On Writing Well C 15 to 19

1.words and expressions

bent  (for sth) a natural skill or interest in sth

  (某方面的)天赋,爱好:

  She has a bent for mathematics.

  她有数学天赋。

flunk 动词 在(考试)中不及格;未通过(某一课程)；If you flunk an exam or a course, you fail to reach the required standard. [V n] [Mainly AM] [Informal]

Your son is upset because he flunked a  history exam.

你儿子心烦意乱是因为没有通过历史考试。

nail sth. down

弄清;确定；If you nail down something unknown or uncertain, you find out exactly what it is. [V P n (not pron)] [Also V n P]

It would be useful if you could nail down the source of this tension.

如果你能弄清这种紧张的根源，将会大有益处。

squander

  ~ sth (on sb / sth) to waste money, time, etc. in a stupid or careless way

  浪费,挥霍(金钱、时间等):

  He squandered all his money on gambling.

  他把自己所有的钱都糟蹋在赌博上了。

turgit

(of language, writing, etc. 语言、文章等) boring, complicated and difficult to understand

  枯燥无味的；晦涩难懂的

2. swollen; containing more water than usual

  肿胀的；膨胀的；肿大的:

  the turgid waters of the Thames

  上涨的泰晤士河水

trot out

反复提出，反复说陈旧的观点或过时的信息；If you say that a person trots out old ideas or information, you are criticizing him or her for repeating them in a way that is not new or interesting. [V P n (not pron)] [Also V n P] [disapproval] [Informal]

Was it really necessary to trot out the same old stereotypes about Ireland?

真的有必要反复提关于爱尔兰的那套老看法吗？

outlandish

adj. strange and unusual

• 古怪的，奇异的:

»outlandish clothes

  奇装异服

rattle

[informal] to make someone lose confidence or become nervous

• 使慌乱，使紧张:

»His mocking smile rattled her more than his anger.

  他那种嘲讽的微笑比他的愤怒更让她感到害怕。

---

2.summary

Science and Technology: audience ,less jargon,familiar example,write like a people

Business Writing: clarity, simplicity, brevity and humanity.

Sports: humanity

the Arts: One is that critics should like, or better still love, the medium they are reviewing. don’t give away too much of the plot . use specific detail. avoid the ecstatic adjectives that occupy such disproportionate space in every critic’s quiver words.

humorous