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一位聽眾來信詢問名詞 “circumstance、surrounding、environment” 和 “atmosphere” 之間的區(qū)別。它們都與 “環(huán)境或情況” 有關(guān)，但具體的用法有所不同：談?wù)?“境況，客觀條件” 用 “circumstance”；談?wù)?“周圍環(huán)境” 時(shí)用復(fù)數(shù)名詞 “surroundings”；名詞 “environment” 強(qiáng)調(diào) “環(huán)境給人帶來的影響”；名詞 “atmosphere” 指 “氣氛”，強(qiáng)調(diào) “環(huán)境給人帶來的主觀感受”。聽節(jié)目，學(xué)習(xí)辨析這四個(gè)詞的用法。

歡迎你加入并和我們一起討論英語學(xué)習(xí)的方方面面。請通過微博 “BBC英語教學(xué)” 或郵件與我們?nèi)〉寐?lián)系。我們的郵箱地址是 questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk

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（關(guān)于臺(tái)詞的備注: 請注意這不是廣播節(jié)目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能沒有體現(xiàn)錄制、編輯過程中對節(jié)目做出的改變。）

Jiaying
歡迎收聽 BBC英語教學(xué)的 “你問我答” 節(jié)目。I'm Jiaying.

Sam
And I'm Sam. Hello, everyone!

Jiaying
本期節(jié)目的問題來自聽眾 Starnight。問題是這樣的：

Question
I would like to ask what is the connection and difference between 'circumstance', 'surrounding', 'environment', and 'atmosphere'. Thank you.

Sam
This is a really interesting question – thank you for sending it in! All of these nouns are used to talk about places or situations, but, as usual, there are some differences in how we use them. Let's look at each of them in turn and give you lots of examples, starting with 'circumstance'.

Jiaying
Here we go! 名詞 “circumstance” 是 “條件，境況，客觀環(huán)境”。當(dāng)我們使用 “circumstance” 的時(shí)候，談?wù)摰牟⒉皇悄硞€(gè)情況本身，而是 “影響某一情況的客觀條件或環(huán)境”。

Sam
Exactly! So, 'circumstances' can include many things which can be negative or positive. It's also interesting to notice that 'circumstance' is usually used in its plural form, so 'circumstances'.

Jiaying
是的，你會(huì)經(jīng)常聽到 “circumstance” 用在短語 “under the circumstances” 當(dāng)中，意思是 “在某種特定的情況下”。

Examples
She was in a surprisingly cheerful mood considering the difficult circumstances.
（考慮到當(dāng)時(shí)困難的形勢，她的心情異常愉快。）

When he got a new job, his circumstances improved almost overnight.
（當(dāng)他找到新工作后，他的境況幾乎一夜之間就好轉(zhuǎn)了。）

I’m so sorry I can't come to dinner. My car broke down! I hope you'll understand under the circumstances.
（很抱歉我不能來吃晚飯了。我的車拋錨了！希望你能理解這個(gè)特殊情況。）

Sam
Let's look at 'surroundings' now. 'Surroundings' is always used in the plural form and is used to talk more specifically about a physical place. What more can you tell us, Jiaying?

Jiaying
復(fù)數(shù)名詞 “surroundings” 的確切含義是 “周圍環(huán)境，周圍事物”，也就是 “某人所在的地方以及這個(gè)地方的物質(zhì)條件”。所以，當(dāng)我們用 “surroundings” 來指 “環(huán)境” 的時(shí)候，具體指 “眼睛可以看到的客觀事物”。

Sam
Yes, and this can be small, like a room in a house, and it can be big, like a neighbourhood in a city, but it's not always specified. Listen to these examples now.

Examples
We worry less about our children now that we live in safer surroundings. We're so happy we moved.
（現(xiàn)在我們周圍的生活環(huán)境更安全，所以不像以前那樣擔(dān)心孩子們了。我們很高興我們搬家了。）

When I came out of the station, it took me a few moments to familiarise myself with my surroundings.
（當(dāng)我從車站出來后，我花了一段時(shí)間才熟悉了周圍的環(huán)境 。）

My grandparents worked hard their whole lives so they could live in comfortable surroundings in their old age.
（我的祖父母一生都在努力工作，這樣他們晚年的時(shí)候就能生活在舒適的環(huán)境中。）

Sam
It's time to look at 'environment' now.

Jiaying
我們都知道 “the environment” 的意思是 “自然環(huán)境”。比如，想表達(dá) “保護(hù)自然環(huán)境”，就可以說 “protect the environment”。除了這個(gè)意思以外，“environment” 還可以指哪些 “環(huán)境” 呢？

Sam
This word also refers to a place and how that place affects you.

Jiaying
沒錯(cuò)，名詞 “environment” 還可以指 “生活或工作的條件”，強(qiáng)調(diào)這些條件對你產(chǎn)生的影響。例如，你的工作環(huán)境 “work environment” 會(huì)影響你的工作效率。

Sam
Very true. Now, be a little careful with 'environment', because it can be both a countable and an uncountable noun. But when it has this definition, it is a countable noun, so you will see it used in both the singular and plural forms.

Jiaying
你經(jīng)常會(huì)看到 “environment” 與動(dòng)詞 “create” 或形容詞 “friendly” 搭配使用。請聽例句。

Examples
There is research showing that bright, airy and colourful learning environments help young children do better in school.
（有研究表明，亮堂、通風(fēng)、色彩明亮的學(xué)習(xí)環(huán)境有助于提高幼兒在學(xué)校的表現(xiàn)。）

I tried a new exercise class yesterday. The instructor created such a friendly environment. I think I'll go back next week!
（我昨天試著上了一節(jié)新的健身課。課程的指導(dǎo)教練創(chuàng)造了一個(gè)很友好的環(huán)境，我想我下周還會(huì)去上課?。?

Sam
And, finally, let's look at 'atmosphere' which, in this context, is always singular.

Jiaying
名詞 “atmosphere” 的意思也是 “環(huán)境”，強(qiáng)調(diào) “一個(gè)場所或情況的特點(diǎn)、氛圍或給人帶來的感覺”。在上面講過的詞語中，名詞 “atmosphere” 可能更強(qiáng)調(diào)我們 “對某個(gè)地方或情況的主觀感受或個(gè)人反應(yīng)”。

Sam
Yes! Like with the other nouns, we need adjectives to tell us if an 'atmosphere' is positive or negative. And it's quite common to see it in sentences that start with 'There is'. Here are some examples.

Examples
There was quite a tense atmosphere in the room after Faith and Teo had an argument in front of everyone.
（費(fèi)絲和蒂奧在所有人的面前爭吵后，房間里的氣氛相當(dāng)緊張。）

We come to this cafe for meetings a lot. The coffee is great and it has a lovely atmosphere.
（我們經(jīng)常來這家咖啡館開工作會(huì)議。這里的咖啡很棒，氣氛也很好。）

Jiaying
好了，希望你通過我們的講解，對名詞 “circumstance、surroundings、environment” 和 “atmosphere” 的用法有了一定的理解。

Sam
And remember that if you have a question you'd like us to answer, you can send it to us too!

Jiaying
我們的微博賬號是 “BBC英語教學(xué)”。你也可以發(fā)郵件給我們，郵箱地址是：questions.chinaelt@bbc.co.uk 謝謝收聽 “你問我答” 節(jié)目。我是佳瑩。我們下次再會(huì)！

Sam
Bye-bye, everyone.