“discriminate between…and”是一个常用的英语短语,核心含义是“区分/辨别……和……”,强调对两个或多个相似事物进行细致的判断、区分,突出“识别差异”的能力。
“discriminate”在此处是中性词(区别于“discriminate against”表示“歧视”),意为“辨别;区分”;“between…and”连接两个需要对比的对象,整体表示“在A和B之间作出区分”。
1、 连接名词/代词(最常见):直接接需要区分的两个事物。
Example: It’s important to discriminate between facts and opinions when reading news.(阅读新闻时,区分事实和观点很重要。)
Example: Can you discriminate between these two species of birds by their songs?(你能通过叫声区分这两种鸟类吗?)
2、 连接动名词(表示区分动作/行为):
Example: She quickly learned to discriminate between working hard and overworking.(她很快学会了区分“努力工作”和“过度工作”。)
3、 主语可以是人或具有“判断能力”的事物(如仪器、方法等):
Example: This device can discriminate between genuine and fake banknotes.(这个设备能辨别真假钞票。)
Example: Infants start to discriminate between their mother’s voice and strangers’ voices at an early age.(婴儿很小就开始区分妈妈的声音和陌生人的声音。)
discriminate between…and:中性,“区分/辨别”(强调识别差异);
discriminate against:贬义,“歧视;区别对待(弱势群体)”(强调不公平待遇)。
Example: We should not discriminate against people with disabilities, but we must discriminate between safe and unsafe behaviors.(我们不应歧视残疾人,但必须区分安全与不安全的行为。)
可与“distinguish between…and”互换(二者几乎同义,“distinguish”更口语化,“discriminate”更正式)。
Example: It’s hard to distinguish/discriminate between the two paintings—they look almost identical.(这两幅画很难区分——它们看起来几乎一样。)
总结:“discriminate between…and”用于需要明确区分两个相似对象的场景,关键是突出“识别差异”的动作,需注意与“歧视”含义的区分。