vi. & vt.改善，改进，提高 (cause to) become better

　～ conditions　改善条件
　～ English　提高英语水平
　～ every moment　珍惜每一刻光阴
　～ farm tool　改进农具
　～ health　增进健康
　～ image　提高形象
　～ intonation　改进语调
　～ leisure by studying　利用空闲时间学习
　～ living standard　提高生活水平
　～ occasion　利用机会
　～ opportunity　利用机会
　～ plan　改进计划
　～ pronunciation　改进发音
　～ properties　改进性能
　～ quality　提高质量
　～ scores　提高分数
　～ service　提高服务质量
　～ shining hour　利用机会
　～ situation　改善不利条件
　～ vocabulary　扩大词汇量
　～ hardly　无可改进
　～ aggressively　盛气凌人地改进
　～ beneficently　有益地改进
　～ blindly　盲目地改进
　～ boldly　大胆改进
　～ bravely　勇敢地改进
　～ casually　非正式地改进
　～ cautiously　谨慎地改进
　～ completely　彻底改进
　～ consciously　有意识地改进
　～ constantly　不断地改进
　～ courteously　谦恭地改进
　～ creatively　创造性地改进
　～ educationally　教育改进
　～ erratically　不规律地改进
　～ eventually　最终改进
　～ greatly　大大地改进
　～ immediately　立即改进
　～ magnanimously　大度地改进
　～ provisionally　暂且改进
　～ quietly　悄悄地改进
　～ radically　激进地改进
　～ rapidly　迅速改进
　～ readily　欣然改进
　～ reasonably　明智地改进
　～ recklessly　轻率地改进
　～ reluctantly　勉强改进
　～ scarcely　很少改进
　～ simultaneously　同时改进
　～ sincerely　诚恳地改进
　～ skeptically　心存怀疑地改进
　～ slavishly　盲从地改进
　～ slightly　稍稍好转
　～ slowly　缓慢地改进
　～ speedily　加快速度改进
　～ steadily　不断提高
　～ temperately　适度地改进
　～ timidly　胆怯地改进
　～ unexpectedly　出乎意外地改进
　～ unhesitatingly　即刻改进
　～ universally　普遍改进
　～ unwisely　不明智地改进
　～ vigorously　有力改进
　～ warily　谨慎地改进
　～ wholly　完全改进
　～ in　在…方面有起色，有进步
　～ in health　健康状况有所改善
　～ sth into an excuse　利用某事作为借口
　～ on〔upon〕　生产出
　～ on the first book　写出比第一本更好的书
　～ on the performance　表演出更好的节目

