threshold
基本释义
[noun] a strip of wood or stone forming the bottom of a doorway and crossed in entering a house or room
[名词] 门槛
深入解读
对于港剧迷来说，看到 threshold 这个单词，很容易联想起经典 TVB 港剧《创世纪》（At the Threshold of an Era）来，其片头的英文译名中就出现了这个单词。
该词本义比较简单，就是日常生活中随处可见的“门槛”，也可以指“门口”，比如站在门口犹豫不决（stand hesitating on the threshold）、迈过门槛（step across the threshold）。
从越过门槛才能进门这个概念出发， threshold 很自然地就被用来引申指“阈、界、起始点”，主要指发生或表现出某种反应、现象、结果或状况而必须超过的程度或强度，比如：
- 我没办法凭空变出几百万美元。我的收入才刚刚超过征税起点。
I could not conjure up millions of dollars out of thin air. My earnings are just above the tax threshold. - 那个贪吃的人容易感到厌倦，需要时常进行体力活动来刺激一下。
That voracious eater has a low threshold of boredom and needs the constant stimulation of physical activity.
而习语 on the threshold of sth 则相应表示“在……的开始、在……的起点”，常意味着即将进入一个新且重要的时期或发展阶段，比如：
- 这个因监狱状况恶劣而臭名远扬的国家即将爆发内战。
The country notorious for its appalling prison conditions is on the threshold of civil war.
演讲用例
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds.
但是对于等候在正义之宫门口的心急如焚的人们，有些话我是必须说的。在争取合法地位的过程中，我们不要采取错误的做法。
出自美国牧师、社会运动者、人权主义者和非裔美国人民权运动领袖马丁·路德·金（Martin Luther King Jr.）于1963年8月28日在华盛顿林肯纪念堂发表的纪念性演讲《我有一个梦想》（I have a dream）。
外刊例句
- Even then, the threshold between free speech and incitement will be hard to define.
但即便如此，自由言论和煽动性言论还是很难界定。
——《经济学人》 - And the Italian government made progress in shrinking the budget deficit, which had been 4 percent in 2011, to 2.3 percent last year. That is under the 3 percent threshold that eurozone members are supposed to stay below, but few do.
并且，意大利政府在缩减预算赤字方面取得了进展，从2011年的4%降到了去年的2.3%。这低于欧元区成员国应保持在3%以下的门槛，但没有几个成员国做到这一点。
——《纽约时报》
常见短语
Threshold – 门槛，阈值
以下是关于”threshold”的一些常见短语及其中文解释：
- Cross the threshold – 跨越门槛，达到阈值
- He finally crossed the threshold of success after years of hard work. (经过多年的努力，他终于达到了成功的阈值。)
- On the threshold – 在门槛上，接近阈值
- We are on the threshold of a new era in technology. (我们正处于科技新时代的门槛上。)
- Threshold level – 阈值水平，门槛水平
- The noise reached the threshold level, causing annoyance to the residents. (噪音达到了门槛水平，给居民带来了困扰。)
- Threshold of pain – 疼痛阈值
- Different individuals have different thresholds of pain. (不同的人对疼痛有不同的阈值。)
- Threshold of consciousness – 意识门槛
- He was on the threshold of consciousness after the accident. (事故后，他处于意识门槛的边缘。)
- Threshold of tolerance – 容忍门槛
- The constant noise exceeded his threshold of tolerance. (持续的噪音超过了他的容忍门槛。)
- Threshold value – 阈值，门槛值
- The temperature has reached the threshold value for plant growth. (温度已经达到了植物生长的阈值。)
- Threshold effect – 阈值效应
- The drug shows a threshold effect, where a minimum dosage is required for any therapeutic effect. (这种药物具有阈值效应，需要最低剂量才能产生任何治疗效果。)
- Threshold income – 阈值收入
- The threshold income for tax exemption has been raised this year. (免税的阈值收入今年有所提高。)
- Threshold limit – 阈限，门槛限制
- The pollution level has exceeded the threshold limit set by environmental regulations. (污染水平已经超过了环境法规设定的门槛限制。)
- Threshold agreement – 阈值协议
- The negotiating parties reached a threshold agreement on the terms of the contract. (谈判双方就合同条款达成了阈值协议。)
- Threshold of visibility – 可见度门槛
- The fog reduced the visibility to below the threshold, causing travel disruptions. (雾霾使得能见度降至门槛以下，导致了交通受阻。)
这些短语可以帮助你更好地理解和使用”threshold”这个词，根据具体语境选择合适的短语表达你的意思。
同近义词
brink: a point at which something, typically something unwelcome, is about to happen; the verge
verge: an extreme limit beyond which something specified will happen
limen: a threshold below which a stimulus is not perceived or is not distinguished from another
