Crime, the law, and politics
1. Crime and the law
break out (of)
- escape from a prison 越狱,逃脱
Gustav broke out of prison by digging a hole under the main wall. 古斯塔夫在主墙下挖了一个洞,越狱了。
beat up
- injure someone by hitting them repeatedly 殴打,痛打
Phil had to go to the hospital after somebody beat him up. 菲尔被人殴打后不得不去了医院。
crack down (on)
- become stricter about existing rules 严厉打击,镇压
The police are cracking down on illegal parking in the city. 警方正在严厉打击市内的非法停车。
cordon off
- use a barrier to stop people from entering an area 封锁,用警戒线隔离
The police cordoned off the area where the crime had taken place. 警方封锁了犯罪发生的区域。
get away
- escape 逃跑,逃脱
After robbing the store, the thieves got away in a stolen car. 抢劫商店后,小偷们开着一辆偷来的车逃跑了。
break in(to)
- enter a building to steal something 非法闯入,破门而入
Someone broke into my house and stole all my jewelry. 有人闯入我家,偷走了我所有的珠宝。
hand over
- return something to its owner 移交,交出
The police ordered the criminal to hand over the stolen money. 警察命令罪犯交出偷来的钱。
stamp out
- make something bad or unpleasant stop happening 消灭,扑灭
Janice is leading a campaign to stamp out littering in the park. 贾尼丝正在领导一项运动,旨在杜绝公园内乱扔垃圾的行为。
tip off
- give someone information anonymously 向...告密,暗中警告
Dan tipped off the police about the location of the stolen artworks. 丹向警方透露了被盗艺术品的位置。
tell from
- draw a conclusion from evidence 从...可以看出,辨别
The police could tell from the tire tracks that the thieves had escaped by car. 警方从轮胎痕迹可以看出,小偷是开车逃跑的。
bring in
- introduce a new law 引入(新法律)
The local government has brought in a new law banning cars from entering the city center. 地方政府出台了一项新法律,禁止汽车进入市中心。
watch out for
- be aware of potential danger 提防,小心
Watch out for pickpockets when you're on the train! 在火车上时要提防扒手!
pull over
- make a driver stop for doing something illegal 让...靠边停车
While I was driving home, the traffic police pulled me over for speeding. 在我开车回家的路上,交警因为我超速而让我靠边停车。
track down
- work to find something or someone 追捕到,找到
The detectives tracked down the thief using fingerprints on the door handle. 侦探们利用门把手上的指纹追捕到了小偷。
turn to
- start doing something different 转向,开始从事
My brother turned to crime after he lost his job. 我哥哥失业后开始犯罪。
2. Politics
call on
- ask someone publicly to do something 呼吁,号召
Activists are calling on the government to protect the country's forests. 活动人士呼吁政府保护国家的森林。
call for
- ask publicly for something to happen 呼吁,要求
The protestors are calling for better public transportation in the town. 抗议者呼吁改善镇上的公共交通。
vote on
- make a decision about a law using a vote 对...进行投票表决
Senators voted on the new law after a long debate. 经过长时间的辩论,参议员们对新法律进行了投票表决。
run for
- be a candidate for a political position 竞选(公职)
One of my old school friends is running for mayor. 我的一个老校友正在竞选市长。
vote for
- support something or someone by using a vote 投票支持
I'm definitely going to vote for her. 我肯定会投她的票。