柯鹼） He faces three years in jail for selling narcotics. 他因出售毒品而面臨三年的監禁。

puddle

水坑；（尤指）雨水坑 Children splashed through the puddles.

forensic

法醫的 Forensic examination revealed a large quantity of poison in the dead man's stomach.(法醫檢驗顯示死者胃中有大量毒藥) forensic evidence/medicine/science 法醫證據／學／科學

slick

熟練自如的，嫺熟的Manilow gave the slick, polished performance that we've come to expect.正如我們所期望的那樣，馬尼洛的表演揮灑自如、技藝精湛。 A slick pass from Eaves to Brinkworth set up the goal.布林克沃斯接伊夫斯的妙傳射門成功。 油滑的，華而不實的It's that sort of slick sales talk that I mistrust.那種油腔滑調的推銷宣傳正是我所不相信的。 an oil slick 浮油（同 oil slick） USa glossy magazine 高級亮光紙印刷的雜誌（同 glossy magazine） 使（頭髮）光滑，使亮滑He slicked his hair back with gel.他抹了髮膠將頭髮向後梳平整。

sulk

生悶氣；慍怒 He's sulking in his room because I wouldn't let him have any more chocolate. 因為我不讓他吃第二塊巧克力，他正在某個角落裡生悶氣呢。 生悶氣；慍怒 If she doesn't get what she wants she goes into a sulk just like a child. 如果她得不到自己想要的東西，她就會像個小孩一樣生悶氣。 He spent the whole day in a sulk. 他一整天都在生悶氣。

amenity

生活福利設施，便利設施；娛樂消遣設施(The council has some spare cash, which it proposes to spend on public amenities) The 200-year-old jail is overcrowded, understaffed, and lacking in basic amenities.(這座已有200年歷史的監獄擁擠不堪、警力不足，而且缺乏基本的生活設施。)

vent

發泄，表達（負面的情緒） Please don't shout - there's no need to vent your frustration/anger/rage/spleen on me. 請不要大吵大鬧——沒有必要把氣撒在我身上。 I didn't mean to upset anyone, I just needed to vent. 我沒想要針對任何人，我只是想發洩一下。

clunky

突兀的，拙劣的 The writing is clunky in places and full of clichés. 這篇文章多處顯得突兀，充滿了陳詞濫調。

stomach

能夠容忍，承受得住（令人不快的想法或景象） He can't stomach the idea that Peter might be the next chairman. 他一想到彼得可能會出任下屆主席就很不舒服。 She found the violence in the film hard to stomach. 她覺得這部電影中的暴力場面令人難以忍受。

grumpy

脾氣壞的，易生氣的；愛抱怨的 I hadn't had enough sleep and was feeling kind of grumpy. 我睡眠不足，所以感到有點煩躁。 a grumpy old man 脾氣不好的老人

alleged

被說成的，（尤指在證據不足的情況下）被指控的 It took 15 years for the alleged criminals (= people thought to be criminals) to prove their innocence.那些被指控犯罪的人用了15年時間才證明自己是無辜的

streamer

裝飾彩紙條，飾帶 We decorated the office with streamers for Paul's leaving party.為了替保羅辦個告別會，我們用彩帶裝飾了一下辦公室。

cap

覆蓋...的頂部 The mountain was capped with snow. 山頂覆蓋著白雪。 have your teeth capped (= protected with an artificial covering) 替你裝上牙套 對（收費或花費）定限額，限制 High spending councils have all been (rate/charge) capped.對開銷高的委員會（在經費上）都制訂了限度。 Our mortgage is capped at 8.75 percent for five years.我們的按揭貸款五年期的利率上限為8.75%。 （對收費或花費制定的）限額，限制 Central government has imposed a cap on local tax increases.中央政府對地方稅務增長實行了限制。 （通常起保護作用的）蓋，罩，套，帽The camera has a lens cap to protect the lens surface.相機有鏡頭蓋保護鏡頭表面。 （有帽舌的）便帽，制服帽 （防水的）帽a shower/swimming cap浴／泳帽

amnesia

記憶喪失，健忘（症） After the accident he suffered periods of amnesia.那起事故後，他罹患失憶症，發作了幾次。)

pledge

誓言；諾言；保證 [ + to infinitive ] All the candidates have given/made pledges not to raise taxes if they are elected. 所有的候選人都保證當選後不增稅。 Thousands of people made pledges (= promised to give money) to the charity campaign. 數千人承諾捐款給救助兒童慈善運動。 We are asking people to pledge their support for our campaign. 我們正請求人們承諾支持我們的運動。 If you join the armed forces, you have to pledge allegiance to your country. 如果從軍，你必須宣誓效忠你的祖國。

