2022年12月03日 VOA慢速英语：减少还是减少？

 

This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question about the words "reduce" and "decrease."
本周在“问老师”中，我们将回答有关“减少”和“减少”这两个词的问题。
 
Question:
问题：
 
Dear Teacher,
< br/>亲爱的老师，
 
Would you please explain to me when to use "decrease" and "reduce?"
请您解释一下什么时候用“减少”和“减少”？
 
Thanks for giving us such valuable points.
感谢您给我们这么宝贵的意见。
 
Kind regards,
亲切的问候，
 
Mahmoud in Saudi Arabia
马哈茂德在沙特阿拉伯
 
Answer
回答
 
Hello Mahmoud! Thank you for writing to us! The words "decrease" and "reduce" are often thought of as having the same meaning. However, there are some differences, especially in the uses of "reduce."
你好马哈茂德！感谢您写信给我们！ “减少”和“减少”这两个词通常被认为具有相同的含义。但是，还是有一些区别，尤其是在“reduce”的用法上。
 
Let's look at each word more closely!
让我们更仔细地看一下每个词！
 
Decrease
减少
 
"Decrease" is a verb that can take a direct object, meaning it is transitive. It can also be intransitive which means that it does not take a direct object.
“减少”是动词，可以带直接宾语，意思是及物。它也可以是不及物动词，这意味着它不带直接宾语。
 
"Decrease" means to grow less in amount, size or strength over time, or to cause to be less.
“减少”表示随着时间的推移在数量、大小或强度上变小，或者导致变小。
 
Online shopping and big stores like Target have helped to decrease shopping malls in the US from 2,500 in the 1980s to around 700 malls now.
在线购物和 Target 等大型商店帮助美国的购物中心从 1980 年代的 2,500 家减少到现在的 700 家左右。
 
Voter turnout numbers decreased during the midterm election in some states like West Virginia and Virginia.
中期选举期间，部分地区的选民投票率有所下降西弗吉尼亚州和弗吉尼亚州等州。
 
Decrease can also be a noun. It is the process of growing less over time. It is a countable noun. For example:
Decrease 也可以是名词。这是随着时间的推移越来越少的过程。它是一个可数名词。例如：
There has been a decrease in newspaper reading over many years, possibly because of the internet.
多年来报纸阅读量一直在减少，可能是因为互联网。
 
Now let's move on to "reduce."
现在让我们继续“减少”。
 
Reduce
减少
 
"Reduce" is a verb and has many more meanings. It is most often used as a transitive verb that takes a direct object, but sometimes, we can use it without a direct object.
“减少”是一个动词，有更多的含义。它最常用作带直接宾语的及物动词，但有时，我们也可以不带直接宾语使用它。
 
The general meaning is to make something smaller. This meaning is most closely related to "decrease."
一般意思是使某物变小。这个意思与“减少”的关系最密切。
 
Electric cars could reduce our need for gasoline-powered cars.
电动汽车可以减少我们对汽油动力汽车的需求。

Reduce can also mean to bring together into one and to narrow down.
减少也可以意味着将合二为一，缩小范围。
 
Every year, I reduce my clothes by going through my closet and giving away some pieces.
每年，我都会翻阅我的衣橱并赠送一些衣服，从而减少我的衣服。
 
We can also reduce a liquid by boiling it. This makes the taste stronger and there is less liquid.
我们也可以通过煮沸来还原液体。这使得味道更浓，液体更少。
 
If you bring sugar to a boil and then reduce it, you are left with a thick caramel sauce.
如果你把糖煮沸然后减少它，你会留下浓稠的焦糖酱。
 
Reduce can also mean to bring to a certain state or condition, usually a negative one. We can use "reduce" with the preposition "to" to create a phrasal verb.
减少罐头也意味着带来某种状态或条件，通常是消极的。我们可以用“reduce”加上介词“to”来组成动词短语。

The concert reduced her to tears.
演唱会让她哭了。

This sentence is in the active voice. This means that the concert moved the woman emotionally to such an extent that she cried.
这句话是主动语态。这意味着音乐会感动了这位女士，以至于她哭了。
 
We can also use the passive voice to mean that someone is reduced to a state or condition.
我们也可以用被动语态来表示某人被降低到一种状态或条件。
 
She was reduced to uncontrollable laughter after seeing the funny movie.
她在看到有趣的电影后被降低到无法控制的笑声。
The forest was reduced to ashes by the wildfire.
森林是被野火化为灰烬。
 
Please let us know if these explanations and examples have helped you!
如果这些解释和示例对您有所帮助，请告诉我们！