08年6.21第31期托福英语学习：托福词汇31

　　 Lesson 31 The Carnival 狂欢节

　　 Words:

　　 carapace n. （蟹或龟等的）甲壳

　　 carat n. (宝石重量单位)克拉

　　 cardiac adj. 心脏的

　　 cardinal adj. 首要的，主要的；红衣风头鸟（一种美洲鸟，雄性有深红色羽毛）

　　 cargo n. 船货，货物

　　 caricature n. （滑稽模仿的）讽刺画

　　 carnage n. 大屠杀，残杀

　　 carnival n. 狂欢节

　　 carnivorous adj. 食肉的

　　 carve vt. 切开，雕刻

　　 cascade n. 小瀑布；一连串，连续大量涌出（或落下）的东西

　　 cast vt. 浇铸；投、抛

　　 castigate v. 谴责，训斥

　　 cast-iron adj. 铸铁的

　　 casual adj. 非正式的，随便的；漫不经心的

　　 casualty n. 伤亡人员，意外事故

　　 cataclysm n. 大灾难，大变动（常指大洪水或地震）

　　 catalyst n. 催化剂；促使事情发展的因素

　　 catalyze vt. 促使；激励；（化）催化

　　 I can’t wait until the next carnival comes to town. I love the casual atmosphere and the taste foods. There’s nothing like watching a cascade of popcorn flowing out of the machine. In fact, I eat so much of it that my friends call me “the cast-iron stomach!”

　　 I especially enjoy the wide variety of entertainment, including the animal shows. The lions are the most exciting because they’re carnivorous. Imagine the carnage if they ever escaped their cages. I would suffer a cardiac arrest. I’d probably be the first casualty since I’m so fat and slow. That’s why I also like the tortoise. He’s sluggish, just like me, although I don’t have a huge carapace on my back to slow me down. It looks like he’s carrying cargo in that big shell of his. However, the cardinal rule is not to bring too much money.

　　 You can buy lots of things at a carnival. You can shop for 24 carat gold jewelry. You can ask an artist to draw you a caricature of a famous person. You can watch someone carve your name into a piece of wood. You can even buy a type of superglue that comes in two parts. After you use the catalyst to catalyze the glue, it takes only five minutes to form a solid bond.

　　 There are a lot of unusual attractions too. Often there will be a fortuneteller who will seem pretty skilled at predicting cataclysms. Sometimes, they will have a wizard who pretends to cast spells.

　　 Occasionally, there will be a show that appeals solely to carnal desires. I always stay away from these shows. The last thing I need it to be castigated by my parents, again!