【英语学习】这个系列的文章，共99篇，这是第14篇！
第七篇我们介绍了语块，即英语学习过程中，不要孤立地背单词，而是有意识地积累常见搭配，比如介宾短语、动宾短语、主谓搭配、副词修饰形容词等。
上篇我们整理了English collocations in Use（Intermediate） 这本书中的第六个话题：Basic concepts，此篇为最后一个话题：Functions.
Starting and finishing
make a promising start
make an early start
Research shows that absolute beginners have a better chance of learning a language well than those who start with some knowledge. 纯粹的初学者
The invention of television marked the beginning of the end for popular radio shows.
The meal we had on our last evening in Istanbul was a perfect end to our holiday.
As my time at university came to an end, I knew I had to start looking for a job.
The meeting drew to a close at 5.30, after a long discussion.
Without any warning, he was fired from the newspaper in 2004. It was an abrupt end to his career in journalism. 突然的结束
Talking about success and failure
James has made a breakthrough in his maths this year, doing excellent work in comparison with last year. 突破
This year has seen a dramatic improvement in James's English. His crowning achievement was his performance in the school production of Othello.
James has an excellent grasp of French.
This will come in useful for the school trip to France next year, and we hope he will take advantage of the opportunities to speak French there. 利用
If he continues to work hard, his success next year is guaranteed. 保障
James has made good progress with his geography this year, gaining good marks in the end-of-year exam.
James has been training hard and, as a member of the First Football Team, is now able to enjoy the fruits of his hard work. Playing for the school has certainly brought out the best in him and he has rightly won the respect of all his team-mates.
Although a lot of money was invested in the film it has proved to be a spectacular failure. 巨大的失败
Unfortunately, more pupils than ever are said to be failing their final exams. 未通过；不及格
Everyone agrees that the peace talks are doomed to failure. 注定失败
I think the new plans for cutting railway costs are a recipe for disaster. 灾祸之因
Talking about cause and effect
The storm caused chaos / havoc / a lot of damage.
wreak havoc on 造成破坏
The events brought about the downfall/collapse of the government. 衰落
The announcement sparked off riots/demonstrations in the cities. 骚乱；示威
His research has not yet produced any results, but we must wait. 产生任何结果
The underlying cause of the problem was a lack of funds over many years. 根本原因
The government hopes to reduce/minimise the impact of the new taxes.
The new measures had an unexpected/ unforeseen outcome.未预料到的后果
The book caused an uproar in the United States. 喧嚣
Their love affair caused a sensation. 引起轰动
Remember that it makes/creates a bad impression if you're late. 产生坏的印象
Remembering and sensing
my long-term memory (memory of what happened a long time ago)
My mind went blank. I couldn't remember anything.
Once we started talking, the memories came flooding back. 涌出
Memories fade as time passes. 逝去
I sensed some tension between us. 感觉到一些紧张
Now I have a feeling that he is trying to make things difficult for me. 有一种感觉
I don't know whether I should trust my intuition and hand in my resignation. 相信我的直觉
For the last few weeks I've been much more sensitive to heat and sensitive to light than I used to be. 对...敏感
Agreeing and disagreeing
We are in complete agreement over the question of drug abuse in athletics.
I tend to agree that parents often blame teachers for problems which start within the family.
I appreciate your point of view, but I still think you are overstating the problem.
We disagree over what to do, but I'm sure we can come to / reach a compromise. 妥协
I'm sure we can settle our differences without damaging our friendship.
I entirely agree with you on the question of nuclear waste.
I agree up to a point, but I also think there are other important factors. 在某点上同意
The Regional Education Committee has reached a unanimous agreement on a new system of exams for secondary schools. 达成一致
Talking about beliefs and opinions
I firmly believe that young people should have the right to vote at 16. 坚信
We are poles apart in our attitudes to life. (completely different)
We need to think hard about this problem. 仔细考虑 (不可想当然翻译成 consider carefully)
cast doubt on 怀疑
Opinions on the issue are divided. 观点不一
my own considered opinion
Deciding and choosing
It's such a big decision to have to move to London and everything.
