call a spade a spade 直截了当，直言不讳
My wife always calls a spade a spade about her work situation. 我妻子对别人谈起她的工作时，总是直言不讳。
If we really want to win the trust of the people, we have to call a spade a spade and deal with cases as they should be dealt with. 如果我们真的想取信于民，就应该一就是一，二就是二，该怎么处理就怎么处理。
短语call a spade a spade意思就是“直言不讳，有话直说”的意思，即to speak frankly and directly，称呼一个铁锹(spade)为铁锹，意思就是直接称呼,不拐弯抹角。
call at 拜访（某地）
In the letter he was asked to call at the station. 信中说要他到警察局去一下。
相关短语 call on sb. 拜访某人；call at a place 拜访某地；pay a visit to拜访；drop in on sb.拜访某人；drop in at a place拜访某地；call for 提倡，号召
call down 招致，招惹，申斥，喊下来
The teacher called me down for disobedience. 因我不听话，老师训斥了我。
Please call Mr.Bickford down from the ladder to wash his hands. 请把比克佛德先生从梯子上叫下来洗洗手。
I wondered what on earth this Mencken had done to call down upon him the scorn of the South. 我想知道这个门肯究竟做了什么事，以至于招惹南方对他的轻蔑。
call for 提倡，号召，要求，去接
This is a problem that calls for immediate solution. 这是个迫切需要解决的问题。
Jane will call for you tomorrow morning. 简明早去接你。
The man called for a glass of beer. 那个男的要一杯啤酒。
This job calls for much patience. 这份工作需要极大的耐心。
I heard him call for help. 我听见他呼救。
高考链接
It's the sort of work that_________a high level of concentration.
A. calls for
B. makes up
C. lies in
D. stands for
解析选A。此处call for意为“需要、要求”。句意为“这是一种要求高度集中注意力的工作”。make up 化妆，编写，杜撰；lie in 存在于；stand for 代表。
call in 找来，请来
Your father is ill. You should call in a doctor at once. 你父亲病了，应该马上去请个大夫来。
We had better call in a specialist at his critical moment. 在这个关键时刻，我们最好请个专家来。
call off 取消
Why was the football match called off？ 足球赛为什么被取消？
Since the weather is bad, let's call off the trip. 既然天气不好，那就不去旅行了吧。
高考链接
If the firms failed to make enough money, they would_______.
A. close down
B. call off
C. turn down
D. set off
解析选A。close down 关闭；call off 取消；turn down 关小（音量，灯光等）。该句的意思是“如果公司不能赚到足够的钱，它们应该关闭”。A项正确。
call on 拜访（某人），号召
I shall call on you next week. 我下星期去看你。
The organization calls on the young people to live a low-carbon life. 这个组织号召年轻人过低碳生活。
高考链接
The Somali robbers' frequent attacks on the sea urged the United Nations to all nations to take immediate action.
A. fight for
B. apply for
C. call on
D. wait on
解析选C。call on 意为“号召”，全句的意思是“索马里海盗频繁在海上的抢夺督促联合国号召所有的国家立即采取措施”。apply for 向……申请；fight for为……而战；wait on伺候，服务。C项符合题意。
call out 大声叫喊，激发出
The sudden blow to her leg made her call out in pain. 她的腿遭到突然一击，使得她痛得大叫起来。
Trouble can call out a person's best qualities. 逆境可以激发出一个人的优秀品质。
高考链接
It was so dark in the cinema that I could hardly_________my friend.
A. turn out
B. bring out
C. call out
D. pick out
解析选D。turn out 关灯，结果证明；bring out 拿出，取出，呈现； call out 叫喊，召集； pick out 挑选出来，辨认。题意为“电影院里太暗了我辨认不出我的朋友”。D项符合题意。
call somebody names 骂某人
It's wrong to call your classmates names.
