- 這是什么詞？
詞：parallel
英英釋義：a person or thing that is similar to another
例句：There are many striking parallels between Shanghai and New York City.
場景：上海和廣州。
造句：There are Many striking parallels between Shanghai and Guangzhou.
- 為什么選這個詞？
“parallel”作形容詞講，本意是“與......平行的（A is parallel to B）”；作名詞講，本意是“平行線（a pair of parallel lines）”。它的名詞意思可以引申為“相似處、共性”，由幾何中的平行線而來，形象、有畫面感。
在口語和寫作中，如果想描述兩個事物的共同特征，除了用 similarity 外，還常可以用“parallel”替換。
注意“parallel”的拼寫：中間是兩個 l，最后是一個 l。在托福寫作和雅思聽力、閱讀、寫作中要尤其注意，以免拼寫錯誤。
下面通過幾個例句體會這個詞的用法。
很多年前在《英語沙龍》雜志讀到現任北大光華學院金融教授 Michael Pettis 的一個訪談，主題是中美文化差異。他在回答“中國哪個城市最像紐約”的時候，是這樣說的：
There are many striking parallels between Shanghai and New York City.
場景：英語和法語。
造句：There are Many striking parallels between English and French.
“striking”的意思是“明顯的”，經常用來修飾 difference 和 similarity，也常用來修飾 parallel，這類常見搭配在《牛津英語搭配詞典》中就可以查得到。我們可以在上面這句話的基礎上，改寫造句：
When many New Yorkers visit Shanghai, they can readily sense familiar parallels between Shanghai and the Big Apple.（“The Big Apple”是紐約市的昵稱。）
2014 年底我從美國東海岸搬到舊金山，參加了當地兩個 Toastmasters Club 公眾演講俱樂部。當時有會員問我喜不喜歡舊金山，我大概是這么說的：
I love San Francisco as much as I love New York City. In terms of cultural diversity and vibrancy, I see a lot of striking parallels between the two cities.
“parallel”最常見的一個用法是“to draw parallels/a parallel between A and B”，意思是“在 A 的身上可以看到 B 的影子”。當我們想表達“A 和 B 有很大的相似之處”時，就可以想到使用“parallel”。比如：
Many foodies try to draw a parallel between Chinese noodles and Italian pasta.
場景：古龍和金庸。
造句：Many fans of martial arts fictions try to draw a parallel between Jin Yong ang Gu Long，both Chinese kungfu story novelists.
Some psychologists have drawn mind-boggling parallels between video gaming and casino gamble.
ming-boggling:
(informal)
very difficult to imagine or to understand; extremely surprising
- 怎樣學會使用這個詞？
1）使用《牛津英語搭配詞典》查“parallel”，了解它的常用搭配。
noun
[搭配]ADJ.
direct, exact
直接的相似處；確切的相似點
clear, close, obvious
明顯的相似處；酷似之處
interesting, striking
有趣的相似之處；引人注目的相似之處
[搭配]VERB + PARALLEL
have
存在相似之處:
This weather pattern of the southern hemisphere has no parallel in the north.9
南半球的這種天氣類型和北半球的天氣沒有相似性。
find, see
找到共同點；看出相似之處
draw, make
作比較:
He drew an interesting parallel with religious practices in Japan.
他以日本的宗教修行作了有趣的比較。
provide
提供比較
[搭配]PREP.
without ~
無可相比:
a speed of development without parallel in post-war Europe
戰(zhàn)后歐洲無可匹敵的發(fā)展速度
~ between
…之間的相似之處:
a parallel between economic and cultural advancement
經濟發(fā)展和文化進步之間的相似之處
~ in
在…方面的相似之處:
We found a direct parallel in the attitudes of schoolchildren in other countries.
我們發(fā)現其它國家的小學生在態(tài)度方面有直接的相似之處。
~ to
同…的相似之處:
A close parallel to this behaviour is found in dolphins.
在海豚身上發(fā)現了與此極為相似的行為。
~ with
與…的相似之處:
She saw an obvious parallel with her sister’s predicament.
她明顯曾經身處與她姐姐相似的困境。
parallel
adj.
[搭配]VERBS
be, run
平行
[搭配]ADV.
exactly
完全平行
nearly
幾乎平行
roughly
大致平行
[搭配]PREP.
to
與…平行:
The lane is roughly parallel to the main road.
這條小路大致和主干道平行。
with
與…平行:
The road runs parallel with the sea.
這條道路和海邊平行。
2）翻譯下面的句子：
這本書主要寫的是傳統(tǒng)出版業(yè)和數字出版業(yè)之間有趣的相似性。
（參考翻譯：The book draws interesting parallels between traditional publishing and digital publishing. 或者
The book examines interesting parallels between traditional publishing and digital publishing.
場景：上海和廣州。
造句：There are Many striking parallels between Shanghai and Guangzhou.
場景：古龍和金庸。
造句：Many fans of martial arts fictions try to draw a parallel between Jin Yong ang Gu Long，both Chinese novelists writing kungfu stories.
