Posted by Bill Powell
You can get a sense of the bureaucratic infighting within the Chinese government over the need for stronger environmental protection versus the need for continued strong economic growth in the following dispatch, which notes that the government has postponed “indefinitely” the release of the latest “green” GDP figures (for the year 2005). The 2004 report estimated the “cost” of pollution at 3.1 per cent of China’s GDP.A lot of bureaucrats and party leaders—particularly at the provincial level—wish the enviros would get out of their hair. They believe China’s priority still has to be economic growth first second and third. China cannot—no country really has—square this circle (that is, move to protect the environment more energetically without imposing serious costs on the economy.) Optimists note that in the post war period, the United States, Japan and South Korea among others all moved from being environmental basket cases to being relatively green (certainly compared to China) within a relatively short amount of time. The difference of course, is that China is still mainly a developing country—it’s still got massive numbers of people that it needs to move out of relative poverty to, at minimum, lower middle class status. That’s very different from where Japan and South Korea and the United States were when they started cleaning up on a significant scale; ergo, the serious political tension in China on the subject of the environment. My own sense is that the stresses, and arguments, are much more intense on this subject than many believe. It’s becoming a real fault line within the Chinese political system. Watch this space.Herewith the link to the Worldwatch institute report on this subject:
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/5266
Friday, August 10, 2007
Let the Games Begin...
Posted by Bill Powell
We’re now one year away from Olympics 08, and, as if responding to the crack of a starting gun, a group of prominent dissidents in China have come out of the blocks with a tough, open letter calling for “universal human rights” in China. Herewith the letter from “Chinese Human Rights Defenders (who are identified below.) This will be be an interesting year.
>
One World, One Dream, Universal Human Rights.
The letter is addressed to Chinese leaders and leaders in the concerned international community, proposing seven measures to end human rights abuses surrounding the preparations for the Olympics and calling forAmnesty of prisoners of conscience. Chinese Human Rights Defenders stands with those who signed the letter, supporting their position on the Beijing Olympics and the seven proposals.Jacques Rogge, Chair of the International Olympic Committee, is in Beijing to attend a two-day ceremony to mark the one-year count-down.Beijing police has intensified "clean-up" operations, rounding up petitioners and putting some activists under close watch.More than forty people signed the Open Letter, including Dai Qing, the well-known writer/journalist, Bao Tong, a former top aid to Zhao Ziyang, the reformist former Chinese leader, Ding Zilin, who has led the Tiananmen Mothers movement, and Liu Xiaobo, the famous dissident writer.The letter is open for endorsement by any Chinese citizens and members of the international community. The following is the Open Letter in English:"One World, One Dream" and Universal Human RightsAn Open Letter to Chinese and World Leaders on the 2008 Beijing Olympics.Hu Jintao, President, People's Republic of China Wu Bangguo, Chair, Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of ChinaWen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of ChinaJacques Rogge, Chair, International Olympic CommitteeDoru Romulus Costea, President, United Nations Human Rights CouncilLouise Arbour, High Commissioner, United Nations Office for Human Rights
Leaders of democratic states concerned about promoting freedom and human rights International NGOs concerned with human rights; members of the communities of sports, arts and entertainment, academe, and business around the world.Respected Leaders and Fellow World Citizens:Upholding the fundamental principles of the Olympic spirit, including "respect for universal fundamental ethical principles" and "the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful societyconcerned with the preservation of human dignity" (Olympic Charter, Preamble); Taking note of the Chinese government's official 2008 Olympic theme"One World, One Dream" and the Beijing Olympic Committee's stated objectives of hosting an "Open, Green, and Humane Olympics"; and mindful of the growing number of questions and criticisms in our own society and from around the world about the violations of the human rights of Chinese citizens in the name of the Beijing Olympics We, the undersigned citizens of the People's Republic of China, here voice our concerns and to propose changes in the ways in which our government is handling its preparations for the Olympics.Today, August 8, 2007, marks the start of the one-year count-down to the 2008 Summer Olympics, a mega-event for China and the world. We, as citizens of the People's Republic of China, ought to be feeling pride in our country's glory in hosting the Games, whose purposes include the symbolization of peace, friendship, and fairness in the world community. We also ought to feel uplifted by the watchword chosen by the Beijing Olympic Committee: "One World, One Dream." Instead we feel disappointment and doubt as we witness the continuing systematic denial of the human rights of our fellow citizens even while--and sometimes because--Olympic preparations are moving forward. We hear "One World" and wonder: What kind of world will this be? "One Dream"?Whose dream is it that is coming true? We are gravely concerned about the question of whether authorities in our country can successfully host the Olympic Games in an authentic Olympic spirit so that the 2008 Beijing games can become an event of which China and the world community can be proud.As the one world that we share "globalizes," lives and dreams are becoming increasingly intertwined. One person's "world dream," especially if it is implemented with unchecked power, and with endorsement from theworld community, can turn into misery and nightmare for others. "One world" can still be a world where people suffer discrimination, political and religious persecution, and deprivation of liberty, as well as poverty, genocide, and war. Millions of people who survived such miseries and disasters in the 20 the century have come to appreciate, and to pursue, human rights.Universal human rights have become the bedrock concept in pursuing lasting peace, sustainable development, and justice. If "one dream" is truly to belong to all cultures and communities it must involve protection of basic rights and liberties for all. Even the powerful, the rich and privileged might be punished unjustly tomorrow if fundamental rights are not assured today. The government that rules our country has pledged to the Chinese people and to the world to protect human rights. It has acceded to obligations under numerous international human rights conventions and treaties,including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and it has amended the Chinese Constitution to include guarantees of human rights. In order to avoid misunderstanding, and in order to alert the international community to un-Olympic conduct that tarnishes the true spirit of the Games, we, the undersigned citizens of the People's Republic of China, endorse the government's Olympic slogan with the following vital addition: "One World, One Dream, and Universal Human Rights."*Without promoting human rights, which are the fundamental principle of universal ethics in China and elsewhere, it is gratuitous to promote "One World." Without the protection of the human rights of all Chinesecitizens equally--i.e., without abolition of the rural-urban residential control system, without an end to discrimination against women and sexual, ethnic, and faith minorities, and without ending the suppression of political dissent--it is senseless to talk about "One Dream" for all of China. China's government has promised the International Olympic Committee to "promote human rights" and has pledged to the United Nations Human Rights Council to "uphold the highest standard of human rights." On paper it has taken certain steps toward improving human rights--in 2003, for example, abolishing the arbitrary detention system known as "Custody and Repatriation" and in 2004 adding "human rights protection" as an amendment to China's Constitution. We believe that the government should be able to do much more.Little has been done, in practice, to carry out the promises that have been made on paper. On the contrary we have experienced and witnessed violations of human rights many times--in press censorship and control of the Internet, in the persecution of human rights defenders and of people who expose environmental or public health disasters, in the exploitation of poor or disadvantaged social groups and in retaliation against them when they protest, and even in abuses by corrupt officials who are involved in the construction of Olympic facilities and city beautification projects that are aimed to prepare for the Olympics. All of these actions violate not only international standards but provisions of the Chinese constitution as well.We find no consolation or comfort in the rise of grandiose sports facilities, or a temporarily beautified Beijing city, or the prospect of Chinese athletes winning medals. We know too well how these glories are built on the ruins of the lives of ordinary people, on the forced removal of urban migrants, and on the sufferings of victims of brutal land grabbing, forced eviction, exploitation of labor, and arbitrary detention.Out of deep affection for our motherland and our sense of duty as citizens of the world, we will do our best, and urge leaders in China and in the world community to join hands with us, to make the Beijing Olympics a turning point in China's rise to greatness. China has the opportunity to use the Games to build true harmony on the basis of respect for human dignity and freedom and to become a respectable member of the community of civilized nations--not by loud rhetoric or brute force, but by taking actions to promote human rights at home and in the world.In the "one world" in which we live, the dreams that are coming true in China today will significantly shape everyone's future. Therefore, in order to promote a successful Olympics consistent with human rights, we propose the following measures:1. Declare amnesty for all prisoners of conscience so that they can enjoy the Olympic games in freedom.2. Open China's borders to all Chinese citizens who have been forced into exile for their beliefs, expression, or faith, so that they can re-unite with their loved ones and celebrate the glory of the Olympics in their motherland;3. Implement the government ordinance to allow foreign journalists to conduct interviews and reporting without pre-approval by authorities before October 17, 2008, granting Chinese journalists the same access and independence.4. Provide fair compensation to the victims of forced evictions and land appropriations that have been done in order to construct Olympic facilities, and release people who have been detained or imprisoned (often violently) for protesting or resisting such actions.5. Protect the rights of workers on all Olympic construction sites, including their right to organize independent labor unions; end discrimination against rural migrant laborers and give them fair compensation. 6. End police operations intended to intercept, detain, or send home petitioners who try to travel to Beijing to complain about local officials' misconduct; abolish illegal facilities used for incarcerating, interrogating, and terrorizing petitioners; end the "clean up” operations aimed at migrants that demolish their temporary housing and close down schools for their children.7. Establish a system of citizen oversight over Olympics spending and provide public accounting and independent auditing of Olympics-related expenditures; make the process of awarding contracts to businesses transparent, and hold legally accountable any official who embezzles or wastes public funds. We further suggest setting up an independent Beijing Olympics Watch Committee, composed of independent experts and representatives of non-governmental organizations and affected communities such as migrant laborers and people who have been forcibly relocated. This Committee would oversee the implementation of the above proposals. It should be allowed to operate independently, to examine plans, to interview freely, and to release its findings to the public. Citizen participation is key to a successful Olympics.If proposals even as straightforward as the foregoing cannot be adopted, we feel certain that the Beijing Olympics will not go down in history as the glorious events that everyone wishes them to be. We do not want to "politicize" the Olympic movement. However, pushing the Games through in ways that violate human rights and that hurt people who are forced into silence, all in the name of a "dream" that belongs only to "some" people, not our whole world, will only plant seeds of resentment that will exacerbate the crises in China and affect the future of the world.
Sincerely yours,Signed (name followed by location of residence and profession):DING Zilin, Beijing, professor, leader of "TiananmenMothers"LIU Xiaobao, Beijing, writer, president of independentChinese PENBAO Zhunxin Beijing, historianYU Haocheng, Beijing, legal scholarDAI Qing, Beijing, writer/journalistBAO Tong, Beijing, former member of CCP CentralCommittee JIANG Peikun , Beijing, professorZHANG Xianling, Beijing, engineer, leading member of"Tiananmen Mothers"JIANG Qisheng, Beijing, scientist/writerCHEN Ziming ,Beijing, scholarZHANG Zhuhua,Beijing, ScholarLIAO Yiwu, Sichuan, writerWANG Yi, Sichuan, scholarJIAO Guobiao, Beijing, scholar/writerCHEN Xiaoya, Beijing, scholar/writerLIU Junning, Beijing, scholarXU Youyu, Beijing, scholar at Chinese Academy of SocialScienceHE Weifang, Beijing, professor, Beijing UniversityXIA Yeliang Beijing, economistAI Xiaoming, Guangzhou, professorZHANG Hong Shanghai, professorYU Jie Beijing, writerYU Shichun Beijing, scholar/writerMA Bo Beijing, writerFU Guoyong, Zhejiang, writerRANG Yunfei Sichuan, writerGAO Yu Beijing, journalistZAN Aizong, Zhejiang, journalistPU Zhiqiang Beijing, lawyerTENG Biao Beijing, lawyerZHUANG Daohe Zhejiang, lawyerXIA Lin Beijing, lawyerHU Jia, Beijing, independent activistWEN Kejian, Zhejiang, writerZHAO Dagong, Shenzhen, writerQIN Geng,Hainan, writerWANG Debang, Beijing, writer
If you wish to support the position and the seven proposals stated in this open letter, please send you name, country or city of residency affiliation or profession, to networkcrd@gmail.com.
Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) is a non-political, non-government network of grassroots and international activists promoting human rights protection and empowering grassroots activism in China.
We’re now one year away from Olympics 08, and, as if responding to the crack of a starting gun, a group of prominent dissidents in China have come out of the blocks with a tough, open letter calling for “universal human rights” in China. Herewith the letter from “Chinese Human Rights Defenders (who are identified below.) This will be be an interesting year.
>
One World, One Dream, Universal Human Rights.
The letter is addressed to Chinese leaders and leaders in the concerned international community, proposing seven measures to end human rights abuses surrounding the preparations for the Olympics and calling forAmnesty of prisoners of conscience. Chinese Human Rights Defenders stands with those who signed the letter, supporting their position on the Beijing Olympics and the seven proposals.Jacques Rogge, Chair of the International Olympic Committee, is in Beijing to attend a two-day ceremony to mark the one-year count-down.Beijing police has intensified "clean-up" operations, rounding up petitioners and putting some activists under close watch.More than forty people signed the Open Letter, including Dai Qing, the well-known writer/journalist, Bao Tong, a former top aid to Zhao Ziyang, the reformist former Chinese leader, Ding Zilin, who has led the Tiananmen Mothers movement, and Liu Xiaobo, the famous dissident writer.The letter is open for endorsement by any Chinese citizens and members of the international community. The following is the Open Letter in English:"One World, One Dream" and Universal Human RightsAn Open Letter to Chinese and World Leaders on the 2008 Beijing Olympics.Hu Jintao, President, People's Republic of China Wu Bangguo, Chair, Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of ChinaWen Jiabao, Premier of the State Council of ChinaJacques Rogge, Chair, International Olympic CommitteeDoru Romulus Costea, President, United Nations Human Rights CouncilLouise Arbour, High Commissioner, United Nations Office for Human Rights
Leaders of democratic states concerned about promoting freedom and human rights International NGOs concerned with human rights; members of the communities of sports, arts and entertainment, academe, and business around the world.Respected Leaders and Fellow World Citizens:Upholding the fundamental principles of the Olympic spirit, including "respect for universal fundamental ethical principles" and "the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful societyconcerned with the preservation of human dignity" (Olympic Charter, Preamble); Taking note of the Chinese government's official 2008 Olympic theme"One World, One Dream" and the Beijing Olympic Committee's stated objectives of hosting an "Open, Green, and Humane Olympics"; and mindful of the growing number of questions and criticisms in our own society and from around the world about the violations of the human rights of Chinese citizens in the name of the Beijing Olympics We, the undersigned citizens of the People's Republic of China, here voice our concerns and to propose changes in the ways in which our government is handling its preparations for the Olympics.Today, August 8, 2007, marks the start of the one-year count-down to the 2008 Summer Olympics, a mega-event for China and the world. We, as citizens of the People's Republic of China, ought to be feeling pride in our country's glory in hosting the Games, whose purposes include the symbolization of peace, friendship, and fairness in the world community. We also ought to feel uplifted by the watchword chosen by the Beijing Olympic Committee: "One World, One Dream." Instead we feel disappointment and doubt as we witness the continuing systematic denial of the human rights of our fellow citizens even while--and sometimes because--Olympic preparations are moving forward. We hear "One World" and wonder: What kind of world will this be? "One Dream"?Whose dream is it that is coming true? We are gravely concerned about the question of whether authorities in our country can successfully host the Olympic Games in an authentic Olympic spirit so that the 2008 Beijing games can become an event of which China and the world community can be proud.As the one world that we share "globalizes," lives and dreams are becoming increasingly intertwined. One person's "world dream," especially if it is implemented with unchecked power, and with endorsement from theworld community, can turn into misery and nightmare for others. "One world" can still be a world where people suffer discrimination, political and religious persecution, and deprivation of liberty, as well as poverty, genocide, and war. Millions of people who survived such miseries and disasters in the 20 the century have come to appreciate, and to pursue, human rights.Universal human rights have become the bedrock concept in pursuing lasting peace, sustainable development, and justice. If "one dream" is truly to belong to all cultures and communities it must involve protection of basic rights and liberties for all. Even the powerful, the rich and privileged might be punished unjustly tomorrow if fundamental rights are not assured today. The government that rules our country has pledged to the Chinese people and to the world to protect human rights. It has acceded to obligations under numerous international human rights conventions and treaties,including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and it has amended the Chinese Constitution to include guarantees of human rights. In order to avoid misunderstanding, and in order to alert the international community to un-Olympic conduct that tarnishes the true spirit of the Games, we, the undersigned citizens of the People's Republic of China, endorse the government's Olympic slogan with the following vital addition: "One World, One Dream, and Universal Human Rights."*Without promoting human rights, which are the fundamental principle of universal ethics in China and elsewhere, it is gratuitous to promote "One World." Without the protection of the human rights of all Chinesecitizens equally--i.e., without abolition of the rural-urban residential control system, without an end to discrimination against women and sexual, ethnic, and faith minorities, and without ending the suppression of political dissent--it is senseless to talk about "One Dream" for all of China. China's government has promised the International Olympic Committee to "promote human rights" and has pledged to the United Nations Human Rights Council to "uphold the highest standard of human rights." On paper it has taken certain steps toward improving human rights--in 2003, for example, abolishing the arbitrary detention system known as "Custody and Repatriation" and in 2004 adding "human rights protection" as an amendment to China's Constitution. We believe that the government should be able to do much more.Little has been done, in practice, to carry out the promises that have been made on paper. On the contrary we have experienced and witnessed violations of human rights many times--in press censorship and control of the Internet, in the persecution of human rights defenders and of people who expose environmental or public health disasters, in the exploitation of poor or disadvantaged social groups and in retaliation against them when they protest, and even in abuses by corrupt officials who are involved in the construction of Olympic facilities and city beautification projects that are aimed to prepare for the Olympics. All of these actions violate not only international standards but provisions of the Chinese constitution as well.We find no consolation or comfort in the rise of grandiose sports facilities, or a temporarily beautified Beijing city, or the prospect of Chinese athletes winning medals. We know too well how these glories are built on the ruins of the lives of ordinary people, on the forced removal of urban migrants, and on the sufferings of victims of brutal land grabbing, forced eviction, exploitation of labor, and arbitrary detention.Out of deep affection for our motherland and our sense of duty as citizens of the world, we will do our best, and urge leaders in China and in the world community to join hands with us, to make the Beijing Olympics a turning point in China's rise to greatness. China has the opportunity to use the Games to build true harmony on the basis of respect for human dignity and freedom and to become a respectable member of the community of civilized nations--not by loud rhetoric or brute force, but by taking actions to promote human rights at home and in the world.In the "one world" in which we live, the dreams that are coming true in China today will significantly shape everyone's future. Therefore, in order to promote a successful Olympics consistent with human rights, we propose the following measures:1. Declare amnesty for all prisoners of conscience so that they can enjoy the Olympic games in freedom.2. Open China's borders to all Chinese citizens who have been forced into exile for their beliefs, expression, or faith, so that they can re-unite with their loved ones and celebrate the glory of the Olympics in their motherland;3. Implement the government ordinance to allow foreign journalists to conduct interviews and reporting without pre-approval by authorities before October 17, 2008, granting Chinese journalists the same access and independence.4. Provide fair compensation to the victims of forced evictions and land appropriations that have been done in order to construct Olympic facilities, and release people who have been detained or imprisoned (often violently) for protesting or resisting such actions.5. Protect the rights of workers on all Olympic construction sites, including their right to organize independent labor unions; end discrimination against rural migrant laborers and give them fair compensation. 6. End police operations intended to intercept, detain, or send home petitioners who try to travel to Beijing to complain about local officials' misconduct; abolish illegal facilities used for incarcerating, interrogating, and terrorizing petitioners; end the "clean up” operations aimed at migrants that demolish their temporary housing and close down schools for their children.7. Establish a system of citizen oversight over Olympics spending and provide public accounting and independent auditing of Olympics-related expenditures; make the process of awarding contracts to businesses transparent, and hold legally accountable any official who embezzles or wastes public funds. We further suggest setting up an independent Beijing Olympics Watch Committee, composed of independent experts and representatives of non-governmental organizations and affected communities such as migrant laborers and people who have been forcibly relocated. This Committee would oversee the implementation of the above proposals. It should be allowed to operate independently, to examine plans, to interview freely, and to release its findings to the public. Citizen participation is key to a successful Olympics.If proposals even as straightforward as the foregoing cannot be adopted, we feel certain that the Beijing Olympics will not go down in history as the glorious events that everyone wishes them to be. We do not want to "politicize" the Olympic movement. However, pushing the Games through in ways that violate human rights and that hurt people who are forced into silence, all in the name of a "dream" that belongs only to "some" people, not our whole world, will only plant seeds of resentment that will exacerbate the crises in China and affect the future of the world.
Sincerely yours,Signed (name followed by location of residence and profession):DING Zilin, Beijing, professor, leader of "TiananmenMothers"LIU Xiaobao, Beijing, writer, president of independentChinese PENBAO Zhunxin Beijing, historianYU Haocheng, Beijing, legal scholarDAI Qing, Beijing, writer/journalistBAO Tong, Beijing, former member of CCP CentralCommittee JIANG Peikun , Beijing, professorZHANG Xianling, Beijing, engineer, leading member of"Tiananmen Mothers"JIANG Qisheng, Beijing, scientist/writerCHEN Ziming ,Beijing, scholarZHANG Zhuhua,Beijing, ScholarLIAO Yiwu, Sichuan, writerWANG Yi, Sichuan, scholarJIAO Guobiao, Beijing, scholar/writerCHEN Xiaoya, Beijing, scholar/writerLIU Junning, Beijing, scholarXU Youyu, Beijing, scholar at Chinese Academy of SocialScienceHE Weifang, Beijing, professor, Beijing UniversityXIA Yeliang Beijing, economistAI Xiaoming, Guangzhou, professorZHANG Hong Shanghai, professorYU Jie Beijing, writerYU Shichun Beijing, scholar/writerMA Bo Beijing, writerFU Guoyong, Zhejiang, writerRANG Yunfei Sichuan, writerGAO Yu Beijing, journalistZAN Aizong, Zhejiang, journalistPU Zhiqiang Beijing, lawyerTENG Biao Beijing, lawyerZHUANG Daohe Zhejiang, lawyerXIA Lin Beijing, lawyerHU Jia, Beijing, independent activistWEN Kejian, Zhejiang, writerZHAO Dagong, Shenzhen, writerQIN Geng,Hainan, writerWANG Debang, Beijing, writer
If you wish to support the position and the seven proposals stated in this open letter, please send you name, country or city of residency affiliation or profession, to networkcrd@gmail.com.
Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD) is a non-political, non-government network of grassroots and international activists promoting human rights protection and empowering grassroots activism in China.
What US Consumers Think of Chinese Products Now...
