Mean

1. 认识这个词（基础篇）

词：mean

英英释义：to have a particular result or involve something

例句：The pouring rain means the football match will be canceled.

2. 体会这个词 （进阶篇）

“mean”作动词除了“意思是”外，还常用来表示“意味着”“产生......的结果”。想表达“A 事件意味着/导致某种情况”时，就可以想到使用 mean，这也是外刊中常见的用法。这个意思看似简单，但很多英语学习者可能并没有掌握。我们来通过几个例句掌握这个用法。

许多“月光族”一拿到工资就会用来还信用卡、交房租、去超市买食物。对于特别拮据的家庭来说，他们必须在把钱花在吃还是住上做出艰难的选择。我们可以用英文表达为：   

A meager salary means that the family has to choose between paying rent and buying groceries.

再看一个句子：   

The pouring rain means that the football match will be canceled.   

从以上例句可以看出，mean 后面常接从句。它也可以直接接名词短语或者动名词。比如：

A promotion doesn't necessarily mean a pay raise. (mean 后直接接名词）

His new job at a consulting firm will mean traveling all over the country.（mean 后接动名词，注意这种用法出现频率较低）   

需要注意的是，“mean”作“意味着”“产生...的结果”时没有进行时。也就是说，不会说“something is meaning...”，只会说“something means that/doing something...”。

最新一期《经济学人》中多次出现了“mean”的这种用法。一篇写石油公司 ExxonMobil（埃克森美孚）的文章中有这么一句：

He argues that his firm’s unusually high level of integration of its various businesses and technology means it can produce more efficiently than its peers.

还有一篇文章写的是优衣库在亚洲市场的策略，其中有这么一句：

But the rest of Asia may be harder to crack. For one thing, a warm climate in several countries means that UNIQLO cannot rely on its cold-weather products as a main driver of sales.   

不难看出，“mean”可以帮作者打开思路，把一个问题讨论、分析彻底，也可以让读者感觉到作者的耐心和同理心。学会就找机会用起来吧！

3. 从认识到会用（作业）

1）翻译下面的句子：   

经济非常不景气，这意味着大量公司不得不采取裁员。

The troubled economy means that many companies will resort to layoffs.)

（参考翻译：The troubled economy means that many companies will resort to layoffs.）

2）结合自己的生活、学习、工作、兴趣等，想象在什么语境下会用到这个表达。先简要描述这个场景，再造句。

场景：渔业

造句：It is a good time to be a fisherman. The global fish-price index of the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organizations(FAO) hit a record high in May. Changing consumer diets, particularly in China, means the sustained upward movement.