在考研英语阅读中,熟词僻义经常被考察到。对熟词僻义不了解的考生,很容易在阅读中遇到障碍。下面是为大家整理的英语精选熟词僻义。
1.academic a.①学校的,学院的;②学术的;n.学者,大学教师
【真题链接】 If the preoccupation of schools with academic (a.①) work was lessened, more time might be spent teaching children surer values.[1995年Text4]
【译文】 如果学校对学业的强调减少一些,也许就有更多的时间教孩子更重要的价值观念。
【真题链接】 Mr. McWhorter’s academic (a.②) speciality is language history and change, and he sees the gradual disappearance of “whom”, for example, to be natural and no more regrettable than the loss of the case-endings of Old English.[2005年Text4]
【译文】 麦克沃特先生的学术专长在于语言史和语言变化,举例来说,他认为“whom”一词的逐渐消失是很自然的,并不比旧式英语中词格尾缀的消失更让人惋惜。
【真题链接】 Leonard Schlesinger, a Harvard academic (n.) and former chief executive of Au Bong Pain, a rapidly growing chain of bakery cafes, says that much “reengineering” has been crude.[1998年Text2]
【译文】 哈佛学者伦纳德·施莱辛格是一家迅速扩张的美味面包店的前总裁,他说,许多“企业重组”都不成熟。
2. accommodate v.①留宿,收容;②供应,供给;③使适应;使符合
【真题链接】 And they also need to give serious thought to how they can best accommodate (③) such changes.[2003年完形]
【译文】他们也需要认真思考如何才能使青少年最好地适应这些变化。
3. acknowledge v.①承认,认为;②致谢;③确认
【真题链接】 Dr. Worm acknowledges (①) that these figures are conservative, one reason for this is that fishing technology has improved.[2006年Text3]
【译文】 Worm博士承认这些数据还是保守的,一个原因就是捕渔技术已经改进了很多。
4. act v.①行动,做事;②(on)起作用;③表演;④(for)代表,代替;n.①行为,动作;②(一)幕;③法令,条例
【真题链接】 Governments throughout the world act (v.②) on the assumption that the welfare of their people depends largely on the economic strength and wealth of the community.[2000年翻译]
【译文】 世界各国的政府的行为都基于这样一种假设,即人民的福利在很大程度上取决于社会的经济实力和国家的财富。
【真题链接】 The paid manager acting (v.④) for the company was in more direct relation with the men and their demands, but even he had seldom that familiar personal knowledge of the workmen which the employer had often had under the more patriarchal system of the old family business now passing away.[1996年Text3]
【译文】 代表公司进行管理的领薪经理们与工人和工人的需求形成更加直接的关系,但甚至他们也很少像正在被淘汰的旧式家族企业的家长制中的雇主那样熟悉和了解工人的情况。
【真题链接】 Some , however , are less reasonable processes of different growth in which preconception of the form scientific theory ought to take, by persons in authority, act (n.①) to alter the growth pattern of different areas.[1996年翻译]
【译文】 然而,有些发展速度存在差异的原因就不尽合理,这是因为某些权威人士对科学理论研究应该采取的方式有偏见,从而改变了不同科学领域的发展模式。
【真题链接】 The commercial TV channels — ITV and Channel 4 — were required by the Thatcher Government’s Broadcasting Act (n.③) to become more commercial, competing with each other for advertisers, and cutting costs and jobs.[1996年Text2]
【译文】 按撒切尔政府广播法案的要求,商业电视频道——ITV和第四频道——正在进行商业化,彼此竞争广告业务,降低成本,裁减员工。
5. address n.地址,通讯处,致词;v.①致函,写姓名地址;②向……讲话;③处理
【真题链接】 Depending on whom you are addressing (v.②), the problems will be different.[2002年Text1]
【译文】 根据与你不同的谈话对象,要谈的问题也有所不同。
【真题链接】 Boston Globe reporter Chris Reidy notes that the situation will improve only when there are (17:comprehensive) programs that address (v.③) the many needs of the homeless.[2006年完形]
【译文】 《波士顿环球日报》记者克里斯•雷迪认为只有通过全面规划来解决这些无家可归者的各种需求,这种局面才有可能得到改善。
6. age n. ①年龄; ② 时代;v. 变老,老化
【真题链接】The change met the technical requirements of the new age(n.②) by engaging a large professional element and prevented the decline in efficiency that so commonly spoiled the fortunes of family firms in the second and third generation after the energetic founders.
