equip,furnish,outfit,supply
动词。这几个词的共同含义是提供必需的物资。equip指装备。如:The army is equipped with modern weaponry.(这支军队是用新式武器装备起来的。)They have equipped the office with computers.(他们已给办公室配备了电脑。)furnish主要指给房间配备家具,也指供应其他物品。如:His room is furnished with a sofa and chairs among other things.(他的房间里布置有1个沙发、几把椅子和其他家具。)The shop furnishes articles of everyday use.(这家商店供应日用品。)outfit是常用的词而且比较口语化,主要指供应全套装备特别是衣服。如:The mountaineers were outfitted with clothes for all kinds of weather and equipped with shotguns and cameras.(登山队员们配备了对付各种天气的衣服,还有猎枪和照相机。)supply比上列各词更为广泛使用,如supply information to a news agency(向通讯社提供信息),supply milk to the residents in cities(向城市居民供应牛奶),supply the market with new commodities(向市场供应新商品)等。
escalate,increase
动词。这两个词的共同含义是上升。escalate指战争逐步升级、物价等相继上升。如:They escalated the war by bombing their enemy's capital.(他们轰炸了敌国首都,从而使战争升级。)These factors caused the cost of living to escalate during the third quarter of the year.(这些因素使得生活费用在那一年的第三季度节节上涨。)increase指数额或数量增加。如:The student population of the university increased.(这所大学的学生总数增加了。)
ewe,goat,lamb,ram,sheep,wether
名词。这几个词的共同含义是羊。ewe指母羊。goat指山羊。lamb指羔羊。ram指公羊。sheep指各种羊,特别是绵羊。wether指去势的公羊。
excursion,journey,pilgrimage,tour,trip,voyage
名词。这几个词的共同含义是旅行。excursion通常指数人结伴的短途旅行。如:Several students went on an excursion to the Great Wall.(几名学生到长城游览了一次。)journey通常指旅程稍长的陆路旅行。如:A long train journey took us from the capital to Tibet.(我们从首都乘长途火车去西藏旅行。)pilgrimage指朝圣者的旅行。如:The imam has made a pilgrimage to Mecca.(这位阿訇曾去麦加朝圣。)tour泛指旅游,如a round-the-world tour(环球旅游),a three-day tour of HongKong(香港3日游)等。trip比较通俗,指相对短期的旅行和有特殊目的或定期的旅行。如:They made a trip to Mount Tai last week.(上星期他们去泰山旅行了一次。)The purchasing agent makes two trips to the wholesale market every week.(这采购员每周跑批发市场两趟。)voyage通常指乘船长途旅行。如:The merchants set out on a voyage to Singapore.(商人们乘船出发前往新加坡。)
exterior,external,outer,outside
形容词。这几个词的共同含义是“外部的”。exterior通常指“外表的或外边的”。如an exterior scene in a garden(花园外景),the exterior walls of the prison(监狱的外墙)等。external指“外部的”,如the external world(外界),an external enemy(外部敌人),external causes(外因),external force(外力),an external wound(外伤)等。outer指“离中间距离较远的”,如outer islands(外岛),outer space(外层空间)等。outside指“外部的、外来的”,如outside people(外人),outside help(外援),outside line(电话外线)等。
factory,mill,plant,works
名词。这几个词的共同含义是工厂。factory泛指用机器大量生产货物的工厂。mill指轻工业工厂,如a flour mill(面粉厂),a cotton mill(棉纺厂),a paper mill(造纸厂)等。plant多指机械、电力和化学工业工厂以及由某种具体成套设备组成的单一目的的工厂,如a power plant(发电厂),a chemical plant(化工厂),an automobile plant(汽车制造厂)等。works多指钢铁工业工厂以及某些特定的工厂,如an iron and steel works(钢铁厂),a gas works(煤气厂),a cement works(水泥厂)等。但这些区别并不是绝对的。
fame,renown,reputation,repute