骂你同学是不对的。
When you call me names and criticize my work in meetings，I feel depressed. 当你在会议上责骂我，批评我的工作时，我感到很沮丧。
call up 使想起，给……打电话，叫醒
Please call me up this evening. 请今晚给我打电话。
Could you please call me up at 6:00 tomorrow morning, please？ 请在明天早上6点叫醒我好吗？
She can still call up scenes of childhood. 她仍能想起儿时的情景。
call white black 颠倒黑白，指鹿为马
How can you say it like that？ You are calling white black. 你怎么能那样说呢？你是在颠倒黑白。
call back 回电话
I'll call you back later. 我一会给你回电话。
高考链接
— Sorry, I have to_________now. It's time for class.
— OK, I'll call back later.
A. hang up
B. break up
C. give up
D. hold up
解析选A。hang up 挂上，挂起，将电话筒挂上；break up 结束，破裂，分解；give up 放弃，认输，泄露；hold up 举起，拿起。该句话的意思是“我必须挂断电话了。到上课的时间了”。A项正确。
can't agree more 再赞成不过，非常同意
I can't agree with you more. 我很赞同你。
I can not agree more, but there might be a sudden rain tomorrow. 我完全同意，不过明天可能会突然下一场雨。
知识链接注意另外一些类似的句型：One can't be too careful. 再怎么小心都不为过。 I can't thank you enough.我对你感激不尽。You can't praise him enough.你怎么表扬他都不为过。
can't help doing 忍不住做
Hearing the joke, all the students can't help laughing. 听到那个笑话，所有的同学都禁不住笑了。
She can't help crying on hearing the bad news. 听到这个坏消息，她忍不住哭了。
知识链接can't help doing sth.的另一种表达方法是：can't help but do sth.。can't help do sth.则表示“帮不上忙”，如：
I can't help repair you bike now because I am busy with my business.我在忙，不能帮你修理你的自行车。
can't stand doing 受不了
I can't stand being spoken to like this. 我不能忍受有人和我这样说话！
I can't stand listening to all this rubbish. 我无法忍受这些乱七八糟的话。
can't thank you enough 感激不尽
I can't thank you enough for coming into my life. 无比感谢你出现在了我的生命中。
I can never thank you enough for you generosity. 我对您的慷慨大度感激不尽。
can't wait to do 迫不及待
I was so excited that I couldn't wait to see it. 我很激动，迫不及待地想看到它。
He couldn't wait to go back when he heard that his father was home from abroad. 他听说父亲从国外回来了，就迫不及待地想回家。
cannot but 不得不
They cannot choose but admit that our requirement is reasonable. 他们不得不承认我们的要求是合理的。
I cannot but tell her the truth. 我不得不告诉她真情。
cannot choose but 只能
I can't choose but do it as you told me. 我只能按你的要求做。
He cannot choose but stay on. 他没别的选择，只好待下去。
can not help but 不得不
I can not help but admire his courage, strength and competence. 我不得不赞赏他的勇敢、力量和能力。
They cannot help but be grieved by the death of a friend. 眼见朋友死亡，自己却无能为力，他们感到深深的悲哀。
care for 想要，介意，护理
I don't really care for Mexican food. It's too spicy. 我不喜欢墨西哥菜，太辣了。
Would you care for some dessert？ 想来点甜点吗？
carry away 拿走，冲昏……的头脑，迷住
He let his anger carry him away. 他气得失去了自制力。
We were carried away by her magnificent singing. 我们被她动听的歌声迷住了。
The match is so wonderful that he is totally carried away. 比赛十分精彩,令他兴奋不已。
carry off 夺走，赢得（奖牌等）
I am wondering if he will carry off the prize. 我怀疑他是否能获奖。
Please carry the empty bottles off. 请把空瓶子拿走。
carry on with 继续进行
They carry on with their experiment despite strong opposition. 他们不顾别人强烈反对继续进行试验。
The doctor told her to carry on with the treatment. 医生告诉她要继续治疗。
同义短语 go on with继续
carry out 完成，执行
No matter what we do, we must carry out our duties. 无论干什么工作,我们都应履行自己的职责。
Remember to carry out your promise. 记住要履行你的承诺。
I myself will firmly carry out this plan. 我本人将坚决执行这个计划。
carry through 贯彻到底，渡过难关
We believe this revolutionary tradition will carry through from generation to generation. 我们相信这种革命传统将一代一代传下去。