Posted by Bill Powell
Political leaders everywhere—whether elected or unelected (as in China) --obviously care about public opinion. In this Olympic year, China’s leaders are arguably more attuned to foreign perceptions of their country than ever before. They should thus be interested in the following survey results from John Zogby, who runs a well known polling shop in the US. It’s a detailed poll about US consumers' reaction to Chinese products in the wake of many of the recent quality scandals that Chinese suppliers have suffered. The results speak for themselves:
Zogby Poll: 82% concerned about buying goods from China . Survey finds that while 69% believe non-food products from China are safe, just 30% are as confident about food imported from China . The recent warnings and recalls about toxic toothpaste, tainted pet food, contaminated seafood and lead paint-laced toys from China haven't gone unnoticed by American consumers - the vast majority of Americans (82%) said they are concerned about purchasing goods from China in the wake of many media reports about faulty goods from that country, a new Zogby Interactive poll shows. The survey was conducted before the announcement of a massive recall of Chinese-made toys by Fisher-Price, but after a significant recall of Chinese-made railroad toys sold under the Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway brand name. Both companies recalled the products because they contained excessive levels of lead on the toys and parts. Despite media reports raising safety concerns about Chinese goods, 69% said they are confident the non-food products they purchase from China are safe - but 20% aren't so sure. Asked about their confidence in the safety of food products from China, 59% said they are not confident that foods from China are safe to eat. Just 30% said they are confident the food products they purchase from China are safe, while 12% said they were unsure, the online survey shows. These findings are included in the August issue of Zogby's American Consumer newsletter, which focuses on how Americans feel about imported goods, product safety, food labeling and many other issues and is available now at www.zogby.com . The Zogby Interactive survey of 4,508 adults nationwide was conducted July 17-19, 2007 and carries a margin of error of +/- 1.5 percentage points. Other findings from the nationwide survey include: * Nearly two-thirds (63%) said they would be likely to participate in a boycott of Chinese goods until the country implements stricter safety regulations. * 61% said they would be more likely to purchase a product with a "China Free" label. * 86% believe cost is the primary motivator for most American consumers. * One in three respondents would be willing to pay four times as much for a made-in-America children's toy. Another 42% would be more likely to purchase a toy shipped in from overseas because of the cost savings. * When tainted goods and unsafe products make their way to U.S. shelves, 37% blame foreign manufacturers and 30% say U.S. import companies are most at fault. Another 17% believe the U.S. government isn't doing enough to stop these items from entering the country, while 7% believe foreign governments are to blame. While some Chinese leaders have claimed the U.S. is exaggerating the problems with Chinese goods in order to discredit them as a trading partner, 72% discount this claim. Americans are split over how seriously the Chinese government is taking reports of recent safety recalls of products imported to the U.S. from China. While 45% believe the Chinese government is taking the recalls seriously, 46% remain skeptical. China has pledged to take steps to tighten regulations on its food processors, while claiming its exports are safe - but many Americans (51%) are unconvinced. But 43% believe China will take the appropriate steps to significantly reduce the country's food safety issues. The vast majority (89%) believes the U.S. government should put stronger pressure on China and other foreign countries to increase product quality and safety standards, while nearly as many (85%) would support the U.S. government imposing stronger criminal penalties and fines on U.S. importers who allow dangerous products to be imported from foreign countries. Half (49%) of the respondents in this latest Zogby Interactive poll said they will continue to buy products from China while 43% said it is not very likely or not at all likely they will continue to buy Chinese products. Whatever shoppers' intentions, following through could be a challenging task. We asked respondents how difficult they would expect it to be to not buy items from China for one week, given their typical shopping habits and the prevalence of products from China currently in the U.S. market place - 53% said they would expect avoiding the purchase of Chinese goods to be a difficult task, while slightly less (43%) don't believe it would be a problem. For a detailed methodological statement on this survey, the link is here :http://www.zogby.com/methodology/readmeth.dbm?ID=1204 ">http://www.zogby.com/methodology/readmeth.dbm?ID=1204
Political leaders everywhere—whether elected or unelected (as in China) --obviously care about public opinion. In this Olympic year, China’s leaders are arguably more attuned to foreign perceptions of their country than ever before. They should thus be interested in the following survey results from John Zogby, who runs a well known polling shop in the US. It’s a detailed poll about US consumers' reaction to Chinese products in the wake of many of the recent quality scandals that Chinese suppliers have suffered. The results speak for themselves:
Zogby Poll: 82% concerned about buying goods from China . Survey finds that while 69% believe non-food products from China are safe, just 30% are as confident about food imported from China . The recent warnings and recalls about toxic toothpaste, tainted pet food, contaminated seafood and lead paint-laced toys from China haven't gone unnoticed by American consumers - the vast majority of Americans (82%) said they are concerned about purchasing goods from China in the wake of many media reports about faulty goods from that country, a new Zogby Interactive poll shows. The survey was conducted before the announcement of a massive recall of Chinese-made toys by Fisher-Price, but after a significant recall of Chinese-made railroad toys sold under the Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway brand name. Both companies recalled the products because they contained excessive levels of lead on the toys and parts. Despite media reports raising safety concerns about Chinese goods, 69% said they are confident the non-food products they purchase from China are safe - but 20% aren't so sure. Asked about their confidence in the safety of food products from China, 59% said they are not confident that foods from China are safe to eat. Just 30% said they are confident the food products they purchase from China are safe, while 12% said they were unsure, the online survey shows. These findings are included in the August issue of Zogby's American Consumer newsletter, which focuses on how Americans feel about imported goods, product safety, food labeling and many other issues and is available now at www.zogby.com . The Zogby Interactive survey of 4,508 adults nationwide was conducted July 17-19, 2007 and carries a margin of error of +/- 1.5 percentage points. Other findings from the nationwide survey include: * Nearly two-thirds (63%) said they would be likely to participate in a boycott of Chinese goods until the country implements stricter safety regulations. * 61% said they would be more likely to purchase a product with a "China Free" label. * 86% believe cost is the primary motivator for most American consumers. * One in three respondents would be willing to pay four times as much for a made-in-America children's toy. Another 42% would be more likely to purchase a toy shipped in from overseas because of the cost savings. * When tainted goods and unsafe products make their way to U.S. shelves, 37% blame foreign manufacturers and 30% say U.S. import companies are most at fault. Another 17% believe the U.S. government isn't doing enough to stop these items from entering the country, while 7% believe foreign governments are to blame. While some Chinese leaders have claimed the U.S. is exaggerating the problems with Chinese goods in order to discredit them as a trading partner, 72% discount this claim. Americans are split over how seriously the Chinese government is taking reports of recent safety recalls of products imported to the U.S. from China. While 45% believe the Chinese government is taking the recalls seriously, 46% remain skeptical. China has pledged to take steps to tighten regulations on its food processors, while claiming its exports are safe - but many Americans (51%) are unconvinced. But 43% believe China will take the appropriate steps to significantly reduce the country's food safety issues. The vast majority (89%) believes the U.S. government should put stronger pressure on China and other foreign countries to increase product quality and safety standards, while nearly as many (85%) would support the U.S. government imposing stronger criminal penalties and fines on U.S. importers who allow dangerous products to be imported from foreign countries. Half (49%) of the respondents in this latest Zogby Interactive poll said they will continue to buy products from China while 43% said it is not very likely or not at all likely they will continue to buy Chinese products. Whatever shoppers' intentions, following through could be a challenging task. We asked respondents how difficult they would expect it to be to not buy items from China for one week, given their typical shopping habits and the prevalence of products from China currently in the U.S. market place - 53% said they would expect avoiding the purchase of Chinese goods to be a difficult task, while slightly less (43%) don't believe it would be a problem. For a detailed methodological statement on this survey, the link is here :http://www.zogby.com/methodology/readmeth.dbm?ID=1204 ">http://www.zogby.com/methodology/readmeth.dbm?ID=1204
So Farewell, Then, Chinese River Dolphin
The amazing thing about the Chinese river dolphin is not its extinction so much as the fact that it has survived this long at all. It simply beggars belief that a sensate mammal was able to inhabit that viscous spillway of heavy metals, sewage and other toxins that goes by the name of the Yangtze River—but the poor things hung on grimly. In 2002, there were around a hundred of them struggling through the muck. In 2005, their numbers were estimated at 13. This year, we have bid a casual ciao to the remaining few cetaceans. According to a recently published study, we’ve killed them all off.
Following hard in their wake are the white dolphins of the China coast (sometimes called “pink dolphins” because the presence of tiny blood vessels near the skin’s surface gives them a distinctive tint). The government has labeled them a "national key protected species," which is to say they are doomed. The last significant population – some estimates put it at 200, others as low as 65 – lives in Hong Kong waters. Given the amount of maritime traffic, that’s the equivalent of trying to bed down on a six-lane highway. People sometimes go on dolphin-spotting tours: it must be a Sisyphean experience.
A few years ago, the pink dolphin was a favorite subject of Hong Kong children's drawings, but the little ones don’t bother now. Perhaps one day they’ll stop drawing trees and coloring the sky blue. I don’t mean to get all sententious on you, but the Chinese river dolphin is the first large vertebrate to become extinct in fifty years, and the gaps between extinctions, in all likelihood, are going to be a lot shorter from now on.
Following hard in their wake are the white dolphins of the China coast (sometimes called “pink dolphins” because the presence of tiny blood vessels near the skin’s surface gives them a distinctive tint). The government has labeled them a "national key protected species," which is to say they are doomed. The last significant population – some estimates put it at 200, others as low as 65 – lives in Hong Kong waters. Given the amount of maritime traffic, that’s the equivalent of trying to bed down on a six-lane highway. People sometimes go on dolphin-spotting tours: it must be a Sisyphean experience.
A few years ago, the pink dolphin was a favorite subject of Hong Kong children's drawings, but the little ones don’t bother now. Perhaps one day they’ll stop drawing trees and coloring the sky blue. I don’t mean to get all sententious on you, but the Chinese river dolphin is the first large vertebrate to become extinct in fifty years, and the gaps between extinctions, in all likelihood, are going to be a lot shorter from now on.
Curing the China Cough
In one week Beijing expects to have some clearer skies and emptier streets. This is by far the best news I’ve heard recently, even better than someone telling me the price of pork is going to go down.
Officials announced yesterday that from August 17 to 20, almost half of Beijing's 3 million cars will be banned from driving. During these four days, cars with odd numbered plates will be allowed on the roads on Aug. 17 and 19, while even numbered plates get Aug. 18 and 20. (Police, emergency, embassy and public transit vehicles are exempt.)
Some 1.3 million cars will come off the street, putting the total closer to what it was like when I came to Beijing five years ago. Beijing’s automobile exhaust level was much lower then. Now, according to People Daily online, the city has become “the biggest car exhaust emission area in the world.”
Beijing always had sandstorms. But in the “good old days,” as long as I struggled through to spring, the air was generally good from May until the next winter. I used to feel spoiled to have so many clear and often sunny days up in Beijing, especially coming from the country's south, where it can rain for weeks on end.
But now, a recently arrived colleague from Hong Kong suffers from a chronic cough. An intern from the U.S. got a cold two weeks into the Beijing summer. My boss's wife coughed for months after arriving from Malaysia. I rode my bike last winter for two weeks and started coughing. The China Cough, like an infectious disease, spreads easily.
So when the news about the temporary car ban came out, I began to picture the blue sky I've been missing. Government officials say that it will be a test to see the extent to which car exhaust contributes to the poor air quality in Beijing. It will be a challenge for the city’s public transportation system to handle hundreds of thousands of additional passengers. But if that works out, Beijing needs to do this more often.
Officials announced yesterday that from August 17 to 20, almost half of Beijing's 3 million cars will be banned from driving. During these four days, cars with odd numbered plates will be allowed on the roads on Aug. 17 and 19, while even numbered plates get Aug. 18 and 20. (Police, emergency, embassy and public transit vehicles are exempt.)
Some 1.3 million cars will come off the street, putting the total closer to what it was like when I came to Beijing five years ago. Beijing’s automobile exhaust level was much lower then. Now, according to People Daily online, the city has become “the biggest car exhaust emission area in the world.”
Beijing always had sandstorms. But in the “good old days,” as long as I struggled through to spring, the air was generally good from May until the next winter. I used to feel spoiled to have so many clear and often sunny days up in Beijing, especially coming from the country's south, where it can rain for weeks on end.
But now, a recently arrived colleague from Hong Kong suffers from a chronic cough. An intern from the U.S. got a cold two weeks into the Beijing summer. My boss's wife coughed for months after arriving from Malaysia. I rode my bike last winter for two weeks and started coughing. The China Cough, like an infectious disease, spreads easily.
So when the news about the temporary car ban came out, I began to picture the blue sky I've been missing. Government officials say that it will be a test to see the extent to which car exhaust contributes to the poor air quality in Beijing. It will be a challenge for the city’s public transportation system to handle hundreds of thousands of additional passengers. But if that works out, Beijing needs to do this more often.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
A Chinese Regulator Sentenced to Die 郑筱萸
A Chinese Regulator Sentenced to Die
By Simon Elegant / Beijing
By Simon Elegant / Beijing
For a Vice-Minister accustomed to running a branch of China's government as his own virtual fiefdom (an estate of land, especially one held on condition of feudal service), the sentence must have come as a surprise. On Tuesday, a Beijing court handed down a death penalty for Zheng Xiaoyu, the former head of the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), after he was convicted of dereliction of duty(shameful failure to fulfil one's obligations.) and accepting some $850,000 in bribes, according to local media reports. But while the severity of the sentence wasn't completely unprecedented(never having happened before)・several senior officials have been executed for corruption in recent years including a deputy minister in 2000・it was still a shocking illustration of how seriously Beijing took his crimes. While Beijing has cracked down on official corruption over the past 18 months, with several other senior officials caught up in the dragnet(a systematic search for criminals ), all of those arrested so far have received prison terms or still await sentencing. Hao Heping, another former official at the Food and Drug Administration, only received 15 years in prison for bribery in November last year.
Zheng, who was arrested in December, may to some extent be a victim of bad timing: Beijing is being bombarded( to attack sb. for a long time ) with criticism at home and abroad for its sometimes-fatal inability to regulate its food and medical industries. Chinese citizens have been inundated (to receive so much of something that you cannot easily deal with it all) with news stories about fake drugs and poisoned food products in recent years. In 2006, six people died and scores of others became ill after taking a contaminated antibiotic. Several years earlier, 300 babies fell gravely ill and more than a dozen died of malnutrition after being fed fake milk powder which had found its way onto market shelves. Indeed, the same day Zheng's verdict was announced, China's main quality control agency, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, announced it was launching its first recall system for unsafe food products, expected to be up and running by the end of the year.
Even worse for Zheng, China's regulatory problems have extended beyond the country's borders. More than 100 people in Panama were killed by Chinese-made cough medicine last year; in March, Chinese-made pet food ingredients containing the chemical melamine sickened or killed an untold number of animals and led to the recall of some 100 brands of pet food. With the world's spotlight is on Chinese efforts to improve its record on food safety, there's little doubt that the pressure of international embarrassment and death and illness at home added to the severity of Zheng's sentence.
But before you start feeling too sorry for Zheng, it's worth remembering that even in a country inured (to make someone become used to something unpleasant) to reports of official venality (corruption ), his case is particularly egregious(extremely bad and noticeable). Zheng almost singlehandedly supervised China's drug industry for over a decade before his retirement in 2005. Through astute (＝ clever) bureaucratic maneuvering(use strategy to gain an objective), he managed to have the SFDA removed from the supervision of the Ministry of Health in 2003, after which it became a powerful agency in its own right・leaving it effectively under his sole control. According to Xinhua, the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court said Zheng "sought benefits" for eight pharmaceutical companies by approving their drugs and medical devices. His actions "greatly undermined the integrity and the efficiency of China's drug monitoring and supervision, endangered public life and health and had a very negative social impact," the report quoted the court as saying. (It's unclear if Zheng will appeal.) Officials say the country's pharmaceutical industry is now in disarray(lack of order); many of the SFDA's senior officials are under arrest or investigation and virtually all previous decisions are being reviewed, leading to confusion and paralysis (the loss of the ability to move ). It may take years to sort out the mess created during Zheng's long tenure・and there will no doubt be further illnesses and deaths from tainted food and contaminated drugs in the meantime.
My comment:
It is really both good and bad news for me. The negative fact is there are still many officials corrupting to the core, and the sentence of Zheng may have very limited effects for them who are ignoring all laws and rules. Though Zheng’s sentence is a positive sign for the government to really be aware of the situation and deal it properly. The biggest challenge is how to handle millions of cases of venality and dereliction of duty and try to gain back the trust and confidences of normal citizens. According to conficus, the most respected Chinese philosopher, there are two aspects to achieve success in managing a country, good economy, strong defense, and the confidence of people. (足食，足兵，民信 -论语·颜渊)
Maybe, the problem is inherent in the initial developing stage of every country. The transformation of last 30 years in China took more than 100 year somewhere else. The speed of social economic transformation outpaces the regulatory system. The problem will go away naturally after the mature of economic and political system. I still don’t know the answer of the Chinese government yet. However, I believe Beijing will take the effective strategy to handle the crisis, as it also did for the last 50 years, during which we faced much more severe crisis coming from home and outside.
Monday, July 9, 2007
how to enable google ads in Office Spaces
To fix the problem, Create a new html page and put the JavaScript code in it. Upload the page to your documents directory
In the HTML module on your page put an IFRAME and bring up the HTML page in that IFRAME.
An IFRAME is like a window embedded in your page in which you can show another Web page. Here is how to add one to your pages:Add an HTML module to your page Right-click anywhere in the module and click Properties on the pop up menu Add the following code
< src="http://ThePageYouWantToShow.htm" width="10" height="10" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0"> < /iframe>
Replace the URL with the URL of the page you want to show. delete one space imidiately after<. Save and close the "Properties" box When you get back to your Web page in the Page Editor, you should see the IFRAME populated with the page whose URL you entered. When you setup your account, now is time to open your ads account. You can click the button on the bottom of my page or goto https://w ww.google.com/adsense.
In the HTML module on your page put an IFRAME and bring up the HTML page in that IFRAME.
An IFRAME is like a window embedded in your page in which you can show another Web page. Here is how to add one to your pages:Add an HTML module to your page Right-click anywhere in the module and click Properties on the pop up menu Add the following code
< src="http://ThePageYouWantToShow.htm" width="10" height="10" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0"> < /iframe>
Replace the URL with the URL of the page you want to show. delete one space imidiately after<. Save and close the "Properties" box When you get back to your Web page in the Page Editor, you should see the IFRAME populated with the page whose URL you entered. When you setup your account, now is time to open your ads account. You can click the button on the bottom of my page or goto https://w ww.google.com/adsense.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
setup free blog or webpage to run google ads (adsense)
How to setup a free blog or website to run google ads?
The era of google ads (adsense) affects almost every webpage , for better or worse. Now individual bloggers and website masters can make money by run google ads.
There are many free web pages online. However, you should know only few can support google ads or other ads. The criteria to run google ads is to support Java. Here we list four competitors, two from google family and two from Microsoft family.
1) Google’s page creator. free web page space with 100MB of storage and unspecific bandwidth limit. Unofficially it was said 100MB/ per month. Sign up at http://pages.google.com .
2) Google blogger. Free blog service with excellent possibility of website design. You can pick up a template or customize webpage very very easily. Even I, an architect without any web techniques can design a comfortable blogger in only 1 hour. It is also works great with google ads. You just need to click several button to run ads. The only problem is that google’s blogger can’t be accessed in China. Some your friends in China can’t admire your interesting blog or share your feeling. Sign up @ http://www.blogger.com/
You can look at example @ http://luyi12.blogspot.com
3) Microsoft’s Live spaces. It is an alternative choice to blogger and adsense. It runs its own ads company named Kanoodle. The ads service can be turned on by clicking others in module windows. The design possibility is limited and I don’t like inferface at all. Live spaces is also slower than blog according to my test. The bright side is you can connect with your Chinese friends here. You can look at my site for a glimpse @ http://dee-pad.spaces.live.com/
4) Mricrosoft’s Office Live, provides 500M free space with bandwidth of 20G/month. It doesn’t support google ads. However here is the trick to enable google ads.
When you setup your account, now is time to open your ads account. You can click the button on the bottom of my page or goto https://w ww.google.com/adsense.
Basic speaking, how to setup a free blog or website to support google ads is relatively easy. Even through to attract people to your website is really difficult. And let people clicking your ads is more chanllenging.
Last but not least, the earnings of either google ads or kanoodle for live spaces totally depends. It is not comparable. Some people report higher earning from kanoodle, some reported just the opposite. Good luck, everyone, including myself on the new game with google.
The era of google ads (adsense) affects almost every webpage , for better or worse. Now individual bloggers and website masters can make money by run google ads.
There are many free web pages online. However, you should know only few can support google ads or other ads. The criteria to run google ads is to support Java. Here we list four competitors, two from google family and two from Microsoft family.
1) Google’s page creator. free web page space with 100MB of storage and unspecific bandwidth limit. Unofficially it was said 100MB/ per month. Sign up at http://pages.google.com .
2) Google blogger. Free blog service with excellent possibility of website design. You can pick up a template or customize webpage very very easily. Even I, an architect without any web techniques can design a comfortable blogger in only 1 hour. It is also works great with google ads. You just need to click several button to run ads. The only problem is that google’s blogger can’t be accessed in China. Some your friends in China can’t admire your interesting blog or share your feeling. Sign up @ http://www.blogger.com/
You can look at example @ http://luyi12.blogspot.com
3) Microsoft’s Live spaces. It is an alternative choice to blogger and adsense. It runs its own ads company named Kanoodle. The ads service can be turned on by clicking others in module windows. The design possibility is limited and I don’t like inferface at all. Live spaces is also slower than blog according to my test. The bright side is you can connect with your Chinese friends here. You can look at my site for a glimpse @ http://dee-pad.spaces.live.com/
4) Mricrosoft’s Office Live, provides 500M free space with bandwidth of 20G/month. It doesn’t support google ads. However here is the trick to enable google ads.
When you setup your account, now is time to open your ads account. You can click the button on the bottom of my page or goto https://w ww.google.com/adsense.
Basic speaking, how to setup a free blog or website to support google ads is relatively easy. Even through to attract people to your website is really difficult. And let people clicking your ads is more chanllenging.
Last but not least, the earnings of either google ads or kanoodle for live spaces totally depends. It is not comparable. Some people report higher earning from kanoodle, some reported just the opposite. Good luck, everyone, including myself on the new game with google.
Can Yi JIanlian Learn to Love Brauts and Beer?
Posted by Bill Powell Comments (4) Permalink Trackbacks (0) Email This
I don't want to say I feel sorry for Yi Jiianlian, the Chinese basketball star who was just the sixth pick in the NBA draft--the guy after all will soon be a multi, multi millionaire--but he's obviously depressed at the thought of playing in Milwaukee for the Bucks, the team that picked him. There are apparently just 27,500 Asian Americans who live in the metro area. The NBA rumor mill has Yi's agent already working on a deal that would send him to the Golden State Warriors, which would obviously make him MUCH happier, or perhaps to the Philadelphia 76ers. Anyway, here's Yi responding to a question at a post draft press conference about where he was drafted. The lack of enthusiasm couldn't be more obvious.
Q: There have been media reports saying you’re not too interested in the Milwaukee Bucks, but with this outcome what do you think you’re going to do. Are you going to request being traded off or are you going to stay on with this team?
A: I don’t really know much about the Milwaukee Bucks, I didn’t get to see a lot of their games in China, neither have I been to their city, which is why I don’t really know much about this team. I haven’t seen their training nor have we been in contact, so I’m not too sure yet. I will certainly be focusing on the China National Team.