名词。这几个词的共同含义是名声。fame可指好名声,也可指坏名声,尤指某方面有重大成就的名声。renown专指好名声,即名望。reputation指各种名声,不在于成就,但多指好名声,如live up to one's reputation(不负盛名),have a high reputation as a mathematician(以研究数学闻名),have a reputation for cowardice(以懦弱闻名)等。repute既可指好名声、大名声,也可指坏名声、小名声,如be held in high repute(很有名望),be of a little repute(小有名气),be of evil repute(名誉扫地)等。
fancy,fantasy,imagination,supposition
名词。这几个词的共同含义是想象。fancy指无事实根据的幻想。fantasy指漫无边际的或富于创意的幻想。imagination指有意识的创造性的想象。supposition指根据已知事情进行的推测。
farmer,peasant,peasantry
名词。这几个词的共同含义是从事农业的人。farmer指农场主或经营农业的人。peasant指发展中国家或昔日的农民。peasantry是农民的总称。
farther,further
这两个词都是far的比较级形式,可作形容词和副词。farther指“更远的”、“更远地”,further指引申意义“进一步的”、“进一步地”。前者表示距离,后者表示程度。如:The hospital is farther than the post office.(医院比邮局远。)He can go no farther.(他再也不能往前走了。)Further study will be carried out.(还要作进一步的研究。)Please don't explain further.(请不必再解释了。)
fashion,rage,vogue
名词。这几个词的共同含义是风尚。fashion的使用范围较广,指衣着或行为的时髦。如:Wide trousers are the latest fashion.(近期时兴宽大的裤子。)There's a fashion for painting women's nails red just now.(现在有一种将女性的指甲涂红的风气。)rage泛指一时的风尚。如:This kind of hairdo has been the rage among the youngsters for a time.(这种发型在小伙子中曾一度流行。)This style of straw hat is all the rage this summer.(这种式样的草帽今夏非常时髦。)vogue着重指妇女的新颖服饰的时尚。如:High boots were in vogue for women last year.(去年妇女风行穿高筒靴。)
fast,quick,rapid,swift
形容词。这几个词的共同含义是速度高。fast着重指持续性行动的迅速,如a fast train(速度快的火车),fast music(节奏快的音乐)等。quick着重形容突然而短暂的行动。如:The tiger took a quick leap at the hunter.(老虎猛然一跳,扑向猎人。)rapid用于形容一切可能并不持续快速的行动。如:Growth of industry has been rapid in recent years.(近年来工业的发展迅速。)We congratulated her on her rapid recovery from her illness.(我们祝贺她迅速痊愈。)swift用于形容有能力或才干迅速行动的人或短时间内完成的动作,如a swift runner(飞毛腿),a swift rebuttal(敏捷的反驳)等。
feather,plumage,plume
名词。这几个词的共同含义是羽毛。feather可指一根羽毛,也可指全身羽毛。plumage指全身羽毛。plume除指羽毛外,还指羽毛饰物及羽状物。
emoluments,fee,honorarium,pay,remuneration,salary,stipend,wages
名词。这几个词的共同含义是酬金。emoluments是酬金的正式名称。fee是一次付清的固定报酬,指医生、律师、会计师等收取的各种费用。如:The doctor's fee for a general examination is fifty dollars.(这位大夫所收的体检费是50美元。)He asked the solicitor what his fee would be.(他问律师收费多少。)honorarium指习俗上不便称为酬金的报酬。如:The magazine offers a high honorarium to every celebrity who will contribute a handwriting of their own.(这家杂志征求名人题词,润笔从优。)pay是表示工资的最通用的词,如full pay(全薪),half pay(半薪),draw one's pay(领工资)等。remuneration是非常正式而又较为文雅的词,同时又指一次付清的报酬。如:He got a remuneration for his service to the company.(他因给这家公司服务得到了一笔报酬。)salary在西方国家常指有专门技能的人员、脑力劳动者、企业管理人员等的薪金,一般是月薪或年薪。stipend指专业人员特别是牧师的薪金。wages在西方国家常指体力劳动者的工资,通常按时、按日、按周计酬。
female,feminine,womanish,womanly
形容词。female从性别上指“(人或动物)雌性的、女性的”,如a female bird(雌鸟),a female pilot(女飞行员)等。feminine指“有女性气质的”,不一定是真的女性,如feminine taste(女人味儿),a feminine voice(娘娘腔)等。womanish常含贬义,专指男人“像女人的”,如womanish fears(女人般胆小),a womanish walk(走路扭扭捏捏地)等。womanly指“具有或表现出女人气质的”,是褒义词。如:She showed a womanly concern for their health.(她无微不至地关心他们的健康。)