risk, danger, hazard, jeopardy 与 peril 这些词均表示生命、财产、健康、名誉等受到某种威胁的状况、机会或可能。
(1) ①risk作名词,意为“危险,风险,冒险”,这种危险、风险有时是人们为做成某事必须或甘愿去承担的。
- If you go out in such weather, there is a risk of catching cold.
如果你在这样的天气里外出,就会有感冒的危险。 - To be successful in your career, you'll have to take certain risks sometimes.
要在事业中成功,你有时就得冒些风险。
②在下列用法中,更多是使用risk:at risk(处于危险之中);at one's own risk(自担风险);at the risk of(冒……的风险);run a risk/risks(冒险);run/take the risk of/that从句(冒……的风险)。
③另外,risk还用作动词,有下面一些用法。
- to risk money in oil stock, risk one's health
冒失去……的危险 - to risk defeat/death/sb.'s anger/a conflict with sb.
冒遭受/引起……的危险。
(2) ①danger在这些词中是最常用的词,通常指人们极力避免的“危险”。
- The heads of the two governments held a series of talks as to how to reduce the danger of a military confrontation in the region.
两国政府首脑就如何减少这一地区军事冲突的危险举行了一系列会谈。 - We must take measures to get rid of any danger of fire.
我们必须采取措施消除任何火险。 - His life was in danger . (=He was in danger of losing his life.)
他的生命处在危险中。
②danger可指“引起危险的人或物”。
- That man is a danger to society.
那人对社会来说是个危险。
(3) hazard意为“冒险,危险”,指偶然的不利事件带来的危及安全、生命、健康的危险。
- To be a soldier, you'll have to be prepared for a life full of hazards .
当一名士兵,你就得为一种充满危险的生活做好准备。 - Cigarette smoking is a major health hazard and may result in your death.
吸烟是危及健康的一大危险,且可能导致死亡。 - There would be no triumph in success if there were no hazard of failure.
不冒失败的危险,就没有成功的欢乐。
(4) jeopardy指“(可能造成伤害或损失的)危险”,主要用在be/place/put in jeopardy(使……陷入危险) 短语中。
- You'll put/place yourself in jeopardy by irritating a man like that.
惹恼一个那样的人,你会使自己陷入危险之中的。 - His foolish behavior may put his whole future in jeopardy .
他的愚行可能会把他全部前程置于危险之中。
(5) ①peril指“严重的危险”,比其他几个词所表示的危险程度更严重,也更紧迫。
- You don't seem to understand the perils of mountain climbing.
你们似乎不理解登山中的危险。 - These regulations are made for your safety; if you disobey them, you do so at your own peril .
这些规章制度是为你们的安全制定的,如果你们不遵守的话,就是自冒危险。 - He is in peril of his life.
他在冒生命危险。 - On peril of their lives, a passing ship rushed to their rescue.
在他们生命危急之时,一艘过路船只快速赶来营救。
②另外,peril, risk, hazard均可作动词。peril作动词,等于imperil (但imperil较常用),意思是“置于险境,危及”。
- Water pollution perils all kinds of marine life.
水污染危及各种水生物。 - The brave young man risked his life in trying to save the child.
这位勇敢的年轻人冒了自己生命的危险试图去救那个孩子。
(6) hazard作动词,意为“冒……之险”。
- The fireman hazarded his life to save the child.
这位消防员冒着生命危险去救那个小孩。 - Thieves hazard arrest.
小偷冒被抓捕的危险。 - If I hazard a guess, she's at least 50.
让我没把握地猜一猜,她至少50岁了。