和谐英语

8天攻克英语六级8000词汇(八)

2009-10-29来源:和谐英语
  102. allure : entice; attract
  * allured by the song of the sirens, the helmsman steered the ship toward the reef.
  103. allusion: indirect reference
  * the allusions to mythological characters in Milton's poems bewilder the reader who has not studied Latin.
  105. aloof : apart; reserved
  * Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed.
  107. altercation : noisy quarrel
  * Throughout the altercation, not one sensible word was uttered.
  108. altruistic : unselfishly generous; concerned for others
  * In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships to hundreds of economically disadvantaged youths, Eugene Lang performed a truly altruistic deed.
  109. amalgamate : combine; unite in one body
  * The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body.
  110. amass : collect
  * The miser's aim is to amass and hoard as much gold as possible.
  111. Amazon : female warrior
  * Ever since the days of Greek mythology we refer to strong and aggressive women as amazons.
  112. ambidextrous : capable of using either hand with equal ease
  * A switch-hitter in baseball should be naturally ambidextrous.
  114. ambiguous : unclear or doubtful in meaning
  * His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take.
  117. ambrosia : food of the gods
  * ambrosia was supposed to give immortality to any human who ate it.
  119. ameliorate : improve
  * Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums.
  120. amenable : readily managed; willing to be led
  * He was amenable to any suggestions that came from those he looked up to; he resented advice from his inferiors.
  121. amend : correct; change, generally for the better
  * Hoping to amend his condition, he left Vietnam for the United States.
  123. amiable : agreeable; lovable
  * His amiable disposition pleased all who had dealings with him.
  124. amicable : friendly
  * The dispute was settled in an amicable manner with no harsh words.
  126. amity : friendship
  * Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote international amity.
  127. amnesia : loss of memory
  * Because she was suffering from amnesia, the police could not get the young girl to identify herself.
  128. amnesty : pardon
  * When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison.
  129. amoral : non-moral
  * The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he should not be classified as immoral.
  130. amorous : moved by sexual love; loving
  * Don Juan was known for his amorous adventures.
  131. amorphous : shapeless; vague; indeterminate
  * John was subject to panic attacks that left him prey to vague, amorphous fears: he knew he was terrified, but could neither define nor explain the cause of his terror.
  132. amphibian : able to live both on land and in water
  * Frogs are classified as amphibian.
  133. amphitheater : oval building with tiers of seats
  * The spectators in the amphitheater cheered the gladiators.
  134. ample : abundant
  * He had ample opportunity to dispose of his loot before his police caught up with him.
  135. amplify : enlarge
  * Her attempts to amplify her remarks were drowned out by the jeers of the audience.
  136. amputate : cut off part of body; prune
  * When the doctors had to amputate Ted Kennedy's leg to prevent the spread of cancer, he did not let the loss of his leg keep him from participating in sports.
  137. amok : in a state of rage
  * The police had to be called in to restrain him after he ran amok in the department store.
  139. anachronism : something or someone misplaced in time
  * Shakespeare's reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism; no clocks existed in Caesar's time.
  141. analogous : comparable
  * She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that we do the same.
  142. analogy : similarity; parallelism
  * Your analogy is not a good one because the two situations are not similar.
  144. anarchy : absence of governing body; state of disorder
  * The assassination of the leaders led to a period of anarchy.
  149. anecdote : short account of an amusing or interesting event
  * Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform, President Raegan told anecdotes about poor people who became wealthy despite their impoverished backgrounds.
  152. anguish : acute pain; extreme suffering
  * Visiting the site of explosion, Premier Gorbachev wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families.
  153. angular : sharp-cornered; stiff in manner
  * His features, though angular, were curiously attractive.
  156. animosity : active enmity
  * He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power.
  157. animus : hostile feeling or intent
  * The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting remarks.
  158. annals : records; history
  * In the annals of this period, we find no mention of democratic movements.
  162. annuity : yearly allowance
  * The annuity he set up with the insurance company supplements his social security benefits so that he can live very comfortably without working.
  163. annul : make void
  * The parents of the eloped couple tried to annul the marriage.
  170. antecede : precede
  * The invention of the radiotelegraph anteceded the development of television by a quarter of a century.
  172. antediluvian : antiquated; ancient
  * The antediluvian customs had apparently not changed for thousands of years
  173. anthropoid : manlike
  * The gorilla is the strongest of the anthropoid animals.
  176. anticlimax : letdown in thought or emotion
  * After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the play was an anticlimax.
  177. antipathy : aversion; dislike
  * His extreme antipathy to dispute caused him to avoid argumentative discussions with his friends.
  179. antiseptic : substance that prevents infection
  * It is advisable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter how slight or insignificant.