几个重要含形容词最高级短语用法
at first 起初
at last 最后，终于
I didn't like the job much at first.
起初我并不很喜欢这个工作。
At first the place was strange to me.
起先我对这个地方不熟悉。
He didn't like the plan at first, but we managed to bring him round.
他起初并不喜欢这个计划，但我们最终使他回心转意了。
At last, after twenty hours on the boat, they arrived at their destination.
乘船二十小时之后，他们终于到达了目的地。
At last we came in sight of a few houses.
最后，我们看到了几座房屋。
At last the plane righted itself and flew on.
最后，飞机终于恢复了平稳，继续飞行。
At last they were able to feel secure about the future.
他们终于觉得不必为将来而担忧了。
At last we could relax and talk without constraint.
我们终于可以放松下来，无拘无束地谈话了。
at （the）latest 最迟
at （the）most 最多不过；至多
Applications should be in by next Monday at the latest.
最迟须于下星期一递交申请书。
She should be back by ten o'clock at the latest.
她最晚应该在10点前回来。
We are to finish with the experiment in two months at the most.
我们至多用两个月就能完成这项实验。
We'll be there in three days, at the most.
最多三天我们就会到那里。
at least 至少
at best 充其量不过，顶多；最好也不过
It takes at least an hour to get home from work.
下班回家至少得花一个小时。
They won't arrive for at least two hours yet.
他们至少要过两个小时才能到。
Almost all homes have at least one TV set.
差不多每家都至少有一台电视机。
Most households now own at least one car.
大多数家庭现在至少有一辆汽车。
She did at least write to say thank you.
她至少还写了信道谢。
At least give him the opportunity of explaining what happened.
至少要给他机会解释一下发生了什么事。
At least give him credit for trying.
至少该表扬他尝试过。
We need at least 24 hours' notice of cancellation.
如欲取消，请至少提前24小时告知。
The script was workmanlike at best.
这个剧本充其量就是匠人之作。
Their response to the proposal was, at best, cool.
他们对提议的反应充其量只能说是漠然置之。
We can't arrive before Friday at best.
我们无论如何星期五之前也到不了。
At best Nella would be an invalid; at worst she would die.
内拉往好里说会落下残疾，往坏处说可能会生命不保。
We can only finish half of it this afternoon at best.
今天下午我们充其量只能完成一半。
at one’s best 全盛时期
at （the）worst 最坏也不过
This was Henman at his best.
这是亨曼的最佳表现。
If Bob is at his best, we'll be able to win the most difficult game of our run-in.
只要鲍勃处于最佳状态，我们就能拿下最艰难的一场预赛。
Miss Blockey was at her best when she played the piano.
布洛基小姐弹钢琴的时候发挥了她的最好水平。
Kathryn was no beauty at the best of times.
凯瑟琳即使是在她正当韶华时也绝非美女。
At the worst he would be there by the following night.
最不济他会在第二天晚上之前到那儿。
At best Nella would be an invalid; at worst she would die.
内拉往好里说会落下残疾，往坏处说可能会生命不保。
at （the）longest 最久不过，最多不过
do/try one’s best 尽力
It will take an hour at the longest.
这事最多花一小时。
He can wait two days at longest.
他最多能等两天。
I will endeavour to do my best for my country.
我将竭尽全力报效祖国。
I'll do my best to find out.
我会尽力查明真相。
I tried my best to soothe his anger.
我尽力劝慰他不要生气。
We are doing our best with the limited resources available.
我们利用可获得的有限资源，尽最大的努力。
Win or lose, we'll know we've done our best.
无论胜负，我们都知道自己已尽了最大努力。
Whether or not we're successful, we can be sure that we did our best.
不管成功与否，我们确已尽了最大努力。
We must do our best to raise people's living standards.
我们要尽全力提高人民的生活水平。
We'll do our best to catch up with the advanced world levels.
我们将努力赶上世界先进水平。
You can rest assured that we will do our best.
你放心吧，我们会尽力而为的。
She tried her best to solve the problem.
她尽了最大的努力解决这个问题。
She did her best to appear more self-assured than she felt.
她竭力让自己表现得比实际更自信。
She did her best to disarm her critics.
她竭尽所能让批评她的那些人消气。
She has done her best to keep calm but finds herself trembling with tension and indecision.
她尽力保持镇定，可还是由于紧张、犹豫不决而抖个不停。
Hey, cut him some slack! He's doing his best!