After weeks of hesitating, it seems Archie has arrived at a decision about the research fund.
That's a sensible decision that combines generosity and sound judgement. 明智的决定
Anyway, I'm going to consider all the options before I decide.
I know you never take my advice but I would strongly advise you to think of the future.
It's a tough choice. You wouldn't understand.
Claiming and denying
Jones puts forward an interesting theory of language learning, backing up his argument with thorough data. Fully accepting the fact that different learners find different methods useful, Jones makes the point that motivation is the key factor in most learners' success. Although this has been widely acknowledgedin general terms for some time, Jones is more precise than most, stating clearly that motivation is more important than all other factors, and substantiating（支持） this claim with impressive data.
The pop star has denied all the rumours about her marriage. 否认谣言
The hotel disclaims all responsibility for guests' vehicles. 否认责任
The research findings run contrary to popular belief. 相反
Liking and disliking
I have a particular liking for quiet, relaxing music.
Her passionate love of the sea inspired her to sail round the world.
She has the highest regard for her teacher. 尊敬
I will never forget the sheer enjoyment of listening to the children singing. 纯粹的享受
I've always had a strong preference for short stories rather than novels. 偏爱
I have an intense dislike of rock music that is played too loud. 强烈不喜欢
Most people have a strong aversion to excessive violence on TV. 强烈讨厌
The deep-rooted hatred between the two tribes led to a bloody civil war. 深仇
I do a lot of long-distance flying and I don't relish the thought of a twelve-hour flight with no leg-room. 享受
She's a(n) ardent / dedicated fan of American football. 忠实粉丝
an ardent follower 狂热的追随者
My wife's father always filled me with admiration. He achieved so much during his life. 值得我钦佩
It always gives me pleasure when I see my children doing well at school.
Praising and criticising
The orchestra received a standing ovation for their performance of the symphony. 起立鼓掌
My parents always used to speak well/highly of that journalist. 赞美
Her father warmly/heartily approves of her new boyfriend. 热情友好地同意
The writer is sharply critical of our political system. 尖锐批评
He was roundly criticised for his rudeness. 严厉批评
I strongly disapprove of smoking. 强烈反对
The politician was severely condemned for his dishonesty. 严重谴责
Local residents strenuously objected to the development plans. 顽强反对
终极总结
历时四个月（5月－8月），我将这本书中的语块全部整理完毕，每句话均是手动复制粘贴，每个红色标注均是手动标注，每个中文均是查询审核后翻译。另外，考虑到其中部分语块太容易或者太偏，我做了删减。
之所以不厌其烦地进行摘选、翻译、加粗、标红，除了要保证文档的质量，还有一个关键我深知：英文学习的核心是重复。以上所有步骤，我其实都是在对这些语块进行重复学习，加深记忆。所以，无需刻意背诵默写，我便已掌握80%，接下来我将会继续在荔枝FM电台（FM400789）做讲解，分享给听众的同时，自己也做进一步巩固学习。
最好的学习方法是 教！
《语块的整理》文档百度网盘下载：
链接: https://pan.baidu.com/s/18h330Zb4jFupqvcVD5daRA
密码: b1vd
【英语学习】系列文章：
第一篇：当前【英语学习】的问题（1）
第二篇：当前【英语学习】的问题（2）
第三篇：当前【英语学习】的问题（3）
第四篇：【英语学习】的基本功（1）
第五篇：【英语学习】的基本功（2）
第六篇：【英语学习】的基本功（3）
第七篇：【英语学习】的进阶（1）：语块
第八篇：语块的整理（1）：Travel and the environment
第九篇：语块的整理（2）：People and relationships
第十篇：语块的整理（3）：Leisure and lifestyle
第十一篇：语块的整理（4）：Work and study
第十二篇：语块的整理（5）：Society and institutions
第十三篇：语块的整理（6）：Basic concepts