forestall
v[Tn]
act before (sb else) so as to prevent him from doing sth 抢在(别人)之前行动
forestall a competitor, a rival, etc 抢在竞争者、 对手之前行动
I had my objection all prepared, but Stephens forestalled me. 我已做好准备要提出反对意见, 不料斯蒂芬斯却抢先了一步.
Next, if it is not a story, get an idea of the organization of the book. Read the back cover and the introduction. Look at the pictures and the short texts below them. Turn to the front of the book and look at the contents. This way you can decide whether