LECTURE 3 基本动词 BREAK 3

LECTURE 3 基本动词 BREAK 3

词组讲解

1. break one's heart ** 使伤心

解 习语；词义溯源：打碎某人的［心（heart）］

例 The children have been looking forward to this for weeks. If you don't take them to Disneyland, you'll break their hearts. Can't you delay your trip until next week? Surely your manager would understand—he has children too and he knows how terrible it is for the kids if you have to cancel something like this.

2. break sb. or sth. down / break down sb. or sth. ***制服，压倒；毁坏，破坏；出毛病；分解，分析

解 短语动词；词义溯源：［向下（down）］破坏（某人或某物）

例 The Egyptians had spent weeks building massive walls of sand around their positions. The Israelis took only hours to break them down with the ingenious use of water cannons. War after war, the ingenuity of the Israeli military proved to be the small nation's key to survival.

3. break sb. or sth. up / break up ***（使）捧腹大笑；打碎；崩溃；分开（成套的物品）；结束，停止

解 〈口〉短语动词；词义溯源：［完全（up）］打碎、拆开

例 Nobody expected the Soviet Union to break up so rapidly and thoroughly. Even NATO found the pace astonishing and tried to help the Soviets slow the dissolution to a manageable pace.

4. break the ice ** 破冰，打破沉默，打破僵局

解 习语；词义溯源：打碎［冰冷感、冷漠、冷淡（ice）］

例 Ilike to have everybody introduce themselves in the first class to sort of break the ice. Once everybody knows who the others are, the tension of unfamiliarity eases considerably and everyone feels free to talk.

5. break the news to sb. ** 把坏消息告诉某人

解 习语；词义溯源：向某人透露［消息（news）］

例 During the war, special agents were trained to visit the homes of dead and missing soldiers to break the news to the family. It was no easy task telling a mother she had lost her son in an unpopular war in some distant land. Still, somebody had to do it.

巩固练习

(A) broke his heart

(B) break down

(C) break up

(D) breaking the ice

(E) breaking the news

1. A: The first thing we've got to do is get everybody acquainted with each other. You know, sort of get everybody relaxed and talking. B: Don't worry, I'm great at ______. I'll have everybody talking in no time at all.

2. A: Who's going to inform the boss that Miss Lee is quitting? Somebody's got to tell him before he leaves for New York. B: Not me! I'm not ______ to him. The last time I told him some bad news, he threw his pencil at me!

3. A: It might take a few days, but I think if we keep the pressure on him, Councilman Manes will stop resisting us and accept our proposal. B: I'm not so sure about that. I think he'll prove harder to ______ than you think.

4. A: We're pouring massive amounts of detergent into the water in an attempt to ______ the spilled oil before it hits the shore. B: How does the detergent destroy the oil? Is there some kind of chemical reaction? And how long does it take for the detergent to effectively eliminate the risk of the oil hitting the shore?

5. A: When the principal saw the damage the storm caused to the library, was he disappointed? B: Disappointed? Yes, deeply disappointed. It ______. The library was his pride and joy—his own personal project. I heard he went back to his office and cried.

■ ANSWER

1. (D)

2. (E)

3. (B)

4. (C)

5. (A)

参考译文

I. 1. 几周以来，孩子们一直盼着这一天。如果你不带他们去迪士尼乐园，你会让他们伤心的。你不能把出差推迟到下周吗？你们经理肯定会理解的——他也有孩子，他知道如果你取消这样的活动，对于孩子来说有多么糟糕。

2. 埃及人花费数周时间在阵地周围用沙子筑起厚实的防护墙。而以色列人巧妙地利用了水炮，仅用几个小时就摧毁了防护墙。经过一场场战争，以色列军人的聪明才智成为这个小国家生存的关键。

3. 没有人能预料到苏联会如此迅速和彻底地解体。即使北约也认为苏联解体的速度太过惊人，试图帮助苏联将解体的速度降低到可以控制的程度。

4. 在第一节课上，我喜欢让大家先做自我介绍，来打破沉默。只要大家相互认识了，因为不熟悉带来的紧张就可以得到一定程度的缓解，然后大家才会随意地谈话。

5. 在战争期间，一些受过专业培训的特工会到阵亡和失踪士兵的家中，把坏消息告诉他们的家人。告诉一位母亲她的儿子在遥远的地方进行的一场不受欢迎的战争中阵亡，这并不是一件容易的事。但是，还是必须有人做这件事。

II. 1. A：我们首先需要做的是让大家相互熟悉起来。你知道，就是让大家放松地交谈。B：别担心。我非常善于打破沉默。我马上就能让大家开始交流。

2. A：谁来告诉老板李小姐要辞职的消息？必须得在他去纽约之前告诉他。B：我可不去！我不会把这个坏消息告诉他的。上次我告诉他一个坏消息的时候，他冲我扔铅笔了！

3. A：这或许会花几天的时间，但是我想如果我们继续施加压力的话，马内斯议员可能就不会再反对我们，进而接受我们的提议。B：我不太肯定。我想他会比你想象的更难说服。

4. A：为了在泄漏的石油扩散到海岸之前将它们分解，我们在水里注入了大量的清洁剂。B：清洁剂怎么分解石油呢？会发生什么化学反应吗？清洁剂有效地消除石油扩散到海岸的危险需要花多长时间呢？

5. A：校长看到暴风对图书馆造成的破坏时，他有没有感到很失望？B：失望？是的，非常失望。他简直伤透了心。那座图书馆是他的骄傲和乐趣——是他个人的工程。我听说他回到自己办公室后，大哭了一场。