上我一堂课，"胜读一年书"
Down : 一个令人玩味的英语单词
英语是很奇妙的语文。英语的灵活性很有助于文字游戏。（当然中文亦如此。）常来访问这空间的网友，谁还不知道 Up 是一个很不凡的英语单词呢？（见《UP：一个举足轻重的单词》）。
和 Up 一样，Down 也是个很不寻常的单词，Down 不仅是副词，也是动词，形容词和介词，尽管与 Up 对比商务词典只配出两页来解释 Down，这并不意味着 Down 没 Up 那么重要。在英语成语里 Down 有很大的用处，用这单词我们同样可以造出许多令人玩味的句子。
Are you up on Down?
Like Up, Down too, is simple to understand.
It normally means towards the ground or at the bottom, but it can also
mean "fine, soft, hair from the skin" (for example, goose down). Down
is also a proper name, as in Down's syndrome.
Down is such a versatile word that one can use it in many interesting
ways. However it's easy to screw it up, so follow carefully as I nail it
down for you.
Governments like to play up the good news, and play down the bad
news. In
In
When demonstrators rally against people they hate they would chant
"Down with (Sadam, Fidel, Idi Amin, etc…)"
Some people used to do that with
anchored down with so many daunting problems that people are more
likely to say, "Pity those poor Americans".
Like a speeding car
Today its economic engine is sputtering. Americans have severely
cut down their spending, and brought their expectations down to earth,
but have no fear,
Some people think education is to blame for
may explain why the book "Dumbing down of
best seller. You can find the edited down excerpt of this interesting book
on the web. It can also be downloaded from the internet.
Everyone likes to stand up for a good cause, however if you stand down
from an election, it means you're withdrawing from the contest.
If you're well-informed on something, you're up on it, but when you're
down on something, it does not mean you're un-informed; it could simply
be that you just don't like it.
With the summer slipping away, and the days getting shorter, we may
be feeling a little down. But don't be downhearted, it's time again to
get down to business, and be heads down in our work and studies.
A snail inches down the garden path, but boys in high spirit jaunty
down the road, singing and whistling along the way. Please keep the
noise down, fellas!
Why do we feel let down when someone disappoints? To avoid
disappointing our bosses we often manage down their expectations.
Instead of simply saying "
why do the headlines scream "
Why is
say "down home life used to be slow and easy"?
If your name were Down, people might say this about you, "Joe
Down lives down here, and he likes to get down and dirty."
The
tube stations. The British Prime Minister lives in number 10, Downing
Street. Down House is the former home of the English naturalist
Charles Darwin.
Life is full of difficult choices. To live a simple life we must narrow
down our choices. So come on down from your perch and learn to
smell the roses.
There are many fun places to visit on Wanwei, but sometimes people
engage in name-calling and that can be a real downer. It's hard to pin
down the reasons why some people are hostile to those who hold
different views from theirs. Often it's politics that make people go
ballistic. If you're on Wanwei, please tone down your rhetoric. A
gentleman does not stoop down to the level of a scumbag.
Things have quietened down a lot since I wrote my piece about
put downs; it may finally be possible to ratchet down my workload,
and settle down to a more manageable tempo.
With the midterm vote looming, Democrats have to tamp down their
expectation. The initial euphoria of Obama's election has made an
unexpected downturn, and the people are poised to vote down any
government measures to increase revenues. They may even yank down
candidates with unrealistic grand schemes. To win the voters' approval
candidates must water down overly ambitious proposals.
There you have it, my friends. I have given you the low down on down.
I shall now take my leave, but if you are up on down, zip down here and
show us your stuff!
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