Lesson Thirteen Work 1. exceedingly irksome a. exceeding：extraordinary or exceptional exceedingly ：extremely 极其。　b. irksome irk： to annoy ， esp . in a provoking or tedious way 　令人讨厌。　如： It irks ane to do such tedious work. 做这样无聊的工作让我相一致感到厌烦　。 irksome； tending to irk 令人厌倦的，厌烦的。　－some .加在名词、动词或形容词上构成形容词。另如： lonesome 孤独的，冷落的； guarrelsome受吵架的； troublesome　麻烦的； wearisome使人疲劳的，令人厌烦的。

　　2. an excess of work… excess ： more than or above what is necessary 超过部分，过多。如： You should pay for the excess. 你应该支付超过部分。　Excess of sorrow laughs ， excess of joy weeps. 悲极而笑，喜极而泣。　an excess of anger / an excess of enthasiasm极其愤怒/热情。carry something to excess 把事情做得过火。　in excess of超过。如： He spent in excess of his income . 他过度奢侈，入不敷出。

　　3. provided （that）：conj . if and only if ； on condition that .如果，只要。如：

　　Provided（that） there is no opposition ， we shall proceed to carry out the plan.如果没有反对，我们就开始执行计划。 Provided you pay him he will take the work.如果你给他钱，他会干那活。

　　4. mere relief of tedium relief ： feeling of comfort at the ending of anxiety， fear or pain 放松。如：What a relief ！　心里多么放松啊！　relief of pain /anxiety 缓解痛楚/ 紧张。

　　5. at a loss： bewildered or uncertain　不知所措。如： For a moment I was at a loss.有一阵子我不知所措。He was at a loss for an explanation of the affair.他不知道该如何解释那件事。We are at a loss to understand his motive.我们对于他的动机一点也不能理解。

　　6. drudgery ：苦工　drudge：a person who does menial， dull or hard work. 勤苦地做单调乏味的苦工的人。

　　7.sensation （s ）：　widespread excitement or interest.轰动。

　　8. first and foremost ：首先，最主要的。如：Though he has written many books， he‘s first and foremost a poet.尽管他写过几本书，他首先是个诗人。　First and foremost， we must have freedom. 最重要的是同我们必须有自由。

　　9. impair ： to make worse； damage 损害。如：His reputation was impaired by his mistakes.他的声誉受到他的错误的损害。His excessive work impaired his health. 他过度的工作损害了他的健康。

　　10.procure：obtain sth. by careful attention or effort获得。如： He procured me employment.他为我谋得一份工作。

　　11.at large （放在名词后面）：as a whole整个的，一般的。如： Boys at large like sports.男孩一般喜爱运动。　the public at large 社会大众。

　　12.in the long run： in the end.从长远来说，最后。如： lu the long run， you have to pay the price for your follies.你最终要为你的愚蠢付出代价。　You will benefit in the long run.你最终会受益。

　　13.has acquired his maximum skill maximum ：（being ） the highest amount ， value，or degree that can be reached 最大限度。如： My maximum is 240. 我最高记录是240 分。 He smokes a maximum of 30 cigarettes a day. 他最多一天抽30根香烟。　My salary is not at its maximum yet.我的工资还未到最高水平。　It requires your maximum effort.这件事要求你做出最大努力。

　　maximize：最大化。　如： maximize one‘s potential / profits 最大限度发挥潜力/ 获得利益。

　　反义词： minimum最少。　如：It requires a minimum of five day‘s work. 这最少需要五天工作。

　　a minimum of temperature / wage / height最低气温/ 工资/ 身高。　minimize the consequences / the risks. / the formalities将后果/ 风险/ 手续减到最少。

　　14.at any rate：in any event； in any case不管怎样。如：I will leave him alone at any rate. 无论如何，我不会理他。

　　15.apt：likely， having a tendency常会，容易（有某种倾向）。如：A careless person is apt to make mistakes.粗心的人容易犯错误。Lesson Fourteen I would Like to Tell You Something 1.testify to： give or provide evidence about something 证明。I‘ll testify to his exceptional ability. How can you testify to the reliability of the wit ness ？ vt. His words testify his reluctance to help me. His tears testificd his grief. vi. state or declare under oath ， usually in court作证。　n. testimony： bear （be） testimony of 表明。　Winning the scholarship is testimony of intelligence. 2.be tantamount t adj. equivalent in effect or meaning （实质上）

　　等于，相当于。如：His answer is tantamount to a refusal. 3.rampant： growing or spreading steadily and without stopping ； widespread ； a rampant rumor（disease ）

　　4.take…lying down甘心接受（不愉快情况）。如： He took the defeat lying down. I cannot take that insult lying down. 5.not give a damn：一点不在乎。　I dow‘t give a damn what they say.　我一点也不在乎他们说什么。

　　6.what if …假使……又怎样？What will happen if … What if he fails to help us？ What if they should be in love ？

　　7.in terms of ： with regard to ， concerning 就……。来说，从……角度。如：In terms of salary ， the job is guite good. In terms of natural resources ， it is one of the richest countries in the world. 8.want n. ：lack， absence， or need； often in the phr. for/from want of 　由于缺乏。如：The plants died for/from want of water. 9.spuander： spend foolishly； use up waste fully. Lesson Fifteen The Beauty Inaustry 1. substantially： to a large degree大体上，基本上。如：Their opinions are substantially the same. His criticism is substantially correct. 2. prodigious： a. extraordinary in size ， amount ， etc. 巨大的，莫大的。prodigal a . 浪费的，挥霍的，放荡的。

　　3. cult of beauty 对美的崇拜　　the cult of surfing 冲浪狂　　the personality cult个人崇拜4. retrench ： to reduce or diminish， esp. so as to economize减少，节省。如：The company began to retrench its work force. 5. be preoccupied with：专注于，有心事，如：When he is preoccupied with his hobby， he is oblivious of what is going on around him. They were preoccupied with their thoughts. 6. intrinsically -inftrinsic： belonging to or being part of a thing by its value 本来具有的，固有的。如：intrinsic value 内在价值　　intrinsic energy内能。