查询词典 had rather

A specimen of Apatosaurus (better known to many laymen as Brontosaurus) that had been examined using the previous method is now thought to have weighed 18 tonnes rather than 38 tonnes—the equivalent of only about three fully grown African elephants, instead of seven.

用早些时候的方法估测虚幻龙的一个样本，得出的体重为38吨（相当于7头成年非洲象），但是，用现在的方法估测出来的体重为18吨（相当于3头成年非洲象）。

When I meet the engine with its train of cars moving off with planetary motion —— or, rather, like a comet, for the beholder knows not if with that velocity and with that direction it will ever revisit this system, since its orbit does not look like a returning curve —— with its steam cloud like a banner streaming behind in golden and silver wreaths, like many a downy cloud which I have seen, high in the heavens, unfolding its masses to the light —— as if this traveling demigod, this cloud-compeller, would ere long take the sunset sky for the livery of his train; when I hear the iron horse make the hills echo with his snort like thunder, shaking the earth with his feet, and breathing fire and smoke from his nostrils（what kind of winged horse or fiery dragon they will put into the new Mythology I don't know）, it seems as if the earth had got a race now worthy to inhabit it.

当我遇见那火车头，带了它的一列车厢，像行星运转似的移动前进，——或者说，像一颗扫帚星，因为既然那轨道不像一个会转回来的曲线，看到它的人也就不知道在这样的速度下，向这个方向驰去的火车，会不会再回到这轨道上来，——水蒸汽像一面旗帜，形成金银色的烟圈飘浮在后面，好像我看到过的高高在天空中的一团团绒毛般的白云，一大块一大块地展开，并放下豪光来，——好像这位旅行着的怪神，吐出了云霞，快要把夕阳映照着的天空作它的列车的号衣；那时我听到铁马吼声如雷，使山谷都响起回声，它的脚步踩得土地震动，它的鼻孔喷着火和黑烟（我不知道在新的神话中，人们会收进怎样的飞马或火龙），看来好像大地终于有了一个配得上住在地球上的新的种族了。

Of the 65% of companies surveyed by Point Carbon earlier this year which claimed that the ETS had led them to abate their emissions (up from 15% the previous year), most were planning to buy credits rather than cut their own emissions.

今年初点碳咨询公司调查的企业有65%宣称ETS已经让他们减少了排放（去年这一比例只有15%），大多数都是购买碳信用额，而非自己减少排放。

Rylov' creative work had a rather early start: when still seventeen, the young conductor was at the head of Yusupov Palace Opera Studio.

弗拉基米尔·雷洛夫于1947年生于一个音乐世家，毕业于俄罗斯最古老的教育机构——彼得斯堡宫廷歌曲唱诗班合唱队学校，并在公立音乐学校学习合唱和交响乐指挥。

We must confess that for many years, we were not able to see the hidden meaning of the poem. Two years ago, we were rather intrigued by the line "茂林斧过尽为薪"(line 14). Literally, it means: Lush forests, swept by the axe, completely transformed into firewood. We thought this was a very clever pun because firstly it means that a person without education is transformed through learning into someone useful, as befitting a university. Secondly, Nantah stood on land that was once covered by a rubber estate which had now been cleared to build the university.

老实说，好几年来，我们都没法十分了解此诗隐藏的背景，大概是两年前吧，我们还正在思考此诗中第14行&茂林斧过尽为薪&一句，如果是直译即&利斧把森林砍了，森林就变成薪木&，我们当初以为这句的暗喻是说，正如大学教育一般能把一个无学的人，教育成有用的社会栋梁，正巧南大校址，本来就是一片茂盛胶园，而现今宏立了一所大学，不正是说得极合适，也不就是&茂林斧过尽为薪&吗？

One of the Rabbis, however, would have had them burnt at once, indeed, he would rather have fled into an idolatrous temple than into a Christian church:'for the idolators deny God because they have not known Him, but the apostates are worse.

其中的拉比，不过，我们只好把他们烧死一次，而事实上，他宁愿逃离到一个idolatrous庙比成为一个基督教堂：'为idolators否认上帝，因为他们不知道他的意思，但变节者

Indeed, after all, though solemn benchers laughed at him, and rising barristers shrugged their shoulders under rustling silk gowns when people spoke of Robert Audley, I doubt if, had he ever taken the trouble to get a brief, he might not have rather surprised the magnates who underrated his abilities.

事实上，归根结底，尽管严肃的英国律师协会的主管委员嘲笑他，尽管人们在讲到罗伯特·奥德利时，后起之秀的大律师们在瑟瑟有声的绸子长袍下耸耸肩膀以示鄙夷，我倒有个疑问，如果他费点精神接受一桩诉讼案件，说不定他会叫那些低估他的才能的达官贵人们大吃一惊哩！

Not that she was suddenly singing in a soulful or bluesy manner; rather, Sade's dry and introspective tone now had a little more edge, and the lyrics were ironic as well as reflective.

也许正因为人们普遍认为这是Sade最糟糕的一张专辑，才使得它的力量对于一般的歌迷来说显得不那么表面。

Similarly, Remus Lupin knows how to deal with Boggarts and Grindylows, but he can't conceal his shabby looking robes "that had been darned in several places," or his battered luggage which must be held together with string rather than magic.

同样的，莱姆斯·卢平知道怎样处理博格特和格林迪洛，但是他不能掩藏他破旧的长袍&好几个地方打着补丁，&或者是他的破箱子必须用绳子绑着胜于用魔法处理。

If I had to choose, I'd much rather be in education, as they say, strong youth makes a strong nation, and braindead youth makes a braindead nation.

如果要我选择的话，我更愿意从事教育事业，所谓少年强则国强，少年脑残则国脑残。中国的未来，想来应该是越来越好的。但也未必。

In the negative and interrogative forms, of course, this is identical to the non-emphatic forms.

。但是，在否定句或疑问句里，这种带有"do"的方法表达的效果却没有什么强调的意思。

Go down on one's knees;kneel down

屈膝跪下。。。下跪祈祷