antiseptic N. /抗菌物/substance that prevents infection. It is advisable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter
how slight or insignificant. also ADJ.
antithesis N. /对立面/contrast; direct opposite of or to. This tyranny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped for,
and he fought it with all his strength.
apathy N. /漠不关心/lack of caring; indifference. A firm believer in democratic government, she could not
understand the apathy of people who never bothered to vote. apathetic, ADJ.
ape V. /模仿/imitate or mimic. He was suspended for a week because he had aped the principal in front of
the whole school.
aperture N. /洞，穴，孔/opening; hole. She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects had
entered the room.
apex N. /高点，顶点，高潮/tip; summit; climax. He was at the apex of his career: he had climbed to the top of the heap. aphasia N. /失声/loss of speech due to injury or illness. After the automobile accident, the victim had periods of
aphasia when he could not speak at all or could only mumble incoherently.
aphorism N. /格言，警句，谚语/pithy maxim. An aphorism differs from an adage in that it is more philosophical or
scientific. "The proper study of mankind is man" is an aphorism. "There's no smoke without a fire" is an adage. aphoristic,ADJ.
apiary N. /蜂房/a place where bees are kept. Although he spent many hours daily in the apiary, he was very seldom
stung by a bee.
aplomb N. /沉着，垂直/poise; assurance. Gwen's aplomb in handling potentially embarrassing moments was legendary
around the office; when one of her clients broke a piece of her best crystal, she coolly picked up her own goblet and hurled it into the fireplace.
apocalyptic ADJ. /启示的，启示录的/prophetic; pertaining to revelations. The crowd jeered at the street preacher's
apocalyptic predictions of doom. The Apocalypse or Book of Revelations of Saint John prophesies the end of the world as we know it and foretells marvels and prodigies that signal the coming doom.
apocryphal ADJ. /假的，捏造的/untrue; made up. To impress his friends, Tom invented apocryphal tales of his
adventures in the big city.
apogee N. /顶点/highest point. When the moon in its orbit is farthest away from the earth, it is at its apogee.
apolitical ADJ. /不问政治的/having an aversion or lack of concern for political affairs. It was hard to remain apolitical
during the Vietnam War; even people who generally ignored public issues felt they had to take political stands.
apologist N. /辩护者/one who writes in defense of a cause or institution. Rather than act as an apologist for the
current regime in Beijing and defend its brutal actions, the young diplomat decided to defect to the West.
apostate N. /变节者，脱党者，叛徒/one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs. Because he switched from
one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate. apostasy, N.
Word List 4 apotheosis-astigmatism
apotheosis N. /神化，典范/elevation to godhood; an ideal example of something. The apotheosis of a Roman emperor
was designed to insure his eternal greatness: people would worship at his altar forever. The hero of the musical How to Succeed in Business ... was the apotheosis of yuppieness: he was the perfect upwardly-bound young man on the make.
appall V. /使惊慌，震惊/dismay; shock. We were appalled by the horrifying conditions in the city's jails.-
apparatus N. / 器械， 设备/equipment. Firefighters use specialized apparatus to fight fires.
apparition N. /鬼，幽灵/ghost; phantom. On the castle battlements, an apparition materialized and spoke to Hamlet,warning him of his uncle's treachery. In Ghostbusters, hordes of apparitions materialized, only to be dematerialized by the specialized apparatus wielded by Bill Murray.
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