每日一词-trade-off

1. 认识这个词(基础篇)

词:trade-off

英英释义:a balance between two opposing things, that you are willing to accept in order to achieve something.

例句:Deciding which modules to display in the Phenomenal English WeChat menu is a matter of trade-off.

2. 体会这个词 (进阶篇)

“trade-off”(也可以写成 'tradeoff“)是个可数名词,意思是“权衡”“折中”,也可以根据语境接地气地翻译成“鱼与熊掌不可兼得”。它是来自动词短语 'trade off',是个非常高频、好用的地道单词,可以在口语和写作中替换“balance”。

生活中充满了各种折中,我们不可能什么都想要,就可以说:

Life is full of trade-offs. You cannot have your cake and eat it too. (“You cannot have your cake and eat it too.”是口语中比较常见的英文谚语,表示“鱼与熊掌不可兼得”,可以和“trade-off”一起记忆。)

使用“trade-off”时,最常见的表达句式是“a trade-off between A and B”。比如,对很多制造商来说,他们必须在质和量之间有所权衡,就可以说:

There must be a trade-off between quality and quantity for many manufacturers.

最新一期《经济学人》中一篇关于英国脱欧的文章中有这么一句:

But leaving the EU inevitably involves difficult trade-offs. (“difficult trade-offs”在这里指英国一旦脱欧,就不得不面对政治和经济的权衡。)

3. 从认识到会用(作业)

1)翻译下面的句子:

这个决定是权衡效率和成本后的结果。

This decision is a trade-off between efficiency and cost. 

(参考翻译:The decision is a trade-off between efficiency and cost.)

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。

Duty assignment is always a trade-off between teaching load and school needs. 

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