140.四个“记号”。sign,mark,signal,symbol
(1)sign:迹象;符号;记号。指人们公认事物的记号、标志,也可指某种情况的迹象。如:
You mustn't smoke in the room with a“No Smoking”sign.
你切勿在有“请勿吸烟”标志的房间里吸烟。
The rain showed no sign of stopping.
雨一点儿也没有要停的迹象。
(2)mark:标志;符号。既可指方便于辨认而有意做的标记,又可指自然形成的标记或有别于其他事物的特征。如:
He made some marks in the article where necessary.
他在文中必要的地方做了一些记号。
Good manners are the mark of a gentleman.(https://www.daowen.com)
彬彬有礼是绅士的特征。
(3)signal:信号;暗号。指为某一目的而有意发出的信号、暗号。如:
When they found the ship was sinking,they immediately sent out the emergency signal SOS.
当他们发现船正在下沉的时候,他们立刻发出了SOS紧急求救信号。
(4)symbol:象征;符号;标志。指有象征意义的或表达某种深邃含义的特殊事物。如:
A dove is often used as a symbol of peace.
鸽子常被作为和平的象征。