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英文字用法指南
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區國強
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the ink absorbed by the blotter
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not merely to read the chapter, but to
absorb its meaning
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once-lovely countryside absorbed by
urban sprawl
Absorb (最常用)
Assimilate
Digest
Imbibe
Incorporate
Ingest
too tired to ingest even one more idea
from the complicated philosophical
essay he was reading
You may completely absorb a stirring
play in one evening, but you will be
months digesting it
1
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the architect who assimilates his
building to its environment
It would take the city generations to
assimilate the newcomers into patterns
of a strange life
Antonyms (反義字):
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disgorge
disperse
dissipate
eject
emit
exude
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Incorporating your proposals into a new
system that will satisfy everyone
Do you imbibe alcoholic beverages?
抑制或禁止
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Abstain
Forbear
Refrain
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There were six voters in favour, two
against and two abstaining
He abstained from drinking
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Though impatient, the customer forbore
to upbraid the harried salesgirl
The teacher forbore to report Johnnie’s
misbehaviour to his parents
She refrained from scolding her child
until the company left
Antonyms:
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Begin
permit
反理性的、荒唐的
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Absurd
Farcical (荒唐得可笑)
Foolish
Irrational
Ludicrous
Preposterous
Ridiculous
Senseless
Silly
Unreasonable
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It is absurd to predict that the sun will
not rise tomorrow
It is preposterous that virtue should go
unrewarded while vice goes unpunished
It is ridiculous to judge a foreign culture
by its plumbing
To buy shares in an unlisted wild-cat
enterprise is a foolish investment
To best a dead horse is senseless
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The farcical introduction of a talking horse
gave the play its favour
The ludicrous antics of the harlequins
delighted the audience
The speaker made a series of ludicrous
mistakes which were rewarded with hoots
and catcalls
It is unreasonable to maintain a
geocentric theory of the universe
It is irrational to expect an adult
reaction from a child
To make unsupportable claims is silly
affectation
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Ant.
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Consistent
logical
rational
reasonable
sagacious
sensible
A sense of accomplishment often
accompanies hard effort
陪同前往
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Accompany
Attend
Chaperon
Conduct
Escort
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A boy is expected to escort his date to the door
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A feeling of depression attends many illnesses
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A ship making its maiden voyage is escorted
by other craft in or out of harbour
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Let’s hire a guide to conduct us through the old
section of the city
A United Nations aid convoy loaded with food and
medicine finally got through to the besieged town.
Three adult chaperons went with the class on their
trip to Europe
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Ant.
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軍事用語:
陸上: escort
水上: convoy
非軍事用語:
水、陸皆可用 escort 表示禮貌
現在女性escort多有色情含意
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Leave
罪犯或聯同他人犯罪
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Accomplice
Abettor
Accessory
Confederate
Conspirator
Plotter
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The role of the murderer’s accomplice
was that of weapon procurer
Although John planned the theft, it was
one of his confederates who actually
entered the house and stole the jewels
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Abettor:
一般劫、偷案: abettor指把風者
法律用語: abettor指教唆犯
He was charged with being an
accessory to murder.
Accessory: 指非主謀的從犯
Conspirator: 共謀者, 特別是判國罪
Plotter: 陰謀家, 較小的罪
Ant
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Opponent
累積、增加
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Accumulate
Amass
Collect
Gather
Hoard
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Accumulate:逐漸或穩定的增加
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To collect stamps as a hobby but with idea of
reselling them later at a profit
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Amass: 通常有價值的
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To gather a large bunch of wildflowers along
a country road
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collect有挑選的意思, gather則無
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A miser hoards his money
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In wartime, individuals may hoard scarce
items
Ant.
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Disperse
dissipate
scatter
spend
squander
waste
累積、加總
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Accumulation
Aggregation
Collection
Conglomeration
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An accumulation of many specimens is
needed when one is preparing a scientific
collection
An industrial empire is often an aggregation
of unrelated enterprises
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Conglomeration:
在現代商業用語，指由不同性質事業群所組
成的集團，例如 Foxconn
conglomeration、Samsung conglomeration
The population of New York City is a
conglomeration of many different kinds of
people from various countries and cultures
正確的、真實的
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Accurate
Correct
Exact
Nice
Precise
Right
True
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It took a week of investigation to get an even
reasonably accurate account of the accident
The exact wave length assigned to a
transmitting station must always be
maintained
The assembling of the parts of a watch must
be precise
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Ant.
