rea·son1 /ˈriːzən/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1 cause 原因 [countableC]REASON why something happens, or why someone does something 原因,理由reason for People give different reasons for wanting to change jobs. 人们想换工作的理由各不相同。
reason why We’d like to know the reason why she didn’t accept the job. 我们想知道她不接受这份工作的原因。
reason (that) The reason I called was to ask about the plans for Saturday. 我打电话是想问问星期六的计划。
reason behind He explained the reasons behind the decision. 他解释了这一决定背后的理由。
for reasons of something The bridge is closed for reasons of safety. 大桥出于安全原因被封闭了。
reason to do something This work gives me a reason to live. 这份工作给了我生活的理由。
there is no reason to do something 没有理由惊慌。 There is no reason whatsoever to doubt her story. 根本没有理由怀疑她的说法。
by reason of something formal (=because of something) 因为某事 a person disqualified by reason of age 因年龄原因而被取消资格的一个人
2 good or fair 好的或合理的 [uncountableU]RIGHT/JUSTIFIED a fact that makes it right or fair for someone to do something 〔正确或合理的〕理由(no) reason to do something There is no reason to panic. 没有理由惊慌。
She has reason to feel guilty. 她有理由感到内疚。
We have reason to believe that the goods were stolen. 我们有理由相信货物是被偷的。
I know I’m late, but that’s no reason to shout at me. 我知道我迟到了,但也没理由对我大喊大叫。
Under the circumstances, we had every reason (=had very good reasons) to be suspicious. 在这种情况下,我们完全有理由表示怀疑。
with (good) reason (=based on something sensible) 有(充分的)理由 Natalie was alarmed by the news, and with reason. 纳塔莉听到消息很惊慌,这是合乎情理的。
3 all the more reason why/to do something spokenREASON used to say that what has just been mentioned is an additional reason for doing what you have suggested 更有理由做某事 But surely that’s all the more reason to act quickly. 不过,那当然就更有理由立即采取行动了。
4 good judgment 良好的判断力 [uncountableU]SENSIBLE sensible judgment and understanding 道理,情理 SYN sense There’s reason in what he says. 他说的话有道理。
They’re not prepared to listen to reason (=be persuaded by someone’s sensible advice). 他们不想听你讲道理。
There’s no way of making my grandfather see reason (=accept advice and make a sensible decision). 我爷爷是没有办法说通的。
5 within reason SENSIBLEwithin sensible limits 合情合理 You can go anywhere you want, within reason. 你可以想去哪里就去哪里,不过要有分寸。
within reason• Within reason, the city does what it can to prevent traffic accidents.• Do what you can, within reason, to prevent accidents.• The management often let their regulars stay on credit, within reason.• So it follows that the more startling or bizarre your murder is, within reason, the better.• Clearly a public service campaign must, within reason, aim for virtually complete coverage.• By all means go and practise within reason.• Children should, within reason, be able to experiment with many different activities.• Where you take them should, within reason, be left entirely to them.• In fact, it's quite useful to expose him to people from outside the Unit, within reason.• It is well within reason to expect help in this regard in exchange for further financial assistance.• They are also willing, within reason, to pay towards this schooling. 6 go/be beyond (all) reason WRONG/UNJUSTIFIEDto be more than is acceptable or reasonable 不合理 Their demands go beyond all reason. 他们的要求太不合理了。
go/be beyond (all) reason• Their demands go beyond all reason.• But by this time Maidstone was beyond all reason.• He is beyond reason, Diniz.• It was beyond all reason that Hal, who had performed flawlessly for so long, should suddenly turn assassin.• Their condition is beyond reason, but it is certainly not, as they believe, beyond cure. 7 ability to think 思考能力 [uncountableU]INTELLIGENT the ability to think, understand, and form judgments that are based on facts 思考能力;判断力,理智 the human power of reason 人类的理性
lose your reason old-fashioned (=become mentally ill) 失去理智;患精神病
8 no reason spokenNONE/NOTHING used when someone asks you why you are doing something and you do not want to tell them 不为什么〔用于不想解释自己做某事的原因〕 ‘Why d’you want to go that way?‘ ’Oh, no reason.' “你为什么想要那样?”“噢,不为什么。”
no reason• I wake up during the night for no reason. 7.• There is no reason to be fatalistic.• There is no reason why a policeman should not be regarded as the victim of this conduct.• ``Why do you want to go that way?'' ``Oh, no reason.''• There's no reason why it shouldn't have worked.• There s no reason whatsoever we shouldn't be thinking in terms of the championship anyway.• I see no reason why they should not be.• But there was no reason why she shouldn't enjoy a bit of company for the rest of the journey.• There was no reason for this other than a certain unwillingness to emerge from our bond trading shell. → no rhyme or reason at rhyme1(4), → it stands to reason at stand1(32)n GRAMMAR: ComparisonreasonYou say the
reason for something:
What do you think was the reason for their success?
✗Don’t say:
the reason of their successYou say the
reason why something happens:
Can you tell me the reason why you did this?
causeYou say the
cause of something:
There will be a police investigation into the cause of the fire.
✗Don’t say:
the cause for the fireYou say there is
cause for concern/alarm/complaint/worry etc:
The doctor said there was no cause for concern.