His courage will carry him through. 他的勇气会帮他渡过难关。
carry weight 有分量
Our boss' opinions seem to carry very little weight at home. 我们老板的意见在家里似乎没有什么权威。
I thought if you were to speak to him, it would carry more weight. 我想如果你去和他谈谈，可能分量会重一点。
His opinion is certain to carry weight. 他的意见一定会受到重视。
cast aside 扔掉，抛弃
As soon as he became rich he cast aside all his old friends who gave him some help. 他一富起来就抛
弃了所有曾经给过他帮助的老朋友。
He was cast aside by his parents when he was a baby. 还在襁褓中, 他就被他父母遗弃了。
You must cast aside all doubts and handle the job with confidence. 你必须消除一切疑虑，充满信心地着手进行这项工作。
cast away 抛弃
Don't cast away these old papers. They might be useful. 别丢掉这些旧报纸；它们也许会有用处。
同义短语 cast aside扔掉，抛弃
cast doubt on 对（某事）产生怀疑
The latest scientific discoveries cast doubt on earlier theories. 科学上的最新发现使我们对以前的学说产生怀疑。
She cast doubt on this news. 她对这消息有所怀疑。
cast sheep's eyes at sb. 抛媚眼，送秋波
The girl cast sheep's eyes at the handsome young man. 那个女孩向那位英俊的年轻人暗送秋波。
There came a wealthy stock broker who cast sheep's eyes at the beautiful girl. 来了一个富有的证券经纪人，含情脉脉地看着这位漂亮的姑娘。
catch sb.'s eye 与某人目光相遇，引起某人注意
A red pencil-mark on the fifth page caught his eye. 在第五页上一个红铅笔记号引起了他的注意。
I'd like another drink, so I raise my hand to catch the waiter's eye. 我想再来一杯，于是举着手，想引起服务员的注意。
catch a cold（fever） 感冒，发烧
He sat in a draught and caught a cold. 他坐在风口上，着凉了。
I caught a cold half a month ago and recovered without medical treatment after 10 days. 我半个月前感冒了，没吃药十天后自愈的。
catch a glimpse of 瞥见，看见
Millions of people came to the zoo just to catch a glimpse of the penguins. 数百万人来到动物园为的就是一睹企鹅的风采。
Fans stood outside the news conference, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Spice Girls. 粉丝们都等候在新闻发布会的会场外，想一睹“辣妹”们的风采。
catch at 抓住
We must catch at the first opportunity that comes up. 我们必须把握住到来的头一个机会。
A businessman will catch at any opportunity of making a profit. 一个生意人会抓住任何机会赚钱。
catch on 理解，流行
Being a foreigner, Carl did not catch on the joke. 卡尔是个外国人，不能了解这笑话的含意。
Skateboarding caught on quickly. 滑板运动很快就流行起来。
catch one's attention 引起注意
He spoke louder so as to catch the teacher's attention. 他提高了音量以引起老师的注意。
The silver plate on the dining table caught her attention. 餐桌上的银盘子引起了她的注意。
catch one's breath 喘口气
Let me catch my breath after running so fast. 快跑过后让我喘一口气。
He stopped to catch his breath. 他停下来喘口气。
catch sth. alive 活捉
He shouted to the police: “You can never catch me alive.” 他向警察喊道：“你们别想活捉我。”
catch up with 赶上
Let's hurry and catch up with the group ahead. 我们快点，赶上前面的那一伙人。
We must catch up with times. 我们必须赶上时代。
同义短语 keep up with跟上，赶上
catch hold of 抓住
Little children sometimes take hold of sharp knives and cut themselves. 小孩有时拿锋利的刀子割伤自己。
Catch hold of this rope when I throw it to you. 我把绳子扔给你时，抓住它。
同义短语 get/grab/take hold of抓住
cause and effect 因果
Every thing that happens has a cause and effect. 事情发生了, 就会有它的前因后果。
They want to find out the cause and effect of the incident. 他们想要弄清事情的来龙去脉。
cease fire 停火
The two countries made a bargain to cease fire. 两国做了停火的协议。
center attention on 专注于，集中注意力于
You should center your attention on your work. 你应该专心工作。
同义短语 focus one's attention on，fix one's attention on， pay attention to，put one's heart and soul on专注于，聚焦于，集中注意力于
