optimism n．乐观，乐观主义
History and news become confused，and one's impressions tend to be a mixture of skepticism and optimism (n.)[2005年翻译]
[译文]历史和新闻往往混为一谈，人们的这种印象往往也是怀疑和乐观的混合体。
outburst n．(火山、感情等)爆发、喷出，突发，破裂
What accounts for the great outburst (n.) of major inventions in early America— breakthroughs such as the telegraph，the steamboat and the weaving machine--[1 996年阅读]
[译文]在早期美国，像电报、汽船和织布机这样重大的发明纷涌而出，这是什么原因呢?
outcry n．大声疾呼
Amid the outcry (n.)，many conservative leaders are seeking a return to the prewar emphasis on moral education．[2000年阅读]
[译文]在一片抗议声中，许多保守党领导人正在力图回复到战前，强调道德教育。
outpour v．(使)泻出，(使)流出；n．倾注，流出物
The best title for this passage might be______．
[D]Outpouring (v.) of Inventions [1996年阅读]
[译文] 对本文来说最佳的标题可能是______。
[D]发明的涌现
overfund vt．对…提供充足资金
As a nation, we may be overfunding the quest for unlikely cures while underfunding research on humbler therapies that could improve people's lives．[2003年阅读]
[译文]作为一个民族，我们可能在寻求不可能奏效的治疗方法上花钱太多，而在研究能提高人们生活质量的更平常的方法上花钱太少。
overstate vt．夸大，夸张
In Line 8, Paragraph 1,“the desire of individuals to maximize their incomes” means____.
[B]Americans tend to overstate (vt.) their incomes [1994年阅读]
[译文] 第一段第八行中的“the desire of individuals to maximize their incomes”指_____。
[B]美国人往往夸大他们的收入
panick v．使惊慌，使恐慌；n．惊慌，恐慌
Consumers seem only concerned，not panicked (v.)，and many say they remain optimistic about the economy's long-term prospects，even as they do some modest belt-tightening．
[2004年阅读]
[译文]消费者只是略有担心，并没有恐慌，许多人虽然稍微勒紧腰带，但他们说对于经济的长期前景还是乐观的。
paralysis n．瘫痪，麻痹
Instead of a plan of action，they continue to press for more research--a classic of “paralysis (n.) by analysis．”[2005年阅读]
[译文]不但没有行动计划，反而取而代之的是他们在反复不断地敦促继续研究--一个典型的通过分析来拖延，大事化小，小事化了的案例。
pancreas n．胰腺
But other survival statistics are still discouraging--13 percent for lung cancer，and 2 percent for cancer of the pancreas (n.)．[1994年阅读]
[译文]但其他类型癌症的存活数据却仍令人沮丧一一肺癌13％，胰腺癌2％。
paraphrase v．解释；n．解释
To paraphrase (v.) 18th-century statesman Edmund Burke，“all that is needed for the triumph of a misguided cause is that good people do nothing．”[2003年阅读]
[译文]18世纪政治家埃德蒙•博克曾说过类似这样的话，“误导之所以得逞，就是因为好人无所作为”。
participatory a．供人分享的，参与的
The journalist advocating participatory (a.) democracy in all phases of life，whose own children are enrolled in private schools．[2000年阅读]
[译文]倡导终生参与民主制的新闻记者却把自己的子女送进私立学校。
partisan n．帮派(之争)
In this search the evidence found is always incomplete and scattered，it is also frequently partial or partisan (n.)．[1999年翻译]
[译文]这样的研究中所发现的证据总是不完整的，通常也会带来片面性，还会出现帮派之争。
pathway n．路径
“Businesses need to feel they can trust the pathway (n.) between them and the supplier,” says senior analyst Blanc Erwin of Forrester Research．[1999年阅读]
[译文]Forrester研究所的高级分析师布兰•欧文说，“商家需要认识到他们可以信赖销售商和供应商之间的这种途径。”
patriarchal a．家长的，族长的
The paid manager acting for the company was in more direct relation with the men and their demands，but even he had seldom that familiar personal knowledge of the workmen which the employer had often had under the more patriarchal (a.) system of the old family business now passing away．[1996年阅读]
