SITUATION1 what is happening in a particular place or at a particular time2 your personal situation3 when a situation affects what happens or what you doRELATED WORDSsee alsoHAPPEN1 what is happening in a particular place or at a particular time 某地或某时正在发生的情况situation /ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃən/ [countable noun usually singular]the combination of all the things that are happening in a particular place and at a particular time, especially when this is causing problems 〔尤造成问题的〕情形，情况，形势 I tried to explain the situation to my boss. 我试着向老板说明情况。 With no rain for six months, the situation in the region was becoming desperate. 六个月没有下雨，这个地区情形非常危急。 The economic situation in the US is getting better. 美国的经济形势正在好转。 The news of more stock market losses could make the difficult economic situation worse. 股市继续亏损的消息会使艰难的经济形势更加严峻。in a situation If you are ever in a situation where someone starts shooting, drop to the ground. 如果遇到有人开枪的情形，就趴到地上。 In the present situation, I don't think it would be a good idea to try to sell your house. 就目前的形势，我觉得你要把房子卖掉并不是个好主意。circumstances /ˈsɜːʳkəmstænsɪz, ˈsɜːʳkəmstænsəz/ [plural noun]the situation at a particular time, which influences what people do, what they decide, and what can happen 〔对人们的行为、决定以及可能会发生的事有影响的〕情况，情形the circumstances TV cameras are sometimes allowed in the courts, but it depends on the circumstances. 法庭上有时允许电视摄像，但视情形而定。in the circumstancesbecause of the circumstances 在这种情况下 We don't normally allow people in after 8 pm, but in the circumstances we'll make an exception. 晚上8点以后我们一般不让人进来了，但是在这种情况下，我们就破例一次。in some/certain/normal etc circumstances An applicant's age may be taken into consideration in some circumstances. 在某种情况下会考虑求职者的年龄。under some/the/certain etc circumstances Under normal circumstances I would never have left the children with a stranger. 在一般情况下，我是决不会把孩子托付给陌生人的。things /θɪŋz/ [plural noun]especially spoken, informalthe general situation that exists, especially the way it affects people's lives 【尤口，非正式】〔尤指影响人们生活的〕情况 Don't worry! Things can't get any worse. 别担心！事情不会变得更糟的。 Things haven't changed much since I wrote to you last. 从我上次写信给你到现在，一切都没有多大变化。 Now that we have kids, things are really different. 现在我们有了孩子，情形就大不一样了。case /keɪs/ [countable noun]a particular situation - use this especially when you are comparing one situation with others to show how they are similar or different 情况〔尤用于比较不同情况之间的异同〕 In cases like this, the company has to be sold off to someone who can cope with the debt. 在这种情况下，公司不得不卖给有能力处理债务的人。in cases of The law limits work in underground mines to eight hours per day, except in cases of emergency. 法律限制井工矿作业时间每天不得超过八小时，紧急情况例外。in this/that case ‘It's supposed to rain tomorrow.’ ‘Well, in that case, we won't go.’ “据说明天有雨。”“好吧，那样的话我们就不去了。”in some/a few/many cases In some cases, mail carriers could not get to mailboxes surrounded by plowed snow. 有时候，邮筒周围都是扫起的雪堆，邮差没法走近。what's going on /ˌwɒts gəʊɪŋ ˈɒn/ [noun phrase]use this especially to ask or say what is happening in a situation 发生什么事情 Nobody could tell her what was going on. 没人能告诉她是怎么回事。 I've been waiting here for nearly two hours! Does anyone know what's going on? 我在这里等了将近两个小时了！有谁知道是怎么回事吗？ What's going on? Why won't you talk to me? 怎么回事？你为什么不和我说话？conditions /kənˈdɪʃənz/ [plural noun]all the things that affect the way people live or work, such as a country's economic situation, whether people have enough food, the places they live in etc 〔影响人们生活或工作的〕状况，条件 Conditions in the city are getting rapidly worse. 城里的状况在加速恶化。 How can people live in such dreadful conditions? 这么恶劣的条件，人们如何生活？ Employees are demanding better working conditions and higher wages. 雇员在要求改善工作条件，增加薪资。 a study into the social conditions of the nineteenth century 19世纪社会状况的研究state of affairs /ˌsteɪt əv əˈfeəʳz/ [noun phrase]an unsatisfactory, disappointing, or unusual situation that causes a lot of problems 〔造成很多问题的〕事态，情况 Crisis has always been the normal state of affairs in our country's politics. 出现危机在我们国家的政局中历来都是正常现象。