BTLEW Lesson 9 - Against All Odds Part Four ENTER.

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Lesson 9 - Against All Odds

Part FourPart Four

ENTER

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I. Word Study

II. Phrases and Expressions

III. Word Building

IV. Grammar

Language Language StudyStudy

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I.I. Word StudyWord StudyWord list:

1. adapt

2. blossom

3. clumsy

4. cover

5. downplay

6. drag

7. enable

8. humiliation

9. nasty

19. supervise10. odds

11. point

12. predict

13. recur

14. shut

15. slow

16. slur

17. span

18. stride

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1. adapt

v. to change (sth. or yourself) to suit different conditions or uses Examples:

We had to adapt our plans to fit Jack’s timetable.

David is busy adapting Paul’s latest novel for television.

The good thing about children is that they adapt very easily to new environments.

I.I. Word StudyWord Study

To be continued on the next page.

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a. adapted

Example: Both trees are well adapted to London’s

climate and dirty air.a. adaptable

Example: The survivors in this life seem to be those

who are adaptable to change.

n. adaptability adaptation


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2. blossom

v. & n. to produce flowers before producing edible fruit; (of a person) become more attractive, successful or complete

Examples: The cherry tree is beginning to blossom. She is suddenly blossoming into a very

attractive woman. Sean and Sarah’s friendship blossom into love.



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Examples:

The grass was covered with white blossoms.

All along the road the trees are in full

blossom.


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3. clumsy

a. awkward in movement or mannerad. clumsilyn. clumsiness

Examples: The first mobile phones were heavy and

clumsy to use but nowadays they are much easier to handle.

I tried to excuse myself for missing her party but my attempts were very clumsy. (not said well)


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4. cover

v. a. to deal with or direct attention to b. to report

Examples: The new regulations cover precisely where

and when protest marches can take place. She is covering the American election for the

BBC television.

n. coverage



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cover sth. up/ cover up sth.: to keep sth. unpleasant secret or hidden

Example: The company tried unsuccessfully to keep

these embarrassing pollution statistics covered up.


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5. downplay

vt. to make sth. seem less important or less bad than it really is; play down

Example: The government has been trying to downplay

the crisis.



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overplay

vt. to make sth. seem more important than it really is

Examples: I think she’s overplaying the significance of

his remarks. The findings of the research committee have

really been overplayed in the media.


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6. drag

v. to move (sth. heavy) by pulling it along the ground

Examples: I had to drag the screaming child out of the

shop. I’m ready to go home now but I don’t want

to drag you away if you’re enjoying yourself. All that stress at work had begun to drag

him down and he was badly in need of a holiday. (to make him feel weak or unhappy)



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Examples: Don’t drag me into your argument, it’s

nothing to do with me. You will never tell me how you feel—I always

have to drag it out of you.

to drag one’s heels/feet: to do sth, slowly because one doesn’t want to do it

Example: I suspect the government is dragging its

heels over this issue.


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7. enable


vt. to make sb. able to do sth., by providing them with whatever is necessary to achieve it; make (sth.) possible

Examples: Computerization should enable us to cut

production cost by half. The increased volume of water enables large

areas to be irrigated.


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vt. humiliate: to make (sb.) feel ashamed or lose their respect for themselves

Example: How could you humiliate me by questioning

my judgment in front of everyone like that?

a. humiliated humiliating

Examples: I’ve never felt so humiliated in my life. The government suffered a humiliating defeat

in yesterday’s debate.

8. humiliationI.I. Word StudyWord Study


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n. humiliation (C/U)Examples:

Being forced to resign was a great humiliation for the minister.

After the humiliation of last week’s defeat, the Mets were back on top in today’s game.


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9. nasty


a. very unpleasant to see, hear, smell, taste, touch or experience

Examples: There’s a nasty smell—has somebody left

the gas on? The car has a nasty habit of breaking

down just when I really need it.



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to have a nasty feeling about sth./that: to think that it’s likely to happen or to be true

Examples: She’d always had a nasty feeling about

Geoff, and now events had proved her to have been suspicious.

I’ve got a nasty feeling that I forgot to tell Joe I couldn’t come.

ad. nastily

n. nastiness


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10. odds

n. [plural] the probability that a particular thing will or will not happen

Examples: Judging by how ill she looked yesterday, I

think the odds are she won’t be coming in today.

If you drive a car all your life, the odds are that you’ll have an accident at some point.

What are the odds on him being late again? (Do you think he will be late again?)



