这是 一直夫妇 的第 690 篇文章
本文 1228 字,预计阅读 5min
从外刊中选了两个短语,我们一起来学习把它们应用到写作中。
01
put A down to B
Another study, by Liran Einav of Stanford University and Leeat Yariv, now of Princeton University, found that faculty with earlier surname initials were more likely to receive tenure at top departments, an effect they put down to the fact that authors of economics papers tend to be listed alphabetically.
译文:斯坦福大学的利兰 · 艾纳夫(Liran Einav)和现供职于普林斯顿大学的莉亚特 · 雅利夫(Leeat Yariv)进行的另一项研究发现,姓氏首字母排名较靠前的教师更有可能在王牌院系获得终身教职,他们认为该现象原因在于经济学论文作者的名字往往按字母顺序排列。
put A down to B
想表示原因时,哪几位是你作文中的常客?because,be caused by,due to … 以后,常客可以加上一位。put A down to B 是一个固定搭配,表示 to believe that it is caused by that thing「归咎于,归因于」。其实我们之前学过一个表达,跟它很相似,不知道你有没有印象?答案来了,be down to sb/sth,参见 。
You may be a sceptic and put it down to life's inequalities.
你或许是个怀疑论者,会把这件事归因于生活的不公。
▍动动笔
青少年的近视率与日俱增。很多人认为,导致孩子们近视的罪魁祸首之一是手机。好,我们用上新学的短语来造个句。
Many people put the staggering increase in teenager‘s myopia down to the frequent use of mobile phones.
许多人将青少年近视急剧增加归咎于频繁使用手机。
02
work against
Names can work against economists in other ways.
译文:姓名还可能在其他方面对经济学家产生不利影响。
work against
这个短语用来表示 to make it more difficult, or easier, for someone to achieve something「对某人不利」,或者我们可以用 go 代替 work,含义不变。与之相反的则是 work for sb/sth。
Inexperience can work against a candidate looking for a job.
没有经验可能对求职者不利。
另外,work against sth 也可以表示「治疗」。我们来看 2020 年的这个《经济学人》例句。
The same HER2 mutation also appears in some lung cancers, raising hopes that similar therapies could work against that disease.
部分肺癌中也出现了同样的 HER2 突变,所以类似疗法也有望用于治疗肺癌。
03
A lot more has to do with sth.
A lot more has to do with a post-pandemic fashion for all things casual and comfortable, especially among Millennials and Gen-Zs, which has boosted sales of other ungainly casual-chic footwear.
译文:这与疫情后在「千禧一代 」和 「Z 世代」中流行的休闲舒适风有着更为重要的关系,这股风潮推动了其他样式笨拙的休闲时尚鞋销售上涨。
have to do with sb/sth
上面这个句型化用了一个朴实无华的短语 have to do with sb/sth,表示「与某人/某事物有关,与某人/某事物有联系」,类似 be related to something,或 be involved with something。这个短语有趣的地方在于,把英文中最常用的两个动词都囊括了进去,而且 have 和 do 都是既可以担任助动词,也可以担任实义动词。经我解说后,是不是这个短语再也不会忘了呢?
而且,不单写作可用,口语中也常用到。下面我们来看 2017 年 12 月六级阅读中的一个例句。
In part, the authors wrote in HBR, this pattern may have to do with the way work itself has changed over the past several decades.
在一定程度上,这种模式可能与过去几十年来工作的自身变化情况有关,文章作者在《哈佛商业评论》中写道。
▍动动笔
假设我们仍然要探讨青少年近视的原因,除了刚才提到的手机外,我们认为更重要的原因在于缺乏自律。那就可以很自然地用上新句型了。
Many people put the staggering increase in teenager‘s myopia down to the frequent use of mobile phones. A lot more has to do with their lack of self-discipline.
许多人将青少年近视急剧增加归咎于频繁使用手机,但更重要的原因在于青少年缺乏自律。
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