1reply 答复REPLY [countableC, uncountableU]ANSWER/REPLY something you say when you reply to a question that someone has asked you 回答,答复SYN response
You don’t have to give them an answer now.
你不必现在就给他们答复。
Every time I ask him about it, I get a different answer.
我每次问他此这件事,都得到不同的回答。
answer to
These are important questions, and we want answers to them.
这些问题很重要,我们希望得到答案。
She’s still waiting for an answer from the school.
她还在等校方的答复。
The honest answer was that I didn’t know.
坦白回答,我不知道。
He was never able to get a straight answer about why it happened.
事情为什么会发生,他一直没有得到直接的回答。
It’s impossible for me to give you a definite answer at this time.
现在我无法给你明确答复。
The short answer is that it can’t be done.
简单的回答就是做不了。
In answer to your question, yes, you can go.
我来回答你的问题,是的,你可以去。
If it’s money you want, the answer is no!
如果你要的是钱,回答是不行!
2test/competition etc 测验/比赛等 [countableC]ANSWER/RESULTTEST/COMPETITION ETC something that you write or say in reply to a question in a test or competition 答案
answer to
What was the answer to question 4?
第四题的答案是什么?
the right/wrong/correct/incorrect answer
Score two points for each correct answer.
答对一题得两分。
3invitation/letter etc 请柬/信等 [countableC]ANSWER/REPLYINVITATION/LETTER ETC a written reply to a letter, invitation, advertisement etc 〔信、请柬、广告等的〕回函
answer to
Did you ever get an answer to your letter?
你有没有收到过回信?
4problem 问题DEAL WITHPROBLEM [countableC] a way of dealing with a problem 解决办法SYN solution
simple/easy/obvious answer
There is no simple answer.
没有简单的解决方法。
answer to
The police do not have an answer to rising crime.
警方没有办法解决犯罪率上升的问题。
Some people think cars should be banned from the city, but I don’t think that’s the answer.
有些人认为城市里应当禁止汽车通行,但我觉得这不是解决办法。
be the answer to somebody’s problems/worries etc
If he could get a job, it’d be the answer to all his worries.
如果他能找到一份工作,他所有的烦恼就能迎刃而解了。
5on the phone 通电话 [singular, uncountableU usually in negative]TCT if you get an answer when you call someone on the phone, they pick up the phone and talk to you 〔电话的〕应答,接听
I tried calling him all day but couldn’t get an answer.
我试着给他打了一天电话,但没有人接听。
6at the door 在门口 [singular, uncountableU usually in negative] if you get an answer when you knock on a door, someone opens it and talks to you 应门
5I kept ringing the bell, but no one answered the door.
我一直在按门铃,可就是没人应门。
I tried knocking on her door, but there was no answer.
我试着敲了敲她的门,但是没人应门。
7have/know all the answersinformal to be very sure that you know everything about a situation, especially when you do not 〔自以为〕无所不知,通晓一切
He acts like he has all the answers.
他一副无所不知的样子。
Examples from the Corpus
have/know all the answers• He was a modest and unassuming man who never gave the impression that he knew all the answers.• In the current situation many issues as yet remain unresolved and we do not have all the answers.• But I don't have all the answers.• Will that have all the answers?• Anyone can claim to have all the answers.• We are supposed to have all the answers.
8somebody’s answer to somethingwrittenEQUAL someone or something that is considered to be just as good as a more famous person or thing 相当的人;不相上下的事物
The Space Needle is Seattle’s answer to the Eiffel Tower.
He walked out before I could think of a snappy comeback.
nriposte formal a quick and clever answer
Anna produced the perfect riposte.
nrejoinder formal a quick answer, especially a clever or rude one
If he confronts them, he’ll run the risk of a sharp rejoinder.