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give long odds on/against sth. happening: believe/not believe sth. will happen

Example: I’d give long odds against that marriage

lasting more than a couple of years.lengthens/shortens/increases/decreases the odds on sth.: to make sth. less/more likely to happen

Example: If you want to live to a ripe old age, giving

up smoking does tend to shorten the odds.



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against all (the) odds: regardless of strong opposition or great disadvantages

Example: Against all odds, he managed to walk again

after the accident.

odds-on: very probable

Example: It’s odds-on she’ll be late and I’ve rushed

for no reason!



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at odds: in disagreementat odds with sb. over/on sth.

Example: He’s been at odds with his brother ever

since I’ve known him.

odds: noticeable difference

Examples: I don’t mind whether you come or not—it

makes no odds to me. Does it make any odds whether you use

butter or oil in this recipe?



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odds and ends: various items of different types, usu. small and unimportant or of little value

Example: I’ve taken most of the big things to the new

house, but there are a few odds and ends left to collect.


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11. point


n. purpose or usefulness

Examples: I see little point in discussing this further. I’d like to write to him, but what’s the point?

He never writes back. What’s the point of complaining now? There’s no point arguing about it—just do as you’

re told.



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a. pointless: if sth. is pointless, it means it has no purpose and it’s a waste of time doing it

Examples: It’s seemed pointless to continue. It’s pointless arguing with him.

ad. pointlessly


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vt. to say that (an event or action) will happen in the future, esp. as a result of knowledge or experience Examples:

Nowadays it’s possible to predict the time of eclipses with great accuracy.

Who could have predicted that within ten years he’d be in charge of the whole company?

The storms are predicted to reach the north of the country tomorrow morning.

12. predict



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a. predictablead. predictablyn. predictability prediction

Examples: We are not yet able to make a prediction

about when the next earthquake will happen. No one believes her prediction that the world

would end on Nov. 12.


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13. recur

vi. to happen again; happen repeatedly

Examples: The symptoms tend to recur. The themes of freedom and independence

recur throughout much of his writing.

a. recurring

Example: A recurring back problem has put him out of

action for most of this season.



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n. recurrence

Example: The doctor told him to go the hospital if there

was a recurrence of his symptoms.

occur, incur, concur


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14. shut

v. to prevent (sb./sth.) leaving or entering a place

Examples: He was so upset that he shut himself in his

bedroom and refused to come out for the rest of the evening.

She pulled the quilt over her head to try to shut out the light.

She finds it impossible to shut out the memory of the accident.



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Example: What are chances of peace if the terrorists are

shut out of the negotiations?

to shut away sb. or to shut sb. away: to put sb. in a place which he/she can not leave

Examples: He was six years old when he was shut away

in an asylum for stealing an apple. The jury was shut away for a week to consider

its verdict.



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to shut oneself away: to put oneself in a place that they are unwilling to leave and where they don’t want to be interrupted by other peopleExample:

Andy shuts himself away in his studio for hours on end when he’s recording a song.



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to shut off sb., to shut sb./sth. off: to separate them from their surroundings

Examples: When her husband died she seemed to shut

herself off from her friends and family. The houses are shut off from the outside

world by high walls and hedges.



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to shut up a person/an animal, to shut a person/an animal up: to keep them in an enclosed place

Examples: She can’t spend her whole life shut up in her

office. I think it’s cruel to keep animals shut up in

cages.



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to shut down: to stop operating

Examples: Two thousand people will lose their jobs if the

factory shuts (down). The company recently announced plans to

shut down two factories and reduce its workforce by 4,000.



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to shut out sb., to shut sb. out: to prevent (the competitor in a sports competition) from scoring any points

Example: She had shut out two of her first four

Wimbledon opponents by identical 6-0, 6-0 scores.



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to shut (sb.) up: to stop talking or making a noise, or to make sb. do this

Examples: I wish you’d shut up for a moment and listen

to what the rest of us have to say. My dad never stops talking. It’s impossible to

shut him up!


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15. slowv. to reduce speed or activity

Examples: The traffic slowed to a crawl at the road

works. Slow down—I can’t follow what you’re saying

when you speak too fast. The doctor has told him to slow down or he’ll

have a heart-attack.



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Examples: If I run with Christina she tends to slow me

down. They slowed the film down to see if they

could identify any of the faces.

antonym: speed up


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16. slur

v. to pronounce (the sounds of a word) in a way which is unclear, uncontrolled or wrong

Example: Her speech was slurred but she still denied

she was drunk.

n. slur (U)Example:

The drug affected her vision and made her speak with a slur.



