Unit 6 The Pace of Life
Text B Life in the Fast Lane
2. Language Study
(L. 2) characterize: verb [T] (1 ) be typical of :
Bright colours and bold strokes characterize his early paintings.
(2) to describe something by stating its main qualities:
In her essay, she characterizes the whole era as a period of radical change.
(L. 6) instantaneous adj. happening immediately
The Internet offers almost instantaneous access to vast amounts of information.
(L. 11) signify: to be a sign of something; to mean 象征；表明；意味:
Nobody really knows what the marks on the ancient stones signify.
The number 30 on a road sign signifies that the speed limit is 30 miles an hour.
She signified her agreement by nodding her head.
(L. 12) placebo：noun [C] (plural placebos) a substance given to someone who is told that it is a
particular medicine, either to make them feel as if they are getting better or to compare the effect
of the particular medicine when given to others: 安慰剂； 使人宽慰的事或物
She was only given a placebo, but she claimed she got better - that's the placebo effect.
(L. 17) crack the whip: to use your authority to make someone else behave better or
work harder:
We were two months behind schedule, so I decided it was time to crack the whip.
(L. 17) thrive: verb [I] to grow, develop, or be successful
She seems to thrive on hard work.
(L. 19) thrill: noun [C] a feeling of extreme excitement, usually caused by something pleasant:
the thrill of winning a competition
The video shows the thrills and spills (= excitement and accidents) of motor racing.
thrill verb [I or T]
Tiger Woods thrilled the golf world with his performance.
(L. 20) multitasking: noun [U] (1) the ability of a computer to operate several programs at one
time: The machine allows multitasking without the need to buy extra hardware.
(2) a person's ability to do more than one thing at a time:
Women are often very good at multitasking.
(L. 20) overdrive: noun [U] a state of great activity, effort or hard work:
The official propaganda machine went into overdrive when war broke out.
(L. 21-22) at once: at the same time: Everything happened at once -- she graduated,
got a job, and got married, all in June!
(L. 23) coincide: verb [I] to come together in position or happen at or near the same time
Power failures (停电) coincided with the hottest weather.
coincidence noun [C/U] an occasion when two or more things happen at the same time, esp. in a
way that is unexpected or unlikely, or the unlikely fact of such things happening at the same time
By coincidence, both teams happen to be coached by men.
coincidental adjective [not gradable] Resemblances between their stories are purely coincidental.
(L. 27) further: verb [T] to advance something:
He has probably done more to further the cause of interracial (种族间的) harmony
than any other person.
Additional training is probably the best way to further your career these days.
furtherance noun [U] FORMAL
The charter (宪章) states that the press shall be devoted to printing and publishing
in the furtherance and dissemination (传播) of knowledge.
(L. 32) foreground: noun [S] (1) the people, objects, countryside, etc. in a picture or photograph
that seem nearest to you and form its main part:
In the foreground of the painting is a horse and cart.
cf. background (THINGS BEHIND).
(2) the area of most importance and activity, or which people pay attention to:
Historically, issues of this kind have not occupied the foreground of political debate.
foreground verb [T] to give the most importance to a particular subject, etc:
His speech foregrounded the history of the decision.
(L. 36) pathway: SLIGHTLY FORMAL a set of connected chemical reactions in biology
(L. 36) mania: noun [C or U] DISAPPROVING a very strong interest in something which fills
a person's mind or uses up all their time: 狂热; 热衷
The article describes the religious mania which is sweeping the US.
-mania suffix
Beatle-mania (对 Beatle 乐队的疯狂迷恋) swept Britain in the 1960s.
(L. 37) opt: verb [I] to make a choice, especially for one thing or possibility in
preference to any others: Mike opted for early retirement.
[+ to infinitive] Most people opt to have the operation.
(L. 42) succumb: verb [I] FORMAL (1) to lose the determination to oppose something; to accept
defeat: 屈从; 屈服
The town finally succumbed last week after being pounded with heavy artillery for more than two
months.
I'm afraid I succumbed to temptation and had a piece of cheesecake.
I felt sure it would only be a matter of time before he succumbed to my charms.
(2) to die or suffer badly from an illness:
Thousands of cows have succumbed to the disease in the past few months.
(L. 47) mythical adj. (1) existing only in stories:
the mythical island of Atlantis; a mythical hero; dragons and other mythical creatures
(2) imaginary or not real:
Start living life here and now instead of waiting for that mythical day when you'll be slim.
(L. 48) sophisticated: clever in a complicated way and therefore able to do complicated tasks:
I think a more sophisticated approach is needed to solve this problem.
These are among the most sophisticated weapons in the world.
(L. 6) score: noun [C usually singular] plural score FORMAL: 20 or approximately 20:
He lived to be three score years and ten (= until he was 70 years old).
scores: plural noun a lot of things or people:
Benjamin received cards from scores of local well-wishers.