(1) ①switch意为“变换，改变，转移”，含有突然的意味，用于非正式文体，常与from...to或around连用。
- He is always switching jobs. (He's always switching from job to job.)
他老是在换工作。 - Stop switching around and keep to one job.
不要再换工作了，坚持干好一份工作。 - The lights were switched from red to green.
灯由红变绿。 - I don't like this TV play — let's switch to another channel.
我不喜欢这个电视剧——咱们换另一个频道吧。 - Our factory is so organized that if the demand for conditioners falls off we switch to the production of refrigerators.
我们的工厂组织良好，如果空调的需求下降了，我们会转而生产冰箱。 - Having probed into the details of that problem, we switched our conversation to other matters.
在深入探讨了那个问题的一些细节之后，我们将谈话转向其他问题。
②switch over to意为“(使)转向某个方面，转而做某事，转而支持或使用”。
- Our aim of the reform is to switch the whole country over to the system of a market economy.
我们改革的目标是把整个国家转向市场经济体制。 - I switched over to teaching English at the age of 42.
我在42岁时转而教英语。
(2) ①alter意为“改变，(使)变化”，指从一种状态变为另一种状态，可作及物动词，也可作不及物动词，常可与change换用。
- I altered my plans and went to the U.S. last month instead of this month.
我改变了计划，在上个月去了美国而不是这个月。 - Can you alter this dress for me, to make it a bit shorter?
你能为我改一下这件衣服吗，把它稍微改短一些？ - We are not going to alter our stand on this matter.
我们将不会改变在这个问题上的立场。
②alter有时作“改正”解。
- Please alter the mistakes when you retype it.
当你重打时请改正这些错误。
(3) change意为“(使)变化，改变”，是普通用词。
- In autumn the leaves change from green to yellow.
到了秋天，树叶由绿变黄。 - He has changed such a lot since I last saw him.
自从上次我见到他，他变化很大。 - You'll never persuade me to change my feelings for him.
你永远不可能劝服我改变对他的感情。 - We've changed the date of the conference to the 15th of next month.
我们已经把会议的日期改到下个月的15号。
(4) transmute意为“改变……的形状、性质或质地”，既可作及物动词，又可作不及物动词。
- No one in the world can transmute base metals into gold.
世界上没有人能把廉价金属变成金子。 - They built a power plant on the river to transmute waterpower into electricity.
他们在河上建了个发电站，将水能转换成电能。 - The drizzle has transmuted into thin layers of mist.
蒙蒙的细雨变成了层层薄雾。
(5) ①turn可表示“(使)变得”，用作及物动词和连系动词。用作连系动词时，可接形容词、名词。
- His grim old father's hair turned grey in a few weeks.
在几个星期内，他严厉的老父亲的头发就变得灰白了。 - Milk speedily turns sour in hot weather.
在炎热的天气里，牛奶很快会变酸。 - With the approach of New Year the weather turned colder.
随着新年的临近，天气变得更冷了。
②turn into表示“(使)变为”。
- We had to grope our way through a mist that was rapidly turning into a thick fog.
薄雾迅速地变成浓雾，我们不得不在雾中摸索着前进。 - A rather skinny little girl had already turned into a pretty young girl.
那个皮包骨头的小女孩已经出落成一个漂亮的年轻姑娘了。
③turn into又作“翻译，译为，使变为”解。
- He devoted a lot of time and energy to turning the novel into Chinese.
他耗费了很多的时间和精力将那部小说译成中文。 - The novel has been turned into a play.
那部小说已经被改编成了戏剧。
④turn to也表示“(使)变成”。
- When boiling, water turns to steam.
当沸腾时，水会变成蒸汽。 - Their friendship was turned to enmity through idle gossip.
无聊的闲话使他们的友谊变成了仇恨。
⑤turn up用于经济情况等，有“好转，变好”之意。
- Investment is turning up sharply, including a flood of new projects flowing into this region on the back of the government's strategy of developing the western part of the country on a large scale.
在政府大规模开发西部的战略支持下，西部投资状况迅速好转，大量新工程涌向这一地区。 - There are signs indicating that the pound is turning up slowly at last.
有迹象表明英镑的形势终于在缓慢好转。
(6) ①vary可表示“有差异，会变化，各不相同”，侧重变化不定、多变。
- The stock market prices vary from hour to hour.
股票市场的价格瞬息万变/每小时都会有所不同。 - The weather in the mountains varies from hour to hour.
山区的天气变幻莫测。
②vary在表示“有差异，各不相同”时，与differ可换用。
- People vary/differ very much in their tastes.
萝卜青菜，各有所爱。 - Air-conditioners vary widely in price in this shop.
这家商店里空调的价格相差很大。
③vary又作“变换，(使)有变化”解，用作及物动词。
- We should vary our diet to meet the various needs of the body.
我们应根据身体的不同需要来改变我们的饮食。
④vary between...and和vary from...to均表示“从……到……情况不等”。
- About 99% of Antarctica is covered with a mantle of snow and ice, which varies between a few feet and two miles/varies from a few feet to two miles in depth.
南极洲大约99%被冰雪覆盖，其厚度从几英尺到两英里不等。 - These melons vary in size from very small to very big.
这些瓜的大小不等，有的很大，有的很小。
