Software Engineering, English, Swedish

once in a while = sometimes
Most teachers expect to correct their students’ spelling mistakes once in a while.

criminology = 刑事學
Buckinghamshire = 白金漢郡(英格蘭南部)
perpetrator = 犯罪者,加害者,行兇者
better off = 景況教佳
do away with = 廢掉,去掉
The senior lecturer in criminology at Bucks New University in Buckinghamshire, England, sees so many misspellings in papers submitted by first-year students that he says we’d be better off letting the perpetrators off the hook and doing away with certain spelling rules altogether.

zero in on = 向…集中注意力,對準
cull = 選拔,揀出
Smith zeroes in on 10 candidates for variant spellings, culled from his students’ most commonly misspelled (or mispelled, as Smith suggests) words.

nerd = 討厭的人
stake = 棍子
proposal = 提案
Word nerds aren’t the only ones with a stake in the proposal.

advocate = 提倡
An international organization that has advocated simplified spellings since 1908.

illustrious = 有名的
malcontent = 不滿現狀的人,反抗者
Smith and Bovill are part of a long and illustrious line of spelling malcontents.

lexicography = 辭典編撰
lobby for = 從事幕後活動
traumatic = 外傷的
traumatic childhood spelling experiences
小時後拼字拼不對被挨打的經驗
Benjamin Franklin, Andrew Carnegie, Teddy Roosevelt and even Noah Webster, father of American lexicography, all lobbied for spelling reform, their reasons ranging from traumatic childhood spelling experiences to the hope that easier communication would promote peace.

institute = 制定
These countries have all instituted such reforms.

amend = 修定
Portugal in May amended its spelling to follow the simpler Brazilian rules.

aptly = 適切地,巧妙地
Since 1755, when the English language was standardized in Samuel Johnson’s aptly named Dictionary of the English Language, many variant spellings have become widely accepted on both sides of the pond.

purist = 純粹主義者
language purists

on the table = 公開的,擺在桌面上的
crowd = 一幫,一伙
Joe Pickett, executive editor of the American Heritage Dictionary, says that changes to dictionary entries are always on the table, but he and his seven fellow editors are a tough crowd.

rigorous = 嚴厲的
scrutiny = 細查
panel = (有代表性的)一組調查對象
orthographic = 拼字正確的
whizz (whiz) = 專家,絕頂聰明的人
Any word that seems to be a good candidate for an update undergoes rigorous scrutiny as the editors seek input from a panel of some 200 orthographic and lexicographic whizzes.

rote = 機械性的背誦,反覆
“In the 21st century, why learn by heart rote spelling when you can just type it into a computer and spell-check?” he asks.

magma:岩漿 hot liquid rock found just below the surface of the earth

geothermal:地熱的 of or connected with the heat inside the earth

megawatt:百萬瓦特 a unit for measuring electric power, which has the value of 1,000,000 standard units (equivalent to 1,000,000 watts)

tap (v): to obtain or make use of something

Researchers hope to tap an abundant power source in America’s Northwest

tame (v): to control something powerful

It could be tamed to help power the region.

inevitability (n): the quality of being certain to happen and unable to be prevented

Research in Cascades – an inevitability

under way (adj phr) referring to something that is beginning to exist or currently in progress

Even so, the hunt is under way, and some energy companies have zeroed in on areas that they think could be developed.

zero in on (phr v): to direct all your attention to one object

Even so, the hunt is under way, and some energy companies have zeroed in on areas that they think could be developed.

grumble:發牢騷
come around:改變立場
vegan:純素的,嚴守素食主義的

greasy:油膩的
fare: fancy word for food
overhaul:翻修
compost:堆肥
pile:一堆(composted pile)
sustainable:可以忍受的
cholesteral:膽固醇  []
disintegrate:使分解
degradable:能夠自然分解的
biodegradable:能夠自然無害地腐化的
scrap:碎片,小塊
target goal:一定要完成的目標

eloquent:雄辯的,有說服力的
I really enjoyed Mark’s presentation. It’s rare to hear such an eloquent speaker.

rival:競爭者,對手

full-down:

onerous:繁重的,麻煩的,負有義務的,有償的

frolic:歡樂,嬉戲,嘻鬧,歡樂的聚會(或遊戲)

chaperoned:陪伴的,護送的

nose-dived

spawned:生育的

rampant:繁茂的,蔓生的,猖獗的

perennial:終年的,常年的

tenacious:緊握的

blithe:歡樂的,快活的

stiff:硬的,挺的(stiff brush)
The shoes are brand new and the leather is still very stiff.

relic:遺物,殘片,遺跡,廢墟

artifact:人工製品,手工藝品,加工品

revive
(v) to bring something back to full strength 使復甦；振興
I watered my plants to revive them.
dissolve
(v) to cause a solid to be absorbed by a liquid 溶解
The cubes of sugar slowly dissolved in the hot coffee.
no-brainer
(n) something that is very simple to do or to understand; a choice that is obvious or easy 非常簡單的事情;不用動腦就能了解的事
The homework assignment was a no-brainer so I was able to finish it easily in only 15 minutes.
allocate
(v) to give something to someone as their share, for them to use in a particular way 分配；撥配
The teachers allocated the students their hotel rooms on the school trip.
sound bite
(n phr) a short sentence or phrase said publicly and likely to be repeated in newspapers or on television and radio 流傳於傳媒的金句或名言
The president’s sound bite on his latest plans for city improvements was played on every news station today.