nurse、tend、foster、cultivate与cherish这些动词均含“照料、培育”之意。

nurse : 通常指对无力自顾的婴儿、病人等进行照料或护理。

• He worked in a hospital for ten years nursing cancer patients.
  他在一所医院里工作了十年，护理癌症病人。
• She nursed her daughter back to health.
  她照料女儿恢复了健康。

tend : 指出于责任心、博爱心而不是私人感情去对人或物进行照顾。

• a shepherd tending his sheep
  照看羊的牧人
• Doctors and nurses tended the injured.
  医生和护士护理受伤者。
• well-tended gardens
  精心照料的花园

foster : 指对孩子的关心、鼓励、供养及抚养其成长；也指鼓励、促进事物的增长与发展。

• They have fostered over 60 children during the past ten years.
  在过去十年间，他们抚育了60多个儿童。
• We couldn't adopt a child, so we decided to foster.
  我们不能领养孩子，所以决定代养一个。
• The club's aim is to foster better relations within the community.
  俱乐部的宗旨是促进团体内部的关系。

cultivate : 具体意义指耕耘、培育植物；抽象意义指培养兴趣或向往的理想事物。

• The land around here has never been cultivated.
  这一带的土地从未开垦过。
• The people cultivate mainly rice and beans.
  这里的人们主要种植稻子和豆类。
• He purposely tried to cultivate good relations with the press.
  他特意设法与新闻界搞好关系。
• It helps if you go out of your way to cultivate the local people.
  主动结交当地人大有好处。

cherish : 强调抚育或爱抚。

• Children need to be cherished.
  儿童需要无微不至的爱护。