Vocabulary

Reading A

challenging adj. 富有挑战性的

 e.g. There will be many difficult and challenging days ahead.

 His indecision caused him to lose the chance of a new  challenging job. 

   challenge v.  挑战

Mr. Johansson doesn’t like anyone who challenges his authority.

chat  v. 闲谈；聊天

 e.g.  It’s too noisy here; let’s find a quieter place to chat.

 He was chatting with his girlfriend, waiting for a cab.

fear  v. 害怕；畏惧

 e.g. Many people fear for change because they do not want their daily routine to be disrupted.

 Experts fear that there will be a new outbreak of the disease.

compile   v. 编辑；汇编

 e.g. I’m not sure I know how to compile a dictionary.

 You can compile your life story, wedding photos or favorite family recipes in your very own personalized book.

average  adj. 普通的；平常的

 e.g. Patrick is just an average sort of accountant.

 There was nothing special about the cartoon—it was only average.

contact  n. 熟人；联络人

 e.g. Paul has some useful contacts in entertainment industry.

 Our contact in the US Embassy provides us no useful information on this issue.

purpose n. 意向；意图；目的

 e.g. The purpose of the occasion was to raise money for medical supplies.

 His purpose was to make a profit by improving the company's performance.

reverse v. 颠倒

 e.g. They reversed the normal order of the ceremony and  had the prayers at the beginning. 

 The local government failed to reverse the economic decline.

wonder  v. 对……感到疑惑；想要知道

 e.g. Perhaps you are wondering how this all got started.

 I wonder how you came to lose your way.

insult n. 冒犯

 e.g. The longer he talked, the more insults the crowd  yelled at him. 

 We took his low offer for the car as an insult. 

talkative  adj. 爱说话的；健谈的

 e.g. He is not very talkative, except on the   subject of his plants.

 That talkative tailor is famous for making good suits.

confirm   v. 确认

 e.g. I called to confirm my reservation.

 The announcement confirmed that the election would take place on June 22nd.

 tricky  adj. 复杂的；棘手的；微妙的

e.g. This problem may prove rather tricky for the company.

 In the meeting, he raised some tricky questions.

strategically  adv. 战略性地；战略上地 

 e.g. Technically, they’re retreating; but strategically, they’re advancing.

 It was a natural defense for Nanjing and a strategically important town in ancient times.

indicate  v. 暗示；表明

 e.g.  Andy shook his head to indicate he did not know anything about it.

 His attitude indicates that he is sure to win.

pick up 拿起；拾起

 e.g. He knelt down to pick up his hat.

 She was very nervous. So she kept picking up the book and putting it down.

body language 身体语言

 e.g. Make sure that you aren't conveying any negative body language.

 Open body language makes you appear more  approachable and trustworthy.

small talk 闲谈；聊天

 e.g. Smiling for the cameras, the two men strained to  make small- talk.

 He mingled freely with other delegates, trying to make small talk and little jokes.

get to the point 讲到正题；谈到关键问题

 e.g. I’m pretty busy. Please get to the point quickly.

 Mr. Brown, if you don’t mind, I’ll get to the point straight.

get down to 开始认真对待

 e.g. It would be fine if you really get down to work.

 Stop kidding. Let’s get down to business.

 after-sales service 售后服务

 e.g. We offer (an) excellent after-sales service.

 Last, but not least, after-sales service. That's your baby.

happen to 碰巧做某事

 e.g. If you happen to pass by the post office, please get me some stamps and postcards.

 I happen to have the latest population statistics with me.

get a word in edgewise 插嘴；插上话

 e.g. He talks so much that no one else can get a word in edgewise.

 Sometimes, women can be so chatty that men find it  hard to get a word in edgewise.

 follow up with 采取进一步行动

 e.g. If you get no response in two days, you’d better follow it up with a phone call.

 The  meeting  minutes  remind  us  of  following  up with  necessary  acts  as  soon  as  the decisions are made. 

get through 干完；完成

 e.g. I have piles of papers to get through before the meeting.

 As planned, we can get through the first three  chapters by the end of this month.

Reading B

effective  adj. 有效的

 e.g. The clothes are effective in keeping cool in warm weather.

 This medicine is effective if used within three years.

        antonym:  ineffective

tactic n. 策略；战术

e.g.  What sort of tactics will the President use to rally the people behind him?

 He pressed on in the hope that a few others would join him. The tactic paid off.

dreadful  adj. 令人畏惧的；可怕的

 e.g. The victims suffered from dreadful injuries.

 I cannot imagine what to do in this dreadful situation. 

ordeal n. 苦难的经历；折磨

 e.g. She described her agonizing ordeal.

 His new movie is about the ordeal of a college student after she is raped. 

target v. 确定……为目标

 e.g. The ad campaign has been targeted at adults who smoke.

 Guerrilla groups targeted Menendez for assassination.

n. 目标；对象 

e.g. He's won back his place too late to achieve his  target of 20 goals this season.

 advantage n. 有利条件；优点

 e.g. This custom-built kitchen has many advantages over a standard one. 

 I intend to take full advantage of this trip to buy the things we need.

detail n. 细节；详情

 e.g. The details of the plan are still being worked out.

 Only minor details now remain to be settled.

pretty adv. 很

 e.g. This work of yours is a pretty poor effort. You’d better do it again. 

 That performance was pretty impressive.

essential  adj.绝对必要的；极其重要的

 e.g. It is essential for us to know all the facts before making any key decisions.

 A good sleeping bag is an essential part of every camper’s equipment.

prospect n. 可能成为主顾的人

e.g. Wilder is considered a good prospect for the next election. 

       v. 勘探；勘测

e.g. In fact, the oil companies are already prospecting not far from here.

 range v. （在一定的范围内）变动；变化

 e.g. Estimates of the damage range between $ 2 million and $ 6 million. 

 The room rates at this motel range from $ 30 to $ 50 per day.

trial n. 试用

 e.g. I took the car out for a trial on the roads.

 The robots have been on trial for the past year.

period n. 一段时间

 e.g. This crisis might last for a long period of time.

 The loan has to be repaid over a 15-month period.

full  adj. 详尽的

 e.g. He gave a full account of his meeting with the President. 

 You can find every piece of information needed  in this very full document.

cold calling 推销电话

 e.g. We will adhere to strict sales ethics, with none of the cold-calling that has given the industry such a bad name.

 We will adhere to strict sales ethics, with none of the  cold calling that has given the industry such a bad name.

regard as 视为；认为

 e.g. He is generally regarded as one of the most brilliant writers in his era.

 Twenty  years  after  the  publication  of  its   first   edition,  the  book  is  still  regarded  as  the authority in this field.

 target market 目标市场

 e.g.  At the same time, managers need to take account of all aspects of the target market.

 To appeal to his target market of average consumers,Ford had also designed unprecedented ease of operation and maintainability into his car.

 in advance  在……前面；超过

  e.g. It’s a lot cheaper if you book the air tickets a month in advance.

 We had to pay the rent two weeks in advance.

regardless of 不顾；不管

 e.g. Anyone, regardless of religion, color, or creed, has the equal right to vote.

 Regardless of danger, he climbed to the top of the tower.

no strings attached

      （尤指协议）不附带条件

 e.g. We are prepared to lend you the money with no strings attached.

 The policy offers 10% interest with no strings attached.