“外刊好词好句”系列今天已经更新到了第40期，在这一系列中我会从《经济学人》《卫报》以及《纽约时报》等知名刊物中选取分析适合应用在议论文中的句型，并说明选取这些句型的逻辑以及应用场景。需要阅读该系列合集的同学也可以关注我上个月出版的新书《英语写作必备小红书》。

（1）一个问题解决类句型

要表达“花费很多钱解决某问题”，常见表达是spend a lot of money on XX problems，我们还可以学习下面的一个说法：

Governments should seek to accelerate this adjustment in the higher-education marketplace. But all too often their instinct is to throw money at the problem.

参考译文：政府应该设法加快高等教育市场的这一调整。但他们的本能往往是烧钱解决问题。

句子中throw money at something是一个固定搭配，意思是“在某事物上面大把花钱”，throw money at the problem 即“烧钱解决问题”，比如：They tend to throw money at the problem without trying to work out the best solution. 他们往往遇到困难就大把花钱，而不是尽力去找出最好的解决办法。在解决方案类话题中我们可以用上该句型，比如可以说：

The government's decision to throw money at climate change issues without a clear plan for reducing emissions is a shortsighted approach that won't lead to meaningful progress.

（2）某事物敲响了警钟

要表达“某事物敲响了警钟”，我们可以用一个说法：something serves as a wake-up call to somebody

America has many mass shootings. But this mass killing of Black Americans in a Buffalo supermarket must serve as a wake-up call to our country. 

参考译文：美国有很多大规模枪击事件。但在布法罗超市发生的这次大规模杀害美国黑人的事件必须给我们国家敲响警钟。

wake-up call原本是指酒店提供的叫醒电话服务，它可以引申为“警钟，警示”，something serves as a wake-up call to somebody即“某事给某人敲响了警钟”。比如我们可以说：

That more than one million square kilometers of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed over the past twenty years serves as a wake-up call to all of us about the damage we have done to planet Earth.

除了上面这个句式之外，另一个句型也能表达相似的意思：something serves/acts as a grim reminder that… （某事物严酷地提醒人们……）比如可以说：

The high rate of gun violence in the United States serves as a grim reminder that more needs to be done to address the root causes of this problem, including access to firearms, mental health, and social inequality.

（3）一个强调句式

我们写作有时候需要表达这样的意思 “某事物不仅仅有特点A，还具有特点B”，这种情况下可以使用下面的一个句式：

When the bridge was opened in 2011 we hoped it would be a catalyst for change. Now in 2015 the bridge symbolises a new chapter in our history and is viewed not just as a foot bridge but as a beacon of hope. 

参考译文：当这座桥在2011年开放时，我们希望它能催生变革。这座桥在2015年的现在象征着我们历史上的一个新篇章。它不仅被视为一座人行桥，还是一座希望的灯塔。

第二句里面一个句式值得注意：…be viewed not just as…but as… （不仅仅被视为……还被视为……）这是一个很好用的结构，用来对事物的特点进行强调。比如有这样一道雅思写作题目：

Some people think that public libraries are necessary, while others believe that nowadays public libraries are no longer important. What is your opinion?

认为图书馆还有必要存在的一个理由是图书馆不仅仅是放书的地方，它还能为人们提供学习工作的场所，我们因此可以说：

The reason why public libraries are still relevant today is that they are viewed not just as a repository for books, but also as an oasis of peace and sanity amid the hustle and bustle of everyday life. They provide an ideal environment in which people can concentrate on their work without the distraction of digital gadgets.

（4）某事物有广泛用处

下面的句子来自The Economist关于游戏产业的报道Game changer 

The GPU’s ability to speed up complex tasks has since found wider uses: video editing, cryptocurrency mining and, most recently, the training of artificial intelligence.

参考译文：图形处理器这一加快复杂任务的能力后来有了更广泛的用途：视频编辑、加密货币挖矿以及最近的人工智能培训。

最后一句话中有一个值得留意的说法The GPU’s ability to speed up complex tasks has since found wider uses… 句子相当于The GPU’s ability to speed up complex tasks has found wider uses since manufacturers of arcade machines invented… 

从中我们可以学习一个句式：XX’s ability to do something has found wider uses，即“某事物做……的能力有了更加广泛的用途”。这一句式在科技类话题中有很广泛的应用，举两个例子：

(1) Over the past decades, the computer’s ability to process large amounts of data quickly has found wider uses beyond the realm of scientific research, such as in finance, marketing, and healthcare industries.

(2) In the past few years, AI’s ability to automate mundane tasks has found wider uses in industries such as manufacturing, logistics, and customer service, freeing up human workers for more complex and creative work.

总结

本期我们学习了以下几个句式

(1) throw money at the problem

(2) something serves as a wake-up call to somebody

(3) something serves/acts as a grim reminder that… 

(4) …be viewed not just as…but as… 

(5) XX’s ability to do something has found wider uses

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