高三英语选修9 Unit1 Breaking records词汇学习.docx

Unit 1 Breaking recordsPart Two: Teaching ResourcesSection 3: Words and expressions from Unit 1 Breaking recordsapproximateadj. (abbr. approx) almost correct or accurate, but not completely so: an approximate number / total / cost The cost given is only approximate. Use these figures as an approximate guide in your calculations.conventionaladj.1. (often disapproving) tending to follow what is done or considered acceptable by society in general; normal and ordinary, and perhaps not very interesting: conventional behaviour / morality She's very conventional in her views. 2. usually before noun following what is traditional or the way sth has been done for a long time: conventional methods / approaches It s not a hotel, in the conventional sense, but rather a whole village turned into a hotel. 3. usually before noun (especially of weapons) not nuclear: conventional forces / weapons A conventional war would still cause unacceptable devastation. a conventional power station (= using oil or coal as fuel, rather than nuclear power)laughternoun U the act or sound of laughing: to roar with laughter tears/gales / peals / shrieks of laughter to burst / dissolve into laughter a house full of laughter (= with a happy atmosphere) He gave a snort of derisive laughter.realitynoun (pl. -ies)1. U (he true situation and the problems (hai actually exist in life, in contrast to how you would like life to be: She refuses to face reality. You 're out of touch with reality. The reality is that there is not enough money to pay for this project. They seemed to have the perfect marriage but the reality was very different. 2. C a thing that is actually experienced or seen, in contrast to what people might imagine: the harsh realities of life This decision reflects the realities of the political situation. The paperless office is still far from being a reality. Will time travel ever become a reality?adjustmentnoun C, U1. a small change made to sth in order to correct or improve it: I've made a few adjustments to the design. Some adjustment of the lens may be necessaiy.2. a change in the way a person behaves or thinks: She went through a period of emotional adjustment after her marriage broke up.toughadj. (tougher, toughest)DIFFICULThaving or causing problems or difficulties: a tough childhood It was a tough decision to make. She's been having a tough time of it (= a lot of problems) lately. He faces the toughest test of his leadership so far. It can be tough tiying to juggle a career and a family.STRICT/FIRM (on / with sb/sth) demanding that particular rules be obeyed and showing a lack of sympathy for any problems or suffering that this may cause: Don't be too tough on himhe was only trying to help. Its about time teachers started to get tough with bullies. The school takes a tough line on (= punishes severely) cheating. Local traders are calling for tougher action against vandals.STRONGstrong enough to deal successfully with difficult conditions or situations: a tough breed of cattle Hes not tough enough for a career in sales. She s a tough cookie / customer (= sb who knows what they want and is not easily in fluenced by other people).2. (of a person) physically strong and likely to be violent: You think you 're so tough, don't you? He plays the tough guy in the movie.MEATdifficult to cut or chewNOT EASILY DAMAGEDnot easily cut, broken, torn, etc.: a tough pair of shoes The reptile fs skin is tough and scaly.UNFORTUNATE (on sb) (informal) unfortunate for sb in a way that seems unfair: It was tough on her being dropped from the team like that, (ironic) 7 can't get it finished in time.' 'Tough!'(= I don't feel sorry about it.) extremeadj.1. usually before noun very great in degree: We are working under extreme pressure at the nwnient. people living in extreme poverty I'm having extreme difficulty in not losing my temper with hen The heat in the desert was extreme.!, not ordinary or usual; serious or severe: Children will be removed from their parents only in extreme circumstances. Don't go doing anything extreme like leaving the country. It was the most extreme example of cruelty to animals I had ever seen. extreme weather conditions 3. (of people, political organizations, opinions, etc.) far from what most people consider to be normal, reasonable or acceptable: extreme left-wing / right-wing views an extreme nationalist organization Their ideas are too extreme for me. 4. only before noun1 as far as possible from the centre, the beginning or in the direction mentioned: Kerry is in the extreme west of Ireland. She sat on the extreme edge of her seat, politicians on the extreme left of the partynoun1. a feeling, situation, way of behaving, etc. that is as different as possible from another or is opposite to it: extremes of love and hate He used to be very shy, but now hes gone to the opposite extreme (= changed from one extreme kind of behaviour to another). 