I don't want to say I feel sorry for Yi Jiianlian, the Chinese basketball star who was just the sixth pick in the NBA draft--the guy after all will soon be a multi, multi millionaire--but he's obviously depressed at the thought of playing in Milwaukee for the Bucks, the team that picked him. There are apparently just 27,500 Asian Americans who live in the metro area. The NBA rumor mill has Yi's agent already working on a deal that would send him to the Golden State Warriors, which would obviously make him MUCH happier, or perhaps to the Philadelphia 76ers. Anyway, here's Yi responding to a question at a post draft press conference about where he was drafted. The lack of enthusiasm couldn't be more obvious.
Q: There have been media reports saying you’re not too interested in the Milwaukee Bucks, but with this outcome what do you think you’re going to do. Are you going to request being traded off or are you going to stay on with this team?
A: I don’t really know much about the Milwaukee Bucks, I didn’t get to see a lot of their games in China, neither have I been to their city, which is why I don’t really know much about this team. I haven’t seen their training nor have we been in contact, so I’m not too sure yet. I will certainly be focusing on the China National Team.
Viewing the Anniversary Party From Afar
Posted by Austin Ramzy Comments (14) Permalink Trackbacks (0) Email This
A scholar in Guangzhou recently told me that 30 years ago journalists went to Hong Kong to try to figure out what was happening in Beijing, now you go to Beijing to figure out what's happening in Hong Kong. I moved to Beijing last week, and I can say that that statement is far from true. But it does point to some realities, like how much more important a role Beijing plays in determining Hong Kong's future. So what was the message one gets in Beijing after watching Sunday's celebrations of the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China? Perhaps it is best summed up in the line that Hong Kong pop star Andy Lau sang: "Let the world know we are all Chinese." Of course, if you ask a Hong Konger traveling abroad where he or she is from, the first response will most likely be Hong Kong, not China. And Hong Kong people traveling to the mainland still say they are "going to China." A series of polls by Hong Kong University points to that complicated sense of identity. It doesn't seem like such a bad thing; such a distinct town is bound to have a distinct identity. But even from Beijing it's clear the government is concerned about making China not just a tag on Hong Kong's address, but the core of its mindset. That was the point Yan Xuetong, director of the Institute of International Studies at Tsinghua University in Beijing, made in TIME's recent coverage of the handover anniversary. "Hong Kong is still regarded as a special place of China, still regarded as a foreign country," he says. "Hong Kong has returned in name, but not in substance."
On a related note, this week's TIME has one more piece on the anniversary, a viewpoint by Next Media boss Jimmy Lai considering the past 10 years and looking forward to the next 10.
A scholar in Guangzhou recently told me that 30 years ago journalists went to Hong Kong to try to figure out what was happening in Beijing, now you go to Beijing to figure out what's happening in Hong Kong. I moved to Beijing last week, and I can say that that statement is far from true. But it does point to some realities, like how much more important a role Beijing plays in determining Hong Kong's future. So what was the message one gets in Beijing after watching Sunday's celebrations of the 10th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China? Perhaps it is best summed up in the line that Hong Kong pop star Andy Lau sang: "Let the world know we are all Chinese." Of course, if you ask a Hong Konger traveling abroad where he or she is from, the first response will most likely be Hong Kong, not China. And Hong Kong people traveling to the mainland still say they are "going to China." A series of polls by Hong Kong University points to that complicated sense of identity. It doesn't seem like such a bad thing; such a distinct town is bound to have a distinct identity. But even from Beijing it's clear the government is concerned about making China not just a tag on Hong Kong's address, but the core of its mindset. That was the point Yan Xuetong, director of the Institute of International Studies at Tsinghua University in Beijing, made in TIME's recent coverage of the handover anniversary. "Hong Kong is still regarded as a special place of China, still regarded as a foreign country," he says. "Hong Kong has returned in name, but not in substance."
On a related note, this week's TIME has one more piece on the anniversary, a viewpoint by Next Media boss Jimmy Lai considering the past 10 years and looking forward to the next 10.
English Spoken Here (Sort Of)
Posted by Liam Fitzpatrick Comments (58) Permalink Trackbacks (0) Email This
Last week, Hong Kong’s main English-language paper ran a story on the declining pass rates of senior high school English exams, which have hit a 12-year low, even if they are still in the region of 75%. It considered this news important enough for a front-page lead.Whenever evidence has emerged of the declining use of English in Hong Kong since the end of British rule, there have been plenty of people – wealthy, Anglophone expatriates mostly – unable to deal with the fact. Around the breakfast tables of Southside homes, on the decks of weekend pleasure cruisers, they will say, condescendingly, that if the Hong Kong Chinese lose the ability to speak English well, Hong Kong will lose its “international competitiveness” and become – the horror! – “just another Chinese city.” I’m sure the last Romans had similar attitudes, as they watched the ragged hordes swarm through the gates uttering barbarous vernaculars (or, in our case, Cantonese and Mandarin). Don’t misunderstand me. I love the English language, I make my living by writing it. I’m not criticizing it as a language. But any attempt to interpret its declining use in Hong Kong as a sign of cultural, social or economic decay is plainly insulting.Does anyone say that Tokyo’s future is gravely imperiled because few Japanese speak English? Are Bangkok or Seoul living in some sort of irreversible isolation because the locals aren’t walking around quoting Byron and Keats?Hong Kong people are tired of speaking English. To many here, it has simply been the colonizer’s language and they greet its declining importance with unrestrained joy. Being a mercantile sort of place, Hong Kong will continue to speak enough English for the purposes of foreign trade, but why should it speak more? And besides, most trade these days is carried out with China.After 150-odd years of colonial rule, Anglophones are unhappy with the fact that they can no longer use English to address the shop assistant, the electrician, the caddy or whichever menial it is, and expect to be understood in every case. Only they can’t decently complain about a thing like that. So instead, they complain about Hong Kong’s declining “international competitiveness,” when what they really should be doing is signing up for Chinese classes.
Last week, Hong Kong’s main English-language paper ran a story on the declining pass rates of senior high school English exams, which have hit a 12-year low, even if they are still in the region of 75%. It considered this news important enough for a front-page lead.Whenever evidence has emerged of the declining use of English in Hong Kong since the end of British rule, there have been plenty of people – wealthy, Anglophone expatriates mostly – unable to deal with the fact. Around the breakfast tables of Southside homes, on the decks of weekend pleasure cruisers, they will say, condescendingly, that if the Hong Kong Chinese lose the ability to speak English well, Hong Kong will lose its “international competitiveness” and become – the horror! – “just another Chinese city.” I’m sure the last Romans had similar attitudes, as they watched the ragged hordes swarm through the gates uttering barbarous vernaculars (or, in our case, Cantonese and Mandarin). Don’t misunderstand me. I love the English language, I make my living by writing it. I’m not criticizing it as a language. But any attempt to interpret its declining use in Hong Kong as a sign of cultural, social or economic decay is plainly insulting.Does anyone say that Tokyo’s future is gravely imperiled because few Japanese speak English? Are Bangkok or Seoul living in some sort of irreversible isolation because the locals aren’t walking around quoting Byron and Keats?Hong Kong people are tired of speaking English. To many here, it has simply been the colonizer’s language and they greet its declining importance with unrestrained joy. Being a mercantile sort of place, Hong Kong will continue to speak enough English for the purposes of foreign trade, but why should it speak more? And besides, most trade these days is carried out with China.After 150-odd years of colonial rule, Anglophones are unhappy with the fact that they can no longer use English to address the shop assistant, the electrician, the caddy or whichever menial it is, and expect to be understood in every case. Only they can’t decently complain about a thing like that. So instead, they complain about Hong Kong’s declining “international competitiveness,” when what they really should be doing is signing up for Chinese classes.
Laws and the Real World
Posted by Simon Elegant Comments (18) Permalink Trackbacks (0) Email This
Mark Ralston / AFP / Getty
Two events last Friday worth mentioning. The the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, passed a new labor law whose aim, in part, was to improve conditions faced by the country's 100 (or up to 150 depending on who's counting) million migrant workers. roughly at the same time, a mob of hired thugs attacked a group of 300 striking migrant workers in Guangdong province. The workers had been protesting at the Dongyuan County Lankou Hydropower Station construction site over 5 million renminbi (about $800,000) in unpaid salary. This was no minor roughing up, either. The attack left one worker fighting for survival, two missing, and six remaining in serious situation in the hospital. "The first batch of about 50 gangsters came with spades in their hands, and the second batch had axes, steel pipes and sabres, and there were more behind them," the Chongqing Morning Post quoted Liu Gangqing, one of the migrant workers, as saying. "They didn't stop lashing out at us even when the police arrived," said another migrant worker Li Chuanbing. For mirgant workers this sort of incident is all too common --as is the withholding of wages. China's construction minister apparently only learnt about the incident from the internet, which is a sad but accurate commentary on the state of supervision of workers rights by the government. It also underlines that, unfortunately, these sorts of attacks probably won't be affected at all by the new law. It's about enforcement, not legislation.
Sorry, I Can't Find Your Continent on This List
Posted by Liam Fitzpatrick
We were sitting on a friend’s rooftop the other night, sipping wine and celebrating her 30th, when David, a fellow guest, and co-owner of a fabulous Hong Kong restaurant called Aqua, told me that he’d hired a chef who used to work at Tetsuya’s in Sydney. David seemed quite proud of this, but I didn’t know how to receive the news because any of David’s chefs could – in the lovely parlance of the English streets – “have” any of Tetsuya’s boys any day, and I told him so. He probably thought I was high, or being polite, because Tetsuya’s is desirably foreign and Aqua is merely local, and because the person of chef Tetsuya Wakuda is cloaked in the mantle of minor celebrity and David’s chefs are not. Or then again, perhaps it’s because Tetsuya’s is currently at number five on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List, and David’s isn't even in the footnotes.But that’s my point. Have you seen this list? Does it seem strange to you that the only Asian restaurant to have made it this year is that stuffy old tandoori place in the New Delhi Sheraton, which, for some deeply messed-up reason only known to the compilers, was adjudged the best restaurant in Asia? A Sheraton hotel restaurant is the very best this entire continent – with its ancient and multifarious culinary traditions and two-thirds of humanity – can do? This is from a list that is billed as “the most credible indicator of the best places to eat on Earth.”Ever get the feeling you’re being patronized?The world’s best restaurants do not, apparently, include any Japanese restaurant in Japan. There’s rien in mainland China, nyet nichevo in the culinary capitals of Hong Kong and Singapore. Sweet f.a. in Bangkok, Saigon, Seoul and KL. So sorry, Asian people. Excusez-moi, Monsieur petit Asian Chef.Which restaurants are on the list? Well, what a surprise, there’s a dozen from France (tired looking places with names like Les Ambassadeurs and Troisgros); seven from the UK (the gouty Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, the counterfeit Chinese Hakkasan); eight from the U.S. and there’s even one from Belgium. Pause to take that in for a moment. Belgium out-cooks East Asia.A fatwa upon the publishers of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List. May they meet with raving Chinese waiters, chopper-wielding sushi chefs and fistfuls of msg everywhere they go.
We were sitting on a friend’s rooftop the other night, sipping wine and celebrating her 30th, when David, a fellow guest, and co-owner of a fabulous Hong Kong restaurant called Aqua, told me that he’d hired a chef who used to work at Tetsuya’s in Sydney. David seemed quite proud of this, but I didn’t know how to receive the news because any of David’s chefs could – in the lovely parlance of the English streets – “have” any of Tetsuya’s boys any day, and I told him so. He probably thought I was high, or being polite, because Tetsuya’s is desirably foreign and Aqua is merely local, and because the person of chef Tetsuya Wakuda is cloaked in the mantle of minor celebrity and David’s chefs are not. Or then again, perhaps it’s because Tetsuya’s is currently at number five on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List, and David’s isn't even in the footnotes.But that’s my point. Have you seen this list? Does it seem strange to you that the only Asian restaurant to have made it this year is that stuffy old tandoori place in the New Delhi Sheraton, which, for some deeply messed-up reason only known to the compilers, was adjudged the best restaurant in Asia? A Sheraton hotel restaurant is the very best this entire continent – with its ancient and multifarious culinary traditions and two-thirds of humanity – can do? This is from a list that is billed as “the most credible indicator of the best places to eat on Earth.”Ever get the feeling you’re being patronized?The world’s best restaurants do not, apparently, include any Japanese restaurant in Japan. There’s rien in mainland China, nyet nichevo in the culinary capitals of Hong Kong and Singapore. Sweet f.a. in Bangkok, Saigon, Seoul and KL. So sorry, Asian people. Excusez-moi, Monsieur petit Asian Chef.Which restaurants are on the list? Well, what a surprise, there’s a dozen from France (tired looking places with names like Les Ambassadeurs and Troisgros); seven from the UK (the gouty Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, the counterfeit Chinese Hakkasan); eight from the U.S. and there’s even one from Belgium. Pause to take that in for a moment. Belgium out-cooks East Asia.A fatwa upon the publishers of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List. May they meet with raving Chinese waiters, chopper-wielding sushi chefs and fistfuls of msg everywhere they go.
The New Chinese Dialectic
Posted by Simon Elegant
Xinhua News Agency
Our Beijing Bureau colleague Jodi Xu writes:
China's National Tourism Administration published a list last week of the "most disgusting habits of Chinese tourists." The list was compiled after an online poll, during which as many as 3 million Chinese visited the webpage and contributed their ideas. The result (with accompanying cartoons) read like this:
1. Spitting and nose blowing in public;
2. Smoking in non-smoking areas; coughing in public without covering their mouths;
3. Cutting in line and pushing past the elderly the handicapped and pregnant women;
4. Speaking loudly on phone in public;
5. Graffiti and other marking of historical sites and public facilities;
6. Throwing things at animals in zoos or feeding animals with unsuitable food;
7. Inappropriate public dress (yes, this does mean pajamas, but also singlets and bare chests)
No great surprises, but it does make for an interesting --and surprisingly frank-- self-assessment. Of course, this kind of self-criticism is all too familiar to Chinese, especially the older generation. Chairman Mao started the idea of “Criticism and Self-criticism” at the Communist Party’s 7th National Congress in 1945 and after more than half a century, Chinese have become pretty good at it. There is another familiar phrase in the Communist lexicon, Guanche Luoshi (贯彻落实), which means "to put into practice and carry out." We'll have to see whether that one proves quite as popular.
Xinhua News Agency
Our Beijing Bureau colleague Jodi Xu writes:
China's National Tourism Administration published a list last week of the "most disgusting habits of Chinese tourists." The list was compiled after an online poll, during which as many as 3 million Chinese visited the webpage and contributed their ideas. The result (with accompanying cartoons) read like this:
1. Spitting and nose blowing in public;
2. Smoking in non-smoking areas; coughing in public without covering their mouths;
3. Cutting in line and pushing past the elderly the handicapped and pregnant women;
4. Speaking loudly on phone in public;
5. Graffiti and other marking of historical sites and public facilities;
6. Throwing things at animals in zoos or feeding animals with unsuitable food;
7. Inappropriate public dress (yes, this does mean pajamas, but also singlets and bare chests)
No great surprises, but it does make for an interesting --and surprisingly frank-- self-assessment. Of course, this kind of self-criticism is all too familiar to Chinese, especially the older generation. Chairman Mao started the idea of “Criticism and Self-criticism” at the Communist Party’s 7th National Congress in 1945 and after more than half a century, Chinese have become pretty good at it. There is another familiar phrase in the Communist lexicon, Guanche Luoshi (贯彻落实), which means "to put into practice and carry out." We'll have to see whether that one proves quite as popular.
What's Needed to Solve China's Safety Crisis
Posted by Simon Elegant Comments (13) Permalink Trackbacks (0) Email This
Joe Kahn of the New York Times has an interesting piece in today's newspaper about the safety of Chinese products. He compares China today to the U.S. at the turn of the century, noting that the Food and Drug Administration was created in 1906 in response to a series of scandals over shoddy and dangerous products. The focus of the Made in China story (see here for our most recent and relatively U.S.-centric take) is now shifting to the measures China is taking to address its regulatory problems. I spoke to a number of people recently about this issue and they all repeatedly stressed that they believed the government was extremely eager to address this issue and doing its best to put the right regulations in place. They were equally unanimous in their opinion that the process will take time. One of the strangest things about China's transformation in the last two decades has been the way processes that took centuries elsewhere were telescoped by the unprecedented speed of change and sometimes seemed to happen overnight. That's not going to happen with the government's attempts to striaghten out China's regulatory mess. Listen to Henk Bekedam, who heads the World Health Organization office in China. Bekedam says that reform of the regulatory system has been underway for some time but that there is still a long way to go. China will "get it right at the central level but it will take a while before things get better for the country as a whole."He says many of the safety issues that plague both China's food and pharmaceutical industries arise from institutional problems and institutions take notoriously long time to change.
"There is no government in the world that can be present at every step along the way where things are being produced. The most important thing is to strengthen the whole system, the suppliers must be certified, the workers and inspectors must be qualified. It's the same with manufacturing. The distributors and wholesalers and even the outlets must have basic qualifications. China now has bits and pieces of that system but it is not consistent and that makes the system very vulnerable." Bekedam, a genial Dutch physician, says the sheer number of small manufacturers in China that have grown up during the last two boom decades make the problem much worse. In the pharmaceutical sector, for example, there are about 5000 small companies making drugs, which is "far too many. China has pretty good laws but it's troublesome to follow them up" with so many companies out there. "It's one thing to have a law, another to enforce it," particularly in rural areas, where the central government's say is weakest.
The WHO official also cites a problem that seems to be regularly mentioned in this blog: lack of transparency. It's better to acknowledge the problems exist "even if you have to go through a rough time and admit things were wrong." Take counterfeit drugs for example. "When they get these accusations, (the government) I know they really investigate them and go for the culprit." But in one case he is familiar with, the initial response despite successfully identifying the guilty parties was "don't talk about it. It was like pulling teeth getting it out of them. And this was something they should have come out and said themselves."
As noted here earlier, the government is deeply conflicted about how to handle the useful but too often peskily independent media. Obviously, if they let Chinese reporters do their job and dig up the details about who is behind the factories manufacturing the poisonous toys/drugs/food etc they'd make a big, big start towards attacking the problem. But then, who knows what else might turn up in the process? Better to stay silent....
Joe Kahn of the New York Times has an interesting piece in today's newspaper about the safety of Chinese products. He compares China today to the U.S. at the turn of the century, noting that the Food and Drug Administration was created in 1906 in response to a series of scandals over shoddy and dangerous products. The focus of the Made in China story (see here for our most recent and relatively U.S.-centric take) is now shifting to the measures China is taking to address its regulatory problems. I spoke to a number of people recently about this issue and they all repeatedly stressed that they believed the government was extremely eager to address this issue and doing its best to put the right regulations in place. They were equally unanimous in their opinion that the process will take time. One of the strangest things about China's transformation in the last two decades has been the way processes that took centuries elsewhere were telescoped by the unprecedented speed of change and sometimes seemed to happen overnight. That's not going to happen with the government's attempts to striaghten out China's regulatory mess. Listen to Henk Bekedam, who heads the World Health Organization office in China. Bekedam says that reform of the regulatory system has been underway for some time but that there is still a long way to go. China will "get it right at the central level but it will take a while before things get better for the country as a whole."He says many of the safety issues that plague both China's food and pharmaceutical industries arise from institutional problems and institutions take notoriously long time to change.
"There is no government in the world that can be present at every step along the way where things are being produced. The most important thing is to strengthen the whole system, the suppliers must be certified, the workers and inspectors must be qualified. It's the same with manufacturing. The distributors and wholesalers and even the outlets must have basic qualifications. China now has bits and pieces of that system but it is not consistent and that makes the system very vulnerable." Bekedam, a genial Dutch physician, says the sheer number of small manufacturers in China that have grown up during the last two boom decades make the problem much worse. In the pharmaceutical sector, for example, there are about 5000 small companies making drugs, which is "far too many. China has pretty good laws but it's troublesome to follow them up" with so many companies out there. "It's one thing to have a law, another to enforce it," particularly in rural areas, where the central government's say is weakest.
The WHO official also cites a problem that seems to be regularly mentioned in this blog: lack of transparency. It's better to acknowledge the problems exist "even if you have to go through a rough time and admit things were wrong." Take counterfeit drugs for example. "When they get these accusations, (the government) I know they really investigate them and go for the culprit." But in one case he is familiar with, the initial response despite successfully identifying the guilty parties was "don't talk about it. It was like pulling teeth getting it out of them. And this was something they should have come out and said themselves."
As noted here earlier, the government is deeply conflicted about how to handle the useful but too often peskily independent media. Obviously, if they let Chinese reporters do their job and dig up the details about who is behind the factories manufacturing the poisonous toys/drugs/food etc they'd make a big, big start towards attacking the problem. But then, who knows what else might turn up in the process? Better to stay silent....
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
2005 Used cars _VEHICLES TO AVOID
Here are all the models that showed below-average reliability in our 2004 survey. They are listed alphabetically by make, model, and year.
