CLASSin school/college1 a group of students in a school, college etc2 the period of time during which a class is taught3 a series of lessons in one subjectclass in society4 someone's social class5 belonging to the highest class6 the middle class7 the lowest class8 to move into a higher social class9 someone who thinks they are better than people from a lower social classRELATED WORDSsee alsoTEACHLEARNSTUDYSCHOOL/UNIVERSITY1 a group of students in a school, college etc 学校、学院等中的一群学生class /klɑːsǁklæs/ [countable noun]a group of students or schoolchildren who are taught together 班，班级 There are twenty kids in the class. 班里有20个孩子。 She gets along well with the other children in her class. 她和班上其他孩子相处得很好。 I'm going out with some friends from my dance class. 我要和舞蹈班上的几个朋友一起出去玩。 I graduated in 1999. What class were you in? 我1999年毕业，你是哪个班的？grade /greɪd/ [countable noun]a class or group of classes for children of a particular age in an American school 〔美国学校里的〕班；年级third/seventh/twelfth etc grade She's in the fifth grade. 她念五年级。 I really liked my eighth grade math teacher. 我非常喜欢八年级时的数学老师。 The second grade class is doing a play about the Pilgrims. 二年级那个班要演关于清教徒移民的戏。third-/fourth-/fifth- etc grader /ˌθɜːʳd ˈgreɪdəʳ/ [countable noun]a child in the third, fourth, fifth etc grade 三年级/四年级/五年级等学生 According to the test, 40% of fourth-graders are not reading at the basic level. 根据这项测试，四年级的学生有40%未达到基本阅读水平。form /fɔːʳm/ [countable noun]a class or a group of classes for all the children of the same age in a British school for children between 11 and 18 〔英国11至18岁儿童就读的中学的〕班；年级 She's by far the brightest pupil in the form. 她是这个年级里最聪明的，远远超越其他学生。third/fourth/fifth etc form I'm in the third form. 我读中学三年级。 Mrs Davies took the fifth form to the science museum. 戴维斯女士带领中学五年级学生去了科学博物馆。third-/fourth-/fifth- etc former /ˈθɜːʳd ˌfɒːʳməʳ/ [countable noun]a child in the third, fourth, fifth etc form 中学三年级/四年级/五年级等学生 Some of the fifth-formers have started a rock band. 一些中学五年级学生成立了一个摇滚乐队。year /jɪəʳ, jɜːʳǁjɪər/ [countable noun]all the classes for children of a particular age in a British school or for students in a particularyear of study at a British university 〔英国学校或大学里的〕年级 He works a lot harder than most of the students in his year. 他比同年级大多数学生都用功得多。third/fourth/fifth etc year There are 130 children in the second year. 二年级有130个学生。 I hated teaching the fifth year. They were always causing trouble. 我讨厌教五年级。他们总是惹麻烦。third-/fourth-/fifth- etc year /ˈθɜːʳd jɪəʳ/ [countable noun]a student in the third, fourth, fifth etc year 三/四/五等年级 A group of fourth-years are collecting money for food aid to Africa. 一群四年级学生为了向非洲提供食物援助而在进行募捐活动。set /set/ [countable noun]a class for children with a particular level of ability in a British school 〔英国学校里按学生能力分的〕组，教学班 She's in set one for maths and English and set two for history. 她的数学和英语在甲等班上，历史在乙等班上。 I was useless at school -- always in the bottom set in every subject. 我读书很差，每门科目都总在班上最末等。 We think you've improved sufficiently to go up to a higher set. 我们认为你进步了，能够升到高一级的班上。freshman /ˈfreʃmən/ [countable noun]Americansomeone who is in the first year at a high school or university 【美】〔高中或大学的〕一年级学生 We were only freshmen, so the older kids liked to pick on us. 我们才一年级，因此高年级的家伙喜欢欺负我们。freshman class/year/course etc Chris remembers his freshman year at UCLA as if it were yesterday. 克里斯记得他上加州大学洛杉矶分校一年级的日子，仿佛就在昨天。sophomore /ˈsɒfəmɔːʳǁˈsɑː-/ [countable noun]Americansomeone who is in the second year at a high school or university 【美】〔高中或大学的〕二年级学生 This class is mainly for freshmen and sophomores. 这个班主要是为一、二年级学生开设的。sophomore class/year etc George dropped out of college his sophomore year. 