我为王精校版枪手:托福词汇21--25

　　Lesson 21 Escape 逃避　

　　Words:

　　barbarian n. 野蛮人

　　barbecue n. 吃烤肉的野餐；烧烤

　　barber n. 理发师

　　bare adj. 无遮蔽的，赤裸的，光（秃）的；仅有的，勉强的

　　barely adv. 仅仅，几乎不能

　　barge n. 驳船

　　bark n. 树皮；vi./n. 狗叫，咆哮

　　barn n. 谷仓；牲口棚

　　baroque adj. （艺术、建筑等）高度装饰的，过分雕琢的

　　barrage n. 火力网，弹幕；（言语等）猛烈攻击

　　barrel n. 桶

　　barren adj. 贫瘠的（不结果实的）；荒凉的（无人烟的）

　　barricade v. 设栅栏挡；使躲在路障（或挡墙）后面；n. 栅栏，障碍物

　　barrier n. 屏障，障碍；栅栏

　　barter n. 物品交换，易货贸易；vt. 物品交换，交换

　　basement n. 地下室

　　bashful adj. 害羞的，难为情的

　　basin n. 盆地

　　baste vt. （烤肉时）涂油，把油涂在（肉上）；殴打，公开责骂

　　batter v. 打坏，猛击；n. 击球手

　　I live an isolated life in a small basin between two mountain ridges at the edge of an ocean. Due to the bad soil, the land is barren. However, I have a barn full of animals that supply me with all the food I need. There’s nothing more satisfying than basting pig meat over a barbecue. The weather is pretty good. There is always enough rain to fill my water barrel. But sometimes, a fierce storm will batter the barn all right.

　　The rough life I lead has made me look and feel like a barbarian. The heat from the sun has baked my bare skin brown. I haven’t been to the barber for two years. As a result, I think I would be bashful if anyone found me. I don’t have any money but I don’t need it. You can’t buy anything here. You can’t even barter. However, I’m not completely out of touch with civilization. Every few months, I can hear the sound of an ocean barge passing in the distance. I always run to the ocean side to see it. It reminds me that I’m still human.

　　You might think that I’m barely surviving but the opposite is true. This is the only place where I can escape the horrible war in the city. In my mind, I can still hear the barrage of gunfire smashing through our wooden barriers. I can still remember spending months, helplessly barricaded in the basement of one of our many, once beautiful, baroque style buildings. My life is more peaceful now. Perhaps after the war, I’ll find my way back home.

　　What’s that I hear? It’s the bark of my dog. I’ve got to run. Another barge is passing by

　　在海边的两座山脊间不大的盆地上，我过着远离尘嚣的生活。由于土质太差，这里可谓是不毛之地。但我得谷仓里注满了动物，让我吃喝不用愁。天下之乐事莫过于野餐时往烤猪肉上抹油了。天气还不错，我的水桶总能装满雨水。但有时，一场狂暴的大雨能把谷仓嘭嘭拍上一整夜。

　　生活的艰辛让我看起来活像个野蛮人，而我自己的感觉也是如此。炙热的太阳将我裸露的皮肤烤成棕色。我有两年没去理发师那里剪头发了。所以，我想我会羞于见人。我没钱也不需要钱。这里什么也买不到，即便是物物交换都不可能。然而，我并没有完全脱离文明社会。每隔几个月，我都能听到远处海上的驳船经过这里时的声音。我总是跑到海边去看船，它提醒着我原来我还是个人。

　　你也许会认为我几乎无法生存，但事实恰恰相反。只有在这里，我才能远离城中可怕的战争。我的脑海里依然回荡着枪林弹雨轰然粉碎木质障碍物的声音。我依然记得那几个月躲在一幢曾因其式样美观而风光一时的巴罗克式建筑的地下室时的无助场面。现在我的生活平静多了。也许战争结束后，我会踏上回家的路。