seniority

資歷 In future, promotion will be based on merit not seniority. 以後晉升要看業績而非資歷深淺。

shamble

蹣跚而行，拖著腳步走 Sick patients shambled along the hospital corridors. 重病患者沿著醫院的走廊蹣跚而行。 He was a strange, shambling figure. 他是一個步履蹣跚的怪人。

pivot

轉動；扭曲 She pivots her left foot. 她扭了左腳。 He pivoted on his heels and headed out. 他腳跟一轉，向外走去。 Future deals will pivot on (= depend on) easing commercial conflicts. 未來的協議將取決於疏緩商業衝突。

meet

運動會；體育比賽 a track/swim meet 田徑運動會／游泳比賽 the first meet of the season 本賽季的第一場比賽

plethora

過多，過剩 There's a plethora of books about the royal family. 有關皇室的書非常多。 The plethora of regulations is both contradictory and confusing. 過多的規章制度既相互矛盾又令人困惑。

overpriced

過於昂貴的；價格太高的 These shoes are very nice, but they're really overpriced. 這些鞋子很漂亮，但價格高得嚇人。

stomp

邁著沉重的步子走；（尤指）怒氣衝衝地走 She stomped up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door. 她跺著腳上了樓，重重地關上臥室的門。 He woke up in a bad mood and stomped off to the bathroom. 他一覺醒來心情不佳，踩著重步走向浴室。 ​ [ I or T ] us uk stamp to put a foot down on the ground hard and quickly, making a loud noise, often to show anger （常指爲表示生氣）跺（腳）；重踏，重踩 The little boy was stomping his foot and refusing to take his medicine. 那個小男孩跺著腳不肯吃藥。 She stood by the road, stomping her feet to stay warm. 她站在路邊，跺著腳讓自己暖和些。 I wish those people upstairs would stop stomping around. 我希望樓上那些人別再亂跺腳了。

deter

阻撓，阻止；威懾；使不敢 These measures are designed to deter an enemy attack. 這些措施旨在阻止敵人的進攻。 High prices are deterring many young people from buying houses. 高昂的價格讓很多年輕人對於買房屋望而卻步。

quarantine

隔離檢疫期 The horse had to spend several months in quarantine when it reached Britain. 那匹馬到達英國後要進行幾個月的隔離檢疫。

bilateral

雙邊的，雙方的 France and Germany have signed a bilateral agreement to help prevent drug smuggling. 法國和德國已經簽署了一項雙邊協定，以防止毒品走私。

finicky

難討好的，難取悅的 a finicky eater 挑食的人 He's terribly finicky about his food. 他吃東西十分挑剔。

barrel

飛馳 We were barrelling along the autobahn at 180 kph. 我們以每小時180公里的速度在高速公路上

ballot

（不記名）投票 Everyone casts his or her ballot (= votes) in secret. 每個人都以秘密形式無記名投票。 They decided to hold a ballot. 他們決定組織一次無記名投票。

ramp

（人造）斜坡，坡道 I pushed the wheelchair up the ramp and into the supermarket. 我沿坡道把輪椅推進了超市。

clog

（使）阻塞，（使）堵塞；塞上 The roads are clogged with holiday traffic. 節假日期間，馬路上堵滿了車輛。 Eating too much fat causes your arteries to clog (up). 攝入過多脂肪會導致動脈栓塞。

sugar-coated

（公告或承諾）外裹糖衣的，將不好的一面隱藏住的，巧加粉飾的 The sugarcoated measures included relaxed regulations on cross-strait cooperation in a wide array of industries,

infest

（動物、害蟲等）大批出沒於，騷擾 The barn was infested with rats. 穀倉裡到處都是老鼠。

rivet

（因感到有趣而）目不轉睛地看；（因害怕而）動彈不得，呆若木雞 It was an amazing film - I was absolutely riveted. 那部電影太精彩了——我完全被吸引住了。 His eyes were riveted on the television. 他雙眼緊盯著電視看。

check

（在機場）托運（行李） I got my boarding pass and checked my suitcase. 我已經驗票領取了登機卡，也托運了行李。 寄存，寄放 It was hot so we checked our coats before going round the gallery. 天氣太熱了，所以我們先寄存了大衣再去參觀畫廊。 （資料）符合，吻合 Her statement checks with most of the eye-witness reports. 她的陳述與大多數目擊證人的報告相吻合。 阻礙；制止；抑制 They have begun to vaccinate children in an attempt to check the spread of the disease. 為了控制疾病的蔓延，他們開始給孩子注射疫苗。

amnesty

（對政治犯的）赦免，大赦 Most political prisoners were freed under the terms of the amnesty.(大多數政治犯按照大赦的條款獲得了自由。)

