Unit 151

beam / seam / ream

beam n. 光线 (a line of light coming from a source (such as the sun or headlight)) / biːm /

• Halle looked up in surprise as the beams from the car's headlights suddenly flashed on.

n. 横梁 (a long and heavy piece of wood or metal that is used as a support in a building or ship)

• After removing the wall, the construction crew put up a massive steel beam to support the ceiling.

v. 堆满笑容 (to smile happily)

• Margaret beamed happily at the principal as he handed her the degree that she had earned.

v. 照射，发送 (to send out beams of light or energy)

• The light from the other room beamed in from under the door.

seam v. 缝合 (to join by sewing) / siːm /

• Gopi's fashionable new dress was seamed at the sides to enhance her hourglass silhouette.

ream n. 大量的文字 (n. a large quantity of writing) / riːm /

• Marcy was so behind in her work that her desk was covered in reams of unfinished paperwork.

v. 不公平待遇，欺骗 (to treat someone unfairly or cheat them)

• Aiden was extremely angry when he realized that the used car salesman had reamed him on the deal by charging him twice the market value for the car.

brim / grim / trim

brim n. 边缘 (the top edge of a glass or a similar container) / brɪm /

• Kate produced a pleasant tone by running her finger around the brim of her half-full glass.

v. 满溢，溢出 (to be completely filled with something)

• Angela's eyes brimmed with tears when her parents said good bye and left her alone in her new college dorm.

grim adj. 令人沮丧的 (causing feelings of sadness or worry) / ɡrɪm /

• Jasmine brimmed with consternation as she watched the grim nightly news story about a pensioner being attacked by a gang of thugs.

adj. 严肃的，阴冷的 (looking or sounding very serious)

• The surgeon had a grim look on his face as he went to inform the family about their loss.

trim v. 修剪 (to remove something by cutting) / trɪm /

• Dane asked the barber to trim his hair short along the back and sides.

v. 削减 (to make the size, amount, or extent of something smaller)

• Craig trimmed the hedges so short that we could peer over them into our neighbor's yard.

deportment / deportation

deportment n. 举止，行为 (the way that a person behaves, stands, and moves, especially in a formal situation) / dɪˈpɔːtm(ə)nt /

• Nathan's mother sent him to etiquette classes in order to ensure his proper deportment.

deportation n. 驱逐出境 (the removal from a country of an alien whose presence is unlawful or prejudicial) / diːpɔːˈteɪʃ(ə)n /

• Under the newly strict immigration policies, many illegal aliens in the United States are in greater danger of deportation to their birth countries.

dreary / dreadful

dreary adj. 悲伤的 (causing unhappiness or sad feelings) /ˈdrɪəri /

• The cold rain and dark, cloudy skies made for another dreary winter's day.

dreadful adj. 可怕的，糟糕的 (very bad or unpleasant) /ˈdrɛdf(ə)l /

• The dreadful traffic accident killed seven people and injured five more.