　　Lesson 22 Killing with Kindness 以柔克刚

　　Words:

　　bead n. 珠子；（液体）小滴

　　beak n. 鸟嘴

　　beam n. 大梁；（光线的）束，柱

　　bear vt. 负担，支撑；生产，生育；n. 熊

　　beard n. 胡须

　　beat v. 打击，敲击；打败；adj. 疲倦的，拍子

　　becoming adj. 合适的，相称的；好看的，有吸引力的

　　bedrock n. 基础，基石

　　beforehand adv. 事先地

　　befuddle vt. 使酒醉昏迷；使迷惑，使迷糊

　　befuddled adj. 酒醉的，迷路的，困惑的

　　beget vt. 引起，产生

　　begrudge vt. 嫉妒；吝啬，舍不得给，勉强给

　　behalf n. on behalf of…..代表，作为。。。的代表

　　behave vi. 举止，表现

　　behavior n. 举止，行为

　　behold v. 目睹，看见

　　belie vt. 给人错觉，掩饰

　　belittle vt. 轻视，贬低

　　belligerent adj. 交战的，好斗的，好战的

　　Sometimes, it’s difficult t behave like a gentleman. It’s especially hard when the person talking to you is belligerent and trying to belittle you in front of others. You might feel like beating him and burying him as deep as bedrock, but don’t. Remember, violence begets more violence. Of course, it’s easier said than done.

　　My cousin Tom comes drunk to our family reunions every year and always manages to insult my family members. “Your nose is looking more and more like the beak of a bird,” he would tell my daughter. “Those red beads don’t look becoming on you,” he would say to my wife. “Is that your beard or a bird’s nest,” he would ask me.

　　I think, deep in his heart, Tom has always begrudged me. His occasional smile belies his true feelings of envy. I wish that someone would shine a beam of light in his eyes and ask him why he feels this way.

　　In any event, because I must act as the host of the reunion on behalf of my parents, I have to be on my best behavior. As my mother keeps reminding me, I must bear the responsibility of keeping things friendly. To tell you the truth, I wouldn’t have agreed to be the host if I had known it was going to be like this beforehand.

　　Well, this year, I decided to change my strategy with Tom. Instead of reacting to his insults with anger, I tried to befuddle him with kind words. Strangely enough, when he becomes befuddled, he can’t speak and he just walks away. The kindness just kills him. It’s truly a sight to behold

　　有时，表现的像个绅士并不容易，当你面对一个好斗而又极力在众人前贬低你的人时尤为如此。你也许很想揍他一顿，然后把他埋得深如一块基石，但还是别那样。记住，暴力只会招致更多的暴力。当然，这话说起来容易做起来难。

　　每年我的表兄汤姆都会醉醺醺地前来参加家庭聚会，而且总是设法将我的家人羞辱一番。“你的鼻子越来越像鸟嘴了。”他对我的女儿如是说。“那些红珠子带在你身上不好看。”他对我的妻子这般说。“你那是胡子还是鸟窝？”他会这样问我。

　　我想在汤姆的内心深处，他一贯是嫉妒我的。他脸上偶尔出现的微笑掩盖了他的嫉妒心。我真希望有人能让他的眼前亮一束光，问问他为什么要嫉妒。

　　无论如何，我得代表父母主持家庭聚会，因此我必须举止得体，令人无可挑剔。正如母亲时常提醒我的，我必须负责营造一种和睦相处的家庭气氛。说实话，要是事先知道做主人会是这样，我就不会答应这差事了。

　　Lesson 23 Man’s Best Friend 人类最好的朋友

　　Words:

　　beneath prep./adv. 在……之下

　　benefactor n. 行善者，捐助者

　　beneficial adj. 有益的，有利的

　　beneficiary n. （礼物、馈赠等的）受益者，（遗产的）受益人

　　benefit n. 利益，好处；vt. 得意，得到好处

　　benevolent adj. 慈善的，仁义的

　　benign adj. （人）亲切和蔼的；（病）良性的

　　bequeath n. 遗赠，遗留

　　bequest n. 遗产，遗物

　　berate v. 猛烈责骂

　　bereave v. 剥夺，夺去

　　beseech v. 恳求，祈求

　　besides adv. 除了…..还有

　　besiege vt. 围攻；拥在…周围；围住；困扰

　　bestow vt. 给予，赐赠（祝福、奖励、荣誉等）

　　betray vt. 背叛；（非故意地）暴露，显露

　　beverage n. (除水之外的)饮料

　　bias n. 偏见，偏好

　　bicameral adj. 两院制的，有两个议院的

　　bicker vi. 口角，斗嘴

　　Mr. Rich was a wealthy man and a great benefactor to the community. During his lifetime, he bestowed many gifts upon the poor and disabled. His sudden death bereaved us all of his unique wisdom and benign sense of humor. He would always be remembered for being a kind and benevolent man. Besides that, he would also be remembered for trying to keep peace among his relatives.

