Unit Two
The Virtues of Growing Older
Carol Siskin
virtue n. 1) [u] (fml) behavior or attitudes that show high moral standards 高尚的道德；正直的品性；德行
e.g. He led a life of virtue.
2) [c] a particular good quality or habit美德；优秀品质；良好习惯
e.g. Tolerance is one of her virtues.
3) [c, u] an attractive or useful quality 优点；长处；用处
[SYN] advantage
e.g. Our plan has the virtue of simplicity.
virtuous a. 1) 品行端正的；品德高尚的；有道德的
e.g. He live an entirely ～life. 他一生品行端正。
2) claiming to behave better or have better morals than others 自命不凡的；自命清高的
e.g. He felt ～because he had never owed anything to anybody.
virtuously adv.
worship v. -pp-
1) show respect for God or a god;
2) go to a church service 到教堂参加礼拜;
3) love and admire sb so much that you can’t see their faults
n. 1) [u] the practice of showing respect for God or a god
e.g. morning / evening worship;
2) [u] a strong feeling of love and respect for sb/sth
worshipper/worshiper n. a person who ～s God or a god
worshipful a. (fml) feeling or showing respect or admiration for sb/sth Translate:
他告诉我唯一能见到他的地方就是他常去做礼拜的教堂。
He told me the only place to meet him was the church where he usually worshiped. work out
1) exercise to improve physical fitness;
2) develop in a successful way 成功地发展
e.g. My first job didn’t ～.
work sth out:
1) calculate sth e.g. work out the answer;
2) find the answer to sth; solve sth
e.g. work out a problem / code;
3) plan or think of sth e.g. work out a new way of saving water
distinct a.
1) easily or clearly seen, heard, felt, etc.
e.g. a ～smell of gas;
his voice is low, but every word is ～;
2) ～from: different from e.g. a voice ～from his;
3) (only before noun) definite, important
e.g. a ～possibility 确有可能
distinction n.
Compare: distinct & distinctive
distinctive a. having a quality or characteristic that makes sth different and easily noticed 独特的；特别的；有特色的
e.g. a dress with a ～style
Practice:
1.These two leaves look similar, but they are quite ________ from each other.
2. The children were very interested in the man who wore a __________ uniform.
3. The new comer has become well-known overnight because of his __________ appearance.
4. Although I washed my T-shirt instantly, the juice still left a ________ spot on it. distinct
distinctive
distinctive
distinct
be obsessed with:
obsess v. [usu. pass] be ～ed by/with; be ～ing (about sth): be always talking or worrying about a particular thing, esp. when this annoys others
e.g. You’d better stop ～ing about diet.
obsession n. (with sth/sb)
1) [u] the state in which …
e.g. He’s in ～with his health;
2) [c] a person or thing that …
obsessive a.= obsessional a. thinking too much about a particular person or thing; showing this
e.g. be ～about details 过分注重细节;
be ～about cleanliness 有洁癖
n. 强迫症患者
feverishly adv.
fever n. 1) a high temperature; (in compounds) yellow fever
2) [u] (esp. in compounds) great interest or excitement about sth e.g. election ～选举热fevered a. [only before noun]
1) showing great excitement or worry e.g. a ～contestant
2) suffering from a fever
feverish a. 1) [usu. before noun] showing strong feelings of excitement or worry, often with a lot of activity or quick movements 激动的，焦虑不安的
e.g. a state of ～excitement 异常激动的状态;
～with desire/longing 急迫的愿望/十分渴望
2) suffering from /caused by a fever e.g. a ～cold
megadose n.
mega a. [usu. before noun] (slang) very large or impressive
e.g. This song was a ～hit last year.
mega- (in nouns) 1) very large or great e.g. a megastore;
2) one million e.g. a megawatt;
3) 兆e.g. megabyte 兆字节
adolescent a./n. a young person developing from a child into an adult
adolescence n.: [u] the time when a person develops from a child into an adult
muscular a. (infml) muscly
muscularity n. 肌肉发动，强壮，有力
muscle n. [c]
diet v./n.
dieter n.
dietetic a. e.g. ～advice饮食建议
dietetics n. the scientific study of diet and healthy eating 饮食学
dietician/dietitian n. 饮食学者
satisfied with
dissatisfied: (with sb/sth) not happy or satisfied with sth 不高兴的，不满意的
e.g. a ～customer; I’m ～with your service.
