1. vain [veɪn] 
adj. 徒劳的，自负的
Our efforts are not in vain. 我们的努力没有白费。
vanity n. 虚荣 
Vanity Fair 名利场

2. futile ['fjuːtaɪl] 
adj. 徒劳的，无用的
It is futile to do/doing sth 做某事是徒劳无用的
It is completely futile trying to reason with him, he won’t listen. 跟他讲道理完全没用，他不会听的。

3. devote [dɪ'vəʊt] 
vt. 致力于，奉献 
devotion n.
He devoted his whole life to scientific research. 他把自己的一生都献给了科学研究。

4. dedicate ['dedɪkeɪt] 
vt. 致力于，献身 
dedication n.
As a teacher, I dedicate myself to my work and my students. 作为一名老师，我把自己奉献给了自己的工作和学生。

5. sacrifice ['sækrɪfaɪs] 
v. 牺牲
She sacrificed family life to her career. 她为了事业牺牲了家庭生活。
make sacrifices for 为…做出牺牲

6. tribute ['trɪbjuːt] 
n. 贡品，礼物
pay tribute to 致敬，歌颂

7. attribute [ə'trɪbjuːt] 
vt. 归属，把…归于
Women tend to attribute their success to external causes such as luck. 女性往往把她们的成功归因于外因，如运气。
n. 属性，特质

8. contribute [kən'trɪbjuːt] 
v. 贡献，捐献，投稿
Tourism contributes much to the local economy. 旅游业为当地经济做出很大贡献。

9. distribute [dɪ'strɪbjuːt] 
vt. 分配，散布 
distribution n. 
distributor n. 分销商
Their teacher distributed a review for the exam. 他们老师发了一份考试复习资料。