21世纪大学英语读写教程第四册10

New Words

eminence
n. superiority in rank, position, achievement, etc. 出众，卓越

revel
vi. make merry; celebrate noisily 作乐；狂欢

tedious
a. long and boring; uninteresting 冗长的；乏味的

pointless
a. without meaning or purpose 无意义的；无目的的

inspirational
a. of or giving inspiration 有灵感的；给予灵感的；鼓舞人心的

inspiration
n. 灵感；鼓舞人心的人（或事物）

banal
a. dull or unoriginal 陈腐的，老一套的

hereby
ad. by doing or saying this; as a result of this 据此；因此

permission
n. consent; authorization 同意；许可

permissable
a. 可允许的，许可的

foremost
ad. in the first place; before all else 首先；首要地

ancestor
n. any (esp. remote) person from whom one is descended 祖先，祖宗

spiritual
a. of or concerning the spirit as opposed to matter 精神上的

align
v. come, bring or arrange into a line （使）成一直线

literate
a. able to read and write; having studied or read a great deal 有读写能力的；有文化修养的

vigor
n. great physical or mental strength 精力，活力

vigorous
a. full of vigor; showing physical strength or activity 精力旺盛的；充满活力的

epic
n. a long poem about the deeds of gods and great men, or the early history of a nation 叙事长诗；史诗

unsurpassed
a. unexcelled, not capable of being improved on 未被超越的；超群的，卓绝的

moderation
n. avoidance of excesses or extremes; the ability or quality of keeping one's desires within reasonable limits 适度；节制

ecology
n. the branch of biology dealing with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings 生态学

flourish
vi. grow vigorously; prosper; be in one's prime 繁荣；兴旺；处于旺盛时期

spectacularly
ad. in a spectacular manner, stunningly 引人注目地；令人吃惊地

spectacular
a. grandly out of the ordinary; striking or amazing 壮观的；令人称奇的

horseman
n. a rider on horseback; a skilled rider 骑马的人；骑手

marauder
n. a person or animal that goes about searching for things to steal, people to attack, etc. （尤指流动作案的）强盗，抢劫者；攫食的动物

ruthless
a. having no pity or compassion 无情的；残忍的

brutal
a. having or showing no tender human feeling; cruel 残忍的；野蛮的；残酷的

subtlety
n. the quality or condition of being subtle; the ability or tendency to make fine distinctions 微妙；细微；细致；精细

crude
a. rough, unpolished; not skillfully done or finished 粗糙的；不精细的

grotesque
a. strange and unnatural so as to arouse fear or laughter 奇形怪状的；怪诞的；可笑的

overrun
vt. spread over; conquer (territory) by force 蔓延；侵占

desecrate
vt. violate (a sacred place or thing) with violence; treat as not sacred 玷辱（神明）；亵渎

usher
vt. bring, esp. by showing the way 引，领

roam
v. wander with no special plan or purpose 漫游；闲逛

abstractly
ad. in an abstract state or manner; without any particular aim or purpose 抽象地；无明确目的地

briefly
ad. in a concise manner; for a short time 简要地；短暂地

esteem
n. high regard; favorable opinion 尊重；好评
vt. have a high regard for; greatly respect; think favorably of 尊重；敬重；赞成

exalted
a. elevated in rank, position, etc.; noble, lofty （地位等）高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的

exalt
vt. raise in status or power, etc.; praise highly 提升；晋升；赞扬

humankind
n. human beings collectively 人类

precision
n. the quality of being precise; exactness 精确；准确

precise
a. exact in form, detail, measurements, time, etc. 精确的，准确的

indistinguishable
a. that cannot be distinguished as being different or separate 难以分辩的; 难以区别的

aspire
vi. desire strongly to achieve sth.; have ambition for sth. 渴望；追求；有雄心

aspiration
n. (a) strong desire to do sth. or have sth., esp. sth. great or important 强烈愿望，热望；志向，抱负