【译文】这种变革通过聘用大量专业人员来适应新时代的技术要求,并防止了效率的降低,而在过去这种低效率使得许多旧式家族企业在精力充沛的创业者之后的第二、三代手中破产倒闭。
【真题链接】 As a mere 68-year-old, I wish to age(v.) as productively as they have.[2003年Text 4]
【译文】作为一名年仅68岁的人,我希望像他们一样在老龄阶段保持创造力。
7.aggressive a.①侵略的,好斗的;②大胆的,积极的
【真题链接】 Now it is a social policy, the most important and aggressive (②) promoter of gambling in America is the government.[2006年新题型]
【译文】 现在赌博是一种社会政策,赌博业最重要的和最激进的倡导者是美国政府。
8. anchor n.①锚;②新闻节目主持人;v.抛锚,停泊
【真题链接】 Fast-food eaters, news anchors (n.②), text messengers, all smiling, smiling.[2006年Text4]
【译文】 快餐食客、新闻主播、发短信的人,都在微笑、微笑。
【真题链接】 Hot spots, anchored (v.) in the deeper layers of the earth, provide the measuring instruments needed to resolve the question.[1998年Text5]
【译文】 位于地壳深处的热点提供了解决该问题的测量依据。
9.appreciate v.①感谢,感激;②正确评价,欣赏,赏识
【真题链接】The change in Japanese Life-style is revealed in the fact that the Japanese appreciate (②) their present life. [2000年Text4] [D]
【译文】日本人的生活方式发生了改变表明日本人欣赏现有的生活 。
10.apprehensive a.①有理解力的;②忧虑的,担心的
【真题链接】 52. What is many captive shippers’ attitude towards the consolidation in the rail industry?[2003年Text3] [D] Apprehensive (②).
【译文】 52、许多货主对铁路部门的合并持什么态度? [D] 担心,害怕
11. argue v.①争论,辩论;②认为,主张,论证;③说服
【真题链接】 The point is this: without agreement on the rights of people, arguing (①) about the rights of animals is fruitless.[1997年翻译]
【译文】 关键问题是:如果对人的权利没有共同认识,那么讨论动物的权利就是毫无结果的。
【真题链接】More significantly, they argue (②)that many of the Founding Fathers knew slavery was wrong [2008年Text4]
【译文】 更重要的是,他们认为很多开国元勋知道奴隶制是错误的。
12. attach v.①(to)缚上,系上,贴上;②使依附,使隶属,使依恋;③附加,附带;④把~放在
【真题链接】 A survey of news stories in 1996 reveals that the anti-science tag has been attached (①) to many other groups as well, from authorities who advocated the elimination of the last remaining stocks of smallpox virus to Republicans who advocated decreased funding for basic research.[1998年Text3]
【译文】 1996年对新闻报道的调查表明,反科学的标签也贴在了许多其他群体身上,这些人包括从提倡消灭所有现存的天花病毒的官方人士到倡议削减基础研究基金的共和党人。
【真题链接】 They (particularly Quebec and Alberta) just want Ottawa to fork over additional billions with few, if any, strings attached (③).[2005年新题型]
【译文】 这些官员(尤其是魁北克省和阿伯塔省的)只希望渥太华额外拨数十亿加元的经费,而且最好不要什么附带条件。
【真题链接】 The modern school that hails technology argues that such masters as Galileo, Newton, Maxwell, Einstein, and inventors such as Edison attached (④) great importance to, and derived great benefit from, craft information and technological devices of different kinds that were usable in scientific experiments.[1994年翻译]
【译文】 推崇技术的现代学派认为,像伽利略、牛顿、麦克斯韦、爱因斯坦这样的大师以及像爱迪生这样的发明家都非常重视科学实验中使用的不同技术信息和技术设施,并从中受益颇深。
13.contend v.①竞争,斗争;②坚决主张,声称,认为
【真题链接】 It is the playgoers, the RSC contends (②), who bring in much of the town’s revenue because they spend the night (some of them four or five nights) pouring cash into the hotels and restaurants.[2006年Text2]
【译文】 皇家莎士比亚公司(RSC)声称是看戏的人给小镇带来了大量的税收,因为他们个晚上(有些甚至是四、五个晚上)都在旅馆和饭店消费。
14. cook n.炊事员,厨师;v.①烹调,煮,烧;②伪造
【真题链接】 If we intend to have friends to dinner, we plan the menu, make a shopping list, decide which food to cook (v.①) first, and such planning is an essential for any type of meal to be served.
