VOA慢速英语:In Class With Peace Corps Volunteers in Africa, Asia

1.I was trying to decide between going the academic route and doing a postdoctoral degree and go into industry, and then I had been doing some volunteer work and the idea was kind of always of floating around.

float around浮现

例句：By age eight, the pattern for our ideal mate has already begun to float around in our brains.
      到8岁时，我们理想爱人的形象已经浮现在我们的脑海里了。

2.Even if some of these kids can't get to college, learning English and at least having some knowledge of the language can separate themselves from the people next to them when they are looking for a job or meeting people.

even if即使, 纵然

例句：I wouldn't lose courage even if I should fail ten times.
      即使要失败十次, 我也绝不灰心。

3.However, I could not have been more wrong.

could not have been more用比较级表示最高级。

比较等级的特殊句型归纳：

(1) less/least +原级：表示降级的比较级或最高级。如：

I am even less lucky. 我甚至更不走运。

This is the least useful of the four books.四本书中这一本最无用处。

(2) the+比较级, the+比较级：表示后者随着前者的变化而变化，意为“越……就越……”，前者相当于一个条件句，因此，要用一般现在时代替一般将来时。如：

The harder you work, the better result you’ll get.你学习越努力，成绩就越好。

(3) the+比较级(+of the two)：表示“两者中较……的那个人或物”。如：

Tom is the taller of the two brothers.汤姆是两兄弟中个子较高的那个。

(4) 比较级+and+比较级：表示“越来越……”，单音节形容词或副词用“-er+and +-er”，如warmer and warmer越来越暧和；多音节形容词或副词用“more and more…”如more and more beautiful越来越美。

(5) 比较级+than any other+单数名词：表示最高级意义。如：

Mike is more intelligent than any other student in his class.(=Mike is the most intelligent in his class.)马克比他班上任何一个人都聪明。

(6) 否定词语+比较级：表示最高级含义。如：

Nothing is easier than this.(=This is the easiest thing.)没有比这更简单的了。

(7) 否定词语+ so…as：表示最高级含义。如：

Nothing is so easy as this.没有比这更简单的了。

(8) more+形容词或副词+than…：表示对同一人或物在不同方面进行取舍，意为“与其说……倒不如……”，不论形容词或副词的长短，一律用more…than…。如：

He is more hungry than tired.与其说他累了，倒不如说他饿了。

(9) no +比较级+ than：表示对两者的否定，意为“和……一样不……”，与neither…nor…或“as+相反意义的形容词或副词+as”相当。如

Tom is no taller than Mike. =Neither Tom nor Mike is tall. =Tom is as short as Mike.汤姆和迈克都不高(或一样矮)。

比较：“not+比较级前+than”表示前者不如后者。

Tom is not taller than Mike.汤姆不比迈克高。