2024年1月25日 星期四

surprise, surprise, whopping, hot water, resurgent. initiatives

🏗️ 🌳 Today, the building sector is responsible for a whopping 39% of global CO2 emissions. It's a wake-up call, signaling the urgent need for a “green revolution” in the world of architecture. Join us on a journey as the UNESCO Courier explores some of the initiatives spreading all over the globe.




The manufacturing giant is turning out steel and cellphones again, as its factories hum back to life. But empowering consumers might be harder, now that they are reluctant to spend after job losses, pay cuts and the threat of a resurgence of the virus.


The social network on Friday said the average person who uses the app, which launched in January as the first product developed by its Creative Labs team, looks at a whopping 80 stories a day. But Facebook has given no indication of how many people have downloaded the app.
A German Resurgence, Feet First
GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany — In much the way Germany rebuilt its economy, it has devoted considerable resources to developing soccer talent. The result? A global powerhouse for years to come. 



Homeowners aren’t the only ones in hot water over overpriced real estate. A New York City hot dog vendor has been evicted from his prize spot outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art because he couldn’t pay a whopping rent bill of nearly $54,000 a month.
房屋所有人並非唯一飽受高房價之苦的人。一名紐約市熱狗小販因為付不出將近5萬4000美元的龐大月租費,被從大都會博物館外的這個絕佳(賣熱狗)地點趕走。張沛元

新聞辭典
whopping:形容詞,巨大的;副詞,非常地。
in hot water:俚語,陷入麻煩,身陷困境以致可能遭到懲罰。例句:Those e-mails defaming about your boss can land you in hot water.(你那些誹謗你老闆的電子郵件會讓你惹上麻煩。)

hot water
Trouble; difficulty: is in political hot water; got into hot water over the car deal.
prize:形容詞,一流的;得獎的。



British PM makes surprise visit to Iraq
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is in Baghdad for talks with Iraqi leaders. The surprise visit comes a day after Washington and Baghdad agreed on a "general time horizon" for US troop withdrawals as part of a long-term security pact. Following talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, Brown said he wants to scale back British troops in Iraq, but would not set what he called an "artificial timetable" for withdrawing the 4,000 soldiers remaining there. Brown also spoke of "enormous progress" in reducing violence in the country. Brown is expected to use his trip to push for reconstruction and investment in the Iraqi economy, particularly in the city of Basra where Britain's troops in Iraq are based.



When Tony Blair swept through China this week for a succession of events and speeches, he might have hoped to generate shimmering headlines about his views on the resurgent world power.One of his addresses was, after all, entitled "From Greatness to Brilliance". So it will no doubt come as a rude surprise to discover that some of his hosts were less than impressed with his appearances - particularly the whopping fees reportedly paid to secure his services. 'Cliched, stale, money-raking' - Blair not quite the toast of China


surprise inspection 突擊檢查



A surprise inspection tends to have different results than an announced inspection. Leaders seeking to discover how well lower echelons in their organization are typically doing, will sometimes drop in unannounced to see what is going on and what conditions are.
When an inspection is scheduled in advance, it gives people a chance to cover up or fix mistakes. A surprise inspection, therefore, gives inspectors a better picture of the typical state of the inspected object than an announced inspection.
a surprise attack 奇襲.
Russo-Japanese War: began with a surprise attack by Japan on the Russian fleet at Port Arthur (now Lüshun) (1904)

You're always full of surprises (= doing unexpected things).

I wish you wouldn't keep springing surprises on me (= telling me unexpected things or causing unexpected things to happen).
It's not like you to behave like this, Alice - I'm surprised at you (= I feel disappointed with you)!
I've managed to fix your car for now, but don't be surprised if it breaks down again (= it probably will stop working again).
台湾检调机构突击搜查力霸集团
雅馬哈發動機公司的一位發言人證實警方在周一上午突然調查了公司總部和位於東京西南岩田市的發動機製造廠,不過他沒有說明調查的原因。他還表示,雅馬哈早在 5年前就向中國出口這一款直升機,但這些是比較低級的型號,不可能有軍事通途。
Yamaha expressed surprise over the investigation and denied any wrongdoing. The company says it first sold the helicopters to China five years ago and insists they were basic models that could have no military application.

whopping

Line breaks: whop|ping
Pronunciation: /ˈwɒpɪŋ/ adjective
informal Very large: a whopping £74 million loss [as submodifier]: a whopping great lie More example sentences
  • What a huge whopping lie, I thought with self-derision.
  • The sun is expected to survive for a whopping 10 million years, while massive stars live to be a mere 3 million years old because they burn up so fast.
  • I think my two favourite characters were Yoda, and the whopping big lizard that Obi-Wan was riding.

resurgent

音節re・sur・gent 発音記号/rɪsˈɚːdʒənt‐sˈəː‐/
【形容詞】【限定用法の形容詞】

resurgence noun

surprise noun [C or U]
an unexpected event, or the feeling caused by something unexpected happening:
Don't tell Anne we've arranged a party for her - I want it to be a surprise.
It was a lovely/nasty, etc. surprise to get home and find the letter.
Last night's heavy snow came as a complete surprise.
You're always full of surprises (= doing unexpected things).
I wish you wouldn't keep springing surprises on me (= telling me unexpected things or causing unexpected things to happen).
He looked at her in/with surprise.
To my great surprise, they agreed to all our demands.
They mounted a surprise attack at dawn.
My uncle paid us a surprise visit yesterday.
Compare shock (SURPRISE).

surprise 
verb [T]
1 to make someone feel surprise:
The news surprised everyone.
[+ that] It doesn't surprise me that their parents don't want them to get married.
[+ to infinitive] It will not surprise anyone to learn that the offer has been rejected.
[+ question word] Janet was surprised how quickly the time passed.

2 to find, catch or attack someone when they are not expecting it:
The robbers had just opened the safe when they were surprised by the police.
[+ ing form of verb] His mother surprised him helping himself to her gin.

surprised 
adjective
feeling or showing surprise because something has happened that you did not expect:
We were very surprised at the result.
It's not like you to behave like this, Alice - I'm surprised at you (= I feel disappointed with you)!
I'm not surprised (that) he didn't keep his promise.
I'm surprised to see you here.
I've managed to fix your car for now, but don't be surprised if it breaks down again (= it probably will stop working again).
She looked at him with a surprised expression on her face.

surprising 
adjective
unexpected:
He gave a rather surprising answer.
It's hardly/scarcely/not surprising (that) you're putting on weight, considering how much you're eating.
I must say that it's surprising to find you agreeing with me for once.

surprisingly 
adverb
unexpectedly or unusually:
The restaurant turned out to be surprisingly cheap.
Not surprisingly, the jury found them both guilty.

surprise, surprise
1 said when someone has done something or when something has happened in a way which you expected and which you do not approve of:
"I've forgotten my keys again." "Surprise, surprise!"

2 US said when you are telling someone about a situation in which something unexpected and pleasant has happened:
I asked him if he wanted to come to dinner with my parents, and surprise, surprise, he said yes!


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