情景对话：

A: What do you think of the former champ?

你觉得上届冠军怎么样？

B: There are some bad misses in his defense, and he had to soak up a lot of punishment.

他在卫冕中有些失误，挨了不少拳。

A: No champion can remain at the top forever.

没有常胜的将军。

B：I suppose he's not in top form.

我倒觉得他状态欠佳。

第一， 词海拾贝

soak up

exp. To learn or absorb some information; to learn much information or to take in or accept something（吸收知识，学到知识，接受，领悟）

e.g. Charles soaks up facts as fast as the teacher gives them．

老师讲的东西，查尔斯一下子就能领悟记住。

e.g. She was captivated by the class, soaking up the teacher's every word.

她被这堂课迷住了，全神贯注地听老师说每一个词。

e.g. I always try to soak his advice up whenever he offers it.

每当他提出建议时，我总是设法接受他的意见。

e.g. The student soaked up everything the teacher said.

学生把老师说的每一句话都听进去了。

第二， 语汇积累

1. at the top：在巅峰

e.g. He is at the top of his class.

他是班上数一数二的好学生。

e.g. The scientist came at the top of the scale of intelligence.

这位科学家的智商最高。

2. in top form：竞技状态好

e.g. That was really funny, Bob. You are in top form tonight.

那真的很有趣，鲍勃，你今晚状态很好。

e.g. The president was in top form and entertained the audience with her speech.

总统竞技状态很好，她的演讲给观众带来了欢乐。

e.g. The comedian was really in top form last night—we laughed nonstop.

这位喜剧演员昨晚的表演真是棒极了，我们笑个不停。

3. think of：认为，觉得

e.g. Susan and her fiance think of their letters as cords of love.

苏珊和她未婚夫把他俩的来往书信看作爱情的纽带。

e.g. She is sensitive to what people think of her.

她很敏感人们对她是怎么想的。