antidote

12.4 Antidote

词：antidote

英英释义：something that helps to improve the effects of something bad or negative

例句：Some people believe that alcohol can offer a quick antidote to depression.

antidote”的本意是“解毒药”，常被引申为表示“缓解作用”“有效手段”，和我们中文里的“一剂良药”完美对应。如果在写作中恰当使用 antidote，可以显示不凡的词汇水平。

我们常说的“何以解忧，唯有杜康”，说的是很多人认为只有酒才能消除忧虑。这时就可以用英文说：

Some people believe that alcohol can offer a quick antidote to depression.

米歇尔•奥巴马在回忆录 Becoming 中用到了 3 次 antidote，其中一处写到祖父（外号“Southside”）非常喜欢音乐时，她说：

Music seemed to be an antidote to his worries, a way to relax and crowd them out. When Southside had a payday for his carpentry work, he’d sometimes splurge and buy himself a new album.

“Music seemed to be an antidote to his worries”说的就是音乐可以解忧，缓解压力。我们可以根据这个意思用 antidote 造句，比如说音乐的功效时就可以说：

It seems that music serves as a powerful antidote to worries. Music provides the perfect antidote to loneliness and boredom.

经典工作效率提升指南 Getting Things Done 中，开篇也出现了 antidote：

This is the vaccination against day-to-day firefighting and an antidote for the imbalance many people bring upon themselves.

vaccination 是“疫苗”，在这里表示“预防措施”，antidote 是“解药”，在这里表示“矫正方法”。当我们想表示一个工具、方法的有效性时，就可以用到 vaccination 和 antidote 这类词汇。句子中的 firefighting 和 imbalance 写出了上班族的狼狈，vaccination 和 antidote 和它们一一对应，相比“a good way/method”这样的表达，它们更生动、灵活和恰当，建议直接把这段话背下来。

3. 怎样学会使用这个词？

1）使用《牛津英语搭配词典》查“antidote”，了解它作为名词时的常用搭配。

+prep antidote for/to

+v 当作…解决方法/发挥…. Act as/ serve as/ offer/provide

例：这个旅游胜地是缓解现代生活压力的好地方

This resort offers the perfect antidote to the pressures of modern life.

+adj 有效地/好的/高效的 effective/perfect/powerful antidote

2）翻译下面的句子：

健身是缓解压力的有效方法。

Working out is the powerful antidote to pressures.

（参考翻译：Working out is a powerful antidote to anxiety. 或者 Regular exercise serves as a potent antidote to alleviate anxiety.）健身的表达regular exercises

场景：踏踏实实的做事情是缓解焦虑的良药。

Doing things step by step is an effective antidote to anxiety.