這是“讀外刊，學(xué)英文句型”欄目的第二十一期，關(guān)于該欄目第一期的說明可以見如何通過閱讀外刊積累英文寫作句型？

1.對……很重視

要表達(dá)“對某話題/事件很重視”，常見的一個說法是：someone attaches importance/significance to something，這里介紹一個新的表達(dá)：

The environment has always been a subject close to my heart and it has become an increasing focus of my work over two decades with the Guardian. That is no doubt because the problems of climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and over-consumption have become bigger and more apparent.

選段第一句The environment has always been a subject close to my heart意思即“我一直很重視環(huán)境問題”，在這里close to one’s heart是一個固定搭配，含義是“為……所重視/關(guān)注”

這里可以提取出一個句型：XX is a subject close to one’s heart，以此來表達(dá)某人對于某話題（比如環(huán)境、教育、健康、平權(quán)等）很重視。舉個例子：

Dolce & Gabbana, an Italian fashion chain, caused uproar online after it posted videos trivializing China's centuries-old culture and its designer Stefano Gabbana made derogatory remarks about China. Given that national pride is a subject close to every citizen's heart, it is not surprising to see so many Chinese people boycotting this brand, and it is clear that D&G's days are numbered.

2.對某事不能完全相信

如何表達(dá)“對某觀點或結(jié)論不能完全相信”？可以參考下面這一說法：

There are 1.8 billion young people in the world, roughly a quarter of the total population. (This report defines “young” as between about 15 and 30.) All generalisations about such a vast group should be taken with a bucket of salt. What is true of young Chinese may not apply to young Americans or Burundians.

這段話的意思是目前全球有18億年齡處于15到30歲之間的年輕人，但每個國家年輕人的特點都有所不同，任何將這一群體概而論之得到的結(jié)果都不能完全相信。

第二句話中有一個說法值得注意：be taken with a bucket of salt 這是一個很好用的短語，也可以寫成be taken with a pinch/grain of salt，它的含義是“對某事半信半疑，有保留地相信某事”。

該短語據(jù)傳來自于一個歷史故事：羅馬將軍龐貝相信“以毒攻毒”這種方法，即每次通過服用小劑量毒藥的方式來使身體逐漸對它們免疫。他每次在服用毒藥時都會吃一小勺鹽（a grain of salt）以幫助吞咽。后來就有了take something with a grain of salt這一說法，只不過引申義脫離了原來的含義。關(guān)于這一故事的詳細(xì)解釋可以參見英文維基百科詞條：

https://en./wiki/Grain_of_salt

我們可以用something should be taken with a bucket/ pinch/grain of salt 來說明對于某觀點或結(jié)論應(yīng)該謹(jǐn)慎看待。比如：

(1) Claims made by so-called online experts should be taken with a pinch of salt, because the internet is full of misinformation.

(2) The author claims that laws cannot change what is in people’s hearts or minds, and as a result, many problems of modern society cannot be solved by laws and the legal system. While the first statement is true, the second must be taken with a pinch of salt. Many modern society problems can be solved, or prevented by proper regulation.

3.通過……的方式脫離困境

下面的句子選自The Economist對于全球經(jīng)濟(jì)的報道Spotting the black swans

A drop in the yuan would also add to the financial stress on Chinese firms with large dollar-denominated debts. And China exporting its way out of trouble might place an undue burden on the rest of the global economy.

第二句中exporting its way out of trouble是一個很經(jīng)典的說法，它包含了一個固定結(jié)構(gòu)：verb+your way out of trouble，即“通過……的方式脫離麻煩”，常見的搭配有：talk/fight your way out of trouble，例如：She is good at talking her way out of trouble. 她擅長憑著三寸不爛之舌為自己開脫。

這一結(jié)構(gòu)更廣泛的形式是：verb+your way+preposition+something，例如The Economist在報道喬布斯青少年經(jīng)歷時用了這樣的說法：

Mr Jobs caught the computing bug while growing up in Silicon Valley. As a teenager in the late 1960s he cold-called his idol, Bill Hewlett, and talked his way into a summer job at Hewlett-Packard.

talked his way into a summer job 即“憑口才得到了一份暑期工作”。我們在寫作中可以靈活應(yīng)用該結(jié)構(gòu)，比如：

(1) In a society where money talks, young people from rich families are able to buy their way into a good university.

(2) In Hollywood, it is an open secret that some actresses have slept their way to the top.

4.一個常用句式

下面的句子出自The Economist對于Michael Wolff的新書Fire and Fury的書評：

Several hundred thousand e-books had also been sold, and readers as far away as Kenya claimed to be illegally circulating an electronic PDF version of Mr Wolff’s tale of eye-watering haplessness and bloodletting. Not since Harry Potter has a new book caught fire in this way.

這一段話的背景是Michael Wolff的新書出版后大受歡迎，一時洛陽紙貴。第二句話Not since Harry Potter has a new book caught fire in this way. 是一個否定倒裝結(jié)構(gòu)，還原后相當(dāng)于：Not a new book has caught fire in this way since Harry Potter. 在這里not否定的是主句，而不是since，句子的意思是“自從《哈利波特》系列之后還沒有哪一本書能夠這樣受歡迎”。其中catch fire是一個固定搭配，意思是“（某事物）大受歡迎”。

Not since...has…也是一個我們在寫作中可以用上的實用句型，它表示“自從……之后，還沒有……”，例如：

The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged more than 500 points on November 21st, 2018. Not since 2008 has the US stock market seen such a huge decline in a single day.

總結(jié)：

本期一共介紹了以下幾個表達(dá)：

(1) XX is a subject close to one’s heart

(2) be taken with a pinch/grain of salt

(3) verb+your way+preposition+something

(4) Not since...has…