Audi A4 (4-cyl.) '98-00, '02; A4 (V6) '97-00, '02-03; A6/Avant '99; A6/Allroad '01,'03; A6 3.0 '98, '02; A6 '00; TT '01-02
BMW 3 Series '04; 5 Series '04; 7 Series '97-98, '00, '02-03; X5 '01, '04
Buick Century '04; LeSabre '04; Park Avenue '98, '04; Rainier '04; Rendezvous '02
Cadillac Catera '98; CTS '03; De Ville '97, '00-02, '04; Escalade '03; Seville '97, '99-03; SRX '04
Chevrolet Astro '97-03; Avalanche '02; Blazer '97-03; C1500 '97; Camaro '97, '99, '01; Cavalier Coupe & Convertible '99-00; Cavalier '03; Corvette '00-02, '04; Express 1500 '97-03; Impala '01; K1500 '97-98; Lumina '97, '99; Malibu '97-01, '04; Monte Carlo '99; S-10 '97-98, '00-03; Silverado 1500 (4WD) '02-03; Suburban '97-99; Tahoe '97-99; TrailBlazer '02-04; Venture '97-01; Venture (reg.) '02
Chysler 300M '99, '03-04; Cirrus '97; Concorde '97-99, '02; LHS '97, '99; Sebring Convertible '97, '01, '03-04; Sebring Sedan '02, '04; Town & Country '97, '00-02; Town & Country (AWD) '98-99; Voyager '01-02
Dodge Caravan '97-98, '01-02; Caravan (4-cyl.) '99; Caraven (V6) '00; Dakota (2WD) '97-99; Dakota (4WD) '98-02, '04; Durango '98-00; Grand Caravan '97, '00-02; Grand Caravan (AWD) '98-99; Intrepid '97-99; Neon '97-02; Ram 1500 '97, '02; Ram 1500 (4WD) '98-01; Ram Van/Wagon 1500 '99; Stratus (4-cyl.) '98-00; Stratus Sedan (V6) '97 '02, '04
Ford Contour (V6) '97-98; Escape '01; Excursion '01, '03; Expedition '03-04; Explorer '00; Explorer (4WD) '98, '02; F-150 (4WD) ;04; Focus '00-01; Focus Wagon '04; Ranger (4WD) '97, '01-02, '04; Windstar '97-01
GMC Envoy '02-04; Jimmy '97-01; Sierra 1500 '97; Sierra 1500 (4WD) '98, '02-03; Sonoma '97-98, '00-03; Safari '97-03; Savana 1500 '97-03; Suburban '97-99; Yukon '97-99
Honda Passport '97-99
Hyundai Sonata '00; Tiburon '03; XG350 '04
Infiniti M45 '03
Isuzu Rodeo '97-99
Jaguard S-Type '00-01, '03; XJ Series '98, '00; X-Type '02-03
Jeep Grand Cherokee '97-02; Wrangler '98, '03
Kia Sedona '02
Land Rover Discovery '00-01, '03; Free-lander '02
Lexus GX470 '03
Lincoln Aviator '03-04; LS '00, '03; Mark VIII '98; Navigator '02-04
Mazda B-Series (4WD) '97, '01-02, '04; MPV '03-04; RX-8 '04; Tribute '01; Mazda '03-04
Mercedes-Benz C-Class (4-cyl.) '02; C-Class (V6) '01-04; CLK '99-00, '02-04; E-Class '99, '01-04; E-Class (AWD) '00; M-Class '98-04; S-Class '00, '02-03; SL '03
Mercury Cougar '99-01; Mountaineer '00; Mountaineer (4WD) '98, '02; Mystique (V6) '97-98
Mini Cooper '02-03
Mitsubishi Eclipse '97
Nissan 35OZ '03; Armada '04; Frontier '04; Quest '04; Sentra '02-03
Oldsmobile 88 '98; Alero '99-01; Aurora '97, '01; Bravada '97-00, '02; Cutlass '97-99; Cutlass Supreme '97; Silhouette '97-01
Plymouth Breeze '98-00; Grand Voyager '97, '00; Voyager '97-98; Voyager (4-cyl.) '99; Voyager (V6) '00; Neon '97-00
Pontiac Aztek '01-03; Bonneville '98-02; Firebird '97, '99, '01; Grand Am '97-01; Grand Prix '97-98; Grand Prix SC '99-01, '04; Sunfire Coupe & Convertible '99-00, 03; Trans Sport/Montana '97-'01; Montana (reg.) '02
Porsche Boxster '01, '03; Cayenne '04
Saab 9-3 '03-04; 9-5 '99
Saturn Ion '03; L-Series (V6) '00-02; SW Wagon '00; Vue '02-04
Volkswagen Cabrio '99, '01-02; EuroVan '03; Golf '97-03; Jetta '97-03; New Beetle '98-04; Passat (4-cyl.) '98-99, '01-02; Passat (V6) '97, '99-01, '04; Passat (AWD) '00-01, '04; Passat W8 '03; Touareg '04
Volvo 960 '97; V70/Cross Country '98, '01; Cross Country '99-00; V70 '02; XC70 '03; S60 (AWD) '04; S80 '99-03; S90/V90 '97-98 '03-04
Audi A4 (4-cyl.) '98-00, '02; A4 (V6) '97-00, '02-03; A6/Avant '99; A6/Allroad '01,'03; A6 3.0 '98, '02; A6 '00; TT '01-02
BMW 3 Series '04; 5 Series '04; 7 Series '97-98, '00, '02-03; X5 '01, '04
Buick Century '04; LeSabre '04; Park Avenue '98, '04; Rainier '04; Rendezvous '02
Cadillac Catera '98; CTS '03; De Ville '97, '00-02, '04; Escalade '03; Seville '97, '99-03; SRX '04
Chevrolet Astro '97-03; Avalanche '02; Blazer '97-03; C1500 '97; Camaro '97, '99, '01; Cavalier Coupe & Convertible '99-00; Cavalier '03; Corvette '00-02, '04; Express 1500 '97-03; Impala '01; K1500 '97-98; Lumina '97, '99; Malibu '97-01, '04; Monte Carlo '99; S-10 '97-98, '00-03; Silverado 1500 (4WD) '02-03; Suburban '97-99; Tahoe '97-99; TrailBlazer '02-04; Venture '97-01; Venture (reg.) '02
Chysler 300M '99, '03-04; Cirrus '97; Concorde '97-99, '02; LHS '97, '99; Sebring Convertible '97, '01, '03-04; Sebring Sedan '02, '04; Town & Country '97, '00-02; Town & Country (AWD) '98-99; Voyager '01-02
Dodge Caravan '97-98, '01-02; Caravan (4-cyl.) '99; Caraven (V6) '00; Dakota (2WD) '97-99; Dakota (4WD) '98-02, '04; Durango '98-00; Grand Caravan '97, '00-02; Grand Caravan (AWD) '98-99; Intrepid '97-99; Neon '97-02; Ram 1500 '97, '02; Ram 1500 (4WD) '98-01; Ram Van/Wagon 1500 '99; Stratus (4-cyl.) '98-00; Stratus Sedan (V6) '97 '02, '04
Ford Contour (V6) '97-98; Escape '01; Excursion '01, '03; Expedition '03-04; Explorer '00; Explorer (4WD) '98, '02; F-150 (4WD) ;04; Focus '00-01; Focus Wagon '04; Ranger (4WD) '97, '01-02, '04; Windstar '97-01
GMC Envoy '02-04; Jimmy '97-01; Sierra 1500 '97; Sierra 1500 (4WD) '98, '02-03; Sonoma '97-98, '00-03; Safari '97-03; Savana 1500 '97-03; Suburban '97-99; Yukon '97-99
Honda Passport '97-99
Hyundai Sonata '00; Tiburon '03; XG350 '04
Infiniti M45 '03
Isuzu Rodeo '97-99
Jaguard S-Type '00-01, '03; XJ Series '98, '00; X-Type '02-03
Jeep Grand Cherokee '97-02; Wrangler '98, '03
Kia Sedona '02
Land Rover Discovery '00-01, '03; Free-lander '02
Lexus GX470 '03
Lincoln Aviator '03-04; LS '00, '03; Mark VIII '98; Navigator '02-04
Mazda B-Series (4WD) '97, '01-02, '04; MPV '03-04; RX-8 '04; Tribute '01; Mazda '03-04
Mercedes-Benz C-Class (4-cyl.) '02; C-Class (V6) '01-04; CLK '99-00, '02-04; E-Class '99, '01-04; E-Class (AWD) '00; M-Class '98-04; S-Class '00, '02-03; SL '03
Mercury Cougar '99-01; Mountaineer '00; Mountaineer (4WD) '98, '02; Mystique (V6) '97-98
Mini Cooper '02-03
Mitsubishi Eclipse '97
Nissan 35OZ '03; Armada '04; Frontier '04; Quest '04; Sentra '02-03
Oldsmobile 88 '98; Alero '99-01; Aurora '97, '01; Bravada '97-00, '02; Cutlass '97-99; Cutlass Supreme '97; Silhouette '97-01
Plymouth Breeze '98-00; Grand Voyager '97, '00; Voyager '97-98; Voyager (4-cyl.) '99; Voyager (V6) '00; Neon '97-00
Pontiac Aztek '01-03; Bonneville '98-02; Firebird '97, '99, '01; Grand Am '97-01; Grand Prix '97-98; Grand Prix SC '99-01, '04; Sunfire Coupe & Convertible '99-00, 03; Trans Sport/Montana '97-'01; Montana (reg.) '02
Porsche Boxster '01, '03; Cayenne '04
Saab 9-3 '03-04; 9-5 '99
Saturn Ion '03; L-Series (V6) '00-02; SW Wagon '00; Vue '02-04
Volkswagen Cabrio '99, '01-02; EuroVan '03; Golf '97-03; Jetta '97-03; New Beetle '98-04; Passat (4-cyl.) '98-99, '01-02; Passat (V6) '97, '99-01, '04; Passat (AWD) '00-01, '04; Passat W8 '03; Touareg '04
Volvo 960 '97; V70/Cross Country '98, '01; Cross Country '99-00; V70 '02; XC70 '03; S60 (AWD) '04; S80 '99-03; S90/V90 '97-98 '03-04
2005 Used cars _bad bets
Audi A6
BMW 7 Series
Chevrolet Astro
Chevrolet Blazer
Chevrolet Express 1500
Chevrolet S-10 (4WD)
Chevrolet TrailBlazer
ChrysLer Town & Country (AWD)
Dodge Dakota (4WD)
Dodge Grand Caravan (AWD)
Ford Windstar
GMC Envoy
GMC Jimmy
GMC Safari
GMC Savana 1500
GMC Sonoma (4WD)
Jaguar S-Type
Jaguar X-Type
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Land Rover Discovery
Lincoln Navigator
Mercedes Benz C-Class (V6)
Mercedes-Benz CLK
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Oldsmobile Bravada
Oldsmobile Cutlass
Plymouth Neon
Pontiac Aztek
Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Jetta
Volkswagen New Beetle
Volvo S80
2005 Used cars _best bets
Acura Integra
Acura MDX
Acura RL
Acura RSX
Acura TL
Buick Regal
Chevrolet/Geo Prizm
Chrysler PT Cruiser
For Crown Victoria
Ford Escort
Honda Accord
Honda Civic
Honda CR-V
Honda Odyssey
Honda Prelude
Honda S2000
Infiniti G20
Infiniti I30, I35
Infiniti QX45
Infinite QX4
Lexus ES300, ES330
Lexus GS300/GS400, GS430
Lexus IS300
Lexus LS400, LS430
Lexus RX300, RX330
Lincoln Town Car
Mazda 626
Mazda Millenia
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Mazda Protege
Mercury Tracer
Mitsubishi Galant
Nissan Altima
Nissan Maxima
Nissan Pathfinder
Subaru Forester
Subaru Impreza
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Outback
Toyota 4Runner
Toyota Avalon
Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry Solara
Toyota Celica
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Echo
Toyota Highlander
Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota Prius
Toyota RAV4
Toyota Sequoia
Toyota Sienna
Toyota Tundra
2006 Used cars _VEHICLES TO AVOID
Here are all the models that had below-average Used Car Verdicts in our 2005 survey, covering 1998 to 2005 models. Listed alphabetically, by make, model, and year.
Audi A4 Avant '99, 01; A4 sedan '98-00, '02; A4 sedan (4-cyl.) '01; A4 sedan (V6) '05; A6 Avant '99-00; A6 sedan (V6) '98-00, '02-05; A6 sedan (V6), Turbo) '00-01, '03; A8 '04; Allroad '01-03; S4 '00, '04-05; TT '03
BMW 3 Series '04; 5 Series (6-cyl.) '04; 5 Series (V8) '98-00, '04; 7 Series '98-04; M3 '02-03; X5 (V8) '01-02, '05
Buick LeSabre '05; Park Avenue '98; Rendezvous '02; Terraza '05
Cadillac Catera '98; CTS '03; DeVille '00-03, '05; Escalade '03; Seville '98-03; SRX '04-05
Chevrolet Astro '98-03; Avalanche '03; Blazer '98-04; Camaro '00-02; Cavalier Coupe & Conv. '03-04; Cavalier Sedan '03; Cobalt '05; Colorado (2WD) '04; Colorado (4WD) '04-05; Corvette '05; Equinox '05; Express '98-04; Impala '01; Malibu '98-01, '04; Malibu Maxx '04; Monte Carlo '00-01; S-10 (2WD) '98-99, '02-03; S-10 (4WD) '98, '00-03; K1500 '98; Silverado 1500 (4WD) '03; Suburban '98-99, '03; Tahoe '98-99, '03; TrailBlazer '02-04; Uplander '05; Venture '98-02; (Venture (ext.) '03
Chrysler 300 (V8) '05; 300M '99, '03; Concorde '99; LHS '99; Pacifica '04-05; PT Cruiser Turbo '03; Sebring Convertible '01-02, '04; Sebring Sedan '02-03; Town & Country '00-03; Town & Country (ext., AWD) '99, Town & Country (ext., FWD) '04; Town & Country (reg.) '98; Voyager (4-cyl.) '01-03; Voyager (V6) '01-03
Dodge Caravan (4-cyl.) '98, '01-03; Caravan (V6) '98, '00-03; Grand Caravan '00-03; Grand Caravan (4WD) '04; Grand Caravan (AWD) '99; Dakota (2WD) '98, '05; Dakota (4WD) '98-00, '02, '05; Durango '98-01, '04-05; Intrepid '98-99, '03-04; Neon '98-99; Ram 1500 (2WD) '99; Ram 1500 (4WD) '98-02; Ram Van/Wagon '99; Stratus Sedan (4-cyl.) '98-99; Stratus Sedan (V6) '02-03
Ford Contour '98; Econoline '01; Excursion '03-04; Expedition '03-05; Explorer '02-05; Explorer (4WD) '00; Explorer Sport Trac '04; F-150 '04-05; Focus Sedan '00; Focus Wagon '00, '05; Freestyle (AWD) '05; Mustang (V6) '05; Ranger (2WD) '04; Ranger (4WD) '01; Taurus Sedan '05; Windstar '98-01
GMC Canyon (2WD) '04; Canyon (4WD) '04-05; Envoy '02-04; Jimmy '98-01; Safari '98-03; Savana '98-04; Sierra 1500 (4WD) '98, '03; S-15 Sonoma (2WD) '98-99, '02-03; S-15 Sonoma (4WD) '98, '00-03; Suburban '98-99; Yukon XL '03; Yukon '98-99, '03
Honda Passport '99-02
Hummer H2 '03-04
Hyundai Accent '00; Sonata '00-01; Tiburon '03; Tuscon '05; XG300 '01
Infiniti QX56 '04-05
Isuzu Rodeo '99-02
Jaguar S-Type '00-04; XJ Series '98-00, '04; X-Type '02-04
Jeep Grand Cherokee '98-03, '05
Kia Sedona '02-03; Sorento '05; Sportage '01, '05
Land Rover Discovery '99-01; '03-04; LR3 '05; Freelander '02; Range Rover '03
Lincoln Aviator '03-04; LS '00-01, '03-04; Navigator '01-05
Mazda B-Series (2WD) '04; B-Series (4WD) '01; MPV '03-04; 6 Hatchback '04; 6 Sedan (V6) '03, '05
Mercedes-Benz C-Class (4-cyl.) '02-03, '05; C-Class (V6) '01-04; CLK '01-05; E-Class Sedan '01-05; E-Class (V8) '98; E-Class Wagon '01-02, '04; M-Class '98-03; S-Class '00, '02-04; SL '04; SLK '02, '05
Mercury Cougar '99; Mountaineer '02-05; Mountaineer (4WD) '00; Mystique '98; Sable Sedan '05
Mini Cooper Base '02-03; Cooper S '02
Nissan 350Z '03; Armada '04-05; Quest '04-05; Titan '04-05
Oldsmobile Alero '99-02; Aurora '98, '01; Bravada '98-00, '02-03; Cutlass '98-99; Silhouette '98-03
Plymouth Breeze '98-99; Grand Voyager '00; Neon '98-99; Voyager (4-cyl.) '98; Voyager (V6) '98, '00
Pontiac Aztek '01-03; Bonneville '98, '00-03; Firebird '00-02; Grand Am '98-02; Grand Prix '98, '01; Grand Prix SC '00; GTO '04; Trans Sport Montana '98; Montana '99-02; Montana (ext) '03; Montana SV6 '05; Sunfire '03-04
Porsche 911 '02, '04; Cayenne '04-05
Saab 9-3 '03-05; 9-5 Sedan '99-00; 9-5 Wagon '99, '01
Saturn Ion '04; L-Series (V6) '00-'02; Relay '05; Vue '02-03; Vue (AWD) '04
Volkswagen Cabrio '99, '01-02; EuroVan '02-03; Golf (4-cyl.) '98, '03-04; Golf (4-cyl., turbo) '01; Jetta (4-cyl.) '98-02, '05; Jetta (4-cyl., turbo) '01-03; Jetta (4-cyl., turbo-diesel) '02; Jetta (V6) '99-03; New Beetle '98-04; New Beetle Convertible '05; Passat (4-cyl.) '98-02, '05; Passat (V6) '99-01; '04; Passat Wagon (V6) '03; Passat W8 '03; Touareg '04-05
Volvo C70 '00, '04; Cross Country '98-01; S60 (AWD) '03, '05; S80 '99-02; S90/V90 '98; V40 '00; V50 '05; V70 (FWD) '01, '03; V70 (AWD) '98; XC90 '03-05
2006 Used cars _bad bets
BMW 7 Series
BMW X5 (V8)
Chevrolet Astro
Chevrolet Blazer
Chevrolet Express 1500
Chevrolet S-10 (4WD)
Chevrolet TrailBlazer
Chevrolet Venture
Chrysler Town & Country (AWD)
Dodge Grand Caravan (AWD)
GMC Envoy
GMC Jimmy
GMC Safari
GMC Savana 1500
GMC Sonoma (4WD)
Jaguar S-Type
Jaguar X-Type
Kia Sedona
Land Rover Discovery
Lincoln LS
Lincoln Navigator
Mercedes-Benz CLK
Mercedes-Benz E-Class (V8)
Oldsmobile Alero
Oldsmobile Bravada
Oldsmobile Silhouette
Pontiac Aztek
Pontiac Trans Sport/Montana
Saturn Vue (AWD)
Volkswagen Cabrio
Volkswagen Jetta
Volkswagen New Beetle
Volkswagen Passat Wagon (V6)
Volvo XC90
2006 Used cars _best bets
Acura Integra
Acura MDX
Acura RL
Acura RSX
Acura TL
BMW Z3, Z4
Buick Regal
Chevrolet Prizm
Ford Crown Victoria
Ford Escort
Ford Mustang (V8)
Honda Accord
Honda Civic
Honda Civic Hybrid
Honda CR-V
Honda Element
Honda Odyssey
Honda Pilot
Honda Prelude
Honda S2000
Infiniti FX35 (V6)
Infiniti G20
Infiniti G35
Infiniti I30, I35
Infiniti QX4
Lexus ES300, ES330
Lexus GS300/GS400, GS430
Lexus IS300
Lexus GX470
Lexus LS400, LS430
Lexus RX300, RX330
Lincoln Town Car
Mazda Millenia
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Mazda Protege
Mercury Grand Marquis
Mitsubishi Galant
Nissan Altima
Nissan Maxima
Nissan Murano
Nissan Pathfinder
Pontiac Vibe
Subaru Forester
Subaru Impreza
Subaru Impreza WRX
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Outback
Toyota 4Runner
Toyota Avalon
Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry Solara
Toyota Celica
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Echo
Toyota Highlander
Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota Matrix
Toyota Prius
Toyota RAV4
Toyota Sequoia
Toyota Sienna
Toyota Tundra
2007 CARS_FUEL ECONOMY
SMALL CARS OVERALL MPG
1 Toyota Prius 44
2 Honda Civic Hybrid 37
3 Honda Fit Sport (manual) 34
Toyota Yaris Liftback (manual) 34
4 Toyota Yaris Sedan 33
5 Honda Fit 32
Scion xB (manual) 32
MIDSIZED & LARGE SEDANS
1 Toyota Camry Hybrid 34
2 Honda Accord Hybrid 25
Nissan Altima 2.5 S 25
3 BMW 325i 24
Chevrolet Malibu (4-cyl.) 24
Honda Accord (4-cyl.) 24
Lexus IS250 24
Toyota Camry LE (4-cyl.) 24
Volkswagen Passat 2.0T 24
SUVS
1 Ford Escape Hybrid 26
2 Saturn Vue Green Line (hybrid) 24
3 Lexus RX400h (hybrid) 23
Toyota RAV4 (4-cyl.) 23
4 Jeep Compass Sport 22
Subaru Forester 2.5X 22
Toyota Highlander Hybrid 22
Toyota RAV4 Limited (V6) 22
FEWEST MILES PER GALLON
SMALL CARS OVERALL MPG
1 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 20
Subaru Impreza WRX STi 20
2 Subaru Impreza WRX 22
3 Chevrolet Cobalt LS 23
Chevrolet Cobalt SS (manual) 23
Subaru Impreza 2.5i 23
MIDSIZED & LARGE SEDANS
1 Chrysler 300C 16
Mercury Grand Marquis LSE 16
2 Audi A8 L 17
Cadillac CTS-V 17
Cadillac DTS Luxury II 17
Dodge Charger R/T 17
Lincoln Town Car Signature 17
SUVs
1 Dodge Durango Limited 12
2 Cadillac Escalade 13
Jeep Commander Limited 5.7 13
Land Rover LR3 SE 13
Nissan Armanda LE 13
1 Toyota Prius 44
2 Honda Civic Hybrid 37
3 Honda Fit Sport (manual) 34
Toyota Yaris Liftback (manual) 34
4 Toyota Yaris Sedan 33
5 Honda Fit 32
Scion xB (manual) 32
MIDSIZED & LARGE SEDANS
1 Toyota Camry Hybrid 34
2 Honda Accord Hybrid 25
Nissan Altima 2.5 S 25
3 BMW 325i 24
Chevrolet Malibu (4-cyl.) 24
Honda Accord (4-cyl.) 24
Lexus IS250 24
Toyota Camry LE (4-cyl.) 24
Volkswagen Passat 2.0T 24
SUVS
1 Ford Escape Hybrid 26
2 Saturn Vue Green Line (hybrid) 24
3 Lexus RX400h (hybrid) 23
Toyota RAV4 (4-cyl.) 23
4 Jeep Compass Sport 22
Subaru Forester 2.5X 22
Toyota Highlander Hybrid 22
Toyota RAV4 Limited (V6) 22
FEWEST MILES PER GALLON
SMALL CARS OVERALL MPG
1 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 20
Subaru Impreza WRX STi 20
2 Subaru Impreza WRX 22
3 Chevrolet Cobalt LS 23
Chevrolet Cobalt SS (manual) 23
Subaru Impreza 2.5i 23
MIDSIZED & LARGE SEDANS
1 Chrysler 300C 16
Mercury Grand Marquis LSE 16
2 Audi A8 L 17
Cadillac CTS-V 17
Cadillac DTS Luxury II 17
Dodge Charger R/T 17
Lincoln Town Car Signature 17
SUVs
1 Dodge Durango Limited 12
2 Cadillac Escalade 13
Jeep Commander Limited 5.7 13
Land Rover LR3 SE 13
Nissan Armanda LE 13
2007 CARS_MOST SATISFYING
SPORTS CARS/SPORTY CARS
MODEL PERCENTAGE -*-
Chevrolet Corvette 89
Honda S2000 88
Mazda MX-5 Miata 88
Mini Cooper S 86
Porsche 911 86
Mini Cooper (convertible) 86
Ford Mustang (V8) 85
Porsche Boxter 85
Mini Cooper (hatchback) 84
Pontiac Solstice 83
Subaru Impreza WRX STi 82
Lexus SC430 80
SMALL CARS
Honda Civic Hybrid 85
Honda Fit 84
Honda Civic (coupe) 83
Volkswagen Jetta (diesel) 83
Honda Civic (sedan, nonhybrid) 81
FAMILY CARS
Toyota Prius 92
Toyota Camry (nonhybrid) 82
Subaru Legacy (sedan, turbo) 80
Honda Accord (nonhybrid) 80
WAGONS/HATCHBACKS
Scion xB 81
BMW 5 Series (6-cyl.) 80
LARGE CARS
Dodge Charger (V8) 83
Hyundai Azera 81
Toyota Avalon 81
Buick Lucerne (V8) 80
UPSCALE CARS
BMW 330i (AWD) 86
Lexus IS350 83
BMW 330i (RWD) 83
Audi A3 82
Acura TL 81
BMW 325i (sedan, RWD) 80
LUXURY CARS
Lexus LS430 88
Infiniti M 82
MINIVANS
Honda Odyssey 81
SMALL SUVs
Toyota FJ Cruiser 85
Toyota RAV4 (V6, 2WD) 84
MIDSIZED SUVs
Lexus RX350 (2WD) 82
Toyota 4Runner (V8, 4WD) 80
LARGE SUVs
Chevrolet Tahoe (2WD) 82
GMC Yukon (2WD) 82
COMPACT PICKUPS
Toyota Tacoma (V6, 4WD) 80
FULL-SIZED PICKUPS
Honda Ridgeline 84
Toyota Tundra (V8, 4WD) 81
LEAST SATISFYING
SMALL CARS
Model PERCENTAGE -*-
Saturn Ion (sedan) 49
Chevrolet Aveo 46
FAMILY CARS
Mitsubishi Galant (V6) 49
Chevrolet Malibu
(4-cyl., sedan) 47
MINIVANS
Chrysler Town & Country (reg.) 49
Buick Terraza 43
Dodge Caravan (4-cyl.) 37
Chevrolet Uplander 36
SMALL SUVs
Jeep Liberty (V6, 2WD) 47
Chevrolet Equinox 44
Ford Escape (4-cyl.) 44
Mazda Tribute (4-cyl.) 44
MIDSIZED SUVs
GMC Envoy (6-cyl., 2WD) 49
Jeep Grand Cherokee (V6) 48
Chevrolet TrailBlazer
(6-cyl., 2WD) 48
Volkswagen Touareg (V8, V10) 43
COMPACT PICKUPS
Chevrolet Colorado (2WD) 46
GMC Canyon (2WD) 46
Ford Ranger (4-cyl., 2WD) 45
Mazda B-series (4-cyl., 2WD) 45
Dodge Dakota (V6) 44
Ford Ranger (V6, 2WD) 43
Mazda B-series (V6, 2WD) 43
Ford Ranger (V6, 4WD) 41
Chevrolet Colorado (4WD) 38
GMC Canyon (4WD) 38
FULL-SIZED PICKUPS
Chevrolet Silverado 2500
(gas, 2WD) 49
GMC Sierra 2500 (gas, 2WD) 49
MODEL PERCENTAGE -*-
Chevrolet Corvette 89
Honda S2000 88
Mazda MX-5 Miata 88
Mini Cooper S 86
Porsche 911 86
Mini Cooper (convertible) 86
Ford Mustang (V8) 85
Porsche Boxter 85
Mini Cooper (hatchback) 84
Pontiac Solstice 83
Subaru Impreza WRX STi 82
Lexus SC430 80
SMALL CARS
Honda Civic Hybrid 85
Honda Fit 84
Honda Civic (coupe) 83
Volkswagen Jetta (diesel) 83
Honda Civic (sedan, nonhybrid) 81
FAMILY CARS
Toyota Prius 92
Toyota Camry (nonhybrid) 82
Subaru Legacy (sedan, turbo) 80
Honda Accord (nonhybrid) 80
WAGONS/HATCHBACKS
Scion xB 81
BMW 5 Series (6-cyl.) 80
LARGE CARS
Dodge Charger (V8) 83
Hyundai Azera 81
Toyota Avalon 81
Buick Lucerne (V8) 80
UPSCALE CARS
BMW 330i (AWD) 86
Lexus IS350 83
BMW 330i (RWD) 83
Audi A3 82
Acura TL 81
BMW 325i (sedan, RWD) 80
LUXURY CARS
Lexus LS430 88
Infiniti M 82
MINIVANS
Honda Odyssey 81
SMALL SUVs
Toyota FJ Cruiser 85
Toyota RAV4 (V6, 2WD) 84
MIDSIZED SUVs
Lexus RX350 (2WD) 82
Toyota 4Runner (V8, 4WD) 80
LARGE SUVs
Chevrolet Tahoe (2WD) 82
GMC Yukon (2WD) 82
COMPACT PICKUPS
Toyota Tacoma (V6, 4WD) 80
FULL-SIZED PICKUPS
Honda Ridgeline 84
Toyota Tundra (V8, 4WD) 81
LEAST SATISFYING
SMALL CARS
Model PERCENTAGE -*-
Saturn Ion (sedan) 49
Chevrolet Aveo 46
FAMILY CARS
Mitsubishi Galant (V6) 49
Chevrolet Malibu
(4-cyl., sedan) 47
MINIVANS
Chrysler Town & Country (reg.) 49
Buick Terraza 43
Dodge Caravan (4-cyl.) 37
Chevrolet Uplander 36
SMALL SUVs
Jeep Liberty (V6, 2WD) 47
Chevrolet Equinox 44
Ford Escape (4-cyl.) 44
Mazda Tribute (4-cyl.) 44
MIDSIZED SUVs
GMC Envoy (6-cyl., 2WD) 49
Jeep Grand Cherokee (V6) 48
Chevrolet TrailBlazer
(6-cyl., 2WD) 48
Volkswagen Touareg (V8, V10) 43
COMPACT PICKUPS
Chevrolet Colorado (2WD) 46
GMC Canyon (2WD) 46
Ford Ranger (4-cyl., 2WD) 45
Mazda B-series (4-cyl., 2WD) 45
Dodge Dakota (V6) 44
Ford Ranger (V6, 2WD) 43
Mazda B-series (V6, 2WD) 43
Ford Ranger (V6, 4WD) 41
Chevrolet Colorado (4WD) 38
GMC Canyon (4WD) 38
FULL-SIZED PICKUPS
Chevrolet Silverado 2500
(gas, 2WD) 49
GMC Sierra 2500 (gas, 2WD) 49
2007 CARS_FUN TO DRIVE
SPORTS CARS
Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Honda S2000
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Mazda RX-8
Porsche 911 Carrera S
Porsche Boxter
SMALL CARS
Ford Focus ZX4 ST
Honda Civic Si
Mini Cooper S
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Subaru Impreza WRX & STi
Volkswagen GTI
MIDSIZED SEDANS
BMW 3 Series
Cadillac CTS-V
Infiniti G35
Infiniti M
Mercedez-Benz C-Class
Subaru Legacy GT
Least fun to drive
SPORTS CARS
Mitsubishi Eclipse (4-cyl.)
