Unit 8 Focus on Global Warming Words and Expressions综合教程二

Unit 8 Focus on Global Warming

Words and Expressions

1. peruse vt. to read through something, especially in order to find the part you are interested in

e.g. He opened a newspaper and began to peruse the personal ads.

Derivation:

perusal n.

e.g. a brief perusal

He sent a copy of the report to the governors for their perusal.

2. periodical n. a publication that appears at fixed intervals, esp. one of a serious kind

e.g. She has written for several legal periodicals.

Derivation:

period n.

periodic a. occurring or appearing at (esp. regular) intervals 定期的，周期的periodically ad.

3. come up with to think of an idea, plan, reply, etc.

e.g. No one has come up with a convincing explanation of why dinosaurs died out.

The scientists are beating their brains trying to come up with a solution to the problem.

4. attest vt. / vi. to demonstrate, to declare to be true

e.g. The luxurious furnishings attested to the family’s wealth.

The perfection of their design is attested by the fact that they have survived for thousands of years.

Collocation:

attest (to) sth.

Derivation:

attestation n.

5. consciousness n.

1) the condition of being awake and understanding what is happening

e.g. When will the patient regain his consciousness?

The blow caused him to lose consciousness.

2) all the ideas, thoughts, feelings, etc. of a person or people

e.g. Love for freedom runs deep in the national consciousness.

This experience helped to change her social consciousness.

Collocation:

consciousness of sth. / that … awareness of sth. / that …

e.g. Her consciousness that she’s different makes her feel uneasy.

regain / recover consciousness 恢复意识，恢复知觉

lose consciousness 失去意识，失去知觉

Antonym:

unconsciousness

Comparison:

subconscious a.潜意识的

conscience n.良心

conscientious a.（指人或行为）认真的，尽责的

6. deserve vt. to be worthy of

e.g.I’m glad she got the first prize at the English Speech Contest —she thoroughly deserved it.

I said some cruel things to him, but he deserved it for the way he treated me. Derivation:

deserving a.

e.g. The money is only given to the most deserving cases — to the people who need it most.

His efforts are certainly deserving of praise.

7. threat n. a strong possibility that something very bad will happen

e.g. With so many new offices being built in the city, a lot of archaeological remains are under threat.

Drunken drivers pose a serious threat to other road users.

Collocation:

be under threat of sth.

e.g. She left the country under threat of arrest if she returned.

Derivation:

threaten v.

threatening a.

8. with the exception of except, not including

e.g. I think every student, with the exception of Helen, will pass the exam.

With the exception of gold, the surfaces of metals are never observed but only their oxides.

Collocation:

without exception

have no exception

exception to sth.

make an exception

9. spew vt. to pour out, esp. quickly and violently

e.g. One engine of the plane caught fire and spewed black smoke.

He spewed forth what he had recently learned about the true facts.

Collocation:

spew sth. up: to vomit

10. harbinger n. something that indicates or foreshadows what is to come

e.g. The crowing of the rooster is a harbinger of dawn.

Frost is a harbinger of winter.

Collocation:

harbinger of sb. / sth.

11. curb vt. to stop something that is harmful

e.g. This government has made pioneering strides towards curbing air pollution.

The only way to curb the spread of the disease is by immunizing the entire population.

12. emission n. the act of sending forth; discharge

e.g.The Green Party have called for a substantial reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases by the UK.

Derivation:

emit v.

e.g. The alarm emits infra-red rays which are used to detect any intruder.

The machine emits a high-pitched sound when you press the button.

13. concentration n.

1) the relative amount of a particular substance contained within a solution or mixture or in a particular volume of space

e.g. The pesticide has reached a dangerous concentration in the lake water.

2) (power) of concentrating (on sth.)

e.g. I find that yoga improves my powers of concentration.

Collocation:

concentration on / of sth.

14. decompose v.

1) (cause to) decay

e.g. The meat began to decompose after some time in the sun.

2) to separate into components or basic elements

e.g. Microbes decompose organic waste into a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide. Derivation:

decomposition n.

Synonym:

decay, rot, break down

Antonym:

compose

15. breed

vi. (of animals) produce young

e.g. The blackbird, like most birds, breeds in the spring.

vt . 1) to keep animals for the purpose of producing young animals in a controlled way

e.g. His main income comes from breeding cattle.

2) to cause something to happen, usually something bad

e.g. Unemployment breeds social unrest.

Collocation:

born and bred: born, brought up and educated (in a specified place or manner)

e.g. He was born and bred a gentleman.

Derivation:

breed n.

breeder n.

breeding n.

16. release vt. let a substance spread into atmosphere, esp. as part of a chemical reaction

e.g. Oil was released into the sea.

