詞彙精選：calamity的用法和辨析

一、詳細釋義：

n.

災禍，災難，禍患，不幸事件

例句：

Calamity is man's true touch stone.

災難是吾人真正的試金石。

例句：

They have found comfort under calamity, and refuge and hope in affliction.

他們在不幸中找到了安慰，在苦難中找到了庇護和希望。

二、詞義辨析：

disaster,calamity,catastrophe,misfortune

這些名詞均表示“災難”或“不幸”之意。disaster普通用詞，指大破壞、痛苦或傷亡。calamity多指個人的不幸，比disaster嚴重，強調災難引起的悲痛以及對於損失的感覺。catastrophe語氣最強，指可怕的災難，強調最終的結局。misfortune普通用詞，多批較爲嚴重的不幸，強調不幸多由外界因素所致。

三、參考例句：

Calamity is man's true touch stone.

災難是吾人真正的試金石。

An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.

樂觀者在每一場災難中都看到希望，悲觀者在每個希望中都看到災難。

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a crushing calamity.

偷襲珍珠港（對美軍來說）是一場毀滅性的災難。

Even a greater natural calamity cannot daunt us.

再大的自然災害也壓不垮我們。

They have found comfort under calamity, and refuge and hope in affliction.

他們在不幸中找到了安慰，在苦難中找到了庇護和希望。

Calamity is the perfect glass wherein we truly see and know ourselves.

災難是一面最好的鏡子，從中可以真正照見自己和認識自我。（William D'Avenant/達萬南特）

But even if the odds of calamity are small, why gamble?

雖然造成災難的可能性很小，可是爲什麼要去冒險呢？

The earthquake was the worst calamity in the country's history.

這次地震是這個國家有史以來最嚴重的災難。

For every 0.1 degree the earth's temperature rises, it's a calamity for the human race.

全球氣溫每升高零點一度，對人類來說都是災難。

I prayed to the Lord to mitigate a calamity which seemed to me past the capacity of man to remedy.

我向上帝祈禱，祈求他減輕這場人力所不能補救的災難。