(1) the first buds appearing in spring
(2) The tree is in bud already.
(3) Listen, bud, enough of the wisecracks, OK?

(1) The noise began to lessen.
(2) to lessen the risk/impact/effect of sth
(3) [单数, 不可数名词]a lessening of tension

(1) Mars was the Roman god of war.
(2) the rain god
(3) Greek gods

(1) The airlift was conducted in force ten winds...
(2) Northerly winds will increase to force six by midday.
(3) Joe forced a smile, but underneath he was a little disturbed...

(1) doctors who care for the dying
(2) I will remember it to my dying day .
(3) her dying wishes/words

(1) swift action
(2) a swift decision
(3) The White House was swift to deny the rumours.

(1) eighty horses trotted up.
(2) He was in his late eighties and had become the country's most respected elder statesman.
(3) He ran a property development business in the eighties.

(1) a campaign to encourage childless couples to adopt
(2) to adopt a child
(3) She was forced to have her baby adopted.

(1) I heard a child sobbing loudly.
(2) He started to sob uncontrollably.
(3) ‘I hate him, ’ she sobbed.

(1) gay men
(2) I didn't know he was gay.
(3) Is she gay?

(1) manual labour (= work using your hands)
(2) The price will include the labour and materials.
(3) The company wants to keep down labour costs .

(1) Dr Amid was assisted by a young asian nurse.
(2) Chinese good athletes won 148 gold medals in the 11 th asian Games.
(3) The asian Games meet every four years.

(1) I waited a long time for him to return.
(2) She's returning to Australia tomorrow after six months in Europe.
(3) I returned from work to find the house empty.

(1) june always rhymes with moon in old love songs.
(2) Exports in june rose 1.5% to a record $30.91 billion.
(3) In june 1942, the British 8th Army was in full retreat.

(1) Dense/thick fog is affecting roads in the north and visibility is poor.
(2) freezing fog
(3) Patches of fog will clear by mid-morning.

(1) They chose him their leader.
(2) After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.
(3) The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.

(1) I'm a creature of habit (= I have a fixed and regular way of doing things) .
(2) He began to finance his habit through burglary.
(3) She's tried to give up smoking but just can't kick the habit .

(1) You push and I'll pull.
(2) Don't pull so hard or the handle will come off.
(3) I pulled on the rope to see if it was secure.

(1) the total profit
(2) This brought the total number of accidents so far this year to 113.
(3) The club has a total membership of 300.

(1) cat food
(2) the big cats (= lions , tigers , etc.)
(3) He thinks he's the cat's whiskers (= he has a high opinion of himself) .

(1) to deny a claim/a charge/an accusation
(2) The spokesman refused either to confirm or deny the reports.
(3) There's no denying (the fact) that quicker action could have saved them.

(1) Cracks of light filtered through the shutters...
(2) light and water in embassy buildings were cut off...
(3) The janitor comes round to turn the lights out...

(1) lemon tea
(2) a gin and tonic with ice and lemon
(3) Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the fish.

(1) a remarkable achievement/career/talent
(2) She was a truly remarkable woman.
(3) The area is remarkable for its scenery.

(1) She walked quickly away.
(2) We'll repair it as quickly as possible.
(3) The last few weeks have gone quickly (= the time seems to have passed quickly) .

(1) her slender figure
(2) long, slender fingers
(3) a glass with a slender stem

(1) My sweater shrank in the wash.
(2) The tumour had shrunk to the size of a pea.
(3) The market for their products is shrinking.

(1) She stared at him again, unable to believe the evidence of her senses.
(2) ...a keen sense of smell.
(3) She probably sensed that I wasn't telling her the whole story...

(1) wheat flour
(2) ...farmers growing wheat, corn, or other crops.
(3) ...wheat flour.

(1) Is there always a conflict between science and religion?
(2) the Jewish religion
(3) Christianity, Islam and other world religions

(1) cherry blossom
(2) a winter-flowering cherry
(3) cherry lips

(1) Come here, you cheeky little monkey!
(2) She's such a little monkey.
(3) Since vaccinia may cure smallpox, then monkey?

(1) She came second in the 200 metres.
(2) the 4×100 metre(s) relay
(3) Chris Boardman won the Olympic 4,000 metres pursuit...

(1) the conventions of Greek tragedy
(2) social conventions
(3) By convention the deputy leader was always a woman.

(1) It'll cost you five grand!
(2) She finally learned to drive at the grand old age of 70.
(3) He described himself grandly as a ‘landscape architect ’.

(1) electrical/household appliances
(2) They sell a wide range of domestic appliances ─washing machines, dishwashers and so on.
(3) These advances were the result of the intellectual appliance of science.

(1) The dog ran up, wagging its tail.
(2) The male has beautiful tail feathers.
(3) a white-tailed eagle

(1) Look it up in the index.
(2) Author and subject indexes are available on a library database.
(3) the cost-of-living index

(1) a degree in physics
(2) particle/nuclear/theoretical physics
(3) the laws of physics

(1) a pair of scissors
(2) [只用于名词前]The legs move in a scissor action.
(3) He told me to get some scissors...