contaminate: implies intrusion of or contact with dirt or foulness from an outside source: water ~d by industrial wastes.


taint: stresses the loss of  purity or cleanliness that follows contamination: the scandal ~ed the rest of his political career.


pollute: sometimes interchangeable with contaminate, may imply that the process which begins with contamination is complete and that what was pure or clean has been made foul, poisoned, or filthy: ~d the waters of the lake, so that it became in parts no better than an open cesspool.


defile: implies befouling of what could or should have been kept clean and pure or held sacred and suggests violation or desecration: ~ a hero's memory with slanderous inuendo.            desecration亵渎神圣、污辱神物


contaminate污染: 污秽灰尘从外部侵入接触，taint污点玷污: 强调不再纯洁干净，pollute污染: 污染的过程已完成，纯净变污秽，defile亵渎玷污: 玷污本应圣洁的，构成冒犯亵渎


记忆方法: 1) 首字母CTPD想成Chu Peng Dao Tu触碰到土<==被污染     "污"的本意为1、停积不流的水 引申为2、不清洁，肮脏  进而引申为3、社会风气、个人道德等恶劣、败坏

               2) 污染的意思是使不纯净mean to make impure or unclean.首字母CTPD想成Chu Peng Dao Tu触碰到土<==被污染