2. the greatest or highest degree of sth: extremes of cold, wind or rain the climatic extremes of the mountainsgo, etc, to exiremes I lake sth io exirenies o act or be forced to act in a way that is far from normal or reasonable: It s embarrassing the extremes he 'll go to in order to impress his boss. Taken to extremes, this kind of behaviour can be dangerous. In the jungle they were driven to extremes in order to sunive.in the extreme (formal) to a great degree: The journey would be dangerous in the extreme.unfitadj.1. (for sth)| (to eat, drink, live in. etc.)| (to do sth) not of an acceptable standard; not suitable: The housing was unfit for human habitation. The food on offer was unfit for human consumption. This water is unfit to drink. Most of the buildings are unfit to live in. They described him as unfit to govern, (technical) Many of the houses were condemned as unfit. (technical) The court claims she is an unfit mother. 2. for sth| to do sth not capable of doing sth, for example because of illness: Hes still unfit for work. The company s doctor found that she was unfit to carry out her nonmil work. 3. (especially BrE) (of a person) not in good physical condition; not fit, because you have not taken exercise: The captain is still unfit and will miss tonight s game.fascinateverb to attract or interest sb very much: vn China has always fascinated me. It was a question that had fascinated him since he was a boy. v The private lives of movie stars never fail to fascinate.meditationnoun1. UJ the practice of thinking deeply in silence, especially fbr religious reasons or in order (o make your mind calm: She found peace through yoga and meditation. He was deep in meditation and didn't see me come in. 2. C, usually pL (on sth) (formal) serious thoughts on a particular subject (hat sb writes down or speaks: his meditations on life and anurgeverb1. to advise or try hard to persuade sb to do sth: vn to inf She urged him to stay. Police are urging anyone who saw the accident to contact them immediately, v that J The report urged that all children be taught to swim. 2. vn sth (on / upon sb) to recommend sth strongly: The situation is dangerous and the UN is urging caution. 3. vn + adv. / prep. (formal) to make a person or an animal move more quickly and/or in a particular direction, especially by pushing or forcing them: He urged his horse forward.urge sb on to encourage sb to do sth or support them so (hat they do it better: She could hear him urging her on as she ran past.accomplishverbvn to succeed in doing or completing sth, achieve: The first part of the plan has been safely accomplished. / don't feel I've accomplished vety much today. That's it. Mission accomplished (= we have done what we aimed to do).motivateverb1. vn often passive to be the reason why sb does sth or behaves in a particular way: He is motivated entirely by self-interest.2. to make sb want to do sth, especially sth (hat involves hard work and effort: vn She's very good at motivating her students, vn to inf The plan is designed to motivate employees to work more efficiently.3, vnj (formal) to give reasons for sth that you have stated: Please motivate your answer to question 5.motivatedadj.: a racially motivated attack a highly motivated student (= one who is very interested and works hard) motivationnoun C, U: What is the motivation behind this sudden change? Most people said that pay was their main motivation far working. He's intelligent enough but he lacks motivation. AH research proposals must be accompanied by a full motivation.devotionnoun (to sb/sth)1. U, sing. great love, care and support for sb/sth: His devotion to his wife and family is touching.2. U, sing. the action of spending a lol of time or energy on sth: her devotion to duty Her devotion to the job left her with very little free time.3. devotions pL prayers and other religious practicessoulnounSPIRIT OF PERSON1. C the spiritual part of a person, believed to exist after death: He believed his immortal soul was in peril. The howling wind sounded like the wailing of lost souls (= the spirits of dead people who are not in heaven).INNER CHARACTERC a person's inner character, containing their true thoughts and feelings: There wqs a feeling of restlessness deep in her soul.SPIRITUAL / MORAL / ARTISTIC QUALITIESsing. the spiritual and moral qualities of humans in general: the dark side of the human soul2. U, C strong and good human feeling, especially that gives a work of art its quality or enables sb to recognize and enjoy (hat quality: It was a very polished performance, but it lacked soul.3. 