sorry/sad state of affairsbad state of affairs 可悲的情况 It's a sad state of affairs when a leader can't take the time to address the true problems facing his country. 一个领导人不能花时间处理国家所面临的真正问题，这是一个可悲的情况。state of play /ˌsteɪt əv ˈpleɪ/ [noun phrase]Britishwhat is happening now in a situation that is still developing and is likely to change - use this especially in business and political contexts 【英】进展情况〔尤用于商业和政治方面〕 Every four weeks we get a briefing from the managers, giving us the state of play. 我们每四个星期就收到各位经理的工作简报，向我们通报进展情况。 The current state of play in Anglo-French relations is best characterized as ‘cautious cooperation’. 英法关系当前的形势用“谨慎的合作”来描述是最恰当不过了。scenario /sɪˈnɑːriəʊ, səˈnɑːriəʊǁ-ˈnæ-, -ˈne-/ [countable noun]a situation that could possibly happen but has not happened yet - use this especially when you are discussing what might happen 〔可能出现的〕情形 Under the most hopeful scenario, it will take 20 years to clean up the mess. 最乐观的情形，也要花20年的时间才能把这混乱的局面收拾好。worst-case/nightmare scenariothe worst possible situation 可能出现的最坏/噩梦般的情形 In a worst-case scenario all life on the planet would be wiped out by a nuclear war. 最坏的情形是，地球上所有的生命都会被核战争毁灭。 This is every politician's nightmare scenario. 这对于每个政治家来说都是一场噩梦。environment /ɪnˈvaɪərənmənt/ [countable noun]all the things that influence the way you live, work, and develop, such as the physical conditions you live in and the people around you 环境 Do girls learn better in an all-female environment? 女孩子在全是女性的环境里是不是学得更好？ I didn't feel that the neighborhood was a very safe environment for kids. 我感觉这个社区的环境对小孩子不是非常安全。working/home environment We have tried to create a working environment in which everyone can develop their skills. 我们力图创造一个让人人都可以提高技能的工作环境。climate /ˈklaɪmɪt, ˈklaɪmət/ [countable noun usually singular]the economic, social, and political situation that exists at a particular time - use this especially when you are discussing what can be done or what people believe at that time 气候，趋势〔指某一时期的经济、社会和政治形势，尤用于谈论可做些什么或人们相信什么 In today's political climate the return of communism seems impossible. 在当今的政治气候下，种族主义东山再起似乎是不可能的。 Hopefully, when the financial climate gets better we'll be able to take on more workers. 财务状况好转以后，我们有望能够雇用更多的工人。climate of hostility/distrust etc The revelations of corruption have led to a climate of distrust in the capital. 腐败行为的披露在首都形成了一种不信任的气氛。climate of opinionwhat people generally think 舆论趋向 The climate of opinion on the sensitive topic of euthanasia is changing gradually. 在安乐死这个敏感话题上舆论趋向渐渐在改变。set-up /ˈset ʌp/ [countable noun]the way something such as a family, company, or country is arranged, especially a way that you do not understand or do not approve of 〔家庭、公司或国家等的〕结构；组织；体制；安排〔尤指你不明白或不赞同的〕 They're divorced, but they're still living in the same house - it seems like a strange set-up to me. 他们已经离婚，但是仍然住在一起—这种关系在我看来很是奇怪。 It's an impressive set-up. The foundation brings in half a million dollars a day. 真是个了不起的组织，这个基金会一天就有50万美元的收入。2 your personal situation 你个人的情况situation /ˌsɪtʃuˈeɪʃən/ [countable noun usually singular]thesituation you are in, for example how much money you earn, where you live, whether you are married or have children etc 〔个人的〕情况，情形 For most refugees, the situation is pretty hopeless. 大多数难民的情况都很绝望。 In your situation, I would have done exactly the same thing. 要是我处在你的情况，也同样会这么做。 The proper investment balance depends on each investor's situation. 合理的投资组合取决于投资者个人的情况。circumstances /ˈsɜːʳkəmstænsɪz, ˈsɜːʳkəmstænsəz/ [plural noun]your personal situation, for example how much money you earn, where you live, whether you are married or have children etc - used especially in official contexts 个人状况〔尤用于正式场合〕 The organization provides aid to people in desperate circumstances. 这个组织为走投无路的人提供帮助。 Please contact your Social Security office if there is any change in your circumstances. 个人状况若有变化，请与社会保障部门联系。position /pəˈzɪʃən/ [countable noun usually singular]the situation that someone is in, especially a difficult or embarrassing situation that restricts what they can do 〔尤指困难或窘迫的〕处境，境遇 In her position, I'm not sure what I'd do. 