After graduation he took a succession of low-paid jobs. 毕业后他干了一连串报酬低微的工作。

liberal

a.

1 (~ arts) school or college subjects that give students a general education and teach them to think rather than those subjects that develop practical skills 文科

The liberal arts are college or university subjects such as history, languages and literature but not sciences. 文科是学院或大学的如历史、语言和文学之类的学习科目，而不是理科学科。

2 accepting different opinions and ways of behaving and tending to be sympathetic to other people 心胸宽广的；开明的

She is known to have liberal views on divorce. 人们知道她对离婚持有开明的观点。

logical

a.

connecting ideas or reasons in a sensible way 合乎逻辑的；合理的

It is logical to think that when people are deprived of their familiar surroundings they will feel disoriented. 脱离熟悉的环境时，人们会感到迷失方向，这样想是符合逻辑的。 Only when each logical step has been checked by other mathematicians will the proof be accepted. 只有当其他数学家检查了每一个合乎逻辑的步骤后，这个证据才会被接受。

bound

a.

(~ to) sth. that is bound to happen will almost certainly happen 一定的；几乎肯定的 The weather is bound to get better tomorrow. 明天的天气肯定更好。

dominant

a.

more important, powerful, or successful than the other people or things of the same type 有优势的；占统治地位的

Unemployment rate will be the dominant issue at the next president election. 失业率将是下次总统选举中的主要话题。

pillar

n. [C]

1 a very important part of a system of beliefs or ideas （信仰或思想）非常重要的部分 Equality is one of the pillars of a stable society. 平等是一个稳定社会的支柱之一。 IBM's three pillars of business wisdom are service, people, and perfection. IBM其商业智慧的三大支柱是服务、人员、和完美。

2 a thick strong upright post that supports part of a building 柱子；支柱 Eight massive stone pillars supported the roof. 八根巨大的石柱支撑起房顶。

vivid

a.

having or producing very clear and detailed images in the mind 清晰的；生动的 He gave a very vivid and often shocking account of his time in prison. 他描述了他在监狱的往事，非常生动，也非常令人震惊。

compel

vt.

force sb. to do sth. 强迫；迫使

As a school boy, he was compelled to wear shorts even in winter. 当他还是一个在校的小男孩时，即使在冬天他也被迫穿短裤。

compelling

a.

interesting or exciting enough to keep your attention completely 有强烈吸引力的；引人入胜的

Steve Jobs‘ life makes a compelling story. 史蒂夫·乔布斯的一生是一个引人入胜的故事。

promote

vt.

support or encourage sth. 支持；鼓励；提倡

To acknowledge other cultures will promote good will among people of different backgrounds. 承认别人的文化会促进不同背景的人之间的友好亲善。

speculate

v.

consider or discuss why sth. has happened 思索；沉思；推测；猜测

Archeologists speculate that people first reached the islands over 1,000 years ago. 考古学家们推测人类第一次到达这些岛屿是在一千多年前。

Scientists can only speculate on life on other planets. 科学家只能推测生活在其他行星上的生命。

mystery

n.

[C, usu. sing.] sth. that you are not able to understand, explain, or get information about 不可思议的事物；无法解释的事物；谜

No one had ever been able to explain the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle. 从来没有人能够解释百慕大三角之谜。

destruction

n.

[U] damage that is so severe that sth. stops existing or can never return to its normal state 毁灭；摧毁；破坏

The destruction caused by too many wars and the death of millions of people shook the foundation of Western idealism. 太多的战争所造成的破坏和数以百万计人的死亡动摇了西方理想主义的基础。

self-destruction

n.

[U] the practice of deliberately doing things that are likely to seriously harm or kill yourself 自残；自毁

unconscious

a.

relating to or coming from the part of your mind in which there are thoughts and feelings that you do not realize you have 潜意识的；下意识的；无意识的

I don‘t know if he noticed my unconscious desire. 我不知他是否注意到我潜意识的愿望。

destructive

a.

causing severe damage or harm 破坏性的；毁灭性的

Lack of trust is very destructive in a relationship. 缺乏信任在人际关系中是很具有破坏性的。

architect

n.

[C] sb. whose job is to design buildings 建筑师

He is the architect of this building, and he‘s always on the construction site. 他是这个大楼的建筑师，他总出现在施工现场。

philosopher

n.

[C] sb. who studies and tries to explain the meaning of things such as life, knowledge, or beliefs 哲学家；哲人

Plato was a Greek philosopher. 柏拉图是古希腊哲学家。

landscape

n. [C]

1 a photograph or painting showing an area of countryside or land 风景照；风景画 Adams is well-known for his landscapes of Yosemite National Park. 亚当斯以他所作的优胜美地国家公园风景画而闻名。

2 an area of land that is beautiful to look at or has a particular type of appearance （陆上的）风景，景致，景色

The landscape is dotted with the tents of campers. 露营者的帐篷点缀了风景。

fertile

a.

1 able to produce good ideas or results 富有成果的；富有想象力的 A poet must have a fertile imagination. 诗人必须有丰富的想象力。 2 able to produce good crops or plants （土地）肥沃的，富饶的

Fertile soil helps Canada rank among the world‘s leading wheat producers. 肥沃的土壤帮助加拿大跻身世界主要小麦生产国。

elegant

a.

1 very intelligent yet simple （想法或计划）巧妙的，简洁的

The document impressed me with its elegant simplicity. 该文件给我留下了精辟简明的深刻印象。

Professor Freud was impressed with the elegant simplicity of his student‘s essay. 弗洛伊德教授对他学生的典雅古朴的短文留下了深刻的印象。

2 beautiful, attractive and graceful 优美的；高雅的

Patricia looked beautiful and elegant as always. 帕特里夏看上去总是那么美丽优雅。

analysis

n.

[C, U] a process of studying or examining sth. in detail in order to understand it or explain it 分析

I am interested in Clare‘s analysis of the situation in China. 我对克莱尔对中国形势的分析很感兴趣。

spectacular

a.

extremely impressive 引人入胜的；非常壮观的

There was a spectacular sunset last night. 昨晚的日落极其壮观。

brand

n.

[C] a product or group of products that has its own name and is made by one particular company 品牌；商标

The Beatles are probably one of the most spectacular brands of musicians in the world. 披头士可能是全世界音乐界里最吸引人的品牌之一了。

?Coca Cola‘ is probably the most widely recognized brand name around the world. ―可口可乐‖可能是世界上最广泛认可的品牌名称。

invest

v.

use your money with the aim of making a profit from it 投资

He invested all our profits in gold shares. 他把我们所有的利润都投资进了黄金股。

insight

n.

1 [U] the ability to notice and understand a lot about people or situations 洞察力；领悟力 It was an interesting book, full of fascinating insight into human nature. 这是一本有趣的书，充满了对人性绝妙的洞察力。

2 [C, U] a sudden clear understanding of sth., esp. sth. complicated 顿悟；洞悉；见解