surpass v.凌驾

同excel, outdo, exceed

Tommy studied so hard that he surpassed all the other students in his class.

汤米非常用功，因此成绩比班上的其他同学都好。

thrall n.奴隶

同slave, serf, bondsman

The peasant farmers were the thralls of the lord of the castle.

这些农夫是这个城堡的主人的奴隶。

timid adj.胆怯的

同fearful, cowardly, shy

The tiny kitten was very timid, and too afraid to approach us.

这只小猫非常胆小，不敢靠近我们。

unassuming adj.谦虚的

同modest, retiring, reversed, humble

Don't be fooled by his unassuming manner; he is really a very proud man.别被他谦虚的态度骗了，其实他是个很骄傲的人。

valiant adj.勇敢的

同dauntless, brave, courageous, gallant, valorous

The doctor's valiant efforts finally saved the child's life.

医生无畏的努力终于挽救了孩子的生命。

wan adj.苍白的

同pale, pallid, colorless, bloodless, ashen

Tony looked so wan and tired that I knew something must be wrong.

托尼看起来是如此的苍白与疲惫，我知道一定出事了。

yoke n.轭；束缚

同bond, chain, link, tie, union

The farmer put a yoke on the oxen's necks and began to plow his fields.农夫把轭套在牛的脖子上，开始耕田。

Exercise: Fill in the blanks.

1. The _____ spread of the disease caused panic among the people of the country.

2. Although she was _____ to go, Tina came to the Assassin concert with me.

3. There were many _____ in organizing the business conference, but we finally succeeded.

4. Allan, who is anything but _____, often strikes up conversations with complete strangers.

5. Although she is a very accomplished pianist, she has a very _____ personality.

解答：1. Rampant 2. Reluctant 3. Setbacks 4. Timid 5. unassuming