3.food/butter etc mountainPEDFa very large amount of food, butter etc that has been produced but is not needed or used 大量积存的食物/黄油等 → lake
Examples from the Corpus
food/butter etc mountain• The whole point of those reforms was to get rid of the food mountains.• Have you contributed a great deal this year to the butter mountain?
4.make a mountain out of a molehillIMPORTANTto treat a problem as if it was very serious when in fact it is not 小题大做
Examples from the Corpus
make a mountain out of a molehill• She was only five minuteslate! You're making a mountain out of a molehill.
5.(have) a mountain to climbBritish EnglishBrE used to say that someone has a lot of work to do to achieve their aim, especially when you believe it will be difficult (面临)艰巨的任务
6move mountainsto do things that seem impossible 创造奇迹
I have great faith in the power of love to move mountains.
我深信,爱的力量可以创造奇迹。
nCOLLOCATIONS
adjectives
high
These mountains are much higher than any in Europe.
rugged mountains (=rough and uneven)
the spectacular scenery of rugged mountains
a snow-capped mountain (=with snow on the top)
beautiful views of snow-capped mountains
a distant mountain (=far away)
The sun was setting over the distant mountains.
a great mountain (=a high, impressive mountain)
Here, great mountains are all around.
a sacred mountain (=considered holy)
Mount Fuji is a sacred mountain.
verbs
go/walk up a mountain (also ascend a mountain formal)
Carrie and Albert went up the mountain, neither of them speaking as they climbed.
climb a mountain (=walk and/or climb to the top of a mountain)
Hillary had climbed all the big mountains in New Zealand.
go/walk down a mountain
She lost her way as she went down the mountain.
cross the mountains
We crossed the mountains between Spain and France.
mountains rise (=go high into the sky)
The mountains rise above the plains.
mountains soar/tower literary (=go very high into the sky)
The distant mountains soar abruptly towards the sky.
mountain + NOUN
a mountain range/chain (=a number of mountains in a line)
The Alps are the largest mountain range in Europe.
a mountain top
Until the end of June you may find snow on the mountain tops.
a mountain peak (=the top of a mountain)
Clouds hid the mountain peaks.
a mountain slope (=the sides of a mountain)
Snow lay on the steep mountain slopes.
a mountain pass (=a path or road between mountains)
Their journey took them through river valleys and over mountain passes.
a mountain stream
The water was as clear and cold as a mountain stream.
mountain air
a walk in the clear mountain air
mountain rescue (=people who help people who are in difficulty on a mountain)
Mountain rescue teams were called out to search for the missing climbers.
phrases
the top of a mountain (also the summit of a mountain formal)
We climbed to the top of the mountain.
the foot of a mountain (=the bottom of a mountain)
We’ll take the car to the foot of the mountain and walk from there.
the side of a mountain
The path wound up the side of the mountain.
nTHESAURUS
mountain a very high hill
the highest mountain in Austria
hill an area of land that is higher than the land around it, which is like a mountain but smaller and usually has a roundedtop
We went for a walk in the hills.
The house is surrounded by woods, farmland and gentle hills.
Mount (also Mt written abbreviation) used in the names of mountains. Don’t say ‘Fuji Mountain’ – say ‘Mount Fuji’
Mount Everest
cliff the steep side of an area of land, often next to the sea
the white cliffs of Dover
precipice especially literary a very steep and dangerouscliff