Skew：曲解；歪曲
However， that comparison is skewed because the sale of IBM’s personal computer division to China’s Lenovo Group Ltd. closed on May 1， lowering the figures IBM posted in the remaining
two months of the quarter. Looking only at continuing operations， IBM showed a profit
of $1.85 billion， $1.14 per share.
Population：种群，族群
“There are clear differences between the two populations that had not been previously
recognized and these were confirmed by the studies on DNA，” said Isabel Beasley， a
doctoral student at James Cook University’s School of Tropical Environmental Studies and Geography.
Unionized：工会组织的
But aside from giving interns valuable experience， the program is a relatively cheap
source of labor for Disney and sometimes worries the unionized workers， although
union officials approved the program when it began almost 25 years ago.
Same-store sales：同店销售额
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. raised its forecast for June same-store sales， citing demand for seasonal and general merchandise.
Threshold：上限，极限
With $60 no longer a threshold - and with continued concerns about refining
capacities -prices appeared set to go even higher， analysts said.
Big-ticket：高价的，昂贵的
Entrepreneurs grumble that executives pander to big-ticket electronics vendors and industrial manufacturers - not the teddy bear enthusiasts and numismatists who were faithful a decade ago，
when eBay was founded and enjoyed a kitschy obscurity. They complain about shoddy
customer service， including site crashes and anti-fraud software that too often mistakes a legitimate business for a huckster.
Cartel：同业联盟，卡特尔
The anticipated increase would bring the official quota to 28 million barrels per day - a symbolic gesture， analysts said， since the cartel is already pumping that much.
Including Iraq， which is not bound by the official quota， OPEC’s daily output was 29.3 million barrels a day in May， according to the International
Energy Agency.
Newswire：新闻专线
The April figure was also better than the 4.5 percent forecast by economists surveyed
by Dow Jones Newswires.
Happy Hour：欢乐时光
Beer-swilling Britons face a sobering prospect： an unhappy hour. A group representing
about half the country’s pubs and bars said Monday it is curbing Happy Hour offers and other deals that
encourage irresponsible drinking， a British pastime that has come under increasing
attack from the government.
Scientists are excited about a vitamin again. But unlike fads that sizzled and fizzled，
the evidence this time is strong and keeps growing. If it bears out， it will challenge
one of medicine’s most fundamental beliefs： that people need to coat themselves with sunscreen
whenever they’re in the sun. Doing that may actually contribute to far more cancer deaths than it
prevents， some researchers think.
Stitch：缝合，缝缀
The goal of the merger is to stitch together two geographically distinct carriers with a
history of financial struggles into a stronger airline that would compete better with
lower-cost rivals such as Southwest Airlines Inc. and JetBlue Airways Corp. US Airways
has
a strong presence on the East Coast， and in the Caribbean， while America West
operates across the West from hubs in Phoenix and Las Vegas.
Out-of-state：外州的
Wine lovers can’t be barred from shipping home bottles purchased from out-of-state vineyards they visit in person or on the Internet， the Supreme Court said
Monday in a decision toasted by the wine industry.
Shade：细微差别
Disney’s profit of $698 million， or 33 cents a share， was a shade above Wall Street
estimates and contrasts with the $537 million， or 26 cents， it earned a year earlier.
Revenue in the period ended April 2 climbed 9% to $7.8 billion.
Ratification：批准，承认
Bahrain has its own agreement awaiting U.S. Congress ratification. Two other members
of the six-state Gulf Cooperation Council —— Oman and the United Arab Emirates —— have started talks on free trade deals with the U.S.
Thriller： 惊悚片
Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn’s “The Interpreter” translated into solid box-office as the United Nations thriller debuted with $22.8 million to top the weekend for
Hollywood.
Buyout：全部买下
Shares in Lenovo Group， the largest Chinese maker of personal computers，
rose Thursday after three buyout funds bought a stake in the company for $350 million.
Oust：驱逐，罢黜
Mr Hurd， currently head of smaller US computer services group NCR， will replace
Carly Fiorina， who was ousted from HP in February. HP’s shares closed up 8.1% in Tuesday trading in New York， following initial speculation
of Mr Hurd’s appointment.
Realism：真实性，逼真度
A judge has ordered Sony Corp. to pay $90.7 million to a company that develops
technology that enhances video game realism but immediately stayed an order that
would halt U.S. sales of Sony’s popular PlayStation consoles.
Capsize：倾覆
Bernard Ebbers， the once-swaggering CEO of WorldCom， was convicted Tuesday of engineering the largest
corporate fraud in U.S. history - an $11 billion accounting scandal that capsized the big telecom company three years
ago.
Clearance：官方证明书
Lenovo Group has obtained U.S. government clearance for the purchase of IBM’s
PC unit.
PSP：便携式游戏机
The PSP machine， a challenger to Nintendo Co.’s long-standing grip on the handheld video gaming market， will be sold as a “value pack”
for $250 in the United States and for $300 Canadian dollars. It will include numerous
accessories and - for the first million sold - a copy of the “Spider-Man 2” movie on the new Universal Media Disc format that Sony designed for the PSP.
Shoot up：暴涨，迅速生长
Shares in Google jumped 9 percent to a record high after the company reported net
income shot up more than seven times from a year earlier， beating estimates by a wide
margin.
Holidaymaker：度假者
The devastating tsunami that wiped out cities， seaside communities and holiday
resorts in southern Asia has not put holidaymakers off visiting the region， a survey
has found.
Get an edge：取胜
When it comes to recruiting students for college， admissions officials are turning to
increasingly outlandish stunts to get the attention of high schoolers. Birthday cards，
ski weekends and even reality TV shows are being used by colleges and universities
to get an edge.
Shirtsleeve：只穿衬衣的，非正式的
Hiring the shirtsleeve crowd represents a shift in the economy toward higher-paying jobs and a more skilled workforce. It also indicates that some companies that
squeezed their middle managements four years ago are starting to rebuild them.
assembly line：装配线
Airbus agreed with Premier Wen Jiabao on Sunday to study the possibility of setting
up an assembly line in China —— a move that could see its jets being built outside Europe for the first time.
attrition：人员自然缩减
Wagoner said the job cuts will come primarily through attrition and early-retirement packages to mitigate the impact on workers