cliche
n. a familiar phrase or expression used so often that it has lost much of its expressive force 陈词滥调；老生常谈

vulnerable
a. weak; easily hurt or attacked 脆弱的；易受伤的；易受攻击的

restraint
n. controls or limitations; things that prevent one from doing sth. 克制；约束

continuity
n. the state of being continuous 连续性；连贯性

continual
a. going on without stopping; happening over and over again 持续不断的；频繁的

affectation
n. artificial behavior meant to impress others; a feeling or manner that is pretended 不自然的行为；矫揉造作

idiotes
n. (Gk) a person who is not in the public eye; an ignorant person 平庸的人；无知的人

idiot
n. a foolish or stupid person 白痴；傻瓜

popularity
n. the state or quality of being well liked, favored, or admired 普遍；流行；受欢迎

natural-born
a. 天生的

cutter
n. a worker whose job is cutting cloth, glass, stone, etc. （服装）剪裁师；玻璃切割工；凿石工

avenue
n. a road or way bordered with trees; a street, esp. a wide, principal one that runs at right angles to others called streets 林阴道；大街

persuasion
n. the act of persuading; the state of being persuaded; a group of people holding a particular belief 劝说；说服；持有某种信仰的宗派

closet
a. private; secret 私下的；秘密的
n. a small room or cupboard for clothes, etc.; a small, private room for reading, meditation, etc. 壁橱；储藏室；小房间（阅读、沉思用）

scrawl
vt. write, draw or mark hastily or carelessly 乱写；乱画；乱涂

obscenity
n. the state of being obscene; obscene word or act 淫秽，猥亵；猥亵淫秽的话（或行为）

obscene
a. indecent, disgusting (usu. about sex) 淫秽的，猥亵的

glimpse
n. & v. (have) a brief, quick look (at) 一瞥，一看

mightily
ad. with power or strength; greatly 有力地；强烈地；大大地

outnumber
vt. exceed in number 数目超过；比…多

Phrases and Expressions

sit through
remain seated until the end of; be present at 一直坐到…结束；出席

be/have done with
have finished with; be finished with 结束；完毕

first and foremost
most importantly; above all else 最重要的；首先

align oneself with sb.
join sb. as an ally; come into agreement with sb. 与某人结盟；与某人一致

put...to shame
cause shame to (sb./sth.); show (sb./sth.) to be inferior by comparison 使（某人/某事）蒙羞；使（某人/某事）相形见绌

sweep down
move steadily with great force or speed 席卷；突袭

usher in
introduce or mark the beginning of a new period, fashion, generation, etc. 引进（新时期、新一代等）；标志着（新时期、新时尚、新一代）的开始

known as
generally recognized as; called or labeled as 公认为；被称为

hold...in high esteem
have a very favorable opinion of; show great respect to 给…以好评；对…非常尊敬

aspire to
desire strongly to achieve (sth.); have ambition for (sth.) 渴望取得；对…抱有雄心

take interest in
be keen to know more about (sth.) or be involved in (it) 对…感兴趣

catch the fancy of sb./sb.'s fancy
please sb.; appeal to sb. 合某人的心意；吸引某人

have to do with
be connected with; be related to 与…有联系；与…有关

at home
at ease as if in one's own home; familiar 自在；无拘无束；熟悉

Proper Names

Neil Postman
尼尔·波斯特曼

Greece
希腊（欧洲巴尔干半岛南部国家）

Athens
雅典（希腊首都）

Democritus
德谟克利特（460—370 BC，古希腊唯物主义哲学家，原子论创始人之一）

Athenian
雅典人

Visigoth
西哥特人（公元5世纪后入侵罗马帝国并在法国和西班牙建立王国的条顿族人）

the Dark Ages
黑暗时代（公元5世纪至11世纪，欧洲中世纪的早期）

Plato
柏拉图（427—347 BC，古希腊哲学家）

Aristotle
亚里士多德（384—322 BC，古希腊哲学家和科学家，柏拉图的学生）