【译文】比方我们想请朋友吃晚餐,我们就会筹划菜谱、写购物单、决定先煮什么菜等,这样的筹划对于举行任何形式的宴请都是必不可少的。
【真题链接】 Like other human beings, he encounters moral issues even in everyday performance of his routine duties----he is not supposed to cook (v. ②) his experiments, manufacture evidence, or doctor his reports.[2006年翻译]
【译文】像其他人类一样,普通科学家甚至在每天日常的工作中都遭遇到了道义上的问题——他不应该伪造实验结果,编造证据,或篡改报告。
15. beam n.①(横)梁,桁条;②(光线的)束,柱;v.①微笑;②发光
真题链接】 Our magazines feature beaming (v.①) celebrities and happy families in perfect homes.[2006年Text4]
【译文】 我们的杂志突出刊登满面春风的名人和美满幸福的家庭。
16. bill n. ①账单;②纸币,钞票 ;③议案,法案
【真题链接】A bill(③) by Democratic Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, which would offer financial incentives for private industry, is a promising start .[2005年Text 2]
【译文】西弗吉尼亚的民主党议员Robert Byrd提出一项议案,从经济上激励私企,就是一个良好的开端。
17. cement n.①水泥;②胶泥,胶接剂;v.①胶合;②巩固,加强
【真题链接】 Egypt’s leadership in the Arab world was cemented (v.②) by the Aswan High Dam.[1998年Text1]
【译文】 埃及在阿拉伯世界的领导地位因阿斯旺大坝而得以巩固。
18. chair n.①椅子;②主席(职位);vt.主持,担任
【真题链接】 “It’s your dream,” says Rosalind Cartwright, chair (n.②) of psychology at Chicago’s Medical Center,“If you don’t like it, change it.”[2005年Text3]
【译文】 芝加哥医疗中心心理部主任Rosalind Cartwright说道:“这是你的梦,你不喜欢它,你可以改变它”。
【真题链接】 Declaring that he was opposed to using this unusual animal husbandry technique to clone humans, he ordered that federal funds not be used for such an experiment — although no one had proposed to do so — and asked an independent panel of experts chaired (vt.) by Princeton President Harold Shapiro to report back to the White House in 90 days with recommendations for a national policy on human cloning.[1999年Text4]
【译文】 他宣称反对利用这种非同寻常的畜牧学技术去克隆人,并下令禁止使用联邦资金做这样的实验——尽管还没有人提议要那样做——并责令成立一个由普林斯顿大学校长哈罗德•夏皮罗为首的独立专家小组,在90天内拿出有关克隆人的国策建议,向白宫汇报。
19. character n . ①性格,品质,特性; ②人物,角色; ③ 字符,(汉)字
【真题链接】Darwin was convinced that the loss of these tastes was not only a loss of happiness, but might possibly be injurious to the intellect, and more probably to the moral character (n. ①). [2004 年翻译]
【译文】达尔文确信,没有了这些爱好不只是少了乐趣,而且可能会有损于一个人的思维能力,更有可能导致一个人道德品质的下降。
【真题链接】Rather, we have a certain conception of the American citizen, a character (n. ②)who is incomplete if he cannot competently assess how his livelihood and happiness are affected by things outside of himself. [1999 年Text 3]
【译文】我们更应该具有的是作为美国公民的某种观念,即他必须准确判断自身的生活和幸福是如何受到外界影响的,否则他的公民特征就是不完整的。
【真题链接】The world's three top central bankers (Greenspan, Duisenberg and Hayami) are all close to the top of the alphabet, even if one of them really uses Japanese characters(n. ③). [2004 年Text 2]
【译文】世界三大中央银行行长(Greenspan,Duisenberg,Hayami)全都接近字母表的上端,三人之中有一人即使用日文也是如此。
20. climate n.①气候;②风气,社会思潮
【真题链接】 The flight from overcrowdedness affects the migration from snow belt to more bearable climates (①).[1998年Text4]
【译文】 逃离人口过度稠密区的做法改变了以前那种离开寒冷地带去气候宜人之地的趋势。
【真题链接】 When the work is well done, a climate (②) of accident-free operations is established where time lost due to injuries is kept at a minimum.[1999年完形]
【译文】 如果此项工作做得好的话,就会形成无事故作业的好风气,因此那儿的因工伤事故所造成的时间损失就会被控制在最低限度。