Limit restrict confine retrain refrain constrain 的区别
limit
多指时间、空间、数量方面的。名词limit 后接介词on。
1) There is pressure on the British Government to limit the number of immigrants permitted to settle in the U. K.
（有压力要求英国允许在英国定居的移民人数。）
2) Some bankers want legislation to be passed to limit the growth of foreign banks in the
state of California.
（一些银行家希望能通过立法来外资银行在加利福尼亚发展。）
3) China has also imposes strict limits on exports to restrain domestic prices.
（为抑制国内价格，中国对出口商品也实施严格的。）
restrict
指行为、活动、事物的范围，其名词是restriction，后接介词on
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1) The fat woman, who wants to get slim, has to restrict herself to two meals a day.
（这肥胖女子想要减肥，她不得不自己一天吃两顿饭。）
2) By 1990, many municipalities had begun to restrict the use of automobiles in order to
ensure pedestrian safely.
（到1990年,为了确保行人安全许多市政当局已经开始汽车的使用。）
3) His knowledge got narrower and narrowed and restricted to his own specialty.
（他的知识变得越来越窄，只限于自己的专业。）
4) As a general rule, there are currency restrictions on the sums allowed for foreign travel.
（通常,对到国外旅行允许携带的款额有种种。）
5) Lack of machinery and lack of advanced technology are believed to be two major
restrictions on the growth of our company.
（缺乏机械设备和先进技术被认为是我们公司发展的两大。
confine
2
原意是“禁锢”，引申出不可逾越出限定的范围。常用结构是： confine …… to ……。
1) After his wife’s death, he confined himself to his room, listening to sad music all day
long.
（他的妻子死后,他自己关（禁锢）房间里, 整天听着悲伤的音乐。）
2) Would you please confine yourself to the topic under discussion?
（请你把发言在正在讨论话题内。好吗？
restrain
常用于表示克制自己的行为或情绪，也可表示制止他人的行为，但制止方式较为
温和，带劝告性的。常用结构是：restrain …… from ……。名词restraint后接介词on。
1）The manager asks his employees to restrain themselves from playing games on
the web during work time.
经理要求他的员工克制自己，不要在工作的时候在网上玩游戏。
2) The mother tried to restrain her children from making big noise in the public
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places.
这位母亲竭力抑制自己的孩子不在公共场所大声喧闹。
3) The police exercised great restraint by not responding to the insulting
remarks of the protesters.
采取极大克制态度，对示威者的辱骂未作任何反应。
4) Don’t you think it necessary for you to exercise some restraints
/restrictions on your behaviors?
难道你不认为你有必要对自己的行为加以约束吗?
refrain
也可以表示自我克制不做某事，但要注意与 restrain 不同的表达方式： refrain from
restrain …… from ……
1) She refrained from scolding her naughty child until the visitors left.
She restrained herself from scolding her naughty child until the visitors left.
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她忍着直到客人走后才淘气的孩子。
2) He refrained from criticizing her out of regard for her feelings.
He restrained himself from criticizing her out of regard for her feelings.
出于不伤害她的感情，他忍住没有批评她。
constrain
指强制性抑制或制止他人的行为。名词constraint后也接介词 on。
1) He constrained his daughter from going out to date with boys during the
night.
他禁止他的女儿夜晚外词汇与男孩约会。
2) The policemen had difficulty in constraining the crowd from rushing onto
the football pitch.
难以制止人群冲进足球场地。
3) Since the entry into the World Trade Organization, China has been reducing
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constraints on imports.
自从加入世界贸易组织,中国已经降低了进口。
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