allegiance

（對統治者、國家、群體或信仰的）忠誠，忠貞；擁戴，擁護 Soldiers have to swear allegiance to the Crown/the King. 士兵必須宣誓效忠國王。 In many American schools, the students pledge allegiance (to the flag) at the beginning of the school day. 在很多美國學校裡，學生每天上課前要（向國旗）進行宣誓。

jubilant

（尤指因成功而）歡欣的，喜氣洋洋的 The fans were jubilant at/about/over their team's victory. 球迷為他們的隊伍獲勝而歡欣雀躍。

alight

（尤指從火車或公共汽車上）下來，下去 The suspect alighted from the train at Euston and proceeded to Heathrow. 嫌疑犯在尤斯頓下了火車，接著又趕往希斯洛機場。 發現；偶然碰見；無意中發覺 As she glanced round the room her eyes alighted upon a small child. 她環視房間，目光無意中落在一個小孩身上。 I spent an hour in the bookshop before alighting on the perfect present. 我在書店裡逛了一個小時才發現這本書——當作禮物真是再合適不過

locale

（尤指書籍或電影中的）故事發生地，場景 The book's locale is a coastal town in the summer of 1958. 書中所講的故事發生在1958年夏天的一個海濱小鎮。

log

（尤指燒火用的）圓木，木材 When I lifted the log, there were lots of beetles skittering about/around under it. 伐（木），砍（樹） The forest has been so heavily logged that it is in danger of disappearing.這片森林被過度砍伐，面臨消失的危險。 正式記錄，記載 The Better Business Bureau has logged more than 90 complaints.商業改進局已經記錄下了90多宗投訴。 （旅程、某段時間或事件的）日記，日誌 the ship's log該船的航海日誌

confetti

（尤指結婚等慶典時拋撒的）五彩碎紙

allege

（未經證實地）指責，宣稱，指控 [ + (that) ] The two men allege (that) the police forced them to make false confessions.這兩名男子聲稱警方逼迫他們作假口供。 [ + to infinitive ] She is alleged to have been at the centre of an international drug ring.據稱她一直是某國際販毒集團的核心人物。 [ + that ] It was alleged that Johnson had struck Mr Rahim on the head.據稱約翰遜打了拉希姆先生的頭。

allegation

（未經證實的）指責，指控 Several of her patients have made allegations of professional misconduct about/against her. 她治療的幾位病人指責她失職。 [ + that ] Allegations that Mr Dwight was receiving money from known criminals have caused a scandal. 有指控稱德懷特先生收取已知犯罪分子錢財，這已成為一樁醜聞。

vignette

（清晰描述特點的）短文，片段，小插曲 She wrote several vignettes of small-town life. 她寫了幾篇關於小鎮生活的短文。

cull

（為減少或限制數量而對動物）選擇性宰殺，剔除（尤指病弱動物） The plan to cull large numbers of baby seals has angered environmental groups. 選擇性捕殺大量小海豹的計劃引起了環保組織的強烈憤慨。

über-

（用於名詞前）極度的，超級的，極好的，極成功的 über-model, Gisele 超級模特吉塞爾 über-billionaire 超級富翁

withholding tax

（由僱主代扣的）代扣所得稅

fiat

（當權者的）法令，命令；諭 No company can set industry standards by fiat. 任何公司都不能透過法令來制定行業標準。

transpire

（秘密或未知事實）暴露，公開，為人所知 [ + that ] It may yet transpire that ministers knew more than they are admitting at the moment. 但有一天人們或許會發現，部長當時知道的比他們現在承認的要多。 As it later transpired, she had known him at school. 後來得知她上學時就認識他。 to have water evaporate from the surface of leaves: A plant transpire more freely on a hot dry day. [+ object] Trees transpire water at a rapid rate. to happen: They wouldn't say what had transpired [=taken place] at the meeting. No one will soon forget the historic events that transpired on that day.

accost

（貿然）上前搭訕；（唐突地）走近談話 I'm usually accosted by beggars and drunks as I walk to the station. 去車站的路上，經常有乞丐和酒鬼上前跟我搭訕。

confiscate

（通常指作爲懲罰）沒收，把...充公 Miss Edwards confiscated my phone! 愛德華小姐沒收了我的電話！ His passport was confiscated by the police to prevent him from leaving the country. 警方沒收了他的護照，以防他出境

delinquent

（通常指年輕的）違法者；不良青少年 juvenile delinquents 青少年罪犯 遲付欠款的，未按時還款的，拖欠的 She has been delinquent in paying her taxes. 她一直沒有按時納稅。

slushy

（雪）半融的、多愁善感的；矯揉造作的 a slushy romantic novel 矯揉造作的言情小說

bundle

（電腦軟體等的）捆綁銷售；搭售 The system came bundled with a word processor, spreadsheet, and graphics program. 這個系統銷售時還外帶文字處理、電子製表和圖像製作軟體。