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A true copy of a birth certificate
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The correct dress for a formal dinner
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The right course of action
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Nice: 古用法, 指過分的準確
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Erroneous
false
inaccurate
incorrect
inexact
wrong
控訴
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Accuse (最常用)
Arraign
Charge
Impeach (彈劾)
Incriminate
Indict (法律:起訴)
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The police charged the driver with reckless
driving
The candidate charged his opponent with
evasion of the basic issues.
He was incriminated by an eye-witness who
placed him at the scene of the crime.
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Ant.
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To indict a school of writing or painting
as being obscurantist
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To impeach a witness
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To impeach a person’s motives
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exonerate
pardon
承認
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Acknowledge
Admit
Concede
Confess
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The general acknowledged that the war had
not been going as well as expected, but he
affirmed that a change in strategy would
enhance the prospects of victory.
He admitted under questioning that he was in
the service of a foreign power, but denied
that he was guilty of espionage.
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Ant.
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He had no choice but to concede that he had been
guilty of bad judgment.
In the face of the disastrous military battle, they
conceded that victory was no longer attainable, and
agreed to a negotiated surrender.
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Contradict
forswear
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An act of God
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The action of acid on metal
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to confess that he was an accomplice in the robbery
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He confessed that he had never read Lady
Chatterley’s Lover.
行為
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Act
Action
Deed (有英勇或好的含意)
Exploit
Feat
operation
performance
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Formulating the General Theory of
Relativity was a prodigious mental feat.
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Playing several chess games simultaneously while
blindfolded is a remarkable and impressive feat.
The labours of Hercules were deeds of courage and
ingenuity.
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A good deed may range from endowing a university
to helping an old lady cross the street.
The police have launched a major
operation against drug suppliers.
He did not want a repeat performance
of the humiliating defeat he had
suffered.
活動
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Activity
bustle
Commotion
Stir
To-do
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The activity of the heart
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A busy week filled with social activities
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the bustle on the floor of the Stock
Exchange
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The commotion in a schoolroom during
the teacher’s absence
The stir aroused in the audience by the
speaker’s remarks
The to-do generated by the new
secretary coming to work in slacks and
flatties.
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inactivity
inertia
inertness
laziness
sloth
敏銳的思考
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Acumen (From Latin “sharp point” )
Acuity
Insight
Perception
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A psychiatrist’s insight into human behaviour
may uncover the underlying cause of a boy’s
delinquency.
A doctor’s perception may recognize a
patient’s complaints as symptoms of a
psychic disorder.
The intelligence test was used as a basis for
judging his mental acuity.
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Ant.
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bluntness
dullness
obtuseness
stupidity
調整、適應
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To adapt a novel for the stage
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To adjust a motor
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To adjust the differences between two
parties in a dispute
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Adapt
Accommodate
Adjust
Conform
Fit
Reconcile
The shrewd politician adapts his speech
to suit the interests of his audience
Astronauts in flight must adjust to
weightlessness.
The building must conform to the plans
and specifications
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When travelling in a foreign country, it is wise
to conform to the habits of the natives.
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To conform oneself to the habits of the
natives
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A prudent man fits his standard of living to
his budget
Ant.
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derange
disarrange
discompose
disjoin
dislocate
displace
dissent
misfit
resist
A European visitor to the Far East must
accommodate himself to habits of life
that may seem very strange to him
A man following a military career must
reconcile himself to long absences from
his family
可調整的
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Adaptable
Adjustable
Elastic
Flexible
yielding
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The ice ages exterminated many less
adaptable species
The familiar stereotype that makes out
all woman as helpless and yielding
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An adjustable car seats slides
backwards of forwards to accommodate
the driver
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clumsy
dilatory
fixed
inflexible
rigid
set
sluggish
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A man who was amazingly elastic and
imperturbable under pressure
An elastic budget that allows for unexpected
outlays for new equipment
elastic, sensible rules drawn up by the
students themselves
A society so flexible in the face of new
influences as to lack unity or purpose
增加
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Add
Affix
Annex
Append
Attach
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To add a new line of merchandise to
one’s goods
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To add a touch of levity to an otherwise
solemn speech
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To add a new wing to a building
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To attach as a stipulation to a contract
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To add five new salesmen to a staff
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To append a query to a manuscript
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To attach a rider to a bill
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To append a footnote
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To affix a seal to a document
The Governor-General affixed his
signature to the bill regulating assisted
immigration
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To annex an adjoining territory
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To annex a building to an elder one
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Ant.
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構成整體的附加物
abstract
deduct
lessen
reduce
subtract
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The new members will be a welcome
addition to the club
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A vitamin supplement is not necessary
for the average diet
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What a charming addition the sunroom
makes to your house
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Addition
Accessory
Adjunct
Appendage
Appendix
Appurtenance
Attachment
Supplement
The paper-covered book of quizzes was a
supplement to the class’s mathematics
textbook.
