Upscale, 是高档的，高阶层的。 "An upscale community," 就是一个高档社区。巴基斯坦首都星期一发生炸弹爆炸。 "A bomb exploded outside the Danish Embassy in an upscale area," 炸弹是在位于高阶层社区的丹麦大使馆外面爆炸的。 "The developer plans to turn the old castle into an upscale hotel," 开发商计划将这座古城堡改建成一个高档宾馆。 "The upscale fashion brand aims at young career women," 这款高档时装品牌的销售对象主要是年轻的职业女性。
Necessary evil, 是明知不好，但又必不可少的人或事。 "Caffeine is a necessary evil for college students," 咖啡因虽然不是什么好东西，但却是大学生活中不可缺少的。
房贷市场的问题，拖垮了不少贷款银行。有人认为， "Bailing out the banks is a necessary evil," 挽救这些银行虽然不对，但却是必须要做的。国际石油价格高涨的今天， "Americans who drive big cars think oil is a necessary evil," 开大车的美国人认为，汽油虽然昂贵，但又离不开它。
Last-ditch, 是最后防线的意思。 "A death-row inmate pinned his last-ditch hope on the governor's pardon," 死刑犯把最后一线希望寄托于州长的特赦。 "The candidates made their last-ditch appeals for public support before the vote," 投票前，候选人最后一次争取民众的支持。 "The millionaire made a last-ditch bid to buy the club," 这个百万富翁最后一次报价，希望能把俱乐部买下来。
Runaway, 是指取得巨大成功，获得压倒性胜利。 "A runaway winner," 摇摇领先的胜利者。 "The book is a runaway best seller," 这本书极为畅销。 "The team scored a runaway victory in the final," 球队在决赛中赢得了压倒性胜利。 "The film is a runaway box-office success," 这部影片票房的卖座率极高。 "The Wii has proven to be the runaway hit of the video game industry," 任天堂生产的Wii游戏机在电子游戏行业获得了巨大的成功。
Standstill, 是停顿的意思。 "China came to a standstill on Monday to mourn victims of the earthquake," 星期一，中国全国默哀，悼念四川大地震的死难者。 "A police chase caused an hours-long traffic standstill on a major highway," 警察的追捕行动让一条主要高速公路上的车辆陷入了好几个小时的停顿。 "The tourist town was brought to a standstill by roadwork this weekend," 这个旅游小镇上周末因为修路，一切活动都陷入了停顿
take no chances，意思是谨慎行事，争取万无一失，比如《华盛顿邮报》的标题说: "taking no chances after terrorist plot," 指得是伦敦破获恐怖袭击阴谋后，华盛顿警方采取了严密措施，不放过任何漏洞。
我们在生活常常需要作这样的抉择：to take a chance or not take a chance, that is the question....你想上一个好大学，找个好工作，都需要谨慎考虑。When it comes to decision making, I take no chances. 我呢，是把各方面都考虑周全了，才作决定。不过，人有的时候也需要冒点险，这样生活才有意思，
Uphill, 是上坡的意思，引伸为艰难的，费力的。 "An uphill battle," 就是一场艰苦的战斗。美国民主党总统参选人希拉里.克林顿星期二赢得了西维吉尼亚州党内初选的胜利。"She vowed to keep her uphill bid alive," 她发誓要将艰苦的选战继续下去。"Winning the case is an uphill battle," 要打赢这场官司很艰苦。
美式足球各球队的训练营七月份将陆续开始。"Many players will face an uphill battle to avoid being cut," 很多队员都要经过艰苦的努力，避免被球队淘汰。
Swell就是肿，打肿了脸充胖子的肿。可是，swell这个词还可以用在别的场合。美国报纸在报导以色列轰炸黎巴嫩时说，以色列同意让人道援助"...reach the swelling ranks of displaced Lebanese civilians..." - 让人道援助抵达黎巴嫩日益增长的流离失所的民众。
Swell还能指东西的增长。美国报纸说，华盛顿地区的房价在持续五年增长后开始下降。报导的小标题说：Inventories Swell in Parts of D.C. Region.意思是：华盛顿部分地区的房屋存货正在增加。房价下降会吸引买主吗？
Snag的原意是暗礁。一艘船碰到暗礁就搁浅了。所以， snag也就是障碍；什么东西卡住了，动不了了。一个新电影在华盛顿首次演出，来了许多电影明星。报纸报导说："Then there was the traffic snag for the premiere," 电影首次演出造成交通堵塞。
共和党想通过国会正式任命John Bolton为驻联合国大使，但是受到阻挠 -- Republican efforts to confirm Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations hit a snag。一个年轻人看见一辆他梦寐以求的跑车，但是，His plan to buy that dream car hit a snag，因为银行不给他贷款。I run into a snag while shopping last night，昨晚我买东西没买成，因为忘了钱包。
美国一些女孩穿的T恤衫上印有暗示色情的字句。如：我知道男孩要什么。这让老师们坐立不安, The suggestive messages made the teachers uneasy。一个母亲对女儿穿得袒胸露背非常生气, "A mother was angry with her daughter's suggestive outfit." 可是你要想给老板提建议的话，你该说: I have a suggestion，绝不能用suggestive这个词。 切记，切记
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