Unit 12 A Case of “Severe Bias”Words and Expressions综合教程四.doc

UNIT 12 A CASE OF “SEVERE BIAS” Words and Expressions illiterate: a. (1) not able to read or writee.g. You must be illiterate if you’ve never heard of Marx. He is musically illiterate. addicted: a. (1) unable to stop taking or using sth. as a habit e.g. become addicted to drugs, alcohol, tobacco, etc. (2) strongly interested in sth. as a hobby or pastime e.g. He is addicted to TV soap operas. dysfunctional: a. abnormally functioning e.g. Children from a dysfunctional family is more likely to be shy. Antonym: functional e.g. After repairs, the railroad is functional again. I’m hardly functional if I don’t get eight hours’ sleep! insidious: a. spreading or acting gradually and unnoticed but with harmful effects e.g. He had insidiously wormed his way into her affections. The leaflets were a more insidious form of propaganda. Synonym: sinister, menacing e.g. a sinister motive/action There was something cold and sinister about him. a menacing face/tone At night, the dark streets become menacing. warfare: n. (1) the activity of fighting a war, especially using particular weapons or methods e.g. There were many countries engaged in warfare. (2) the activity of competing in an aggressive way with another group, company, etc. e.g. The debate soon degenerated into open warfare. Comparison: warfare war warfare: the activity of fighting in a war, used esp. when talking about particular methods of fighting e.g. diplomatic/economic warfare war: fighting between two or more countries or opposing groups within a country, involving large numbers of soldiers and weapons e.g. If a war breaks out, many other countries will be affected. on welfare: the state of receiving money paid by the government to support one’s life e.g. More and more people are living on welfare as a result of the financial crisis. deduce: v. arrive at (facts, a theory, etc.) by reasoning; infer sth. e.g. Detectives deduced from the clues who had committed