词汇精学：

1. burst  爆炸; 胀破; 爆破

If you blow that balloon up any more it will burst.

那气球再吹就要破了。

Don't get so angry! You'll burst a blood-vessel!

别生这么大的气! 会把血管气崩的!

2. delusion 幻想，妄想，错觉

Your hopes of promotion are a mere delusion.

你提升的希望只不过是一种幻想。

3. ruin毁坏, 毁灭（某事或某人）

He ruined his prospects by carelessness.

他因疏忽大意而断送了前途。

The storm ruined the crops.

暴风雨毁坏了庄稼。

He's a ruined man.

他已不名一文。

4. vanish：突然不见，消失；不复存在，绝迹

The thief vanished into the crowd.

那小偷消失在人群中。

My prospects/hopes of success have vanished.

我的成功前景（希望）已破灭。

5. decayed 腐败的, 被蛀的

The restaurant was soon stinking with the decayed fish.
 
那家饭馆很快就充满了臭鱼的气味。

6. vigorous 精力充沛的, 有力的, 元气旺盛的

Old as he is, he is none the less vigorous and active.
 
虽然他年纪很大了，他仍然精力充沛。

短语精学：

1. full of life 生意盎然，充满生命力

His fresh enterprise is full of life and has a bright future. 

他新兴的事业生气勃勃, 前途光明。
 
The children were jumping about and full of life.
 
孩子们来回跳动，充满了活力。 

2. wind around：在......周围随风起舞

3. a safe hold：安全的依靠

4. dreamed of：梦想

He dreamed of becoming a movie star when he was young.
 
他年轻时向往着成为电影明星。 

He dreamed of going to Congress and even of become governor. 

他梦想进入国会，甚至想当州长。
 
5. fly away：飞走，消失，离开，脱离

He knew that he could not fly away just like that. 

他知道他不能就这样一走了之。 

You must approach the bird very quietly or it will fly away. 

你必须悄悄地走近那只鸟，否则它会飞走的。

Your thoughts always fly away from the real problems. 

你的想法总是偏离了真正的问题。 

6. so long as 只要

So long as I live, I must study. 

只要还活着，我就要学习。

It matters little who does it so long as it is done. 

只要事情做了，谁做都行。

7. no better than 和 ... 一样不好, 几乎是

In those days, the laboring people lived no better than beasts of burden.  

在那些日子里，劳动人民过着牛马般(牛马不如)的生活。

At the end of the day the new manager is no better than the previous one. 
 
从各个方面来看，这位新经理并不比前任强。

You're no better than they are: who are you to judge other people?  

你不比他们强，凭什么指责别人?