Essay
The mid-autumn Festival
It takes place on August 15th of the Chinese lunar calendar.There are many celebrations. Usually, we eat mooncake during the day/by day.(Ep, Bats sleep by day and hunt at night).During the day, we usually eat mooncakes of different kinds - pork mooncakes, ham mooncakes, red bean paste mooncakes and flavors - salty, sweet.It's a great pity that (What a great pity that) mooncakes are really not suitable for people who keep fit since it’s full of fat.At night, people gather together to watch full moon with joy since it is a symbol of a family reunion.Perhaps/Possibly that's the significance of the festival.
A careless accident
I felt ashamed to have made a careless mistake that causing a production bug this afternoon. The bug was arisen by a production configuration file changing. However, I didn’t pay attention to the update and deployed the wrong config file to the production environment. The one line code change caused our website broken for several minutes. Although nobody blame me, I still deeply regret what I did. The considerable inconvenience to our customers made me under greate pressure. Anyway, I should take the responsibility and revere the production code extremely.
After:
I felt ashamed of making a careless mistake causing a production bug this afternoon. The bug occurred/arose due to the production configuration file changing. However, I didn’t pay attention to the update and imported a wrong configuration file into the production environment. The change of one line of code crashed/broke our website for several minutes. Although nobody blames me, I still deeply regret what I did. The considerable inconvenience to our customers put me under great pressure. In any case, I should accept responsibility and be more cautious dealing with the production code.
eg.I am ashamed to talk about it / to admit that
eg. ashamed of/about/at
Cluttered: untidy, covered with so many thing
Revere = idolize = worship , admire
By morning, I will have climbed to the top
I am going to work until morning
Rub salt into the wound
Rickshaw/vehicle
To pose a threat/challenge/danger/risk
Migrants
Immigrants
Emigrants
Refugees
Consequential 1.important/significant 2. Happening as a result of something(losing job and consequential depression)
Inconsequential = trivial
Incentivize innovation
Allot, allocate resources
Disperse = scatter
The seeds are dispersed by the wind
Policies, regulations
Deteriorate, worsen
Pension
She cited her headache as a reason for the prolongation(delay) of the project;
His presentation evoked the feeling of excitement
fairy tale
insomnia = sleeplessness
Contradiction = paradox contradictory
Rebellious child
It goes both ways
A moot point/question
analogous(to/with sth)
His face is black, so it’s self-evident he is not chinese(nationality/ ethnicity melting pot)
Wear out: 1. He wore out two pairs of shoes last year = this pair of shoes is worn out
He is worn out after a whole day’s work = the work worn him out
Unless and until = if and then
Regular students life span odds/chances are in favor of/against sth
The weather in China in the summer is at its hottest
Hand-wound watch
Wind-wound - to wrap or twist sth around itself
Set the time
Clockwork mechanism
Run-down - neglected, in a very bad condition
worsen=deteriorate
Get/grow old = age
As for sth = concerning/regarding sth = in terms of = when it comes to
Circle/round - circular
Triangle - triangular
Square
Rectangle - rectangular
Strategy
Compared to/with
I’ve just graduated from my college
Infrastructure
blood oozed out of the wound. = the wound was oozing blood
Paving stone. The road was paved with stone slabs
Mishap - misfortune . Eg: I had a slight mishap with one of the glasses
Watch out! Be careful
Watch over- protect ,guard, take care of
Holy- connected with God or a god and religion
The holy Bible
the cow has the right of way
I’m not religious = I’m an atheist
I’m spiritual
saturn
A Bout of rain -shower, downpour. It’s pouring
Wash up - to carry sth onto land. eg:The body was found washed up on a beach
Legend has it - according to the legend eg: legend has it that the dragons lived in this town
Idol - a statue that is worshipped as a god
Colossal - huge, tremendous
Obstacle, barrier, hindrance, hurdle
Herd: a herd of cows/deer/elephants
A raised level surface = platform, stage
Discard- get rid of sth
Tear down, pull down
stray=get lost. Three of the soldiers strayed into enemy territory
Stray dogs/cats(away from home and lost)
Complex(complexity) = complicated(adj) complication
Transparent ->opaque
There is/are = sth exists
protocol - formal rules of proper behaviour
collocation搭配
Antonym
Primates - mammals that includes humans, apes and monkeys
Habituated = accustomed, used to, familiar with sth
Habitat - the place where some species of animals or plants live
Inhabit
Encounter - come across, run into
Dart - dartboard- bullseye
Shoot-shot-shot(past participle) Having seen that(perfect participle)/ saying that(present participle)
Over-the-counter medicines
Prescription
Tranquillizer(prescription(n), prescribe(v)): She’s on(is taking) tranquillizers
Anaesthesia: Surgery carried out under anaesthesia
Encounter:
1. v: to experience sth, especially problems
Encounter problems/difficulties = come across, run into
Encounter opposition/resistance = come up against: we expect to come up against a lot of opposition to our proposal
N: to meet someone or find sth by chance
come across sb/sth, run into sb, bump into sb: I came across an old diary in her desk
I first encountered him when studying at college
Lethal-deadly, fatal
trailblazer=pioneer
Abnormal
The article met with a backlash on social media
The government is facing an angry backlash
to learn a language/a musical instrument/a skill
On the platform/ in the square
establish a set/system of beliefs=Form/develop a belief -> shake/undermine/weak the belief
Several days (ago), we read the article about an Indian village’s no doors and no fence convention. Residents in the village believe that a god can bring luck to them and protect them from mishap if they set a statue of him on the central village platform. And the convention is handed/passed down for generations. Although I’m not religious I don’t want to judge the rule. However, the belief can hardly persist today certainly since our society is developing and people are getting more complex than before. We are not simple and transparent anymore. Protecting ourselves and ensuring property’s security are important.
