今天我们要学的词是 dire. dire is spelled d-i-r-e, dire. Dire 是非常严峻的、极为令人担忧的意思，Jack Ma, the co-founder of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and one of China's richest men, gave a dire warning that the escalating trade war with the U.S. is going to be severe and long-lasting，阿里巴巴集团的共同创始人和中国首富马云发出一个可怕的警告说，与美国日趋升级的贸易战将会是严重而旷日持久的。常用短语dire straits 是指困境，Turkey's once bustling shopping malls are in dire straits amid currency woes，土耳其一度繁华的购物中心因货币贬值而陷入困境。