08年6.30第40期托福英语学习：托福词汇40

　　Lesson 40 Bob 鲍勃

　　Words:

　　colonel n. 陆军上校

　　colonial adj. 殖民的，殖民地的

　　colonize vt. 建立殖民地，拓殖；（生物群体）定居，居于

　　colony n. 殖民地；群体

　　colossal adj. 巨大的

　　combination n. 化合，组合

　　combine v. 联合，结合

　　combustible adj. 易燃的

　　combustion n. 燃烧

　　comet n. 彗星

　　comic adj. 滑稽的，好笑的；喜剧的

　　comical adj. 好笑的，滑稽的

　　commander n. 司令官，指挥官

　　commence v. 开始，着手

　　commend v. 称赞，颂扬

　　commemorate vt. 纪念

　　commensurate adj. 相应的，相称的

　　comment n. 注释，评论；vi. 谈及；注释，评论

　　commentary n. 注释，解说词；评论

　　commentator n. 评论员，讲解员

　　Long ago, it wasn’t unusual for colossal countries to establish colonies in distant lands. They were often successful at colonizing weaker kingdoms. However, some small nations were able to resist colonial rule. This brings to mind a rather comical case involving a man named Bob.

　　Bob was a colonel in a large country. Although he held the title of commander, he wasn’t a very good one. The men didn’t like him because of his comic ways and because he had obtained his position through influence rather than hard work. This was a bad combination for a leader. Nevertheless, Bob’s supervising officer commended him and recommended that Bob be sent to lead the colonization of a far-away country. Some believed that Bob was given this job because it was commensurate with his abilities. Others commented that the military just wanted to send Bob far away.

　　Bob commenced his assignment and reached the distant country by boat. It wasn’t long before Bob found himself facing the native resistance. By then, all of Bob’s men had combined to desert him. So Bob tried to hold off the natives with the only weapon he knew how to use-fire. He planned to scare the natives at night by creating a huge wall of fire in their village.

　　At midnight, he started pouring combustible liquids around the village. Unfortunately, he got some on the seat of his pants. Lighting a match to see, he achieved combustion. The natives said that Bob looked like a comet as he ran around the village trying to find water.

　　Back at home, radio commentators laughed and newspapers published humorous commentaries about the event. But the natives liked Bob. In fact, they commemorate Bob every year on the anniversary of his arrival.