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


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


pollute: often interchangeable with contaminate, implies the process which begins with contamination is complete and which was pure and clean has been made foul or poisonous: ~ 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 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: 污染的过程已完成, 纯净变污秽,  defile玷污亵渎: 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

                2）练习一下

                3)  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