chance it 碰碰运气
I don't know if we can succeed or not, but let's chance it. 我不知道我们是否能成功，不过我们试试看吧。
It may be risky but we will chance it anyhow. 这可能有危险, 但我们无论如何要冒一冒险。
chance to do 碰巧
I chanced to meet an old friend of mine while I was walking along the street. 我在街上散步时，碰巧遇到了一位老朋友。
If I do chance to find out where she is, I will inform you immediately. 如果我碰巧发现了她在哪里，我会立刻通知你。
chances are that 很可能
Chances are that she'll marry the man who is now her boss. 她可能嫁给如今是她老板的那个男人。
Chances are that man will eventually land on Mars. 人类有可能最终登陆火星。
change...into 把……换成
It's called metabolism that our food change into energy. 把我们所吃的食物转换成能量的过程叫做新陈代谢。
change A for B 把A替换成B
I want to change my old computer for a new one. 我想把我的旧电脑换台新的。
This shirt I bought is too small, and I will have to change it for a bigger one. 我买的这件衬衫太小，我得换件大一点的。
比较exchange A for B.兑换，调换。如：
I'd like to exchange some pounds for dollars. 我想把一些英镑兑换成美金。
charge sb. money for doing sth. 因……向某人索价
He charged me ten yuan for washing my car. 他收了我10块钱的洗车费用。
They charged me ten dollars for a haircut. 他们理一次发要了我十美元。
charge sb. with 指控某人犯有……罪行
The driver was charged with reckless driving. 司机被指控鲁莽驾驶。
The police charged him with car theft. 警方以偷车罪指控他。
Critics charged the writer with a lack of originality. 评论家指责这位作家缺少独创性。
cheat sb. (out)of sth. 骗某人的钱物
They cheated the old man out of all the money that he had. 他们骗走了老人身上所有的钱。
Be careful！He will cheat you out of all your property. 小心!他会骗走你所有的财产。
cheat sb. into the belief that 骗某人相信
He cheated her into the belief that he still loved her. 他哄骗她相信他仍然爱着她。
check in 登记入住，（从旅馆、机场等）办理登记手续
We must check in at the airport an hour before your plane leaves. 我们必须在你所乘飞机起飞前一小时到机场登记。
You can check in two hours in advance. 你可以提前两小时办理登记手续。
check out （从旅馆等）付账后离开
Guests must check out before noon, or they will be charged for the day. 旅客必须于中午前办清手续离开, 否则将收取全日费用。
cheer up 使兴奋，使高兴
Cheer up! Victory is just around the corner. 加油!胜利就在眼前。
child's play 容易的事
Riding a bicycle is child's play when you've had some practice. 你只要稍加练习,骑自行车是件很容易的事。
Driving a car is not child's play. 开车并非是一桩轻而易举的事。
child's play”是“简单容易”的意思，而不是“视同儿戏”。
英语中还有很多类似的表达，如a piece of cake， my cup of tea，duck soup等，都是指一些事情做起来比较容易的意思，不能望文生义。
再比如，“pull one's leg”是指“开玩笑”而不是“拖后腿”；“It's Greek to me”，英国人一般都不懂希腊语，因而此句意为“我不知道”，而不是“对我来说都是希腊语”之意。
choose from 从中挑选
We have many patterns in stock for you to choose from. 我们有多种现存的式样供你选择。
clean up 打扫干净
It will take you a lot of time to clean up your room. 打扫房间，你需要花费许多时间。
clear as day 一清二楚
It's clear as day. He just wants to marry you for your money. 这一点非常清楚，他就是因为你的钱才想跟你结婚的。
clear away 清除掉，拿走
Our job is to clear away the rubbish. 我们的工作是清除这些垃圾。
We must clear away the misunderstanding. 我们必须消除这个误会。
clear up 清理，（天）放晴
May I clear up your table now？ 现在可以收拾您的桌子吗？
The weather will clear up this afternoon, I think. 我觉得下午天气要转晴。
close down 关闭
Business was so bad that the Brown Brothers had to close down their business. 生意清淡，布朗兄弟
商店不得不停业了。
The firm has decided to close down its Chicago branch. 公司已决定关闭芝加哥的分公司。
When the supermarket opened, many small shops had to close down. 那个超级市场一开张，许多小商店不得不关闭。
高考链接
If the firms failed to make enough money, they would_______.