[译文]领取报酬后代表公司经营的经理与工人和工人的需求形成更加直接的关系，但甚至他也很少像正在被淘汰的旧式家族企业的家长制中的雇主那样对工人有着亲近的、个人化的了解。
perception n．①洞察力；②理解力;③知觉
What they found，in attempting to model thought，is that the human brain's roughly one hundred billion nerve cells are much more talented--and human perception(n.③)far more complicated--than previously imagined．[2002年阅读]
[译文]在试图建造思维模型的过程中，研究人员发现，人类大脑中的近1，000亿个神经细胞要比以前想象的更聪明，人类的感觉器官也比以前想象的更复杂。
pervasive a．普遍深入的
symptoms of pervasive (a．)anti-intellectualism in our schools aren't difficult to find．[2004年阅读]
[译文]学校里不难发现反学识倾向的普遍表现。
penalize v．处罚
Theories (21：centering) on the individual suggest that children engage in criminal behavior (22：because) they were not sufficiently penalized (v.) for previous misdeeds or that they have learned criminal behavior through (23：interactions) with others．[2004年完形]
[译文]将少年犯罪主要归咎于个人的理论认为少年犯罪是因为他们以前的过错没有得到足够的惩罚，或是因为他们在和其他人交往的过程中学会了犯罪行为。
perceptual a．知觉的，有知觉的
First of all，most substances taken in excess will produce negative effects such as poisoning or intense perceptual (a.) distortions．[1997年阅读]
[译文]首先，大多数物质的过量使用都会产生负面的影响，如中毒或严重的知觉错乱。
permissible a．可允许的
Although it ruled that there is no constitutional right to physician-assisted suicide，the Court in effect supported the medical principle of “double effect”, a centuries-old moral principle holding that an action having two effects--a good one that is intended and a harmful one that is foreseen--is permissible (a.) if the actor intends only the good effect．[2002年阅读]
[译文]尽管裁决认为，宪法没有赋予医生帮助病人自杀的权利，然而最高法庭实际上却认可了医疗界的“双效”原则，这个存在了好几个世纪的道德原则认为，如果某种行为具有双重效果(希望达到的好效果和可以预见得到的坏效果)，那么，只要行为实施只是想达到好的效果，这个行为就是可以允许的。
permissive a．许可的，放纵的
Blaming the permissive (a.) 1960s is nothing new，but this is not yet another criticism against the decline in education．[2005年阅读]
[译文]责难放纵的60年代并不新鲜，但这并不是另一份批评教育滑坡的长篇大论。
pharmaceutical n．药物；a．制药(学)上的
Of course，the pharmaceutical(a.) companies will scream．They like divided buyers；they can lobby better that way．[2005年阅读]
[译文]当然药厂不会同意，他们喜欢散客买家，那样他们可以暗中运作。
provincial a. ①省的．区域的[生] a．② (贬) 眼光狭隘的，守旧的，迂腐的
What does “national” mean? Roy Romanow and Senator Michael Kirby recommended a federal-provincial(a.) body much like the recently created National Health Council．[2005年阅读]
[译文]全国性指什么?罗曼诺先生和科比议员的建议是，像近来创立的国家健康咨询中心那样，是一个各省联邦的实体。
psychoactive a．作用于精神的，影响(或改变)心理状态的
Psychoactive(a.) substances are commonly grouped according to whether they are stimulants，depressants，or hallucinogens．[1997年阅读]
[译文]影响精神状态的物质通常分为兴奋剂、镇静剂和迷幻剂。
prefrontal a．额叶前部的，前额的
But not all parts of the brain are equally involved；the limbic system (the “emotional brain) is especially active, while the prefrontal (a.) cortex(the center of intellect and reasoning) is relatively quiet．[2005年阅读]
[译文]但并不是所有大脑的部位都参与活动；控制情绪的大脑部位异常活跃，然而控制智力和理性的大脑部位却相对平静。