FEW/NOT MANY1 a small number of people or things2 very few3 when a small number of people or things arrive, leave etcRELATED WORDSoppositeLOTCOMMONwhen only a few of something exist 仅有少数某物存在RARE/RARELY (1)see alsoLITTLELESSONLY1 a small number of people or things 少数人或物a few /ə ˈfjuː/ [quantifier]a small number of people, things, places etc 一些，几个 Most of the trees were destroyed by the fire, but a few survived. 大部分树木都被这场火烧毁了，但有一些存活下来。a few people/days/things etc She's gone to stay with her father for a few days. 她到她父亲那里去住几天。 Can I borrow a few dollars until I get paid? 借我几块钱，发工资还你行吗？ I invited a few friends around on Saturday night. 我请了几个朋友星期六晚上来玩。a few ofa small number from a larger group 〔较大的一群中的〕一些，几个 Sean left the gate open and a few of the cows got out. 肖恩忘了关上门，几头牛跑了出去。a small number /ə ˌsmɔːl ˈnʌmbəʳ/ [quantifier]formala few people, things, places etc, especially when they are part of a much bigger number 【正式】为数不多的，少数的〔尤指数量很大的人、东西、地方等中的一部分〕 Hundreds of people begin the training programme, but only a small number complete it successfully. 几百人参加了培训课程，但只有少数人能顺利学完。a small number of Only a small number of people still speak Gaelic. 只有很少的人还使用盖尔语。 The new system is being tested in a small number of schools. 在少数几所学校里试行了这一新制度。 A relatively small number of industrially advanced countries control the world economy. 相对少数几个工业发达国家掌控着世界经济。not many /nɒt ˈmeni/ [quantifier]a smaller number than you expected or wanted 不多〔相对所期望的或需要的而言〕 ‘Were there many people at the show?’ ‘No, not many.’ “是否有许多人看演出？”“不，不多。”not many people/places etc There weren't many people at the party, but we still had a good time. 聚会上人不多，但我们依然很开心。 Not many restaurants stay open after midnight. 午夜以后还在营业的餐厅不多。not many of I think I'm quite a good cook but not many of my friends agree with me. 我觉得自己饭菜烧得不错，但朋友当中同意的人并不多。one or two /ˌwʌn ɔːʳ ˈtuː◂/ [quantifier]spokena small number of people or things 【口】一两个 ‘Do you have any Bob Dylan albums?’ ‘Yes, one or two.’ “你有没有鲍勃·迪伦的唱片？”“有的，有一两张。”one or two people/places/questions etc We've had one or two problems with the car but nothing serious. 我们的汽车出了点问题，但没什么要紧。 There are one or two things I'd like to ask you about. 有一两件事我要问你。one or two of I only know the names of one or two of the new students. 新生中我只知道一两个学生的名字。a couple /ə ˈkʌpəl/ [quantifier]especially spokentwo, or a small number 【尤口】两个；少数几个 ‘How many drinks did you have?’ ‘Just a couple.’ “你喝了几杯？”“就两杯。”a couple of A couple of kids were playing in the street. 几个小孩在街上玩。 I saw her a couple of days ago. 几天前我看见她了。a handful /ə ˈhændfʊl/ [quantifier]a very small number of people or things, especially when this number is disappointing or surprising 少数；没几个 We offer a gym for our employees but only a handful ever use it. 我们为员工设立了健身房，但只有少数几名员工使用。a handful of Only a handful of artists in Britain can make a living from painting. 在英国，只有很少几个画家能以画画为生。 A handful of people stayed after the concert to help clear the chairs away. 音乐会结束后没几个人留下来帮忙把椅子搬走。a minority /ə maɪˈnɒrtiǁ-mˈnɔː-, -ˈnɑː-/ [quantifier]a small group of people or things from within a larger group, usually forming much less than half of the larger group 少数的〔通常大大地少于半数〕a minority of Only a minority of union members voted in favour of continuing the strike. 工会成员中只有少数投票赞成继续罢工。a small/tiny etc minority Joyce is among the tiny minority of arthritis sufferers who experience these symptoms. 乔伊斯是极少数出现这种症状的关节炎患者之一。 Every year more than three hundred students enter this program but only a small minority will go on to become lawyers. 