外刊精读122 / New Scientist / 人类为什么热衷于在身后留下精神遗产？ 笔记

paradox n.&adj. 悖论；矛盾的人或物(a situation or statement that seems
impossible or is difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics)
(As an actor, he’s a parodox—he loves being in the public eye but also deeply values and
protects his privacy.)
(It is a curious paradox that professional comedians often have unhappy personal lives.)
quirk n. 怪癖，奇怪的行为

get by 勉强维持，凑合
(We can get by with the old computers at the moment, but we’ll need new ones.)
despise v. 鄙视(to feel a strong dislike)
obscurity / əbˈskjʊrəti / n. 默默无闻
assure v. 确保，确定，确信

counterintuitive adj. 违反直觉的
(It may seem counterintuitive to open a shop in the middle of a recession.)
etch v. 铭记，蚀刻
philanthropy / fɪˈlænθrəpi / n. 慈善

glitch n. 小故障，小问题
self-aggrandisement  /əˈɡræn.dɪz.mənt/ n. 自我吹嘘
leverage v. 充分利用(to use sth that you already have in order
to achieve sth new or better)
(We can gain a market advantage by leveraging our network of partners.)

reproduce v. 繁殖后代
(These plants can reproduce sexually and asexually.)
descendant n. 子孙后代 (offspring)
manifestation n. 体现，表现 (She claimed that the rise in unemployment
was just a further manifestation of the government’s incompetence.)
unfold v. 展开，呈现
peculiarly adv. 特别，尤其
peer n. 同龄人，同等地位的人 (a person who is the same age or has the same
social position or the same abilities as other people in a group)
(There is tremendous peer pressure among teenagers to wear fashionable clothes.)

have to do with 与…有关 (have something/nothing to do with)
(My question has to do with last week’s assignment.)
mortality n. 死亡
(Infant mortality is much higher in the poorest areas of the city.)
posthumous / ˈpɑːstʃəməs / adj. 死后的
kin n. 亲属，亲戚

bolster v. 加强
have yet to 还没做，还没完成 (They have yet to make a decision.)
familial / fəˈmɪliəl / adj. 家庭的，家族的 transgression n. 违反
prospective adj. 潜在的，有可能的(There are three prospective buyers looking at the house.)
upbringing n. 养育，教养，抚养 ill deed 错误的不好的行为
lend 增加，给予
weight n. 重要性，影响力 (respect, influence, trust, or importance)
(Her experience does give her opinions quite a bit of weight. )

inherent adj. 内在的，固有的(existing as a natural or basic part of sth)
assertion n. 主张，断言 (assert v.)
afterlife n. 来世
make sense 有意义，说得通 (to be clear and easy to understand)

extinctivist n. 心灵消逝主义者
mitigate v. 缓解，减轻 (to make sth less harmful, unpleasant or bad)
cultivate v. 培养 (to develop and improve sth)
(We’re trying to help these kids cultivate an interest in science.)
intertwined with 紧密相连，交织在一起
narrative n. 描述，叙述(a story or a description of a series of events)
ripple 波动，波及
respite / ˈrespɪt / n. 暂缓 (a pause or rest from sth difficult or unpleasant)
(We worked for hours without respite.)
expiration date 有效期，截止日期 (What’s the expiration date of your credit card?)

entertain v. 心存，有某种想法(to hold sth in your mind)
suggest that 证明… default state 默认状态
alligator n. 短吻鳄 anthropomorphized / ˌænθrəpəˈmɔːfaɪzd / adj. 人格化的
ascribe…to… 认为…具有…
contradict v. 抵触，矛盾，冲突
(Recent evidence has contradicted established theories on this subject.)
replicate v. 重复，复制(to make or do sth again in exactly the same way)
(Researchers tried many times to replicate the original experiment.)
secular school 世俗学校，非宗教学校 intuitive adj. 直觉的 (intuition n. )
have to do with 与… 有关 (have nothing to do with 与… 无关)

a large/growing body of 大量的…
gratifying adj. 令人满意的，令人愉悦的
buzz n. 快乐，兴奋 (a feeling of excitement, energy, and pleasure that sth gives you)
conceptualize v. 概念化 refer to 指的是
drive n. 动机，驱动力(energy and determination to achieve things)
(He has the drive to succeed.)
artefact n. 手工制品， 人造物

juxtaposition / ˌdʒʌkstəpəˈzɪʃn / n. 并列
faculty n. 才能，机能 (a natural ability to hear, see, think, move, etc.)
spill over 播及，影响
propagate v. 宣传，传播

front n. 方面 project v. 投射
vary v. 有差异，不同
(The samples varied in quality but were generally acceptable.)
egotistical / ˌiɡəˈtɪstɪkl / adj. 任性的，自我本位的
harness v. 利用(to control sth, usually in order to use its power)
(There is a great deal of interest in harnessing wind and waves as new sources of power.)

attenuate / əˈtenjueɪt / v. 减弱 beneficence / bɪˈnefɪs(ə)ns / n. 善行，仁慈
undermine v. 破坏 (to gradually weaken or destroy sb or sth)
(Criticism just undermines their confidence.)
defer v. 延迟 here and now 此时此刻 embed v. 嵌入
14.
cemetery / ˈseməteri / n. 墓地 elicit / ɪˈlɪsɪt / v. 引起
affiliation / əˌfɪliˈeɪʃ(ə)n / n. 关联，从属 distance oneself from 疏远，远离
reflect on 思考，反思 contemplative adj. 沉思的

collaboration n. 合作 trade-off n. 权衡利弊，取舍
on top of 除了… (in addition to) (We missed the bus, and on top of that it started raining.)
dilemma n. 进退两难，窘境(a situation in which a difficult choice has to be
made between two different things you could do)

prime v. 使某人做好准备

collective adj. 共同的，集体的
endeavour n. 努力

第一段第二段 介绍主题-为什么想要在死后留下精神遗产
第三段~第八段 遗产能给自己的后人带来好处
第九段~第十二段 留下精神遗产的动机
第十三段第十七段 如何利用遗产动机造福大众