五百基礎詞匯的使用和練習（18）

'Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know men."
Confucius, Analects


Words to Learn This Week

tragedy
pedestrian
glance
budget
nimble
manipulate
reckless
horrid
rave
economical
lubricate
ingenious


Read the following story to see how the new words are used in it.

The Challenge of the Small Car

The auto makers in Detroit barely survived the tragedy of 1956. That was the year the consumer became aware of the Volkswagen, and the auto market was forever altered. Once Americans got a glance at this low-priced, nimble, small car that one could manipulate so easily, they frequently refused those horrid Detroit monsters with eight cylinders and ten miles to each gallon of gasoline. Many pedestrians, previously uninterested in owning a car, began to purchase small foreign cars.

Conservative, as well as reckless drivers, found the price within their budget and became customers. Volkswagen owners would rave about their economical cars, telling everyone how little gas they used and how infrequently they needed to be lubricated. Volkswagen, once one of the most popular small cars sold in America, has now fallen behind the autos of the ingenious Japanese manufacturers.


Place one of the new words in each of the blanks below.

01. Try not to be _______ when you drive a car, especially at night.
02. The brilliant investigator found an _________ answer to the problem.
03. I find it more ________ to buy a monthly train ticket than to pay for each ride each day.
04. If you continue to _________ about the play, everyone will think you are a relative of the author.
05. I took one -------- and I knew it was Frank Sinatra.
06. Every week Mrs. Evans made a _________ covering the essential sums she would have to spend.
07. The coach knew how to ________ the players to do what he wanted.
08. Bobby's job at the gas station was to ________ all the cars after they had been worked on.
09. When someone you love dies, it is a ________ _
10. Journalists reported that the dropping of the bombs was a __________ act.
11. The car leaped up on the sidewalk, struck a _________ , and then crashed into the bakery's window.
12. Whirling across the stage, the _________ ballet dancer captured our hearts.