impoverished
adj. 穷困的
eg. Money and food were sent to the impoverished drought victims.
给贫困的灾民送去了救济金和粮食。

quirk
n. 怪癖
eg. He had a strange quirk of addressing his wife as Mrs Smith.
他很怪, 把自己的妻子称作史密斯夫人。

mortgage
n. 抵押
eg. We're paying out 300 a month on our mortgage.
我们每月要付300英镑抵押贷款.

vocational
adj. 职业的
eg. If these can be balanced, the use of a vocational school will be a bonus for his career.
如果这些可以得到平衡，选读职业学校就会对未来事业的发展大有裨益。

compromise
n. 妥协
eg.He refused to compromise his principles.
他对他的原则寸步不让。

in retrospect
回顾往事
eg. In retrospect all successful policies seem preordained.
追溯一切成功的政策，看来都有其预兆。

ditch
vt. 丢弃；掘沟
eg. The driver had to ditch the bus.
司机只好把公共汽车驶入沟中。

scuttle off
急促奔跑
eg. Several conscripts were seen to scuttle off barracks.
有人看见几个新兵从兵营里逃走了。

corridor
n. 走廊
eg. She disappeared down the corridor.
她消失在走廊尽头。