Prosper是否可用？《朗文当代英语词典》这样解释： if people or businesses prosper, they grow and develop in a successful way, especially by becoming rich or making a large profit

* Businesses across the state are prospering.

看来这个词强调的重点是赚了很多钱，与这里的重点不符，不能用。

对thrift和thrive也可以进行同样的检验。

有时经过检验，还是找不到合适的词，这时可以通过同义词词典 (thesaurus)来寻找更多的选项。比如，如果最初想到的是prosper这个词， 但觉得不妥，便可以查它的同义词。里面提供的同义词包括：flourish, thrive, succeed, fare well, progress, get ahead, grow, develop；profit, gain, become wealthy, grow rich, make one's fortune, make good, Colloq make it, make one's pile.通过这些词可以査到更多同义词，如 thrive的同义词有：succeed, prosper, boom, advance, flourish, grow, bloom, burgeon, develop, wax, increase, fructify, ripen. 从这些词里面一般可以找到所需要的词。

在确定用哪个词时，要注意词典中对这个词的语域（register)标记（即是否正式），比如“挑剔” 一词，你想使用Picky,柯林斯高级英语学习词典 对该词的解释是：

picky /p'iki/ [ ADJ]

Someone who is picky is difficult to please and only likes a small range of things. (INFORMAL)

Some people are very picky about who they choose to share their lives with...=fussy

其中的语域标记是informal,这时就要注意该上下文可否使用。

在选词时，还有必要看这个词的色彩，是褒义，还是贬义。还以 picky 为例，American Heritage Dictionary Online 对它的解释是：Informal Excessively meticulous；fussy，看来有过分挑剔的意思，含有贬义，不合适。

为确定词义或用法，还有必要看这个词的词根。比如“等等”，有人翻译为and etc.，这是错误的。应该去掉and，因为etc。来自et cetera，词源是：from L. et cetera, lit. “and the others,” from “and” + neut. of ceteri "the others. ” The common abbreviation was Sc. before 20c.，but etc. now prevails. 

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