托福听力考试常见词组整理

　　I know, but I didn’t want to risk the project going down the drain.

　　我知道，但是我不能让这个项目冒功亏一篑的风险。

　　drop in the bucket

　　杯水车薪

　　Paraphrase: something is so small that it won't make any noticeable difference.

　　TPO: T12L4 – Environmental Science

　　It can generate 194 megawatts of electric power, but that’s just a drop in the bucket.

　　它能产生194兆瓦的电量，但是也是杯水车薪。

　　for the birds

　　毫无意义的

　　Paraphrase: worthless or ridiculous

　　TPO: T8L1 – Animal Behavior

　　Studies have been done on the reproductive success rates for the birds in both areas, and the result showed surprisingly that the reproductive success was essentially the same in both areas – the preferred and the second choice habitat.

　　关于繁殖的成功率的研究结论是毫无价值的，结果令人震惊地表明，繁殖的成功率在首选和第二选择的栖息地中本质上是一样的

　　from scratch

　　从头做起

　　Paraphrase: from the beginning

　　TPO: T4C2 – Student & Professor

　　But we've got all the sources and its due next week. We don’t have time to start from scratch.

　　但是我们已经找好各种资料了，截止日期是下周，我们已经没有时间重新来过了。

　　get a handle on

　　控制;驾驭

　　Paraphrase: get something under control

　　TPO: T25L4 – Animal Behavior

　　Apparently,it also contributes to the development of a brain that's flexible, a brain that's quickly able to get a handle on unfamiliar situations.

　　很显然，它对大脑灵活、快速的适应陌生环境有着重要帮助。

　　heavenly body

　　天体

　　Paraphrase: planet

　　TPO: T18L1 – Astronomy

　　That's because of their belief at the time that the heavenly bodies, the Sun,Moon,Stars and Planets, were perfect, without any flaws or blemishes.

　　这是因为他们坚信所有的行星，太阳，月亮等等，都是完美无瑕的。

　　high and low

　　到处

　　Paraphrase:everywhere

　　TPO: T5C1 – Student & Counselor at the University Counseling Center

　　And it so happened that the cellist graduated last year. They’ve been searching high and low for a replacement, someone with experience.

　　大提琴手去年毕业了，他们到处寻找有经验的接班人。

　　how come

　　为什么，怎么会

　　Paraphrase: disbelief or surprise

　　TPO:T26L3 – Astronomy

　　I mean, how come Halley’s is still there? After four and a half billion years. How could it be?

　　我意思是，经过了45亿年哈雷彗星怎么还在那，怎么可能?

　　let alone

　　更不必说;不打扰

　　Paraphrase: to say nothing of…

　　TPO: T22L2 – Astronomy

　　we know the Sun’s current rate of mass loss, but if we assume that this rate has been steady over the last four billion years, the young Sun wouldn’t have been massive enough to have warmed Earth, let alone Mars, not enough to have caused liquid water.

　　我们知道太阳现在质量在衰减，如果我们假设太阳质量衰减的速度是恒定的，那么经过40亿年，太阳将不再有足够的质量给地球提供热量，更不用说火星了，这些热量都不够形成液态水。

　　off the hook

　　摆脱困境;脱身

　　Paraphrase: avoid sth.

　　TPO: T15C2 – Student & Biology Professor

　　And that's supposed to be a quiet environment? Not exactly. My brother and parents try to keep it down when I am studying, but the phone pretty much rings off the hook, so ...

　　本该是一个很安静的环境吧?事实却不是这样，在我学习的时候都爸爸和哥哥放低声音，但是电话却响个不停。

　　pros and cons

　　利弊

　　Paraphrase: advantages & disadvantages

　　The question is how. I mean no one really thinks that, say a bee goes through weighing thepros and cons of pollinating this flower or that flower.

　　问题在于怎样做到的。没有人会认为蜜蜂给花朵授粉的时候会去权衡一下这朵花和那朵花的利弊。

　　put two and two together

　　根据事实推理

　　Paraphrase: reach a correct conclusion from the evidence; making inference

　　TPO: T3L4 – Astronomy

　　So he put two and two together, and decided there was an element in the sun that hadn’t been discovered here on the earth yet.

　　所以他根据现有情况推断，太阳里有一种元素是我们至今都没有发现的。

　　rule of thumb

　　经验法则

　　Paraphrase: approximately

　　TPO: T2C1 – Student & Professor

　　.. like your parents. That’s usually my rule of thumb: would my parents understand this?

　　例如你的父母。按我的经验我会问一句，我的父母能理解吗?

　　spot on

　　完全正确

　　Paraphrase: exactly right

　　TPO:T29L4 – Structural Engineering

　　There’s a reason I mentioned that figure of 36,000 kilometers. That’s about how high an object would have to be orbiting straight up from the equator to constantly remain directly above the exact same spot on the rotating planet Earth.

　　就像我刚提到的，36000公里是近地同步卫星的最低轨道高度。

　　take for granted

　　认为…理所当然

　　Paraphrase: assume sth.Is real for sure

　　TPO: T24L3 – Archeology

　　Today we take for granted that there horizontal bands of plant communities.

　　今天我们认为植物带的水平分布是理所当然的。

　　tall order

　　离谱的要求

　　Paraphrase: hard to achieve or fulfill

　　TPO: T5C2 – Student & Professor

　　It's still a pretty tall order, and we will be moving right along, so you will really need to stay on top of it.

　　这始终是个苛刻的要求，我们要一直保持前进，你就必须保持在巅峰状态。

　　tongue in cheek

　　虚情假意的

　　Paraphrase:not seriously

　　TPO:T12L1 – Biology

　　That's the so-called JUNK DNA. Though the word junk is used sort of tongue in cheek.

　　这就是所谓的“无用DNA”，不过junk一词在这里有点嘲弄的意思。