昨天课上给同学们放了一段儿听力让大家翻译~"A colleague sitting behind me trying to suppress smiles when the boss's wig fell to the floor." 不知是原音说得太快还是怎么着，居然有五个同学都听成了"当老板的假发掉到地上时，坐在我身后的同事惊讶地笑了起来。"

其实，这几位同学的错误就在于把“suppress”听成了“surprise”，虽然二者的发音的确挺像，suppress [sə'pres] / surprise [sər'praɪz]。但意思可是差得十成八千里了。suppress 是“忍住、抑制、隐瞒、压制”的意思，在日常口语中应用的地方还是很多的，像抑制住内心的愤怒、气恼、喜悦、笑容等都用得上这个词。所以，上面那句话的正确含义是: "当老板的假发掉到地上时，坐在我身后的同事拼命忍住笑。"

suppress [sə'pres]

v. 抑制；压制；阻止；控制; 隐瞒；禁止；（用*力武**）*压镇**，制止；忍住，压抑；查禁

【En】To prevent something from being seen or expressed or from operating. 阻止某物被看见、表达或运作。To stop people from opposing the government, especially by using force. 阻止人们反对政府，尤其是指使用*力武**。If important information or opinions are suppressed, people are prevented from knowing about them, even if they have a right to know. 如果重要的信息或观点被压制，人们就不能知道它们，即使他们有权利知道。To stop yourself from showing your feelings. 阻止自己表达自己的感情。 To prevent something from growing or developing, or from working effectively. 阻止某物生长、发展或有效地工作。If you suppress your feelings or reactions, you do not express them, even though you might want to. 如果你压抑你的感觉或反应，你不会表达它们，即使你可能想表达。

好啦，还是先来听几个例句，大家好好分辨一下suppress和surprise在读音上的区别吧！

1-Harry could scarcely suppress a smile.

哈利几乎忍不住要笑了。

2-suppressed anger

被压抑的怒火

3-At no time did they try to persuade me to suppress the information.

他们从未试图说服我隐瞒这个消息。

4-Maritime security patrols protect busy trade routes and suppress illegal activity.

海上安全巡逻保护繁忙的贸易路线，打击非法活动。

5-...nationwide demonstrations for democracy, suppressed after 7 weeks by the army.

…全国范围的民主*威示**，在7周后被*队军***压镇**。

6-Many were imprisoned after the violent suppression of pro-democracy protests.

许多人在*力暴***压镇**民主抗议活动后被监禁。

7-The virus suppresses the body's immune system.

这种病毒会抑制人体的免疫系统。

8-The uprising was ruthlessly suppressed.

起义被无情地*压镇**了。

9-The police were accused of suppressing evidence.

警方被指控隐瞒证据。

10-...evidence that ultraviolet light can suppress human immune responses.

…有证据表明紫外线可以抑制人体免疫反应。

11-Liz thought of Barry and suppressed a smile.

利兹想起巴里，强忍着不笑出来。

12-The Professor said that deep sleep allowed suppressed anxieties to surface.

教授说，深度睡眠可以让压抑的焦虑浮出水面。

13-The inspectors found no evidence of suppression of official documents.

视察专员没有发现隐瞒官方文件的证据。

14-Technology helps to suppress inflation by boosting efficiency and lowering costs.

技术通过提高效率和降低成本来抑制通货膨胀。

15-Lawyers said today's ruling would suppress innovation of new products.

律师们表示，今天的裁决将抑制新产品的创新。

【活学活用 give an example】

• She couldn't suppress her anger/annoyance/delight.

她无法抑制内心的愤怒／气恼／喜悦。

• I suppressed an urge to laugh.

我抑制住了想笑的冲动。

• His feelings of resentment have been suppressed for years.

他的怨恨之情已经压抑了多年。

• It's not good to suppress your feelings.

压抑自己的感情是不好的。

• Retailers have trouble suppressing their fury.

零售商们难以压制他们的愤怒。

• Any opposition to the regime is ruthlessly suppressed.

任何反对该政权的人都受到残酷*压镇**。

• I was obliged to suppress a smile.

我不得不忍住不笑。

• He looked at me, waiting with suppressed anger.

他看着我，忍着满腔怒火等待着。

• Some evidence had been suppressed by Spira's lawyers.

有些证据被斯皮拉的律师隐瞒了。

• Police were accused of suppressing evidence that might have proved that the men were innocent.

警方被指控隐瞒本可以证明这两名男子是无辜的证据。

• Finally Glen could suppress his anger no longer and he lashed out at his mother.

最后，格伦再也压不住自己的怒火，对母亲大发雷霆。

• The authorities suppressed publication of the journal.

当局禁止出版该杂志。

• The CIA has often tried to suppress reports that are embarrassing to the agency.

中情局经常试图压制那些令其尴尬的报道。

• The players listen, some trying to suppress smiles.

球员们听着，有些人试图忍住发笑。

• The army acted swiftly to suppress the uprising.

*队军**迅速采取行动*压镇**起义。

• The British government tried to suppress the book because of the information it contained about the security services.

因为这本书的内容涉及情报安全部门的信息，所以英国政府试图查禁它。