今天来讲一个单词“dire”,虽说有些消极的意味，但只是想和大家记住“Thrive in calamity and perish in soft living.(生于忧患,死于安乐)”。

dire ['daiə]

a. 可怕的，灾难的，紧急的，急需的

【简介】 extremely serious or terrible 非常严重的或可怕的

【记忆】

Quake leaves pandas in dire need of bamboo

地震后熊猫急需竹子

A zookeeper feeds giant pandas at the Sichuan Giant Panda Breeding Center in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan Province, May 23, 2008. The deadly earthquake that jolted southwest China's Sichuan Province on May 12 has destroyed the homes of giant pandas and left the bears in dire need of their favorite food, bamboo.

2008年5月23日，在中国的四川省成都大熊猫饲养中心，一个饲养员在给大熊猫喂食。发生在5月12日的致命的震摇了四川全省的地震破坏了大熊猫的家园，导致的后果是，大熊猫急需他们的食物——竹子。

【词形变化】

比较级：direr, direst
名　词：direness
副　词：direly

【同义词】

adj. 可怕的；悲惨的
afflictive alarming awful bad black disastrous frightful horrible terrible tragic violent wretched

adj. 可怕的
dreadful fearful

adj. 紧急的, 急需的
urgent desperate

【短语】

in dire need of 急需
in dire poverty 极端贫困
be in dire straits to be in an extremely difficult or serious situation a hero in dire straits 英雄末路
dire warning/prediction/forecast a warning about something terrible that will happen in the future

【例句与详解】

Residents of Mianzhu, one of the worst-hit cities in Monday's quakes in southwest China, were in dire need of food, drinking water and tents.
在星期一的中国西南部的地震中，袭击最严重的一个城市——绵竹的居民急需食物、饮用水和帐篷。

Your contribution to the fund will reach those who are in dire need of your help, quickly and effectively.
你捐献的基金将快速、高效地到达急需要你的援助的人灾区人民的手里。

You'll be in dire trouble if you don't watch out.
你若不小心，就会有可怕的麻烦。

My brother is in dire need of a good lawyer.
我弟弟急需一位好律师。

The family is in dire need.
这个家庭极为贫困。

National calamities happened one after another, and the masses lived in dire poverty.
国故连连, 民不聊生。