重點講解：

1.most capable of doing

最能夠…

釋義：having the qualities or ability needed to do something有能力能夠…

句子：He's quite capable of lying to get out of trouble. 他頗有能耐靠撒謊渡過難關。

I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself, thank you. 謝謝,我完全有能力自己做這項工作。

You are capable of better work than this. 你有能力做得比這更好。

2.a self-made man

釋義：having become rich and successful through your own hard work rather than having had money given to you靠自己奮斗成功的；白手起家的

句子：He was proud of the fact that he was a self-made man.他為自己白手起家而自豪。

3.through (sheer) force of will

釋義：complete and not mixed with anything else完全的；純粹的；十足的

句子：The concert was sheer delight. 這場音樂會是一次十足的享受。

I only agreed out of sheer desperation. 我一時情急才同意的。

介詞使用:through

4.a poor upbringing

貧窮出身

a middle-class upbringing 出身中產She had a comfortable middle-class upbringing.

a sheltered upbringing (=one in which someone is protected from difficult or unpleasant experiences)嬌養 I'd had a very sheltered upbringing, so going to college was a real eye-opener.

a strict upbringing 家教嚴格He reacted violently against his strict upbringing.

a privileged upbringing (=when someone has advantages because their family is wealthy)家庭優越 Due to his privileged upbringing, he finds it difficult to identify with ordinary people.

a good upbringing

5.buy sth with a one hundred dollar loan

貸款100美元來買…

6.earns a reputation as

a good/bad reputation好/壞名聲

get a reputation (also gain/acquire a reputation formal)聞名

earn/win a reputation for (toughness)因為堅強出名

enjoy a reputation (=have it) 享有…名聲

deserve a reputation (=have earned it)贏到…名聲

live up to its reputation (=be as good as people say it is)配的上…名聲

establish a reputation (=make people accept that you are good at doing something)建立名聲

enhance sb’s reputation (=make it better)讓名聲變好

build/develop a reputation發展名聲

damage sb’s reputation損壞名聲

tarnish sb’s reputation (=make it worse)讓名聲變差

destroy/ruin sb’s reputation 損毀名聲

7.a cutthroat businessman

釋義：in which people compete with each other in aggressive and unfair ways競爭激烈的；殘酷無情的；不公的:

句子：the cut-throat world of politics 斗得你死我活的政界

8.get ahead

釋義：to be successful and do better than other people in a job or work成功/比別人更強

句子：She soon found that it wasn’t easy to get ahead in the movie business. 她很快發現在電影業很容易成功

If you want to get ahead in politics, you have to look confident.如果你想在政界成功，就要看起來自信。

9.by hook or crook

釋義：by hook or by crook if you are going to do something by hook or by crook, you are determined to do it, whatever methods you have to use:想方設法；不擇手段

句子：The police are going to get these guys, by hook or by crook.警方準備不論采取什么手段都要抓捕到這些人。

10.Get into scraps with

釋義：打架，爭吵

句子：He was always getting into scraps at school. 他在學校老跟人打架。

11.knock sb unconscious

釋義：hit sb and put sb into a postion

句子：The blow knocked me flat. 那一拳把我打倒在地。

He was knocked senseless by the blow. 他被一拳打得不省人事。

12.The competitive streak

釋義：a part of a person's character, especially an unpleasant part(尤指不好的)性格特征:

句子：a ruthless / vicious / mean streak

冷酷/邪惡/卑鄙的性格

a streak of cruelty

幾分殘忍

13.become so synonymous with

釋義：~ (with sth) so closely connected with sth that the two things appear to be the same

等同于…的:

句子：Wealth is not necessarily synonymous with happiness.

財富未必等同于幸福。

14.at the peak of power

介詞使用：at