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the overwhelming majority
释义 绝大多数
The genius of apartheid was convincing people who were the overwhelming majority to turn on each other.
outnumber (v.)
释义 在数量上超过
At the time, black South Africans outnumbered white South Africans nearly five to one, yet we were divided into different tribes with different languages.
tribal factions
释义 部落派系
Long before apartheid existed these tribal factions clashed and warred.
animosity (n.)
释义 敌意
Then White rule used that animosity to divide and conquer.
at odds
释义 不和
Then these groups were given differing levels of rights and privileges in order to keep them at odds.
stark (adj.)
释义 极度的
Perhaps the starkest of these divisions was between South Africa’s two dominant groups, the Zulu and the Xhosa.
slaughter (v.)
释义 **
The Zulu were slaughtered by the thousands, but they never stopped fighting.
wage (v.)
释义 发动
The Xhosa waged a long war against the white man as well, but after experiencing the futility of battle against a better-armed foe, many Xhosa chiefs took a more nimble approach.
go to war with
释义 与…交战
The Zulu went to war with the white man.
fester (v.)
释义 恶化;加剧
Bitterness festered.
be held in check / hold oneself in check
释义 抑制;控制
For decades those feelings were held in check by a common enemy.
big Hollywood movies
释义 好莱坞大片
Sometimes in big Hollywood movies they’ll have these crazy chase scenes where somebody jumps or gets thrown from a moving car.
indigenous peoples
释义 原住民
Like indigenous peoples around the world, black South Africans adopted the religion of our colonizers.
be stern with sb
释义 对某人严厉
The white man was quite stern with the native.
shot (n.)
释义 尝试
a shot at sth/doing sth
have a shot
So let’s give Jesus a shot.
have off
释义 休息
Friday and Saturday we had off.
jam (v.)
释义 即兴演奏
There was arena-style seating and a rock band jamming out with the latest Christian contemporary pop.
blast (n.)
释义 狂欢
I always had a blast at mixed church.
have no clue
释义 一无所知;完全不知道
I’d hear the other kids at school singing “End of the Road,” and I’d have no clue what was going on.
he-man (n.)
释义 男子汉
He was my He-Man.
chapter and verse
释义 详细内容;具体细节
I could quote you anything from those pages, chapter and verse.
saving grace
释义 可取之处
Black church had one saving grace.
in the name of
释义 以…的名义
I cast out this spirit in the name of Jesus.
an epic slog
释义 艰苦跋涉
It was an epic slog.
collapse
释义 累得倒下
By the time we finally got home at night, I’d collapse into bed.
strap in
释义 给…系上安全带
Then we went out to the driveway, but once we were finally all strapped in and ready to go, the car wouldn’t start.
for next to nothing
释义 几乎不花钱
My mom had this ancient, broken-down, bright-tangerine Volkswagen Beetle that she picked up for next to nothing.
trace back
释义 追溯
Almost everything that’s ever gone wrong in my life I can trace back to a secondhand car.
detention (n.)
释义 课后留校
Secondhand cars made me get detention for being late for school.
hitchhike (v.)
释义 免费搭便车
Secondhand cars left us hitchhiking on the side of the freeway.
catch minibuses
释义 搭小巴
We’re going to catch minibuses.
forge ahead
释义 稳步前进;勇往直前
Indeed, obstacles that would normally lead a person to change their plans, like a car breaking down, only made her more determined to forge ahead.
in a split second
释义 一瞬间
In a split second, I’d have to think, Is it valuable?
take off out the door
释义 夺门而出
I’d take off out the door and through the dusty streets of Eden Park.
sprint (n.)
释义 短距离全速奔跑
She could go at a full sprint in high heels.
wit (n.)
释义 智力
When speed failed she’d use her wits.
catch a ride
释义 搭便车
She gathered up Andrew and we climbed out of the Volkswagen and went out to try to catch a ride.
jockey (v.)
释义 运用手段图谋
Spates of violence broke out between the Inkatha Freedom Party and the ANC, the African National Congress, as they jockeyed for power.
edge (v.)
释义 ****
My mom would edge the car slowly through the crowds and around blockades made of flaming tires.
hole up
释义 躲藏
Whenever the riots broke out, all our neighbors would wisely hole up behind closed doors.
inch (v.)
释义 ****
She’d head straight out, and as we’d inch our way past the blockades, she’d give the rioters this look.
unwavering (adj.)
释义 坚定的
She was unwavering in the face of danger (临危不惧).
talk **ack to sb
释义 跟…顶嘴
There were times I could talk **ack to my mom—this was not one of them.
necessity is the mother of invention.
释义 有需求,就有市场
Necessity being the mother of invention, black people created their own transit system.
set sb off
释义 激怒
She told him to mind his own business, and when he heard her speaking in Xhosa, that really set him off.
ingrained (adj.)
释义 根深蒂固的
The stereotypes of Zulu and Xhosa women were as ingrained as those of the men.
no less (adv.)
释义 竟然
And here was my mother, his tribal enemy, a Xhosa woman alone with two **all children—one of them a mixed child, no less.
reason with
释义 劝说
She just kept trying to reason with him.
nod off
释义 打盹;睡着
I didn’t hear a word of what she was saying, because by that point I’d completely nodded off.
ease off
释义 放慢;缓和;减轻
When we came to the next traffic light, the driver eased off the gas a bit to look around and check the road.
animal instinct
释义 动物本能
It was animal instinct, learned in a world where violence was always lurking and waiting to erupt.
swoop (v.)
释义 突然袭击
In the townships, when the police came swooping in with their riot gear and armored cars and helicopters, I knew: Run for cover.
stand a chance
释义 有机会;有可能
The men stopped the minibus and got out and tried to chase us, but they didn’t stand a chance.
in shock
释义 震惊
I think they were in shock.
bewilderment (n.)
释义 困惑
I still remember glancing back and seeing them give up with a look of utter bewilderment on their faces.
reigning (adj.)
释义 在位的;本届的
They didn’t know they were dealing with the reigning champs of the Maryvale College sports day.
catch one’s breath
释义 屏息
We caught our breath and waited for the police to come and drive us home.
trick sb into doing sth
释义 欺骗某人做某事
You should have listened to God when he told us to stay at home when the car wouldn’t start, because clearly the Devil tricked us into coming out tonight.
break out in a huge **ile
释义 **一个大大的笑容
She broke out in a huge **ile and started laughing.