FAIL1 when you do not succeed2 when a plan or attempt fails3 to have the opposite effect to what was intended4 certain to fail5 when an event or product is unsuccessful6 to fail an exam or test7 when a relationship or marriage fails8 when a company, shop, or business fails9 a time when an economy is not successfulRELATED WORDSoppositeSUCCEED/SUCCESSFULlose a game, argument, election, war etc 输掉比赛、争论、竞选、战争等LOSEsee alsoTESTBUSINESS1 when you do not succeed 不成功时fail /feɪl/ [intransitive verb] We tried to make her change her mind, but we failed. 我们试图让她改变主意，但未能成功。fail to do something I failed to convince him that I was right. 我无法说服他我是对的。 Having failed to find her friend, she decided to return home. 她找不到她的朋友，决定回家去。fail completely If they were trying to put us out of business, they have failed completely. 如果他们本来是想让我们关门大吉，那么他们是彻底地失败了。fail miserablyfail completely, in a way that is embarrassing 惨败 Millions of people have tried to quit smoking and failed miserably. 数以百万计的人试过戒烟，却以惨败告终。failure /ˈfeɪljəʳ/ [countable/uncountable noun]when you fail in something you are trying to do 失败 She never tries anything because she's terrified of failure. 她故步自封，因为她害怕失败。 His ability has been called into question after a number of recent failures. 经过最近的几次失败，他的能力受到怀疑。failure to do something The failure of the international community to deal effectively with the problem has cost thousands of lives. 国际社会未能有效地处理这一问题，致使数千人丧生。not make it /nɒt ˈmeɪk ɪt/ [verb phrase]informalto fail in your job, especially because you do not earn a lot of money or do not become well known and respected 【非正式】〔工作中〕失败〔尤因没有名成利遂〕not make it as No one was surprised when he didn't make it as a rock star. 他没有成为摇滚乐歌星，没人感到吃惊。not make it in She soon realized she'd never make it in the cut-throat world of journalism. 她很快就意识到，在这竞争残酷的新闻界，她永远都不会成功。get nowhere /ˌget ˈnəʊweəʳ/ [verb phrase]to fail after trying hard for a long time 〔长时间努力之后〕失败，不成功 Unless you compromise, you'll get nowhere. 除非你作出让步，不然是无法成功的。get nowhere with Realizing she was getting nowhere with Paul, she approached John. 她意识到和保罗之间没有成功希望了，便去接近约翰。for nothing /fəʳ ˈnʌθɪŋ/ [adverb]if all your work, preparation etc isfor nothing, you have tried to achieve something and spent a lot of time on it, but failed 〔所有的工作、准备等〕白费 If we don't get the contract all our hard work will have been for nothing. 如果我们得不到这份合同，那我们所有的艰苦工作就都白干了。 I don't want to struggle all my life for nothing. 我可不想一辈子奋斗却一无所得。in vain /ɪn ˈveɪn/ [adverb]if you tried to do somethingin vain, or if your efforts werein vain,you completely failed after a lot of effort 徒然，无济于事地try/search/battle etc in vain Doctors tried in vain to save him but he died just before dawn. 医生对他抢救无效，就在天亮前他去世了。 Police have spent hours searching in vain for the missing teenager. 警方花了几个小时寻找这个失踪少年却毫无结果。be in vain It took a great deal of courage to admit that all her efforts had been in vain. 她承认自己的努力都白费了，这是需要极大勇气才能做到的。draw a blankBritish/come up empty-handedAmerican /ˌdrɔː ə ˈblæŋk, ˌkʌm ʌp ˌempti ˈhændd/ [verb phrase]informalfail to find or discover information or a person or thing you are looking for 【非正式】〔寻找〕毫无结果 Once again police investigators have drawn a blank. 警方调查人员又一次落了空。 The private detective she hired to look for him had come up empty-handed. 