Unit 88

valuable / invaluable

valuable adj. 有价值的，贵重的 (worth a lot of money) /ˈvaljʊb(ə)l/

• The British crown jewels are so valuable that they are kept under armed guard in a vault within the Tower of London.

invaluable adj. 极具价值的 (extremely valuable or useful) /ɪnˈvaljʊ(ə)b(ə)l/

• Cars are invaluable items by virtue of allowing people to travel long distances with minimal physical effort.

impassioned / passionate / compassionate

impassioned adj. 充满激情的 (showing or feeling very strong emotions) /ɪmˈpaʃ(ə)nd/

• The parents of the missing teenager made several impassioned pleas for anyone with information to come forward.

passionate adj. 表现激情的 (showing or expressing strong emotions or beliefs) /ˈpaʃ(ə)nət/

• Luc was so passionate about winning a scholarship that he studied day and night to make his dream a reality.

adj. 易怒的 (easily aroused to anger)

• Ben was even-tempered, but his brother Charlie could become passionate at the smallest imagined slight.

compassionate adj. 同情的 (feeling or showing concern for someone who is sick, hurt, poor, etc.) /kəmˈpaʃ(ə)nət/

• Edith's compassionate nature led her to bring home every hungry and stray animal she came across.

niche / hitch / glitch

niche n. 小众市场 (a special area of demand for a product or service) /nɪtʃ/

• Hazel found a small but steady niche market for her services as a curriculum designer.

hitch n.（隐形的）问题，难题 (a hidden problem that makes something more complicated or difficult to do) /hɪtʃ/

• The complex alarm system put a hitch in the gang's plan to rob the bank.

glitch n. 小故障 (a usually minor malfunction) /ɡlɪtʃ/

• A small glitch in NASDAQ's technology briefly sent a number of stock prices crashing to a single, low figure of $123.47 per share.

pungent / poignant

pungent adj.（味道或气味）刺鼻的 (having a strong, sharp taste or smell) /ˈpʌn(d)ʒ(ə)nt/

• A pungent aroma of curry emanated from the Indian restaurant.

adj.（言语）刻薄的 (having a strong effect on the mind because of being clever and direct)

• Cutting to the heart of the matter, the economist made several pungent comments about the financial crisis.

poignant adj. 伤心的 (painfully affecting the feelings) /ˈpɔɪnjənt/

• The news story about the missing child was so poignant that Jagathai began to cry.