1022a84e804-51e0-46d7-8e5d-156fb333aeec

1. off and on (or on and off):

from time to time; now and again; irregularly

It has been raining on and off for a week. That’s why the clothes feel damp. While in college, I managed to support myself by working off and on as a tutor. 2. Possibility: likelihood

There is a possibility that: It’s possible/ likely that Is there a possibility of his coming on time? 3. take hold:

become established

The idea of one child has taken hold in many Chinese families.

Old habits die hard. That’s why you should stop smoking before the habit takes hold.

4. bore: vt.

make (sb.) feel tired and lose interest

The speaker went on and on, and the audience grew bored by his speech be bored to death

5. associated with: related to, in relation to We often associate Egypt with pyramids.

He is a party animal and interested in everything associated with parties. Jim wished to forget everything associated with his former life. associate A with B

associate pigeon with peace associate rain with grief associate professor deputy chairman assistant manager 6. turn out:

hand out; prove to be; produce; make She turns out all the assignments to us.

Hollywood turns out thousand of films every year. The plan turned out a failure 7. anticipate: vt. expect

The police anticipated trouble from the soccer fans.

They anticipate that deaths from AIDS will have doubled by 2012.

We anticipate running into problems in carrying out the medical welfare reform 8. agony : severe pain

Last night we heard him crying off and on in agony. 9. assign: give as a share or duty assign sb. sth

Jane was lucky enough to be assigned to serve in the Olympic committee as a volunteer.

10. Reputation :opinion held by others

have a reputation for: be well-known for

• Premier Zhou had a high reputation among people in the world as a statesman • Wal-mart enjoys an excellent reputation for its after-sale service 11. tedious: adj.

boring and lasting for a long time

The movie was so tedious that many viewers left before it was over Laura found George to be tedious and decided not to see him anymore 12. inspire: vt.

fill (sb.) with confidence, eagerness, etc.

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speeches inspired people to fight for equal treatment of African Americans.

The last leaf on the tree that never fell off inspired the dying patient with the will to live on.

inspire sth. in sb. (= inspire sb. with sth.) 13. rigid: adj.

(often disapproving) fixed in behavior; based on correct or accepted rules

If he had been a little less rigid about things, his daughter would not have left home at such a young age. 14. severe: adj 1) completely plain

The widow wore a severe black dress to her husband’s funeral. Hemingway is known for his severe writing style 2) stern; strict

Only those who have undergone severe training can be accepted into the air force. 3) extreme, fierce

The severe chest pain experienced by the Vice-President proved to be a heart attack. 15. tackle: vt. deal with, handle

The president is having a hard time for his inability to tackle the severe social problem.

Upon the arrival of New year’s Day, student were busy tackling the final exam. tackle sb. on / about his frequent absence 16. face up to:

be brave enough to accept or deal with (a problem or difficulty) face up to the fact that face the danger/ difficulty face the music

Now that your daughter was born, you’ll have to face up to the responsibilities of being a father.

17. sequence: n. connected line of events, ideas, etc.

A sequence of bad harvests forced some African countries to ask for foreign aid. The Fall of the Roman Empire was written in historical sequence. Lately, a strange sequence of events happened in our neighborhood. in rapid sequence in regular sequence

the sequence of events 18. argument: n.

1) a disagreement; a quarrel

Mary found that compromise was always the best policy when she had an argument with her husband.

2) a reason given to support or disprove sth There are many arguments against smoking

The famous professor can always drive home an argument. settle an argument

a bitter / violent / heated argument put forward / offer an argument 19. put down: write down

The housekeeper puts down the daily expenses in a little notebook. Put down what you hear, please. 20. violate: vt. act against/ disobey

Speeding in downtown areas violates traffic regulations violate the law

violate sb.’s privacy 21. compose: vt.

write or create (music, poetry, etc.) compose a song/ an essay / a picture compose oneself

This is an essay composed by our respectable teacher. 22. command: 1). n. order

The commander gave the command that all prisoners of war should be well treated. The teacher commanded that all be seated until papers were collected 2). v. give an order (to)

The captain commanded his men to leave the ship immediately. 23. what’s more:

in addition; more importantly

How can you love this man? He watches TV all day long, and what’s more, he seems not to have brushed his teeth for months! 24. hold back:

1) prevent the expression of (feelings, tears, etc.)

Johnny cried bitterly in the classroom, not even attempting to hold back the tears. 2) make sb. or sth. stop moving forward

The men built banks of earth to hold back the rising flood water. 3) prevent the development of

You could become a good musician, but your lack of practice is holding you back. 4) keep (sth.) secret

Tell me about it — don’t hold anything back. hold back the anger/ the tears of joy/ the laughter

I could hardly hold back my tears after reading this heart-stirring story. 25. the eleventh hour:

the last moment before sth. important happens John turned in the report at the eleventh hour.