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slur

slur (C): a critical remark which is likely to have a harmful effect on the reputation of the person it is made about

Examples: His comments cast a slur on the integrity of

his employees.v.

The report fails to give a complete picture of the school and slurs both the teachers and pupils.


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17. span

n. (C usu. sing) the length or period between two points, esp. of time

Examples: Over a (time) span of only 2 year, the new

government has transformed the country’s economic prospects.

That child’s concentration/attention span is poor—he only listens to the teacher for a few seconds at a time.



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v. to include all of a period of time

Examples: Tennis has a history spanning several

centuries. Her knowledge spans the whole political

history of Senegal.


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18. stride

v. (strode, strode/stridden) to walk somewhere quickly with long steps

Examples: She strode purposefully up to the desk and

demanded to speak to the manager. After several difficult years, the company is

now striding forward into the future.

n. stride (C): a long step when walking or running

Example: She attributes her record-breaking speed to the length

of her stride.



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to get into one’s stride: to begin to do sth. with confidence and at a good speed after being slow or hesitating

Examples: We ought to wait until she’s got into her stride

before we ask her to negotiate that contract. She found the job difficult at first, but now

she’s really getting into her stride.



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to take a problem or difficulty in (one’s) stride: to deal with sth. calmly and do not let it have an effect on what you’re doing

Example: When you become a politician, you soon learn

to take criticism in your stride.



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stride (C): an important positive development

Examples: The West made impressive strides in

improving energy efficiency after the huge rises in oil prices during the seventies.

She made a giant stride toward power in last year’s elections.


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19. supervise

vt. to watch over sth./sb. to make certain that it’s done correctly

Examples: The UN is supervising the distribution of aid to

those areas worst affected by the fighting. Her new job involves supervising the

company’s operation in Japan. The teachers take it in turn to supervise the

children at playtime.



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n. supervision (under the supervision of…) supervisora. supervisory

Example:

We need to employ more supervisory staff.


The end of Word Study.

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List:

1. break out

2. come to terms with

3. end up

4. feel like sth.

5. just around the corner

6. live for sb./sth.

7. may/might as well

8. go from strength to strength

9. cut sth./sb. off

10. be worse off

11. get into sth.

12. touch and go

13. waste away

II.II. Phrases and Phrases and ExpressionsExpressions

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(of violent events) to start suddenly

Example:

Rioting broke out between rival groups of

fans.

1. break out



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to escape from a place or a situation, esp. by using force

Examples:

Several prisoners broke out of the jail. She felt the need to break out her daily routine

and do something exciting.

break out (of sth.)



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皮肤突然出现（斑、疹等） Examples:

He has broken out in a rash. His face broke out in spots.

break out (in sth.)



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突破，穿透，取得重大成果 Examples:

The crowd broke through the lines of police. Scientists hope to break through soon in their

fight against heart disease.

break through



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散（会），驱散（群众等），分开，分散，拆散

Examples: After midnight, the party broke up. They broke up the meeting. They broke up the household after the mother

died.

break up



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和 ······ 决裂，和 ······ 断绝关系，破除 Examples:

He broke with the Democratic Party on the question of increasing taxes.

It’s difficult to break with old habits.

break with



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突然停止，中断（谈判），断绝（关系） Examples:

They broke off their conversation. The fight broke off shortly after sunset. Those two countries have broken off relations.

break off



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强行进入，突然 ······ Examples:

The thieves plan to break into a bank. The audience broke into applause. Everyone broke out into roars of laughter.

break into



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非法进入，插嘴 Examples:

He broke in and stole my money. I could tell the story much more easily if you

didn’t break in so often.

break in



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坏了，失败，（身体、感情）垮了Examples:

We’re sorry to arrive late, but the car broke down.

The negotiations broke down because neither side would compromise.

His health broke down.

break down



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突然逃离，断绝往来，改掉（习惯），破除 Examples:

The man broke away from his guards. He broke away from his family and has gone to

live in Australia. I should break away from such habits.

break away


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terms: conditions which control an agreement, arrangement or activity

Examples: We will have to discuss your terms of

employment. I bought this dishwasher on favorable terms. Consider it in terms of investment.

2. come to terms with



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to bring sb. to terms: to force sb. to accept particular conditions

Example: The UN tried to bring the warring sides to

terms to put an end to the war.

to come to terms with sb.: to agree with sb. about sth.

Example: We’ll have to come to terms with him about

how many hours a week he is going to work for us.



