设置（书本、戏剧、电影等的）背景
This novel is set in the gold rush.这本小说是以淘金热为背景的。
The book is set in France in the eighteenth century.
这部书是以18世纪的法国为背景的。
放，安放
He set his hand on my shoulder.他把手放在我的肩上。
We set food and drink before the travelers.
我们把食物和饮料摆在旅客面前。
布置，安排
Please set the table for dinner.请摆好餐具准备就餐。
The table is set for six guests.桌子上摆好了六位客人的餐具。
制定，确定
Have you set the time for the
meeting?你们把开会的时间定下来了吗？
They haven’t set a date for their wedding yet.他们的婚期还没定下来。
We must set ourselves precise sales targets for the coming
year.
我们要为明年定出准确的销售指标。
（太阳等）下落
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
太阳从东方升起在西方落下。
In Britain the sun sets much later in summer than in
winter.
在英国，夏季日落时间比冬季晚得多。
镶嵌于
He set a diamond in a ring.他把一块宝石镶嵌在戒指上。
Her bracelet was set with emeralds.她的手镯上镶着绿宝石。
含有set的常见搭配：
set about sth./doing sth. 开始（某工作），着手做
set …aside将…放在一边，（为某目的）节省或保留（钱或时间）
set off
使爆炸；动身
set
out动身
She set about answering letters as soon as she arrived at the office.她一到办公室就开始写回信。
I don’t know how to set about this job.这工作我不知如何入手。
She sets aside a bit of money every month.她每月都存一点儿钱。
I try to set aside a few minutes each day to do some
exercises.
我每天尽量腾出一些时间锻炼一下身体。
If you want to catch that train, we’d better set off for the station immediately.你要是想赶上那班火车，咱们就最好马上动身去火车站。
Do be careful with those fireworks; the slightest spark could set them off.这些烟火要格外小心，稍有火星就能引起爆炸。
They succeeded in what they set out to do.他们打算做的事已做好了。
She set out at dawn.她天一亮就出发了。
The government has set up a working party to look into the
problem.
政府已成立工作组调查这个问题。
2. wrong adj.＆ adv. 不正当的，不道德的；错误的
It’s wrong to steal.偷窃是不道德的。
He did the sum but got the wrong answer.他做了这道题，但算错了答案。
Can you prove that I am wrong?你能证实我错了吗？
常见搭配：
What’s wrong with…? …怎么了/出什么问题了
There’s something wrong with…. …出毛病了/出故障了
go wrong
What’s wrong with the engine? 发动机出了什么故障了？
What’s wrong with you?你哪里不舒服？
There’s something wrong with my eyes.---- I can’t see
properly.
我的眼睛出毛病了----看不清楚了。
The television has gone wrong again.电视又出毛病了。
The party was going well until Mary arrived, then everything went wrong.玛丽来之前晚会开得很成功，可后来一切都不对了。
*wrong n. 冤屈，错事
短语搭配：
do wrong 做错事，做坏事，做得不对
I hope you’ll never do wrong.我希望你永不做坏事。
You did wrong to let out the secret.你泄密是错误的。
They have done me a great wrong.他们对待我非常不公平。
类似的动词词组有：
do right
做的对
do harm 有害处
Peter did right to help the old woman out of the bus.
彼得扶那位老太太下车是对的。
Smoking does great harm to one’s health.吸烟对健康危害极大。
Doing morning exercise will do you a lot of good.做早操对你有好多好处。
You should do good all your life.你应当一辈子做好事。
3. degree
*度数
Water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit.水在32华氏度结冰。
*学位
To do the job, you must have a degree in chemistry.
有化学学位的人才能做这工作。
*程度，等级
The students have different degrees of
ability.学生的能力大小各有不同。
短语搭配：
to…degree
达到…程度
To what degree was he involved in the crimes?
他在多大程度参与了这些犯罪活动？
He was interested in his work to such a degree that he thought
about nothing else.
他对工作是如此感兴趣，以至于从不想别的事情。
To a certain degree he likes his job.
在某种程度上他喜欢他的工作。
Chinese fans love Yao Ming to the degree that they will try to watch any match that Yao Ming competes in.中国球迷很喜欢姚明，以至于只要有姚明参赛他们都想方设法观看。
He is getting better by degrees.他渐渐好起来了。
*常见的“ by +名词/代词”短语除了by degrees 之外，还有：
by mistake
错误地（因粗心、遗忘等所致）
by chance
偶然地，意外地
4. acknowledge
acknowledge + 名词
acknowledge + 动词的-ing 形式（不接不定式作宾语）
acknowledge + that
Do you acknowledge defeat?你认输吗？
They refused to acknowledge that they were defeated.
