The region is facing an acute water shortage due to prolonged drought.
A（一）+ cute（可爱）+ 但这里不读 cute，读 /juːt/。像针尖一样尖锐，所以是“剧烈”或“敏锐”。
The Supreme Court upholds the lower court's ruling on the constitutional challenge.
Up-holds：Up（向上）+ holds（拿着）→ 高高举起盾牌 → 维护/支持。
The ornithologist discovered a new subspecies of warbler in the Amazon rainforest.
Or-ni-thol-ogist：Or（鸟，如 eagle）+ ni（像 night 夜晚）+ thol（像 throat 喉咙）+ ogist（专家）→ 研究鸟儿夜晚喉咙叫声的专家 → 鸟类学家。
Authorities seized thousands of bootleg concert recordings that were being sold online at steep discounts.
Bootleg：把酒藏在靴子里偷运（boot+leg），所以是“走私/非法”的。
The multitalented actor not only starred in the film but also wrote the screenplay and composed the score.
Multi-（多）+ talented（有才华的）= 多才多艺。想象一个超级英雄拥有多种超能力。