每年有三百多名学生加入这一计划，但只有少数几个会成为律师。sparse /spɑːʳs/ [adjective]if something issparse, there are only very small amounts of it, especially spread over a large area 稀少的；稀疏的 sparse traffic 车辆稀少的交通 Trees are sparse in this part of the world because of the continuous wind that blows across the plains. 该地区树木稀疏，因为平原上经常刮风。sparsely [adverb] This is one of the most sparsely populated areas of Asia there are only a few people living there. 这是亚洲人口最为稀少的地区之一。2 very few 很少的few/very few /fjuː, ˌveri ˈfjuː/ [quantifier]a very small number of people, things, places etc 很少的，极少的 At that time, few people had televisions. 那时候很少有人拥有电视机。 Very few new restaurants survive for more than two years. 很少有新饭店能开到两年以上。few/very few of Very few of the students we asked said they were interested in politics. 我们询问的学生中很少有人对政治感兴趣。almost no /ˌɔːlməʊst ˈnəʊ/ [quantifier]so few people or things that there are almost none 几乎没有 There are almost no black students at the college. 这所大学里几乎没有黑人学生。 My grandmother received almost no education as she was growing up. 我祖母在成长阶段几乎没有接受过什么教育。 Except for a lone seagull flying overhead, there are almost no signs of animal life. 除了头顶上飞着一只孤零零的海鸥，几乎见不到动物的迹象。hardly any/scarcely any /ˌhɑːʳdli ˈeni, ˌskeəʳsli ˈeni/ [quantifier]so few people or things that there are almost none - use this especially when this number is disappointing or surprising 几乎没有〔尤指少得令人失望或出人意料时〕 There are supposed to be a lot of teachers at the conference, but I've met hardly any. 应该有许多老师来参加这次会议，但我几乎一个也没碰到。hardly/scarcely any people/things/places etc Although it was Monday morning there were hardly any people around. 尽管那是星期一早上，周围仍几乎没什么人。 He enjoyed his work even though he made scarcely any money. 尽管他几乎赚不到什么钱，但他仍很喜欢自己的工作。hardly anyone We sent out over a hundred invitations but hardly anyone came. 我们发出了一百多份请柬，但几乎没有人来。hardly any/scarcely any of Scarcely any of the private schools replied to the researcher's questionnaire. 私立学校中几乎没有一家填写研究人员的调查表。be able to count something on (the fingers of) one hand /biː eɪbl tə ˌkaʊnt something ɒn (ðə ˌfɪŋgəʳz əv) ˌwʌn ˈhænd/ [verb phrase]spokensay this to emphasize that there is only a very small number of people, things, times when something happens etc 【口】少得扳手指也数得清，寥寥无几 I can count the number of times my son's called me on one hand. 我儿子给我打电话的次数少得扳手指也数得清。 Ten years ago, you could count the Korean restaurants in this city on the fingers of one hand. 十年前这个城市里的韩国餐馆少得可怜。3 when a small number of people or things arrive, leave etc 少量的人或物的到来、离开等a trickle /ə ˈtrɪkəl/ [singular noun]a number of people going in small groups from one place to another, especially from one country to another, over a long period of time 少量人流〔尤指长时间内从一个国家到另一个国家〕 The flow of immigrants from Bosnia has slowed to a trickle. 来自波斯尼亚的移民已经减少，只剩下小股的人流。a trickle of Since the rebellion there has been a steady trickle of refugees making their way across the border. 自叛乱发生后，不断有小批难民越过边境迁移。in dribs and drabs /ɪn ˌdrɪbz ən ˈdræbz/ [adverb]if people or things arrive, leave etcin dribs and drabs, they come or go in small groups and not all together at the same time 少量地；零星地 The wedding guests were arriving in dribs and drabs. 参加婚礼的人零零星星地到了。 He insisted on paying me back in dribs and drabs, five or ten dollars at a time. 他执意要零零碎碎地还我钱，每次还五元十元的。in ones and twos /ɪn ˌwʌnz ən ˈtuːz/ [adverb]if people or things arrive, leave etcin ones or twos, they arrive etc on their own or in very small groups 三三两两地〔到来、离去等〕 There were only about fifty people in the hall, standing around in ones and twos. 大厅里大概只有五十个人，三三两两地站着。