The president’s visit was called off at the eleventh hour. 26. career: n.

a job or profession for which one is trained and which one intends to follow for the whole of one’s life

My farmer parents have never expected me to make novel writing my career My grandfather was a career teacher; it’s the only job he’d ever done. carve (out) a career for oneself make a career

27. put / set the seal on:

make sth. definite or complete

A last-minute goal set / put the seal on Tottenham’s victory. The experience set the seal on their friendship. seal an envelope/ a letter seal sb.’s lips put a seal on a box

28. Congratulate sb. on sth.

congratulate oneself on not looking one’s age convey my congratulation to him

Unit 1 Text B

1. award: vt.

give or grant (by official decision) (award sb. sth.; award sth. to sb.) She was awarded the Nobel Prize for her work in medical research.

The management has / have awarded all factory employees a 5% pay increase. 2. maintain: vt. keep up; continue

The Department maintains many close contacts with the chemical industry.

It is best if divorced parents can maintain friendly relations for the sake of their children 3. look forward to:

think about (sth.) which will happen in the future (usu. with pleasure) (used in the pattern: look forward to sth. / doing sth.)

I’m really looking forward to our vacation.

My mother says she’s looking forward to meeting you. 4. participate in: become involved in

I’d like to thank everyone who has participated in tonight’s show.

The students expected their professors to participate in the graduation ceremony. 5. sth. doesn’t / can’t compare (with / to sth. else):

If sth. does not compare with / to sth. else, it is not as good, large etc. The rides at the fair just can’t compare with the rides at Disneyland This car just doesn’t compare to my old car, which is a real beauty. 6. plus:

adj. more than the amount or number indicated He works 10 hours a day plus. prep. added to

The jacket costs $49.95 plus tax. 7. here and there: in different places

There were a few books here and there, but apart from that the room was quite bare. The house just needs a bit of paint here and there. 8. resign: v.

officially tell your employer that you are going to leave your job

Mr. Smith resigned from the company in order to take a more challenging job. resign oneself to sth. / doing sth.:

make yourself accept sth. that is bad but cannot be changed John resigned himself to the long walk home.

At sixteen, I resigned myself to the fact that I’d never be a dancer. 9. make it:

succeed in arriving somewhere; be successful in a job or activity We made it to the station just as the bus was leaving.

A lot of athletes want to win gold medals at the Olympic Games, but very few of them actually make it.

10. regarding: prep.

concerning

The company is being questioned regarding its employment policy.

The police are anxious for any information regarding the woman’s death. 11. represent: vt.

be a sign or symbol of

Each class will elect two students to represent them on the School Council.

More than six hundred athletes represented China in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. 12. expectation: n.

a strong belief or hope that sth. will happen (followed by of / that-clause)

For some time Lesley lived with the expectation that she was going to win the lottery. Sean entered the competition without much expectation of success. 13. significance: n.

meaning; importance (followed by of / for / to)

The discovery of the new drug is of great significance for / to people suffering from heart problems.

Only later did we realize the true significance of his remark. 14. delicate: adj. fragile; soft

Delicate plants need to be kept in a greenhouse during the winter. The sun can easily damage a child’s delicate skin. 15. exception: n.

person or thing that is left out

Most of the students did well in the exam, though there were one or two exceptions. with the exception of sb. / sth.; without exception We all laughed, with the exception of Maggie.

Each plant, without exception, contains some kind of salt. 16. tremble: vi. shiver

Jane’s voice began to tremble and I thought she was going to cry. Her bottom lip trembled and tears welled up in her eyes. 17. yell: vi.

say, shout, or cry loudly

Kids were pushing past me down the corridor, all shouting and yelling to each other. 18. innocent: adj.

knowing nothing of evil or wrong; free from guilt or blame

She has such an innocent face that I find it hard to believe anything bad of her. 19. pat: n.

a light touch with the open hand

The coach gave him a pat on the shoulder. He gave the dog a pat on the head.

20. The pounding in my ears drowned out the rest of the words, only a word here and there filtered through. “ … Martha is Mexican … resign … won’t do it …” 我耳朵里嗡嗡作响，听不见他们后来讲的话，只东一点西一点渗入片言只语。“„玛莎是墨西哥人„辞职„不干„”

21. It was a very sad and withdrawn girl who dragged into the principal’s office the next day.

She was very sad, quiet, and didn’t want to talk to other people. Unwillingly she walked into the principal’s office the next day.

22. His face looked as happy and innocent as a baby’s, but I knew better. 他看上去像孩子般开心，像孩子般天真无邪，可是我心里比谁都明白。