GRE备考指南：常见高频生词盘点

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    什么是面熟生词

　　面熟生词，顾名思义，就是这个单词有些部分你认识，或者每个部分你认识，可是合起来就不知道什么意思了。这些单词是我们在背诵词汇时，最容易忽略的单词，为什么呢？因为你一眼扫过去，以为自己认识，可在考场上真的一较真就未必真的知道。这必然是一件十分危险的事情。因此从今天我们每天都一起来学习面熟生词，为你的GRE考试加油打气。

　　backwater n. 一潭死水；沉寂不活跃；停滞

　　这个词总给人以后海的幻想，注意赶紧打消这个念头，这个叫做停滞或落后的意思。

　　If you refer to a place or institution as a backwater, you think it is not developing properly because it is isolated from ideas and events in other places and institutions。

　　例句： The destruction of the western Roman Empire led to a political and economic fragmentation that made western Europe an economic backwater for half a millennium。

　　moonshine n. 空谈；纸上谈兵

　　晚上的月光亮起来了，别幻想了，打住吧！快看英文解释。moonshine 就是empty talk 的意思。

　　If you say that someone's thoughts, ideas, or comments are moonshine, you think they are foolish and not based on reality。

　　例句：The lesson taught by the crash and the Great Depression was that the glorious dream of a self-regulating economy, free of government intervention and supervision, was moonshine。

　　brainchild n. 辛苦想出来的点子；想法

　　如果你的脑子生出了孩子，太可怕啦，没关系，不是脑残也不是脑瘤，而是你辛辛苦苦想出来的东西！

　　Someone's brainchild is an idea or invention that they have thought up or created。

　　例句： Facebook, the brainchild of Mark Zuckerberg while he was still studying at Harvard University, launched in February 2004.

　　deadpan adj. 面无表情的 n. 故意板脸搞笑

　　一个要死的平底锅？别逗了，这就是冰冰上课最常见的，板着脸！所以deadpan这个反义词，就是我们上课经常提到的demonstrative或者expressive。 demonstrative哪里见过？忘了小时代的经典片段了吗？undemonstrative panache!

　　而我们经常也会说deadpan humor。

　　Deadpan humor is when you appear to be serious and are hiding the fact that you are joking or teasing someone。

　　sidestep v. 回避，绕开

　　往边上迈一步？看来这个是意思最直接的一个词了。没错就是跟circumvent和bypass一样的意思。

　　If you sidestep a problem, you avoid discussing it or dealing with it。

　　例句： In ways large and small, millions of people are taking active steps tosidestep the medical mainstream, whether by taking herbal remedies for diseases or by placing their hopes for a cure in alternative treatment.，

　　upshot n. 结果，结局

　　有一种向上干了什么感觉对？不是啦，就是一个surprising result而已。

　　The upshot of a series of events or discussions is the final result of them, usually a surprising result。

　　upbeat adj. 乐观的；高兴的

　　到底往上打什么呢？其实就想你的心跳heartbeat一样，你可能真的不认识这些词。

　　If people or their opinions are upbeat, they are cheerful and hopeful about a situation.3. downsize

　　downsize v. 精简，缩小

　　感觉上尺寸有些变小，没错这个还是相对比较直观的。

　　To downsize something such as a business or industry means to make it smaller.4. impressionable

　　impressionable adj. 易受影响的，没有主见的

　　是不是被impress影响了，总有同学认为这个单词是印象深刻的！一定注意，表示的一个人，容易被其他人所impress。

　　Someone who is impressionable, usually a young person, is not very critical and is therefore easy to influence.5. personable

　　personable adj. 英俊的，风度翩翩的

　　难道是要幻化人形么？别搞笑了，这个词是外貌协会的最爱。

　　Someone who is personable has a pleasant appearance and character。

　　inviting

　　要邀请我去哪里呢？哈哈，中文我们常说引人入胜，就是这个词啦。像这样的词还有哪些？比方说，absorbing, engaging, engrossing, captivating, mesmerizing 等等都可以理解为吸引人。

　　liken v. 比拟，把…比作

　　是不是觉得好像进入了一种喜欢的状态？错！是进入了一种像……一样的状态。

　　If you liken one thing or person to another thing or person, you say that they are similar.8. wholesale

　　wholesale adj. 大规模的

　　甩卖啦！甩卖啦！全都卖吗？除了批发(与retail相对)之外，这个词考察的意思叫做大规模，大批的。

　　You use wholesale to describe the destruction, removal, or changing of something when it affects a very large number of things or people.9. wholesome

　　wholesome adj. 有益健康的

　　wow！这个单词曾经让我想入非非，三个人叫threesome， 两个人叫twosome，一个人是handsome，那1080p的大场面是不是才叫做wholesome呢？注意看清！这个词叫做有益健康的哦！

　　If you describe food as wholesome, you approve of it because you think it is good for your health and If you describe something as wholesome, you approve of it because you think it is likely to have a positive influence on people's behaviour or mental state, especially because it does not involve anything sexually immoral.10. defining

　　defining adj. 非常重要的

　　好像定义了什么？到底定义了什么？其实是critically important的意思。

　　例句： Taking a course in architecture was a defining turn in her life。