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to come to terms with sth. unpleasant or difficult: to learn to accept it and deal with it

Example: He has come to terms with his wife’s illness and says

he will nurse her at home.

in terms of sth.: from the basis of; as regards sth.

Example: A 200-year-old building is very old in

American terms/in terms of American history.



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on equal/the same terms: in the same way

Example: We can’t work on equal terms unless we speak

a common language.

be on good/friendly/bad terms with sb: to have a good, friendly, bad relationship with

Examples: I’ve always been on good terms with my

neighbours. be on speaking terms


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to reach or come to a certain place, state or action, esp. by a long route or progress

Examples: They’re traveling across Europe by train and

are planning to end up in Moscow. Much of this meat will probably end up as

dog food. She’ll end up penniless if she carries on

spending as much as that.

3. end up



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Example: After working around the world, she ended

up teaching English as a foreign language.

end in: to have sth. as a result or conclusionExamples:

Their marriage ended in divorce. The match ended in a draw. She ended (her speech) on an optimistic

note. I’d like to end in with a song from my first

album.


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to think that one would like to do/have sth; to want (to do) sth.Examples:

I feel like (going for) a swim. Do you want to come?

I feel like having a drink.

4. feel like sth.


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near; likely to happen soonExamples:

They only live just around/round the corner, so we see them all the time.

Everything is a bit depressing at the moment but I carry on in the belief that good times are just around the corner.

The fortune teller told Jane that there was an adventure for her just around the corner.

5. just around the corner


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to regard sb./sth. as the aim or purpose of one’s lifeExample:

She lives for her work.

live off sb./sth.: to receive what one needs to live from sb./sth. because one has no money oneselfExamples:

She has an inheritance to live off so she doesn’t need to get a job.

He only agreed to marry her so he could live off her money.

6. live for sb./sth.



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live on: to continue to live or existlive on sth.: to have sth. as one’s food or to depend on sth for financial support

Examples: His wage won’t be enough to live on if we

have another child. The natives live on a diet of meat and

occasionally fruit.



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live up to sth.: to achieve (what is expected, esp. high standards)

Examples: The concert was brilliant—it lived up to all

our expectations. It’ll be difficult to live up to the standards

set up by our last captain.



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live out sth. a. to do in reality what one thinks about, believes, etc. b. to spend the rest of one’s life

Examples: live out one’s dreams/fantasies He lived out his days alone.



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live through: to experience sth. and survive it

Examples: He has lived through two wars and three

revolutions. He had lived through the worst years of the

depression.


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to do sth. because it seems best in the circumstances, though often reluctantly

Examples: Since nobody else wants the job, we might as

well let him have it. Since you can’t win the race, you may just as

well quit. You may as well wait upstairs. I might as well go.

7. may/might (just) as well


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to gradually become increasingly successful

Examples: The firm’s gone from strength to strength since

the new factory was built.

do sth. on the strength of sth.: to do sth. because of being influenced by sth.

Example: I invested in the company on the strength of

my brother’s advice.

8. go from strength to strength


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to cause (a person or place) to become separate or cause sb. to be or feel alone; to isolate

Examples: When his wife died, he cut himself off from

other people. Living out in the country, she felt very cut off

(from her city friends). Many villages have been cut off by the heavy

snow.

9. cut sb./sth off


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to be poorer, unhappier, etc. than before

Examples: I’ve only broken my arm; other patients are

far worse off than me. Now that he has lost his employment he is

worse off than ever.

10. be worse off


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to become involved in; to start sth.

Examples: to get into a conversation Don’t get into such a panic! to get into a temper

11. get into sth.


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(usu. predicative) (infml.) uncertain as to the result

Examples: It was touch and go whether we would get to

the airport in time. She was so ill that it was touch and go

whether she would live or not. The doctor says that it is touch and go

whether the patient will survive.

12. touch and go


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to gradually get thinner and weaker, in a way

that is unhealthy

Examples:

It’s not death he fears, but wasting away,

becoming dependent.

You get thinner every time I see you, Sara—

you’re wasting away!

13. waste away


The end of Phrases and Expressions.