unsatisfied: 1) (of a need, demand, etc.) not dealt with in a satisfactory way 未满足的；处理不当的
e.g. an ～complaint;
2) (of a person) not having got what you hoped; not having had enough of sth 不如意的；失望的；未得到满足的
e.g. The ～baby is crying.
satisfaction n. [opp.] dissatisfaction
satisfactory a. (result, situation) that makes one satisfied because it is what one was hoping for
[opp.] unsatisfactory, dissatisfactory(rare)
satisfying a. (job, activity, experience, etc.) that makes one satisfied because one enjoys doing it and results are often very good
[opp.] unsatisfying
1. They no longer go to the canteen because they have never had any __________ meal there.
2. We didn’t find a _________ solution to the problem.
3. Her boss was very ________________ with her typing speed.
satisfying
satisfactory
satisfied/dissatisfied
plead v. (with sb) (for sth)
e.g. The woman plead(ed) with her husband not to leave.
The little boy pled for money for his school project.
pleading a. e.g. ～eyes
n. e.g. Didn’t you hear the little child’s ～.
fall apart:
1) be in very bad condition so that parts are breaking off 破碎；破裂e.g. My car is falling apart.
2) have so many problems that it is impossible to exist or function 破裂；崩溃e.g. Their marriage finally fell apart.
loose-fitting [opp.] tight-fitting
blazer
tailored a. [SYN] tailor-made
tailor n./v. ～sth to/for sb/sth
tailoring n. [u] 1) the style or the way in which a suit, jacket, etc. is made 裁剪式样；裁缝手艺e.g. Clever ～
can flatter your figure; 2) the job of making men’s clothes (男装)裁缝业；成衣活
freak n.
a. [only before noun] (event, weather) very unusual and unexpected
v./vi ～(sb) (out) make sb suddenly feel shocked, surprised, frightened, etc.
e.g. The snake really ～ed me out.
I really ～ed when I saw the snake.
freakish a. very strange, unusual or unexpected
freaky a. (infml) very strange or unusual
Translate:
在这个村子里，人们都认为她是个怪人，就因为她信教。
In this village, she was viewed as a freak, just because she was religious.
agony n.
e.g. cry/collapse in agony
It is (an) agony letting go of your child.
agonize/se v. (over/about sth) spend a long time thinking about a difficult situation or problem
e.g. ～about insomnia
agonized a. suffering or expressing severe pain or anxiety
e.g. ～sobbing
agonizing a. causing great pain, anxiety or difficulty
e.g. an ～choice
deny oneself (sth): refuse to let yourself have sth that you would like to have, esp. for moral or religious reasons
e.g. I deny myself chocolate.
self-denial n. [u] 克己e.g. a life of ～清苦/克己的生活
Translate:
他的母亲省吃俭用供他读书，直到他成为一个医学博士。
His mother denied herself and supported him all the way to his medical doctor’s degree. at the mercy of: not able to stop sb/sth having harm on you because they have the power or control over you 任…处置；对…无能为力；任由…摆布
e.g. I’m not going to put myself ～the company.
preferable a.: more attractive or suitable
prefer v. ～(doing) sth to (doing) sth
preference n. [u, sing] (for sb/sth)
preferment n. [u] (fml) the act of being given a more important job or a higher rank 晋升；提升
preferential a. [only before noun] giving advantage 优先
/惠/待的
1. The foreign investors didn’t think the environment was ___________ in our city.
2. The foreign investment has been attracted to our city because of the ___________ policies.
preferable
preferential
start out: 1) begin to do sth, esp. in business or work 开始从事，着手(某工作)；从业
e.g. start out in business 做起生意来;
2) have a particular intention when you begin sth 最初想要；起先打算
e.g. He started out to draw a horse, but it turned out to be a dog.
start off: 1) begin to move e.g. The bus started off.
2) begin happening or doing sth e.g. The quiz has started off.
3) begin by doing or being sth
e.g. The party started off with a song.
start over: begin again
start up: begin working, happening, etc. or make sth do this
e.g. to ～the engine
Practice:
1.The car ______________ at a low speed.