1sing. the of sth a perfect example of a good quality: He is the soul of discretion.PERSONC (becoming old-fashioned) a person of a particular type: She s lost all her money, poor soul. You're a brave soul.4. C (especially in negative sentences) a person: There wasn't a soul in sight (= nobody was in sight). Don't tell a soul -do not tell anyone). (literary) a village of 3.00 souls (= with 3.00 people living there)MUSIC5. (also soul music) U a type of music that expresses strong emotions, made popular by African American musicians: a soul singergood for the soul (humorous) good for you, even if it seems unpleasant: 'Want a ride? * 'No thanks. Walking is good for the soul.fsacredadj.1. connected with God or a god: considered to be holy: a sacred image / shrine / temple sacred music Cows are sacred to Hindus.2. very important and treated with great respect sacrosanct: Human life must always be sacred. For journalists nothing is sacred (= they can write about anything). Some companies offer five-year plans hul there is nothing sacred about this length of time (= it can be changed).deednoun1. (formal, literary) a thing that sb docs that is usually very good or very bad act: a brave / charitable / evil / good deed a tale of heroic deeds 2. (often plural in British English) a legal document that you sign, especially one that proves that you own a house or a building: the deeds of the house your good deed for the day a helpful, kind thing that you do: / took Sarah s children to school so I've done my good deed for the day.conceptionnoun1. U the process of forming an idea or a plan: The plan was brilliant in its conception but failed because of lack of money.2. C, U(of sth)| (that.) an understanding or a belief of what sth is or what sth should be: Mac's conception of social justice He has no conception of how difficult life is if you 're unemployed.3. U, C the process of an egg being fertilized inside a woman,s body so that she becomes pregnant: the moment of conception A child is bom about 40 weeks after conception takes place.tactnoun U the ability to deal with difficult or embarrassing situations carefully and without doing or saying anything that will annoy or upset other people sensitivity: Settling the dispute required great tact and diplomacy. She is not exactly known for her tact.regretverb (-tt-)1. to feel sorry about sth you have done or about sth that you have not been able to do: vnj If you don't do it now, you 7/ only regret it. The decision could he one he lives to regret. Tve had a wonderful life, she said, I don't regret a thing.' She regretted the words the moment they were out of her mouth, v -ing He bitterly regretted ever having mentioned it. /v vh- 1 deeply regret what / said. 2. (formal) used to say in a polite or formal way that you are sorry or sad about a situation: vn The airline regrets any inconvenience, v that I regret that I am unable to accept your kind invitation, v to inf We regret to inform you that your application has not been successful, vn that It is to be regretted that so many young people leave school without qualifications.noun U, C a feeling of sadness or disapp<)in(men( that you have because of sth that has happened or sth (hat you have done or not done: it is with great regret that 1 accept your resignation. She expressed her regret at the decision, a pang / twinge of regret / have no regrets about leaving Newcastle (= I do not feel sorry about it). What is your greatest regret (= the thing that you are most sorry about doing or not doing)? He gave up teaching in , much to the regret of his students.repentancenoun U(for sth) the fact of showing that you are sorry fbr sth wrong that you have done contrition, remorse: He shows no sign of repentance. The book speaks of the need for repentance and atonement.wisdomnoun U1. the ability to make sensible decisions and give good advice because of the experience and knowledge that you have: a woman of great wisdom: words of wisdom 2.of sth / of doing sth how sensible sth is: I question the wisdom of giving a child so much money. 3. the knowledge that a society or culture has gained over a long period of time: the collective wisdom of the Native American peopleconventional / received wisdom the view or belief (hat most people hold: Conventional wisdom has it that riots only ever happen in cities.in his / her / its, etc, (infinile) wisdom used when you are saying that you do not understand why sb has done sth: The government in its wisdom has decided to support the han.virtuenoun1. UJ (formal) behaviour or attitudes that show high moral standards: He led a life of virtue. She was certainly no paragon of virtue!. Cl a particular good quality or habit: Patience is not one of her virtues. I'm afraid. As a politician, he always emphasized the virtues of compromise and conciliation.3. C, UJ an attractive or useful quality: The plan has the virtue of simplicity. He was extolling the virtues of the Internet. They could see no virtue in discussing it further:by / in virtue of sth (formal) by means of or because of sth: She got the job by virtue of her greater experience.make a virtue of necessity to manage to gain an advantage from sih that you have to do