她雇来寻找他下落的私人侦探一无所得。2 when a plan or attempt fails 计划或尝试失败fail /feɪl/ [intransitive verb]if a plan or attemptfails, it does not achieve what you want it to achieve 失败 They said the latest space mission was bound to fail. 他们说最新的太空飞行任务注定要失败。 Try changing the spark plugs, but if that fails take the car to a mechanic. 试试换火花塞，如果还不行就把车给技师去修。fail to do something The investigation failed to establish the cause of the accident. 此次调查未能找出事故原因。something never fails The only way I can make her help me is to pretend I don't want her help. It never fails. 让她来帮我忙的唯一办法是装出我不要她帮忙。这一招百试不爽。failure /ˈfeɪljəʳ/ [countable/uncountable noun]when a plan or attempt fails 失败，不成功failure of The failure of the peace talks has led to increased tension on the streets. 和谈的失败使街上的气氛更趋紧张。end/result in failure Their first attempt to climb Mount Everest ended in failure. 他们首次攀登珠穆朗玛峰的尝试以失败告终。not succeed /nɒt səkˈsiːd/ [verb phrase]to fail 没有成功 Hoover's attempts to boost the economy did not succeed. 胡佛振兴经济的尝试没有取得成功。 I argued that neither strategy could succeed. 我认为两种策略都不会成功。not succeed in doing something The campaign might not succeed in eliminating the disease, but it would make people think about health and hygiene. 这次运动不一定能根除这一疾病，但它将引起人们对健康和卫生的重视。unsuccessful /ˌʌnsəkˈsesfəl◂/ [adjective]anunsuccessful attempt to do something does not have the result that you wanted 〔尝试〕不成功的； The army made an unsuccessful attempt to end the rebellion. 军队试图平定叛乱但未获成功。 I regret to inform you that your application was unsuccessful. 很遗憾，您的申请未能通过，现特函通知。vain /veɪn/ [adjective only before noun]vain attempt/effort/searcha serious attempt, effort etc that is completely unsuccessful 徒劳的尝试/努力/寻找 I remembered all my vain attempts to change his mind. 我还记得如何想方设法改变他想法却徒劳无功。 He stretched up his arms in a vain effort to reach the top of the embankment. 他伸直了双臂徒劳地想要抓到堤岸的顶部。fruitless /ˈfruːtləs/ [adjective]fruitless attempt/search/effort etcone that fails completely to bring the result that you want 无结果的尝试/搜查/努力等 I spent the next three hours in a fruitless search of her room. 我接着对她的房间搜寻了三个小时却毫无收获。 After weeks of fruitless argument they finally agreed to go their separate ways. 经过几周毫无结果的争论之后，他们最后决定各走各的路。 Their attempt to settle the dispute by peaceful negotiations proved fruitless. 他们想通过和平谈判来解决争端的尝试最终失败了。unproductive /ˌʌnprəˈdʌktɪv◂/ [adjective]a meeting, discussion etc that isunproductive produces very few good results 〔会议、讨论等〕无成效的；无结果的 The meeting was long and noisy, but unproductive. 这次会议冗长嘈杂，却没有什么结果。 It was one of those unproductive confrontations between students and senior members of the university. 这次学生与大学高层之间的冲突又没取得什么结果。be a failure /biː ə ˈfeɪljəʳ/ [verb phrase]to be unsuccessful - use this especially about something that fails even though it was very carefully planned 〔尤指虽经周密计划还是〕失败了，未获成功 The government's expensive election campaign had been a failure. 该政府花费高昂的竞选宣传活动失败了。be a complete/total failure There was a 5-year plan to modernize the economy, but it was a complete failure. 有一个使经济现代化的五年计划，但是彻底失败了。go wrong /ˌgəʊ ˈrɒŋǁ-ˈrɔːŋ/ [verb phrase]if a planned attempt to do somethinggoes wrong, it fails after it has started well 〔开始很好，到后来却〕失败，出错 The experiment went wrong when the chemicals combined to form a poisonous gas. 化学物混合产生了一种有毒气体，于是这次试验失败了。