B

(62 words)

bad

adjective

causing or experiencing pain:

She can’t walk up all those steps, not with her bad leg!
a bad cough

strike a balance

折衷：

It’s a question of striking the right balance between quality and productivity.

be on the ball

to be quick to understand and react to things:

I didn’t sleep well last night and I’m not really on the ball today.

bankrupt

adjective

unable to pay what you owe, and having had control of your financial matters given, by a law court, to a person who sells your property to pay your debts:

He went bankrupt after only a year in business.
The recession has led to many small businesses going bankrupt.

basis

noun [ C ]

the most important facts, ideas, etc. from which something is developed:

This document will form the basis for our discussion.
Their proposals have no proven scientific basis.
Decisions were often made on the basis of (= using) incorrect information.
I suggest that we meet on a regular basis to discuss progress.
Discrimination on the basis of race, gender, age or disability is not allowed.
The initial negotiations are seen as laying the basis for more detailed talks.

beak

noun [ C ]

鸟喙：

Birds use their beaks to pick up food.

bear

verb

HAVE

[ T ] to have or continue to have something:

Their baby bears a strong resemblance to its grandfather.
The stone plaque bearing his name was smashed to pieces.
On display were boxing gloves that bore Rocky Marciano’s signature.
[ + two objects ] I don’t bear them any ill feeling (= I do not continue to be angry with or dislike them).
Thank you for your advice – I’ll bear it in mind (= I will remember and consider it).
The numerous awards on the walls bear witness to his great success.
I bear him no malice.
She bears a faint resemblance to my sister.
This explosion bears all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack.
The book bears several striking similarities to last year’s bestseller.

CHANGE DIRECTION

[ I usually + adv/prep ] to change direction slightly so that you are going in a particular direction:

The path followed the coastline for several miles, then bore inland.
After you go past the church keep bearing left/right.

beat

verb

to mix something repeatedly using a utensil such as a spoon or whisk:

To make an omelette you first beat the eggs.

before you know it

very soon:

We’ll be on our way out again before you know it.

behind

adverb SLOWER

slower or later than someone else, or than you should be:

The old woman was behind with (= late paying) the rent.

preposition

responsible for or the cause of:

He wondered what was behind his neighbour’s sudden friendliness.
Marie Curie was the woman behind enormous changes in the science of chemistry.

behind the times

If someone or something is behind the times, they are old-fashioned.

the next best thing

the thing that is best, if you cannot have or do the thing you really want:

I really wanted to work in television but I ended up in radio, which is the next best thing.
These sandals are the next best thing to walking around barefoot.

bet

verb

[ I or T ] to risk money on the result of an event or a competition, such as a horse race, in the hope of winning more money:

赌博：

He regularly goes to the races and bets heavily.
She bet £500,000 on the horse that came in second.
[ + two objects, + (, that, ) ] I bet you $25 (that) I’ll get there before you.

beware

verb [ only in infinitive and imperative ]

[ I or T ] used to warn someone to be very careful about something or someone:

Beware salespeople who promise offers that seem too good to be true.
You should beware of undercooked food when staying in hot countries.
Beware of falling asleep while sunbathing.

be beyond sb

informal If something is beyond you, you are unable to understand it:

Physics is completely beyond me.

biased

adjective

showing an unreasonable like or dislike for a person based on personal opinions:

The newspapers gave a very biased report of the meeting.
I think she’s beautiful but then I’m biased since she’s my daughter.

bid

noun [ C ]

an offer to do something when you are competing with other people to do it:

[ + to infinitive ] Sydney made a successful bid to host the Olympic Games.
I gave the job to the contractors who made/gave the lowest bid (= who offered to do the work for the lowest amount of money).

big

adjective

informal If a product or activity is big, it is extremely popular:

Hip-hop is still big today.
She’ll be in big trouble if she crashes Sam’s car.
Her big opportunity came when she was offered a role in a Spielberg film.
His height and reach give him a big advantage over other boxers.
I must get some sleep – I’ve got a big day tomorrow.
Exercise can make a big difference to your state of health.

bilingual

adjective

(of a person) able to use two languages equally well, or (of a thing) using or involving two languages:

She works as a bilingual secretary for an insurance company.
a bilingual dictionary

birth

noun

the beginning of something:

These asteroids were formed at the birth of the solar system.

a bit of sth

a slight but not serious amount or type of something:

Maria’s put on a bit of weight, hasn’t she?
It’s a bit of a nuisance.

bit by bit

gradually:

I saved up the money bit by bit.

be to blame

to be the reason for something that happens:

The hot weather is partly to blame for the water shortage.
It’s tempting to blame television for the increase in crime.

the blind

[ plural ]

people who are unable to see:

She trains dogs for the blind.

blindness

noun [ U ]

the condition of being unable to see:

A lack of vitamin A can cause blindness.
It was hard for her to overcome the difficulties caused by her blindness.

block

verb [ T ]

to be between someone and the thing they are looking at, so that they cannot see:

My view was blocked by a tall man in front of me.

bloody

adjective

extremely violent and involving a lot of blood and injuries:

It was a long and bloody battle and many men were killed.

out of the blue

If something happens out of the blue, it is completely unexpected:

One day, out of the blue, she announced that she was leaving.

board

noun

[ C usually singular, + sing/pl verb ] the group of people who are responsible for controlling and organizing a company or organization:

Every decision has to be approved by the board (of directors).
She started in the firm after college and now she’s on the board/a board member.
uk The board of governors meet/meets once a month to discuss school policy.

