What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith

PART 1 Expressions

1. I defy you to argue that this approach is anything but a highly active, decisive choice.

I defy you/ anyone to do sth: used to say that sb should try to do sth, as a way of emphasizing that you think it is impossible to do it 激，挑动（某人尽力做你认为不可能的事）

I defy anyone not to cry at the end of the film. 我倒要看看谁在电影结尾时不哭。

I defy anyone to prove otherwise.

2. This is a negative two-fer.

twofer/ two-fer: ['tu:fə]  (n.) an offer of two for the price of one 可半价优待的两张票

I see pepperoni pizzas are on a twofer this week.

3. You have instigated a three-part chain of consequences.

instigate: 1. to make sth start or happen, usually sth official 启动

The government has instigated a program of economic reform.

2. to cause sth bad to happen 煽动，唆使

They were accused of instigating racial violence.

4. I asked him what was the major learning kernel he got out of the experience.

kernel: [ˈkɜ:nl]  （坚果或谷粒的）核/仁；核心，要点

This evidence is the kernel of the defendants' case.

a kernel of: a very small part of amount of sth

There may be a kernel of truth in what he says.

5. It doesn't matter whether we're talking about global warming or whom to hire to make a widget.

widget: (n.) 1. 小器物；小玩意；

2. （business）used to refer to an imaginary product that a company might produce

Let's agree that you're going to sell 57 widgets per week.

Company A produces two million widgets a year.

6. The chances that their paths would cross in court or that they could help each other is virtually nil.

nil: zero, nothing

The new machine reduced labor coasts to almost nil.

Newcastle beat Leeds by four goals to nil.

类似表达 naught:  eg. All their plans came to naught.

7. As I say, Bill Clinton has this skill in spades.

spades: 1.铁锹；铲子 ；2. （纸牌中的）黑桃

the queen of spades 黑桃王后， the five of spades 黑桃五

3. in spades: in large amounts or to a great degree 大量；非常

He'd got his revenge now, and in spades.

8. Imagine how you'd feel if, instead of being forced to tell someone how swell you are, they pointed out your swellness to you and tp everyone within earshot.

swell: (v.) 膨胀；（医学）肿胀；（数量上）增加

His ankle was already starting to swell.

The crowd swelled to around 10,000.

Last year's profits were swelled by a fall in production costs.

swell with pride/ anger: to feel very proud, angry etc

His heart swelled with pride as he watched his daughter collect her prize.

补充： stuck-up :( a.) 自命不凡的；趾高气昂的

His wife was a bit stuck-up.

swell 也可以做形容词， 指“一流的，漂亮的” = great

You look swell!

9. If we're on a first date with a guy or gil whom we really want to impress, we will be paragons of attentiveness and interest.

paragon:  [ˈpærəgən] 模范；十全十美的人

I made no claim to be a paragon.

He wasn't the paragon of virtue she had expected.

10. I've seen this happen so many times, it's almost comical.

comical: funny or amusing because of being strange or unusual 滑稽可笑的

That's a comical hat you're wearing.

a series of comical misunderstandings

comicality: (n.)

Vs. cosmic/ cosmical 宇宙的

11. Use body language as subtle levers of persuasion.

lever：（n.）杠杆；（v.）用杠杆撬动

I levered the lid off the pot with a knife.

lever for/ against sth: an action that is used to put pressure on sb to do sth they do not want to do 施压的行为

The threat of sanctions is out most powerful lever of peace.

12. As with most rules of etiquette, it can become formulaic.

etiquette: [ˈetɪket] （社会或行业中的）礼节；礼仪

medical/ legal/ professional etiquette 医学界的/法律界的/行业规矩

formulaic: [ˌfɔ:mjuˈleɪɪk] 根据公式的；刻板的；用套话堆砌的

Traditional stories make use of formulaic expressions like "Once upon a time..."

13. The was the moment I became a connoisseur of gratitude, a virtuoso at thanking.

virtuoso: [ˌvɜ:tʃuˈəʊsəʊ]  sb who is a very skillful performer, especially in music 技艺超群的人(尤指演奏家)

a piano virtuoso

(a.) showing extremely great skill

a virtuoso performance

a virtuoso pianist

14. I had special certificates printed up with their names embossed in gold letter saying, "Thank you."

emboss：(v.) 浮雕（图案）; 压印浮凸字体（或图案）

emboss A with B, emboss B on A

The hotel's name was embossed on the stationery(信封信纸).

stationery embossed with the hotel's name

embossed effect

15. The professor had been slogging through dozens of term papers, questioning the value of reading them and grading them.

slog: 1. 长途跋涉 slog one's way through/ round etc sth

He started to slog his way up the hill.

2. 埋头苦干 to work hard at sth without stopping, especially when the work is difficult or boring

slog away/ slog through

After a day slogging away at work, I need to relax.

You have to sit down and slog through long lists of new vocabulary.

3. slog it out: to fight, compete or argue about sth until one side wins 决出胜负；争出个高低

The teams will be slogging it out on Saturday.

PART 2 Sentences

1. The ability to make a person feel that, when you're with that person, he or she is the most important (and the only) person in the room is the skill that separates the great from the near-great.

2. The only difference between us and the super-successful among us -- the near great and the great -- is that the great ones do this all the time. It's automatic for them. For them there's no on and off switch for caring and empathy and showing respect. It's always on. They don't rank personal encounters ad A, B, or C in importance. They treat everyone equally -- and everyone eventually notices.

3. Eliminate any striving to impress the other person with how smart or funny you are. Your only aim is to let the other people feel that he or she is accomplishing that.