aristocracy: usually refers to those persons of superior birth, breeding, and social station: plantation families constituted the ~ of the antebellum South; OR to an ideally superior caste without reference to a definite group: the ~ of intellectuals.   战前南方  知识权贵     来自希腊文aristos: best最好的， 和词根CRAT/C: power力量，掌握权力。可见aristocracy和democracy有共同的词根


nobility: refers to persons of a privileged and titled class that ranks just below royalty: the duke ranks highest in British ~.  (rank阶层地位，它的基本意思是position位置，基本意思好记)        nobility还表示高尚品质,如his nobility of character他高尚的品质，褒义最强        拉丁短语noblesse oblige贵族义务is the idea that it was the elite's "duty" to take care of society and help other people表示精英阶层对社会和弱势群体负有责任和义务


gentry: refers to a class of leisured, well-bred persons who are considered gentlefolk but are without hereditary titles: a private school favored by generations of the ~.  (gentlefolk名门世家，如红楼梦里贾宝玉，虽无世袭爵位但属于名门世家)


elite: refers to the members of any group or class who are judged highest by social or cultural standards: acknowledged to be among the ~ few of the artistic set.   如political/intellectual elite政治/知识精英，如本例艺术精英


society: refers to that class of people who are celebrated for their active social life, conspicuous leisure, and fashionable sports and clothes: the famed lavish balls of Newport ~.


aristocracy贵族: 指拥有优越出身教养地位的阶层, 或泛指任何优越阶层，nobility贵族: 指拥有特权头衔，级别仅次于皇家，gentry绅士:  指名门世家，轻闲有教养，但无世袭头衔，elite精英上层: 指社会上或文化上最高级的阶层团体，society社交界上流社会: 社交活跃、运动休闲、衣着时尚的社会阶层


记忆方法: 1）首字母ANGES排序成AS GEN根据出身<==生而贵族       （词根GEN表示出生birth，如gene基因generation世代eugenics优生学 generator发电机carcinogen致癌物）

         2）练习一下

         3）贵族的意思是优越的社会阶层mean a body of people constituting a socially superior caste.首字母ANGES排序成AS GEN根据出身<==生而贵族   (caste社会阶层，特别是对外封闭的an exclusive social class，如the ruling caste统治阶层)