the Economist
A world upside down
阅读时间:20分钟
1. issue a Bond villain's laugh
issue: come, go or flow out 出来; 出去; 流出: blood issuing from a wound
The James Bond novels and film series feature a number of villainous characters who serve as primary antagonists. Each story normally features a main villain bent on world domination or destruction who seeks to defeat or kill Bond, often with the assistance of secondary characters. Bond typically confronts the villain during the story's climax and exposes the evil plot.
2. turbine 涡轮机
3. Photovol'taics 太阳能光伏
4. anathem [əˈnæθəmə]
something that you strongly dislike or strongly disagree with 极其讨厌的人或事物
5. incumbent
person holding an official position, esp in the church 现任者, 在职者(尤指神职)
the present incumbent of the White House, ie the US President 现任美国总统
6. pricey: expensive
7. to date
until now
There have been no reports of the animal being seen to date.
8. Carbon pricing
— the method favored by many economists for reducing global-warming emissions — charges those who emit carbon dioxide (CO2) for their emissions.
That charge, called a carbon price, is the amount that must be paid for the right to emit one tonne of CO2 into the atmosphere.
Carbon pricing usually takes the form either of a carbon tax or a requirement to purchase permits to emit, generally known as cap-and-trade, but also called "allowances".
9. perennial [pəˈreniəl] adjective
always existing, or never seeming to change
Money is a perennial source of disagreement among couples.
The Wizard of Oz is a perennial favourite with children.
10. a revenue-neutral economy-wide carbon tax
11. rebate [ˈriˌbeɪt] noun [countable]
an amount of money that is officially given back to someone 回扣
a tax/rent rebate
12. impose
to introduce something such as a new law or new system, and force people to accept it
rules and regulations imposed by national governments
impose something on someone/something: They have imposed restrictions on trade with foreign companies.
13. glut 供过于求
an available amount of something that is more than people want or need
glut of: a glut of cars on the market
14. the shale-gas revolution 页岩气革命
随着社会对清洁能源需求不断扩大,天然气价格不断上涨,人们对页岩气的认识迅速提高。特别是水平井与压裂技术水平不断进步,人类对页岩气的勘探开发正在形成热潮。
世界上对页岩气资源的研究和勘探开发最早始于美国。依靠成熟的开发生产技术以及完善的管网设施,美国的页岩气成本仅仅略高于常规气,这使得美国成为世界上唯一实现页岩气大规模商业性开采的国家。
美国的“页岩气革命”已经动摇了世界液化天然气市场格局,并且这一影响还将愈发显著,进而改变世界能源格局。
15. stark 明显的
used for describing a building or scene that is very clear and plain to look at, often in a slightly unpleasant or frightening way
She disliked the stark brick walls and the steel window frames.
The hill formed a stark silhouette against the sky.
16. megawatt 兆瓦
megawatt-hour 兆瓦时
17. havoc [ˈhævək]
a situation in which there is a lot of damage or destruction, or in which something cannot continue in its normal way because of problems 混乱,大破坏
18. write off
say officially that someone does not have to pay an amount of money
The US government agreed to write off debts of $170 billion.
19. deregulate
to take away the rules that control something such as an industry 撤销管制,控制
20. at first blush
when you first think about or see something
At first blush it looks like any other car.
21. intermittent adjective
happening sometimes but not regularly or often 断断续续的
a dull day with intermittent rain
22. hydroelectricity 水力发电
23. the doldrums [ˈdɑldrəmz] noun [plural]
a situation in which there is a lack of success, activity, or improvement
He’s just the player the team needs to lift it out of the doldrums.
in the doldrums: After years in the doldrums, the market is finally picking up.
24. cling on
~ (on) to sb/sth; ~ on; ~ together:
hold on tightly to sb/sth 紧抓住或抱住某人[某物]:
They clung to each other/clung together as they said goodbye. 他们告别时, 紧紧地拥抱在一起. Cling on tight! 抓紧!
25. brown coal 褐煤
26. diesel 柴油
27. backup
people or equipment that can be used when extra help is needed
I’ve got my mother as a backup in case the babysitter cancels.
They realized that Sykes was armed, and radioed for backup.
a backup generator/crew
28. portfolio
set of investments (eg stocks and shares) owned by a person, bank, etc (个人﹑ 银行等所有的)投资组合(如债券和股票):
My stockbroker manages my portfolio for me. 我的证券经纪人替我管理投资组合
29. peg
(economics) to keep prices, salaries, or the amount of something at a particular level, often in relation to something else
peg something to something: The country’s peso is pegged to the dollar.
30. buck
buck the trend/system
to succeed in doing something, even though there is a general tendency for this not to happen
Scottish industry bucked the UK trend with a 5% rise in exports.
31. eat into
if an activity or cost eats into your time or money, it uses more of it than you intended
32. not least
used for emphasizing the importance of a particular aspect of a situation
George is an excellent manager, not least because he is genuinely willing to listen.
Not least among our difficulties is our lack of funding.
33. incipient
just beginning to appear or develop 刚开始的
the incipient signs of economic recovery
34. dromedary 单峰骆驼
35. precipitous
happening more quickly than expected
36. offshore
at sea not far from the land 近海的:
an,offshore oil rig, island, anchorage 近海的石油钻塔﹑ 岛﹑ 锚地
37. slash
reduce something by a large amount
The budget had been slashed by £3 million.
The company has slashed production by 50%
38. all-in
an all-in price includes everything, with no extra charges
an all-in package holiday
39. lucrative
bringing a lot of money
a lucrative business/deal/contract
40. bolster 支持
to make something stronger or more effective
The campaign is designed to bolster the government’s image as being tough on crime.
His score will bolster his confidence for the next match.
41. big data/ megadata 大数据
42. liken
compare 把...比做
His works have been likened to those of Beckett.
43. gigawatt 千兆瓦
44. crowdsourcing,群众外包
是互联网带来的新的生产组织形式。《连线》(Wired)杂志记者Jeff Howe于2006年发明的一个专业术语,用来描述一种新的商业模式,即企业利用互联网来将工作分配出去、发现创意或解决技术问题。
45. thermostat [ˈθɜː(r)məʊstæt]
n,恒温器
46. nibble v,啃
to eat something by taking a lot of small bites
Sheep were nibbling the grass.
nibble at/on: Mel was nibbling at a chocolate biscuit.
47. scream blue murder
British informal phrase
to shout or protest very loudly because you are very angry or feeling a lot of pain
She screamed blue murder when they tried to give her the injection.
48. fitful a,断断续续的
starting and stopping often
fitful sleep
49. unabated [ˌʌnəˈbeɪtəd] adjective
unable to be stopped or controlled
Fighting continued unabated for several hours.
或 (of a storm, an argument, a crisis, etc) as strong,violent, serious, etc as before
(指风暴﹑ 论争﹑ 危机等)仍然强烈﹑ 猛烈﹑ 严重等, 并未消减:
The gales continued unabated. 风势毫未稍减
Our enthusiasm remained unabated. 我们的热情一如既往.