at the helm

处于领导位置（掌舵）

After more than a decade at the helm of Colorado State University, Albert C Yates today announced his retirement.

gregarious

/ɡrɪˈɡɛərɪəs/ Someone who is gregarious enjoys being with other people. Gregarious animals or birds normally live in large groups.

She is such a gregarious and outgoing person.

grandiose

/ˈɡrændɪˌəʊs/ 浮夸的，华而不实的

The sad truth is that not one of Tim's grandiose plans has even begun.
At the risk of sounding grandiose, ...

assertive

Someone who is assertive states their needs and opinions clearly, so that people take notice.

Women have become more assertive in the past decade.
The newly ruling Democratic Party of Japan ran in part on a platform that advocated a more assertive policy toward the United States.

mellow

Mellow is used to describe things that have a pleasant, soft, rich colour, usually red, orange, yellow, or brown. A mellow sound or flavour is pleasant, smooth, and rich. If someone mellows or if something mellows them, they become kinder or less extreme in their behaviour, especially as a result of growing older.

the softer, mellower light of evening.
His voice was deep and mellow and his speech had a soothing and comforting quality.
Later, when the older children married and had children of their own, he mellowed a little.

rowdy

When people are rowdy, they are noisy, rough, and likely to cause trouble.

He has complained to the police about rowdy neighbours.
At first she ignored it, figuring it was from rowdy students coming home from a bar.

Mortal

You can describe someone as mortal when you want to say that they are an ordinary person.

I'm mortal!

[adj]致命的/极度的

The police were defending themselves and others against mortal danger.
She admits to having been "mortally embarrassed."

plural

复数的

Like "I love you each individually" or "I love you guys plural?"

wallow

If you say that someone is wallowing in an unpleasant situation, you are criticizing them for being deliberately unhappy.

His tired mind continued to wallow in self-pity.
"Europe is going to continue to wallow in misery for the foreseeable future, " Mr. Steinmetz said.

If a person or animal wallows in water or mud, they lie or roll about in it slowly for pleasure.

Never have I had such a good excuse for wallowing in deep warm baths.

metabolic

新陈代谢的

People who have inherited a low metabolic rate will gain weight.

oblivious

/əˈblɪvɪəs/ If you are oblivious to something or oblivious of it, you are not aware of it

She lay motionless where she was, oblivious to pain.
But what made it all the iller was that Pura seemed completely oblivious of the hostility!

spectacular

very impressive or dramatic.

My turnover increased spectacularly.
The changing climate will affect more than the mountains and the spectacular glacial views

temperate

describe a climate or a place which is never extremely hot or extremely cold.

The Nile Valley keeps a temperate climate throughout the year.

grim

A situation or piece of information that is grim is unpleasant, depressing, and difficult to accept.

There was further grim economic news yesterday.
Today's situation is grim, but currency crises and sovereign defaults would only make the mess worse.

A place that is grim is unattractive and depressing in appearance.

The city might be grim at first, but there is a vibrancy and excitement.
The road to Bowen School cuts across dusty fields and through grim industrial zones in southeast Beijing.

impermeable

[ɪm'pɝmɪəbl] Something that is impermeable will not allow fluid to pass through it

The canoe is made from an impermeable wood.
But China's media controls are not as impermeable as they were when the Berlin Wall fell.

mundane

Something that is mundane is very ordinary and not at all interesting or unusual.

Be willing to do mundane tasks with good grace.
It's an attitude that turns the mundane into something more interesting and exciting.
Only way we're gonna get that beautiful, mundane life you're talking -- any of us, is if I take his. [Prison Break S05E09]
I know everything about you, even your most mundane actions. Like the zoo. What's with you and the zoo? [Prison Break S05E09]

scintillating

A scintillating conversation or performance is very lively and interesting.

You can hardly expect scintillating conversation from a kid that age.

wretched

describe someone or something that you dislike or feel angry with; very unhappy

Wretched woman, he thought, why the hell can't she wait?
I feel really confused and wretched.

intrigued

(especially something strange) interests you and you want to know more about it.

So this makes me even more intrigued
Foodies are intrigued by the local cuisine - the bread, cheese and sweets found only here.

sopping

extremely wet

They came back sopping wet.
We climbed back onboard, sopping and smiling

aerial

You talk about aerial attacks and aerial photographs to indicate that people or things on the ground are attacked or photographed by people in aeroplanes.

