知识加油站－词汇天地

lspjy

238eggs







put all your eggs in one basket
If you say that someone is putting all their eggs in one basket, you are pointing out that they are putting all their efforts or resources into one course of action and this means that they will have no alternatives left if it fails.

It was not as though the banks were unaware of the dangers of putting all their eggs in one basket. Just a few years before, they had lost billions on loans to the Third World.

Don't put your eggs in one basket; study hard at school and always keep an alternative job in mind.

This expression is often varied.

How could the BBC have put so many eggs in one basket? Why didn't they test the show with a pilot episode or a limited-run series?

Countries such as Puerto Haiti, Nepal, and Mexico have put their development eggs in the tourism basket, spending millions of dollars from public funds to build the sorts of facilities that foreign tourists demand.

lspjy

able/capable







able和capable均用于谈及某人能够做某事。


若说someone is able to do something意为某人能做某事，因为有知识或技能，或具备做该事的条件。


Breslow wondered if he could be able to climb over the rail. 布雷斯洛不知道是否能爬过栏杆。


They must be able to use their profiles for new investment. 他们必须能把利润用于新的投资。


注意，过去时表明某人实际上已经做了某事。


We were able to reduce costs. 我们能够降低成本。


若说someone is capable of doing something 指某人如有需要的话，是具有做某事的知识或技能的，或指他有可能会做某事。


Workers are perfectly capable of running the organizations which employ them. 工人完全有能力经营受雇的机构。


She was quite capable of dropping off to sleep. 她往往会不知不觉入睡。


也可说to be capable of a feeling or an action，意为具有某种感情，或会做得出某事的。


I think he's capable of loyalty and seriousness. 我想他会忠诚，认真。


Bowman could not not believe him capable of murder. 鲍曼不相信他会杀人。


在谈及汽车或机器等的性能时，通常用capable of。


... water turbines, which are capable of producing more economical electricity. ……能降低发电成本的水动涡轮机。


The car was capable of 110 miles per hour. 这车每小时能跑一百一十英里。


若把某人描述为able或capable，其意为某人聪明能干。两词用作这一意义时，基本相同。


... the able and methodical King Charles V of France. ……能干、有条理的法国国王查理五世。


This very able man totally failed to see the possibilities of the telephone. 这位非常能干的人根本没看到电话的潜在价值。


Newborn babies are more capable than was once thought. 新生婴儿的能力比以前人们想象的要强得多。


Well, you certainly have a capable gardener there. 哟，你的园丁一定能干。

lspjy

above/over







above 和over均用于谈及位置和高度。某物比另一物高，但并非在其正上方时，则用above。


The trees rose above the houses.


树木长得高出房屋。


to go over something的意思是越过某物或某地，走到另一端。


Castle stepped over the dog.


卡所尔跨过这条狗。


...a soaring seagull swooping over Central Park.


……一只翱翔的海鸥掠过中央公园。


穿两件衣服，一件套在另一件上面，可说you are wearing one over the other。


Rudolph was wearing a sweater over a wool shirt, and a silk scarf.


鲁道夫在羊毛衫外穿了件外套，还戴了丝围巾。


某物比另一物高，并且位于其正上方时，也可用above或over。


He opened a cupboard above the sink.


他打开洗涤槽上方的橱柜。


She learned forward until her face was directly over the basin.


她俯下身子，面对脸盆。


above 和over 均可用于谈及度量。


说到某一距离或某段时间比已提及的距离或时间长时，用over。


The plane flew at a height of over twelve thousand feet.


飞机在一万二千多英尺的高度飞行。


So we had this beautiful relationship for over a year.


我们之间的这种美好关系保持了一年多。


谈到某点，尤其是标尺上的某点比另一点高时，用above或over均可。


The amount of tax you should pay is determined by what you earn above a certain figure.


你应缴的税额由超过某一数额的那一部分收入所决定。


Any money earned over that level is taxed at the rate of 59 per cent.


超过这一数额的收入以百分之五十九的比率纳税。


In each case I want to know the height of the man. Everybody above five feet eight inches is suspect.


每个案件，我都想知道作案人的身高，身高在五英尺八英寸以上者都有嫌疑。


above 和over均可用于说明某人身份的高低及与他人比较的相对重要性。


谈到某人比旁人重要，地位比旁人高时，用above。


... behaving as if she was in a position above even the staff, and certainly above us.


……从举止看，她的地位似乎还高于职员，当然也高于我们。


Someone is over you意为某人可以对你发号施令或下达指示。


...an officer set in authority over him.