　　However, it wasn’t long before Mr. Rich relatives began to bicker over who should inherit his money. The fighting was not beneficial to anyone. They berated each other for being selfish and beseeched the court to grant a reading of the will. The bicameral court assigned the reading of the will to its superior branch and scheduled the reading for Monday. On Monday morning, the horde of people besieged the superior courthouse. The relatives who believed they would be beneficiaries gathered in front of the judge’s bench. They were anxious to hear what benefits of bequest they would receive. Beverages were served to keep everyone cool and comfortable.

　　Finally, the judge entered the room and sat down. The will, which had been sealed, lay beneath him. Reaching down, he picked up the will and unsealed it. The he read it along.

　　“Greeting to everyone. I know that all of you are probably arguing over how much money you should receive from me. Please don’t feel betrayed when I say, among you, there isn’t a single selfless person without a bias. For this reason, I have decided to bequeath my entire fortune to the only loyal friend that I have, Ralph. Ralph, you’re the finest friend and pet dog a man could ever have!”

　　瑞奇先生是个有钱人，也是这个社区的一大行善者。他一生中为穷人和残疾人捐赠了许多礼物。他的猝死让我们所有人再也无法拥有他那独特的智慧和亲切的幽默。我们将永远铭记他的善良和慷慨。除此之外，我们还将记住他为维持亲属间和睦关系所作出的努力。

　　然而，瑞奇先生死后不久，他的诸多亲属就开始为分财产而争吵不休。争吵对任何人都没有好处。他们责骂彼此的自私，并恳求法院准许他们阅读一次遗嘱。两院制法院将这一事宜交给了两院中的最高级法院处理，并定于周一读遗嘱。周一上午，一大堆人将高级法院挤了个水泄不通。那些自认为会是遗产受益人的亲友们聚集在法官席前，他们急着想知道自己将得到的好处或者说遗产。法庭上还端来了饮料，让他们凉爽些、舒服些。

　　最后，法官终于走出法院，坐下身来，那份密封了的遗嘱就躺在他眼皮子底下。他伸出手，拿起遗嘱，将它拆开。然后，大声念道：

　　Lesson24 The Assignment 任务

　　Words:

　　bidding n. 投标；命令，要求

　　bigoted adj. 固执己见的，偏执的，顽固的

　　bilateral adj. 两边的，双边的

　　bill n. 账单，发票；（细长或扁平的）鸟嘴；议案，法案；钞票，钱币

　　billion n./adj. 10亿（的）

　　biography n. 传记

　　biological diversity 生物多样性

　　biologist n. 生物学家

　　bison n. 美洲或欧洲的野牛

　　bitter adj. 令人痛苦的；尖酸、刻薄的

　　bizarre adj. 指（态度、容貌、款式等）奇异的，古怪的

　　blackmail vt. 勒索，讹诈

　　blame vt. 谴责，责备；n. 过失，责备

　　bland adj. 淡味的，无味的

　　blanket n. 毯子；厚的覆盖物

　　blasphemous adj. 亵渎神灵的，不敬神的

　　blast furnace 鼓风炉

　　blast off (火箭、航天飞机等)发火起飞，发射上天

　　blaze vi. 燃烧，照耀

　　blazing adj. 炽烧的，闪耀的

　　His eyes blazed with excitement. “I’ve got an important assignment for you,” he said, as he glanced back down at a newspaper. “The leaders of our nation have just signed a bilateral travel treaty with the isolated country of Bandu on the African continent, and I want you to go down there right away to do research for a biography.”

　　The research my boss wanted was for a biography about Bob Boon. Boon was a brilliant biologist who was somewhat bigoted when it came to discussing politics or religion. He was known for making blasphemous statements. He spent most of his adult years studying animals in the country of Bandu. He was one of the first scientists to successfully track the migratory patterns of the bison. Boon was also a strong advocate for maintaining biological diversity.

　　My boss pays me quite well to do his bidding. He owns a billion-dollar publishing company, and when he sets his mind on doing a story, he doesn’t care about the bill.

　　So here I am in Bandu, surrounded by bizarre animals and bitter food. Frankly, I’d rather eat bland food. It’s freezing here at night and my blanket doesn’t keeping me warm. During the day, it is as hot as a blast furnace. Last week, the blazing sun caused a fire that blazed out of control for several days.

　　I hate these assignments to remote areas. But I always end up accepting the job. It’s not as though I was blackmailed into coming here. I have no one to blame but myself. I just hope that my next assignment doesn’t require that I blast off to the moon!

