mountain
/ˈmaʊntən/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmaʊntn/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmau̇n-tᵊn/ (ame, mw)
mountain — 名詞
- mountainsingular
- mountainsplural
1. a very tall landform that rises high above the ground around it, with steep side
山；山脈
高出地面的巨大自然地形
a very tall landform that rises high above the ground around it, with steep sides and a pointed or rounded top where snow often settles during cold weather; far bigger than a hill.
The children could see the snowy mountain from their bedroom window.
孩子們從臥室窗戶就能看到那座積雪的山。
collocation: snowy mountain
Last summer, Sivan and her father climbed a mountain in the Alps.
去年夏天，Sivan 和父親一起爬了阿爾卑斯山的一座山。
collocation: climb a mountain
From the top of the mountain, the whole valley looked tiny.
從山頂望去，整個山谷顯得非常渺小。
A thick layer of cloud covered the mountain before sunrise.
日出前，一層厚厚的雲霧籠罩著那座山。
The mountain path was too steep for the old horse to walk on.
那條山路太陡了，那匹老馬走不上去。
- peak
focuses on the pointed top of a mountain, or can refer to the mountain itself
- summit
specifically the very highest point of a mountain, not the whole landform
- mount
used in proper names before the specific name (Mount Everest), not as a general standalone noun
- height
literary or formal term for a high place or hill
- valley
a low area between mountains or hills
文法句型
the [mountain]
[mountain] + noun (mountain path, mountain peak)
用法筆記
In proper names of specific peaks, the form 'Mount' is used before the name (Mount Everest, Mount Fuji), while 'mountain' appears after the name or in range names (the Rocky Mountains, the Blue Mountain range).
常見錯誤
2. a very large pile, heap, or quantity of something, often enough to feel overwhel
大量；一堆
堆積如山的東西
a very large pile, heap, or quantity of something, often enough to feel overwhelming or difficult to manage.
After the holiday, Tara had a mountain of laundry to wash.
假期結束後，Tara 有一大堆衣服要洗。
pattern: a mountain of + noun
Felipe faced a mountain of paperwork on his first day at work.
Felipe 上班第一天就面對堆積如山的文書工作。
Dario worried about the mountain of debt his family had to pay back.
Dario 擔心家裡那筆必須償還的鉅額債務。
There was a mountain of dirty dishes in the kitchen after the party.
派對結束後，廚房裡堆積如山的髒碗盤。
Mira found a mountain of emails waiting after just one week off.
Mira 發現才休假一週，電子郵件就堆積如山了。
文法句型
a mountain of + noun (plural/uncountable)
用法筆記
Almost always used in the pattern 'a mountain of + noun' (a mountain of work, a mountain of problems). The image is of a pile so large that it is daunting to deal with. Uncommon in plural form for this sense.
常見錯誤
3. a very large supply of a food product that a government or trade organisation ke
儲備；庫存
為穩定物價囤積的糧食
a very large supply of a food product that a government or trade organisation keeps in storage instead of putting it on the market, in order to control prices and prevent them from dropping too low.
The European Union created a butter mountain to support dairy farmers.
歐盟為了支持酪農而建立了奶油庫存。
compound noun: butter mountain
The government sold part of its grain mountain to bring down food prices.
政府出售了部分糧食庫存，以降低食品價格。
compound noun: grain mountain
Wine mountains in France led to new rules on how much farmers could grow.
法國的葡萄酒庫存過剩，導致政府對農民的種植量制定了新規定。
The milk mountain grew so large that storage costs became a problem.
牛奶庫存積壓到儲存成本成了問題。
Critics argued that the food mountain was wasteful and should be given away.
批評者認為這些糧食庫存是浪費，應該捐贈出去。
文法句型
[food type] + mountain (butter mountain, wine mountain)
用法筆記
Most commonly found in discussions of European agricultural policy, especially related to the EU's Common Agricultural Policy. The term is often used in journalistic writing. Common compound forms include 'butter mountain', 'wine mountain', 'grain mountain', and 'milk mountain'. This sense is not used for ordinary large purchases by individuals.