大学第二年，乔治退学了。junior /ˈdʒuːniəʳ/ [countable noun]Americansomeone who is in the third year at a high school or university 【美】〔高中或大学的〕三年级学生 a junior at NYU 纽约大学一名三年级学生junior class/year etc Donna spent spring semester of her junior year in Paris. 唐娜是在巴黎度过她在大学第三年的春季学期的。senior /ˈsiːniəʳ/ [countable noun]Americansomeone who is in the fourth and final year at a high school or university 【美】〔高中或大学的〕四年级学生，毕业班学生 I can't believe that Cari is a high school senior already. 我不能相信卡里已经是高中毕业班学生了。senior class/year etc The entire senior class took a trip to Disneyworld. 毕业班全体学生去迪斯尼世界玩。2 the period of time during which a class is taught 上课的一段时间class /klɑːsǁklæs/ [countable/uncountable noun]a period of time, usually about 30 minutes to one hour, in which a teacher teaches a group of students 课〔指上课时间〕 Heidi fainted during French class today! 今天上法语课时，海迪晕倒了！ Let's go - I have my first class in 10 minutes! 一起走吧，我10分钟后要上第一堂课！lesson /ˈlesən/ [countable noun]a period in which someone teaches one person or a group of people - use this especially about practical skills such as music, swimming, or driving, or in British English about a class in a school 一堂课，一节课〔尤指音乐、游泳、驾驶等实用技能的课，英国英语中指校内的一节课〕 Dominic will be having his first driving lesson this Thursday. 本周四，多米尼克将要上第一堂驾驶课。 She gives English lessons to business people in the evenings. 晚上她给商业界人士上英语课。period /ˈpɪəriəd/ [countable noun]one of the periods of time that a school day is divided into 〔学校一天的〕学时，课时 At our school we have four periods in the morning and three in the afternoon. 我们学校上午上四节课，下午上三节课。double periodBritishone class which lasts for two periods 【英】〔同一科目〕连续的两课 On Monday mornings there was French, English, and then a double period of maths. 星期一上午有法语课、英语课，然后是连着的两节数学课。session /ˈseʃən/ [countable noun]the period of time in which a particular subject or a particular area of a subject is taught, especially when this is one of a fixed number of classes 〔某一学科或某一学科领域的〕授课时间〔尤指有固定课时〕 We have 5 hours of English a week, including one session in the language laboratory. 我们每周上五小时的英语课，其中有一节课是在语音室上的。lecture /ˈlektʃəʳ/ [countable noun]a long talk on a subject, given by a teacher at a college or university, and listened to by a large number of students 〔学院或大学的〕讲课，讲座lecture on a lecture on the causes of the Russian Revolution 一场关于俄国革命起因的讲座give a lecture Professor Blair is giving a series of lectures on Einstein's theories. 布莱尔教授在作有关爱因斯坦理论的系列讲座。seminar /ˈsemɪnɑːʳ, ˈsemənɑːʳ/ [countable noun]a class, usually at a college or university, where a teacher and small group of students discuss a subject 〔学院或大学内的〕专题研讨班seminar on Every week we have a seminar on modern political theory. 每周我们都上现代政治理论研讨班。tutorial /tjuːˈtɔːriəlǁtuː-/ [countable noun]a regular class at a British college or university during which a teacher discusses a particular subject with one student or with a small group of students 〔英国学院或大学的〕导师小组指导课 Small group tutorials are used to discuss problems which come up in lectures. 小组指导课用于讨论讲座中出现的问题。 Oxford's one-to-one tutorials are an effective but also costly way of teaching. 牛津大学一对一的个别指导课是一种行之有效但费用很高的教学方式。3 a series of lessons in one subject 一门学科的系列课程course /kɔːʳs/alsoclass /klɑːs‖klæs/ [countable noun] Are you enjoying the course? 你喜欢这门课吗？course in/on a course in music journalism 一门音乐新闻写作课language/computer/history etc course/class The college is offering three basic computer courses this year. 今年该学院开设三门基础计算机课程。take a course/classalso do a courseBritish informal She's taking a class in art history. 她在修读艺术史课程。