year S1 W1 / jɪə, jɜ $ jɪr / 名词 [可数名词]
1 12 months a period of about 365 days or 12 months, measured from any particular time :
I arrived here two years ago.
We’ve known each other for over a year.
It’s almost a year since Sue died.
Jodi is 15 years old.
a three-year business plan
a four-year-old child
be 12/21 etc years of age (= be 12/21 etc years old ) → financial year , fiscal year , light year , tax year
2 january to december ( also calendar year ) a period of 365 or 366 days divided into 12 months beginning on January 1st and ending on December 31st :
the year that Kennedy died
in the year 1785
this/last/next year
They moved here at the beginning of this year.
last year’s cup final
She goes there every year.
The museum attracts 100,000 visitors a year.
in the early years of last century → leap year , new year
3 years
a) informal a very long period of time 同义词 ages :
It’s years since I rode a bike.
in/for years
I haven’t been there for years.
It was the first time in years I’d seen her.
b) age, especially old age
a man/woman/person etc of his/her etc years
Gordon is very active for a man of his years.
getting on in years (= no longer young )
4 all (the) year round during the whole year :
It’s warm enough to swim all year round. → year-round
5 year by year as each year passes :
Business has steadily increased year by year.
6 year after year/year in, year out every year for many years :
Many birds return to the same spot year after year.
7 period of life/history years [复数形式] a particular period of time in someone’s life or in history :
the difficult years following the war
Sheila enjoyed her years as a student in Oxford.
8 the school/academic year the time within a period of 12 months when students are studying at a school or university
9 school/university level especially British English a particular level that a student stays at for one year :
a group of year seven students
in a year
He was in my year at school.
10 first/second etc year British English someone who is in their first etc year at school or university :
The department offers a study skills programme for all first years.
11 musician/player/car etc of the year the musician etc who was voted the best in a particular year
vote/name something … of the year
The new Renault was voted car of the year.
12 year on year compared with the previous year :
Sales rose by 39 per cent year on year.
13 never/not in a million years spoken used to say that something is extremely unlikely :
Never in a million years did I think we’d lose.
14 the year dot British English informal a very long time ago :
Scientists have been involved in war since the year dot .
15 put years on somebody/take years off somebody to make someone look or feel older or younger :
Tina’s divorce has put years on her.
→ donkey’s years at donkey ( 2 )
COLLOCATIONS
形容词
this year She will be eight this year.
next year I might go to law school next year.
last year Last year we spent a lot on the house.
every year They go back to the same resort every year.
the current year The budget for the current year was £13 million.
the coming year (= the year that is about to start ) Here are some events to look out for in the coming year.
the past year Over the past year everyone has worked extremely hard.
the previous year They had married the previous year.
the following year The following year he was made captain of the team.
the new year (= used to talk about the beginning of the next year ) The report is due at the beginning of the new year.
短语
the beginning/start of the year They moved here at the beginning of last year.
the end of the year Work should finish around the end of the year.
COLLOCATIONS
ADJECTIVES/NOUN + years
early years Little is known about his early years. | He remembers the early years of television.
the last/latter/closing years of something He changed his opinion during the last years of his life.
somebody’s childhood/teenage years the home in which she spent her childhood years
the war years She worked for the BBC during the war years.
the boom years (= when an economy or industry is very successful ) In the boom years, things weren’t too bad.
somebody’s retirement years He enjoyed his retirement years in Wales.
the Bush/Blair etc years (= when Bush, Blair etc was leader ) The rich did very nicely during the Thatcher years.
短语
in recent years The number of cases has risen dramatically in recent years.
in later years In later years he regretted their argument.
in years gone by (= in the past ) The old fort defended the island in years gone by.
COMMON ERRORS
► Do not say ‘in ancient years’ or ‘in the ancient years’ . Say in ancient times or long ago .