SAT TEM8 GRE
外刊例句
- Breakthroughs that yield drugs with a novel mechanism of action remain sporadic.
在创造出具创新作用机制的药物方面只有零星的突破。
——《经济学人》 - Bucher noted that the radiation emitted increases when users are in spots where the signal is poor or sporadic and the phone has to work harder to connect.
布赫指出，当用户在信号不好或时有时无的地方时，手机不得不更加努力地连接，导致释放的辐射增加。
——《纽约时报》
基本释义
[adjective] occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated
[形容词] 以不规则的间隔或仅在少数地方发生；分散的或孤立的
深入解读
Sporadic 一词源自希腊语 spora （种子、播种），与英语单词 spore （孢子）同源。
自然条件下植物的种子随风传播（如蒲公英）或附着经过的动物传播（如苍耳），其生长出来的后代必然东零西落、四处分散。所以 sporadic 其本义即指“（植物等）分散的、非集中于一处的”，比如：
- 分散在各地的种种植物
sporadic genera of plants
当用在医学领域时，则表示“（疾病）偶发的、非流行性的”，比如：
- 一种偶发病
a sporadic disease
说到这里，不妨复习一下小站曾在 小词详解 | pandemic 中提到的3个有关流行病的术语：
- pandemic
全国性或全球性的大流行病 - epidemic
流行病 - endemic
地方性流行病
Sporadic 从上述含义再进一步引申用语形容普通事物时，则表示“（事例等）孤立的、个别的”或“偶尔发生的、零星的、间或出现的、阵发性的”，比如：
- 仍能听见零星的枪声。
The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard. - 候选人的演说为零零落落的掌声所打断。
The candidate’s speech was interrupted by sporadic applause.
名人用例
Small things done consistently, though undramatic, yield more than the large and sporadic.
始终如一坚持做的小事，即使平淡无奇，也会比零星做的大事收获更多。
出自美国作家史蒂芬·曼斯菲尔德（Stephen Mansfield，1958年生）。曼斯菲尔德主要著述历史、现代文化、宗教和男性问题，其《活出使命》（The Faith of George W. Bush）一书曾登上《纽约时报》畅销书排行榜。
深度学习
sporadic (spor AD ik) This adjective meaning “occurring irregularly” comes from the Greek word for “scattered like seed” (if you know plants, think of “spores”).
- Mark’s visits, though sporadic, were always welcome to his friends. “We’d rather have a little of him than a lot of someone else,” they said generously.
- The teacher puzzled over Yvonne’s end-of-term grade; when she was present she was brilliant, but her attendance had been highly sporadic.
——摘自《Fiske WordPower: The Most Effective System for Building a Vocabulary That Gets Results Fast》
机器翻译，仅供参考
零星的（spor AD ik）这个形容词的意思是“不规则地发生”，来自希腊语中“像种子一样分散”的意思（如果你知道植物，可以想到“孢子”）。
- 马克的来访虽然是偶尔的，但他的朋友们总是欢迎他的。“我们宁愿有一点他，也不愿有很多其他人，”他们慷慨地说
- 老师对伊冯的期末成绩感到困惑；当她在场的时候，她表现得很出色，但出席的次数很少
常见短语
“sporadic” 是一个英语词汇，通常用来表示零星的、断断续续的或不规律的。以下是与这个词相关的 50 个短语，附带中文解释：
- sporadic outbreaks – 零星的爆发
- sporadic incidents – 零星的事件
- sporadic cases – 零星的案例
- sporadic infections – 零星的感染
- sporadic occurrences – 零星的发生
- sporadic storms – 零星的风暴
- sporadic rainfall – 零星的降雨
- sporadic snowfall – 零星的降雪
- sporadic showers – 零星的阵雨
- sporadic heatwaves – 零星的热浪
- sporadic wildfires – 零星的山火
- sporadic earthquakes – 零星的地震
- sporadic tremors – 零星的震动
- sporadic eruptions – 零星的喷发
- sporadic power outages – 零星的停电
- sporadic communication – 零星的通信
- sporadic internet connectivity – 零星的互联网连接
- sporadic phone signal – 零星的手机信号
- sporadic traffic congestion – 零星的交通拥堵
- sporadic airline delays – 零星的航班延误
- sporadic public transport – 零星的公共交通
- sporadic service disruptions – 零星的服务中断
- sporadic supply shortages – 零星的供应短缺
- sporadic food shortages – 零星的食品短缺
- sporadic gas prices – 零星的天然气价格
- sporadic currency fluctuations – 零星的货币波动
- sporadic economic growth – 零星的经济增长
- sporadic job opportunities – 零星的工作机会
- sporadic educational resources – 零星的教育资源
- sporadic healthcare access – 零星的医疗资源
- sporadic cultural events – 零星的文化活动
- sporadic entertainment options – 零星的娱乐选择
- sporadic social interactions – 零星的社交互动
- sporadic family gatherings – 零星的家庭聚会
- sporadic work schedules – 零星的工作时间表
- sporadic gym visits – 零星的健身房访问
- sporadic hobby pursuits – 零星的兴趣追求
- sporadic vacation plans – 零星的度假计划
- sporadic leisure activities – 零星的休闲活动
- sporadic outdoor adventures – 零星的户外冒险
- sporadic cultural experiences – 零星的文化体验
- sporadic artistic exhibitions – 零星的艺术展览
- sporadic music concerts – 零星的音乐会
- sporadic theater performances – 零星的戏剧表演
- sporadic film screenings – 零星的电影放映
- sporadic literary events – 零星的文学活动
- sporadic fashion shows – 零星的时装秀
- sporadic culinary festivals – 零星的美食节
- sporadic community gatherings – 零星的社区聚会
- sporadic celebrations – 零星的庆祝活动
同近义词
- occasional: occurring, appearing, or done infrequently and irregularly
- intermittent: occurring at irregular intervals; not continuous or steady
- spasmodic: occurring or done in brief, irregular bursts