SMALL CARS
Chevrolet Aveo
MIDSIZED SEDANS
Chrysler Sebring (4-cyl.)
2007 Used cars _CR (消费者报告)bad bets
BMW 7 Series
BMW X5 (V8)
Chevrolet Astro
Chevrolet Blazer
Chevrolet Express
Chevrolet S-10 (4WD)
Chevrolet Venture, Uplander
Chrysler Town & Country (AWD)
Dodge Grand Caravan (AWD)
GMC Jimmy
GMC Safari
GMC Savana
GMC Sonoma (4WD)
Infiniti QX56
Jaguar S-Type
Jaguar X-Type
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Kia Sedona (except '06)
Land Rover Discovery, LR3
Lincoln Aviator
Lincoln Navigator
Mercedes-Benz CLK
Mercedes-Benz M-Class (V8)
Mercedes-Benz S-Class (V8)
Mercedes-Benz SL
Nissan Armada
Nissan Titan
Oldsmobile Bravada
Oldsmobile Cutlass
Oldsmobile Silhouette
Pontiac Aztek
Pontiac Trans Sport, Montana, Montana SV6
Volkswagen Cabrio
Volkswagen Jetta (turbo, gas)
Volkswagen Jetta (V6)
Volkswagen New Beetle (4-cyl.)
Volkswagen Touareg
Volvo XC90 (6-cyl.)
BMW X5 (V8)
Chevrolet Astro
Chevrolet Blazer
Chevrolet Express
Chevrolet S-10 (4WD)
Chevrolet Venture, Uplander
Chrysler Town & Country (AWD)
Dodge Grand Caravan (AWD)
GMC Jimmy
GMC Safari
GMC Savana
GMC Sonoma (4WD)
Infiniti QX56
Jaguar S-Type
Jaguar X-Type
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Kia Sedona (except '06)
Land Rover Discovery, LR3
Lincoln Aviator
Lincoln Navigator
Mercedes-Benz CLK
Mercedes-Benz M-Class (V8)
Mercedes-Benz S-Class (V8)
Mercedes-Benz SL
Nissan Armada
Nissan Titan
Oldsmobile Bravada
Oldsmobile Cutlass
Oldsmobile Silhouette
Pontiac Aztek
Pontiac Trans Sport, Montana, Montana SV6
Volkswagen Cabrio
Volkswagen Jetta (turbo, gas)
Volkswagen Jetta (V6)
Volkswagen New Beetle (4-cyl.)
Volkswagen Touareg
Volvo XC90 (6-cyl.)
2007 Used cars _CR (消费者报告)best bets
2007 best bets
Acura Integra
Acura MDX
Acura RL
Acura RSX (except '06)
Acura TL
Acura TSX
Buick Regal
Chevrolet Prizm
Honda Accord
Honda Civic
Honda Civic Hybrid
Honda CR-V
Honda Element
Honda Odyssey
Honda Pilot
Honda Prelude
Honda S2000
Infiniti FX
Infiniti G20
Infiniti G35
Infiniti I30, I35
Infiniti QX4
Lexus ES
Lexus GS
Lexus GX
Lexus IS
Lexus LS
Lexus RX
Lexus SC
Lincoln Town Car
LOAD-DATE: April 9, 2007
Mazda Millenia
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Mazda Protege
Mazda3
Nissan Altima
Nissan Maxima
Nissan Pathfinder
Pontiac Vibe
Scion xB
Subaru Forester
Subaru Impreza
Subaru Impreza WRX
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Outback
Toyota 4Runner
Toyota Avalon
Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry Solara
Toyota Celica
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Echo
Toyota Highlander
Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota Matrix
Toyota Prius
Toyota RAV4
Toyota Sequoia
Toyota Sienna
Toyota Tundra
[合集] 二手车&新车指南_from 消费者报告 best and worst used cars
较大的文件上传到megaupload, 如有问题请看下载指南(单击这里)
- 2007 二手车
2007 Used cars _best bets
2007 Used cars _bad bets
2007 Used cars _VEHICLES TO AVOID (MU 下载)
2007 Used cars _ The best & worst available (包含价格指南）(MU 下载)
- 2007 新车
2007 CARS_Reliability trends(MU 下载)
2007 CARS_PREDICTED RELIABILITY(MU 下载)
2007 CARS_ RELIABILITY RATINGS (MU 下载)
*2007 文件全部下载 (download all 2007) (MU 下载)
- 2006 二手车
2006 Used cars _VEHICLES TO AVOID
2006 Used cars _ The best & worst available (包含价格指南） (MU 下载)
---------------------------------------------------------------
- 2005 二手车
Monday, July 2, 2007
5000 常青藤大学联盟词汇列表 P-R
pacify v. To bring into a peaceful state.
packet n. A bundle, as of letters.
pact n. A covenant.
pagan n. A worshiper of false gods.
pageant n. A dramatic representation, especially a spectacular one.
palate n. The roof of the mouth.
palatial adj. Magnificent.
paleontology n. The branch of biology that treats of ancient life and fossil organisms.
palette n. A thin tablet, with a hole for the thumb, upon which artists lay their colors for painting.
palinode n. A retraction.
pall v. To make dull by satiety.
palliate v. To cause to appear less guilty.
pallid adj. Of a pale or wan appearance.
palpable n. perceptible by feeling or touch.
palsy n. Paralysis.
paly adj. Lacking color or brilliancy.
pamphlet n. A brief treatise or essay, usually on a subject of current interest.
pamphleteer v. To compose or issue pamphlets, especially controversial ones.
panacea n. A remedy or medicine proposed for or professing to cure all diseases.
Pan-American adj. Including or pertaining to the whole of America, both North and South.
pandemic adj. Affecting a whole people or all classes, as a disease.
pandemonium n. A fiendish or riotous uproar.
panegyric n. A formal and elaborate eulogy, written or spoken, of a person or of an act.
panel n. A rectangular piece set in or as in a frame.
panic n. A sudden, unreasonable, overpowering fear.
panoply n. A full set of armor.
panorama n. A series of large pictures representing a continuous scene.
pantheism n. The worship of nature for itself or its beauty.
Pantheon n. A circular temple at Rome with a fine Corinthian portico and a great domed roof.
pantomime n. Sign-language.
pantoscope n. A very wide-angled photographic lens.
papacy n. The official head of the Roman Catholic Church.
papyrus n. The writing-paper of the ancient Egyptians, and later of the Romans.
parable n. A brief narrative founded on real scenes or events usually with a moral.
paradox n. A statement or doctrine seemingly in contradiction to the received belief.
paragon n. A model of excellence.
parallel v. To cause to correspond or lie in the same direction and equidistant in all parts.
parallelism n. Essential likeness.
paralysis n. Loss of the power of contractility in the voluntary or involuntary muscles.
paralyze v. To deprive of the power to act.
paramount adj. Supreme in authority.
paramour n. One who is unlawfully and immorally a lover or a mistress.
paraphernalia n. Miscellaneous articles of equipment or adornment.
paraphrase v. Translate freely.
pare v. To cut, shave, or remove (the outside) from anything.
parentage n. The relation of parent to child, of the producer to the produced, or of cause to effect.
Pariah n. A member of a degraded class; a social outcast.
parish n. The ecclesiastical district in charge of a pastor.
Parisian adj. Of or pertaining to the city of Paris.
parity n. Equality, as of condition or rank.
parlance n. Mode of speech.
parley v. To converse in.
parliament n. A legislative body.
parlor n. A room for reception of callers or entertainment of guests.
parody v. To render ludicrous by imitating the language of.
paronymous adj. Derived from the same root or primitive word.
paroxysm n. A sudden outburst of any kind of activity.
parricide n. The murder of a parent.
parse v. To describe, as a sentence, by separating it into its elements and describing each word.
parsimonious adj. Unduly sparing in the use or expenditure of money.
partible adj. Separable.
participant n. One having a share or part.
participate v. To receive or have a part or share of.
partition n. That which separates anything into distinct parts.
partisan adj. Characterized by or exhibiting undue or unreasoning devotion to a party.
passible adj. Capable of feeling of suffering.
passive adj. Unresponsive.
pastoral adj. Having the spirit or sentiment of rural life.
paternal adj. Fatherly.
paternity n. Fatherhood.
pathos n. The quality in any form of representation that rouses emotion or sympathy.
patriarch n. The chief of a tribe or race who rules by paternal right.
patrician adj. Of senatorial or noble rank.
patrimony n. An inheritance from an ancestor, especially from one's father.
patriotism n. Love and devotion to one's country.
patronize v. To exercise an arrogant condescension toward.
patronymic adj. Formed after one's father's name.
patter v. To mumble something over and over.
paucity n. Fewness.
pauper n. One without means of support.
pauperism n. Dependence on charity.
pavilion n. An open structure for temporary shelter.
payee n. A person to whom money has been or is to be paid.
peaceable adj. Tranquil.
peaceful adj. Tranquil.
peccable adj. Capable of sinning.
peccadillo n. A small breach of propriety or principle.
peccant adj. Guilty.
pectoral adj. Pertaining to the breast or thorax.
pecuniary adj. Consisting of money.
pedagogics n. The science and art of teaching.
pedagogue n. A schoolmaster.
pedagogy n. The science and art of teaching
pedal n. A lever for the foot usually applied only to musical instruments, cycles, and other machines.
pedant n. A scholar who makes needless and inopportune display of his learning.
peddle v. To go about with a small stock of goods to sell.
pedestal n. A base or support as for a column, statue, or vase.
pedestrian n. One who journeys on foot.
pediatrics n. The department of medical science that relates to the treatment of diseases of childhood.
pedigree n. One's line of ancestors.
peddler n. One who travels from house to house with an assortment of goods for retail.
peerage n. The nobility.
peerless adj. Of unequaled excellence or worth.
peevish adj. Petulant. (irritable)
pellucid adj. Translucent.
penalty n. The consequences that follow the transgression of natural or divine law.
penance n. Punishment to which one voluntarily submits or subjects himself as an expression of
penitence.
penchant n. A bias in favor of something.
pendant n. Anything that hangs from something else, either for ornament or for use.
pendulous adj. Hanging, especially so as to swing by an attached end or part.
pendulum n. A weight hung on a rod, serving by its oscillation to regulate the rate of a clock.
penetrable adj. That may be pierced by physical, moral, or intellectual force.
penetrate v. To enter or force a way into the interior parts of.
penetration n. Discernment.
peninsular adj. Pertaining to a piece of land almost surrounded by water.
penitence n. Sorrow for sin with desire to amend and to atone.
penitential adj. Pertaining to sorrow for sin with desire to amend and to atone.
pennant n. A small flag.
pension n. A periodical allowance to an individual on account of past service done by him/her.
pentagram n. A figure having five points or lobes.
pentavalent adj. Quinqeuvalent.
pentad n. The number five.
pentagon n. A figure, especially, with five angles and five sides.
pentahedron n. A solid bounded by five plane faces.
pentameter n. In prosody, a line of verse containing five units or feet.
pentathlon n. The contest of five associated exercises in the great games and the same contestants.
penultimate adj. A syllable or member of a series that is last but one.
penurious adj. Excessively sparing in the use of money.
penury n. Indigence.
perambulate v. To walk about.
perceive v. To have knowledge of, or receive impressions concerning, through the medium of the body senses.
perceptible adj. Cognizable.
perception n. Knowledge through the senses of the existence and properties of matter or the external world.
percipience n. The act of perceiving.
percipient n. One who or that which perceives.
percolate v. To filter.
percolator n. A filter.
percussion n. The sharp striking of one body against another.
peremptory adj. Precluding question or appeal.
perennial adj. Continuing though the year or through many years.
perfectible adj. Capable of being made perfect.
perfidy n. Treachery.
perforate v. To make a hole or holes through.
perform v. To accomplish.
perfumery n. The preparation of perfumes.
perfunctory adj. Half-hearted.
perhaps adv. Possibly.
perigee n. The point in the orbit of the moon when it is nearest the earth.
periodicity n. The habit or characteristic of recurrence at regular intervals.
peripatetic adj. Walking about.
perjure v. To swear falsely to.
perjury n. A solemn assertion of a falsity.
permanence n. A continuance in the same state, or without any change that destroys the essential form or nature.
permanent adj. Durable.
permeate v. To pervade.
permissible adj. That may be allowed.
permutation n. Reciprocal change, different ordering of same items.
pernicious adj. Tending to kill or hurt.
perpendicular adj. Straight up and down.
perpetrator n. The doer of a wrong or a criminal act.
perpetuate v. To preserve from extinction or oblivion.
perquisite n. Any profit from service beyond the amount fixed as salary or wages.
persecution n. Harsh or malignant oppression.
perseverance n. A persistence in purpose and effort.
persevere v. To continue striving in spite of discouragements.
persiflage n. Banter.
persist v. To continue steadfast against opposition.
persistence n. A fixed adherence to a resolve, course of conduct, or the like.
personage n. A man or woman as an individual, especially one of rank or high station.
personal adj. Not general or public.
personality n. The attributes, taken collectively, that make up the character and nature of an individual.
personnel n. The force of persons collectively employed in some service.
perspective n. The relative importance of facts or matters from any special point of view.
perspicacious adj. Astute.
perspicacity n. Acuteness or discernment.
perspicuous adj. Lucid.
perspiration n. Sweat.
perspire v. To excrete through the pores of the skin.
persuade v. To win the mind of by argument, eloquence, evidence, or reflection.
persuadable adj. capable of influencing to action by entreaty, statement, or anything that moves the
feelings.
pertinacious adj. Persistent or unyielding.
pertinacity n. Unyielding adherence.
pertinent adj. Relevant.
perturb v. To disturb greatly.
perturbation n. Mental excitement or confusion.
perusal n. The act of reading carefully or thoughtfully.
pervade v. To pass or spread through every part.
pervasion n. The state of spreading through every part.
pervasive adj. Thoroughly penetrating or permeating.
perverse adj. Unreasonable.
perversion n. Diversion from the true meaning or proper purpose.
perversity n. Wickedness.
pervert n. One who has forsaken a doctrine regarded as true for one esteemed false.
pervious adj. Admitting the entrance or passage of another substance.
pestilence n. A raging epidemic.
pestilent adj. Having a malign influence or effect.
pestilential adj. having the nature of or breeding pestilence.
peter v. To fail or lose power, efficiency, or value.
petrify v. To convert into a substance of stony hardness and character.
petulance n. The character or condition of being impatient, capricious or petulant.
petulant adj. Displaying impatience.
pharmacopoeia n. A book containing the formulas and methods of preparation of medicines for the use of druggists.
pharmacy n. The art or business of compounding and dispensing medicines.
phenomenal adj. Extraordinary or marvelous.
phenomenon n. Any unusual occurrence.
philander v. To play at courtship with a woman.
philanthropic adj. Benevolent.
philanthropist n. One who endeavors to help his fellow men.
philanthropy n. Active humanitarianism.
philately n. The study and collection of stamps.
philharmonic adj. Fond of music.
philogynist n. One who is fond of women.
philologist n. An expert in linguistics.
philology n. The study of language in connection with history and literature.
philosophize v. To seek ultimate causes and principles.
philosophy n. The general principles, laws, or causes that furnish the rational explanation of anything.
phlegmatic adj. Not easily roused to feeling or action.
phonetic adj. Representing articulate sounds or speech.
phonic adj. Pertaining to the nature of sound.
phonogram n. A graphic character symbolizing an articulate sound.
phonology n. The science of human vocal sounds.
phosphorescence n. The property of emitting light.
photoelectric adj. Pertaining to the combined action of light and electricity.
photometer n. Any instrument for measuring the intensity of light or comparing the intensity of two lights.
photometry n. The art of measuring the intensity of light.
physicist n. A specialist in the science that treats of the phenomena associated with matter and energy.
physics n. The science that treats of the phenomena associated with matter and energy.
physiocracy n. The doctrine that land and its products are the only true wealth.
physiognomy n. The external appearance merely.
physiography n. Description of nature.
physiology n. The science of organic functions.
physique n. The physical structure or organization of a person.
picayune adj. Of small value.
piccolo n. A small flute.
piece n. A loose or separated part, as distinguished from the whole or the mass.
piecemeal adv. Gradually.
pillage n. Open robbery, as in war.
pillory n. A wooden framework in which an offender is fastened to boards and is exposed to public scorn.
pincers n. An instrument having two lever-handles and two jaws working on a pivot.
pinchers n. An instrument having two jaws working on a pivot.
pinnacle n. A high or topmost point, as a mountain-peak.
pioneer n. One among the first to explore a country.
pious adj. Religious.