Focus on
In two other cases, nobody was hurt.
However/no matter how precious the gorilla is , the boy’s life is the top priority for us
Alcoholic drinks: Ale, Lager
Brewery-microbrewery; winery
Brew beer = make beer
Ferment(v) fermentation(n)
Yeast
Fungus - fungi
Pale ale=bitter
A pint of beer
Pale lager/dark lager
Liquor-strong alcoholic drink.(distill/ distillation) - distillery
Connoisseur = aficionado,enthusiast, lover,fan
Mandatory-obligatory, compulsary
Opp. voluntary
BC(before christ) - AD
predecessor = precursor
Cosmopolitan-having a lot of people from different countries
High-speed train
standstill=halt / crawl eg: the roadworks brought the traffic to a standstill
Work came to a halt when the machine broke down
She brought the cat to a stop
Petrol = gas, gasoline
Diesel
Smog = smoke+fog
Rhythm
Rock music is popular among(with) young people
Rap music
I’ve spent 10 munutes reading the article
fertile(v) - fertility(n)
Crescent(Islam) moon
Genome - the complete set of genes
support/maintain/keep a family
Raise/bring up children
his eyes ached from lacking of sleep
I don’t have any clue/idea
The tower loomed over the city
A dark shape loomed in the distance
There was a crisis looming. A threat/war
The plant withered
Cull-to choose or collect sth: the exhibition was made with paintings culled from various collections
To instil confidence/discipline/fear into sb
Their presentation put ours to shame
short(near)-sighted -> long-sighted
I’m going to finish the powerpoint presentation by the end of the day at the expense of everything else
He became a famous businessman at the expense of his health
Let sb/sth go = let go of sb/sth
The elderly
Another advantage to online communication is
Put effort into sth = make an effort
Have/make an impact on sth
It’s been a long time since we last talked
It took three hours
He’s scared of heights/ she is scared of going out alone
Excited about/by
Keen on sth = eager for
Many people were shocked by the sex scene in the film
Dream about/of
Thankful to sb for sth
Collide with: the car ran over the pedestrians
Crash into sth: a truck went out of control and crashed into the back of a bus
Squeeze a lemon; squash a tomato; crush(they crush the olives with a heavy wooden press/The car was completely crushed under the truck); press; crumple a piece of paper; wring a tower
Be married to/fighting for sth with sb/decide against doing/result in/specialize in/good at
Argue about
Physics
Present (adj/n) existing or happening now; gift; (past/present/future); simple present tense
present(v): display sth
proportion=ratio
complained about sth to my mom.
My proposals were not accepted
Self-esteem; self-acceptance
In public
More difficult than
Acomplishments = achievements
Skinny-very thin
Keep pace with them
expiry/expiration
Two other teachers; another teacher
Persistent
Curate - to select, organize and look after the works of art in a museum or gallery/ curator
We need someone to curate the content on our blog
Akin to = similar to
albeit=although
He managed to cover a lot of ground in a short talk=knowledge or idea
She imposes her opinions on me;
My mom instilled confidence in me
To instil confidence/discipline/fear into somebody
Those pieces of info are; info is
On a regular basis
It’s convenient for us
Even if
Overloaded
in town/the city/SH/China
At the cinema/restaurant(broad term)
On the beach(specific place)
Get on/off the bus; get into/out of the car
Wait in line/queue
He has a good/bad/excellent taste of sth
The house has three bedrooms at the front and two at the back
I prefer to travel in the front/back of the car
Punch in/out
clock in/out
In/during the war / we met in war; / the two countries are at war with each other
In the newspaper/on the radio/on TV/ in the picture/on the page
China is popular with tourists/Koreans/young people; Cosmetics is popular with women
China is famous for its food=the food makes China famous; Football is popular with men
Pimple/ irritation. /waxing
Stuff - to fill a space tightly with sth/ the fridge is stuffed with food
Glossary - a list of technical or special words / a glossary of financial terms
A thick soup - the liquid is not flowing very easily, add water to water down it
Fantasy genre/ SF(science fiction)
Indignant-angry and surprised because you were treated unfairly
Annoyed, irritate, upset
Along the lines of - similar to this
Minutiae-very small details
Revel in - to enjoy sth very much; She was clearly revealing in all the attention.