Examples from the Corpus
answer• Answers to the letters are as varied as the children who wrote them.• We chatted about Guantanamo, me with the long questions and he with the short, abruptanswers.• We've written to the bank requesting a loan, and we're expecting an answer in this morning's mail.• Did you ever get an answer to your last letter?• The braggart turns every question into an answer that makes himself or herself look incredibly good.• In search of an answer, you follow your nose, wherever it leads, actively pursuing the mystery.• Nor can the living coelacanth suggest an answer, for today it never leaves its deep waters.• There was a question and answer period after the lecture.• Score one point for each correctanswer.• Each time I ask him when the work will be done, I get a different answer.• There are no easy answers to today's environmental problems.• I've asked Yvonne to come on vacation with us, but I'm still waiting for her answer.• What was her answer?• The obviousanswer is to keep poisonous plants out of children's reach.• The city council has to find a better way of dealing with domesticwaste. One answer is to burn it.• The first person to call with the right answer will win 10 CDs of their choice.• And the answer is... Budapest!• Why don't people complain? The answer is that they are frightened of losing their jobs.• Think carefully before you give the answer.• A bank loan seemed like the answer to all our problems.• If you're asking me for money, the answer's no!• What's the answer to question 4?• I must also emphasise that the answer I give to the question before me will be of general application.• The answer is certainly not to pay all academics more.• The answers they gave had to be corroborated by witnesses.• The answer to your question is very simple; you failed the exam because you didn't do any work.• Write your answers on the form and send it to this address.
the answer is no• The answer is no, because some truthproperties and truth relations hold regardless of reference, provided meaning is held constant.• The answer is no, no no.• I told you before, the answer is no!• In the case of short-term and occasional courses the answer is no.• If you are asking whether I feel the same about her, the answer is no.• If by the Church you mean the clergy and the laity, the answer is no.• For most people, the answer is no.• Surely, the answer is no.• Parents of these children have troubleignoring these behaviors and in being consistently firm when the answer Is no.
the right/wrong/correct/incorrect answer• No one has all the right answers but there is now a willingness to share information.• They had simply assumed that, because I had asked the question, one of those words must be the right answer.• Given the monochromatic melodrama of modern country music, versatility may not be the correct answer.• The quicker the player chooses the correct answer, the more points he or she gets.• I quickly found out that knowingthe right answer was much easier than selling it.• A total of 71 percent of the full attainment range sampleobtainedthe correct answer.• But it's the wrong answer.• The point is that nobody can be sure what the correct answer actually is.
answer to• I never did get an answer to that final one.• An answer to that question might give clues to the broader question of the function of sleep.• A thirdconsideration draws attention to the association between answers to the Ten Statements Test, and another set of factors.• The attendant was entirely honest in his answers to my questions and in the amount of fuel he pumped.• At first glance the answer to this question too seems to be in the negative.• Do you really want to hear the answers to all those questions?• The answer to that question depends in part on your business.• Send your answers toLinkeditor, , .
be the answer to somebody’s problems/worries etc• MartinBanks A wirelessnetwork system throughout the home could be the answer to everyone's problems.• They knew a dehumidifier was the answer to their problems but did not have the funds to buy one.• Before taking any decision to relocate, organisations should consider carefully whether relocation is the answer to their problems.
no answer• Primo had no answer for him.• There is no answer to this tension, no way to relieve it.• He made no answer, but continued to look out at the river under the moon.• Morris offers no answers, but the often skewedperspectives of his subjects point us down most intriguingpaths.• He thumped his hand on it twice and, receiving no answer, used his keys and entered.• I called him but there was no answer and he hasn't phoned me back.• When I first arrived at the flat and knocked on the door there was no answer.• At once they began to scream their dailychallenge; but this time, there was no answer.• There was no answer to the phone.
answer2 ●●●S1W2 verb
1reply 答复 [intransitiveI, transitiveT]ANSWER/REPLY to say something to someone as a reply when they have asked you a question, made a suggestion etc 回答,答复
She thought for a moment before answering.
她想了一会儿才回答。
He still hadn’t answered my question.
他仍然没有回答我的问题。
‘Why don’t you just leave?’ ‘I’d like to, ’ she answered, ‘but I have nowhere else to go.’
“你为什么不一走了之?”“我倒是想走,”她回答说,“但是我没有其他地方可去。”
answer (that)
When questioned, Hughes answered that he knew nothing about the robbery.
问到休斯时,他回答说对这宗抢劫案一无所知。
How much was it? Come on, answer me.
多少钱?快点告诉我吧。
2test 测验TEST [intransitiveI, transitiveT]ANSWER/RESULT to write or say the answer to a question in a test or competition 答(题)
Answer as many questions as possible in the time provided.