The Sunday supplement on the autumn
fashions
It was apparent to everyone that the
husband had become a mere appendage
to his wealthy wife.
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He was unusual in considering her beauty as an
appurtenance to her vigorous mind, and not vice
versa.
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Appendix: 附錄
Supplement: 補充
Memorization is only an adjunct to real education,
not its whole
If we had a flash-bulb attachment we could also
take pictures at night.
The tastefully chosen accessories that dramatize
the simplest dress or suit
Ant.
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abstraction
deletion
omission
subtraction
足夠的
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Adequate
Enough
Satisfactory
Sufficient
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An adequate supply of food for the hike
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An adequate performance, but nothing to
rave about
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His knowledge of French was adequate for
the job, although he was not fluent in the
language.
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Enough: 只能形容數量，無冠詞
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Adequate:可形容品質，有冠詞
The child’s reading ability was satisfactory
for his age level.
The response to our call for financial
contributions was wholly satisfactory,
exceeding our goal by several thousand
dollars.
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Our military response to the aggressive
act was limited but sufficient to show
our determination.
** “an adequate fuel” but not “ an
enough fuel”**
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Ant.
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deficient
inadequate
insufficient
unqualified
unsuitable
建議
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Advice
Counsel
Recommendation
畏懼、害怕
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To give advice to one’s son on the choice of a
career
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A woman seeking advice on hair styling
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A young resident who profited from the counsel of
an experienced surgeon.
To read a new book on the recommendation of a
friend
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Afraid
Aghast
Alarmed
Anxious
Apprehensive
Fearful
Frightened
Scared
Terror-stricken
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She’s afraid of dogs, even of puppies.
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We are afraid to walk in the park at
night since the woman was killed there.
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I’m afraid I’m a bit late for my
appointment.
She was anxious about her daughter being
out so late at night.
The playwright was fearful that his first
opening would be a failure.
An investor who was apprehensive about his
holdings during the recession
We are frankly fearful of another depression
unless the economy improves radically in the
next few months.
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If our present policy is continued, I am
afraid that war is inevitable.
When the lights went out I got scared.
She’s always frightened when she’s
alone in the house.
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He stood aghast at the sight of so much
blood
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She was alarmed at the prospect of
travelling alone.
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Terror-stricken 膽戰心驚的；驚恐的
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Ant.
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侵犯、攻擊
audacious
brave
calm
confident
unafraid
A personal assault on the character of the
chairman
A vigorous attack on the fiscal policy of the
present government
We will continue to resist aggression
because tyranny must be resisted.
The attack came just before dawn.
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Aggression
Assault
Attack
Offensive
The final assaults were designed to clear the
last remnants of enemy resistance.
He’s just taking our his aggressions on me.
A major new offensive was launched in the
western front
A peace offensive in the form of a threepoint offer to negotiate an end of the war
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Ant.
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酒鬼
defence
repulsion
retreat
surrender
withdrawal
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Anyone can see he’s a common drunkard
the way he straggers home night after
night.
He used to be a drunkard, but now he
refuses drink at parties by saying, “Sorry,
but I’m an alcoholic.”
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Alcoholic
Boozer
Dipsomaniac
Drunk (含貶意)
Drunkard
Inebriate
Soak
Sot
Tippler
Wino
He was the most unbelievable boozer I ever
saw; he could down six straight whiskies
and never bat an eye.
No one would have guessed that the
headmistress was a tippler except the man
who carried away the empty bottles.
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Ant.
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abstainer
non-drinker
teetotaler
忠誠
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In the Declaration of Independence, the
American colonists renounced their
allegiance to the British Crown
A lasting allegiance to his political party
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Allegiance
Fealty
Fidelity
Loyalty
His judgment was frequently faulty, but
his loyalty to the nation could not be
questioned.
Company loyalty made him turn down
many attractive job offers.
His fidelity to the principles of justice never
wavered.
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Ant.
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disaffection
disloyalty
rebellion
sedition
treachery
treason
Dante’s Divine Comedy is an allegory based
on the struggle between the city-states of
what is now Italy.
The fable of the tortoise and the hare drives
home the moral that steady, persistent
application is more rewarding in the end than
arrogant, unstable brilliance.
寓言
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Allegory
Fable
parable
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Aesop‘s Fables: 伊索寓言
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Fable: 亦可指神話, 無稽之談
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Parable: 多指聖經中的寓言
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The parables of the New Testament make
abstract moral principles concrete and vivid.
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