01. buff v. 美化、擦亮（物體）
Larry buffed his black boots till they shone, and he could almost see his reflection.
02. dub v. 授予...稱號、給...取綽號
Larry has been dubbed the King of Kingston due to all the community service projects he's run for the town.
03. inception n. 開始
Countries have pulled together to help since the inception of the war last year.
04. put out fires idiom. 解決各種問題（以防事情惡化）
Wayne spent lots of time working in various departments putting out fires that began under the previous management.
05. quirky a. 奇特有趣、古怪的
My best friend is quirky with an unusual sense of humor, but that makes her interesting and fun.
06. rhyme or reason idiom. 邏輯性、道理
There was no rhyme or reason to Dave's explanation of why he didn't show up at the restaurant.
07. parry v. 閃避、迴避
Kate parried around the fact she was volunteering on weekends for one of the company's competitors.
08. command n. 掌握、駕馭
Ed has a great command of both Japanese and English, which makes him perfect to translate for us.
09. staunch a. 最堅定的
Mr. Green is a staunch advocate for ending world hunger. He has raised thousands of dollars for the cause.
10. rift n. 裂縫、嫌隙
The rift between the two sisters kept them apart for years. Finally they forgave each other and are now friends again.
11. oblivious a. 渾然不覺的
Jim was so involved in the basketball game on TV that he was oblivious to his kids getting into the candy.
12. daintily adv. 幽雅、講究地
The well-mannered woman daintily sipped her tea.
13. hefty a. 龐大、壯碩的
After carrying a hefty load of groceries into the house, Dave sat down to rest.
14. scale v. 攀登
Jake put on harness and scaled the rock wall.
15. gurgle n. 喉部發出（愉悅）的咕嚕聲
The gurgle of the stream was very pleasant to hear.
16. rave a. 熱烈讚揚、極力誇獎的
Peter's new play got rave reviews from the critics. They loved it.
17. prime a. 最好、一流的
Stan realized he had missed a prime moment to ask Cindy out.
18. climatic a. 高潮的
The book was exciting and had me hooked until the climatic chapter.
19. apprehensive a. 憂慮、恐懼的
Vickie was apprehensive before giving her speech. Afterwards she was relieved it went well.
20. enthrall v. 迷住、吸引住
I was so enthralled with the book, I couldn't put it down.
