大学英语第四册课件Unit 4 The Multicultural Society.pptVIP

Unit 4 The Multicultural Society Debt :A sum of money that you owe He had enough money to pay off his father’s debts. Shrinking economies mean falling tax revenues and more government debt. Be in debt to sb. Characteristic Special mark or quality Genes determine the characteristics of every living thing. A prominent characteristic of language is that the relation between a linguistic sign and its meaning is arbitrary. Be characteristic/typical of Paralyze Make ineffective; make (sb.) lose the ability to move part or all of the body He had a minor stroke in 1987, which left him partly paralyzed. The explosion killed about two hundred people and paralyzed part of the city’s transportation system. Analyze Thesis An idea or theory that tries to explain why sth. happens; a long piece of writing Their main thesis is that inflation is caused by increase in the money supply. He was awarded his PhD for a thesis on industrial robots. Theses Historical Concerning past events; based on the study of history Is Macbeth a real historical figure? Museums collect objects of scientific, aesthetic, or historical importance. Many historical documents and photographs are preserved in the provincial archives in Nanjing. Historic Precedent Earlier happening, decision, etc. taken as an example or rule for what comes later The appointment of female commander of a navy warship is without precedent. The trial could set an important precedent for dealing with large numbers of similar cases. Mentality Characteristic attitude of mind; way of thinking Running a business requires a very different mentality from being a salaried employee. Can you understand the mentality of someone who likes to watch animals fighting each other? Plural Involving more than one person or thing or different kinds of people or things His government has pledged to move the country towards a plural democracy. A plural form of a noun is the form that is used to refer to more than one person or thing. Dog