21世纪大学英语读写教程第二册Unit4

Unit4 Turning Failure into success1.vote(sb.) to have (a particular title); elect2. 投票选举(或制定、决定、赞成、支持、通过)vi. (for, against, on) express one's choice officially at a meeting or in an electionn. 选举；投票；选票Examples:She was voted Best Director at the Shanghai Film Festival.A woman was shouting “Vote for Kennedy! Vote Kennedy!”We called a meeting in order to take a vote on the issue.2.Promotionn.1) advancement in rank or position2) attempt to make a product or an event popular or successful, esp. by advertisingExamples:The promotion of Anne to vice president was expected.The promotion of the new product cost thousands of dollars.3.Nervous breakdownan unnatural condition of deep worrying, anxiety, weeping or tirednessTo have a nervous breakdown is to become mentally ill, usually as a result of working too hard or of difficult emotional problems, and be temporarily unable to deal with ordinary things such as working or looking after your family.Examples:He was forced to give up his job after suffering a nervous breakdown.After her divorce, Laura had a nervous breakdown and was off work for three months.4.Panicn. a feeling or state of sudden uncontrollable and quickly spreading fearExamples:He got into a panic about examinations.The thought of flying alone filled me with panic.There is a strong likelihood of panic if a fire starts in the building.5.Rejectionn. the act of rejecting or being rejectedExamples:John was angered by his classmates' rejection of his proposal.I've had so many rejections that I've stopped offering to help her.6.Reactionn. response or change caused by the action of anotherExamples:My reaction to Bob's insult was to leave the room.Reactions to the proposal so far have been favorable.A chemical reaction is two or more substances reacting with and changing each other.Example:The explosion was caused by a chemical reaction.7.place emphasis onGive sth. special force or attention to show that it is particularly importantExamples:In Japanese society, a lot of emphasis is laid on academic success.This dictionary places a special emphasis on grammar.8.In the long run--after enough time; in the endExamples:It pays to buy goods of high quality in the long run.Computers can, in the long run, be made more secure than any bank.9.Beneficiala. producing favorable effects or useful resultsExamples:Sunshine and rain are beneficial to the crops in the field.This new drug is beneficial for sufferers from AIDS.10.Deal with1). a job dealing with people -- a job that involves handling human relations2). deal with sth. -- handle or attend to sth. (usu. sth. that needs attention or concern)Examples:Haven't you dealt with that letter yet?The Finance Officer deals with all the finances of the university.11.Be prone to1. (to) habitually likely to do sth. (usu. undesirable )Examples:He is prone to lose temper when others disagree with him.Angela is rather prone to exaggeration.2. To be prone to also means to be likely to become ill or to get a particular illness.Examples:You're more prone to illnesses when you're tired.My sister is prone to flu.12.Orientationn. a usu. general and lasting direction of thought, interest or view-- People generally tend to look at things as having only two values, or two sides: anything that is not good must be bad, that is not true be false-- this two-valued logic is called “the two-valued orientation” by Hayakawa.17. a world of = a lot ofThere's a world of difference between the old Chinese society and the new one.That experience gave him a world of good.18. complexa. 1. difficult to understand, explain, or deal with; not clear or simple2. (词或句子)复合的, 复杂的n. a system consisting of a large number of closely related parts 综合体；复合体；群落Examples:The student thought the algebraic formula was complex.a complex problem/ issue/ mattera complex sentence/ wordan office complex（综合办公楼）a shopping complex（综合商场）19.precludevt. (fml.) (from) make impossible; preventPreclude is often used of a situation or condition or some anticipatory measures that prevent the possibility of a thing's occurring or of a person's doing something.Examples:He makes everything so clear that all misunderstanding is precluded.The fact that your application was not successful this time does not preclude the possibility of you applying again next time.20. practicallyad.1. (infml.) very nearly; almost2 .in a practical wayExamples:There is a television in practically every American home.It's practically impossible to get home in less than an hour.Theoretically, it's a good idea to live without a car, but practically speaking, it would be difficult to manage without one.21. prestigen. general respect or admiration felt in men's mind for sb. or sth. by reason of having, or being connected with, rank, proved high qualityExamples:a man of high prestigeMany people are attracted by the prestige of working for a top company.22. marked her as “Olympic material”-- distinguished her as a potential Olympic athletemark as: be a distinguishing feature of ... asExamples:These qualities mark the film as exceptionally good.Hard work has marked Asian Americans as a model minority.material -- n. someone who is good enough for a particular job or position23. peak1. vi. reach the highest value, level, point, etc.2. n. (山)峰；顶峰；尖顶Examples:The mountain peaks at 15,000 feet.The tennis player peaked when she was 21.As the sound reached its peak, a window broke.24. downhilla.& ad.1. (becoming) worse or less successful2. (going) towards the bottom of a hillExamples:Investors were panicked（恐慌）by the downhill slide of the stock market.Everything went downhill for the team when the star athlete retired.The ball rolled downhill and landed in a puddle25. damagen. harm; lossvt. cause damage toExamples:The fire did a lot of damage to the factory.The accident caused the child a lot of emotional and physical damage.Someone damaged my book by spilling milk on it.The political scandal damaged a lot of reputations.26. distinguishvt. 