(1) ①token意为“标志,象征,表示”,指代表某个事实、事件或某种感情的东西或纪念物。
- They gave her flowers as a token of their admiration and respect.
他们送鲜花给她以表敬意和爱戴。 - He gave his wife a gold ring as a token of their first meeting.
他送给妻子一枚金戒指,作为第一次见面的纪念。 - Will you accept this gift as a token of our regard for your services?
这个礼物表示我们对你的周全服务的谢意,请收下它好吗?
②token还可用作定语,意为“象征性的”,指以小部分代表更大的部分。
- He made a token payment of $200 as a deposit on the house.
他象征性地付了两百美元的房屋定金。 - Employing just one woman among fifty men is but token recognition of equal rights for the sexes.
50个男人中仅雇用一个女人只不过是象征性地承认男女平等而已。
(2) ①signal意为“信号”,指在警告、指挥时给予某种信息的声音、行动或物品。
- A red lamp is often used as a danger signal .
红灯通常用作危险信号。 - The traffic police make signals with their arms to direct traffic in the cities.
交警用手臂示意指挥城市的交通。 - Living in a city you must observe traffic signals .
生活在城市里你必须遵守交通信号。
②signal还表示“信号,近因”,指引发其他事情的行动等,通常用单数。
- When I look at my watch, it's a signal (for us) to leave.
我看手表就是我们要离开的暗号。 - His speech was the signal for the argument.
他的演讲是引发这场争论的原因。
③signal又指“(以电波发送的声音、影像、信息等)信号”。
- We live too far from the city to get a clear television signal.
我们住得离城市太远,接收不到清晰的电视信号。
(3) ①sign意为“符号,标记,标志”,有时可与signal换用。
- Red flag was placed there as a sign/signal of danger.
那里放置着一面红旗以示危险。 - The signs for add, subtract, multiply and divide are “+, -, ×, ÷”.
加减乘除的符号分别是“+,-,×,÷”。
②sign又作“手势,姿势,表示”解。
- He made a sign to me to go outside.
他示意我出去。 - People usually nod their heads as a sign of agreement.
人们通常点头以示同意。
③sign也作“招牌,标牌”解。
- The sign on the inn on which there had been the picture of King George of England was now replaced by the sign with a picture of George Washington.
旅馆原来的招牌是英国国王乔治三世的画像,现在被换成了乔治·华盛顿的肖像。
④sign还作“迹象,征兆”解。
- Did he show any sign of intending to go abroad?
他表示出了要出国的迹象吗? - There was still no sign of improvement to be seen in the national economy of that country.
该国的国民经济还依然看不出有好转的迹象。
(4) symbol意为“象征,符号,标志”,作“符号”解时,通常可与sign换用。
- The symbol “+” in math means “add”.
“+”在数学中代表加法。 - The dove is the symbol of peace.
鸽子是和平的象征。 - The oak is a symbol of strength, the lion of courage, the lamb of meekness, white of purity.
橡树是力量的象征,狮子代表勇气,绵羊代表温顺,白色代表纯洁。
(5) mark除其他意思外,还作“标志,表示,标记,符号”解,有时也可与sign和symbol互换。
- Please accept this gift as a mark of my esteem.
区区小礼以表敬意,望笑纳。 - This mark/symbol/sign “÷”means “divide”.
“÷”表示除号。 - They stood up as a mark of respect (for him) when he entered.
他进来时大家站起来以示敬意。 - One mark of a writer's greatness is that different minds can find in him different inspiration.
一个作家伟大之处的一个标志是——不同的人从他的作品里能得到不同的启示。