在所给时间内尽量多答题。
3.answer the phone/a call/the doorTALK TO somebodyto pick up the telephone and speak when it rings or open the door when someone knocks or rings the bell 接电话/应门
4letter 信LETTER [transitiveT]ANSWER/REPLY if you answer a letter or advertisement, you write a letter to the person who has written it 答复〔信件或广告〕
Simon got the job by answering an advert in the paper.
西蒙通过应征报纸上的一则广告找到了工作。
5answer criticism/charges/accusations etcto explainwhy you did something when people are criticizing you – used in news reports 就批评/指控/谴责等作出回应〔用于新闻报道〕
How do you answer the criticism that your government has done nothing to help the homeless?
有人批评你的政府没有采取任何行动帮助无家可归者,你对此有何回应?
Examples from the Corpus
answer criticism/charges/accusations etc• The meeting was called to answer criticisms and make mid-course corrections.• Avon and Somerset Police have summonsed Redknapp to appear in court to answer charges of allegedabusiveconduct.• His financeminister was busyanswering charges of bribery.• In particular non-disclosure makes it difficult to answer charges that the government's policies are not properly coordinated.
6react to STH 对某事作出反应DO something AS A REACTION [intransitiveI, transitiveT]REACT to do something as a reaction to criticism or an attack 〔对批评或攻击〕作出回应SYN respond
The army answered by firing into the crowd.
军队向人群开火还击。
7deal with a problem 处理问题DEAL WITH A PROBLEM [transitiveT]DEAL WITH to be a way of dealing with or solving a problem 解决〔问题〕
‘You can borrow my car if you like.’ ‘Well, that answers one problem.’
“如果你愿意,可以借我的车。”“好啊,这下解决了一个问题。”
8answer a needPROVIDEto provide something that is needed 满足需求
Our transportation system is designed to answer the needs of the city’s commuters.
我们的交通系统是为满足本市乘车上下班者的需求而设计的。
Examples from the Corpus
answer a need• Your answer need not be quite as full as the explanations given here.• Previously, most units had a clean-lined, contemporary look that did not answer needs of style-conscious traditionalists.
9answer a descriptionSAMEif someone answers a description, they match that description 与描述相符
A man answering the police’s description was seen entering the building.
有人看到一个和警方描述相符的男人进了这座楼。
Examples from the Corpus
answer a description• A hikerspotted a man answering the description given by police.
10answer backphrasal verbphr vANSWER/REPLYto reply in a rude way to someone that you are supposed to obey 回嘴,顶嘴
answer somebody back
Don’t answer me back young man!
年轻人,别跟我顶嘴!
Examples from the Corpus
answer back• I'd generally talk him round, but never answer back.• She shouldn't have said that, she shouldn't have answered back.• The child's refusal to comply may not seem as bad as the child's habit of answering back.• Sometimes, though, the urge to answer back is just too strong.• At school he daredanswer back to the Headmaster - politely - when he felt he was in the right.
Their coach must answer for the team’s poor performance.
他们的教练必须为球队的不佳表现负责。
b)RESPONSIBLE have a lot to answer for informal to be responsible for causing a lot of trouble 对〔许多问题〕负有责任
c)CERTAINLY/DEFINITELY can’t answer for somebody spoken used to say that you cannot make a decision for someone who is not there, or give their opinion 无法代表某人
I’m sure John will help us – I can’t really answer for the others.
我确信约翰会帮我们,但别人我就说不准了。
Examples from the Corpus
answer for • NoelCoward has a lot to answer for.• You can even have your phoneanswered for a minimalcharge.• Father Devlin had an answer for everything.• After all, he's old enough to answer for his own actions.• It was not a good enough answer for me.• One-hundred - eighty-pound Roy, who looks willowy by comparison, answers for Oregon.• Regardless of the reasons why you are currently job hunting, this book has the answers for you.
have a lot to answer for• That sister of yours has an awful lot to answer for.
12answer to somebody/somethingphrasal verbphr v
a)EXPLAINto give an explanation to someone, especially about something that you have done wrong 向…负责,对…作出解释〔尤指错事〕
Phipps answers to me and me alone.