go badly wrongBritishfail completely 【英】彻底失败 The rescue attempt went badly wrong when the building collapsed. 建筑物倒塌，营救行动彻底失败。not work /nɒt ˈwɜːʳk/ [verb phrase]if a method or attempt doesnot work, it fails because it is not suitable or not right for the situation you are in 〔方法、尝试等〕行不通，失败 I tried to fix it with glue, but that didn't work. 我想用胶水把它固定住，但是不行。not work with Teaching methods that work with adults do not always work with children. 适用于成年人的教学方法对儿童未必总是行得通。do no good /ˌduː nəʊ ˈgʊd/ [verb phrase]if something you do to try to help or deal with a problemdoes no good, it does not have any useful effect 〔为对付某问题所做的事〕没有什么用 Calm down Robyn. Getting hysterical will do no good. 罗宾，你要冷静。歇斯底里解决不了问题。 You can try and persuade her to change her mind, but I don't think it'll do any good. 你可以试试说服她改变主意，不过我觉得这没什么用。do no good whatsoeverhave no useful effect at all 完全不起作用 Judges expect a certain level of competence, so staging a little-girl-lost act in court will do no good whatsoever. 法官要求律师具备一定的能力，因此在法庭上摆出一副天真无知的模样效果不会好。fall through /ˌfɔːl ˈθruː/ [intransitive phrasal verb not in progressive]if a plan, arrangement, or dealfalls through, something stops it from happening, with the result that people are disappointed 〔计划、安排或交易〕落空；告吹 The deal fell through because they couldn't get enough money from the bank. 这笔生意告吹了，因为他们从银行借不到足够的钱。 It was unbelievable -- it took two years to set the whole thing up and it fell through at the last minute! 真难以相信—整个事情花了两年时间去安排，在最后一分钟却落空了。be dead in the water /biː ˌded ɪn ðə ˈwɔːtəʳ/ [verb phrase]if a business or political plan isdead in the water, it has failed completely, almost before it has even started - used especially in newspapers 〔商业或政治计划〕彻底失败，胎死腹中〔尤用于报刊〕 Their election campaign now appears to be dead in the water. 他们的竞选宣传活动现在看来是完全失败了。3 to have the opposite effect to what was intended 发生与预计相反的结果backfire /ˌbækˈfaɪəʳǁˈbækfaɪər/ [intransitive verb]if a plan or actionbackfires, it is intended to do one thing but instead does the opposite 产生事与愿违的结果，弄巧成拙 His plan to get attention backfired, and instead of being promoted he lost his job. 他想引起别人的重视却事与愿违，没有得到提升反而丢了工作。backfire on Trying to make your partner jealous by flirting with other people can easily backfire on you. 跟别人调情以引起你配偶的嫉妒，这么做很容易弄巧成拙。self-defeating /ˌself dɪˈfiːtɪŋ◂/ [adjective]an action or plan that isself-defeating is not well planned or is badly done, so that it produces the opposite effect from the one intended 弄巧成拙的，适得其反的 Taxing poor people to pay for hospitals is always self- defeating. 向穷人征税以支付医院费用，这种做法总是适得其反的。 Attempts to stir up nationalistic feeling at such times are bound to be self-defeating. 在这种时候企图煽动民族主义情绪肯定会弄巧成拙。counterproductive /ˌkaʊntəʳprəˈdʌktɪv◂/ [adjective not usually before noun]intended to make something better, but actually making it worse 产生反效果的 Putting very young offenders in prison can be counterproductive. 监禁少年犯有时候会适得其反。 Constant correction by a teacher is often counterproductive, as the student may become afraid to speak at all. 老师如不断纠正学生的错误往往会事与愿违，因为这样学生会不敢开口说话。4 certain to fail 必然失败pointless /ˈpɔɪntləs/ [adjective]something that ispointless is unlikely to have a very useful or successful result, so it would be better not to do it or try it 无意义的，无益的 The argument was completely pointless. 