A.close down
B.call off
C.turn down
D.set off
解析选A。close down停业，关闭；call off 取消，把……叫走；turn down 减少，调低，拒绝；set off出发，动身，点燃，爆炸。句意为“如果这些公司不能赚到足够的钱，它们将关闭”。A项符合语境。
close one's eyes to 不理会
As your teacher, I can't close my eyes to what you have done. 作为你们的老师，我不能对你们的所作所为视若无睹。
We mustn't close our eyes to these facts. 我们不应闭眼不看这些事实。
同义短语 shut one's eyes to视若无睹
close the door on（to，against，upon） 拒之门外
If God were to close the door on you, he would leave a window open. 上帝为你关了这扇门，必会为你再开一扇窗。
The politician's latest comments, unfortunately, closed the door on a peace agreement between
the two countries. 很不幸，这位政治家的最新言论让两国之间的和平协议关上了大门。
The club has closed the door to new members. 这个俱乐部拒绝接受新的会员。
come about 发生
How did it come about that he knew where we were？ 他是怎么知道我们在什么地方的呢？
How did this dangerous state of affairs come about？ 这种危险的事态是怎么发生的？
come across 偶然遇到
When I come across a new word, I put it down in my notebook. 碰到一个生词，我就把它写到笔记本上。
I never remember having come across a man like that. 我怎么也记不起碰到过这样一个人。
高考链接
If we can_________our present difficulties, then everything should be all right.
A.come across
B.get over
C.come over
D.get off
解析选B。come across过来，偶遇，穿过；get over渡过，克服；come over 过来，顺便来访；get off 离开，动身，下车。句意为“如果我们能克服目前的困难，那么一切都会好的”。B项符合语境。
come as no surprise 毫不奇怪
It should therefore come as no surprise that he always won the first prize in every exam. 因此他总是在每次的考试中都获得第一也就毫不奇怪了。
come at 弄清，达到，袭击，扑向
He came at me like a tiger. 他像老虎一样猛扑向我。
The truth is sometimes difficult to come at. 有时人们很难得到真相。
The meaning of an unfamiliar word is hard to come at. 不熟悉的词汇很难弄懂意思。
come by 获得，经过，看望
Money easily come by is often easily spent. 容易得到的钱也容易花掉。
How did you come by this tool？ 你怎么得到这件工具的？
May I come by your office this afternoon？
我今天下午去你办公室可以吗？
come in first 获得第一
He always concentrates on his studies, and never gets tired of learning. So he often comes in first in exams. 他总是专心致志，乐此不疲地学习。所以经常考第一。
come into being（existence） 诞生
When did the universe come into being？ 宇宙最初是何时形成的？
When did the Roman Empire come into being？ 罗马帝国是什么时候形成的？
高考链接
Scientists have many theories about how the universe_________into being.
A. came
B. was coming
C. had come
D. would come
解析选A。本题考查时态的用法。因为宇宙形成这个动作已经发生，所以用一般过去时，A项符合语境。
come into effect 生效
When does the new law come into effect？
新法律何时生效？
The new traffic rule has come into effect since March. 新交通规则自三月份起生效。
come into force 生效
When do the new safety rules come into force？ 新的安全规则何时生效？
同义短语 come into effect生效
come into use 开始被采用
When did telephone first come into use？ 什么时候电话首次得到应用的？
The new bridge will come into use next month. 那座桥下个月开始使用。
come on 算了吧，来吧，加油
Come on! One evening at the theatre won't break the bank. 得啦! 看一晚上戏不会倾家荡产的。
Oh, come on! Cheer up! 噢，别这样！振作起来！
高考链接
— Could I use your computer for a few moments, please？
—_______. I'm not using it myself.