The myth of - ancient stories
Chinese mythology - all the Chinese myths
Bother: 1. Annoy, upset 2 to waste/spend time or energy doing sth
Shall I wait? No don’t bother
Tabletop game=board game
Absurd = ridiculous, makes no sense
Cram
- to push or force sb/sth into a small space; we all managed to cram into his
To learn a lot of things in a short time; He’s been cramming for his exams all week
Nigh on - almost;nearly; They’ve lived in that house for nigh on 30 years;
We have a mutual interest in music; we have a mutual friend;
Mutual respect/understanding
Adorn - decorate sth to make it look more attractive
Flick on/off - turn on/off - quickly press the button
The countryside was dotted with small villages.
weave carpet/basket/a web; wave hands
It’s possible to draw a parallel between their experience and ours;
set goals and objectives
Circulate; the room is stuffy
The have same origin
We’d better learn together
Stickers; sticky notes=stickies
The participants in the experiment are the multilingual twins
marshal your arguments/thoughts/facts - gather, collect,arrange,assemble
Intuition - the ability to know sth by using your feelings rather than logic
You shattered my dreams;
Her self-confidence had been completely shattered
It’s not widespread and therefore it’s useless;
Cultural exchange;
I hooked up with her on a project.
Matter: 1. Physical substance that everything in the world is made of
2.a question,thing,situation that involves sth or depend on sth; some people prefer the older version to the new one.it’s a matter of taste;
Look down on sb -> look up to sb
highlands - lowlands(plain)
He lacks intelligence; He is lacking in intelligence; There is a lack of water;
She looked at me with piercing blue eyes; She stared at me with a blank expression on her face;
squint(v): she was squinting through the keyhold
Give rise to - cause
Repress emotions -> express emotions
compliment; stuffy nose- running nose
Plugs, pin, socket/outlet; faucet/tap, plug, sink
Paternity/maternity
In the making:in the process of becoming sth or of being made: this model was two years in the making
apprentice学徒
extrovert=extravert: He’s an extrovert; He’s an extroverted person
Sculpture
Sculpt: shape the clay; carve stone/wood;the figures were sculpted from a block of marble;
She’s a dreamer and a romantic by temperament;
Blonde;
Immature
A brittle temperament-appears to be very strong,but is actually really fragile inside;
Heavy clouds were forming,presaging rain;
The president intervened personally in the crisis;
Personality traits
Carved/set in stone-unable to be changed: our proposals aren’t set in stone
That isn’t to say that=that doesn’t mean that
Fixed expressions
rigid - flexible
Stubborn
Popular with/among sb
Assertive-expressing opinions or desires strongly and with confidence
Submissive
Indecisive
Brittle personality bones
Fragile glass
opposite sex
Decipher-finding the meaning of sth that is difficult; eg:to decipher a code/I couldn’t decipher her handwriting
cipher=code
Double negation(negate)
sb/sth is in/under the spotlight
Bias-a strong feeling in favour of or against one group of people
Eg: some institutions still have a strong bias against women.
Biased, partial , prejudiced (toward(s)/against/in favour of sb/sth)
Unbiased, impartial, disinterested, obective
alter ego-another side of your personality
Fill the dumplings
Warp-to make sth twisted or bent out of its natural shape: the window frames had begun to warp
A severe bout of flu/coughing
A cripple(offensive)-a a disabled person
Set in-to begin and seem likely to continue: the rain seemed to have set in for the day
Perceive-perception: 1.the way you notice things with your senses; 2.the understanding of sth; visual perception
A string of pearls
hiccup(n/v)
Be anxious
Control freaks
I have a sore throat;
scare(v); scared(); Scary;
there isn’t enough time/time is scarce
Scarcity-shortage; scarce: Food was becoming scarce; scarcely: I can scarcely believe it=hardly,barely
trifling=trivial: She seemed a trifle anxiout=slightly,a little,a bit
There’s no point worrying over such trifles.
Criterion-criteria
indisputable=undenialbe
keep your promise
Well off=better off(worse off): she’s a well-off; she is well off
squeeze:
We managed to squeeze six people into the car.
If you come this afternoon the doctor will try to squeeze you in
Weigh down:
I was weighed down with baggage;he is weighed down with guilt
Ironic: It’s ironic that she became a teacher-she used to hate school
Cognitive bandwidth=mental capacity
Speech-impaired; dumb
Prey on - to hunt and kill another animal for food(prayer祈祷)
Realm-domain
Devoid of sth=lacking in stah