pique v. To excite a slight degree of anger in.
piteous adj. Compassionate.
pitiable adj. Contemptible.
pitiful adj. Wretched.
pitiless adj. Hard-hearted.
pittance n. Any small portion or meager allowance.
placate v. To bring from a state of angry or hostile feeling to one of patience or friendliness.
placid adj. Serene.
plagiarism n. The stealing of passages from the writings of another and publishing them as one's own.
planisphere n. A polar projection of the heavens on a chart.
plasticity n. The property of some substances through which the form of the mass can readily be
changed.
platitude n. A written or spoken statement that is flat, dull, or commonplace.
plaudit n. An expression of applause.
plausible adj. Seeming likely to be true, though open to doubt.
playful adj. Frolicsome.
playwright n. A maker of plays for the stage.
plea n. An argument to obtain some desired action.
pleasant adj. Agreeable.
pleasurable adj. Affording gratification.
plebeian adj. Common.
pledgee n. The person to whom anything is pledged.
pledgeor n. One who gives a pledge.
plenary adj. Entire.
plenipotentiary n. A person fully empowered to transact any business.
plenitude n. Abundance.
plenteous adj. Abundant.
plumb n. A weight suspended by a line to test the verticality of something.
plummet n. A piece of lead for making soundings, adjusting walls to the vertical.
pluperfect adj. Expressing past time or action prior to some other past time or action.
plural adj. Containing or consisting of more than one.
plurality n. A majority.
plutocracy n. A wealthy class in a political community who control the government by means of their money.
pneumatic adj. Pertaining to or consisting of air or gas.
poesy n. Poetry.
poetaster n. An inferior poet.
poetic adj. Pertaining to poetry.
poetics n. The rules and principles of poetry.
poignancy n. Severity or acuteness, especially of pain or grief.
poignant adj. Severely painful or acute to the spirit.
poise n. Equilibrium.
polar adj. Pertaining to the poles of a sphere, especially of the earth.
polemics n. The art of controversy or disputation.
pollen n. The fine dust-like grains or powder formed within the anther of a flowering plant.
pollute v. To contaminate.
polyarchy n. Government by several or many persons of what- ever class.
polycracy n. The rule of many.
polygamy n. the fact or condition of having more than one wife or husband at once.
polyglot adj. Speaking several tongues.
polygon n. A figure having many angles.
polyhedron n. A solid bounded by plane faces, especially by more than four.
polysyllable adj. Having several syllables, especially more than three syllables.
polytechnic adj. Pertaining to, embracing, or practicing many arts.
polytheism n. The doctrine or belief that there are more gods than one.
pommel v. To beat with something thick or bulky.
pomposity n. The quality of being marked by an assumed stateliness and impressiveness of manner.
pompous adj. Marked by an assumed stateliness and impressiveness of manner.
ponder v. To meditate or reflect upon.
ponderous adj. Unusually weighty or forcible.
pontiff n. The Pope.
populace n. The common people.
populous adj. Containing many inhabitants, especially in proportion to the territory.
portend v. To indicate as being about to happen, especially by previous signs.
portent n. Anything that indicates what is to happen.
portfolio n. A portable case for holding writing-materials, drawings, etc.
posit v. To present in an orderly manner.
position n. The manner in which a thing is placed.
positive adj. Free from doubt or hesitation.
posse n. A force of men.
possess v. To own.
possession n. The having, holding, or detention of property in one's power or command.
possessive adj. Pertaining to the having, holding, or detention of property in one's power or command.
possessor n. One who owns, enjoys, or controls anything, as property.
possible adj. Being not beyond the reach of power natural, moral, or supernatural.
postdate v. To make the date of any writing later than the real date.
posterior n. The hinder part.
postgraduate adj. Pertaining to studies that are pursued after receiving a degree.
postscript n. Something added to a letter after the writer's signature.
potency n. Power.
potent adj. Physically powerful.
potentate n. One possessed of great power or sway.
potential n. Anything that may be possible.
potion n. A dose of liquid medicine.
powerless adj. Impotent.
practicable adj. Feasible.
prate v. To talk about vainly or foolishly.
prattle v. To utter in simple or childish talk.
preamble n. A statement introductory to and explanatory of what follows.
precarious adj. Perilous.
precaution n. A provision made in advance for some possible emergency or danger.
precede v. To happen first.
precedence n. Priority in place, time, or rank.
precedent n. An instance that may serve as a guide or basis for a rule.
precedential adj. Of the nature of an instance that may serve as a guide or basis for a rule.
precession n. The act of going forward.
precipice n. A high and very steep or approximately vertical cliff.
precipitant adj. Moving onward quickly and heedlessly.
precipitate v. To force forward prematurely.
precise adj. Exact.
precision n. Accuracy of limitation, definition, or adjustment.
preclude v. To prevent.
precocious adj. Having the mental faculties prematurely developed.
precursor n. A forerunner or herald.
predatory adj. Prone to pillaging.
predecessor n. An incumbent of a given office previous to another.
predicament n. A difficult, trying situation or plight.
predicate v. To state as belonging to something.
predict v. To foretell.
prediction n. A prophecy.
predominance n. Ascendancy or preponderance.
predominant adj. Superior in power, influence, effectiveness, number, or degree.
predominate v. To be chief in importance, quantity, or degree.
preeminence n. Special eminence.
preempt v. To secure the right of preference in the purchase of public land.
preemption n. The right or act of purchasing before others.
preengage v. To preoccupy.
preestablish v. To settle or arrange beforehand.
preexist v. To exist at a period or in a state earlier than something else.
preexistence n. Existence antecedent to something.
preface n. A brief explanation or address to the reader, at the beginning of a book.
prefatory adj. Pertaining to a brief explanation to the reader at the beginning of a book.
prefer v. To hold in higher estimation.
preferable adj. More desirable than others.
preference n. An object of favor or choice.
preferential adj. Possessing, giving, or constituting preference or priority.
preferment n. Preference.
prefix v. To attach at the beginning.
prehensible adj. Capable of being grasped.
prehensile adj. Adapted for grasping or holding.
prehension n. The act of laying hold of or grasping.
prejudice n. A judgment or opinion formed without due examination of the facts.
prelacy n. A system of church government.
prelate n. One of a higher order of clergy having direct authority over other clergy.
prelude n. An introductory or opening performance.
premature adj. Coming too soon.
premier adj. First in rank or position.
premise n. A judgment as a conclusion.
premonition n. Foreboding.
preoccupation n. The state of having the mind, attention, or inclination preoccupied.
preoccupy v. To fill the mind of a person to the exclusion of other subjects.
preordain v. To foreordain.
preparation n. An act or proceeding designed to bring about some event.
preparatory adj. Having to do with what is preliminary.
preponderant adj. Prevalent.
preponderate v. To exceed in influence or power.
prepossession n. A preconceived liking.
preposterous adj. Utterly ridiculous or absurd.
prerogative adj. Having superior rank or precedence.
presage v. To foretell.
prescience n. Knowledge of events before they take place.
prescient adj. Foreknowing.
prescript adj. Prescribed as a rule or model.
prescriptible adj. Derived from authoritative direction.
prescription n. An authoritative direction.
presentient adj. Perceiving or feeling beforehand.
presentiment n. Foreboding.
presentment n. Semblance.
preservation n. Conservation.
presumption n. That which may be logically assumed to be true until disproved.
presumptuous adj. Assuming too much.
pretension n. A bold or presumptuous assertion.
pretentious adj. Marked by pretense, conceit, or display.
preternatural adj. Extraordinary.
pretext n. A fictitious reason or motive.
prevalence n. Frequency.
prevalent adj. Of wide extent or frequent occurrence.
prevaricate v. To use ambiguous or evasive language for the purpose of deceiving or diverting attention.
prevention n. Thwarting.
prickle v. To puncture slightly with fine, sharp points.
priggish adj. Conceited.
prim adj. Stiffly proper.
prima adj. First.
primer n. An elementary reading-book for children.
primeval adj. Belonging to the first ages.
primitive adj. Pertaining to the beginning or early times.
principal adj. Most important.
principality n. The territory of a reigning prince.
principle n. A general truth or proposition.
priory n. A monastic house.
pristine adj. Primitive.
privateer n. A vessel owned and officered by private persons, but carrying on maritime war.
privilege n. A right or immunity not enjoyed by all, or that may be enjoyed only under special
conditions.
privity n. Knowledge shared with another or others regarding a private matter.
privy adj. Participating with another or others in the knowledge of a secret transaction.
probate adj. Relating to making proof, as of a will.
probation n. Any proceeding designed to ascertain or test character, qualification, or the like.
probe v. To search through and through.
probity n. Virtue or integrity tested and confirmed.
procedure n. A manner or method of acting.
proceed v. To renew motion or action, as after rest or interruption.
proclamation n. Any announcement made in a public manner.
procrastinate v. To put off till tomorrow or till a future time.
procrastination n. Delay.
proctor n. An agent acting for another.
prodigal n. One wasteful or extravagant, especially in the use of money or property.
prodigious adj. Immense.
prodigy n. A person or thing of very remarkable gifts or qualities.
productive adj. Yielding in abundance.
profession n. Any calling or occupation involving special mental or other special disciplines.
professor n. A public teacher of the highest grade in a university or college.
proffer v. To offer to another for acceptance.
proficiency n. An advanced state of acquirement, as in some knowledge, art, or science.
proficient adj. Possessing ample and ready knowledge or of skill in any art, science, or industry.
profile n. An outline or contour.
profiteer n. One who profits.
profligacy n. Shameless viciousness.
profligate adj. Abandoned to vice.
profuse adj. Produced or displayed in overabundance.
progeny n. Offspring.
progression n. A moving forward or proceeding in course.
prohibition n. A decree or an order forbidding something.
prohibitionist n. One who favors the prohibition by law of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic
beverages.
prohibitory adj. Involving or equivalent to prohibition, especially of the sale of alcoholic beverages.
projection n. A prominence.
proletarian n. A person of the lowest or poorest class.
prolific adj. Producing offspring or fruit.
prolix adj. Verbose.
prologue n. A prefatory statement or explanation to a poem, discourse, or performance.
prolong v. To extend in time or duration.
promenade v. To walk for amusement or exercise.
prominence n. The quality of being noticeable or distinguished.
prominent adj. Conspicuous in position, character, or importance.
promiscuous adj. Brought together without order, distinction, or design (for sex).
promissory adj. Expressing an engagement to pay.
promontory n. A high point of land extending outward from the coastline into the sea.
promoter n. A furtherer, forwarder, or encourager.
promulgate v. To proclaim.
propaganda n. Any institution or systematic scheme for propagating a doctrine or system.
propagate v. To spread abroad or from person to person.
propel v. To drive or urge forward.
propellant adj. Propelling.
propeller n. One who or that which propels.
prophecy n. Any prediction or foretelling.
prophesy v. To predict or foretell, especially under divine inspiration and guidance.
propitious adj. Kindly disposed.
proportionate adj. Being in proportion.
propriety n. Accordance with recognized usage, custom, or principles.
propulsion n. A driving onward or forward.
prosaic adj. Unimaginative.
proscenium n. That part of the stage between the curtain and the orchestra.
proscribe v. To reject, as a teaching or a practice, with condemnation or denunciation.
proscription n. Any act of condemnation and rejection from favor and privilege.
proselyte n. One who has been won over from one religious belief to another.
prosody n. The science of poetical forms.
prospector n. One who makes exploration, search, or examination, especially for minerals.
prospectus n. A paper or pamphlet containing information of a proposed undertaking.
prostrate adj. Lying prone, or with the head to the ground.
protagonist n. A leader in any enterprise or contest.
protection n. Preservation from harm, danger, annoyance, or any other evil.
protective adj. Sheltering.
protector n. A defender.
protege n. One specially cared for and favored by another usually older person.
Protestant n. A Christian who denies the authority of the Pope and holds the right of special judgment.
protomartyr n. The earliest victim in any cause.
protocol n. A declaration or memorandum of agreement less solemn and formal than a treaty.
protoplasm n. The substance that forms the principal portion of an animal or vegetable cell.
prototype n. A work, original in character, afterward imitated in form or spirit.
protract v. To prolong.
protrude v. To push out or thrust forth.
protrusion n. The act of protruding.
protuberance n. Something that swells out from a surrounding surface.
protuberant adj. Bulging.
protuberate v. To swell or bulge beyond the surrounding surface.
proverb n. A brief, pithy saying, condensing in witty or striking form the wisdom of experience.
provident adj. Anticipating and making ready for future wants or emergencies.
providential adj. Effected by divine guidance.
provincial adj. Uncultured in thought and manner.
proviso n. A clause in a contract, will, etc., by which its operation is rendered conditional.
provocation n. An action or mode of conduct that excites resentment.
prowess n. Strength, skill, and intrepidity in battle.
proximately adv. Immediately.
proxy n. A person who is empowered by another to represent him or her in a given matter.
prudence n. Caution.
prudential adj. Proceeding or marked by caution.
prudery n. An undue display of modesty or delicacy.
prurient adj. Inclined to lascivious thoughts and desires.
pseudapostle n. A pretended or false apostle.
pseudonym n. A fictitious name, especially when assumed by a writer.
pseudonymity n. The state or character of using a fictitious name.
psychiatry n. The branch of medicine that relates to mental disease.
psychic adj. Pertaining to the mind or soul.
psychopathic adj. Morally irresponsible.
psychotherapy n. The treatment of mental disease.
pudgy adj. Small and fat.
puerile adj. Childish.
pugnacious adj. Quarrelsome.
puissant adj. Possessing strength.
pulmonary adj. Pertaining to the lungs.
punctilious adj. Strictly observant of the rules or forms prescribed by law or custom.
punctual adj. Observant and exact in points of time.
pungent adj. Affecting the sense of smell.
pungency n. The quality of affecting the sense of smell.
punitive adj. Pertaining to punishment.
pupilage n. The state or period of being a student.
purgatory n. An intermediate state where souls are made fit for paradise or heaven by expiatory suffering.
purl v. To cause to whirl, as in an eddy.
purloin v. To steal.
purport n. Intent.
purveyor n. one who supplies
pusillanimous adj. Without spirit or bravery.
putrescent adj. Undergoing decomposition of animal or vegetable matter accompanied by fetid odors.
pyre n. A heap of combustibles arranged for burning a dead body.
pyromania n. An insane propensity to set things on fire.
pyrotechnic adj. Pertaining to fireworks or their manufacture.
pyx n. A vessel or casket, usually of precious metal, in which the host is preserved.
quackery n. Charlatanry
quadrate v. To divide into quarters.
quadruple v. To multiply by four.
qualification n. A requisite for an employment, position, right, or privilege.
qualify v. To endow or furnish with requisite ability, character, knowledge, skill, or possessions.
qualm n. A fit of nausea.
quandary n. A puzzling predicament.
quantity n. Magnitude.
quarantine n. The enforced isolation of any person or place infected with contagious disease.
quarrelsome adj. Irascible.
quarter n. One of four equal parts into which anything is or may be divided.
quarterly adj. Occurring or made at intervals of three months.
quartet n. A composition for four voices or four instruments.
quarto n. An eight-page newspaper of any size.
quay n. A wharf or artificial landing-place on the shore of a harbor or projecting into it.
querulous adj. Habitually complaining.
query v. To make inquiry.
queue n. A file of persons waiting in order of their arrival, as for admittance.
quibble n. An utterly trivial distinction or objection.
quiescence n. Quiet.
quiescent adj. Being in a state of repose or inaction.
quiet adj. Making no noise.
quietus n. A silencing, suppressing, or ending.
quintessence n. The most essential part of anything.
quintet n. Musical composition arranged for five voices or instruments.
quite adv. Fully.
Quixotic adj. Chivalrous or romantic to a ridiculous or extravagant degree.
rabid adj. Affected with rabies or hydrophobia.
racy adj. Exciting or exhilarating to the mind.
radiance n. Brilliant or sparkling luster.
radiate v. To extend in all directions, as from a source or focus.
radical n. One who holds extreme views or advocates extreme measures.
radix n. That from or on which something is developed.
raillery n. Good-humored satire.
ramify v. To divide or subdivide into branches or subdivisions.
ramose adj. Branch-like.
rampant adj. Growing, climbing, or running without check or restraint.
rampart n. A bulwark or construction to oppose assault or hostile entry.
rancor n. Malice.
rankle v. To produce irritation or festering.
rapacious adj. Disposed to seize by violence or by unlawful or greedy methods.
rapid adj. Having great speed.
rapine n. The act of seizing and carrying off property by superior force, as in war.
rapt adj. Enraptured.
raptorial adj. Seizing and devouring living prey.
ration v. To provide with a fixed allowance or portion, especially of food.
rationalism n. The formation of opinions by relying upon reason alone, independently of authority.
raucous adj. Harsh.
ravage v. To lay waste by pillage, rapine, devouring, or other destructive methods.
ravenous adj. Furiously voracious or hungry.
ravine n. A deep gorge or hollow, especially one worn by a stream or flow of water.
reaction n. Tendency towards a former, or opposite state of things, as after reform, revolution, or inflation.
reactionary adj. Pertaining to, of the nature of, causing, or favoring reaction.
readily adv. Without objection or reluctance.
readjust v. To put in order after disarrangement.
ready adj. In a state of preparedness for any given purpose or occasion.
realism n. The principle and practice of depicting persons and scenes as they are believed really to exist.
rearrange v. To arrange again or in a different order.
reassure v. To give new confidence.
rebellious adj. Insubordinate.
rebuff n. A peremptory or unexpected rejection of advances or approaches.
rebuild v. To build again or anew.
rebut v. To oppose by argument or a sufficient answer.
recant v. To withdraw formally one's belief (in something previously believed or maintained).
recapitulate v. To repeat again the principal points of.
recapture v. To capture again.
recede v. To move back or away.
receivable adj. Capable of being or fit to be received - often money.
receptive adj. Having the capacity, quality, or ability of receiving, as truths or impressions.
recessive adj. Having a tendency to go back.
recidivist n. A confirmed criminal.
reciprocal adj. Mutually interchangeable or convertible.
reciprocate v. To give and take mutually.
reciprocity n. Equal mutual rights and benefits granted and enjoyed.
recitation n. The act of reciting or repeating, especially in public and from memory.
reck v. To have a care or thought for.
reckless adj. Foolishly headless of danger.
reclaim v. To demand or to obtain the return or restoration of.
recline v. To cause to assume a leaning or recumbent attitude or position.
recluse n. One who lives in retirement or seclusion.
reclusory n. A hermitage.
recognizance n. An acknowledgment entered into before a court with condition to do some particular act.
recognize v. To recall the identity of (a person or thing).
recoil v. To start back as in dismay, loathing, or dread.
recollect v. To recall the knowledge of.
reconcilable adj. Capable of being adjusted or harmonized.
reconnoiter v. To make a preliminary examination of for military, surveying, or geological purposes.
reconsider v. To review with care, especially with a view to a reversal of previous action.
reconstruct v. To rebuild.
recourse n. Resort to or application for help in exigency or trouble.
recover v. To regain.
recreant n. A cowardly or faithless person.
recreate v. To refresh after labor.
recrudescence n. The state of becoming raw or sore again.
recrudescent adj. Becoming raw or sore again.
recruit v. To enlist men for military or naval service.
rectify v. To correct.
rectitude n. The quality of being upright in principles and conduct.
recuperate v. To recover.
recur v. To happen again or repeatedly, especially at regular intervals.
recure v. To cure again.
recurrent adj. Returning from time to time, especially at regular or stated intervals.
redemption n. The recovery of what is mortgaged or pledged, by paying the debt.
redolent adj. Smelling sweet and agreeable.
redolence n. Smelling sweet and agreeable.
redoubtable adj. Formidable.
redound n. Rebound.
redress v. To set right, as a wrong by compensation or the punishment of the wrong-doer.
reducible adj. That may be reduced.
redundance n. Excess.
redundant adj. Constituting an excess.
reestablish v. To restore.
refer v. To direct or send for information or other purpose.
referrer n. One who refers.
referable adj. Ascribable.
referee n. An umpire.
refinery n. A place where some crude material, as sugar or petroleum, is purified.
reflectible adj. Capable of being turned back.
reflection n. The throwing off or back of light, heat, sound, or any form of energy that travels in waves.
reflector n. A mirror, as of metal, for reflecting light, heat, or sound in a particular direction.
reflexible adj. Capable of being reflected.
reform n. Change for the better.
reformer n. One who carries out a reform.
refract v. To bend or turn from a direct course.
refractory adj. Not amenable to control.
refragable adj. Capable of being refuted.
refringency n. Power to refract.
refringent adj. Having the power to refract.
refusal n. Denial of what is asked.
refute v. To prove to be wrong.
regale v. To give unusual pleasure.
regalia n. pl. The emblems of royalty.
regality n. Royalty.
regenerate v. To reproduce.
regent n. One who is lawfully deputized to administer the government for the time being in the name of the ruler.
regicide n. The killing of a king or sovereign.
regime n. Particular conduct or administration of affairs.
regimen n. A systematized order or course of living with reference to food, clothing and personal habits.
regiment n. A body of soldiers.
regnant adj. Exercising royal authority in one's own right.
regress v. To return to a former place or condition.
regretful adj. Feeling, expressive of, or full of regret.
rehabilitate v. To restore to a former status, capacity, right rank, or privilege.
reign v. To hold and exercise sovereign power.
reimburse v. To pay back as an equivalent of what has been expended.
rein n. A step attached to the bit for controlling a horse or other draft-animal.
reinstate v. To restore to a former state, station, or authority.
reiterate v. To say or do again and again.
rejoin v. To reunite after separation.
rejuvenate v. To restore to youth.
rejuvenescence n. A renewal of youth.
relapse v. To suffer a return of a disease after partial recovery.
relegate v. To send off or consign, as to an obscure position or remote destination.
relent v. To yield.
relevant adj. Bearing upon the matter in hand.
reliance n. Dependence.
reliant adj. Having confidence.
relinquish v. To give up using or having.
reliquary n. A casket, coffer, or repository in which relics are kept.
relish v. To like the taste or savor of.
reluctance n. Unwillingness.
reluctant adj. Unwilling.
remembrance n. Recollection.
reminiscence n. The calling to mind of incidents within the range of personal knowledge or experience.
reminiscent adj. Pertaining to the recollection of matters of personal interest.
remiss adj. Negligent.
remission n. Temporary diminution of a disease.
remodel v. Reconstruct.
remonstrance n. Reproof.
remonstrant adj. Having the character of a reproof.
remonstrate v. To present a verbal or written protest to those who have power to right or prevent a wrong.
remunerate v. To pay or pay for.
remuneration n. Compensation.
