S U 中部，中间 the central part, point, or position

　above the ～ of his class　属全班中上水平
　at the ～　在…中间
　from the ～ of　从…中央
　in the ～　在…中间
　～ of next month　下月中旬
　～ of the 19th century　十九世纪中叶

　It's best to slice into a rich cake from the middle.　最好把甜美的蛋糕从中间分开。
　The fence along the middle of the road is intended to guard vehicles from crashing into each other.　道路中央的防护栏是为防止汽车相撞而设的。
　Fire most of your shots at the middle of the ship.　集中火力，朝船的中部射击。
　The middle of an election is no time to face about.　选举中途不能改变主张。
　He is thirty five inches round the middle.　他腰围35英寸。

 ♣ in the middle
1. 在中部 in the central part, point, or position
　The wall is projects in the middle.　墙壁中部凸出。
　One end is blue, one end is red, and the colours merge in the middle.　一端为蓝色，一端为红色，这两种颜色在中间混成一色。
　He positioned the lamp in the middle of the table.　他把灯放在桌子中央。
　Everyone's eyes fastened on the little girl in the middle of the stage.　大家的目光集中在舞台中央的那位小姑娘身上。
　Mother was embarrassed when the children started laughing in the middle of the service.　礼拜做到一半，孩子们开始笑了起来，母亲为此感到不好意思。
　I cut him short in the middle of his explanation.　他解释了一半我就把他打断了。
　I was cut off in the middle of the telephone call.　我话讲了一半，电话中断了。
　We shall catch them in the middle of their supper.　我们会碰上他们吃晚饭。
　He broke off in the middle of a sentence.　他在一个句子的中间停了下来。
　He stopped short in the middle of his story.　他故事讲到一半突然停了下来。
　Who's that pounding at the door in the middle of the night?　午夜时分，不知谁在敲门?
　The businessman was struck down with a heart attack in the middle of the meeting.　这位企业家在开会时因患心脏病而倒下。
　How did he sneak off in the middle of the meeting without being noticed?　他是怎么在会议中途偷偷溜走而未被人发现的?
2. 正忙于 be busy
　He is in the middle of washing up.　他正忙着洗碗碟。

 ♣ middle, centre, core, midst
　参见centre条。
 ♣ 下面两句话的意思不同：
　

1. 彼得是中午回来的。
　［误］ Peter came back in the centre of the day.
　［正］ Peter came back in the middle of the day.
　［析］ middle和 centre都有“中间”“中央”的含义，但 middle表示的范围较大，是大致中心位置或中心区域， centre表示正中心。
2. 这个城市是国家的商业中心。
　［误］ The city is the commercial middle of the whole country.
　［正］ The city is the commercial centre of the whole country.
　［析］ centre可以用于引申含义的“中心”， middle则不可以。
3. 在实验过程中，那个科学家突然发现了真知。
　［误］ In the middle of his tests, the scientist burst on the truth.
　［正］ At the middle of his tests, the scientist burst on the truth.
　当他醒来时他发现自己在大森林里。
　［误］ When he regained consciousness, he found himself at the middle of the forest.
　［正］ When he regained consciousness, he found himself in the middle of the forest.
　［析］ in the middle of一般接表示“地点”的名词；而at the middle of后才接表示“时间”的名词(in the middle of the day〔night〕例外）。

A 中部的，中间的 in or nearly in the centre; at the same distance from two or more points, or from the beginning and end of sth

　～ age　中年
　～ class　中产阶级
　～ house　中间那幢房子
　～ man　中间人，经纪人
　～ school　中学
　the M- Ages　中世纪
　the M- America　中美洲
　the M- East　中东
　the M- English　中古英语
　the M- West　（美国）中西部

　Every time I went back to my hometown I would pay my respects to the middle school teachers.　每次回到故里，我都去拜访我的中学老师。
　He got a job as a teacher in one of the senior middle schools.　他找到了一份工作，在一所高中当老师。
　I cut my middle finger.　我割伤了中指。
　This pattern shows lines of different colours radiating from a middle point.　这图案表现了从中心点放射出的各种不同的色彩。
　He has three children, the middle child is a boy.　他有三个孩子，老二是个男孩。

 ♣ middle school, senior middle school, junior middle school
　三者的意思并不相同。其区别在于：middle school的意思是“中学（包括初中和高中）”，是一种比较笼统的用法；junior middle school的意思是“初中”; senior middle schools的意思是“高中”。例如：
　When he studied in middle school, he was dismissed for stealing.　他在中学读书时，因偷窃而被开除。
　About 80 percent of the graduates advanced to senior middle schools.　约有80%的毕业生升入了高中。
　My brother dropped out at the end of the second year of his junior middle school.　我哥哥念完初中二年级就休学了。
 ♣ 下面两个句子的意思不同：
　
 ♣ 下面两个短语的意思不同：
　

1. 淄博是山东省的一个中等城市。
　［误］ Zibo is a middle city in Shandong Province.
　［正］ Zibo is a medium-sized city in Shandong Province.
　［析］ middle是处在两者的“中间的”意思，如middle school, middle of the month〔year〕等。medium指按某一标准来说，属于不大不小、中等，可指形状、质量、数量、规模、价值等。“中等城市”应译作medium-sized city.
2. 这个城镇的历史可回溯到中世纪。
　［误］ The history of the town dates back to the Middle Age.
　［正］ The history of the town dates back to the Middle Ages.
　［析］ middle age（单数，首字母不大写）指“（人的）中年期”。表示“（欧洲历史上的） 中世纪”应该用the Middle Ages（复数，首字母大写）。

　［同义词］ n. centre, focus, heart, mean adj. central, inner, medial, mediate, mid
　［反义词］ n. beginning, edge
　［词源］　古英语middel（中间）