这场争吵毫无意义。 Most people think the project is a pointless waste of money. 大部分人都认为该计划是在毫无必要地浪费金钱。pointless exercise Speculating like that was always a pointless exercise, but he did it nevertheless. 做那种推测从来就是无意义的，但他还是做了。it is pointless to do something It's pointless to take notes and then never look at them again. 记了笔记又从来不看是白费工夫。it is pointless doing something She decided it was pointless trying to work while her mind was on other things. 她想清楚了，当自己心思在别的事情上时想要工作是无谓的。be a waste of time /biː ə ˌweɪst əv ˈtaɪm/ [verb phrase]especially spokensomething that is awaste of time is unlikely to achieve any useful result, so you would be wasting your time if you tried to do it 【尤口】是在浪费时间 Many people think that complaining about bad service is a waste of time. 许多人都觉得抱怨服务不佳纯属浪费时间。a complete/total waste of time These meetings are a complete waste of time. Nothing ever gets decided. 这些会议完全在浪费时间，什么事都决定不下来。it is a waste of time doing something It's a waste of time going to the doctor - he'll just tell you to get plenty of rest. 去看医生是浪费时间，他就会告诉你多休息。there's no point/what's the point /ðeəʳz ˌnəʊ ˈpɔɪnt, ˌwɒts ðə ˈpɔɪnt/spokensay this when you think that it is useless to do something because you will not achieve anything useful by doing it 【口】没有用的，有什么意思 ‘Why don't you try to explain things to him?’ ‘There's no point, he never listens.’ “你为什么不设法把情况向他解释一下呢？”“解释了也没有用，他从来都听不进去的。” I was going to buy a new car, but what's the point when my old one's perfectly all right? 我曾打算买辆新车，可我那辆旧车还好好的，干嘛要买新的?there's no point (in) doing something There's no point getting a new carpet until the decorating's done. 装修完工之前买新地毯是没意思的。what's the point in/of doing something? What's the point of giving a signal when there are no other cars around to see it? 周围没有别的汽车看见，那么发出信号又有什么用？doomed /duːmd/ [adjective]not having any chance at all of succeeding 注定要失败的 Attempts to clean up the environment are doomed unless businesses take a leading role. 除非企业起带头作用，否则治理环境的努力必定失败。 Within a few months she realized that her marriage was doomed. 仅仅几个月她就已经清楚自己的婚姻注定要失败了。doomed to failure If you refuse to provide any information to the user, then your computer program is doomed to failure. 如果你不愿意向用户提供任何信息，那么你的电脑程序必定会失败。doomed from the start Their business venture was doomed from the start, as they did not have the necessary capital. 他们的商业计划一开始就注定要失败，因为他们没有必需的资金。lost cause /ˌlɒst ˈkɔːzǁˌlɔːst-/ [countable noun]something that you try to make successful, although it seems very clear to other people that it cannot succeed 败局已定的事 At first it seemed the attempt to save the species was a lost cause. 起初拯救那一物种的尝试似乎是注定不会成功的。 The miners’ strike of 1984 turned out to be a lost cause. 1984年的矿工罢工最终成了无可挽回的败局。non-starter /nɒn ˈstɑːʳtəʳ/ [countable noun]Britishan idea or plan that will definitely not be successful 【英】无成功希望的想法〔计划〕 Everybody would prefer a lower rate of tax, but that that is a non-starter economically. 人人都喜欢低税率，但从经济的角度来说这是办不到的。 The project would have been a non-starter without the help of Judith Glyn. 如果没有朱迪思·格林的帮助，此计划就绝无成功的希望。5 when an event or product is unsuccessful 某一事件或产品未能成功be a failure /biː ə ˈfeɪljəʳ/ [verb phrase] The latest model seems likely to be a failure since cheaper versions are now available. 