A. Come on
B. It depends
C. Go ahead
D. That's great
解析选C。come on前进，随后跟上，加油；It depends.为交际用语，意为“看情况”；go ahead 前进，做吧；That's great. 意为“太棒了”。句意为“你用吧，我现在不用电脑”。C项符合语境。
come out 出版，发芽
A pocket edition of the dictionary will come out soon. 这一字典的袖珍版即将问世。
The roses will come out next week. 这些玫瑰下星期就会开花。
come over 过来，袭来
Come over anytime you feel like it. 你无论什么时候想来都行。
A strange feeling came over me. 一阵奇怪的感觉袭来。
高考链接
Amy joined a painting group but didn't seem to_______, so she left.
A. show off
B. go up
C. fit in
D. come over
解析选C。show off炫耀；go up上升，上涨，提高；fit in适合，适应；come over过来，袭来。句意为“Amy加入了一个绘画小组，但是她好像没有适应，于是她就退出了”。C项符合题意。
come round/around 顺便来访，苏醒，复原
Can we come around to your place tonight？ We left his house about an hour ago？ 我们今天晚上能到你那里去吗？我们大约一小时前离开他家。
Come around for drinks on Sunday, about 5, can you make it？ 星期天下午五点来喝酒，来得了吗？
For three days and nights they watched by her bed waiting for her to come round. 他们在她床边守了三天三夜，等待她苏醒过来。
come through 经历……仍活着，安然度过
He managed to come through the Second World War without a scratch. 他设法经历过二战，却丝毫没有受伤。
We can come through any crisis if we hang together. 只要我们团结一致，就可以度过任何危机。
come to a close/a stop/an end 结束
The conference will come to a close this afternoon. 今天下午会议闭幕。
There is no saying when this war will come to an end. 天晓得这场战争何时会结束。
come to an agreement with 与……达成一致
He has come to an agreement with his friends about sharing a car. 他同他朋友在合用汽车的问题上已达成了协议。
同义短语 make an agreement with与……达成一致
come to a decision 决定下来
The matter hasn't come to a decision yet. 事情还没定局。
Consider the matter on its merits before you come to a decision. 先要权衡事情的利弊，然后再作决定。
come to life 苏醒
But as the door banged, she seemed to come to life again. 可是当门“砰”地关上的时候，她好像又清醒过来了。
同义短语 come back to life；come to oneself；gain consciousness苏醒过来
come to light 暴露，被发现，众所周知
A political scandal has recently come to light. 最近一桩政治丑闻暴露出来。
The mystery has now come to light. 这个秘密现在已被揭开了。
It has come to light that he was lying. 大家都知道他在说谎。
知识链接汉语“纸包不住火”翻译为英语是：Truth will come to light sooner or later.
come to no good end 没有好结果
Those who murder people for their money will come to no good end. 谋财害命的人不会有好下场。
All those who set themselves against the people will come to no good end. 一切与人民为敌的人，都没有好下场。
come to light 暴露，被发现，众所周知
A political scandal has recently come to light. 最近一桩政治丑闻暴露出来。
The mystery has now come to light. 这个秘密现在已被揭开了。
It has come to light that he was lying. 大家都知道他在说谎。
知识链接汉语“纸包不住火”翻译为英语是：Truth will come to light sooner or later.
