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《朗文當(dāng)代高級英語詞典》(LONGMAN DICTIONARY OF CONTEMPORARY ENGLISH)對area的前兩項釋義分別為：1) a particular part of a country, town etc 地區(qū)；區(qū)域；2) a part of a house, office, garden etc that is used for a particular purpose 場所，地方。
該詞典舉例如下：
1) Many areas of Africa have suffered severe drought this year. 今年，非洲的許多地方都遭遇了嚴重的旱災(zāi)。
2) The police have searched the farm and the surrounding area. 警察已搜遍了農(nóng)場及其附近地區(qū)。
《柯林斯 COBUILD英語詞典》(Collins COBUILD English Dictionary)對area的解釋是：An area is a particular part of a town, a country, a region, or the world; A particular area is a piece of land or part of a building that is used for a particular activity。
舉例如下：Sixty years ago half the French population still lived in rural areas.
由上述詞義、解釋及例子可以看出，area所指的地區(qū)范圍可大可小，大到可以是地球上的大面積的區(qū)域范圍，小到城市甚至是某一建筑物的一部分，它強調(diào)面積上的覆蓋，是籠統(tǒng)的、沒有嚴格區(qū)分條件或沒有固定劃分的區(qū)域。它不像zone，region，district有政府介入規(guī)劃或劃分，而只是泛指占有一定面積的地方或空間。換言之，area是一個與行政區(qū)劃概念沒有任何聯(lián)系的單詞，這是其最根本的一個概念意義，譯者只要牢記這一點，翻譯的時候就不至于造成誤譯。
請看下面的例句：
Within urban areas there were vast "grey area" which could not be classified as slums, but were in need of rebuilding.
在市區(qū)有大片“灰色地區(qū)”：這塊地區(qū)不能算作貧民窟，但需重建。
在了解了上述特點之后，我們在翻譯以下帶有“區(qū)”的詞語的時候就可以做到有的放矢。比如：
海嘯災(zāi)區(qū) tsunami-hit areas
非典疫區(qū) SARS-affected area
受災(zāi)地區(qū) disaster-affected area
洪水災(zāi)區(qū) the flood-affected area
革命老區(qū) old revolutionary base areas
邊遠地區(qū) remote and border areas
邊遠貧困地區(qū) outlying poverty-stricken areas
老少邊窮地區(qū) former revolutionary base areas, areas inhabited by ethnic groups, remote and border areas and poverty-stricken areas
欠發(fā)達地區(qū) less developed areas
特困地區(qū) destitute areas
中西部地區(qū) central and western areas of the country
近海地區(qū) offshore area
（來源：中國英語網(wǎng)）
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