我要是在她的处境，也不知道该怎么办了。the position of somebody Few rich people can really appreciate the position of the single mother living on welfare. 有钱人很少能真正理解单身母亲靠救济金过活的这种境遇。put somebody in an awkward/difficult/embarrassing etc position Ed asked me to lie for him to help save his job, which put me in a very awkward position. 埃德要我替他撒谎帮助他保住工作，这使我陷入一个很为难的处境。case /keɪs/ [countable noun usually singular]a particular person's or group's situation - use this especially to compare one situation with others to show how they are similar or different 情况，情形〔尤用于比较不同情况的异同〕in somebody's case In my case, when I started teaching I enjoyed it right away. 就我的情况来说，我是一开始教书就立即喜欢上的。in the case of Doctors have often achieved amazing results, as in the case of 11-year-old Jason. 医生经常创造奇迹，就像11岁的贾森这个病例。case-by-caseconsidering each person's situation separately 按每个人的情况 72-hour airport visas can be extended, but decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. 72小时的机场签证可以延期，但是要看个别的情况而定。plight /plaɪt/ [singular noun]especially writtena very difficult, unpleasant, or dangerous situation that is difficult to escape from 【尤书面】困境，苦境 Roy was sympathetic to her plight and offered to help her look for her daughter. 罗伊很同情她的处境，于是提出帮助她寻找女儿。the plight of His chief concern is the plight of kids growing up in the ghettoes. 他主要关心的是贫民区孩子成长的苦境。3 when a situation affects what happens or what you do 某一情形影响着所发生的事或你所做的事under/in the circumstances /ˌʌndəʳ, ɪn ðə ˈsɜːʳkəmstænsz/ [adverb]use this to say that you think something should happen because of the situation now 在这种情况下 Normally I would have gone straight home, but under the circumstances I thought I should check on my mother. 一般我都直接回家了，但在那种情况下，我想我应该去看看我母亲。 Under the circumstances, I think the only thing you can do is apologize. 在这种情况下，我觉得你只能道歉了。 In the circumstances, it might be better if I gave the lecture rather than you. 在这种情况下，由我来代你授课可能更好。given the situation/circumstances /ˌgɪvən ðə sɪtʃuˈeɪʃən, ˈsɜːʳkəmstænsz/ [adverb]use this when you think that something is not surprising if you consider the situation it happened in 在这种情况下〔用于解释某事的发生不足为奇〕 They tried to contact everyone and given the circumstances, I think they did very well. 他们试图同每一位联络，在当时那种情况下，我觉得他们做得非常好。 Given the situation, the police officer's reaction is understandable. 在那种情况下，这位警员的反应是可以理解的。the way things are /ðə ˌweɪ θɪŋz ˈɑːʳ/use this when you are saying that something is necessary, impossible, difficult etc because of the present situation, which is not very good 就目前的情况 The way things are, we hardly ever manage to go out together except at the weekend. 按目前这样的情况，除了周末我们几乎不可能一块出去。 The way things are at work, I'm surprised more people haven't quit. 就公司目前的情况来说，我奇怪为什么没有更多的人辞职。as it is /ˌæz ɪt ˈɪz/ [adverb]use this when the situation now is different from the situation you expected or needed 按现在这种情况〔用于表示现时的形势与所预料的或所需要的不同〕 We were hoping to finish by 5 o'clock, but as it is, we'll be lucky to finish by 8! 我们原来是指望5点之前干完的，但是照现在这种情况看，8点干完已算幸运了！ Why start an argument? You're in enough trouble as it is! 为什么还要吵架？现在这样子你已够麻烦的了！as things stand/the way things stand /ˌæz θɪŋz ˈstænd, ðə ˌweɪ θɪŋz ˈstænd/ [adverb]use this when something happens, is true, or must be done because of the way the situation is now, although the situation may change in the future 照目前的情况看 People talk about the British constitution, but as things stand there is no real constitution. 人们说英国宪法，但实际上目前英国并没有真正的宪法。 We may get a few more applicants, but the way things stand Mr. Davis looks like the best candidate. 我们可能还会有几个应聘者，但是目前看来戴维斯先生是最佳人选。force of circumstances /ˌfɔːʳs əv ˈsɜːʳkəmstænsz/ [noun phrase]especially Britishif something happens byforce of circumstances, it happens differently from the way you expect or intend because the situation has changed 【尤英】环境的压力 By force of circumstances, I found myself having to share an office with my previous manager. 迫于环境，我不得不与以前的经理共用一个办公室。 Force of circumstances compelled the senator to retire in 1934. 形势迫使这位参议员在1934年辞职。