They take a soap-opera plot ? betrothed teenager falls for stranger, perfect mother is betrayed by her neighbors, ex-prostitute tries to live an honorable life …
他們采用通俗肥皂劇的劇情：如已定親的少年愛上了陌生人；賢妻良母遭鄰居出賣；從良的妓女想過有尊嚴的生活……
plot n. （小說等的）情節(jié)，構想； betrothed adj. 已訂婚的
boast v. 夸耀
Boasts Mayor Bill Campbell:"During the Olympics Atlanta will be the safest city in this country, certainly, and on the globe, probably."
市長坎貝爾夸口說：“奧運期間，亞特蘭大將是全國，甚至可能是全世界最安全的地方。”
champion v. 提倡
[同]advocate
Psychiatrist Brian Weiss is perhaps the most exotic. He champions reincarnation therapy.
心理醫(yī)生布賴恩?韋斯可能是最特異的一位，他提倡輪回療法。
characterize v. 有……特征
[同]describe
"I can’t characterize my music as religious, although religious music is very close and dear to me," says Kancheli, a devout Orthodox Christian.
“我不能把自己的音樂視為宗教音樂，雖然宗教音樂我常接觸，而且是我所摯愛�！彬\的東征教徒坎且利如是說。
claim v. 聲稱
[同]maintain
In fact, authorities claim that one-third of Taiwan’s more than 1200 known "black societies" were dissolved during the amnesty.
事實上，當局聲稱，臺灣已知的1200多個黑社會幫派中，有1/3在這次特赦中解散。
collapse v. 崩潰，倒塌
As baby boomers save for retirement, colleges for the kids or a rainy day (say, when the U.S. Social Security system collapses), their investment rates will soar.
嬰兒潮時期出生的人口正在存錢以備養(yǎng)老、兒女的教育基金或是不時之需（例如一旦美國是會保險機制崩潰時），所以他們的投資比例會大幅增加。
a rainy day 將來可能有的苦日子
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