他们拒绝承认被打败了。
The opponents acknowledged having been defeated.对手们承认输了。
She acknowledged his help in her book.她在书中对他的帮助表示谢意。
He was acknowledged to be the finest poet in the world.
他是公认的世界上最优秀的诗人。
* acknowledgement n.
词组：in acknowledgement of … 承认…，感谢…
公司给他一块金表，以感谢他为公司效力。
* acknowledged
She is the acknowledged leader in her field of chemistry.
她是化学领域公认的权威。
*只接动名词做宾语的动词（动词短语）有：
admit 承认
consider 考虑
5. apart adv. 分开,相距,相隔
The two houses stood 500 metres apart.这两所房子相距500米。
You never see them apart these days.他们近来形影不离。
These pages stuck together----I can’t pull them apart.
这几页粘在一起了----我揭不开他们。
短语搭配：
tell…apart 分辨，区别（同义短语：tell
…from…把…和…区分开）
apart
from
take sth. apart 拆开
Apart from his nose, he’s quite good－looking.
除了他的鼻子之外，哪儿都好看。
Apart from the injuries to his face and hands, he broke both
legs.
除了脸部和双手受伤以外，两条腿也断了。
Can you tell her from her sister?你能分得出她和她的妹妹吗？
The mechanic took the engine apart.机修工把发动机拆开了。
I can’t tell the two boys apart.我分不清这两个男孩子。
John enjoys taking old clocks apart.约翰喜欢拆卸旧钟。
6. volunteer v. 自愿，主动
词组：volunteer to do sth.
I volunteered to search for the missing child.
我自愿去寻找那个失踪的孩子。
He volunteered to join the army.他自愿参军。
*volunteer
voluntary
voluntarily
involuntarily adv. 非自愿地
Few volunteers came forward.没什么自告奋勇的人。
The prisoner made a voluntary statement.那个犯人主动地做了供述。
Charities rely on voluntary donations.慈善事业依靠自愿捐献。
She does voluntary social work.她从事义务社会工作。
He made the promise quite voluntarily. I did not force him
to.
他非常自愿地答应的，我没有强迫他。
He gave an involuntary smile.他不自觉地笑了。
7. starve
starvation
Thousands of cattle are starving.成千上万的牛正在挨饿。
She is starving herself to try to lose weight.
她正在用节食的办法减轻体重。
I am starving; let’s have a big dinner.
我快饿死了，让咱们好好吃上一顿吧。
In 19th–century Ireland, people died of starvation when the potato crop failed.在19世纪的爱尔兰，人们在土豆减产时饿死。
短语搭配：
starve sb. out( of sth.)
将某人饿得从隐藏处出来
starve to death
饿死
be starved of 非常需要，没有
It took 8 days to starve them out (of the building).
用了8天的时间才把他们饿得（从那座建筑物里）出来了。
The engine was starved of petrol and wouldn’t start.
发动机没有汽油了，启动不了。
He got lost in the desert and starved to death.他在沙漠中迷路饿死了。
The girl is starving for attention.这个小女孩渴望得到照顾。
Many children starve for love.许多儿童渴望得到爱。
8.eager
eagerness
短语搭配：
be eager for sth.
渴望…
She is eager for success.她渴望成功。
I am eager to join the Youth League.我很想加入共青团。
We are eager to go on our vacation.我们盼着去度假。
*辨析：eager 和anxious
都有“渴望的，急于”的意思，但略有不同，anxious着重指焦急、着急、担心的心情，eager着重指对成功的期望或进取的热情。试比较：
We were anxious to reach home before
dark.我们急于在天黑以前到家。
He is eager to join the Party.他渴望入党。
9. straight adj. 直的,端正的
Is my tie straight?我的领带系得正不正？
I have straight, not curly hair.我的头发是直的，不是卷的。
习语:
keep a straight face绷着脸,忍住不笑
put sth. straight将某物弄整齐
He has such a strange voice that it’s difficult to keep a straight face when he’s talking.他的声音古怪,说起话来很难让人不笑。
Please put your desk straight before you leave the office.
请你先把办公桌收拾好再离开办公室。
*straight
Look straight ahead.一直往前看。
He was too drunk to walk straight.他酩酊大醉,走起路来步子不稳。
I’ll come straight to the point----your work isn’t good
enough.
我要直截了当地说----你的工作做得不够好。
短语搭配:
straight
away立刻地,毫不犹豫地
I told her straight away that it was a foolish idea.
我立刻就告诉了她这个想法很傻。
I told him straight out that I thought he was lying.
