“keep up with”是英语中常用的动词短语,核心含义是“跟上;不落后于;与…保持同步”,强调持续维持与某事物/人的进度、节奏或状态一致,避免掉队。
“keep up with”后面通常接名词/代词,表示“跟上(某人/某事的进度、变化、节奏等)”,具体场景可分为以下几类:
指不落后于既定的计划、课程或工作要求。
Example: I have to study harder to keep up with the rest of the class.(我得更努力学习才能跟上全班的进度。)
Example: She struggles to keep up with her workload since she started the new job.(自从开始新工作,她很难跟上工作量。)
指在行动、速度或活动上与他人保持一致。
Example: The kids ran so fast that I couldn’t keep up with them.(孩子们跑得太快,我跟不上他们。)
Example: He’s a fast talker—can you keep up with him?(他说话很快,你能跟上他的节奏吗?)
指了解并适应最新的发展、潮流或信息。
Example: It’s hard to keep up with the latest technology these days.(如今很难跟上最新的技术发展。)
Example: I read the news every morning to keep up with current events.(我每天早上看新闻,以便了解最新时事。)
有时也用于表示“维持与某人的联系”,但更常用的表达是“keep in touch with”,“keep up with”更侧重“跟上对方的生活/动态”(比如了解对方的近况)。
Example: I try to keep up with my old classmates via social media.(我尽量通过社交媒体跟上老同学们的近况。)
容易混淆的两个短语,核心差异在于“是否已经落后”:
keep up with:强调“持续保持不落后”(原本就在同一节奏,继续维持);
catch up with:强调“追上已经落后的部分”(原本落后,后来赶上来)。
Example 1: I missed a week of school, so I need to catch up with the lessons.(我缺了一周课,得补上落下的内容。)(先落后,再追赶)
Example 2: If I study every day, I can keep up with the lessons.(如果我每天学习,就能跟上课程进度。)(持续维持,不落后)
keep up with the Joneses:(俗语)与邻居/他人攀比(努力跟上别人的生活水平)
She’s always buying new things to keep up with the Joneses.(她总买新东西,就为了和邻居攀比。)
keep up with the pace:跟上节奏
The new employee is having trouble keeping up with the pace of the team.(新员工很难跟上团队的节奏。)
keep up with technology:跟上技术发展
Older generations often struggle to keep up with modern technology.(老一辈人常难以跟上现代技术。)
总结:“keep up with”的核心是“持续同步”,无论是进度、节奏、趋势还是人际关系,都强调“不掉队”的状态。掌握它的关键是结合具体场景,区分与“catch up with”的差异~