试试让 ChatGPT 帮你用英文学英文？

本文灵感来自 https://www.v2ex.com/t/917092 首先，我反对我在那个帖子中看到的两种英语学习方法：只“啃”一本教材和只用英译汉

各位可以试试让 ChatGPT 把困难的句子、段落用更简单的（英文）语言改写，或者让 ChatGPT 用更简单的语言解释短语和单词。

如果你能写一些英文句子，强烈建议与 ChatGPT 保持纯英文对话。

下面是我和 ChatGPT 沟通的一个例子，用到了上面帖子中的一段语料。

首先向 ChatGPT 交代工作任务：

我：I'm an intermediate level English learner. I'm about to show you some difficult sentences. Please help me by rewritting them with simpler language.

GPT：Sure, I'd be happy to help you! Please show me the difficult sentences and I'll do my best to rewrite them in simpler language.

现在就可以把我读不懂的句子喂给 ChatGPT 了。

我：It's a cheery turn of events for an index that some investors and analysts have long derided as a "dinosaur" heading towards extinction, burdened by the old-economy stocks — big finance and commodities companies — that make up the bulk of its value.

GPT：This sentence means that something good has happened to an index that some investors and analysts thought was outdated and going to disappear. This is because the index was made up mostly of old-fashioned companies like big banks and commodity companies, which weren't seen as very valuable.

Simpler version: Good news has come to an index that many people thought was outdated and going away because it had a lot of old-fashioned companies in it that weren't very valuable.

我觉得 ChatGPT 的“英翻英”效果不错，不知道各位是否满意。

接下来试试它能否讲解原文中不太好理解的短语：

我：What's the meaning of "cheery turn" in the sentence I give you?

GPT：In the sentence you provided, "cheery turn" means that the situation or circumstances for the index have improved and become more positive. "Cheery" is another way of saying "happy" or "pleasant," and "turn" means a change or shift in direction. So, "cheery turn of events" in this context means a positive change or shift in circumstances for the index.

我：What's the meaning of "burdened" in the sentence I give you?

GPT：In the sentence you provided, "burdened" means that the index is weighed down or held back by the old-economy stocks it contains, specifically the big finance and commodities companies that make up the majority of its value. These companies are considered to be part of the "old economy" because they are traditional, established, and not as innovative or fast-growing as newer companies in other sectors. So, "burdened" in this context means that the index is held back or limited by the presence of these older, less dynamic companies.

很多人在用英文学习英文时经常碰到这种困境：本来只是想查一个生词，释义中却还有我不懂的词，现在我有好几个生词了！让我们看看 ChatGPT 能不能解决这个问题。下面我假装我连 weighed down or held back 都看不懂。

我：Can you explain that with even simplier language? I've not yet learnt "held back" and "weighed down" from my ESL class.

GPT：Sure, I'd be happy to help!

In the sentence you provided, "burdened" means that the index is weighed down or slowed down by the old-fashioned companies that it contains. This is because these companies are not as modern or innovative as other companies, and they might not be growing as quickly.

Think of it like carrying a really heavy backpack. The index is like a person carrying a backpack full of heavy old-fashioned companies. The backpack is the "burden" that slows the person down or makes it harder for them to move quickly. Similarly, the old-fashioned companies are the "burden" that slows down the index or makes it less dynamic.

只能说 ChatGPT 和别的资源真的很不一样。不仅用非常直白的语言解释了词汇本身，还能用同样简单的语言解释词汇在原文中的作用。欢迎大家用更多语料反复测试 ChatGPT ，这可能真的要成为一个随时在线而且还低至 0 元的外语私教了。