(1) 八卦
curious: a neutral term, connotes an active desire to learn or to know: children are ~ about everything.

inquisitive: suggests impertinent and habitual curiosity and persistent quizzing and peering after information: dreaded the visits of their ~ relatives.    （impertinent提问题或提建议时不顾礼节，如to ask impertinent questions提无礼的问题）  （quiz最常用的意思是测验test，本意是询问ask，如he was quizzed about his income, debts and eligibility for state benefits他被问及收入、债务以及是否有资格享受政府福利）   （peer盯着费力看，如透过缝隙眯眼implies straining to see clearly and fully，如peered at the birds through his binoculars用望远镜盯着鸟看)

prying: implies busy meddling and officiousness: ~ neighbors who refuse to mind their own business.    meddling和officious干扰表示不受欢迎地关注他人或提供帮助，造成干扰，反映了对他人事务的兴趣

curious好奇: 中性词，表示积极希望了解知悉，inquisitive爱打听(他人私事)、有求知欲:  贬义词指有违礼节地反复询问私事，但也形容勤学好问，prying窥探、撬开:  表示不断询问私事，动词还表示费力撬开瓶子等，语气更重些

记忆方法: 1) 爱打听、八卦的意思是对他人的事务感兴趣mean interested in what is not one's personal or proper concern. 在娱乐圈中，八卦是指非正式的、小道消息或新闻。粤语中“八卦”的本意是到处说是非、饶舌。娱乐新闻狗仔队为了吸引读者，到处挖掘明星的隐私，这样挖出来的新闻被称为“八卦新闻”


(2) 迟钝
dull: suggests a lack of keenness, zest, or pungency: a ~ pain.   （keen敏锐，形容头脑感知等快速锐利implies quickness and penetration，如a keen observer一个敏锐的观察家，反义词是迟钝; zest兴致implies eagerness or avidity，如possessed a zest for life对生命充满热情，反义词是沉闷；pungent形容食物辛辣implies a sharp, biting, stinging taste or smell，如a cheese with a pungent odor气味辛辣的奶酪，反义词是乏味） 闷痛

blunt: suggests an inherent lack of sharpness or quickness of feeling or perception: even a person of his ~ sensibility was moved.

obtuse: implies such bluntness as makes one insensitive in perception, speech, or imagination: too ~ to realize that she had deeply hurt us.

dull迟钝无聊乏味: 表示迟缓沉闷乏味，blunt迟钝: 表示感觉认知等不敏锐，obtuse迟钝: 表示非常迟钝，以致认知言谈想象时几乎无感

记忆方法: 1) 迟钝意思是不快速不敏锐mean not sharp, keen, or acute.  (这三个词本身是一组同义词，首字母ask提问)


(3) 嫉妒
envious: stresses a coveting of something such as riches or attainments which belongs to another or of something such as success or good luck which has come to another and may imply an urgent, even malicious desire to see the other person dispossessed of what gives satisfaction, OR it may imply no more than a mild coveting without desire to injure: we are all ~ of your new dress.

jealous: is likely to stress intolerance of a rival for the possession of what one regards as peculiarly one's own possession or due, but sometimes it implies no more than intensely zealous efforts to keep or maintain what one possesses; it often carries a strong implication of distrust, suspicion, enviousness, or sometimes anger: stabbed by a ~ lover.  

envious羡慕: 表示也希望拥有他人所拥有的，既可指想要他人失去，也可只是希望拥有无意伤害，jealous嫉妒: 强调不能容忍对手拥有自认为属于自己的东西，强烈表示不信任怀疑甚至愤怒

记忆方法: 1) 嫉妒的意思是认为他人不应该拥有某物mean begrudging another possession of something desirable.   （begrudge嫉妒to think that someone doesn't deserve something认为某人不应拥有某物，固定搭配to begrudge sb. sth.如you shouldn't begrudge (her) her success你不应嫉妒她取得成功，又如本例；形容词begrudging表示勉强不情愿的给予to give in a reluctant way，如begrudging acceptance/admiration/respect不情愿的接受/赞美/尊重）  


(4)  报复
vindictive: tends to stress the reaction as inherent in the nature of the individual and is appropriate when no specific motivating grievance exists: not a ~ bone in his body; but sometimes it implies a persistent emotion, based on real or fancied wrongs, that may manifest itself in implacable malevolence or in mere spiteful malice: a ~ person plotting revenge.    (implacable不愿和解不饶人的，如the move has incurred implacable opposition of many economists提案遭到了许多经济学家的坚决反对)

revengeful, vengeful: are more likely to imply the state of one specifically provoked to action and truculently ready to seek or take revenge; both terms may also apply to an agent or weapon by which vengeance can be attained: an insult that provoked a ~ spirit in the target; trained his children to be his ~ agents.

vindictive报复心的: 强调报复心重的性格(nature)，实际可能并未受到委屈；但也可表示确因受到不公而坚决报复，revengeful,vengeful报复的: 表示因受到不公，寻求报复的状态，还可用于实施报复的代理人或武器

记忆方法: 1) 报复的意思是意图报复mean showing or motivated by a desire for vengeance.


(5) 对手
opponent: implies little more than position on the other side, as in a debate, election, contest, or conflict: ~s of the project cite cost as a factor.

antagonist: implies sharper, often more personal opposition in a struggle for supremacy: a formidable ~ in the struggle for corporate control.   (supremacy最高权威地位，指超越其他superiority over all others, 如the supremacy of Shakespeare among English dramatists莎士比亚在英国剧作家中享有至高地位)

adversary: may carry an additional implication of active hostility: two peoples that have been bitter ~ies for centuries.   (hostility敌对、恶意，是指公开强烈的恶意open and strong ill will，往往表现出攻击侵略aggression and attack，如a history of hostility between the two nations两国长期敌对)

opponent对手: 仅表示在辩论选举比赛冲突等中处于另外一方，antagonist对手反面角色: 表示为了争夺地位而尖锐对立的人，adversary敌手对手:  比前两个词更加激烈敌对(比如现在中美贸易战，两国关系就不止是对手opponents，更像是敌对adversaries)

记忆方法: 1) 对手的意思是表达相反立场的人mean one who expresses or manifests an opposite position.


说明: 这5个词组放在一个帖子里，是因为每组只有两到三个词，如果单独发，篇幅过小，内容不足；

     记忆这些同义词组时，没有用首字母联想记忆，因为每组只有两三个首字母，这些首字母很容易重复混淆。另外每组只有两三个词，即使不用联想口诀，一般也能轻松的把每个词记起来；

     选择的这5小组词意思不同，但有一定关联，已经排好顺序，可以每组中提出一个词，组成一个短句子，放在一起记有协同作用，用同样的时间掌握5组同义词，效率更高。比如这篇里5组词组成句子的话，大意是“一个八卦迟钝妒忌报复的对手”，每组选第1个词是a curious dull envious vindictive opponent(前4个形容词按字母排序)，这样的组合可以有3*3*2*2*3=108个，但我们只需要记住这3+3+2+2+3=13个词就能练习所有场景，记忆效率更高；

     少于4个词的同义词组不单独发帖。