Weeks of aerial bombardment[bɑm'bɑrdmənt] had destroyed factories and motorways.
The virtual reality model of Los Angeles begins with aerial photos of the city.
From an aerial view, the island is actually shaped like a banana, hence its name.

cosmic

地球外的，宇宙中的

cosmic radiation

plump

somewhat fat or rounded

He pushed a plump little hand toward me.
Maria was a pretty little thing, small and plump with a mass of curly hair.
plump, juicy turkeys
Presence and confidence are now as important as good skin, long eyelashes and plump cheeks.

ponderous

(writing or speech) very serious, uses more words than necessary, and is dull.

He had a dense, ponderous style.
This ponderous and beautifully-shot film will endure long after this list has turned to dust.
Most organizations today are simply too ponderous to match attacks that unfold at astonishing speed.

tenuous

(a connection, a reason, or someone's position) very uncertain or weak

He did not speculate on the future of his tenuous career.
So how to strike the tenuous balance between keeping employees happy and paying them a reasonable rate?

stiff

firm or does not bend easily

The furniture was stiff and uncomfortable.
You'll have to break it in though, first. You can't catch anything with it that stiff.
His gaberdine[,gæbɚ'din] trousers['traʊzɚz] were brand new and stiff. 笔挺的

(肌肉、关节)酸痛的

The mud bath is particularly recommended for relieving tension and stiff muscles.

kinky

(a sexual practice or preference) is unusual and would be considered strange by most people.

He had been engaging in some kind of kinky sexual activity.

stellar

星球的 anything connected with stars；像星星般闪耀的杰出的

The French companies are registering stellar profits
that will compensate for less stellar scores
He's going to be separated from his job even though he has a stellar work record.

aesthetic

[ɛs'θɛtɪk] 审美的，美学的

..products chosen for their aesthetic appeal as well as their durability and quality.
an aesthetic experience

reassuring

make you feel less worried 安慰的，安心的

It was reassuring to hear John's familiar voice.
"It's okay now," he said reassuringly.
Neuralchemically speaking, going through a breakup is a lot like going through cocaine withdraw - which I find reassuring.

grievous

极其严重的 /ˈɡriːvəs/

Mr. Morris said the victims had suffered from a very grievous mistake.
He survived in spite of suffering grievous injuries.
I decided that if my friends could not understand my grievous affliction, I did not need their friendship.

devastated

very shocked and upset 震惊

Teresa was devastated, her dreams shattered.
He was devastated about the circumstances of his sister's death.

ostensible

表面上的，声称的，名义上的 used to describe something that seems to be true or is officially stated to be true, but about which you or other people have doubts.

The ostensible purpose of these meetings was to gather information on financial strategies.
How have we come to associate love with great pain and suffering? Why do we talk about this ostensibly good experience as if we are victims?

carcinogenic

致癌的 /ˌkɑːsɪnəˈdʒɛnɪk/

Latex condoms during the curing process can generate a carcinogenic substance - ...

abiding

[ə'baɪdɪŋ] (feeling, memory, or interest you have) for a very long time.

He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft.

aloof

not very friendly and does not like to spend time with other people.

Despite his reputation for being aloof, he was in fact passionate in both his personal and scientific pursuits.

cramped

not big enough for the people or things in it.

...many suffering from illnesses related to the cramped and unsanitary conditions of the center.

elusive

difficult to find, describe, remember, or achieve. (different from exclusive独家的)

In Denver late-night taxis are elusive and far from cheap.
Bonus: a chance to spot the elusive and endangered blue sheep, unique to this mountain range.
Exactly how this may be done remains elusive.

exhilarating

make you feel very happy or exited.

It was exhilarating to be on the road again and his spirits rose.

fortuitous

[fɔr'tuətəs]幸运的

For that, they may give thanks to a fortuitous turn in the political cycle.

quaint

[kwent] attractive because it is old-fashioned

a small, quaint town with narrow streets

sumptuous

grand and obviously very expensive.奢华的

a sumptuous feast

meticulous

do things very carefully and with great attention to detail.

He was so meticulous about everything.
be meticulous at their jobs
The flat had been meticulously cleaned.