Unit 34

supple / supplement / supplicate / supplant

supple adj. 灵活的 (readily adaptable or responsive to new situations) /ˈsəpəl/

• The supple grasses waved back in forth in response to the summer breezes.

supplement v. 补充 (to add something to (something) in order to make it complete) /ˈsəpləmənt/

• Cyclist Lance Armstrong achieved ignominy after finally admitting to taking illegal drugs to supplement his performance.

supplicate v. 恳求 (to make a humble entreaty) /ˈsəpləˌkāt/

• The prisoner genuflected deeply and supplicated the king to release him from his chains.

supplant v. 取代 (to take the place of (someone or something that is old or no longer used or accepted) / səˈplant/

• We are looking forward to buying a new car to supplant the old model that we are currently driving.

binge / hinge / unhinged / fringe

binge n. 狂欢，放纵 (a short period of time when you do too much of something) / binj/

• Mai was so excited about the new season of "Orange is the New Black" that she went on a binge and watched all ten new episodes in a single day.

hinge n. 关键点 (a determining point) / hɪndʒ/

• Most astrophysicists consider the "Big Bang" a pivotal hinge that completely altered the nature of our universe.

unhinged adj. 精神错乱的 (mentally deranged) /ˌənˈhɪndʒd/

• The unhinged man ran through the streets, tearing off his clothes and singing in broad daylight.

fringe adj. 次要的，边缘的，不重要的 (something that is marginal, additional, or secondary to some activity, process, or subject) / frinj/

• "Burning Man," a yearly event held in the Nevada desert, used to be a little known fringe festival, but it has grown so large that it boasted 70,000 attendees in 2015.