　I hope for the weather to improve soon.　我希望天气会很快转好。
　Wine improves with age.　酒越陈越好。
　Her spelling has improved.　她的拼写能力已有长进。
　Your mastery of the language has much improved.　你对语言的掌握有很大的进步。
　The situation has improved somewhat.　情况已有所改善。
　The patient has improved slightly since the operation.　病人手术后已稍有好转。
　A successful businessman is one who knows when to cut his losses, and when to hang on in the hope that things will improve.　一个成功的生意人知道什么时候该削价出售，什么时候该掌握在手，以待情况好转。
　It is unfair to criticize him so soon after he has started. After a week when he has got into his stride, I am sure his work will improve.　他才开始工作就这么急于批评他是不公平的，当他一个星期以后熟悉了工作时，我相信他会做得大有起色的。
　My health is improving.　我的健康状况正在好转。
　The demand for television sets is improving.　对电视机的需求量正在增加。
　Her English is improving this term.　这一学期，她的英语有进步。
　We would snatch at every chance to improve our work.　我们应抓住每个机会来改进我们的工作。
　He undertook to improve the working arrangements.　他答应改善工作安排。
　We must make massive efforts to improve our environment.　我们一定要尽最大的努力来改善环境。
　The three clubs joined up to improve the town's playground facilities.　三家俱乐部联合起来共同改善镇上运动场的设施。
　I integrated your suggestion into my plans and it improved them.　我把你的建议纳入我的计划中，这些计划进一步完善了。
　The machine improves the working conditions and raises efficiency five times.　这台机器改善了劳动条件，并使工效提高了4倍。
　It isn't quite good enough, I want to improve it.　这还不够好，我要改进一下。
　The workers made shift with what was on hand to improve the machine.　工人们尽力设法利用现有材料来改进机器。
　He decided to cut the plants back, in order to improve their growth later in the season.　他决定进行剪枝，以便使作物在季节后期长得更好。
　The doctor gave some advice on how to improve our health.　医生就如何增进健康，向我们提了一些建议。
　We'll try our best to improve the friendship between our two countries.　我们将尽最大努力增进我们两国之间的友谊。
　Never chuck up a chance to improve your French.　千万不要错过任何一个提高你法语水平的机会。
　I began to come along well in English after I improved my study methods.　改进了学习方法以后，我的英语开始有所进步。
　He invested a lot of time and effort in trying to improve his listening comprehension.　他花了许多时间和精力努力提高他的听力理解能力。
　You'll never improve your piano playing unless you keep at it.　除非你坚持练习，否则，你的钢琴演奏水平就永远提高不了。
　You will be helped to improve your English.　有人将会帮助你提高英语水平。
　Computer Aided Instruction is widely adopted to improve teaching effects.　计算机辅助教学被广泛采用以提高教学效果。
　The government is making every effort to improve the people's living standard.　政府在尽一切努力提高人民的生活水平。
　His whole energies are dedicated to improving the design.　他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。
　Half of these plots is devoted to raising improved seeds.　这些土地的一半被用来培育良种。

 ♣ improve in　(v.+prep.)
　在…有所提高　(cause to) become better with regard to
　He's going to improve in his first book.　他打算把他的第一部书修改一下。
　He has much improved in health.　他的健康状况大有改善。
　He tried his best to improve his marks in school.　他尽自己的最大努力来提高成绩。
　They were working out a plan to improve themselves in the way of research.　他们正在制定一套计划以改进他们的研究方法。
 ♣ improve on〔upon〕　(v.+prep.)
　在…上加以提高　produce sth better than
　I am able to improve on this plan.　我能改进这个计划。
　This singer will have to improve on the performance we have just heard if she is to be accepted by the company.　如果这位歌手想让公司雇用她的话，就必须拿出比我们刚才所听到的更好的节目来。
　He has improved upon her poem.　他对他的诗做了改进。
　The poem cannot be improved upon.　这首诗再好不过。

 ♣ improve in, improve on〔upon〕
1. 前者表示“本身在…方面有改进”，后者主要指“对…加以改进”。
2. improve on多接实物名词；而improve in多接名词或动名词。
3. improve in多用进行时或完成时态，而improve on多用一般时态。
 ♣ improve, improve on〔upon〕
　improve　和improve on都可接宾语，意思是“使…有长进或提高”。improve指在原有的基础上加以改进。而improve on则用于另一事物，即创造新的，比原来更好的事物。试比较：

 ♣ improve, better
　improve　与better意思相近，都指在原有基础上改进得更好。其区别是：
1. 在提高的速度和水平上， improve比better更快更高。
2. better比improve更有生气和亲切感。
3. better和improve都可接反身代词再接介词in，前者指某人的社会经济地位向好的方面发展，后者指本身向更好的方面变化。例如：
　He has bettered himself in living condition.　他的生活条件已大有改善。
　I wish to improve myself in drawing.　但愿我在绘画方面有所长进。

1. 我提不出比这更好的建议。
　［误］ I am unable to improve the suggestion.
　［正］ I am unable to improve on the suggestion.
　［析］ improve用作及物动词，表示“改善或改进”。如表示“作出比…更好的东西”，应该说 improve on〔upon〕…，此时， improve是不及物动词。
2. 我们希望改进我们的工作。
　［误］ We wish to improve our work better.
　［正］ We wish to improve our work.
　［析］ improve的意思是“改进，使更好(make better)”，已包含better之义，再加上个better，即属赘余。

　［同义词］ advance, better, reform
　［反义词］ decline, diminish
　［词源］　英国法语emprouer（获得，益处）