你知道英语中“双胞胎”单词的秘密吗？

The Double Vocabulary of English

Do you know why English has so many words that mean the same thing but sound nothing alike？

你知道为什么英语中有许多单词意思是一样的，但是听起来不一样吗？

In fact, English is full of words that mysteriously have 'twins'. 

事实上，英语中满是神秘的双胞胎词汇。

Here's how we got to have two vocabularies, one based in Germanic roots, and one based in Latin.

我们准备了两组单词，一组基于日耳曼语词根，一组基于拉丁语词根。

Tell (someone or something) apart

区分得开；分得清

To be able to discern or distinguish two or more people or things that appear or seem similar.

能够辨别或区分两个或两个以上的看起来很相似的人或物。

 

 

apart /əˈpɑː(r)t/ 

adv. 区分开地

discern /dɪˈsɜːn/ 

v. 识别

distinguish /dɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃ/ 

v. 区别；辨别 

appear /əˈpɪə(r)/ 

v. 看来

similar /ˈsɪmələ(r)/ 

adj. 相似的

Even our parents sometimes have trouble telling me and my brother apart.

就连我们的父母有时也分不清我和我弟弟。

have trouble doing something 

做某事有困难

I couldn't tell apart the real twenty-dollar bill from the counterfeit one. 

我分不清20美元面值的真钞和假钞。

counterfeit /ˈkaʊntəfɪt/ 

adj. 伪造的

The twins were identical, and we couldn't tell them apart.

这对双胞胎一模一样，我们分不清他们谁是谁。

identical /aɪˈdentɪkl/ 

adj. 完全相同的

Conversation 

对话

A: So Laura, do you both look alike?

劳拉，你们俩长得像吗？

B: We do, actually. A lot of people can't tell us apart.

挺像的。很多人分不清我们。

alike /əˈlaɪk/ 

adj. 相似的；相像的