"the policy was inimical to Britain's real interests"：/iˈnimək(ə)l/ tending to obstruct or harm.
in-: not
-amicus: friend
Undertaking:
1) a formal pledge or promise to do something. Ex: "I give an undertaking that we shall proceed with the legislation"
2) a task that is taken on; an enterprise. Ex: a mammoth undertaking that involved digging into the side of a cliff face
Different badminton shots:
She hit a clear high and to the back of her opponent's court: a shot hit deep into the opponent's court
He was at the back of the court, so I played a drop shot and he couldn't reach it: a shot that just clears the net and then drops sharply
She played a forehand drive straight down the line and won the point: a fast hard shot
You can hit a net kill if the shuttlecock comes high over the net: fast downward shot that cannot be returned 网杀
Her lob flew high into the air and dropped into the back of the court, just inside the baseline: a shot that is hit in a high arc, usually over the opponent's head 吊球
Net shots are good to play if your opponent is in his or her rearcourt: a shot hit from the forecourt that just clears the net and drops sharply
She beat her opponent with a strong passing shot down the line : a shot which passes the opponent
He tried to play a push shot, but it was too soft and it went into the net: a soft shot played by pushing the shuttlecock with a little wrist motion 推射
A good player can surprise his or her opponent by disguising a short serve: a serve that barely clears the net and lands just inside the receiver's service court
Dan jumped high in the air and hit a powerful smash to win the rally: a powerful overhead shot 扣杀
serve: an act of hitting the ball or shuttlecock to start play 发球. Ex: The high serve is a powerful strike upwards with the shuttle, that aims to travel a great distance upwards and fall deep at the rear end of the court.
rally: a series of shots hit back and forth across the net. Ex: The crowd applauded after watching another long, exciting rally.
The umpire called my shot a carry, so I lost the point： an illegal stroke in which the shuttle is caught and held on the racket before being released; also called a "sling" or "throw"
It is also a fault if the shuttlecock hits the ceiling during a rally: a foul shot, such as one that hits the net or lands outside the court
Unlike in tennis, if a serve hits the top of the net and then goes over it isn't called a let.: a minor violation of the rules requiring a rally to be replayed
He was lucky when he hit a wood shot and the shuttlecock still went over the net: a legal shot in which the shuttlecock hits the frame of the racket
If his backhand is weak, play more to his left side. a stroke made on the side of the body opposite the racket side
backhand 反手<-> forehand 正手
The shuttlecock landed just inside the baseline： back line of the court
I ran to the backcourt to return his lob： rearcourt
You have to serve from inside your own service court: the area into which a serve must be hit
If you play from the forecourt, you'll have a better chance of hitting a winner.
forecourt: The part of the court between the service line and the net
a “winner”, is a shot that an athlete hits which doesn't come back and is not touched by the opponent.
The centre line divides the court into two service courts. a line that separates the left and right service courts
Jenny's accuracy means she serves lots of aces: a serve that the opponent fails to hit
serves: (in tennis and other racket sports) an act of hitting the ball or shuttlecock to start play.
Note: In tennis players use overhead serves, but in badminton they use underarm serves.
Players in singles matches try to get back to the home position whenever they can during a game.： central position on court which is halfway between the baseline and net, and the two sidelines
Badminton is a game that is played using racquets. A shuttle is used in the game
shuttle: shuttlecock/bird/birdie 羽毛球 The U.S. players say birdie instead of shuttlecock. shuttlecock (mostly used in North America)
racquet: racket, /ˈræk.ɪt/ 球拍
he shuffled the cards and cut the deck: rearrange (a deck of cards) by sliding the cards over each other quickly
oversight <-> oversee
"he had simply missed Parsons out by an oversight": an unintentional failure to notice or do something.
unintentional : /ˌʌn.ɪnˈten.ʃən.əl/
"the Home Secretary oversees the police service": supervise (a person or their work), especially in an official capacity.
Twitter has apparently suspended a user who previously unveiled a pedophilia flag they designed: sexual feelings directed towards children.
pedophilia / paedophilia : /ˌ /ˌpiː.dəˈfɪl.i.ə/ / <-> pedigree
pedo-: child
philía-L love
pedigree: the record of descent of an animal, showing it to be pure-bred 谱系
pes-: foot
Microsoft’s earnings were better than feared but not without caveats: /ˈkæv.i.æt/ a warning or proviso of specific stipulations, conditions, or limitations. Ex:
"there are a number of caveats which concern the validity of the assessment results"
proviso: /prəˈvaɪ.zəʊ/ a condition or qualification attached to an agreement or statement. Ex: "he let his house with the proviso that his own staff should remain to run it"
"she ate flaky rolls spread with cherry jam": /ˈfleɪ.ki/ breaking or separating easily into flakes.
ripple->river->torrent 涟漪->河流->激流
"the herd has British bloodlines going back 200 years":: an animal's set of ancestors or pedigree, especially with reference to the desirable characteristics bred into it.
pedigree: the record of descent of an animal, showing it to be pure-bred. Ex: "they are looking for animals with pedigrees"
"tears were coursing down her cheeks": [v] (of liquid) move without obstruction; flow.
He has no psychiatric diagnoses and is not taking any psychotropic medication.
psychiatric : /ˌsaɪ.kiˈæt.rɪk/ relating to mental illness or its treatment. Ex: "a psychiatric disorder"
psyche-: mind or soul
-iatreia: healing
psychotropic: /ˌsaɪ.kəˈtrəʊ.pɪk/ relating to or denoting drugs that affect a person's mental state精神药物. Ex: "a psychotropic drug"
psycho-: a turning
-tropic: to turn
He has struggled with low mood in the past
He denies any history of self-harm or attempts to end his life. He denies any past or current suicidal ideation.
suicidal : /ˌsuː.ɪˈsaɪ.dəl/
He has denied any history of mania, hypomania, psychosis, or psychiatric hospitalisation.
mania: /ˈmeɪ.ni.ə/ mental illness marked by periods of great excitement or euphoria, delusions, and overactivity. Ex:
"many people suffering from mania do not think anything is wrong"
euphoria: /juːˈfɔː.ri.ə/ a feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness. Ex: "in his euphoria, he had become convinced he could defeat them"
delusion: a false belief or judgment about external reality, held despite incontrovertible evidence to the contrary, occurring especially in mental conditions.
psychosis: /saɪˈkəʊ.sɪs/ a severe mental condition in which thought and emotions are so affected that contact is lost with external reality.
He has denied any history or current symptoms of body dysmorphic disorder: /dɪsˈmɔː.fɪk/ characterized by malformation 畸形的
drying laundry at common corridor blocks wheel chair to go .
jinx : <-> mascot
jinx: /dʒɪŋks/ a person or thing that brings bad luck.
mascot: /ˈmæs.kɒt/ a person, animal, or object adopted by a group as a symbolic figure especially to bring them good luck
Twitter has backtracked after an uproar for labeling the US radio network NPR as "state- affiliated media" and now calls it "government-funded." : retrace one's steps.
tailender: the last one 倒数第一
penultimate: /pəˈnəltəmət / last but one 或 next to last 倒数第二
paene-: almost
-ultimus: last
antepenultimate: the third from the last 倒数第三
ante-: before
the fourth from the last: 倒数第四
the fifth from the last: 倒数第五
...
third decimal place: 小数点后第三位