n. [C] a businessman 商人
EG: a coal merchant 煤炭商
The main canals in Amsterdam are lined with houses built by rich merchants in the 17th and 18th centuries. 阿姆斯特丹的主要运河两岸排列着十七、十八世纪富商建造的房子。
<19>rack
vt. cause physical or mental pain or trouble 使痛苦；折磨
EG: The dog was already racked by the pains of old age. 那只狗早就为衰老带来的病痛所折磨。 He was racked with doubts. 他因疑惑而深感不安。
<20> counselor
counselor (n.) ---counsel (v. / n.)；
n. [C] (BrE counsellor) sb. whose job is to give advice and help to people with problems 顾问
EG: legal counselor 法律顾问
The company employed a group of counselors to solve this problem. 公司聘请了一班律师来解决这个问题。
★<21>attain
vt. succeed in achieving sth. after trying for a long time 获得
EG: When migrating, birds may attain a height of 3,000 meters or more. 候鸟在迁徙途中的飞翔高度能达到3千多米。
They tried to attain levels of quality and customer satisfaction greater than they had ever imagined. 他们想达到的质量和顾客满意度比以前想象的要高。
★<22>evident
evident (a.) ---evidently (ad.) ----evidence (n.); a. obvious; clear 明显的；显然的
EG: It must be evident to all of you that he has made a mistake. 你们大家一定都清楚他犯了一个错误。
Harry's courage during his illness was evident to everyone. 哈里在生病时表现出来的勇气每个人都很清楚。
It is evident to us all that it is not right to do so. 我们都清楚那样做是不对的。
<23>bleak
a. 1. without reasons to feel happy or hopeful 没希望的；暗淡的
EG: The chief executive said that the company was faced with a bleak future. 总裁说公司的前景黯淡。
Many people were facing a financially bleak Christmas. 许多人正面临一个经济上低迷的圣诞节。
2. cold and without any pleasant features 阴冷的；
阴郁的
EG: In the bleak light of dawn she was preparing to leave her hometown for an unknown place.
在黎明惨淡的光线中，她准备离开故乡，去一个陌生的地方。
The snow-covered coast looked bleak and uninviting. 海岸线上一片白雪，看上去十分阴冷，毫无吸引人之处。
<24>lane
n. 1. [C] a road marked out for a single line of traffic 车道
EG: the inside lane 内车道
The southbound lane is closed because of an accident. 南向车道因为一起事故而封闭了。 2. [C] a narrow road in the countryside 小路；小巷 EG: I live at the end of Church Lane. 我住在教堂巷尽头处。
It is very dangerous to drive fast along narrow
country lanes. 在狭窄的乡村小路上开快车很危险。
★<25>discharge
discharge (v.) ---charge (v. / n.);
v. allow liquid, gas, energy, etc. to leave a place （使）释放；（使）排出
EG: Lightning is caused by clouds discharging electricity. 闪电是由云层放电而产生的。
Large amounts of dangerous waste are discharged daily by the factory. 这家工厂每天排放出大量危险的废弃物。
vt. officially allow sb. to leave somewhere 释放；让...离开
EG: Patients were discharged from the hospital because the beds were needed by other people. 由于其他人需要床位，病人们被允许出院。
Because of the cut-down in sales, half of our employees were discharged. 因为销售额降低，我