12.20【每日一词】bearable

bearable adj.

释义：If an unpleasant situation is bearable, you can accept or deal with it

例① “人生不易，还好我们有爱情”

Love makes life more bearable.

例② 我们想说某个人物、情况虽然不尽人意，但是还尚可，就可以用到 bearable。冬天很冷，不过和朋友一起吃顿火锅可以让冬天觉得好过一些。

Having hot pot with friends makes the harsh winter more bearable, if not enjoyable.

例③ 《经济学人》在一篇讨论自杀的文章中也用到了 bearable：

As people move to cities and the grip of tradition loosens, women have more choice about whom they marry or live with, making life more bearable.

这段话大概是说，女性对婚恋有了更多选择，这使得她们的生活还过得去。

例④ 在一篇讨论异地婚姻的文章中也用到了 bearable：

Technological change has made living separate lives more bearable, and has thus probably contributed to long-distance marriage becoming more common.

当我们想表示“科技让异地恋不再那么难熬”时，就可以套用这个句型说成：

Technology has made long-distance relationships more bearable.

bearable 的反义词是 “unbearable”也很常见，比如米兰昆德拉的小说《不能承受的生命之轻》的英文名字就是 The Unbearable Lightness of Being。

1. 使用《牛津英语搭配词典》查 “bearable”，了解它作为形容词时的常用搭配。

become bearable

make sth bearable:The camaraderie among fellow employees made the tedious work just bearable. 同事之间的情谊使枯燥乏味的工作变得还能忍受。 [camaraderie: friendship and trust between people in a group]

find sth bearable: He found the dullness of his work scarcely bearable. 他觉得他的工作枯燥乏味，简直无法忍受。

almost , hardly/scarcely, just bearable 几乎可以忍受，几乎不能忍受，勉强可以忍受。

2. 翻译： 幽默让痛苦不再那么难熬。

Humor makes pain more bearable.

（参考翻译：Humor can make pain more bearable. 或者 Humor makes the unbearable bearable.）

3. 造句练习

场景: 音乐是生活的调味品，可以使悲伤不再那么痛苦。

造句: Music is the spice of life which can make the unbearable bearable.