TPS News

Suggested answer: “Winter in the coastal city turned to spring and the Pacific waters taunted the earnest marine biology students with salty spray and soft, slippery swales.”

Springtime is not for academic pursuits, as most any young student will tell you. Other pursuits take precedence, such as courting and similar heart-felt endeavors. Students researching next to rhythmically rolling waters might be particularly distracted. Given all that, it is safe to say the salty, soft waters “taunted” the students. In giving the ocean the capacity for acting with intent, the writer enlivens a serious subject without diminishing it. Other “t” words might be “teased” (a less harsh form of mockery) and “tweaked” in the sense of being annoying.
春天不是讀書天，大多數年輕學子都會這麼告訴你。春天有更重要的任務，比如談情說愛，或其他情深意切的事。在規律起伏的海邊做研究，或許特別容易擾亂學生的思緒。因此，適當的說法是輕柔的海水「taunted」（挑動）學生思緒。作者賦予海水意志力，讓原本正經的主題活潑生動起來，同時不減損其威力。其他以「t」開頭的詞包括「teased」（逗弄，較輕微的嘲弄）或「tweaked」（捉弄），同樣會令人心神不寧。