BRS PreCollege Vocab: Words From the Ancients

Terms in this set (31)

atlas
(When I looked at an atlas from 1958 I saw many of the names of African countries had changed.)
(n) a book of maps, usually of the world
Atlas was the Ancient Greek God pictured with the world on his back.
地图集
chimera
(A happy family vacation will be only a chimera until my parents find employment.)
(n) something that only exists in the imagination. A Chimera was an ancient Greek imaginary monster.
假象的怪兽
chronic
(His chronic cough was a symptom of his lung disease.)
(adj) continuing or happening repeatedly; Chronus was the Greek God of Time
慢性
chronological
( Her story was told chronologically, from the author's birth on a plantation, childhood as a slave, and escape to an adulthood of freedom)
(adj) in order, by time
按时间顺序
fortune
(I couldn't believe my good fortune when I saw I had the winning lottery ticket.)
(n) luck; chance; fate
The Roman goddess Fortuna was thought to control people's destinies.
幸运
Antonym: misfortune
fortunate
(Lucy is fortunate to have a son who lives in New York near many great museums, theaters, and restaurants)
(adj) lucky
幸运的
forum
(The university held a forum to discuss how students and faculty could help with the refugee crisis.)
(n) a meeting to discuss a topic
座谈会
herculean
(Rebuilding the town after the hurricane's destruction is a herculean task that will take years.)
(adj) very large or difficult
费力的
hygienic
(The hospital operating room was kept hygienic to keep it free of infection causing germs.)
(adj) clean, germ free
卫生的
hypnotize
( So hypnotizing were Liam's eyes that I found myself staring into them. Soon I was in a hypnotic state.)
(v, adj) to attract someone in a powerful way, trancelike
催眠
iridescent
(The hummingbird had iridescent feathers of blue and green that shimmered in the light.)
(adj) shining with many different colors
彩虹
jovial
(My brother is a very jovial man, who laughs at everything.)
(adj) full of happiness and joy; cheerful
快活的
fury
(When The Greek goddess Hera caught her husband Zeus cheating on her with a young nymph, she went into a fury.
(n) extreme anger
愤怒
labyrinth
(We enjoyed getting lost in the labyrinth behind the mansion.)
(n) a place with many confusing paths or passageways
迷宫
lethal
(Deaths from lethal overdoses of opium-based pain medications are on the rise in the United States.)
(adj) something dangerous, able to cause death
致命
lethargic
(At14 years old, my dog is so lethargic she won't even walk three steps to get a food treat.)
(adj) a lack of energy or interest
昏睡的
lunar
(We watched the lunar eclipse turn the moon into a glowing orange ball in the sky.)
(adj) of or relating to the moon 太阴
lunatic
(Joe was acting like a lunatic, making stupid faces and shrieking like a monkey.)
(n) a crazy person
疯子
martial
(Kira studied martial arts and became so good at Judo, she could through a large to the ground.)
(adj) having to do with warriors or war
军事的
mentor
(Amanda's first mentor was the high school science teacher who convinced her to become a chemist. Then in university she was mentored by a Nobel Prize winner )
(n, v) role model, guide, advisor, to advise
顾问
narcissist
(The narcissist carried a mirror with him everywhere and constantly looked at his reflection.)
(n) someone in love with him- or herself.
自我陶醉者
odyssey
(He set out on an odyssey to discover the limits of his strength.)
(n) a long journey full of adventure.
奥德赛
panic
(When the overcrowded bridge began to sway, people began to panic causing many to be injured.)
(n) state of uncontrolled fear and chaos
恐慌
psychic
(She claimed to have psychic abilities to read people's minds and change their opinions.)
(adj) strange and unnatural mental abilities such as to know the future or talk to the dead
精神的
python
(A python can crush a large animal and then swallow it whole.)
(n) a large snake that crushes its prey to death
蛇属
siren
(She was like the sirens of myth; strange, beautiful, dangerous and irresistible.)
(n) something that makes a high-pitched, loud sound; an attractive, mysterious woman
妖艳而危险的女人
stamina
(Long distance runners need the stamina to keep going long after most people would give up.
(n) the physical or mental strength that allows you to persist. The word comes from a Latin word meaning "threads woven by Fate."
体力；耐力
tantalize
(When I want to lose weight, I have to close my eyes when I go into a bakery because the sight of sweets is so *tantalizing")
(v) to cause someone to feel interest or excitement about something that is very attractive, appealing.
逗人的；煽情的
telepathy
(If only we could communicate through telepathy we
would be able to avoid so many misunderstandings.)
(n) communicating thoughts directly from one person's mind to another person's mind without using words or signals
心灵感应
titanic
(When the meteor hit the earth it caused a titanic explosion that affected the weather for years.)
(adj) very great in size, force or power
十分巨大的
volcano
(When the volcano erupted, the lava burst skyward and lit up the night.)
(n) a mountain with a hole in the top that sometimes explodes and sends out rocks, ash, and lava
火山
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