1. ( ~ oneself) behave or perform noticeably well2. recognizeExamples:He distinguished himself in the debate.McEnroe first distinguished himself by winning a junior tournament at Wimbledon.To distinguish A from B or to distinguish between A and B is to notice or understand the difference between two things.Examples:She's color-blind and can't distinguish between red and green easily.I sometimes have difficulty distinguishing Spanish from Portuguese.27. at the cost ofExamples:He saved the children from the fire at the cost of his own life.The driver managed not to hit the child, but only at the cost of injuring himself.28. be obsessed withvt. (usu. pass.) completely fill the mind of (sb.) so that no attention is given to other mattersIf you are obsessed with something or something obsesses you, you have an unreasonably strong interest in it and can't stop thinking about it or doing it.Examples:Why are people so obsessed with money?Bill is obsessed with keeping his house clean.The idea of finding her real mother seemed to obsess her.29. branch out(into) add to the range of one‘s interests or activitiesExamples:First Jim collected stamps; then he branched out and collected coins, too.Many businesses are unwilling to branch out into new and unfamiliar areas.The bookstore has decided to branch out into selling records and tapes.30. shieldvt. (from) protect or hide from harm or danger 保护；庇护n. 盾，盾牌Examples:The heavy coat shielded me from the cold.The knight's sword struck the soldier's shield.31. devicen. 1. a method of achieving sth.2. an object that has been invented for a particular purposeExamples:That rather cool manner of hers is just a device to avoid having to talk to people.Dave bought a special device to peel potatoes.32. impulsen. 1 .a sudden desire to do sth. (一时的)冲动2.冲力；脉冲；神经冲动Examples:Susan had a sudden impulse to smoke a cigarette.An electrical impulse shocked Mary when she touched the electric fence.If you do something on impulse, you do it because you feel an impulse.Examples:I didn't need a mobile phone. I just bought it on impulse.Some people just can't help acting on impulse.32. enquirev. ask for informationInquire is American, while enquire is British. One enquires of somebody about some information. If you enquire after someone, you ask for information about them, especially about their health. If you enquire into something, you try to discover the facts about it.Examples:Shall I enquire about the price of tickets?“So what happens now?” She enquired of nobody in particular.Robert enquired after his father.When the authority enquired into his background, they found that he had a criminal record.He enquired the time from a passer-by.33. count on1. expect; depend onExamples:We are counting on you to wake us up in time.I really need a break, so I'm counting on getting away for a few days next week.2. If you can count on someone, you can always rely on them to help or support you.Examples:If you ever need any help, you know you can always count on me.You can always count on Michael in a crisis.34. affordVt .1.be able to buy2. be able to do, spend, give, bear, etc., without serious loss or damageExamples:I think we can afford a new washing machine.He can hardly afford another failure in any of his exams. (= It will cause him problems if he fails.)“Oh, no. I can't afford to lose my passport.”(= I will be in trouble if I lose it.)35. not nearly-- far from; much less thanExamples:There is not nearly enough (= There is much too little) for all these people!They don't have nearly so many foods to choose from as we do.36. prompt1. vt. cause or urge; encourage or help sb. to continue2. a. done without any delay; not late 迅速的；及时的Examples:Michael's criticism of Lisa prompted me to defend her.The sight of the ships prompted thoughts of his distant home.He wrote a prompt answer to my letter.37. turn downrefuse (a request or offer or the person that makes it); rejectExamples:She turned him down; she wouldn't marry him.Pauline has turned down offers from several law firms.38. take stock of-- consider a situation carefully so as to take a decisionTo take stock of something is to think carefully about the situation you are in, and about the way it has developed so far, in order to decide what to do next.Examples:It's time to take stock of your life and decide where you want to go.At the age of 25, I began to take stock of my career so far.39. therapy1. n. the treatment of mental or physical illnessExamples:Mike spent two years in therapy because of depression.Joining a club can be a therapy for loneliness.2. Physical therapy （理疗）is the treatment of disease, injury and deformity by using massage（按摩），heat, exercises and other physical remedies.Example:The injured athlete's doctor recommended physical therapy.40. terrorn. (sb. or sth. that causes) extreme fearExamples:The movie inspired terror in its viewers.The tyrant is regarded as a terror to the people.41. tumblevi. (down) fall suddenly or helplessly; collapseExamples:I tripped on my shoelace and tumbled on to the ground.At any moment the whole building could tumble down.42. be bound to1. (for, to) going to or intending to go to 准备到…去的2. very likely; certain 一定的；注定的If a person, ship, plane etc. is bound for a place, especially a place that is far away, they are going there.Examples:So where are you bound to morrow?The captain told me that the ship was bound for New York.If something is bound to happen, it is certain to happen.Examples:The kids are bound to be hungry when they get home --- they always are.The weather is bound to get better tomorrow.。