4 someone's social class 某人的社会等级class /klɑːsǁklæs/ [countable/uncountable noun]the social group that you belong to because of your job, the type of family you come from, or the amount of money you have 阶级，社会等级，阶层 Success in this country seems to be based on class rather than on ability. 在这个国家，成功似乎靠的是社会等级而不是能力。 the professional and managerial classes 专业人士和经理阶层the class systemthe system by which society is divided into classes 阶级体系 The old class system is slowly disappearing. 旧的阶级体系正在慢慢淡化。social classthe class in society you come from 社会等级 There is a clear link between social class and educational achievement. 社会等级与教育成就有明显的联系。class distinctionsdifferences between social classes 阶级差别 Some people argue that class distinctions do not exist in the U.S., but this is untrue. 有人论证说，美国不存在阶级差别，但这不是真的。background /ˈbækgraʊnd/ [countable noun]the type of home and family you come from, and its social class 出身背景 The school takes kids from all sorts of backgrounds. 该校录取各种出身背景的孩子。 We come from the same town and share a similar background. 我们来自同一个镇，出身背景也相似。working-class/middle-class etc background The organization helps children from working-class backgrounds to go to university. 该组织帮助工人阶级出身的孩子上大学。status /ˈsteɪtəsǁˈsteɪtəs, ˈstæ-/ [uncountable noun]someone's position in society, according to how much other people respect them, especially because of the kind of job they have 〔尤指根据职业划分的〕社会地位，身份 Now that he was a bank manager, he wanted a car that would reflect his status. 既已当了银行经理，他想要一辆能显示自己社会地位的汽车。high/low status Many mothers feel that they have very low status in today's society. 许多母亲觉得在当今社会，她们的地位很低。status symbolsomething that someone owns in order to show their high status 地位的象征 The latest mobile phones have become status symbols among teenagers. 在青少年中间，最新款的手机已成为身份的象征。caste /kɑːstǁkæst/ [countable noun]a fixed division of people in society according to the family they are born into, especially within the Hindu religion 〔尤指在印度教中的〕种姓，社会等级 In the south of India there are up to 20 different castes. 在印度南部，有多达20个不同的种姓。caste system Buddha was a social reformer who condemned India's caste system. 佛陀是一位社会改革家，他谴责印度的种姓制度。5 belonging to the highest class 属于最高阶层的upper-class /ˌʌpəʳ ˈklɑːs◂ǁ-ˈklæs◂/ [adjective]belonging to the class of people who originally had most of the money and power, especially families that own a lot of land 上层阶级的，上等阶层的；上流社会的 Most senior politicians in the UK are from upper-class families. 英国的大多数资深政治家都出身于上流社会家庭。 He spoke with an upper-class accent. 他说话带有上流社会口音。the upper class/the upper classes [singular or plural noun]people who are upper class: 上层阶级，上流社会 In South America, the upper classes tend to be of European origin. 在南美，上层阶级往往是欧洲人后裔。aristocracy /ˌærɪˈstɒkrəsi, ˌærəˈstɒkrəsiǁ-ˈstɑː-/ [singular noun]the people who belong to families that own a lot of land, and used to have a lot of power, and have special titles before their names, like ‘Lord’ or ‘Lady’ - used especially when you are talking about the past 贵族〔尤用于谈论过去〕the aristocracy Daughters of rich merchants would often marry into the aristocracy. 富商的女儿常嫁入贵族世家。aristocratic /ˌærɪstəˈkrætɪk◂, əˌrɪ-ǁəˌrɪ-/ [adjective] old aristocratic families 古老的贵族家庭privileged /ˈprɪvɪlɪdʒd, ˈprɪvəlɪdʒd/ [adjective]having a high position in society that has special, and usually unfair, advantages such as power, money and the best education 享有特权的 In many countries today only a privileged minority get the chance of going to university. 在当今许多国家，只有少数享有特权的人才有机会上大学。privilege [uncountable noun] Her comments about immigrants revealed an astonishing sense of privilege and arrogance. 她关于移民的谈话暴露出她惊人的优越感和傲慢无理的态度。