severe: implies standards enforced without indulgence or laxity and may suggest harshness: the ~ dress of the Puritans.   清教徒   (severe有2个意思 1、严格严肃strict, serious, formal，又如a severe woman/architecture一个严肃的女人/严格的建筑风格 2、糟糕严重严峻very bad, serious, or harsh，如severe weather/damage/injuries/pain/punishment/criticism/challenge/situation恶劣的天气/严重的损坏/受伤/疼痛/严厉的惩罚/批评严峻的挑战/形势，这里表示1)   （indulge放纵溺爱，是指过度无节制地满足自己或他人愿望excessive gratification of desires，如indulged herself with food at the slightest excuse她找借口大吃大喝）  （lax是指放松标准不严格不精确a blameworthy lack of needed strictness, severity, or precision，如a reporter who is lax about getting the facts straight一个疏于核查事实的记者）


stern: stresses inflexibility and inexorability of temper or character: a ~ judge who seemed immune to pleas for mercy.   (和servere义项1完全同义, 如a stern face/warning/opposition/father严肃的面容/严重警告/坚决反对/严格的父亲，但一般只形容人，不形容物)  （inexorable不可改变不可阻挡something that cannot be changed or stopped，如the inexorable path of progress不可阻挡的进步潮流；inexorable rise in unemployment不可阻挡的失业攀升；history is inexorable历史是无情的(不能改变)）


austere: stresses lack of warmth, color, or feeling and may imply rigorous restraint, simplicity, or self-denial: the view that modern architecture is ~, brutal, and inhumane.   （self-denial放弃欲望享受forbearance from gratifying one's desires，如the self-denial involved in following a rigid diet节食需要放弃享受）  （rigorous指让人痛苦的rigid，即比rigid程度重，如rigorous discipline严酷的纪律）  又如an austere bedroom/life简陋的卧室/清苦的生活


ascetic: implies abstention from pleasure and comfort or self-indulgence as a measure of self- or spiritual discipline: the ~ life of monastic orders.           （abstain 就是上边的self-denial放弃欲望享受，如a vegetarian who abstains all meat一个素食者放弃任何肉食）      ascetic monk苦行僧是崔健的经典         monks, hermits and ascetics僧侣、隐士和苦行者


severe严格严酷: 指执行标准时不放松不放纵，甚至可能严酷，stern严厉: 强调脾气性格等不可改变，austere朴素节制: 缺乏情感温度色彩，表示节制简单，ascetic苦行清苦的: 指放弃舒适享受，为了个人精神修炼


记忆方法: 1）首字母ASAS想成AS...AS结构像什么一样<==像铁石一样严格

         2）练习一下    

         3）严格的意思是纪律严明控制严格mean given to or marked by strict discipline and firm restraint.首字母ASAS想成AS...AS结构像什么一样<==像铁石一样严格