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100th Anniversary of the First World War

 

世界第一次大戰當時被喻為The war to end all wars. 但很快，世人就認清人類的貪婪與醜惡。但願人類最後能夠用peace to end all wars吧!

WWI quickly became a deadly stalemate the likes of which had never been seen before. Over the next three years, each side attempted a series of massive offensives that failed to break the deadlock but caused horrific carnage.

 

stalemate 死局/ 和局

(noun 名詞)

= a competition where neither side is in position to win.

例子：The chess competition at school ended in a stalemate.

 

massive 龐大的

(adjective 形容詞)

 

例子：I had a massive headache after the exam.

 

offensive （軍事）進攻，攻勢

(noun 名詞)

= making attack, insult

例子：His remark about Julie's presentation was very offensive.

 

deadlock 僵局，僵持；死結

(noun 名詞)

= a situation where an agreement can't be made

例子： The battle ended in a deadlock because both leaders were very stubborn.

 

horrific 極其可怕的；令人震驚的

(adjective 形容詞)

例子：Tommy described the accident in horrific details.

 

carnage（尤指戰爭中的）大屠殺，殘殺

(noun 名詞)

bloody scene

例子：War always results in unnecessary carnage.

 

殘酷戰爭伴隨的是更有效的大規模殺人武器：

Sometimes tens of thousands would die in a single day, Germans and Austro-Hungarians as swiftly as British and French. Artillery was relentless. Toxic gas was introduced in modern warfare with devastating effect. The poison wafted across trenches, killing and maiming whoever took a breath

 

relentless 持續而嚴厲的；持續強烈的

(adjective 形容詞)

= continuing without becoming weaker

例子：Jane's relentless will-power gave her strength to finish the project.

 

devastating 具破壞力的

(adjective 形容詞)

= reduced to chaos, helplessness

例子：The earthquake had a devastating effect on the village.

 

► devastated 極為煩亂的

(verb 動詞)

例子：She was devastated when she heard about his bad health.

 

wafted（使）（在空氣中）飄盪

(verb 動詞)

例子：The fumes from the factory wafted to the residential area.

 

maim（使）殘廢

(verb 動詞)

 

例子：The poor dog was maimed by the wild boar.

 

戰後的一代背負著的生理和心理包袱間接造就了一代的文豪。

At a personal level, the horrors of modern warfare and the massive loss of life produced the “Lost Generation,” with millions left cynical, rootless and disillusioned by carnage and social upheaval. In literature, this generation included greats like Ernest Hemingway, T.S. Eliot and Erich Maria Remarque. It also affected millions of families around the world.

 

cynical 憤世嫉俗的；認為人皆自私的

(adjective 形容詞)

= Distrustful of people's motives

例子：Johnny is so cynical when he talks about mainland tourist culture.

 

rootless 無家可歸的，沒有歸宿的；漂泊不定的

(adjective 形容詞)

例子： Nomads are rootless people who move from land to land.

 

disillusioned 夢想破滅的 / 徹底失望的

(adjective 形容詞)

= having lost faith in something.

例子：She became disillusioned about politics after violent protest.

 

Crystal's Slang Time!

  • cootie 蝨子，現引申為有菌／骯髒
  • cushy 源自印度烏都語，指輕鬆的；容易的；舒適的

   
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