菲普斯只向我一个人负责。
b)answer to the name of something to be called a particular name – used humorously 名叫,叫做〔幽默用法〕
a well-dressed young woman answering to the name of Suzanne
answer to say something to someone when they have asked you a question or spoken to you 回答,答复
You don’t have to answer the question if you don’t want to.
你要是不想回答这个问题就用不着回答。
I said hello to her, but she didn’t answer.
我跟她打招呼,可是她不搭理。
reply to answer someone – used especially in written English to report what someone said 回答,答复〔尤用于书面英语中引述别人说的话〕
‘I’m so sorry, ’ he replied.
“非常抱歉。”他答道。
We asked Jane to help, but she replied that she was too busy.
我们请简帮忙,可她回答说她太忙。
respond formal to answer someone 回答,答复
How do you respond to the allegation that you deliberately deceived your employers?
有人指控你故意欺骗雇主,对此你如何回应?
give somebody an answer to answer someone by telling them what you have decided or giving them a piece of information they asked for 答复某人
He asked me to marry him, but I didn’t give him an answer straight away.
他向我求婚,但是我没有马上答复他。
get back to somebody to answer someone at a later time especially by telephoning them, usually because you need to think about their question or find out more information 稍后(打电话)答复某人
She’s promised to get back to me as soon as she hears any more news from the hospital.
她答应一有来自医院方面的更多消息就会马上打电话告诉我。
retort written to answer someone angrily, especially because they have annoyed you or criticized you 反驳
‘You’re not afraid?’ Brenda asked. ‘Of course not, ’ he retorted angrily.
“你不怕?”布伦达问道。“当然不怕。”他气愤地反驳。
nGRAMMAR: Comparison
answer
You answer someone:
Why won’t you answer me?
✗Don’t say answer to someone in this meaning.
You answer someone’s question:
You still have not answered my question.
You can use answer with speech marks (‘...’) when quoting someone’s exact words:
‘I’m fine, thank you, ’ she answered.
You can use answer that to report what someone says. After answered, the verb in the other clause is usually also in the past tense:
She answered that she was fine.
reply
You reply to someone’s question:
You still have not replied to my question.
You can use reply with speech marks (‘...’) when quoting someone’s exact words:
‘I’m fine, thank you, ’ she replied.
You can use reply that to report what someone says. After replied, the verb in the other clause is usually also in the past tense:
She replied that she was fine.
Examples from the Corpus
answer• That prayer may already be answered.• I knocked on the door for a long time, but no one answered.• I said hello to her, but she didn't answer.• Julie thought for a long time before answering.• As the editor in chief of such a magazine, I am obliged to answer a lot of questions about men.• It is a long interview because he is constitutionally incapable of answering a question without at least three long digressions.• Only one person answered all the questions correctly.• You have 20 minutes to answer all the questions.• I got the job by answering an advertisement in the paper.• Whitmore never answered any of my letters.• "Why don't you just leave?" "I'd like to, " she answered, "but I have nowhere else to go."• Employing one or several people to answer calls, so that they are screened for their relevance.• If you answer correctly, you could win a videocamera.• The waiters are happy to answercustomers' questions.• I think the present Government has a lot to answer for.• Miss Millar hired a secretary to answer her mail while she was on vacation.• How much did you spend? Come on, answer me!• She still isn't answering my calls.• A few other players checked their watches, eager to stop fielding questions that only the Games can really answer now.• She refused to answer questions from reporters later as she left.• When questioned about the robbery, Hughes answered that he knew nothing about it.• Think carefully before answering that memo.• Be careful how you answer that one.• No one in the city government satisfactorily answered that question.• A strange man answered the door.• You don't have to answer the question if you don't want to.• Officials have made every effort to answer trade concerns.
answer (that)• But there were questions that found no satisfactoryanswers.• The question hardly merits an answer.• And BobDole, he's trying to get him to answer and this Clinton he just keeps on smiling.• He had no answer and wished she would concentrate on the problems at hand.• There is a tidalwave of youthcrime, and the Government have not begun to answer it.• He answered that safety was the manager's responsibility.• The questions were asked of all male nisei by the war department; answering them was voluntary.• My answer to this point will be more philosophical than empirical.