VOA慢速英语2021--目标和目的

Goal and Aim

Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Paul in the Czech Republic.

Question:

Could you tell me the difference between the words aim, target, objective¹ and goal? When should I use each one?

Paul, Czech Republic.

Answer:

Dear Paul,

Thank you for writing to us. These words are similar. As nouns² they all mean something you are trying to do or make happen. But we often use two of them to describe an object we can touch.

Goal and target

Both "target" and "goal" can be used in sports. In soccer, players try to get a ball into the other side's goal, an area at the end of the playing field marked by a net. We say a player "scored a goal," as in this example:

Abby Wambach broke the women's soccer record by scoring 184 goals.

In the sport of archery, you try to make an arrow hit a "target." We use the word this way to describe archery:

To get a high score, your arrow has to hit close to the center of the target.

When we use "target" to talk about what we want to do in the near term, it is often an exact number, as in this example:

Our sales target for the coming month is $1000 a day.

Compare that with the use of "goal" to talk about a more general thing you want to make happen further in the future, as in:

It is her goal to become the president of the company.

Objective and aim

We use those two words as well as "objective" and "aim" to talk about our purposes. Often people decide on their "objectives³" as a group or organization. For example:

The Senator⁴ said, "Our objective today is to pass this bill."

Finally, we can use "aim" as a verb meaning to direct effort toward⁵ a goal in this way:

I aim to plant ten trees today.

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Words in This Story

net – n. a device⁶ that is used for catching⁷ or holding things or for keeping things out of a space and that is made of pieces of string, rope, wire, etc., woven together with spaces in between

score – v. to get points, goals, runs, etc., in a game or contes

archery – n. the sport or skill of shooting with a bow and arrow

1 objective   

adj.客观的；n.目标，目的

参考例句：

• He tried to take an objective view of the situation.他试图对形势有个客观的看法。
• The cultivation in good taste is our main objective.培养高雅情趣是我们的主要目标。

2 nouns   

n.名词；名词( noun的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns. 法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Nouns join to form compounds. 名词和名词结合构成复合词。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 objectives   

n.目标( objective的名词复数 )；[光学]（望远镜、显微镜、照相机及其他光学仪器上的）物镜；[语法学]1)。 宾语 2)。 宾格；[军事]出击目标

参考例句：

• Our objectives need to be precisely delineated. 我们的目标需详细解释清楚。
• Money will be crucial to the accomplishment of our objectives. 要实现我们的目标，钱是至关重要的。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 senator   

n.参议员，评议员

参考例句：

• The senator urged against the adoption of the measure.那参议员极力反对采取这项措施。
• The senator's speech hit at government spending.参议员的讲话批评了政府的开支。

5 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

6 device   

n.器械，装置；计划，策略，诡计

参考例句：

• The device will be in production by the end of the year.该装置将于年底投入生产。
• The device will save much time and effort for us.这种装置会使我们节省大量时间和气力。

7 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。