In this sentence

①confer sth on/upon sbv.授予；赋予（荣誉、学位、特权等）

Synonymsbestow, grant, award

句中使用了固定搭配“confer sth upon sb”（由于宾语较长，句子采用了倒装“confer upon you sth”），主语是有权威的人，客体是荣誉学位（honorary degree），因此表示正式“授予”。

• Wisdom is the only wealth that tyranny cannot confer and adversity cannot take away.智慧是暴政无法赐予、逆境无法夺走的唯一财富。

②confer with sb (on/about sth)v.商讨；协商

Synonymsconsult, deliberate, discuss

• Confer with a wise man before you make a great change.在做出重大改变之前，先与智者商讨。

In this sentence

①conference (on sth)n.（正式的）会议；研讨会

Synonymsconvention, symposium, seminar, summit

虽然原句中使用的是动词 confer（授予），但学习者选中的是其同源名词 conference。该词最核心、最常用的含义是正式的大型研讨会或会议。

• A conference is a gathering of important people who singly can do nothing, but together can decide that nothing can be done.会议是一群重要人物的聚会，他们单独行动时一事无成，聚在一起却能决定什么事也做不成。— Fred Allen

②in conference (with sb)n.商讨；协商

Synonymsconsultation, discussion, deliberation

• Wisdom often speaks when leaders are in conference, yet only humility hears her voice.当领导者商讨协商时，智慧往往在发声，然而唯有谦逊才能听到她的声音。

①infer sth from sthv.从……中推断出

Synonymsdeduce, conclude, gather

• From a drop of water, a logician could infer the possibility of an Atlantic or a Niagara without having seen or heard of one.逻辑学家能从一滴水中推断出大西洋或尼亚加拉瀑布的存在，即使他从未见过或听过它们。— Arthur Conan Doyle

②infer that...v.推断出；推测出

Synonymssurmise, reason, assume

• We may infer that wisdom consists not in knowing more, but in knowing how to live well with what we know.我们或可推断，智慧不在于知晓更多，而在于懂得如何运用所知好好生活。

①draw / make an inference (from sth)n.推断出的结论；推论

Synonymsdeduction, conclusion, conjecture

• What inferences can we draw from these survey results?我们能从这些调查结果中得出什么推论？

②by inferencen.推断；推理过程

Synonymsreasoning, deduction, extrapolation

• If we learn only by inference, we risk mistaking the shadow of assumption for the light of truth.若我们仅仅凭借推论来认知，便容易把假设的阴影误当作真理的曙光。

①prefer sth to sthv.比起……更喜欢……

Synonymsfavor, choose, like better

• I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery.比起和平的奴役，我宁愿选择危险的自由。— Thomas Jefferson

②prefer to do sth / prefer doing sthv.更愿意做某事；宁愿

Synonymsopt to, favor

• I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others.我宁愿忠于自己，即使冒着招致他人嘲笑的风险。— Frederick Douglass

③prefer sb to do sthv.更希望某人做某事

Synonymsdesire, wish

• Wise leaders prefer people to speak uncomfortable truths rather than comfortable lies.明智的领导者更希望人们说出逆耳的真话，而不是顺耳的谎言。

①preference for sth / sbn.偏爱；喜好

Synonymsliking, favor, partiality, inclination

• True freedom is not a preference for one cage over another; it is the courage to live without walls.真正的自由不是对某一个笼子的偏爱，而是活在无墙之地的勇气。

②in preference to sb / sthn.优先于；而不是

Synonymsrather than, instead of

• Wisdom often means choosing the enduring peace of conscience in preference to the fleeting pleasure of the moment.智慧往往意味着选择良知永恒的平静，而非当下转瞬即逝的欢愉。

③give preference to sb / sthn.优待；给……优先权

Synonymspriority, precedence, advantage

• A wise society must give preference to virtue over wealth, for character sustains what fortune merely lends.明智的社会必须给予美德高于财富的优先权，因为品格能维系命运所给予的一切。

①refer to sb / sthv.提到；谈及

Synonymsmention, cite, allude to

• Never refer to what is past; make space for the present to blossom.绝不沉溺于提及过往，方能给当下的绽放留出空间。

②refer to sthv.查阅；参考

Synonymsconsult, look up, turn to

• A wise man does not refer to the compass only when the storm has already arrived.智者绝不会等到风暴来临时才去查看罗盘。

③refer sb to sb / sthv.转介；让某人向……咨询或求助

Synonymsdirect, recommend, transfer

• True teachers do not give answers, but refer you to the wisdom within yourself.真正的师者不直接给出答案，而是指引你去向内求索自己的智慧。

④refer to sb / sth as sthv.把……称作；称呼

Synonymscall, describe as, label

• People often refer to patience as a weakness, yet it is the quietest form of strength.人们常把耐心称作软弱，殊不知它是力量最沉静的形态。

①make reference to sb/sthn.提及；谈到

Synonymsmention, allusion, remark

• In literature, to make reference to the past is often to illuminate the present.在文学中，提及过去往往是为了照亮当下。

②for future referencen.供参考；备查

Synonymsconsultation, information

• Keep every hard lesson in mind for future reference; experience is the only school where truth never changes.将每一个惨痛教训铭记在心以备日后参考；经验是唯一真理永不改变的学校。

③reference sb/sthv.引用；提及

Synonymscite, quote, mention

• If we do not reference the wisdom of the past, we risk repeating its most tragic errors.如果我们不借鉴过去的智慧，就有可能重蹈其最悲惨的覆辙。

④give sb a referencen.推荐信；介绍信

Synonymsrecommendation, testimonial, endorsement

• Only a person of genuine integrity can give you a reference that carries real weight.唯有真正正直之人，方能为你提供具有真正分量的推荐。

In this sentence

①by virtue of sthn.凭借；由于；依靠

Synonymsby means of, because of, on account of

句中使用了固定短语 by virtue of...，意思是“凭借/依仗（赋予我的权力）”，属于书面语及官方声明中的典型用法。

• We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit, achieved by virtue of continuous effort.我们日复一日的作为成就了我们。因此，卓越不是一种行为，而是一种凭借持续努力养成的习惯。

②virtuen.美德；道德高尚

Synonymsgoodness, morality, righteousness

• Virtue is its own reward.美德本身就是对美德的报酬。— Cicero

③the virtue of sthn.优点；长处

Synonymsadvantage, merit, benefit

• Patience is a minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue.耐心是绝望的一种次要形式，伪装成了一种优点。— Ambrose Bierce