……一名权力高于他的官员。

lspjy

act/action







用作名词，故很易与另一名词action混淆不清。请注意，它们之间有如下 的区别：


（一）一般说来，act指个别具体的行动；action 指抽象的行为。


（二）act大都指短暂的、简单的动作；action 指较长的、复杂的行为。例如我们应该说the action of a machine，而不说the act of a machine。


（三）在下列场合，只能用act，不能用action；the act of cruelty，folly，mercy，God（天灾），jumping，stealing，walking，kindness，madness...。


（四）在下列场合，只能用action，不能用act：to take action，in speech and action，a man of action, put into action, ready for action, to come （bring） into action...。在某些习语和表示“作用” 的涵义时，也只能用action，不用act。例：Actions speak louder than words；Chemical action（化学 作用）；capillary action（毛细管作用）；the action of light （heat）（光/热的作用）……。


下面例句说明act和action的分野：


The pickpocket was caught in the act. 扒手在行窃是被抓住了。


Trying to cover up the mistake is an act of folly. 试图隐藏错误是一件愚蠢的事。


In the act of picking up the ball, he slipped and fell. 他在拾球的时候滑倒了。


Don't take any action. 不要采用任何行动。


He is a man of action. 他是一个很活跃的人。


The government must take action to prevent unemployment from deteriorating.


政府必须采用行动防止失业情况恶化。


有时候，act和action之间的界限并不是很清楚的，例如在下列句中，它们可互换使用：


It was an act (or action) that they were to regret bitterly.


Her heroic act (or action) will be long remembered.


You will be judged by your acts (or actions).


最后还需补充一点，在指某个行为或行动的特征时，应用act，不用action。例如：an act of thoughtfulness; the act of a fool，但是，在该行为或动作之前如有形容词修饰时，则改用action，不 用act。例如我们说：the act of a careless person; I don't like his careless action.

lspjy

affect/influence







affect 表示影响的意思时，是指产生一种足以引起反映的影响，他有时只表示对。。。发生影响，不含有好坏的意思；有时表示对……发生不良影响。例如：


It does not affect me in the least. 这对我毫不发生影响。


The climate affected his health. 气候影响了他的健康。


influence 表示影响、感染的意思时，是指使思想、行为、性质或发展和成长等发生变化的影响。它可以指坏的影响，也可以指好的影响，这种影响常常是潜移默化的。例如：


Don't be influenced by bad examples．不要受坏样子的影响。


The weather influences the crops．天气影响农作物。


The labour enthusiasm of the workers strongly influenced us．工人们的劳动热情强烈地感染了我们。

lspjy

affect/effect







to affect a person or thing意为影响某人或某事。


Fitness affects you mentally and physically, and how you feel affects everything from your relationships to your ability to cope.


健康影响精神和身体，而你的感受影响一切，包括人际关系和处理解决问题的能力。


One of the problems with noise is that it affects different people in different ways.


噪音的问题之一是它对不同的人产生不同的影响。


Emotional states can affect our hormone levels.


情绪会影响激素水平。


affect的名词是effect。something affects you与it has an effect on you同义，其意为某事会对某人产生影响。


...the effect of noise on people in factories.


……噪音对工人的影响。


...under the effect of the anaesthetic.


……在麻醉药的作用下。


to effect something like a change or a repair 意为导致变化或修复等。effect用作动词相当正规，还不如把effect用作名词常见。


She claimed that all her cures were effected solely by known medicines and by prayers.


她声称她所有的疾病完全靠现有药物和祈祷就可以得到治愈。


Mrs Moffat had effected hasty repairs with tape and gummed paper.


莫法特太太匆匆用胶带和黏胶纸给予修复。

lspjy

afraid/fear







afraid 意思是怕，害怕。它是形容词，通常与to be连用，可以广泛地用以表示害怕心理。例如：


Don't be afraid. 不要害怕。


We are not afraid of difficulties. 我们不怕困难。


That is what I was afraid of. 我所怕者就在于此。


I was afraid of hurting his feelings. 我害怕伤他的感情。


He is afraid to jump.他不敢跳。


fear 意思是害怕。它是动词，与be afraid往往可以通用，但不如 be afraid常用（特别是在口语中）。例如：


we fear no difficulty．我们不怕困难。


He feared to speak his mind．他不敢说出自己的想法。


Fearing that he would catch cold， I went out to see him．因为怕他会受惊，我走去看他。


[注] 在口语中， be afraid 和 fear可以表示担心或怀疑的意思，作为一种客套用语。例如；


I’m afraid we shall be late．恐怕我们会迟到。


I fear it’s not so．恐怕不是这样。