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VOA名师答疑2022--Mine v. Quarry

时间:2023-01-04 06:50:13

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(单词翻译)

Mine v. Quarry1

Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we will answer a question from Yusuf about the difference between "mine" and "quarry."

Question:

Hi VOA learning team,

Would you please help me to understand the difference between "quarry" and "mine?"

Thanks, Yusuf

Answer:

Dear Yusuf,

This is a great question! Thank you for asking it!

Both "mine" and "quarry" can be used as nouns and verbs. Their meanings are related but are different in important ways. Let us start with the word "mine."

Mine

As a noun, a "mine" is a hole dug underground to recover minerals and other valuable substances from the earth. For example,

Recently, a large pink diamond was found in a mine in the African country of Angola.

"Mine" as a noun has another meaning.

A mine is a bomb that is hidden underground as a defensive2 weapon. These land mines cause many deaths, even long after a war is over.

Large pouch3 rats in Africa are trained to find land mines by using their sense of smell.

A floating mine can also be put in the sea as a weapon against ships.

A "mine" can also be any large supply of a resource. For example:

There is a mine of information on the internet.

"Mine" can also be a verb. "To mine" means to dig useful or valuable substances out of the earth.

Americans went west to California in the mid-1800s to mine for gold. This is called the California Gold Rush.

Quarry

A "quarry," like a mine, is a place where valuable minerals or rocks are recovered, but it is open on the earth's surface rather than underground. Rocks, sand and minerals are removed from quarries4. Big pieces of stone like limestone5 and granite6 and some minerals are removed from quarries as building materials.

The Ancient Egyptians cut huge blocks of limestone and granite from quarries to build the Great Pyramids.

The noun "quarry" has another meaning. It can be an animal or even a person that is hunted.

The dogs chased their quarry through the field.

"Quarry" as a verb can mean to take or dig from.

There are many sites in the United States where you can quarry for fossils.

The use of "quarry" and "mine" is sometimes linked to the kind of mineral being recovered. So, limestone is almost always quarried7 while diamonds are usually mined.

Summary

So, a "mine" is a hole underground that is used to remove minerals and valuable substances from the earth. A "quarry" is like a mine but is on the surface of the earth and usually is used to remove large pieces of stone, sand or minerals. It can also be something that is hunted or sought after.

Both "quarry" and "mine," as verbs, mean to dig something out of the earth.

Please let us know if these examples and explanations have helped you, Yusuf!

What question do you have about American English? Send us an email at [email protected]

And that's Ask a Teacher.

Words in This Story

pouch – n. a pocket of folded skin especially for carrying the young (as on the abdomen8 of a kangaroo) or for carrying food (as in the cheek of a hamster)

idiom – n. an expression that cannot be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own

fossil – n. the remains of ancient life forms that have mineralized and turned to stone


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1 quarry ASbzF     
n.采石场;v.采石;费力地找
参考例句:
  • Michelangelo obtained his marble from a quarry.米开朗基罗从采石场获得他的大理石。
  • This mountain was the site for a quarry.这座山曾经有一个采石场。
2 defensive buszxy     
adj.防御的;防卫的;防守的
参考例句:
  • Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题,使她警觉起来。
  • The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。
3 pouch Oi1y1     
n.小袋,小包,囊状袋;vt.装...入袋中,用袋运输;vi.用袋送信件
参考例句:
  • He was going to make a tobacco pouch out of them. 他要用它们缝制一个烟草袋。
  • The old man is always carrying a tobacco pouch with him.这老汉总是随身带着烟袋。
4 quarries d5fb42f71c1399bccddd9bc5a29d4bad     
n.(采)石场( quarry的名词复数 );猎物(指鸟,兽等);方形石;(格窗等的)方形玻璃v.从采石场采得( quarry的第三人称单数 );从(书本等中)努力发掘(资料等);在采石场采石
参考例句:
  • This window was filled with old painted glass in quarries. 这窗户是由旧日的彩色菱形玻璃装配的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • They hewed out the stones for the building from nearby quarries. 他们从邻近的采石场开凿出石头供建造那栋房子用。 来自辞典例句
5 limestone w3XyJ     
n.石灰石
参考例句:
  • Limestone is often used in building construction.石灰岩常用于建筑。
  • Cement is made from limestone.水泥是由石灰石制成的。
6 granite Kyqyu     
adj.花岗岩,花岗石
参考例句:
  • They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
  • The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。
7 quarried 179eab1335896d6d04cd00168ad15bd2     
v.从采石场采得( quarry的过去式和过去分词 );从(书本等中)努力发掘(资料等);在采石场采石
参考例句:
  • The workmen quarried out a huge block of marble. 工人们从采石场采得一块很大的大理石。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The large limestone caves are also quarried for cement. 同时还在这些大石灰岩洞里开采水泥原料。 来自辞典例句
8 abdomen MfXym     
n.腹,下腹(胸部到腿部的部分)
参考例句:
  • How to know to there is ascarid inside abdomen?怎样知道肚子里面有蛔虫?
  • He was anxious about an off-and-on pain the abdomen.他因时隐时现的腹痛而焦虑。

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