2. I ____________ to knit a sweater, but it soon developed into a muffler.
3. Our class ___________ with a presentation.
4. Their first experiment failed and had to __________.
5. In such cold weather, it is hard to ________ the motor.
started off/up
started out
started off
start over
start up
pursue v. 1) do sth or try to achieve sth over a period of time
e.g. to ～a goal/medical career
2) continue to discuss, find out about or be involved in sth
e.g. stop pursuing the matter
3) follow or chase, esp. in order to catch
e.g. be pursued by fans/the press
pursuer n. 追赶/寻/捕者
pursuit n. 1) [u] ～of sth: the act of looking for
e.g. the ～of happiness/knowledge, in ～of one’s dream;
2) [u] the act of following or chasing sb.
e.g. with the fans in (hot) ～;
3) [c, usu. pl] sth you give your time and energy to, you do as a hobby事业；消遣；爱好
e.g. outdoor ～s户外活动
(it’s) no/little/small wonder (that)… it is not surprising that
e.g. It’s little wonder that she was so mad at you.
resent v.: feel bitter or angry about sth esp. because you feel it is unfair
resentful a.: (of/at/about sth) e.g. a ～look充满怨恨的眼神
resentment n. [u, sing] feel/harbor ～toward/against sb
e.g. I couldn’t conceal my ～at the way I had been treated.
unsettling a.
unsettled a. (a situation) that may change, making people uncertain about what might happen
e.g. ～times动荡的时期; The weather is ～;
2) not calm or relaxed;
3) (an argument) continues without any agreement being reached [SYN] unresolved unsettle v. make sb feel upset or worried, esp. because a situation has changed
e.g. Changing schools might ～the kids.
accomplish v. [SYN] achieve
accomplishment n. 1) [c] an impressive thing that is done or achieved after a lot of work 成就/绩;
2) [c, u] a skill or special ability 才/技艺；专长；
3) [u] (fml) the successful completing of sth
e.g. the ～of our project
accomplished a. very good at a particular thing; having a lot of skills 才华高的；技艺高超的；熟练的
e.g. an ～artist
quirk n.
1) an aspect of sb’s personality or behavior that is a little strange 怪异的性格(或行为)；怪癖
2) a strange thing that happens, esp. accidentally 怪事；奇事；巧合
e.g. By some ～of fate, the two of them met at the theater.
quirky a. e.g. a ～sense of humor 怪异的幽默感
contradict v.
contr adiction n. (between …and …) (in ～to)
contradictory a. e.g. two apparently ～statements
Translate:
当地的百姓对新上任的市长失去了信心，因为他的言行总是自相矛盾。
The locals have lost their confidence in the new mayor, for his actions contradict his words.
hold out great promise for: 给与希望
hold out sth: offer a chance, hope or possibility of sth
premise n.
premised a. (on/upon): based on a particular idea or belief considered to be true
e.g. be ～on the assumption that …
premises: n. [pl]
e.g. business/commercial premises事务所；商业用房屋场地
contentment n. [opp.] discontentment
content a./n [opp.] discontent
contented a. [opp.] discontented
tolerate: be willing to accept sth unpleasant or difficult, even though one does not like or approve it
e.g. tolerate the noise/sudden changes in temperature/being treated unfairly/the children making loud noises
[SYN]
stand: accept or be forced to accept an unpleasant situation
endure: accept or forced to accept an unpleasant situation for a long time
bear: accept or forced to accept an unpleasant situation that makes one angry, sad, or upset
put up with: accept or forced to accept an annoying situation or unpleasant behavior as part of one’s daily life
stand: 1) [no passive] (not used in the progressive tenses) used esp. in negative sentences and questions to emphasize that you do not like
e.g. He can’t stand his brother/the sight of blood/seeing blood/his neighbors gossiping about him.
2) [VN] used esp. with can/could to say that sb/sth can survive sth or can tolerate sth without being hurt or damaged
e.g. Modern plastics can stand very high and very low temperatures.
endure: (written) experience and deal with sth that is painful or unpleasant, esp. without complaining [SYN] bear
e.g. endure great pain/being defeated/to be defeated
bear: (used with can/could in negative sentences or questions) be able to accept and deal with sth unpleasant [SYN] stand
e.g. can’t bear great pain/having/to have pets in the house/his neighbor gossiping
put up with: [SYN] tolerate
e.g. can’t put up with his neighbors/ his neighbors’ (having) noisy parties。