我直率地对他说我认为他是在撒谎。
*straighten v. 使…变直
Straighten your back (up).把背挺直。
The road straightens after a series of bends.
这条路经过几个转弯之后就直了。
Straighten your tie.把你的领带弄正。
短语: straighten sb. out
使某人消除疑虑,给某人解释清楚；使…改正，使…好转
You’re clearly rather muddled about office procedures but I’ll
soon straighten you
out.你显然不大明白办事的手续,我很快就给你解释清楚。
When he was young, he drank too much, but his wife has straightened him out.他年轻时酗酒成性，他妻子帮他改正了这个毛病。
10. convince vt. 使某人确信，说服
短语搭配：
convince sb. of sth. 使某人相信…
convince sb. to do sth.
convince sb. that…使某人相信…，说服某人…
It took a long time to convince me of his guilt.
花了很长时间才使我相信他是有罪的。
How can I convince you of her honesty?我怎样才能使你相信她是诚实的呢？
What convinced you to vote for them?究竟是什么使得你愿意投他们的票？
We convinced him to go by car.我们说服他开车去。
I convinced him to go to the movie.我说服了他去看电影。
It was hard to convince you (that) we couldn’t afford a new
car.
很难想使你相信我们买不起一辆新汽车。
*convinced
adj.（做定语）虔诚的
convincing adj.
convincible adj.可被说服的，可喻之以理的
11. fact n.
可数名词，当用作单数，且无不定冠词修饰时，作“现实”、“实情”、“真相”解释，相当于reality.
The story is founded on fact.这故事是根据现实写的。
This report is based on fact.这篇报告是根据实际情况写的。
*fact还可作“事实”解释，如：
Facts speak louder than word.事实胜于雄辩。
No one can deny the fact that fire burns.没有人能否认火可燃烧这个事实。
*含有fact的常见短语搭配：
as a matter of fact
事实上
facts and figures 精确的资料，准确的情报
in point of fact事实上，实际上
As a mater of fact, I am hungry.实际上我饿了。
In fact he does not have much money.事实上他没什么钱。
For eight years she was in fact spying for the enemy.
八年来她实际上一直为敌人做间谍工作。
Before we make detailed plans, we need some more facts and
figures.
我们还需要更多的精确资料才能制定出详细计划。
He said he would pay, but in point of fact he has no
money.
他说他付钱，可实际上他并没有钱。
12.astonish v. 使…惊讶，震惊
The news astonished everyone.这消息使人感到震惊。
It astonishes me that no one has thought of this before.
以前谁也没想到这一点，使我感到惊讶。
* astonishment
常见短语：
to one’s astonishment
令人惊讶的是
She looked astonished when she heard the news.
她听到这个消息时挺惊讶。
He was astonished to hear that he had got the job.
他听到获得了那份工作感到惊讶。
There were an astonishing number of applicants for the
job.
申请这份工作的人数多得惊人。
To my astonishment it had completely disappeared.
令我惊讶的是，它消失得无影无踪了。
He looked at me in astonishment.他惊奇地看着我。
13.due adj.
*应支付的
Have they been paid the money due to
them?他们是否已得到了应得的钱？
*预期的，约定的
His book is due to be published in
October.他的书预定在十月份出版。
The train is due in five minutes.火车预定在五分钟后到。
常见搭配：
due to
因为…，由于…
Accidents due to driving at high speed were very common that
weekend.
在那个周末因高速驾驶造成的交通事故很多。
The team’s success was largely due to her efforts.
该队的成功在很大程度上是由于她的努力。
Your request will be dealt with in due course.
你的要求将在适当时机予以处理。
*due to 的同义短语：owing to
He was late owing to the heavy traffic.他迟到是因为交通拥挤。
We were late owing to the snow.我们迟到是因为下雪。
14. possess v. 持有，具有
He decided to give away everything he possessed and become a
monk.
他决定放弃他所有的一切，出家为僧。
They possess property all over the world.他们在世界各地均拥有财产。
They asked me if I possess a gun.他们问我是否有枪支。
短语搭配：
be possessed of … 具有（某品质）
She is possessed of a wonderfully calm temperament.
她性情非常文静
* possession
possessive
短语搭配：
in possession (of sth.) 占有…，控制…
take possession of … 占有…，成为…的所有者
lose possession of 失去…的所有权
He was caught in possession of stolen goods.他人脏并获。
While they are in possession we can’t sell the house.
他们还住着这个房子，我们无法出售。
The soldiers took possession of the enemy’s fort.士兵占领了敌人的要塞。
They will lose possession of their house if they don’t pay the
mortgage.
他们如果不偿付抵押就将失去他们那所房子的所有权。
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