08年6.27第37期托福英语学习：托福词汇37

　　 Lesson 37 My Life as a Clergyman 我的牧师生活

　　 clam n. 蛤，蛤肉

　　 clamor n. 叫嚣，喧哗

　　 clamp vt. 夹住，夹紧

　　 clan n. 家族，宗族

　　 clandestine adj. 秘密的

　　 clap n. 霹雳声；vt. 鼓掌；轻拍

　　 clarification n. 澄清，阐明

　　 clarify vt. 澄清，阐明

　　 classification n. 分类，分级

　　 classify vt. 把。。。分类，分等级

　　 clay n. 黏土；泥土

　　 cleanse vt. 使清洁，使纯净

　　 cleft n. 裂缝

　　 clergy n. (总称)神职人员；教士，牧师

　　 clergyman n. 牧师，教士

　　 cliff n. 悬崖，峭壁

　　 climax n. 高峰，顶点

　　 clinch vt. 钉牢，揪住；确定，最终决定

　　 cling vi. 粘附，附着；坚守，墨守，忠实于

　　 clinging adj. 贴身的；坚持的；忠实的；依赖的

　　 I’m a clergyman. I have been a member of the clergy for about twenty-one years. I’m the only priest in my clan. I work in an old church at the edge of a cliff. The aged walls are made out of clay and wood. In certain areas of the church, we’ve had to clamp the wood together to prevent if from falling apart. The church looked a lot better twenty years ago when we clinched the deal to buy this property.

　　 I take confessions everyday. People like confessing to a priest because it cleanses their soul. Some people confess simple sins, such as stealing a clam or starting at the cleft of a woman’s bosom. Usually, I don’t need to ask them to clarify these types of confessions. Others confess very bad sins, like killing someone during a clandestine government operation. I never ask for clarification when someone makes this type of confession.

　　 I like giving the Sunday sermon. I make it a point to save the climax of my talk until the very end. I can tell that people like it this way because they clap loudly.

　　 Lately, I’ve been thinking of changing the way I conduct church. I want to do a better job of catering to the variety of needs in my congregation. It’s because people who come to my church can be classified into two groups. One group clings to tradition church values and comes to honor God. The other group has a clinging lifestyle of sinning all week and seeking redemption on Sundays. If I could prepare a separate sermon for each group according to their classification, I think I could better address their specific needs. However, it might cause a clamor. What do you think?