01.15【每日一词】prone

prone adj.

释义：likely to do something or be affected by something, especially something bad

“prone”是个形容词，表示“易于…的” “很可能…的”，也就是说它经常可以用来替换 likely, inclined 等表示“有…可能/倾向”的词，是个在口语和写作中都高频实用的表达。 prone 最常见的用法是 be prone to，后面常接有负向意义的名词或者动词。

例① 日本地形独特，是一个经常遭受地震或台风的国家

Japan is prone to earthquakes and typhoons.（be prone to 后接名词）

或者：

Japan is prone to suffer earthquakes and typhoons. (be prone to 后接动词原形）

例② 许多人在接受测试的时候都很容易紧张不安

Most people are prone to anxiety during a test.

例③《经济学人》中就出现过许多这种用法，比如：

But in China and India, young women have been unusually prone to suicide.

prone 的另一个常见用法是与名词连用构成形容词，表示“易受…影响的”，和 be prone to 可以替换。

例④ 像美式橄榄球、冰球等对抗性运动的球员往往很容易受伤。

American football and ice hockey players are prone to injury.

或者：

American football and ice hockey players are injury-prone.

这样 -prone 的用法可以让表达简洁、灵活，比如上面的第一个例句也可以写成：

Japan is earthquake- and typhoon-prone. (注意这里连字符的用法：earthquake- and typhoon-prone 等于 earthquake-prone and typhoon-prone） 

我们在阅读中要注意收集这样的表达。

1. 使用《牛津英语搭配词典》查“prone”，了解它的常用搭配。

seem prone 好像易于…

leave sb/sth, make sb/sth prone 使…易于…: Sun removes the oil and wax, leaving the leather prone to cracking. 阳光晒掉了皮革上的油和蜡，使皮革容易破裂。

especially, highly, particularly prone 特别易于…

increasingly 越来越倾向于…

rather, slightly 相当易于…；有点倾向于…

notoriously 因易于…而声名狼藉: The M40 through Oxfordshire is notoriously prone to fog. 穿越牛津郡的40 号公路以雾蒙蒙出名。

accident-prone 易出事故的

2. 翻译：超重人群容易患高血压和高血糖。

The overweight are prone to high blood pressure and high blood sugar.

（参考翻译：Overweight people are prone to high blood pressure and high blood sugar. 或 People with excess weight are prone to develop high blood pressure and elevated blood sugar.）

3. 造句练习

场景: 长期过度使用电子产品容易导致视力问题。

造句: The long-term overuse of electronic products is prone to vision problems.