1、Unit 10 A Debt to DickensWords and Expressions1. render: v. cause sb. or sth. to be in a particular condition; give sth.to sb.or do sth., because it is your duty or because sb. expects you toe.g. He was rendered almost speechless by the news. It is an obligation of ours to render assistance to those

2、 in need.Derivation: rendering: n.2. inestimable: adj. too great, precious, etc. to be estimatede.g. Your advice has been of inestimable value to us. The value of your assistance is inestimable.Synonym: invaluable3. obligation: sth. that must be done because of a duty or promisee.g. You can look aro

3、und the shop with no obligation to buy. We attended the party more out of a sense of obligation than anything else. 我們參加那個聚會是迫于人情，而并無別的原因。Derivations: oblige: v. obliged: adj.Collocation: under an obligation (to): having a duty (to)e.g. We are invited, but we are under no obligation to go.4. solitar

4、y: adj. spending a lot of time alone; doing sth. without any companion e.g. One solitary tree grew on the mountainside. Pandas are solitary creatures.Synonym: aloneAntonyms:sociable; accompanied5. treacherous: adj. behaving with treachery, (showing signs of) betraying a person or cause secretly; dan

5、gerous, esp. when seeming to be safee.g. We cannot trust treacherous people. The ice on the lake is treacherous, not as strong or thick as it looks.Derivation:treachery: n.Synonym: unreliable6. linger: v. stay for a long time and be reluctant to leave; be slow; dawdlee.g. She lingered after the conc

6、ert, hoping to meet the star. They lingered over coffee and missed the train.Derivations:lingerer: n.lingering: adj.Synonyms: stay; remainCollocations: linger about/around/on7 alien: adj. foreign; strange; unfamiliar; contrarye.g. As she stayed in an alien land, she lived in an alien environment. Su

7、ch principles are alien to our religion.Derivation:alienate: vCollocation: alien to: very different in nature or character, esp. so different as to cause dislike or oppositione.g. Their ideas are quite alien to our way of thinking.Antonym:native8. heed: v. give attention to; consider seriouslye.g. S

8、he didnt heed my warning/advice. Their offspring do not heed to what they say.Derivations: heed: n. heedful: adj. heedless: adj.Collocations: pay heed to take heed (of sth.)9. isolate: v. separate; single; solitary; standing alonee.g. Several villages have been isolated by the floods. The poor girl

9、from an isolated village was deeply impressed by the tall buildings in the city.Derivations: isolation: n. isolated: adj.Collocations: isolate sth. (from sth.) in isolationComparison: isolate, insulateinsulate: protect sb./sth. from the unpleasant effects of sth.e.g. Children are carefully insulated

10、 from harmful experiences The royal family is insulated from many of the difficulties faced by ordinary people. 普通百姓面臨的許多難處皇室成員都不必面對。10. voracious: adj. having an extremely strong desire to do or have a lot of sth.e.g. Teenagers usually have voracious appetites.She is a voracious reader of biographi

11、es.Derivation: voracity: n. adj.Synonym: greedy11. somber: (BrE: sombre) adj. dark-colored; dull and dismal; sad and seriouse.g. She prefers to wear somber clothes. You could see a sombre expression on his face that day.Derivation:somberness: n.Synonyms: serious; grave; dark12. desperate: adj. feeli

12、ng or showing great despair and ready to do anything regardless of danger; in great need (of sth./to do sth.)e.g. The prisoners grew more desperate with the approaching date of execution. She is desperate for money.Derivation: desperation: n.Collocation:desperate for sth./to do sth.13. peril: n. ser

13、ious danger, esp. of death; a dangerous thing or circumstancee.g. These birds are able to survive the perils of the Arctic winter.這些鳥能在北極的嚴冬中生存。 The bicycle has no breaks. If you ride it, you will be in mortal peril.Derivation: perilous: adj.Collocations: at ones peril: with a risk of harm to onesel

14、f (used esp when advising sb. not to do sth.) in peril of ones life: in danger of deathSynonym: danger14. descend: v. come or go down; lead downwardse.g. The sun descended behind the hills.The Queen descended the stairs.Derivations: descendant: n. descended: adj.Collocation: descend on/upon: (of a g

15、roup of people) to attack; to arrive, esp. in large numbers, to visit or stay with, often unexpectedly. descend to: to lower oneself toAntonym:ascend15. agile: adj. able to move quickly and easilye.g. Monkeys are agile, hence the idiom “as agile as a monkey”.This little boy has an agile mind.Derivat

16、ion: agility: n.Synonym: nimble16. rouse: v. (fml) wakene.g. The noise roused me from/out of a deep sleep.The speaker tried to rouse his listeners to action.Derivation: rousing: adj.Collocations: rouse from/out of rouse to17. wretched: adj. very unhappy, miserable or pitiable; causing unhappiness or

17、 miserye.g. He is in bed with a bad cold, feeling rather wretched. What wretched weather!Derivation: wretchedness: n.18. indecision: n. hesitation; the state of being unable to make a decisione.g. She was standing outside the house in an agony of indecision.At a critical moment, we should act decisively instead of being seized with indecision.Derivation:indecisive: adj.Antonym:decision19. resolve: v. decide firmly; determine; make a decisione.g. Once she has resolved on doing it, you wont get her to change her mind. He resolved