VOA慢速英语:More Efforts Urged to Get and Keep Girls in School

1.An international conference took place this week in Dakar, Senegal, to find new ways to get and keep girls in school.

keep用作不及物动词

（1）保持、继续（处于某种状态）（keep为连系动词）

e.g. Please keep quiet.

请保持安静。

We're keeping in very good health.

我们身体非常好。

（2）（食物）保持良好状态

e.g. Will this fish keep till tomorrow?

这鱼能放到明天吗？

keep构成的一些短语

keep (sb.) away (from sth.)（使）某人离开（某物）

keep sb. from doing sth. 阻止某人做某事

keep sth. in mind 记住（某事物）

keep sb./ sth. out (of sth.) 不让……入内

keep back 忍住（眼泪），扣下，隐瞒

keep in touch with 与……保持联系

keep (on) doing sth. 继续做某事

keep off 远离，避开，让开

keep up 保持（不低落），继续

keep up with 跟上，不落在后面

keep boarders.
为寄宿生提供食宿

2.More than half are girls, and more than two-thirds are in sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and West Asia.

two-thirds表示分数，这是分数最基本的表达方法

数在英语中通常是借助于基数词和序数词来共同表达的。其中基数词表示分子，序数词表示分母。
如：
1)The centimeter is one-tenth of the decimeter or one-hundredth of the meter．厘米是分米的十分之一，或者说是米的百分之一。

2)However，the number of boys will bea third or less than the girls in the class．但是，班里男生的人数将比女生少三分之一或更少。

从以上例子可以看出：分子除用one外，也可用a；如果分子大于1，分母要用复数形式。但是，1／2不能说a（one）second，而要说a（one）half。例如：

3)The sum of one half，one third and one fourth of a certain number is 13.某数的1／2，1／3和1／4的和是13。

1／4和3／4可以说a（one）fourth和three fourths，但常用a quarter和three quarters表示。应该注意的是，分数修饰名词时，若该名词是不可数名词只能用单数；若是可数名词，用单数或复数均可。但是，若它们在句子中作主语，则谓语动词是用单数还是复数取决于名词，即与分数所修饰的名词保持一致。例如：

4)Only one-fifth of air consists of oxygen．氧气只占空气的1／5。

5)About two thirds of the students attendthe meeting．大约2／3的学生都参加了会议。

3.Unless we all work harder, there may still be fifty-six million children out of school in two thousand fifteen.

unless和If not

两者都可表示否定的条件，有时可换用。如：
　　Come tomorrow unless I phone [if I don’t phone]. 要是我没有打电话，明天就来。
　　You won’t catch the train unless you hurry [if you don’t hurry]. 你要是不赶快，你就赶不上火车了。
　　但是在下列情况下，通常要用 if ... not 而不用 unless：
　　(1)当所述条件要引出一种新的想法或情况(而不是结束已存在的想法或状态)时。如：
　　I’ll be angry if I’m not invited to the party. 如果不邀请我参加晚会，我会生气的。(即“不邀请我去参加晚会”会导致一种新情况——“我会生气”)
　　I will be surprised if he doesn’t have an accident. 他要是不出事，我倒感到奇怪了。(即“他不出事”会导致一种新情况——“我感到奇怪”)
　　(2)当要引出一个表示假想的(imaginary)条件句时。如：
　　If he weren’t so silly, he would understand. 他要不是那样傻的话，他就会明白了。(实际上他很傻)
　　If I hadn’t stopped her, she would have jumped down. 要不是我阻止了她，她就跳下去了。(实际上我阻止了她)

4.He says progress and economic development depend on educating girls as well as boys.

as well as用法

(1)as well as 可连接并列的单词或短语。例如：

It is unpleasant in summer as well as in winter.

夏天不好过，冬天也不好过。

The child is lively as well as healthy.

这孩子既健康又活泼。

(2) as well as 连接两个谓语动词时，它们的时态应保持一致。例如：

He publishes as well as prints his own books.

他的书是他自己印刷出版的。

We are repairing the roof as well as painting the walls.

我们在粉刷墙壁同时也在修理屋顶。

as well as常用来连接两个并列的成分，作“也，还”解。它强调的是前一项，后一项只是顺便提及。因此连接并列主语时，谓语动词与前一项一致；而用not only ...but also...连接时，谓语动词与后一项一致。如：
 
   Your wife as well as you is friendly to me.
   不仅你而且你的妻子也对我很友好。
（＝Not only you but also your wife is friendly to me、）
 
   Electric energy can be changed into light energy as well as into sound energy.
   电能既可以被转变成声能，又可以被转变成光能。