现在已有更廉价的款式出售，这批最新产品看样子很可能失败。be a complete/total failure It takes a little while for an author to realize that his book has been a complete failure. 一个作者要认识到自己的书是彻底失败的作品需要一段时间。be a commercial failureto not make enough profit 商业上失败 Her first film was praised by the critics, but was a commercial failure. 她拍的第一部电影受到评论家的好评，但从商业角度看却失败了。be a fiasco /biː ə fiˈæskəʊ/ [verb phrase]to be completely unsuccessful, in a way that makes people feel disappointed and embarrassed 彻底失败〔以致使人失望或尴尬〕 It was a fiasco! Nobody knew what they were doing and everything went wrong. 彻底完蛋了！没人知道他们在搞些什么，没有一件事是顺利的。 The show turned into a fiasco when members of the audience invaded the stage. 一些观众蹿上舞台，演出完全失败了。be a complete/total fiasco Lamont's attempts to prop up the pound were a complete fiasco. 拉蒙特想把英镑撑住的努力彻底失败了。be a disaster /biː ə dɪˈzɑːstəʳǁ-ˈzæs-/ [verb phrase]if an event, especially a social event,is a disaster, it makes people feel angry, disappointed, or embarrassed, instead of being enjoyable 〔尤指社交活动〕全搞砸了 Our first date was a disaster. 我们的首次约会彻底失败。 The whole visit was something of a disaster, and he was still recovering from it months later. 整个访问以惨败告终，几个月之后他心里还没恢复平静。be a total/complete disaster Even the host would have to admit that the evening had been a complete disaster. 连主人也不得不承认那天晚上的活动是完全失败的。be a shambles /biː ə ˈʃæmbəlz/ [verb phrase]if a situation or eventis a shambles, it is completely unsuccessful because it has been very badly planned or organized 〔场面或活动〕搞得一团糟 The whole conference was a shambles because half the speakers did not come. 整个会议开得一团糟，因为有一半的演讲者都没有到场。 The way this school is run is a shambles. 这所学校管理得一塌糊涂。be a complete/total shambles Let's hope this year's celebrations aren't a complete shambles like last year's. 但愿今年的庆祝会不像去年一样开得乱七八糟。flop/be a flop /flɒp, biː ə ˈflɒpǁ-ˈflɑːp/ [intransitive verb/verb phrase]if a product, play, or performanceflops oris a flop, it is not successful because people do not like it 〔产品、戏剧或演出〕不受人欢迎，失败 The movie flopped and Laughton never got the chance to direct again. 影片失败了，劳顿从此再也没有得到导演的机会。 It was just another so-called "wonder product' that flopped when people failed to buy it. 这不过又是一种所谓的“神奇产品”，因无人问津而告失败。 Despite all the publicity, the show was a flop. 尽管做了那么多宣传，这场演出还是不受欢迎。 It is the public who decide whether a film will be a hit or a flop. 一部电影是轰动还是无人问津由观众来决定。bomb /bɒmǁbɑːm/ [intransitive verb]informalif a product, play, or performancebombs, it is not successful because people do not like it 【非正式】〔产品、戏剧或演出〕不受人喜爱；砸锅 Although the show was a hit in London it bombed on Broadway. 尽管这部戏在伦敦十分卖座，但在百老汇却砸了锅。 She has had few offers of work since her last movie bombed so spectacularly. 自从她上部影片的票房一败涂地，她就极少得到片约了。6 to fail an exam or test 考试或测验失败fail /feɪl/ [intransitive/transitive verb]to not succeed in an examination or test 不及格；没有通过 Jonathan failed his law exams at the end of the year. 乔纳森年底的法律考试未能及格。 If I fail my driving test again, I'm going to give up. 如果我驾驶考试再失败的话，我打算放弃了。 ‘How did you do in accountancy?’ ‘I failed’. “你会计学考得怎么样？”“我没有及格。”fail by 2 marks/5% etc We expected her to pass easily, but she failed by 15 marks. 我们原以为她能轻易通过，可她的分数比及格分数低15分。flunk /flʌŋk/ [intransitive/transitive verb]especially American, informalto fail an examination or test 【尤美，非正式】〔考试〕不及格，未通过 He thought he was going to flunk chemistry, but he got a D. 