elite /eɪˈliːt, ɪ-/ [countable noun with singular or plural verb in British English]a small group of rich and powerful people who have special, unfair advantages that other people do not have 上层人士，掌权人物；实力集团 The President has been accused of developing policies in favor of a small elite. 总统被指责制定迎合少数上层人士需要的政策。 The sort of goods once reserved for the elite are now available to everyone. 曾经供上层人士专用的商品现在任何人都能买到。elitist [adjective] The British House of Lords is seen by many as an elitist institution. 许多人认为英国上议院是上层人士组成的机构。posh /pɒʃǁpɑːʃ/ [adjective]British spokenuse this about someone who behaves and speaks in a way in which upper-class people usually behave or speak 【英口】〔行为或口吻〕上流社会的 Will your posh university friends be coming tonight? 你那些派头十足的大学里的朋友今晚来吗？posh school/hotel/restaurant etcone that is very expensive, that rich people go to 贵族学校/高级酒店/高级餐馆等 She went to a posh girls’ school in Switzerland. 她曾在瑞士一所女子贵族学校就读。6 the middle class 中等阶层的middle-class /ˌmɪdl ˈklɑːs◂ǁ-ˈklæs◂/ [adjective]belonging to the class of people who are usually well educated, fairly rich, and who work in jobs which they have trained to do. For example, doctors, lawyers, and managers are middle-class 中产阶级的〔如医生、律师、经理等〕 The newspaper's readers are mostly middle class. 那份报纸的读者大都是中产阶级。 They live in a middle-class neighbourhood on the edge of town. 他们住在市郊的中产阶级住宅区。the middle class/the middle classes [singular or plural noun]people who are middle class: 中产阶级 The government needs the support of the middle classes to win the next election. 该政府需要中产阶级的支持以赢得下次大选。bourgeois /ˈbʊəʒwɑːǁbʊərˈʒwɑː/ [adjective]typical of richer middle-class people and their attitudes or way of life, especially their concern with money, property, and correct social behaviour 中产阶级的，资产阶级的 She rejected her parents’ conventional bourgeois lifestyle. 她拒绝接受父母那种传统的资产阶级生活方式。 They never married because they believed that marriage was a bourgeois institution. 他们从未结婚，因为他们认为婚姻是有产阶级的习俗。the bourgeoisie /ðə ˌbʊəʳʒwɑːˈziː/ []the class that owns most of the wealth, property, and industry - use this especially when you are talking about politics or history 中产阶级，资产阶级〔尤在谈论政治或历史时用〕 The poor viewed with envy the increasing wealth of the bourgeoisie. 穷人十分羡慕资产阶级不断增长的财富。 A revolution would be a threat to the nation's bourgeoisie. 革命是对该国资产阶级的威胁。white-collar /ˌwaɪt ˈkɒləʳ◂ǁ-ˈkɑː-/ [adjective only before noun]white-collar worker/job/employeesomeone who works in an office, not a factory, mine etc 白领阶层的工作者/职业/雇员 The economic recession has put many white-collar workers in danger of losing their jobs. 经济衰退使许多白领工作者处于失业的危险之中。7 the lowest class 最低阶层的working-class /ˌwɜːʳkɪŋ ˈklɑːs◂ǁ-ˈklæs◂/ [adjective]belonging to the class of people who do not have much money or power, and who have jobs where they do physical work. For example, factory workers, builders, and drivers are working-class工人阶级的 Most of the people who live round here are working class. 住在附近的大多数人都是工人阶级。 I come from a working-class family - I'm the first one to graduate from college. 我出身于工人阶级家庭—我是第一个大学毕业生。the working class/the working classes [singular or plural noun]people who are working class: 工人阶级 Cuts in welfare spending affect the working class most. 削减福利开支对工人阶级影响最大。lower-class /ˌləʊəʳ ˈklɑːs◂ǁ-ˈklæs◂/ [adjective]an impolite word meaning belonging to the class that has less money, power, and education than anyone else 下层阶级的〔不礼貌用语〕 It has been shown that children of lower-class parents are less likely to do well at school. 事实表明，父母属于下层阶级的孩子学业优秀的可能性较小。 My mother's parents thought my father was terribly lower-class. 我的外祖父母认为我父亲的社会地位太低了。the lower class/the lower classes [singular or plural noun] There was a time when tequila was a cheap product drunk only by the lower classes. 