come to no good end 没有好结果
Those who murder people for their money will come to no good end. 谋财害命的人不会有好下场。
All those who set themselves against the people will come to no good end. 一切与人民为敌的人，都没有好下场。
come to nothing 落空
All her plans have come to nothing. 她所有的计划都落空了。
All my efforts to help her out of trouble came to nothing. 我试图帮助她脱离困境的一切努力都化为了泡影。
come to one's knowledge 被某人知道
It was in this way that these details came to my knowledge. 我就是通过这种途径知道了这些细节。
It has come to my knowledge that he resigned. 我听说他辞职了。
come to one's rescue 援救某人
He got a purchase on a branch until we came to his rescue. 他紧紧抓住一根树枝直到我们把他救下来。
come to oneself 苏醒
The robbers knocked him unconscious, and when he came to himself he found he was lying alone in the dark. 盗贼们把他打昏，当他醒来时，他发现自己躺在黑暗中。
come to power 掌权，执政
A new political party has come into power. 一个新的政党已开始执政。
come to terms with 达成妥协
He'd finally come to terms with that company. 他最后还是与那家公司达成了协议。
It has taken Arthur a long time to come to terms with his disability. 阿瑟用了很长时间才学会了如何来对待自己的残疾。
Do you think the Arab countries will come to terms with Israel one day？ 你认为有一天阿拉伯国家会同以色列达成协议吗？
come to the point 扼要地说，说到要点
As I was in a hurry I asked him to come to the point. 我因为有急事，便要求他有话直说。
Don't beat about the bush. Please come to the point. 说话不要绕圈子，请直说吧。
come true (预言、期望等)实现，成为事实
He hopes his dreams come true. 他希望他的梦想成真。
He is now making his childhood dream come true. 他现在正在让他童年时的梦想变成现实。
come up to 达到(标准)，比得上
The quality of the new products doesn't come up to the required standard. 这些新产品的质量不符合规定标准。
Their work did not come up to the expectations. 他们的工作没有达到预期的水平。
come up with 提出，提供，想出
It took months to come up with an acceptable plan for the banks. 过了好几个月才提出银行认为可以接受的计划。
Have you come up with a more practical idea？ 你有没有想出一个更实际的办法？
高考链接
— Have you_________some new ideas？
— Yeah. I'll tell you later.
A. come about
B. come into
C. come up with
D. come out with
解析选C。come about 发生；come into 进入，加入；come up with 提出，提供，想出；come out with 发表，公布。句意为“你有没有提出新的想法？”C项符合语境。
come upon 偶遇，突袭，降临
I may come upon something that'll throw some extra light on this. 说不定我会发现什么新线索，把这件案子的眉目弄得更清楚些。
Bad luck has come upon us ever since we moved into the house. 我们搬进这所房子以后就开始倒霉。
come up 走上前来，发生，出现
Come up to the fire, and you will thaw out. 到火炉边来,你就会觉得暖和。
Something urgent has come up. 发生了紧急的事情。
The seeds haven't come up yet. 种子还没有发芽。
come into operation 实施，实行，生效
The new power station has already come into operation. 这个新的发电站已经开始运转。
The new regulations will come into operation next Sunday. 新的规章下星期日起生效。
comment on 评论
He did not comment on what I said. 他对我的话未作评论。
He refused to comment on the scandal. 他拒绝对这个丑闻发表意见。
commit a mistake 犯错误
As he is young, it is natural that he should commit such a mistake. 他因为年轻，要做这样的错事也是当然的事。
同义短语 make a mistake犯错误
commit oneself to 致力于，献身于，承诺，保证，受束缚
He committed himself to serving the people all his life. 他把他的一生都献给了为人民服务这项事业中。
He didn't commit himself to anything. 他没有作任何承诺。
I won't commit myself to that course of action. 我不会受那一行动步骤的约束。
此短语相当于be committed to。其中to 是个介词，而不是动词不定式，所以应该是 commit oneself to doing sth.。
compared with (to) 和……相比
The hardship is nothing compared with/ to that the Red Army faced on the Long March. 和红军长征时受的苦比起来，这点苦算不了什么。
Life is compared to a voyage. 人生好比航海。
比较
① compare...with...把……和……比较(常表示同类相比，比较)；
compare...to... 把……比作……(常表示异类相比，比喻)，compare是动词，如：
Let's compare this article with that one. 让我们把这篇文章和那篇文章作一下比较。
We often compare the heart to a pump. 我们常把心脏比作水泵。
② compared with和compared to中的compared是形容词，意思是“与……相比”，常可以互换使用，如：
Compared to/with her book, my book is much more interesting. 与她的书相比，我的书要有趣的多。
Compared with/to wester countries, China uses materials very carefully. 和西方相比,中国使用物资很节省。
complain of (about) 埋怨
They did not once complain of having too much work. 他们从来没有埋怨过工作太多。
TV viewers have been writing in to complain of the false advertisement. 电视观众不断来信抱怨虚假广告。
concentrate...on 集中于，专心于
Having failed my French exams, I decided to concentrate on science subjects. 我因法语考试不及格而决心专攻理科.
We must concentrate our efforts on improving education. 我们必须致力于改进教育工作。
You should concentrate your attention on your work . 你应该专心于工作。