他以为化学要不及格了，不过还是得了个D。 I flunked, and had to do the test again. 我不及格，得重考。flunk out /ˌflʌŋk ˈaʊt/ [intransitive phrasal verb]especially American informalto fail a course at college or university and be forced to leave 【尤美，非正式】〔在大学里因不及格〕被迫退学 You either pass and get your degree or flunk out. 你要么通过考试拿到学位，要么就退学回家。flunk out of college/school etc It was extremely humiliating to flunk out of law school like that. 像那样从法学院被迫退学是很丢脸的事。bomb /bɒmǁbɑːm/ [transitive verb]American informalto fail very badly 【美，非正式】严重失利，把…考砸了 I bombed the English test yesterday. 昨天我英语测验考砸了。7 when a relationship or marriage fails 一段关系或婚姻失败fail /feɪl/ [intransitive verb] If your marriage fails it can be difficult to make a new start in life. 如果婚姻失败，你的生活可能难以重新开始。 She was trapped in a failing relationship. 她被困在日益恶化的关系之中。failed [adjective only before noun] He was 50, in bad health and with two failed marriages behind him. 他50岁，健康状况不佳，有过两次失败的婚姻。go wrong /ˌgəʊ ˈrɒŋǁ-ˈrɔːŋ/ [verb phrase]Britishif a marriage or other relationshipgoes wrong, or something about itgoes wrong,something happens or changes to make it fail after it had started well 【英】〔婚姻或其他关系〕恶化 It was soon after the birth of their first child that their relationship started to go wrong. 他们第一个孩子出生之后没多久婚姻就出现了危机。 Only the two of you know what went wrong. 只有你们两个知道是什么不对劲了。be on the rocks /biː ɒn ðə ˈrɒksǁ-ˈrɑːks/ [verb phrase]informalif a marriageis on the rocks, it is in difficulties and likely to fail 【非正式】〔婚姻〕濒于破裂，面临失败 There had been signs that their marriage was on the rocks for years. 有迹象表明他们的婚姻多年来一直有问题。8 when a company, shop, or business fails 公司、商店或企业破产倒闭fail /feɪl/ [intransitive verb] A large number of businesses failed when interest rates rose. 由于提高了利率，许多企业破产了。 Several thousands of small businesses fail each week. 每周都有几千家小企业倒闭。failure /ˈfeɪljəʳ/ [countable noun] Company failures have led to massive job losses. 公司倒闭已造成大量工作岗位流失。go out of business /gəʊ ˌaʊt əv ˈbɪzns/ [verb phrase]if a companygoes out of business, it stops existing because it is no longer making a profit 〔因赚不到利润而〕倒闭，破产 Many small farms are going out of business. 许多小农场纷纷倒闭。be put/forced out of business As the recession hit, many traders were forced out of business. 由于遭受经济衰退的冲击，许多商人都破产了。go under /ˌgəʊ ˈʌndəʳ/ [intransitive phrasal verb]if a business, bank, or companygoes under, it fails - used especially in newspapers and business contexts 〔企业、银行或公司〕倒闭〔尤用于报刊和商界〕 When the company went under, some of our workers found positions with Ford. 公司倒闭后，我们的一些职员在福特公司找到了工作。close down /ˌkləʊz ˈdaʊn/ [intransitive phrasal verb]if a shop, factory, or businesscloses down, it stops making or selling goods 〔店铺、工厂或企业〕歇业；关闭 If the factory closes down, 600 people will lose their jobs. 工厂一旦关闭，600名员工将失去饭碗。 Coal mines are closing down all over the country. 这国家到处都有煤矿在倒闭。 Not long ago, the orchestra was the pride of the city. Now it is on the verge of closing down. 不久前这个乐团还是城市的骄傲，可现在它正濒临解散的边缘。closureBritish/closingAmerican /ˈkləʊʒəʳ, ˈkləʊzɪŋ/ [countable/uncountable noun]when a shop, factory, or business fails and closes 关闭，倒闭 Further factory closures have been announced. 据宣布已有更多的工厂倒闭。closure of The closing of the Minton Savings and Loan was a great loss to the town. 