Let's continue the book《Mixed Blessings》.
Now the portly white man was up in the grill of the strong black man towering over him.
portly 发福的; 发胖的
towering 高大的，tower本意是“高塔”的意思，用作形容词也不离这个意思，有一种高大的、压迫感的意味。
Inside the hotel ballroom were 521 academics, government bureaucrats, civil-rights leaders, school administrators, and corporate executives to review population models and seek a solution for the biggest social challenge to the American way of life.
译文：酒店宴会厅内有521名学者、政府官僚、民权领袖、学校管理者和企业管理者将审查人口模型，并为美国生活方式面临的最大社会挑战寻求解决方案。
这句话里面描述了各类人群，比如
academic 学者，科研人员
government bureaucrats [ˈbjʊrəˌkræts] 政府官僚
civil-rights leaders 民权领袖
school administrators 学校管理者
corporate executives 企业管理者
A government wonk in a cheap blue suit with an obligatory cotton twill button-down shirt and bargain basement red tie and sensible shoes approached the microphone and introduced the first speaker.
obligatory [əˈblɪɡətɔːri] 强制的
button-down 用纽扣系的
bargain basement 地下减价商品部，可译为 地摊
sensible 在此处的意思是 朴素的，正如句子中的 sensible shoes。
