
toll
词源
源自古英语'toll'(税)和'tolian'(征收),与古高地德语'zol'(关税)同源,最终源自拉丁语'telonium'(海关)。
noun
❶ 指车辆通过桥梁、隧道或高速公路时需支付的费用,通常由政府或私人公司收取用于维护道路设施。
“We had to pay a toll to cross the bridge.”
(我们得付过桥费才能过桥。)
“The toll for this highway is quite expensive.”
(这条高速公路的通行费相当贵。)
❶ 指灾难、战争等造成的伤亡人数或严重损失,强调事件带来的沉重代价。
“The earthquake took a heavy toll on the local population.”
(地震给当地居民造成了惨重伤亡。)
“The pandemic's death toll continues to rise worldwide.”
(全球范围内疫情导致的死亡人数持续上升。)
verb
❶ 缓慢而有规律地敲钟,特指教堂为宣告死亡或灾难而鸣钟。
“The church bells tolled for the victims of the disaster.”
(教堂为灾难遇难者鸣钟哀悼。)
“I heard the bell tolling at midnight.”
(我听见午夜时分钟声响起。)
常见短语
take its toll — 指某事物经过长时间后产生负面影响或造成损害,常用于描述压力、年龄或困难带来的后果。
“Years of hard work have taken their toll on his health.”
(多年的辛勤工作对他的健康造成了损害。)
toll-free — 指不需要支付费用的电话服务,通常以800等特殊号码开头,由接听方承担话费。
“You can call our toll-free number for customer support.”
(您可以拨打我们的免费客服电话寻求帮助。)