take sth on board

to understand or accept an idea or a piece of information:

Banks need to take on board the views of their customers.

borrow

verb

[ I or T ] to take money from a bank or other financial organization and pay it back over a period of time:

Like so many companies at that time, we had to borrow heavily to survive.
We could always borrow some money from the bank.

bounce back

to start to be successful again after a difficult period, for example after experiencing failure, loss of confidence, illness, or unhappiness:

恢复元气，重振旗鼓：

Stock prices bounced back after a steep plunge earlier this week.
Children often seem to bounce back from illness more quickly than adults do.

bound

adjective

[ after verb ] going to:

She was on a plane bound for Moscow when she got sick.

boundary

noun [ C ]

a real or imagined line that marks the edge or limit of something:

The Ural mountains mark the boundary between Europe and Asia.
Residents are opposed to the prison being built within the city boundary.
The boundary of the car park is delineated by a low brick wall.
They’ve been feuding with their neighbours for years over a boundary issue.

the limit of a subject or principle:

Electronic publishing is blurring the boundaries between dictionaries and encyclopedias.
This film blurs the boundary between reality and fantasy.
The bad language in that play overstepped the boundaries of what ought to be allowed on television.

bracket

noun

[ C ] a group with fixed upper and lower limits:

They were both surgeons in a high income bracket.
Most of our students are in the 18–22 age bracket.
Her pay rise brought her into a new tax bracket.

brain

noun

[ C ] used to refer to intelligence:

Marie has an amazing brain (= is very intelligent).
That can’t possibly be the right way to do it – use your brain!
The poor child inherited his mother’s brains and his father’s looks.
He’s got brains but he’s too lazy to use them (= he is intelligent but lazy).

brass

noun

[ U ] a bright yellow metal made from copper and zinc:

The door handles were made of brass.

break even

to have no profit or loss at the end of a business activity:

After paying for our travel costs, we barely (= only just) broke even.

break

noun

[ C ] a place where something has broken:

There’s a break in the pipe.

catch your breath / get your breath (back)

to pause or rest for a short time until you can breathe comfortably or regularly again:

I had to stop running to catch my breath.

bribe

verb [ T ]

to try to make someone do something for you by giving them money, presents, or something else that they want :

He bribed immigration officials and entered the country illegally.
[ + to infinitive ] They bribed the waiter to find them a better table.
He bribed the children with sweets and pocket money not to tell their mum what he’d done.

noun [ C ]

money or a present that you give to someone so that they will do something for you, usually something dishonest:

He was accused of accepting/taking bribes from wealthy businessmen.

look on the bright side

to find good things in a bad situation:

Look on the bright side – no one was badly hurt.

broaden

verb

[ T ] to increase the range of something:

They’ve introduced all sorts of new elements to that programme in order to broaden its appeal.
I hoped that going to college might broaden my horizons (= increase the range of my knowledge and experience).

broadly

adverb

in a general way, without considering specific examples or all the details:

Broadly speaking, don’t you think women make better drivers than men?
Many of the findings in this study are broadly similar to those of Johnes (1990).

broken

adjective

interrupted or not continuous:

He tried to explain what had happened in broken English (= not spoken easily and stopping a lot).

bronze

noun

[ C ] also bronze medal a small, round piece of bronze given to a person who finishes third in a competition:

He got a bronze in the high jump.

brush

verb

[ T + adv/prep ] to move something somewhere using a brush or your hand:

Jackie brushed the hair out of her eyes.
He brushed away a tear.
She stood up and brushed the wrinkles from her dress.
She brushed away what looked suspiciously like a tear.
He paused to brush a fly away from his face.
What’s the matter?” he asked, brushing a stray hair off his jacket.
Her elbow brushed against the cup, spilling tea everywhere.
She stood up and brushed an insect from her skirt.

brush up (on) sth

to improve your knowledge of something already learned but partly forgotten:

I thought I’d brush up (on) my French before going to Paris.

brutal

adjective

cruel, violent, and completely without feelings:

a brutal dictator
He had presided over a brutal regime in which thousands of people had “disappeared”.
He was imprisoned in 1945 for the brutal murder of a twelve-year-old girl.

bubble

noun

[ C ] a ball of gas that appears in a liquid, or a ball formed of air surrounded by liquid that floats in the air:

As water begins to boil, bubbles rise to the surface.
I love champagne – I think it’s the bubbles that make it so good.
soap bubbles
Emily was blowing bubbles in the garden.
She watched as, one by one, the bubbles popped.

bubble over

to be very excited and enthusiastic:

She was bubbling over with excitement/enthusiasm.

in bulk

in large amounts:

The office buys paper in bulk to keep down costs.

the bulk of sth

most of something:

In fact, the bulk of the book is taken up with criticizing other works.

bulky

too big and taking up too much space:

bulky equipment

bump

noun [ C ]

a round, raised area on a surface or on the body:

Her bicycle hit a bump in the road and threw her off.
Enrique had a nasty bump on his head from when he fell down.

bump into sb

to meet someone you know when you have not planned to meet them:

We bumped into Amy when we were in town last week.

burden

noun [ C ]

something difficult or unpleasant that you have to deal with or worry about:

the burden of responsibility
My elderly mother worries that she’s a burden to me.
Buying a house often places a large financial burden on young couples.

burning

adjective

A burning desire, need, etc., is one that is very strong:

a burning ambition
He spoke of his burning desire to play for his country.