每日一词143 status quo

1. 这是个什么词？

词：status quo

英英释义：the state of a situation as it is

例句：There are more people who wish to maintain the status quo than change it.

2. 为什么选这个词？

“status quo”是不可数名词，意思是“现状”。英文中有一些比较常见的拉丁词，status quo 是其中一个，一般会说 the status quo。它的特点是表意简洁，在口语和写作中都使用这个词，可以体现相当的词汇积累。下面通过几个例子来掌握这个词。

想要保持现状的人往往比想要改变现状的人多，就可以说：

There are more people who wish to maintain/preserve/keep the status quo than change it.

这些政策制定者不愿意轻易改变现状是因为他们在烟草业有既得利益，我们就可以说：

The policymakers are reluctant to change the status quo because they have a vested interest in the tobacco industry.

最近两年英国脱欧一直是《经济学人》报道的重点，因此我们经常可以看到 status quo 这个词，比如这句：

Most MPs believe, with reason, that Mrs May’s imperfect compromise is worse than the status quo.

《经济学人》在创刊 175 年纪念 Essay 中四次用到了 status quo 一词，比如下面两例：

a) Today liberalism needs to escape its identification with elites and the status quo and rekindle that reforming spirit.

b) Liberal reformers at their best have shared a dissatisfaction with the status quo and a determination to attack established interests.

3. 怎样学会使用这个词？

1）翻译下面的句子：

不是每个人都满足于现状。

Not everyone is satisfied with the status quo.

（参考翻译：Not everyone is satisfied with the status quo. ）

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。

例子： We are not in good conditions, so we have to change the status quo. 

场景 ： 我们的状况并不是很好，所以我们必须要改变现状。