abolish v.废除

同annul¹, abrogate², wipe out

In the United States, slavery was abolished during the Civil War.美国的奴隶制度在南北战争时被废除了。

adopt v.①接受；采用②收养

同1.embrace, accept 2.foster, take in

Our company has adopted the practice of allowing workers more flexible hours.

本公司已采用让员工有更多弹性上班时数的办法。

amateur n.业余者

同nonprofessional, dilettante³, hobbyist

This tennis competition is for amateurs only; no professionals are allowed to participate.

该网球比赛只提供给业余选手，职业选手不准参加。

arduous⁴ adj.费力的

同laborious⁵, toilsome, onerous⁶, strenuous⁷, difficult

Because construction work can be very arduous, few people want that kind of job.

因为建筑工作会很辛苦，所以很少人想从事这种行业。

barren adj.不毛的

同unproductive, infertile⁸, sterile⁹, desolate¹⁰

Many people moved away from the village because the farmland there had become barren.

许多人搬离了这个村庄，因为那里的土地已变得贫瘠。

carve v.刻

同cut, sculpture, slice

The sculptor¹¹ carved a figure of a sitting boy out of stone.

这位雕刻家用石头雕刻了一尊坐着的男童像。

coin v.铸造；编造

同create, invent, mold, fabricate

Physicists¹² call that particle a“quark”，a nonsense word coined by a famous Irish author.

物理学家称那种粒子为“夸克”，这个词没有任何含义，是一位著名的爱尔兰作家编造出来的。

contrive¹³ v.构想；设计

同devise, construct, design, concoct¹⁴, fabricate

The children contrived¹⁵ a pulley to lift things into their tree house.

这些小孩子设计了一个滑轮，可以将东西吊进他们树上的房子。

pulley n.滑轮

coy adj.娇羞的

同bashful, reserved, shy

He was charmed by the young woman’s coy smile.

他被这名年轻女子的娇羞笑容迷住了。