… few of us has ever stopped to think about…很少有人去考虑……
be concerned about… 对…….很关注，担忧
have a hard time doing sth. 很难实现或完成某事
be at odds with sth. 与……不符，与……冲突
be threatened with… 受到……的威胁
abide by/ comply with/ conform to 遵守(法律、规定等)
… very little, if any, … 只有很少，如果有的话
be overly dependant/ reliant on… 对某事过度依赖的
be hard-pressed to… = find it difficult to… be in short supply 供应短缺
widen the gap between… and… 加大两者之间的差距
in part because…/ partly because… 部分因为……
frown on… 对……皱眉头，反对
If… , … will ensue 如果……，某种结果将跟随而来
… over at high levels ……居高不下
be inundated with sth./ be saturated with sth.充斥着……(一般加负面的东西)
be subject to… 经受、遭受……
A can be attributed/ ascribed to B A可以归因于B(多用于负面)
be susceptible to… 容易受到来自……的影响
distract sb. from… 分散某人的注意力
at the expense of… 以……为代价
run contrary to 与……背道而驰
erode the culture identity/ national pride侵蚀文化特性/ 民族自豪感
It's wrong to equate… with… 把……等同于……是错误的
be confronted with sth. 面对挑战、危机、困难等
copy sth. mechanically 机械地抄袭
… is not a panacea for… 某种方案并不是解决某个问题的万能药
be addicted to sth./ be preoccupied with sth. 对负面事物上瘾
be absorbed in…/ be engrossed in…对……(并不一定是负面事物)上瘾
drive up the crime rate 导致犯罪率上升