1. 认识这个词(基础篇)
词:source
英英释义:a place, person, or thing from which something originates or can be obtained
例句:Racial and cultural diversity has long been considered a source of strength for the US.
2. 体会这个词 (进阶篇)
“source”是可数名词,字面意思是“河流的源头”,可以引申为“XX 的来源”,比如“收入来源”就可以说成“a source of income”。a source of 后常接抽象名词,比如 delight、strength、happiness、progress 等,是个非常实用、地道的写法。我们来看几个例子,体会一下这个常见表达的灵活用法。
种族和文化多样性一直被视为美国的优势,就可以说:
Racial and cultural diversity has long been considered a source of strength for the US.
拳王阿里去世之后,《经济学人》给他写了一篇讣告,里面提到打拳击获得冠军并没有给他带来快乐,是这样写的:
Conquering the world, as he had done time after time with pure punching skill, did not now seem the source of true happiness.
《经济学人》在一篇讨论安乐死的社论中这样写道:
Liberty and autonomy are sources of human dignity.
也就是说,是自由和自治赋予了人们尊严。
奥巴马在卸任美国总统之后,接受了《经济学人》的邀请,写了一篇回顾第二任期的文章,其中有一句是这样的:
America’s political system can be frustrating. Believe me, I know. But it has been the source of more than two centuries of economic and social progress.
在这句话里面,奥巴马指出美国两个多世纪的经济社会进步得益于它的政治制度。
从上面几句可以看出,要真正掌握一个单词,查英汉字典是不够的,有时候甚至查英英字典也不够。我们需要在阅读时注意常见词汇的意思和常见搭配,在语境中掌握一个词的真正用法。
另外,我们要注意中英文表达的区别。我们平时想表达“XX的来源”时,会很容易就想到“a source of X”,不过英文的“a source of X”可以表达的意思远远多于“XX的来源”。比如例句中的“得益于” “赋予” “带来”,很多时候都可以用到“a source of X”。在学习词汇时,要多留意中英文表达习惯的不同,积累的越多,我们的口语、写作和翻译就会变得越地道。
3. 从认识到会用(作业)
1)搭配。
a. [搭配]ADJ.
excellent, fertile, good, lucrative, reliable, rich, valuable 绝好的来源;丰富的源泉;不错的来源;生利的源泉;可靠的来源;宝贵的源泉:
a fertile source of ideas 丰富的思想源泉a lucrative source of income 颇为丰厚的收入来源a rich source of vitamins 丰富的维生素源
important, main, major, principal 重要来源;主要来源
cheap 廉价来源:a cheap source of labour 廉价的劳动力来源
external, foreign 外部来源:Do you have any foreign sources of income? 你有外部的收入来源吗?
independent 独立来源: an independent source of funding 独立的资金来源
additional 额外来源
alternative 其它可供选择的来源:We need to look for alternative sources of energy. 我们需要寻找其它可供选择的能源。
natural 自然资源
renewable 可再生资源:The village obtains all its energy from renewable sources. 这个村子完全利用可再生能源。
energy, food, heat, light, power, water 能源;食物源;热源;光源;电源;水源
b. [搭配]VERB + SOURCE
be, constitute, prove, provide 是来源;构成来源;证明是来源;提供来源:
The census constitutes the principal source of official statistics. 人口普查是官方统计数字的主要来源。These crustaceans provide a valuable food source for some fish. 这些甲壳纲动物是某些鱼类重要的食物来源。
exploit, tap, use (as) 开源;使用(…作为)来源:
The government hopes to tap new sources of employment in the area of health. 政府希望在保健领域开拓新的就业岗位来源。
locate 确定来源:We tried to locate the source of the sound. 我们试图查明声音是从哪儿发出来的。
c. [搭配]PREP.
at ~ 在源头:
Under the PAYE system, employees’ income is taxed at source (= by the employer). 在所得税预扣制下,雇员的收入在发放前由雇主扣除税金。
~ of…的来源:
a reliable source of advice 可靠的忠告
d. [搭配]PHRASES
a variety of sources 各种来源:
The research was funded from a wide variety of sources. 这项研究的资金来源自各方。
2)翻译下面的句子:
姚明和刘翔让上海人感到骄傲。
(参考翻译:Yao Ming and Liu Xiang are a source of pride for Shanghainese people. )
3)结合自己的生活、学习、工作、兴趣等,想象在什么语境下会用到这个表达。先简要描述这个场景,再造句。
场景 1:想太多,就会产生焦虑。
造句:Thinking too much is the source of anxiety.
场景2:广泛的阅读可带来丰富的思想源泉
造句:Extensive reading provides a fertile source of ideas.
例句:Money is often a source of tension and disagreements in young married couples.
She has been a great source of strength to me.
His job is the family's main source of income.