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III.III. Word BuildingWord BuildingList:

1. root –dict

2. prefix –pre

3. root –cur

4. prefix –re

5. prefix –en

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predict (6)predict (6)

prefix

root

-dict-: from Latin, meaning “say, speak”

benedictioncontradictDictaphonedictatedictatordictiondictionarydictumedictpredict

祝福同 ······矛盾口授留声机口述，口授口授令他人笔录者措辞字典格言布告预言，预报

III.III. Word BuildingWord Building

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prefix

root

before, in front of, prior to, in advance of, being more than, surpassing

e.g. predict, preeminent, preface

Used before verbs to form new verbs that refer to an activity taking place before or instead of the usual occurrence of the same activity.

e.g. precook



pre-: from Latin

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prefix

root

Used in forming adjectives that refer to a period of time before the event, period, person, etc.

e.g. preschool, prewar, preposition

III.III. Word BuildingWord Buildingpre-: from Latin

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recur(6)recur(6)

prefix

root -cur-: from Latin, meaning “run; happen”

concurconcurrencecurrencycurrentcurriculumcursivecursorcursoryoccurrecurrenceincur

同时发生同时（或同地）发生流通当前的课程草书的，草书指针草率的发生，出现复发，重现招致


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recur(6)recur(6)

prefix

root

re-: from Latin

1. Used before roots and sometimes words to form verbs and nouns meaning or referring to action in a backward direction

revert, recede

2. To form verbs and nouns showing action in answer to or intended to undo or reverse a situation

rebel, remove, respond, restore, revoke



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recur(6)recur(6)

prefix

root

re-: from Latin

3. To form verbs or nouns showing action that is done over, often with the meaning that the outcome of the original action was in some way not enough or not long lasting, or that the performance of the new action brings back an earlier state of affairs

recapture, reoccur, repossess, resole, retype


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enable (6)enable (6)

prefixen- prefix from Latin, used before adjectives and nouns to form verbs

1. Meaning “to cause (a person or thing) to be in (the place, condition, or state mentioned)”; “to keep in or place in”

enrich, entomb, endanger, encase

2. Meaning “to restrict on all sides, completely”

encircle


The end of Word Building.

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IV.IV.GrammarGrammarAdverbial clause of concession Adverbial clause of concession

Crazy as it may seem, ALS is simply not that important to him. (8)

Although it may seem crazy.

When an adverbial clause of concession is introduced by “as”, the subordinate clause should be used in inverted order. That is, subject complements and adverbials are normally put before “as”. Besides “as”, “that” can also be used to introduce adverbial clause of concession.


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Adverbial clause of Adverbial clause of concessionconcession 1. In the clauses introduced by “as”, nouns, adjectives, adverbs, verbs and verbs+objects are put before “as”.

Examples: Fool as he looks, he always seems to make

the wisest proposals. (before the noun, there are not any pre-determiners)

Powerful man as he may be, he is a coward before his wife.

Old as I am, I can still fight.

IV.IV.GrammarGrammar


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Adverbial clause of Adverbial clause of concessionconcession

More Examples: Try as you may, you will never succeed. Fail as he did, he was not disappointed. Much as I respect him, I don’t agree with

him on this. Detest him as they may, he grows richer

and richer.



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Adverbial clause of Adverbial clause of concessionconcession

2. In American English, only nouns can be put before the conjunction “that”. In British English, adjectives are also acceptable.

Examples: Child that he is, he can ride a horse. Old that he was, he continued writing.



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Without the help of Jane, he almost certainly would not have been able to carry on or had the will to do so. (9)If Jane had not helped him, he almost certainly would not have been able to carry on or had the will to do so. The phrase introduced by “without…” is an example of implicit condition. It is an unreal condition. The predicate in the main clause is in the form of “should/would be or would /should have been”.

Subjunctive moodSubjunctive mood



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The implicit conditional clauses are divided into five types.

1. Introduced by prepositional phrases

Examples: What would Peter have done without his wife? It would be easier to do it this way. But for your help we couldn’t have succeeded

in the experiment.




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2. Introduced by infinitive phrases

Examples: He would be stupid not to accept that

suggestion. (if he didn’t accept that suggestion) You would have laughed to see him jump aside.

(if you had seen him jump aside)




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3. Introduced by participle phrases

Examples: Coming yesterday, the rain would have

spoiled our party. (if it had come yesterday) Surrounded longer by the enemy, the city

couldn’t have maintained itself and would have surrendered. (if the city had been surrounded longer by the enemy)




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4. Introduced by nouns or pronouns

Examples: A less difficult problem would have been

solved. (if the problem had been less difficult) Anyone in my position would have done the

same. A gentleman wouldn’t have done the same.

Subjunctive mood Subjunctive mood



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5. By “or” or “otherwise”

Examples: Be honest, or nobody would trust you.

(if you were not honest) He must be crazy, otherwise he wouldn’t

have divorced her. (if he hadn’t been crazy)



The end of Grammar.

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BTLEW Lesson 9 - Against All Odds Part Four ENTER.

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