1. 认识这个词(基础篇)
词:out-
例句:The benefits outweigh the risks.
2. 体会这个词 (进阶篇)
“out”作为前缀使用是非常高频、好用的表达。我们之前学习过 outlast,今天我们继续学习一些含有 out- 的常见单词,体会一下它们的简洁和形象。
《经济学人》中几乎每期都会多次用到 out。比如我们想表示“超过”,就可以用到 outdo, outperform, outstrip, outflank等。比如我们想说在社交网络上,谎言多于事实就可以说:
On social media, falsehoods often outrun facts.
利益大于风险,就可以说:
The benefits outweigh the risks.
联合国在一项报告中预测 2028 年左右,印度人口将会超过中国人口,我们就可以说:
By 2028, says the UN, India's population will outstrip China's.
或者:
According to the UN, the population of India is expected to outnumber that of China by the year 2028.
以上都是很常见的含有 out- 前缀的用法,它还有很多灵活的用法。比如我想想说 A 比 B 更能喝,可能一下子会想到 A drinks more than B,其实这时也可以用 outdrink。《经济学人》在写咖啡时就用到过:
Germany and Japan also outdrink those traditional homes of coffee swilling—France and Italy.(这里的 coffee swilling 表示“消耗咖啡非常多的”)
《经济学人》在另一篇介绍扑克运动的文章中也用到了一个 out 作为前缀的动词:
Though his £71,000 win was “a huge lift”, he says that he is motivated not by money but by the chance to use his brain to outfox opponents.(这里的 outfox 意思就是“以智取胜”)
我们在阅读时要留意这些灵活用法。
3. 从认识到会用(作业)
1)翻译下面的句子:
《复仇者联盟4:终局之战》继续领跑票房。(提示:可以用到 outdo 或者 outperform)
《Anvengers4: Endgame》continued outperforming its rivals at the box office.
(参考翻译:“Avengers: Endgame” has outdone its competitors at the box office. 或者 “Avengers: Endgame,” the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series, has outperformed its rivals at the box office.)