An explosion is caused by the very rapid release of a large amount of energy. Collocation:

release something into something

Derivation:

release n.

17. abundant a. more than enough

e.g. There is abundant evidence of continuing racial prejudice in society.

Yunnan has abundant hydropower resources.

Derivation:

abundantly ad.

abundance n.

e.g. There was an abundance of wine at the wedding.

18. excess a. extra or additional (to the usual or permitted amount)

e.g. A company which makes high profits must pay excess profits duty to the government.

Collocation:

excess fare 补票费

excess baggage / luggage超重的行李

Comparison:

excessive a. greater than what is normal or necessary; extreme 过分的，过度的

e.g. Excessive exercise can sometimes cause health problems.

Derivation:

excess n.

exceed v.

e.g. The success of our campaign has exceeded our wildest expectations.

excessively ad.

19. recession n.

1) (of water, glacier, etc.) the process of moving back from an area that it was covering

e.g. The rainfall is likely to delay the recession of the floodwater.

2) temporary decline in economic activity or prosperity

e.g. The economy is in recession and will remain so for at least another year.

During severe recession, companies are often forced to make massive job cuts in order to survive.

在严重的经济萧条期，公司通常会被迫大规模裁员以维持运转。

Derivation:

recessionary a.

20. speculate vi. to make guesses

e.g. We don’t know why the prehistoric stone circles were built. We can only speculate.

That spokesperson declined to speculate on the cause of the air crash.

那位发言人拒绝猜测此次飞机坠毁的原因。

Derivation:

speculation n.

e.g. The papers are full of speculation about who is likely to be the next prime minister.

21. fend vi. to defend oneself from a blow, attack, or attacker

e.g. The minister managed to fend off some awkward questions from reporters.

He tried to fend off the attacker with a stick.

So long as the local people work hard and take effective steps, they will fend against poverty.

只要当地人民埋头苦干并采取有效措施，就一定能战胜贫困。

Collocation:

fend sth. / sb. off抵御或抵挡

fend for oneself 照顾自己；独立生活

e.g. You are 22 now. It is time you left home and learnt to fend for yoursel

f.

22. moderate a.

1) average in amount, intensity, quality, etc.; not extreme

e.g. a moderate performance 不好不坏的演出

Imposing sanctions is a moderate action when you consider that the alternative is military intervention.

2) of or having (usu. political) opinions that are not extreme

e.g. The party leader is an extreme left-winger, but her deputy is more moderate in her views.

3) keeping or kept within limits that are not excessive

e.g. He is a moderate drinker.

Derivation:

moderately ad.

moderation n.

e.g. Grape wine can be good for you if taken in moderation.

23. vulnerable a. to be weak and easily affected by illness

e.g. Elderly people, living alone, are especially vulnerable.

It was no place to raise a child with lungs so vulnerable to infection.

Collocation:

vulnerable to sth. / sb.

Derivation:

vulnerability n.

vulnerably ad.

Antonym:

invulnerable

24.perilous a.dangerous or risky

e.g. The first leg of the perilous journey was over.

But to neglect the town was equally perilous.

Derivation:

perilously ad.

peril n.

25. take action to do sth. to begin to act

e.g. We must take action to deal with the problem before it spreads to other areas.

26. consumption n. the amount of electricity, gas, etc. that sb. or sth. uses

e.g. As a nation, our consumption of junk food is horrifying.

We need to cut down on our fuel consumption by having fewer cars on the road. Derivation:

consume v.

consumer n.

27. mitigate vt.to make an unpleasant situation or its effect less serious and less difficult to bear

e.g. We need to do everything we can to mitigate the distress caused by the disaster.

Their extreme poverty is mitigated slightly by the fact that Rosa has a part-time job. Derivation:

mitigating a.

e.g. the mitigating effect of pain-killing drugs 镇痛药物的缓解作用

mitigation n.

28. adapt to change in order to deal with a new situation

e.g. The immigrants gradually adapted to the tough living conditions.

29. advocate vt. support

e.g. Most of the Chinese people advocate the policy of reform and opening-up.

He advocated the creation of a permanent United Nations.

Synonym:

support, back, promote

Antonym:

discourage

30. combat vt. / vi. fight (against)

e.g. The schools were fighting endlessly to combat truancy.

The president emphasized the importance of combating international terrorism. Derivation:

combatant n.

combative a.

Collocation:

combat against / with sb. / sth.: fight or struggle against sb. / sth.

31. alternative

a. other, different from the usual

e.g. The alternative country to study abroad is Britain which has rich education resources.

Electricity companies were criticized for failing to develop alternative energy sources. n. choice of two or more possibilities

e.g. As you move along Plan A of your career, maintain a Plan B as well — an alternative

course to rely.

Derivation:

alternatively ad.

Synonym:

replacement, substitute