明顿购房互助协会的关闭对这个小镇来说是个极大的损失。face/be threatened with closureto be going to close down 面临关闭的危险 Penrhyn is now the largest quarry in the world, yet 5 years ago it faced closure. 彭林采石场现已成为世界上规模最大的采石场，可五年前它却面临被关闭的命运。go bankrupt/go bust /ˌgəʊ ˈbæŋkrʌpt, ˌgəʊ ˈbʌst/ [verb phrase]informalif a person or companygoes bankrupt, they are legally forced to sell their property and possessions to pay their debts 〔人或公司〕破产 Her father went bankrupt in 1984. 她父亲在1984年破产了。 He bought a small printing firm that had gone bankrupt. 他买下了一家已经破产的小印刷公司。 The company went bust last year, owing £12 million. 那家公司去年破产了，欠债1，200万英镑。fold /fəʊld/ [intransitive verb]informalto fail and be unable to continue in business 【非正式】倒闭 Most of the companies dependent on the steelworks folded within weeks. 大多数依靠钢铁厂生存的公司在几个星期内倒闭了。go to the wall /ˌgəʊ tə ðə ˈwɔːl/ [verb phrase]informalto fail and be unable to continue in business, especially because of difficult economic conditions 【非正式】倒闭〔尤因经济形势不好〕 Over 300 small firms have gone to the wall in the past year. 过去一年里有三百多家小公司倒闭。 High interest rates will force many businesses to go to the wall. 高利率会使许多公司难以为继。9 a time when an economy is not successful 经济形势恶劣的一段时期recession /rɪˈseʃən/ [countable/uncountable noun]a period when a country's economic growth stops and there is less trade, so that many companies have to reduce the number of workers they employ 〔经济的〕衰退期 The car industry, like most other industries, is feeling the effects of the recession. 汽车工业跟其他多数工业一样，也感受到了经济衰退的冲击。severe recessionvery bad recession 严重衰退 In times of severe recession companies are often forced to make massive job cuts in order to survive. 在经济严重衰退时期，公司经常被迫大量裁员以求生存。in recessionsuffering from a recession 处于衰退期 The economy is in recession and will remain so for at least another year. 经济正处于衰退期中，这种情况至少还要持续一年。slump /slʌmp/ [countable noun]a period when there is a big reduction in trade so that many companies fail and a lot of people lose their jobs 〔经济〕不景气，萧条 The post-war slump sent the unemployment figures to twice the expected level. 战后经济不景气，使失业率比预计的程度高出一倍。slump in The slump in the property market is making it difficult for people to sell their homes. 房地产市场的不景气使人们很难卖出房子。depression /dɪˈpreʃən/ [countable noun]a period of time continuing for several years when greatly reduced business activity severely affects a country's economic growth, and a lot of people lose their jobs - use this especially when this affects many countries across the world 〔经济〕萧条期〔尤指影响许多国家的萧条〕 In Germany the depression in the late 1920s helped Hitler's rise to power. 德国20世纪20年代末的经济萧条使希特勒得以掌权。 Hartnell blamed his financial difficulties on the worldwide depression. 哈特内尔把自己的经济困难归咎于遍及全世界的经济萧条。crash /kræʃ/ [countable noun]a sudden and unexpected fall in the value of shares in companies, with the result that many companies have to close and a lot of people lose their jobs 股价暴跌〔导致大量公司倒闭，许多人失业〕 Luckily, I sold my shares just before the crash. 还好我正好在股价暴跌前抛出了股票。 The Wall Street Crash was disastrous for many American businessmen. 华尔街股票大跌对许多美国商人来说都是一场灾难。stock market crashcrash in the organizations that buy and sell shares in companies 股市暴跌 The stock market crash made me suspicious of those types of insurance schemes. 股票市场的价格暴跌使我对那几种保险计划产生了怀疑。