COLLOCATIONSverbshave a reason 有理由We had many reasons to celebrate. 我们有很多理由庆祝。
give a reason 说明原因No reason was given for the change. 没有就这一变化说明原因。
think of a reason/see a reason 想出/知道原因I see no reason why it shouldn’t work. 我不明白这为什么行不通。
nI can’t think of any reason why she would want to leave.
explain the reasons for something 解释做某事的原因Explain the reasons for your choice. 请解释一下你那样选的理由。
adjectivesa good reason 充分理由There is usually a good reason why the price is so cheap. 售价这么低一般都有充分的理由。
the main reason 主要理由The main reason for the decline in the railways is lack of investment. 铁路衰微的主要原因是缺少投资。
a major reason (also a big reason informal) 重要原因His personality was a major reason for his success. 他的个性是他成功的重要原因。
nA big reason for the decrease in smoking is the ban on cigarette advertising.
the real reason 真正原因What do you think was the real reason for their decision? 你认为他们这一决定的真正原因是什么?
a valid/legitimate reason (=a good and acceptable reason) 合理/正当理由An employer can’t fire someone without a valid reason. 雇主无正当理由不得开除员工。
a compelling reason (=a very good reason for doing something) 令人信服的理由nThere are compelling reasons to believe that this is true.
a simple reason (=one that is easy to understand) 简单的理由nI hate mobile phones, for the simple reason that it is now impossible to get away from them.
a logical reason 合乎情理的理由nPeople don’t always have logical reasons for the things they do.
the only reason 唯一的理由nThe only reason he’s coming tonight is that I said you’d be here.
phrasesfor legal/political/medical etc reasons 出于法律上/政治上/医学上等的原因The boy cannot be named for legal reasons. 由于法律上的原因,不能提及那个男孩的姓名。
for security reasons 出于安全原因The road will be closed for security reasons. 这条路由于安全原因将被封闭。
for personal reasons 出于个人原因He resigned for personal reasons. 他辞职是出于个人原因。
for sentimental reasons (=because you like someone or something very much) 出于感情上的原因nI wanted to keep the picture for sentimental reasons.
for obvious reasons 出于明显的原因nThis arrangement must be kept secret, for obvious reasons.
for no apparent reason (=for no obvious reason) 无明显的原因nHe tried to kill me for no apparent reason.
for some reason (or other) (also for some unknown reason) (=for a reason that you do not know) 出于某种原因nFor some reason she felt like crying.
nFor some unknown reason, the curtains were always drawn.
for reasons best known to somebody (=used when you do not understand someone’s behaviour) 原因只有某人知道nFor reasons best known to herself, she decided to sell the house.
have your reasons (=have a secret reason for doing something) 自有原因n‘Why did he marry her?’ ‘He must have had his reasons.’
THESAURUSreason why something happens, or why someone does something 原因,理由What was the reason for the delay? 延误原因是什么?
I don’t know the reason why he left his last job. 我不知道他辞去上一份工作的原因。
ncause the reason why something happens, especially something badWhat was the cause of his death?
We studied the causes of the First World War.
explanation a set of reasons that helps you to understand why something happens, especially when it seems difficult to understand 〔尤对难以理解的事情的〕解释There are various possible explanations for climate change. 对于气候变化有许多可能的解释。
Is there any explanation for his behavior? 他的行为有何解释?
motive a reason that makes someone decide to do something – often used about crimes 〔常指犯罪的〕动机Police say that there is no obvious motive for the attack. 警方称,此次袭击没有明显动机。
justification a good reason for doing something that seems wrong 〔做似乎错误的事情的〕正当理由There is never any justification for torture or abuse. 折磨和虐待绝无任何正当理由。
They try to use the situation in the Middle East as a justification for killing innocent civilians. 他们试图把中东局势当作杀害无辜平民的理由。
nThere’s no justification for this type of behaviour.
grounds a reason that makes it right or fair to do something, especially according to legal, official, or moral rules 〔尤指依照法律、规章或道德准则的〕充分理由,根据The court will decide if she has grounds for divorce. 法庭将对她是否有理由离婚作出裁决。
They claim the war is justified on moral grounds (=because of moral reasons). 他们声称这场战争合乎道义。
basis the main ideas or reasons on which something is based 基础;根据The doctor makes his decisions purely on the basis of clinical observation. 这位医生完全凭临床观察来作决定。
What do you think is the basis for this advice? 你认为这一建议的依据是什么?
rationale /ˌræʃəˈnɑːl $ -ˈnæl/ formal a set of reasons that are used to explain why someone does something in a particular way 〔用于解释某个行为的〕理由the rationale behind the government’s economic reforms 政府经济改革背后的理由
nThis chapter explains the nature of yearly plans, and provides a rationale for their use.
a reason that does not seem believable 不可信的理由excuse a reason that you give to explain why you have done something bad, or not done something that you should have done – especially one that is not completely true 〔尤指不完全真实的〕托词,借口She said she couldn’t come because she had to work late, but it was just an excuse. 她说她来不了,因为她得工作到很晚,但这只是个借口。
a feeble excuse (=one that is hard to believe) 无力的借口
pretext especially written an untrue reason that you give for doing or not doing something, in order to hide the real reason 〔意在掩盖真实原因的〕借口He would often find some pretext to go out in the evening alone. 他常常会找个借口,晚上一个人出去。
They used this as a pretext for taking military action. 他们利用此事作为采取军事行动的借口。