嗨，别对他那么吹毛求疵！他已经尽全力了！
He did his best to remain calm, but there was a distinct edge to his voice.
尽管他竭力保持镇静，话音里仍明显带有怒气。
John was doing his best to give Francis the news in a matter-of-fact way.
约翰尽量不露声色地把消息告诉弗朗西斯。
He did his best this week to stonewall questions and to block even the most modest proposals.
他这周竭力避免作出明确答复，甚至连一些最温和的建议都企图阻拦。
Sumner would greet us with frowns and grimaces, doing his best to express wordless disapproval.
萨姆纳会冲我们皱眉，做苦脸，竭力表示他无言的反对。
Everyone does his best.
各尽其力。
Don't worry about the exam ─ just do your best.
别担心考试——尽你的最大努力吧。
If you do your best, you will succeed.
假如你尽力做，你就会成功。
They're trying their best to bring together those separated families.
他们正尽最大的努力让离散的家人重聚。
His faith that men such as the Reverend John Leale tried to do their best is unshaken.
他始终深信约翰·莱亚莱神父等人已经尽了全力了。
The manager is expected to use his or her best endeavours to
promote the artist's career.
经纪人应以最大的努力来推动其演艺人的事业发展。
first of all 首先
for the most part 多半，大部分，通常
First of all we must identify the problem areas.
首先我们必须找出问题所在。
My aim was first of all to determine what I should do next.
我的目标首先是要确定自己下一步该做什么。
First of all, answer these questions.
首先，回答这些问题。
First of all, could I begin with an apology for a mistake I made last week?
首先，请允许我为上周犯下的错误道歉。
First of all we should make primary education universal.
首先我们应普及初等教育。
First of all, there are not many of them, and secondly, they have little money and, thirdly, they have few big businesses.
首先，他们人数不多；第二，他们钱很少；第三，他们没有几家大企业。
The contributors are, for the most part, professional scientists.
投稿者大多是专业科学家。
These small parcels of land were purchased for the most part by local people.
这些小块土地大多数是当地人买下的。
The students are, for the most part, from the villages.
这些学生一大半来自农村。
For the most part, consumers control what happens to a product.
产品的命运多半由消费者掌控。
For the most part the Germans kept out of local disputes
德国人通常不卷入地区冲突。
For the most part he left the books to his managers and accountants
他通常都把账册交给经理和会计们处理。
get/have the best of 击败，获胜；胜过；占上风
last but not least 最后但并不是最不重要的；最后但同样重要的是
I thought you had the best of that discussion. 我以为你在那场讨论中占了上风。
Their emotions have gotten the best of them.
他们的情绪已经占了上风。
I feel that I get the best of both worlds.
我认为我在两个世界中都占了上风。
Last but not least, I'd like to thank all the catering staff.
最后但同样重要的是，我要感谢所有的餐饮工作人员。
Right, I’ve got my money, my sunglasses and, last but not least, my lipstick.
好吧，我带了钱、墨镜、最后也是同样重要的，口红。
Last but not least, we need to help people link freely.
最后也是同样重要的, 我们要让每个人可以自由连结。
Last but not least,we must thank our host for his hospitality.
最后也是同样重要的一点是，我们得感谢主人的热情好客。
Last but not least, I want to be able to spend more time with family and friends.
最后但并非最不重要一点是，我希望能够花更多的时间陪伴家人和朋友。
make the most/best of 充分利用 not in the least 丝毫也不
It's my first trip abroad so I'm going to make the most of it.
这是我第一次出国，我要充分利用这个机会。
Making the most of your hair means getting the cut and shape right.
让头发达到最佳效果意味着要修剪得当，并选择合适的发型。
When fortune smiled on him, he made the most of it.
当好运来临时，他充分把握住了。
We duelled for two years and Peterson made the most of it, playing us off against each other.
我们争斗了两年，彼得森充分利用这点挑拨我俩对阵。
His advice, offered to her unasked, was to stay home and make the best of things.
他主动给她提出的建议是呆在家里尽量做些事。
Really, I'm not in the least tired.
说真的，我一点也不累。
We were not in the least worried about the possibility that sweets could rot the teeth.
我们以前完全不担心吃糖果有可能会蛀牙。
I'm not in the least bit touched by the Marilyn Monroe kind of beauty.
我对玛丽莲·梦露那种美一点儿都不动心。
We feel quite free and easy with him, not in the least constrained.
跟他在一起很随便，一点儿也不拘束。
Not in the least is he interested in English literature.
他对英国文学一点都不感兴趣。
