考研英语词汇复习（62）

 

                                           threaten、menace 、frighten、intimidate

 

               佳中

 

 

threaten    

menace

frighten

intimidate

  

这组动词都含“威胁”、“恐吓”的意思。 

 

        threaten 和 frighten是普通用词，指用要挟的话或手段威胁或吓唬人，迫使他人去做某事。

 

 1) He threatened that he would give away the secret of the company to its rival.

(他威胁说要把秘密泄漏给公司的竞争对手。)

           2) He threatened to kill himself if we fail to fulfill his requests.

             （他威胁说，如果我们不能满足他的要求他要自杀。）

3) They try to frighten us into accepting their irrational conditions, but we will never compromise on principles.

              （他们试图吓唬我们接受他们的不合理的条件,但我们在原则上永远不会妥协。）

 

 

    menace和intimidate是正式用词，语气较强，尤指用暴力和武力威胁或胁迫他人做某事。

 

1) The two gangsters menaced him with weapons and forced him to give up his money.

                 (这两个匪徒用武器威胁他们,迫使他交出他的钱。)

       2）It is the most powerful storm to menance the central Gulf Coast in decades.

                   (这是几十年来威胁中央海湾沿岸地区的最强大风暴。)

3) The thieves intimidated the shopkeeper with threat that they would kill him if he did not obey them.

           （小偷用威胁逼迫店主, 如果他不服从他们，他们就杀死他。）

     

 

    threat  

          menace

    intimidation

 

           threat “威胁”，普通用词，menace 语气比threat 强。intimidation 多指比较具体的威胁。

 

           1) A careless driver is a threat/menace to all roads users. 

              （粗心的司机对所有道路使用者是一种威胁。）

           2) It is a known fact that morden living poses a great threat/menace to our natural environment.

              （这是一个人所共知的事实是,现代生活方式对我们的自然环境构巨大的威胁）。

3) The sideslip of highway subgrade presents a serius menace to the sonstruction and working of the highway.

   (公路路基侧滑失对公路建设和运营安全构成严重威胁。)

           4) The flood retreated at last and its intimidation was released.

              （洪水终于退落，其威胁解除了。）