　　他的双眼兴奋地闪耀着。“我有个重大任务让你干。”他说道，一面低头瞟了眼报纸。“我国领导人刚刚同非洲到过班杜签署了一项双边旅游条约，我要你立刻去班杜，给一本传记做研究。”

　　老板制定的研究对象是关于鲍勃布恩的传记。布恩是一名出色的生物学家，但谈起政治和宗教，他却有些顽固不化。他以放些亵渎神灵的狂词著称。他壮年时大多时候都在班杜研究动物。他是最早追踪野牛迁徙习性的科学家之一，还是维持生物多样性的坚决拥护者。

　　老板命令的任务酬金丰厚。老板拥有一家资产10亿的出版社，而且当他决意要搞到一个故事时，毫不在乎账单上的开资多寡。

　　于是我来到班杜，置身于奇珍异兽和苦涩的食物的包围中。说实话，我宁可吃淡而无味的食物。这里晚上冷得要死。我的毯子一点也不暖和。白天，这里又热得想鼓风炉。上周，炽热的太阳导致了一场大火，火苗失控的烧了好几天。

　　Lesson 25 Winter Suprise 惊喜在冬季

　　Words:

　　 bleach vt. 去色，漂泊

　　 bleak adj. 荒凉的，凄凉的

　　 blemish n. 缺点，污点；vt 玷污

　　 blend vt. 混合，掺混；n. 混合（物）

　　 blessed adj. 神圣的；降福的，幸运的；带来愉快的，使人舒服的

　　 blessing n. 祝福，恩赐

　　 blink v. 眨眼

　　 bliss n. 幸福，极乐

　　 blizzard n. 暴风雪

　　 block n. 一块（木或石等）；街区；vt. 障碍，阻止

　　 bloom n./vi. 花/开花

　　 blossom n./vi. 花/开花

　　 blues n. 抑郁，沮丧；忧郁布鲁斯歌曲（蓝调音乐）

　　 bluff n. 陡峭的悬崖绝壁；虚张声势，吓唬

　　 blunt adj. (说话)直言不讳；（刀、铅笔等）钝的，不尖的

　　 blush vi. 脸红，羞愧

　　 board n. (薄而平的)木板；委员会；膳食费用；vt. 上（船、飞机等）

　　 boarder n. 寄宿人；搭伙人

　　 boarding-house n. 寄宿公寓

　　 boast v./n. 自夸，以有。。。而自豪

　　 I live in a boarding-house during the school year. My room is rather large, but I share it with another boarder.

　　Yesterday, my roommate had told me that there would be a blizzard today. He’s always boasting that he knows the weather. I though it was just a bluff to get me to stay home from school. I was rather blunt in my reply.

　　However, I blushed when I looked out of the window this morning and saw that he was right. I had to blink my eyes several times just to be sure. An overnight storm had bleached the ground with seventeen inches of snow. Because the roads were blocked by the snowfall, I wouldn’t be able to board my usual bus to school. My outlook seemed rather bleak.

　　Then my roommate said, “Hey, you really need to take a break from your studies. Why don’t you just rest your brain, blend some fruit drinks, and listen to blues music?”

　　“It’s true, I’m probably in need of a rest, ” I replied.

　　Well, it turned out to be the most relaxing day I’ve had all year. I guess the sudden storm was really a blessing in disguise!

　　我读书时住在一栋寄宿公寓，房间颇大，但我得跟另一个寄宿者合住。

　　已是深秋十一月，但花儿依然盛开。就在昨天，我还在路旁看到了几朵美丽的红花。这些赏心悦目的花儿真美，它们没有一处瑕疵。能在秋天看到这些花儿让我一阵狂喜，我并不知道这将是我最后一次看到他们。

　　昨天，我的室友告诉我今天会有暴风雪。他总是吹牛，说自己能预知天气。我想这不过是虚张声势，想让我逃课。我的回答相当直言不讳。

　　然而，今天早晨我朝窗外望去，不禁脸红了：他居然说准了。我使劲眨了几下眼睛，才确信没有弄错。一夜的风雪把大地给漂白了，地上的积雪深达17英寸。由于下雪，道路被阻断，我也没法乘班车上学了，前景惨淡。

　　这时我的室友说道：“喂，你真该歇歇了，别老是学习。你干嘛不休息一下大脑、调点果汁、听点蓝调音乐呢？”

　　“是啊，我也许需要休息一下了。”我回答到。

　　这样，我度过了一年中最放松的一天。我猜这场突然的暴风雪貌似灾祸，实则是福啊