Unit 80

facile / facade / facetious

facile adj. 容易的 (too simple; not showing enough thought or effort) /ˈfasɪl/

• Herbert's science project was so shamefully facile that it could have been done by his little brother.

facade n. 房屋正面 (the front of a building) /fəˈsɑːd/

• Many state buildings are designed with neoclassical facades, with stepped entries, long porticoes, and a row of columns.

n.假象 (a false, superficial, or artificial appearance or effect)

• Patrice was difficult to make friends with because she put up a façade in order to appear more popular.

facetious adj. 滑稽的，好笑的 (meant to be humorous or funny) /fəˈsiːʃəs/

• Neil's constantly facetious comments have won him the title of class clown.

fickle / tickle / trickle / ticklish

fickle adj. 多变的 (changing opinions often) /ˈfɪk(ə)l/

• Oliva was a fickle romantic who changed her boyfriends as often as she changed her shoes.

tickle v. 使发痒 (to touch (a body part) lightly so as to excite the surface nerves and cause uneasiness, laughter) /ˈtɪk(ə)l/

• Jerry tickled his little brother so much that the laughing child accidentally wet his pants.

v. 使高兴 (to excite or stir up agreeably)

• The idea of traveling across country in a hot air balloon tickled Jordan's imagination, conjuring up visions of Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days.

trickle v. 细细地流 (to flow in a thin gentle stream) /ˈtrɪk(ə)l/

• When the tap emitted only a thin trickle of water, we realized that the water had been cut off.

v. 慢慢地移动 (to move or go one by one or little by little)

• Following their defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon's vanquished troops trickled back to their camp one by one.

ticklish adj. 难对付的，棘手的 (difficult to deal with) /ˈtɪklɪʃ/

• Donald Trump's first official visit with Vladimir Putin was a ticklish situation following accusations of Russian involvement in the 2016 U.S. elections.