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VERB
說話;講話
When you speak, you use your voice in order to say something.
例句
He tried to speak, but for once, his voice had left him...
他想說話，卻一時語塞。
He speaks with a lisp...
他說話口齒不清。
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VERB
發言；演說
When someone speaks to a group of people, they make a speech.
例句
When speaking to the seminar Mr Franklin spoke of his experience, gained on a recent visit to Trinidad...
在研討會上發言的時候，富蘭克林先生談到了他最近游覽特立尼達的經歷。
He's determined to speak at the Democratic Convention...
他決定在民主黨全國代表大會上發言。
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VERB
代表…講話;充當…的代言人
If you speak for a group of people, you make their views and demands known, or represent them.
例句
He said it was the job of the Church to speak for the underprivileged...
他說，為貧困群體說話是教會的義務。
I speak for all 7,000 members of our organization...
我代表本組織的 7,000 名成員發言。
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VERB
(會)講，說(外語)
If you speak a foreign language, you know the language and are able to have a conversation in it.
例句
He doesn't speak English...
他不會講英語。
Many of them can speak two or three or more languages.
他們當中許多人都會說兩三門語言，有的人甚至更多。
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VERB
(在文中)談起，提到
People sometimes mention something that has been written by saying what the author speaks of .
例句
In the book she speaks of his “social ineptitude” and says he verbally abused her...
她在書中提到他“缺乏社交技能”，并且說他曾經對她出言不遜。
St Paul speaks of the body as the 'temple of the Holy Spirit'.
圣保羅把身體描述為“圣神的宮殿”。
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V-RECIP
(吵架之后)不說話，不搭理
If two people are not speaking, they no longer talk to each other because they have quarrelled.
例句
He is not speaking to his mother because of her friendship with his ex-wife...
因為母親和前妻仍舊保持著友好的關系，他便不再和母親說話。
The co-stars are still not speaking.
兩位聯袂主演的明星仍然互不理睬。
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VERB
表明;顯示
If you say that something speaks to you of a quality, experience, or feeling, you mean that it is evidence of it or expresses it.
例句
His behaviour spoke of an early maturity...
他的舉止流露出早熟的痕跡。
The length of the car and the high polish of its fittings both spoke of money...
長車身和高檔配置無不象征著財富。
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VERB
不言而喻
If you say that something speaks for itself, you mean that its meaning or quality is so obvious that it does not need explaining or pointing out.
例句
...the figures speak for themselves — low order books, bleak prospects at home and a worsening outlook for exports...
這些數字本身就說明了問題——訂單訂購量低，國內銷售前景慘淡，出口形勢日趨惡化。
The results speak for themselves.
結局不言自明。
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CONVENTION
你說的只是你的看法;這只是你的高見
If you say 'Speak for yourself' when someone has said something, you mean that what they have said is only their opinion or applies only to them.
例句
'We're not blaming you,' Kate said. 'Speak for yourself,' Boris muttered.
“我們沒有怪你，”凱特說。“也就是你這么想，”鮑里斯嘟囔道。
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PHRASE
已被預訂;早已訂購;已經許給別人
If a person or thing is spoken for or has been spoken for, someone has claimed them or asked for them, so no-one else can have them.
例句
She'd probably drop some comment about her 'fiancé' into the conversation so that he'd think she was already spoken for...
她可能會在談話的時候不著痕跡地對她的“未婚夫”作些評論，這樣他便會認為她已經名花有主了。
By December last year most of the resources had been spoken for.
去年 12 月之前，絕大多數的資源就被預訂了。
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PHRASE
行動勝于言語
If you say that actions speak louder than words, you mean that people's actions show their real attitudes, rather than what they say. This expression is sometimes used to advise a person to do something positive.
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PHRASE
（沒什么）值得一提
Nothing to speak of means 'hardly anything' or 'only unimportant things'.
例句
They have no weaponry to speak of...
他們沒有什么武器值得炫耀。
'Any fresh developments?' — 'Nothing to speak of.'
“有什么新進展了嗎？”——“談不上什么新進展。”
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PHRASE
更不用說
You can use not to speak of when adding something which your previous statement also applies to, or applies to even more than other things.
例句
This move caused consternation among universities and the government, not to speak of the students affected.
這個舉措在大學和政府里造成了恐慌，更不用說受到影響的學生們了。
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PHRASE
說…的好話/壞話；稱贊/批評
If you speak well of someone or speak highly of someone, you say good things about them. If you speak ill of someone, you criticize them.
例句
Both spoke highly of the Russian president...
雙方均盛贊俄羅斯總統。
It seemed she found it difficult to speak ill of anyone.
她似乎覺得說別人的壞話很難。
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PHRASE
可以說;可謂
You use so to speak to draw attention to the fact that you are describing or referring to something in a way that may be amusing or unusual rather than completely accurate.
例句
I ought not to tell you but I will, since you're in the family, so to speak...
我本來不該告訴你的，但我還是要這么做，因為好歹你是家里的一員。
The five countries have now all passed, so to speak, their entry test.
可以說，這5個國家現在都已經通過了入門考試。
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PHRASE
見面交談的；相識的
If you are on speaking terms with someone, you are quite friendly with them and often talk to them.
例句
For a long time her mother and her grandmother had hardly been on speaking terms.
很久以來，她的母親和外婆兩人之間幾乎不怎么說話。