foretell: applies to the telling of a future event by any procedure or from any source of information: seers ~ of calamitous events.  如as he foretold, thousands lost their lives正如他所预言，成千上万的人失去了生命


predict: commonly implies inference from facts or from accepted laws of nature: astronomers ~ed the return of the comet.  （law of nature自然法则refers to a generalization that describes recurring facts or events in nature对重复性事件的概括，也叫自然定律或自然规律，如the laws of thermodynamic热力学定律，如the law of free fall自由落体定律）  连续的逻辑思考consecutive logical thinking称为reason推理；"推理并得出结论"称为infer推断    又如Newton’s theories allow us to predict the flight of a cricket ball牛顿理论让我们可以预测板球的飞行路线


forecast: adds the implication of anticipating eventualities and differs from predict in being usually concerned with probabilities rather than certainties: ~ a snowfall of six inches.   (eventual最终”迟早”applies to something that is bound to follow sooner or later as the final effect of causes already in operation and implies a definite ending of a sequence of preliminary events，如the eventual defeat of the enemy敌人的最终失败，如the eventual reunification of motherland祖国最终统一，如we will win eventually我们最终会胜利)   probabilities概率certainties确定肯定


prophesy: connotes inspired or mystic knowledge of the future, especially as the fulfilling of divine threats or promises, or implies great assurance in predicting: preachers ~ing a day of divine retribution.   （名词prophet表示先知、倡导者a person regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God，如the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah旧约先知耶利米，the Prophet Muhammad伊斯兰先知默罕默德， 如he was a prophet of revolutionary socialism他是革命社会主义的倡导者）  retribution惩罚报应，来自词根RE往回，词根TRIB给  "天谴"泛指"上天的责罚"，威胁和责罚密切相关，这里将divine threats上天的威胁译作天谴，更符合语言习惯


prognosticate: suggests prediction based on the learned or skilled interpretation of signs or symptoms:  economists are ~ing a slow recovery.  词根GNI/O表示to know知道，如agnostic不可知论cognitive认知prognosis疾病预后incognito隐姓埋名


foretell预告: 泛指预告未来，无论方法来源，predict预计: 指由事实和自然规律推断得出，forecast预报预计: 指预测最终会发生，给出概率而非确定，prophesy预言先知: 表示有神启神秘的知识，因而非常有把握，尤指实现天谴天愿，prognosticate预言: 表示基于对征兆症状的解释作预测


记忆方法: 1）首字母FPFPP三个裨将和FF非凡<==预告    顶一个诸葛亮，是指三个副将的智慧合起来能顶一个诸葛亮==>非凡

         2）预告的意思是提前告知mean to tell beforehand.