Renaissance n. The revival of letters, and then of art, which marks the transition from medieval to modern time.
rendezvous n. A prearranged place of meeting.
rendition n. Interpretation.
renovate v. To restore after deterioration, as a building.
renunciation n. An explicit disclaimer of a right or privilege.
reorganize v. To change to a more satisfactory form of organization.
reparable adj. Capable of repair.
reparation n. The act of making amends, as for an injury, loss, or wrong.
repartee n. A ready, witty, or apt reply.
repeal v. To render of no further effect.
repel v. To force or keep back in a manner, physically or mentally.
repellent adj. Having power to force back in a manner, physically or mentally.
repentance n. Sorrow for something done or left undone, with desire to make things right by undoing the wrong.
repertory n. A place where things are stored or gathered together.
repetition n. The act of repeating.
repine v. To indulge in fretfulness and faultfinding.
replenish v. To fill again, as something that has been emptied.
replete adj. Full to the uttermost.
replica n. A duplicate executed by the artist himself, and regarded, equally with the first, as an original.
repository n. A place in which goods are stored.
reprehend v. To find fault with.
reprehensible adj. Censurable.
reprehension n. Expression of blame.
repress v. To keep under restraint or control.
repressible adj. Able to be kept under restraint or control.
reprieve v. To grant a respite from punishment to.
reprimand v. To chide or rebuke for a fault.
reprisal n. Any infliction or act by way of retaliation on an enemy.
reprobate n. One abandoned to depravity and sin.
reproduce v. To make a copy of.
reproduction n. The process by which an animal or plant gives rise to another of its kind.
reproof n. An expression of disapproval or blame personally addressed to one censured.
repudiate v. To refuse to have anything to do with.
repugnance n. Thorough dislike.
repugnant adj. Offensive to taste and feeling.
repulse n. The act of beating or driving back, as an attacking or advancing enemy.
repulsive adj. Grossly offensive.
repute v. To hold in general opinion.
requiem n. A solemn mass sung for the repose of the souls of the dead.
requisite adj. Necessary.
requital n. Adequate return for good or ill.
requite v. To repay either good or evil to, as to a person.
rescind v. To make void, as an act, by the enacting authority or a superior authority.
reseat v. To place in position of office again.
resemblance n. Similarity in quality or form.
resent v. To be indignant at, as an injury or insult.
reservoir n. A receptacle where a quantity of some material, especially of a liquid or gas, may be kept.
residue n. A remainder or surplus after a part has been separated or otherwise treated.
resilience n. The power of springing back to a former position
resilient adj. Having the quality of springing back to a former position.
resistance n. The exertion of opposite effort or effect.
resistant adj. Offering or tending to produce resistance.
resistive adj. Having or exercising the power of resistance.
resistless adj. Powerless.
resonance n. The quality of being able to reinforce sound by sympathetic vibrations.
resonance adj. Able to reinforce sound by sympathetic vibrations.
resonate v. To have or produce resonance.
resource n. That which is restored to, relied upon, or made available for aid or support.
respite n. Interval of rest.
resplendent adj. Very bright.
respondent adj. Answering.
restitution n. Restoration of anything to the one to whom it properly belongs.
resumption n. The act of taking back, or taking again.
resurgent adj. Surging back or again.
resurrection n. A return from death to life
resuscitate v. To restore from apparent death.
retaliate v. To repay evil with a similar evil.
retch v. To make an effort to vomit.
retention n. The keeping of a thing within one's power or possession.
reticence n. The quality of habitually keeping silent or being reserved in utterance.
reticent adj. Habitually keeping silent or being reserved in utterance.
retinue n. The body of persons who attend a person of importance in travel or public appearance.
retort n. A retaliatory speech.
retouch v. To modify the details of.
retrace v. To follow backward or toward the place of beginning, as a track or marking.
retract v. To recall or take back (something that one has said).
retrench v. To cut down or reduce in extent or quantity.
retrieve v. To recover something by searching.
retroactive adj. Operative on, affecting, or having reference to past events, transactions, responsibilities.
retrograde v. To cause to deteriorate or to move backward.
retrogression n. A going or moving backward or in a reverse direction.
retrospect n. A view or contemplation of something past.
retrospective adj. Looking back on the past.
reunite v. To unite or join again, as after separation.
revelation n. A disclosing, discovering, or making known of what was before secret, private, or unknown.
revere v. To regard with worshipful veneration.
reverent adj. Humble.
reversion n. A return to or toward some former state or condition.
revert v. To return, or turn or look back, as toward a former position or the like.
revile v. To heap approach or abuse upon.
revisal n. Revision.
revise v. To examine for the correction of errors, or for the purpose of making changes.
revocation n. Repeal.
revoke v. To rescind.
rhapsody n. Rapt or rapturous utterance.
rhetoric n. The art of discourse.
rhetorician n. A showy writer or speaker.
ribald adj. Indulging in or manifesting coarse indecency or obscenity.
riddance n. The act or ridding or delivering from something undesirable.
ridicule n. Looks or acts expressing amused contempt.
ridiculous adj. Laughable and contemptible.
rife adj. Abundant.
righteousness n. Rectitude.
rightful adj. Conformed to a just claim according to established laws or usage.
rigmarole n. Nonsense.
rigor n. Inflexibility.
rigorous adj. Uncompromising.
ripplet n. A small ripple, as of water.
risible adj. capable of exciting laughter.
rivulet n. A small stream or brook.
robust adj. Characterized by great strength or power of endurance.
rondo n. A musical composition during which the first part or subject is repeated several times.
rookery n. A place where crows congregate to breed.
rotary adj. Turning around its axis, like a wheel, or so constructed as to turn thus.
rotate v. To cause to turn on or as on its axis, as a wheel.
rote n. Repetition of words or sounds as a means of learning them, with slight attention.
rotund adj. Round from fullness or plumpness.
rudimentary adj. Being in an initial, early, or incomplete stage of development.
rue v. To regret extremely.
ruffian adj. A lawless or recklessly brutal fellow.
ruminant adj. Chewing the cud.
ruminate v. To chew over again, as food previously swallowed and regurgitated.
rupture v. To separate the parts of by violence.
rustic adj. Characteristic of dwelling in the country.
ruth n. Sorrow for another's misery.
packet n. A bundle, as of letters.
pact n. A covenant.
pagan n. A worshiper of false gods.
pageant n. A dramatic representation, especially a spectacular one.
palate n. The roof of the mouth.
palatial adj. Magnificent.
paleontology n. The branch of biology that treats of ancient life and fossil organisms.
palette n. A thin tablet, with a hole for the thumb, upon which artists lay their colors for painting.
palinode n. A retraction.
pall v. To make dull by satiety.
palliate v. To cause to appear less guilty.
pallid adj. Of a pale or wan appearance.
palpable n. perceptible by feeling or touch.
palsy n. Paralysis.
paly adj. Lacking color or brilliancy.
pamphlet n. A brief treatise or essay, usually on a subject of current interest.
pamphleteer v. To compose or issue pamphlets, especially controversial ones.
panacea n. A remedy or medicine proposed for or professing to cure all diseases.
Pan-American adj. Including or pertaining to the whole of America, both North and South.
pandemic adj. Affecting a whole people or all classes, as a disease.
pandemonium n. A fiendish or riotous uproar.
panegyric n. A formal and elaborate eulogy, written or spoken, of a person or of an act.
panel n. A rectangular piece set in or as in a frame.
panic n. A sudden, unreasonable, overpowering fear.
panoply n. A full set of armor.
panorama n. A series of large pictures representing a continuous scene.
pantheism n. The worship of nature for itself or its beauty.
Pantheon n. A circular temple at Rome with a fine Corinthian portico and a great domed roof.
pantomime n. Sign-language.
pantoscope n. A very wide-angled photographic lens.
papacy n. The official head of the Roman Catholic Church.
papyrus n. The writing-paper of the ancient Egyptians, and later of the Romans.
parable n. A brief narrative founded on real scenes or events usually with a moral.
paradox n. A statement or doctrine seemingly in contradiction to the received belief.
paragon n. A model of excellence.
parallel v. To cause to correspond or lie in the same direction and equidistant in all parts.
parallelism n. Essential likeness.
paralysis n. Loss of the power of contractility in the voluntary or involuntary muscles.
paralyze v. To deprive of the power to act.
paramount adj. Supreme in authority.
paramour n. One who is unlawfully and immorally a lover or a mistress.
paraphernalia n. Miscellaneous articles of equipment or adornment.
paraphrase v. Translate freely.
pare v. To cut, shave, or remove (the outside) from anything.
parentage n. The relation of parent to child, of the producer to the produced, or of cause to effect.
Pariah n. A member of a degraded class; a social outcast.
parish n. The ecclesiastical district in charge of a pastor.
Parisian adj. Of or pertaining to the city of Paris.
parity n. Equality, as of condition or rank.
parlance n. Mode of speech.
parley v. To converse in.
parliament n. A legislative body.
parlor n. A room for reception of callers or entertainment of guests.
parody v. To render ludicrous by imitating the language of.
paronymous adj. Derived from the same root or primitive word.
paroxysm n. A sudden outburst of any kind of activity.
parricide n. The murder of a parent.
parse v. To describe, as a sentence, by separating it into its elements and describing each word.
parsimonious adj. Unduly sparing in the use or expenditure of money.
partible adj. Separable.
participant n. One having a share or part.
participate v. To receive or have a part or share of.
partition n. That which separates anything into distinct parts.
partisan adj. Characterized by or exhibiting undue or unreasoning devotion to a party.
passible adj. Capable of feeling of suffering.
passive adj. Unresponsive.
pastoral adj. Having the spirit or sentiment of rural life.
paternal adj. Fatherly.
paternity n. Fatherhood.
pathos n. The quality in any form of representation that rouses emotion or sympathy.
patriarch n. The chief of a tribe or race who rules by paternal right.
patrician adj. Of senatorial or noble rank.
patrimony n. An inheritance from an ancestor, especially from one's father.
patriotism n. Love and devotion to one's country.
patronize v. To exercise an arrogant condescension toward.
patronymic adj. Formed after one's father's name.
patter v. To mumble something over and over.
paucity n. Fewness.
pauper n. One without means of support.
pauperism n. Dependence on charity.
pavilion n. An open structure for temporary shelter.
payee n. A person to whom money has been or is to be paid.
peaceable adj. Tranquil.
peaceful adj. Tranquil.
peccable adj. Capable of sinning.
peccadillo n. A small breach of propriety or principle.
peccant adj. Guilty.
pectoral adj. Pertaining to the breast or thorax.
pecuniary adj. Consisting of money.
pedagogics n. The science and art of teaching.
pedagogue n. A schoolmaster.
pedagogy n. The science and art of teaching
pedal n. A lever for the foot usually applied only to musical instruments, cycles, and other machines.
pedant n. A scholar who makes needless and inopportune display of his learning.
peddle v. To go about with a small stock of goods to sell.
pedestal n. A base or support as for a column, statue, or vase.
pedestrian n. One who journeys on foot.
pediatrics n. The department of medical science that relates to the treatment of diseases of childhood.
pedigree n. One's line of ancestors.
peddler n. One who travels from house to house with an assortment of goods for retail.
peerage n. The nobility.
peerless adj. Of unequaled excellence or worth.
peevish adj. Petulant. (irritable)
pellucid adj. Translucent.
penalty n. The consequences that follow the transgression of natural or divine law.
penance n. Punishment to which one voluntarily submits or subjects himself as an expression of
penitence.
penchant n. A bias in favor of something.
pendant n. Anything that hangs from something else, either for ornament or for use.
pendulous adj. Hanging, especially so as to swing by an attached end or part.
pendulum n. A weight hung on a rod, serving by its oscillation to regulate the rate of a clock.
penetrable adj. That may be pierced by physical, moral, or intellectual force.
penetrate v. To enter or force a way into the interior parts of.
penetration n. Discernment.
peninsular adj. Pertaining to a piece of land almost surrounded by water.
penitence n. Sorrow for sin with desire to amend and to atone.
penitential adj. Pertaining to sorrow for sin with desire to amend and to atone.
pennant n. A small flag.
pension n. A periodical allowance to an individual on account of past service done by him/her.
pentagram n. A figure having five points or lobes.
pentavalent adj. Quinqeuvalent.
pentad n. The number five.
pentagon n. A figure, especially, with five angles and five sides.
pentahedron n. A solid bounded by five plane faces.
pentameter n. In prosody, a line of verse containing five units or feet.
pentathlon n. The contest of five associated exercises in the great games and the same contestants.
penultimate adj. A syllable or member of a series that is last but one.
penurious adj. Excessively sparing in the use of money.
penury n. Indigence.
perambulate v. To walk about.
perceive v. To have knowledge of, or receive impressions concerning, through the medium of the body senses.
perceptible adj. Cognizable.
perception n. Knowledge through the senses of the existence and properties of matter or the external world.
percipience n. The act of perceiving.
percipient n. One who or that which perceives.
percolate v. To filter.
percolator n. A filter.
percussion n. The sharp striking of one body against another.
peremptory adj. Precluding question or appeal.
perennial adj. Continuing though the year or through many years.
perfectible adj. Capable of being made perfect.
perfidy n. Treachery.
perforate v. To make a hole or holes through.
perform v. To accomplish.
perfumery n. The preparation of perfumes.
perfunctory adj. Half-hearted.
perhaps adv. Possibly.
perigee n. The point in the orbit of the moon when it is nearest the earth.
periodicity n. The habit or characteristic of recurrence at regular intervals.
peripatetic adj. Walking about.
perjure v. To swear falsely to.
perjury n. A solemn assertion of a falsity.
permanence n. A continuance in the same state, or without any change that destroys the essential form or nature.
permanent adj. Durable.
permeate v. To pervade.
permissible adj. That may be allowed.
permutation n. Reciprocal change, different ordering of same items.
pernicious adj. Tending to kill or hurt.
perpendicular adj. Straight up and down.
perpetrator n. The doer of a wrong or a criminal act.
perpetuate v. To preserve from extinction or oblivion.
perquisite n. Any profit from service beyond the amount fixed as salary or wages.
persecution n. Harsh or malignant oppression.
perseverance n. A persistence in purpose and effort.
persevere v. To continue striving in spite of discouragements.
persiflage n. Banter.
persist v. To continue steadfast against opposition.
persistence n. A fixed adherence to a resolve, course of conduct, or the like.
personage n. A man or woman as an individual, especially one of rank or high station.
personal adj. Not general or public.
personality n. The attributes, taken collectively, that make up the character and nature of an individual.
personnel n. The force of persons collectively employed in some service.
perspective n. The relative importance of facts or matters from any special point of view.
perspicacious adj. Astute.
perspicacity n. Acuteness or discernment.
perspicuous adj. Lucid.
perspiration n. Sweat.
perspire v. To excrete through the pores of the skin.
persuade v. To win the mind of by argument, eloquence, evidence, or reflection.
persuadable adj. capable of influencing to action by entreaty, statement, or anything that moves the
feelings.
pertinacious adj. Persistent or unyielding.
pertinacity n. Unyielding adherence.
pertinent adj. Relevant.
perturb v. To disturb greatly.
perturbation n. Mental excitement or confusion.
perusal n. The act of reading carefully or thoughtfully.
pervade v. To pass or spread through every part.
pervasion n. The state of spreading through every part.
pervasive adj. Thoroughly penetrating or permeating.
perverse adj. Unreasonable.
perversion n. Diversion from the true meaning or proper purpose.
perversity n. Wickedness.
pervert n. One who has forsaken a doctrine regarded as true for one esteemed false.
pervious adj. Admitting the entrance or passage of another substance.
pestilence n. A raging epidemic.
pestilent adj. Having a malign influence or effect.
pestilential adj. having the nature of or breeding pestilence.
peter v. To fail or lose power, efficiency, or value.
petrify v. To convert into a substance of stony hardness and character.
petulance n. The character or condition of being impatient, capricious or petulant.
petulant adj. Displaying impatience.
pharmacopoeia n. A book containing the formulas and methods of preparation of medicines for the use of druggists.
pharmacy n. The art or business of compounding and dispensing medicines.
phenomenal adj. Extraordinary or marvelous.
phenomenon n. Any unusual occurrence.
philander v. To play at courtship with a woman.
philanthropic adj. Benevolent.
philanthropist n. One who endeavors to help his fellow men.
philanthropy n. Active humanitarianism.
philately n. The study and collection of stamps.
philharmonic adj. Fond of music.
philogynist n. One who is fond of women.
philologist n. An expert in linguistics.
philology n. The study of language in connection with history and literature.
philosophize v. To seek ultimate causes and principles.
philosophy n. The general principles, laws, or causes that furnish the rational explanation of anything.
phlegmatic adj. Not easily roused to feeling or action.
phonetic adj. Representing articulate sounds or speech.
phonic adj. Pertaining to the nature of sound.
phonogram n. A graphic character symbolizing an articulate sound.
phonology n. The science of human vocal sounds.
phosphorescence n. The property of emitting light.
photoelectric adj. Pertaining to the combined action of light and electricity.
photometer n. Any instrument for measuring the intensity of light or comparing the intensity of two lights.
photometry n. The art of measuring the intensity of light.
physicist n. A specialist in the science that treats of the phenomena associated with matter and energy.
physics n. The science that treats of the phenomena associated with matter and energy.
physiocracy n. The doctrine that land and its products are the only true wealth.
physiognomy n. The external appearance merely.
physiography n. Description of nature.
physiology n. The science of organic functions.
physique n. The physical structure or organization of a person.
picayune adj. Of small value.
piccolo n. A small flute.
piece n. A loose or separated part, as distinguished from the whole or the mass.
piecemeal adv. Gradually.
pillage n. Open robbery, as in war.
pillory n. A wooden framework in which an offender is fastened to boards and is exposed to public scorn.
pincers n. An instrument having two lever-handles and two jaws working on a pivot.
pinchers n. An instrument having two jaws working on a pivot.
pinnacle n. A high or topmost point, as a mountain-peak.
pioneer n. One among the first to explore a country.
pious adj. Religious.
pique v. To excite a slight degree of anger in.
piteous adj. Compassionate.
pitiable adj. Contemptible.
pitiful adj. Wretched.
pitiless adj. Hard-hearted.
pittance n. Any small portion or meager allowance.
placate v. To bring from a state of angry or hostile feeling to one of patience or friendliness.
placid adj. Serene.
plagiarism n. The stealing of passages from the writings of another and publishing them as one's own.
planisphere n. A polar projection of the heavens on a chart.
plasticity n. The property of some substances through which the form of the mass can readily be
changed.
platitude n. A written or spoken statement that is flat, dull, or commonplace.
plaudit n. An expression of applause.
plausible adj. Seeming likely to be true, though open to doubt.
playful adj. Frolicsome.
playwright n. A maker of plays for the stage.
plea n. An argument to obtain some desired action.
pleasant adj. Agreeable.
pleasurable adj. Affording gratification.
plebeian adj. Common.
pledgee n. The person to whom anything is pledged.
pledgeor n. One who gives a pledge.
plenary adj. Entire.
plenipotentiary n. A person fully empowered to transact any business.
plenitude n. Abundance.
plenteous adj. Abundant.
plumb n. A weight suspended by a line to test the verticality of something.
plummet n. A piece of lead for making soundings, adjusting walls to the vertical.
pluperfect adj. Expressing past time or action prior to some other past time or action.
plural adj. Containing or consisting of more than one.
plurality n. A majority.
plutocracy n. A wealthy class in a political community who control the government by means of their money.
pneumatic adj. Pertaining to or consisting of air or gas.
poesy n. Poetry.
poetaster n. An inferior poet.
poetic adj. Pertaining to poetry.
poetics n. The rules and principles of poetry.
poignancy n. Severity or acuteness, especially of pain or grief.
poignant adj. Severely painful or acute to the spirit.
poise n. Equilibrium.
polar adj. Pertaining to the poles of a sphere, especially of the earth.
polemics n. The art of controversy or disputation.
pollen n. The fine dust-like grains or powder formed within the anther of a flowering plant.
pollute v. To contaminate.
polyarchy n. Government by several or many persons of what- ever class.
polycracy n. The rule of many.
polygamy n. the fact or condition of having more than one wife or husband at once.
polyglot adj. Speaking several tongues.
polygon n. A figure having many angles.
polyhedron n. A solid bounded by plane faces, especially by more than four.
polysyllable adj. Having several syllables, especially more than three syllables.
polytechnic adj. Pertaining to, embracing, or practicing many arts.
polytheism n. The doctrine or belief that there are more gods than one.
pommel v. To beat with something thick or bulky.
pomposity n. The quality of being marked by an assumed stateliness and impressiveness of manner.
pompous adj. Marked by an assumed stateliness and impressiveness of manner.
ponder v. To meditate or reflect upon.
ponderous adj. Unusually weighty or forcible.
pontiff n. The Pope.
populace n. The common people.
populous adj. Containing many inhabitants, especially in proportion to the territory.
portend v. To indicate as being about to happen, especially by previous signs.
portent n. Anything that indicates what is to happen.
portfolio n. A portable case for holding writing-materials, drawings, etc.
posit v. To present in an orderly manner.
position n. The manner in which a thing is placed.
positive adj. Free from doubt or hesitation.
posse n. A force of men.
possess v. To own.
possession n. The having, holding, or detention of property in one's power or command.
possessive adj. Pertaining to the having, holding, or detention of property in one's power or command.
possessor n. One who owns, enjoys, or controls anything, as property.
possible adj. Being not beyond the reach of power natural, moral, or supernatural.
postdate v. To make the date of any writing later than the real date.
posterior n. The hinder part.
postgraduate adj. Pertaining to studies that are pursued after receiving a degree.
postscript n. Something added to a letter after the writer's signature.
potency n. Power.
potent adj. Physically powerful.
potentate n. One possessed of great power or sway.
potential n. Anything that may be possible.
potion n. A dose of liquid medicine.
powerless adj. Impotent.
practicable adj. Feasible.
prate v. To talk about vainly or foolishly.
prattle v. To utter in simple or childish talk.
preamble n. A statement introductory to and explanatory of what follows.
precarious adj. Perilous.
precaution n. A provision made in advance for some possible emergency or danger.
precede v. To happen first.
precedence n. Priority in place, time, or rank.
precedent n. An instance that may serve as a guide or basis for a rule.
precedential adj. Of the nature of an instance that may serve as a guide or basis for a rule.
precession n. The act of going forward.
precipice n. A high and very steep or approximately vertical cliff.
precipitant adj. Moving onward quickly and heedlessly.
precipitate v. To force forward prematurely.
precise adj. Exact.
precision n. Accuracy of limitation, definition, or adjustment.
preclude v. To prevent.
precocious adj. Having the mental faculties prematurely developed.
precursor n. A forerunner or herald.
predatory adj. Prone to pillaging.
predecessor n. An incumbent of a given office previous to another.
predicament n. A difficult, trying situation or plight.
predicate v. To state as belonging to something.
predict v. To foretell.
prediction n. A prophecy.
predominance n. Ascendancy or preponderance.
predominant adj. Superior in power, influence, effectiveness, number, or degree.
predominate v. To be chief in importance, quantity, or degree.
preeminence n. Special eminence.
preempt v. To secure the right of preference in the purchase of public land.
preemption n. The right or act of purchasing before others.
preengage v. To preoccupy.
preestablish v. To settle or arrange beforehand.
preexist v. To exist at a period or in a state earlier than something else.
preexistence n. Existence antecedent to something.
preface n. A brief explanation or address to the reader, at the beginning of a book.
prefatory adj. Pertaining to a brief explanation to the reader at the beginning of a book.