过去有一阵子，龙舌兰酒只是下层阶级的人喝的东西。the masses /ðə ˈmæsz/ [plural noun]all the ordinary people in society who do not have power or influence, especially when they are thought of as not being very educated 〔尤指被认为文化层次不高的〕群众，劳动群众 Television has brought cheap entertainment to the masses. 电视向大众提供了廉价娱乐。 Lenin's position depended on the support of the masses. 列宁的地位依赖于群众的支持。blue-collar /ˌbluː ˈkɒləʳ◂ǁ-ˈkɑː-/ [adjective only before noun]blue-collar worker/job/employeesomeone who does physical work, for example in a factory or a mine, and does not work in an office 蓝领阶层的工人/职业/雇员 His political support comes mainly from blue-collar workers. 他的政治支持主要来自蓝领工人。humble /ˈhʌmbəl/ [adjective]of (a) humble background/family/origins etcfrom a low social class and without much money, but often with a lot of determination to work hard and succeed 卑微的家庭出身等 The school had originally provided a good education for children of humble backgrounds. 起先该学校向出身卑微的孩子提供良好的教育。 Eisenhower, Nixon, and Ford were all men of humble origins and no inherited wealth. 艾森豪威尔、尼克松和福特都出身卑微，没有财富可继承。underclass /ˈʌndəʳklɑːsǁ-klæs/ [singular noun]the lowest social class, who are very poor and may not have jobs, homes etc 下层社会 The government has created an underclass who do not feel they have any rights in society. 这届政府造成了一个下层社会，他们感觉不到在社会中有任何权利。8 to move into a higher social class 进入更高的社会阶层move/go up in the world /ˌmuːv, ˌgəʊ ˈʌp ɪn ðə ˌwɜːʳld/ [verb phrase] Hillary was bright and ambitious and wanted to move up in the world. 希拉里聪明而且雄心勃勃，想提高自己的社会地位。 Education, he believed, was the only way that anyone could move up in the world. 他认为教育是唯一能使人提高社会地位的手段。upwardly mobile /ˌʌpwəʳdli ˈməʊbaɪlǁ-ˈməʊbəl/ [adjective phrase]someone who isupwardly mobile is in the process of moving into a higher class, especially because they have a well-paid job 〔尤因有份高薪工作〕社会地位正在提升的 a highly educated, upwardly mobile young woman 一个受过高等教育、社会地位正在提升的年轻女子 The dating agency specializes in finding partners for the young and upwardly mobile. 这家婚姻介绍所专门为社会地位正在提升的年轻人士寻找伴侣。social climber /ˌsəʊʃəl ˈklaɪməʳ/ [countable noun]someone who wants very much to move into a higher social class, and tries to do this by becoming friendly with people who have more money and power than they do 结交权贵向上爬的人；努力挤进上流社会的人 The new private schools cater for the children of social climbers rather than those of the old upper classes. 这些新的私立学校投合向上爬的人的孩子所需，而不是老式上流社会孩子的需要。 The hotel lobby was full of the usual hangers-on and social climbers. 酒店的大堂里和平时一样，满是钻营拍马的人和一心向上爬的人。9 someone who thinks they are better than people from a lower social class 认为自己比较低社会阶层好的人snobbish /ˈsnɒbɪʃǁˈsnɑːb-/ [adjective]someone who is snobbish thinks that they are better than people from a lower social class 势利眼的 Snobbish home-owners are protesting about a refugee family moving into their street. 势利眼的房主们在抗议一个难民家庭搬进他们的街道。 Aunt Harriet was very rich and very snobbish. 哈丽雅特姑妈很有钱，而且很势利。snob /snɒbǁsnɑːb/ [countable noun]someone who thinks that they are better than people from a lower social class, and does not want to talk to them or be friends with them 势利的人 My mother was such a snob she wouldn't let me play with the local children. 我母亲真是个势利眼，她不让我同当地小孩玩。 They're just a bunch of snobs - you wouldn't want to be friends with them anyway. 他们就是一群势利鬼—你反正不会想同他们交朋友的。stuck-up /ˌstʌk ˈʌp/ [adjective]informalproud and unfriendly because you think you are better and more important than other people 【非正式】傲慢的，自以为了不起的 Tanya is so stuck-up. She won't go out with anyone who went to a state college. 塔尼娅很傲慢，她不愿与州立大学的毕业生交往。 the spoiled, stuck-up daughter of a millionaire 一个百万富翁家被宠坏的、自以为了不起的女儿