surreptitious adj.秘密的

同stealthy, furtive, sneaky, secret

The reporter was told that surreptitious bribes were being given to officials.这名记者被告知官员们正在

接受秘密行贿。

tap①v.轻敲②n.龙头

同1.pat, knock, rap, strike 2.faucet, valve, outlet

Peter tapped on Clair's window to get her attention as he walked by her office.

彼得经过克莱尔的办公室时轻敲窗户以引起她的注意。

tyro n.初学者；新手

同beginner, novice, learner

Otis' computer class is for older tyros who are terrified of using a computer.

奥蒂斯的电脑课是为惧怕使用电脑的年老初学者开的。

ulterior adj.隐秘的

同hidden, secret, concealed

Do you think Dean has any ulterior motives in buying me a new microwave oven?

你认为迪安给我买新微波炉是因为他有什么隐秘的动机吗？

vapid adj.无味的；无趣的

同insipid, flavorless, flat, uninteresting

Ethan loves kung-fu movies, but Joe thinks they are just vapid entertainment.

伊桑喜欢功夫电影，但乔却认为那是无趣的娱乐。

wanton adj.放纵的；胡乱的

同lewd, loose, lustful, reckless, wild

The youths showed their wanton disrespect for the law by drinking in public.

这些年轻人在公众场合饮酒以表达他们对法律的蔑视。

zenith n.顶点

同top, summit, peak, apex, pinnacle, acme

Exercise: Fill in the blanks.

After climbing for days, the mountain climbers reached the zenith.攀爬数天后，登山者们抵达了山顶。

1. The entertaining, _____ novel I have just read was hard to put down.

2. I love listening to my grandmother's _____ about life when she was a young woman.

3. Angela _____ for perfection in everything she does.

4. Some people find that vegetarian diets are _____.

5. Joyce is an actress at the _____ of her career.

解答?1. quixotic 2. reminiscence 3. strives 4. vapid 5. zenith