늘 그랬듯이 새해가 시작되기 전에 다가 오는 새해 성취하고 싶은 일들을 계획하는데, 올해도 빠지지 않고 세운 계획 중의 하나가 독서를 게을리 하지 않기이다. 올해는 영어책도 읽고 어휘력을 좀 향상시키는데 초점을 두려고 한다. 금방 포기하지 않기 위해서 쉬운 책부터 시작을 해보려고 한다. 그 동안 한국 책만 줄줄이 읽어서 독해력, 어휘력, 작문 실력까지 너무 떨어진 상태라서 조급한 마음을 살짝 내려놓고 꾸준하게 해보는게 핵심인 것 같다. 처음에 너무 열정적으로 했다가 한해가 갈 수록 흐지부지 하게 될까봐, 스트레스 없이 즐기면서 해야지하고 마음을 가져본다. 글쓰기를 잘하기 위해서는 같은 뜻을 갖은 동의어를 바꿔서 많이 사용하고 형용사, 부사를 많이 쓰면 좋다고 합니다. 그럼 오늘도 모두들 화이팅!
Sneak up on something / somebody
무언가/ 누군가가 불쑥 나타나다
Dana had snuck up behind Roy’s seat and ambushed him.
Wriggle free
교모하게 빠져나가다.
When Roy tried to wriggle free, Dana mushed his face against the window.
Squinting
V. 눈을 가늘게 뜨고 보다 / n. Squint 사시
It was then, squinting through the smudged glass.
Wiry
adj. 뻣뻣한
The boy was straw-blond and wiry, and his skin was nut-brown from the sun.
Squad
n. 선수단
Lame
adj. 다리를 저는, 쩔둑거리는, 설득력이 없는
The cowgirl remark was so lame, it was not worth getting mad about.
Stale
adj. 신선하지 않은, 퀴퀴한
Dana’s breath smelled like stale cigarettes.
grunt
n.꿀꿀거리다, v. 끙 앓는 소리를 내다.(흥미가 없어서 내는소리)
That’s right, Curly grunted over his shoulder.
Scraggly
adj. 듬성듬성 자란
The policeman couldn’t see what there was to be vandalized on the property, which was basically a few acres of scraggly weeds.
lumber
n. 잡동사니, v. (귀찮은일을)떠맡다
Curly stopped walking and pointed at a short piece of lumber on the ground.
yank
v. 홱 잡아 당기다
They yanked them out of the ground, every damn one.
gruffly
adv. 걸걸하게, 무뚝뚝하게
They didn’t break none of the stakes, he said gruffly.
irritably
adj. 짜증을 내는, 화가난
“What I am trying to explain,” Curly said irritably, “it’s not that they messed up the survey stakes, it’s them screwing up our whole construction schedule. That’s where it will cost some serious bucks.””
hoisted
adj. 도둑맞은
Curly grabbed him under one arm and hoisted him to his feet.
tripped over
발에 걸려 넘어지다.
“That’s what you tripped over,”
scowl
v. 노려보다 n. 노려봄, 쏘아봄
He scowled when he saw the policeman write down “foreman”instead.
prank
n.(농담으로하는) 장난
Kids usually didn’t go to that kind of trouble when pulling a prank.
mischief
n. 장난기, 나쁜짓
It’s trespassing and malicious mischief.
tuck
adj.접어 넣은, 답답한, 꼼짝 못하는
Curly tucked the card into the breast pocket of his foreman shirt.
fire away
(명령형태로 쓰임) 말하세요.
“Fire away”, said Curly, wiping his brow with a yellow bandanna.
chuckle
v. 빙그레 웃다.
Curly the foreman chuckled.
craggy
adj. 우락부락하게 생긴, 험준한 바위 투성이의
Back in Montana you had steep craggy mountains that rose ten thousand feet into the clouds.