But here we come up against the most difficult of all obstacles to contact with people on other planets ----the astronomical distances which separate us.
然而，在和外星人联系中我们遇到的最大困难是分隔我们的天文距离。
新概念英语第四册
Lesson 43 Are there strangers in space
📚 句中词汇解析
从本句中提取的重要词汇
prep. 反对;对…不利;紧靠;以防;
💡 gain =against (反对)#词根助记：反对
"Ten people voted in favour, five against and two abstained."
十人投票赞成，五人反对，两人弃权。
近义：athwart, agin
adj. 困难的;难做的;难解的;不易相处的;
💡 dif不+fic做+ult表名词→不好做→困难的
"The short story is a difficult art form to master."
短篇小说是一种很难掌握的艺术形式。
近义：rough, troublesome, complicated, arduous, intricate, labored
反义：uncomplicated, basic, cushy, doss, easy, facile
n. 接触;触点;[医]（传染病）接触人;门路;
vt. 使接触;与…联系;与…通讯（或通话）;
vi. 联系，接触;
💡 con共同+tact接触→共同接触 → 接触；联系
"I don't have much contact with my uncle."
我和叔父甚少联系。
近义：reach, touch, nexus, relations, relationship, ties
n. 人，人类;居民;人民;种族;
vt. 居住于，布满;使住满人，在…殖民;把动物放养在;
💡 popul, publ 表”人民”
"I can't abide people with no sense of humour."
我讨厌和没有幽默感的人打交道。
近义：populate, settle, crowd, individuals, persons, folks
反义：person, single, subject, dude, bleeder, bloke
vt.& vi. 分开;（使）分离;区分;隔开;
vt. 分离（混合物）;分居;分类;割开;
vi. 分手;断裂;（夫妻）分居;断绝关系;
💡 separ分离 + ate 形容词后缀 具有...的 → adj.分离的；个别的
"Raw meat must be kept separate from cooked meat."
生肉和熟肉必须分开存放。
近义：isolate, segregate, sever, split, detach, disjoin
反义：articulate, link, rabbet, splice, stick, tie