1. 认识这个词(基础篇)
词:universal
英英释义:existing everywhere or involving everyone
例句:The desire to look attractive is universal.
2. 体会这个词 (进阶篇)
我很都很熟悉“universe”是“宇宙”,其实它的形容词形式“universal”也是个常见并且实用的好词。当想表示某种情况非常普遍时,我们可能会立刻想到 common,popular,prevalent,其实在很多时候也可以用 universal。
比如我们常说“爱美之心,人皆有之”,就可以说成:
The desire to look attractive is universal.
或者
It’s a universal trait to want people to find you attractive.
当我们想表示“全民xx”这层意思时,就可以用到 universal。比如“全民医保”就可以说成“universal health care”,“普世价值”可以是“universal values”。《经济学人》曾在一篇特别报道中评价美国是“the only large rich country without universal health care”。
universal 的副词形式 universally 也很常见,当想强调普遍程度时就可以用到它。比如《傲慢与偏见》中的经典开篇第一段中就用到了“universally acknowledged”:
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
根据这段话我们也可以提取常见句型 It is a universal truth that… 比如《经济学人》中就出现过:
It is a universal truth of human nature that a dollar tomorrow is worth less to us than a dollar today.
3. 从认识到会用(作业)
1)使用《牛津英语搭配词典》查“universal”,了解它作为形容词时的常用搭配。
a. [搭配]VERBS
be, seem 普遍;好像共通
become 变得普遍
remain 仍然普遍
b. [搭配]ADV.
truly 确实普遍的
by no means, far from 绝非寻常;完全不普遍:
Some of the teachers are technical specialists, but this is far from universal. 有些老师是技术方面的专家, 但这绝不是普遍现象。
almost, near, nearly, virtually 几乎是普遍的; 接近共通;实际上通用
pretty 颇为普遍
apparently 显然普遍
supposedly 一般认为通用:
supposedly universal standards 据称通用的标准
c. [搭配]PREP.
among 在… 中普遍:
These practices remain universal among the islanders. 这些依然是岛上居民惯常的做法。
in
在…方面普遍: a scheme that is universal in scope 在应用范围上很普遍的计划
2)翻译下面的句子:
中国的全民教育取得了巨大的进步。
(参考翻译:China has made remarkable progress toward/towards universal literacy. 或者 China has made giant strides in universal access to education.)
3)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1:《人性的弱点》这本书讲了一些关于人性的普遍现象。
造句:The book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, tells us some universal facts about human nature.
场景2: 笑容是通用的语言。
造句:Smile is often thought of as a universal language.
例句:Love and relationships will always be a topic of universal interest.
Music is often thought of as a universal language.
There is no universal rule what ad or what message works.’