prefer v. To hold in higher estimation.
preferable adj. More desirable than others.
preference n. An object of favor or choice.
preferential adj. Possessing, giving, or constituting preference or priority.
preferment n. Preference.
prefix v. To attach at the beginning.
prehensible adj. Capable of being grasped.
prehensile adj. Adapted for grasping or holding.
prehension n. The act of laying hold of or grasping.
prejudice n. A judgment or opinion formed without due examination of the facts.
prelacy n. A system of church government.
prelate n. One of a higher order of clergy having direct authority over other clergy.
prelude n. An introductory or opening performance.
premature adj. Coming too soon.
premier adj. First in rank or position.
premise n. A judgment as a conclusion.
premonition n. Foreboding.
preoccupation n. The state of having the mind, attention, or inclination preoccupied.
preoccupy v. To fill the mind of a person to the exclusion of other subjects.
preordain v. To foreordain.
preparation n. An act or proceeding designed to bring about some event.
preparatory adj. Having to do with what is preliminary.
preponderant adj. Prevalent.
preponderate v. To exceed in influence or power.
prepossession n. A preconceived liking.
preposterous adj. Utterly ridiculous or absurd.
prerogative adj. Having superior rank or precedence.
presage v. To foretell.
prescience n. Knowledge of events before they take place.
prescient adj. Foreknowing.
prescript adj. Prescribed as a rule or model.
prescriptible adj. Derived from authoritative direction.
prescription n. An authoritative direction.
presentient adj. Perceiving or feeling beforehand.
presentiment n. Foreboding.
presentment n. Semblance.
preservation n. Conservation.
presumption n. That which may be logically assumed to be true until disproved.
presumptuous adj. Assuming too much.
pretension n. A bold or presumptuous assertion.
pretentious adj. Marked by pretense, conceit, or display.
preternatural adj. Extraordinary.
pretext n. A fictitious reason or motive.
prevalence n. Frequency.
prevalent adj. Of wide extent or frequent occurrence.
prevaricate v. To use ambiguous or evasive language for the purpose of deceiving or diverting attention.
prevention n. Thwarting.
prickle v. To puncture slightly with fine, sharp points.
priggish adj. Conceited.
prim adj. Stiffly proper.
prima adj. First.
primer n. An elementary reading-book for children.
primeval adj. Belonging to the first ages.
primitive adj. Pertaining to the beginning or early times.
principal adj. Most important.
principality n. The territory of a reigning prince.
principle n. A general truth or proposition.
priory n. A monastic house.
pristine adj. Primitive.
privateer n. A vessel owned and officered by private persons, but carrying on maritime war.
privilege n. A right or immunity not enjoyed by all, or that may be enjoyed only under special
conditions.
privity n. Knowledge shared with another or others regarding a private matter.
privy adj. Participating with another or others in the knowledge of a secret transaction.
probate adj. Relating to making proof, as of a will.
probation n. Any proceeding designed to ascertain or test character, qualification, or the like.
probe v. To search through and through.
probity n. Virtue or integrity tested and confirmed.
procedure n. A manner or method of acting.
proceed v. To renew motion or action, as after rest or interruption.
proclamation n. Any announcement made in a public manner.
procrastinate v. To put off till tomorrow or till a future time.
procrastination n. Delay.
proctor n. An agent acting for another.
prodigal n. One wasteful or extravagant, especially in the use of money or property.
prodigious adj. Immense.
prodigy n. A person or thing of very remarkable gifts or qualities.
productive adj. Yielding in abundance.
profession n. Any calling or occupation involving special mental or other special disciplines.
professor n. A public teacher of the highest grade in a university or college.
proffer v. To offer to another for acceptance.
proficiency n. An advanced state of acquirement, as in some knowledge, art, or science.
proficient adj. Possessing ample and ready knowledge or of skill in any art, science, or industry.
profile n. An outline or contour.
profiteer n. One who profits.
profligacy n. Shameless viciousness.
profligate adj. Abandoned to vice.
profuse adj. Produced or displayed in overabundance.
progeny n. Offspring.
progression n. A moving forward or proceeding in course.
prohibition n. A decree or an order forbidding something.
prohibitionist n. One who favors the prohibition by law of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic
beverages.
prohibitory adj. Involving or equivalent to prohibition, especially of the sale of alcoholic beverages.
projection n. A prominence.
proletarian n. A person of the lowest or poorest class.
prolific adj. Producing offspring or fruit.
prolix adj. Verbose.
prologue n. A prefatory statement or explanation to a poem, discourse, or performance.
prolong v. To extend in time or duration.
promenade v. To walk for amusement or exercise.
prominence n. The quality of being noticeable or distinguished.
prominent adj. Conspicuous in position, character, or importance.
promiscuous adj. Brought together without order, distinction, or design (for sex).
promissory adj. Expressing an engagement to pay.
promontory n. A high point of land extending outward from the coastline into the sea.
promoter n. A furtherer, forwarder, or encourager.
promulgate v. To proclaim.
propaganda n. Any institution or systematic scheme for propagating a doctrine or system.
propagate v. To spread abroad or from person to person.
propel v. To drive or urge forward.
propellant adj. Propelling.
propeller n. One who or that which propels.
prophecy n. Any prediction or foretelling.
prophesy v. To predict or foretell, especially under divine inspiration and guidance.
propitious adj. Kindly disposed.
proportionate adj. Being in proportion.
propriety n. Accordance with recognized usage, custom, or principles.
propulsion n. A driving onward or forward.
prosaic adj. Unimaginative.
proscenium n. That part of the stage between the curtain and the orchestra.
proscribe v. To reject, as a teaching or a practice, with condemnation or denunciation.
proscription n. Any act of condemnation and rejection from favor and privilege.
proselyte n. One who has been won over from one religious belief to another.
prosody n. The science of poetical forms.
prospector n. One who makes exploration, search, or examination, especially for minerals.
prospectus n. A paper or pamphlet containing information of a proposed undertaking.
prostrate adj. Lying prone, or with the head to the ground.
protagonist n. A leader in any enterprise or contest.
protection n. Preservation from harm, danger, annoyance, or any other evil.
protective adj. Sheltering.
protector n. A defender.
protege n. One specially cared for and favored by another usually older person.
Protestant n. A Christian who denies the authority of the Pope and holds the right of special judgment.
protomartyr n. The earliest victim in any cause.
protocol n. A declaration or memorandum of agreement less solemn and formal than a treaty.
protoplasm n. The substance that forms the principal portion of an animal or vegetable cell.
prototype n. A work, original in character, afterward imitated in form or spirit.
protract v. To prolong.
protrude v. To push out or thrust forth.
protrusion n. The act of protruding.
protuberance n. Something that swells out from a surrounding surface.
protuberant adj. Bulging.
protuberate v. To swell or bulge beyond the surrounding surface.
proverb n. A brief, pithy saying, condensing in witty or striking form the wisdom of experience.
provident adj. Anticipating and making ready for future wants or emergencies.
providential adj. Effected by divine guidance.
provincial adj. Uncultured in thought and manner.
proviso n. A clause in a contract, will, etc., by which its operation is rendered conditional.
provocation n. An action or mode of conduct that excites resentment.
prowess n. Strength, skill, and intrepidity in battle.
proximately adv. Immediately.
proxy n. A person who is empowered by another to represent him or her in a given matter.
prudence n. Caution.
prudential adj. Proceeding or marked by caution.
prudery n. An undue display of modesty or delicacy.
prurient adj. Inclined to lascivious thoughts and desires.
pseudapostle n. A pretended or false apostle.
pseudonym n. A fictitious name, especially when assumed by a writer.
pseudonymity n. The state or character of using a fictitious name.
psychiatry n. The branch of medicine that relates to mental disease.
psychic adj. Pertaining to the mind or soul.
psychopathic adj. Morally irresponsible.
psychotherapy n. The treatment of mental disease.
pudgy adj. Small and fat.
puerile adj. Childish.
pugnacious adj. Quarrelsome.
puissant adj. Possessing strength.
pulmonary adj. Pertaining to the lungs.
punctilious adj. Strictly observant of the rules or forms prescribed by law or custom.
punctual adj. Observant and exact in points of time.
pungent adj. Affecting the sense of smell.
pungency n. The quality of affecting the sense of smell.
punitive adj. Pertaining to punishment.
pupilage n. The state or period of being a student.
purgatory n. An intermediate state where souls are made fit for paradise or heaven by expiatory suffering.
purl v. To cause to whirl, as in an eddy.
purloin v. To steal.
purport n. Intent.
purveyor n. one who supplies
pusillanimous adj. Without spirit or bravery.
putrescent adj. Undergoing decomposition of animal or vegetable matter accompanied by fetid odors.
pyre n. A heap of combustibles arranged for burning a dead body.
pyromania n. An insane propensity to set things on fire.
pyrotechnic adj. Pertaining to fireworks or their manufacture.
pyx n. A vessel or casket, usually of precious metal, in which the host is preserved.
quackery n. Charlatanry
quadrate v. To divide into quarters.
quadruple v. To multiply by four.
qualification n. A requisite for an employment, position, right, or privilege.
qualify v. To endow or furnish with requisite ability, character, knowledge, skill, or possessions.
qualm n. A fit of nausea.
quandary n. A puzzling predicament.
quantity n. Magnitude.
quarantine n. The enforced isolation of any person or place infected with contagious disease.
quarrelsome adj. Irascible.
quarter n. One of four equal parts into which anything is or may be divided.
quarterly adj. Occurring or made at intervals of three months.
quartet n. A composition for four voices or four instruments.
quarto n. An eight-page newspaper of any size.
quay n. A wharf or artificial landing-place on the shore of a harbor or projecting into it.
querulous adj. Habitually complaining.
query v. To make inquiry.
queue n. A file of persons waiting in order of their arrival, as for admittance.
quibble n. An utterly trivial distinction or objection.
quiescence n. Quiet.
quiescent adj. Being in a state of repose or inaction.
quiet adj. Making no noise.
quietus n. A silencing, suppressing, or ending.
quintessence n. The most essential part of anything.
quintet n. Musical composition arranged for five voices or instruments.
quite adv. Fully.
Quixotic adj. Chivalrous or romantic to a ridiculous or extravagant degree.
rabid adj. Affected with rabies or hydrophobia.
racy adj. Exciting or exhilarating to the mind.
radiance n. Brilliant or sparkling luster.
radiate v. To extend in all directions, as from a source or focus.
radical n. One who holds extreme views or advocates extreme measures.
radix n. That from or on which something is developed.
raillery n. Good-humored satire.
ramify v. To divide or subdivide into branches or subdivisions.
ramose adj. Branch-like.
rampant adj. Growing, climbing, or running without check or restraint.
rampart n. A bulwark or construction to oppose assault or hostile entry.
rancor n. Malice.
rankle v. To produce irritation or festering.
rapacious adj. Disposed to seize by violence or by unlawful or greedy methods.
rapid adj. Having great speed.
rapine n. The act of seizing and carrying off property by superior force, as in war.
rapt adj. Enraptured.
raptorial adj. Seizing and devouring living prey.
ration v. To provide with a fixed allowance or portion, especially of food.
rationalism n. The formation of opinions by relying upon reason alone, independently of authority.
raucous adj. Harsh.
ravage v. To lay waste by pillage, rapine, devouring, or other destructive methods.
ravenous adj. Furiously voracious or hungry.
ravine n. A deep gorge or hollow, especially one worn by a stream or flow of water.
reaction n. Tendency towards a former, or opposite state of things, as after reform, revolution, or inflation.
reactionary adj. Pertaining to, of the nature of, causing, or favoring reaction.
readily adv. Without objection or reluctance.
readjust v. To put in order after disarrangement.
ready adj. In a state of preparedness for any given purpose or occasion.
realism n. The principle and practice of depicting persons and scenes as they are believed really to exist.
rearrange v. To arrange again or in a different order.
reassure v. To give new confidence.
rebellious adj. Insubordinate.
rebuff n. A peremptory or unexpected rejection of advances or approaches.
rebuild v. To build again or anew.
rebut v. To oppose by argument or a sufficient answer.
recant v. To withdraw formally one's belief (in something previously believed or maintained).
recapitulate v. To repeat again the principal points of.
recapture v. To capture again.
recede v. To move back or away.
receivable adj. Capable of being or fit to be received - often money.
receptive adj. Having the capacity, quality, or ability of receiving, as truths or impressions.
recessive adj. Having a tendency to go back.
recidivist n. A confirmed criminal.
reciprocal adj. Mutually interchangeable or convertible.
reciprocate v. To give and take mutually.
reciprocity n. Equal mutual rights and benefits granted and enjoyed.
recitation n. The act of reciting or repeating, especially in public and from memory.
reck v. To have a care or thought for.
reckless adj. Foolishly headless of danger.
reclaim v. To demand or to obtain the return or restoration of.
recline v. To cause to assume a leaning or recumbent attitude or position.
recluse n. One who lives in retirement or seclusion.
reclusory n. A hermitage.
recognizance n. An acknowledgment entered into before a court with condition to do some particular act.
recognize v. To recall the identity of (a person or thing).
recoil v. To start back as in dismay, loathing, or dread.
recollect v. To recall the knowledge of.
reconcilable adj. Capable of being adjusted or harmonized.
reconnoiter v. To make a preliminary examination of for military, surveying, or geological purposes.
reconsider v. To review with care, especially with a view to a reversal of previous action.
reconstruct v. To rebuild.
recourse n. Resort to or application for help in exigency or trouble.
recover v. To regain.
recreant n. A cowardly or faithless person.
recreate v. To refresh after labor.
recrudescence n. The state of becoming raw or sore again.
recrudescent adj. Becoming raw or sore again.
recruit v. To enlist men for military or naval service.
rectify v. To correct.
rectitude n. The quality of being upright in principles and conduct.
recuperate v. To recover.
recur v. To happen again or repeatedly, especially at regular intervals.
recure v. To cure again.
recurrent adj. Returning from time to time, especially at regular or stated intervals.
redemption n. The recovery of what is mortgaged or pledged, by paying the debt.
redolent adj. Smelling sweet and agreeable.
redolence n. Smelling sweet and agreeable.
redoubtable adj. Formidable.
redound n. Rebound.
redress v. To set right, as a wrong by compensation or the punishment of the wrong-doer.
reducible adj. That may be reduced.
redundance n. Excess.
redundant adj. Constituting an excess.
reestablish v. To restore.
refer v. To direct or send for information or other purpose.
referrer n. One who refers.
referable adj. Ascribable.
referee n. An umpire.
refinery n. A place where some crude material, as sugar or petroleum, is purified.
reflectible adj. Capable of being turned back.
reflection n. The throwing off or back of light, heat, sound, or any form of energy that travels in waves.
reflector n. A mirror, as of metal, for reflecting light, heat, or sound in a particular direction.
reflexible adj. Capable of being reflected.
reform n. Change for the better.
reformer n. One who carries out a reform.
refract v. To bend or turn from a direct course.
refractory adj. Not amenable to control.
refragable adj. Capable of being refuted.
refringency n. Power to refract.
refringent adj. Having the power to refract.
refusal n. Denial of what is asked.
refute v. To prove to be wrong.
regale v. To give unusual pleasure.
regalia n. pl. The emblems of royalty.
regality n. Royalty.
regenerate v. To reproduce.
regent n. One who is lawfully deputized to administer the government for the time being in the name of the ruler.
regicide n. The killing of a king or sovereign.
regime n. Particular conduct or administration of affairs.
regimen n. A systematized order or course of living with reference to food, clothing and personal habits.
regiment n. A body of soldiers.
regnant adj. Exercising royal authority in one's own right.
regress v. To return to a former place or condition.
regretful adj. Feeling, expressive of, or full of regret.
rehabilitate v. To restore to a former status, capacity, right rank, or privilege.
reign v. To hold and exercise sovereign power.
reimburse v. To pay back as an equivalent of what has been expended.
rein n. A step attached to the bit for controlling a horse or other draft-animal.
reinstate v. To restore to a former state, station, or authority.
reiterate v. To say or do again and again.
rejoin v. To reunite after separation.
rejuvenate v. To restore to youth.
rejuvenescence n. A renewal of youth.
relapse v. To suffer a return of a disease after partial recovery.
relegate v. To send off or consign, as to an obscure position or remote destination.
relent v. To yield.
relevant adj. Bearing upon the matter in hand.
reliance n. Dependence.
reliant adj. Having confidence.
relinquish v. To give up using or having.
reliquary n. A casket, coffer, or repository in which relics are kept.
relish v. To like the taste or savor of.
reluctance n. Unwillingness.
reluctant adj. Unwilling.
remembrance n. Recollection.
reminiscence n. The calling to mind of incidents within the range of personal knowledge or experience.
reminiscent adj. Pertaining to the recollection of matters of personal interest.
remiss adj. Negligent.
remission n. Temporary diminution of a disease.
remodel v. Reconstruct.
remonstrance n. Reproof.
remonstrant adj. Having the character of a reproof.
remonstrate v. To present a verbal or written protest to those who have power to right or prevent a wrong.
remunerate v. To pay or pay for.
remuneration n. Compensation.
Renaissance n. The revival of letters, and then of art, which marks the transition from medieval to modern time.
rendezvous n. A prearranged place of meeting.
rendition n. Interpretation.
renovate v. To restore after deterioration, as a building.
renunciation n. An explicit disclaimer of a right or privilege.
reorganize v. To change to a more satisfactory form of organization.
reparable adj. Capable of repair.
reparation n. The act of making amends, as for an injury, loss, or wrong.
repartee n. A ready, witty, or apt reply.
repeal v. To render of no further effect.
repel v. To force or keep back in a manner, physically or mentally.
repellent adj. Having power to force back in a manner, physically or mentally.
repentance n. Sorrow for something done or left undone, with desire to make things right by undoing the wrong.
repertory n. A place where things are stored or gathered together.
repetition n. The act of repeating.
repine v. To indulge in fretfulness and faultfinding.
replenish v. To fill again, as something that has been emptied.
replete adj. Full to the uttermost.
replica n. A duplicate executed by the artist himself, and regarded, equally with the first, as an original.
repository n. A place in which goods are stored.
reprehend v. To find fault with.
reprehensible adj. Censurable.
reprehension n. Expression of blame.
repress v. To keep under restraint or control.
repressible adj. Able to be kept under restraint or control.
reprieve v. To grant a respite from punishment to.
reprimand v. To chide or rebuke for a fault.
reprisal n. Any infliction or act by way of retaliation on an enemy.
reprobate n. One abandoned to depravity and sin.
reproduce v. To make a copy of.
reproduction n. The process by which an animal or plant gives rise to another of its kind.
reproof n. An expression of disapproval or blame personally addressed to one censured.
repudiate v. To refuse to have anything to do with.
repugnance n. Thorough dislike.
repugnant adj. Offensive to taste and feeling.
repulse n. The act of beating or driving back, as an attacking or advancing enemy.
repulsive adj. Grossly offensive.
repute v. To hold in general opinion.
requiem n. A solemn mass sung for the repose of the souls of the dead.
requisite adj. Necessary.
requital n. Adequate return for good or ill.
requite v. To repay either good or evil to, as to a person.
rescind v. To make void, as an act, by the enacting authority or a superior authority.
reseat v. To place in position of office again.
resemblance n. Similarity in quality or form.
resent v. To be indignant at, as an injury or insult.
reservoir n. A receptacle where a quantity of some material, especially of a liquid or gas, may be kept.
residue n. A remainder or surplus after a part has been separated or otherwise treated.
resilience n. The power of springing back to a former position
resilient adj. Having the quality of springing back to a former position.
resistance n. The exertion of opposite effort or effect.
resistant adj. Offering or tending to produce resistance.
resistive adj. Having or exercising the power of resistance.
resistless adj. Powerless.
resonance n. The quality of being able to reinforce sound by sympathetic vibrations.
resonance adj. Able to reinforce sound by sympathetic vibrations.
resonate v. To have or produce resonance.
resource n. That which is restored to, relied upon, or made available for aid or support.
respite n. Interval of rest.
resplendent adj. Very bright.
respondent adj. Answering.
restitution n. Restoration of anything to the one to whom it properly belongs.
resumption n. The act of taking back, or taking again.
resurgent adj. Surging back or again.
resurrection n. A return from death to life
resuscitate v. To restore from apparent death.
retaliate v. To repay evil with a similar evil.
retch v. To make an effort to vomit.
retention n. The keeping of a thing within one's power or possession.
reticence n. The quality of habitually keeping silent or being reserved in utterance.
reticent adj. Habitually keeping silent or being reserved in utterance.
retinue n. The body of persons who attend a person of importance in travel or public appearance.
retort n. A retaliatory speech.
retouch v. To modify the details of.
retrace v. To follow backward or toward the place of beginning, as a track or marking.
retract v. To recall or take back (something that one has said).
retrench v. To cut down or reduce in extent or quantity.
retrieve v. To recover something by searching.
retroactive adj. Operative on, affecting, or having reference to past events, transactions, responsibilities.
retrograde v. To cause to deteriorate or to move backward.
retrogression n. A going or moving backward or in a reverse direction.
retrospect n. A view or contemplation of something past.
retrospective adj. Looking back on the past.
reunite v. To unite or join again, as after separation.
revelation n. A disclosing, discovering, or making known of what was before secret, private, or unknown.
revere v. To regard with worshipful veneration.
reverent adj. Humble.
reversion n. A return to or toward some former state or condition.
revert v. To return, or turn or look back, as toward a former position or the like.
revile v. To heap approach or abuse upon.
revisal n. Revision.
revise v. To examine for the correction of errors, or for the purpose of making changes.
revocation n. Repeal.
revoke v. To rescind.
rhapsody n. Rapt or rapturous utterance.
rhetoric n. The art of discourse.
rhetorician n. A showy writer or speaker.
ribald adj. Indulging in or manifesting coarse indecency or obscenity.
riddance n. The act or ridding or delivering from something undesirable.
ridicule n. Looks or acts expressing amused contempt.
ridiculous adj. Laughable and contemptible.
rife adj. Abundant.
righteousness n. Rectitude.
rightful adj. Conformed to a just claim according to established laws or usage.
rigmarole n. Nonsense.
rigor n. Inflexibility.
rigorous adj. Uncompromising.
ripplet n. A small ripple, as of water.
risible adj. capable of exciting laughter.
rivulet n. A small stream or brook.
robust adj. Characterized by great strength or power of endurance.
rondo n. A musical composition during which the first part or subject is repeated several times.
rookery n. A place where crows congregate to breed.
rotary adj. Turning around its axis, like a wheel, or so constructed as to turn thus.
rotate v. To cause to turn on or as on its axis, as a wheel.
rote n. Repetition of words or sounds as a means of learning them, with slight attention.
rotund adj. Round from fullness or plumpness.
rudimentary adj. Being in an initial, early, or incomplete stage of development.
rue v. To regret extremely.
ruffian adj. A lawless or recklessly brutal fellow.
ruminant adj. Chewing the cud.
ruminate v. To chew over again, as food previously swallowed and regurgitated.
rupture v. To separate the parts of by violence.
rustic adj. Characteristic of dwelling in the country.
ruth n. Sorrow for another's misery.
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