出自于某年高考阅读地方卷的句子,试卷经改编后afford这个词还是保留了下来。
原文出自于How the elevator
transformed America - The Boston Globe
For most city people, the elevator is an unremarkable machine that
inspires none of the enthusiasm or interest that Americans afford trains, jets, and even bicycles. Dr. Christopher Wilk is a
member of a small group of elevator experts who consider this a misunderstanding.
Without the elevator, they point out, there could be no downtown skyscrapers or
tall buildings, and city life as we know it would be impossible. In that sense,
they argue, the elevator’s role in American history has been no less significant
than that of cars. In fact, according to Wilk, the car and the elevator have
been locked in a “secret war” for over a century, with cars making it possible for people to spread
horizontally (水平地), and elevators pushing them toward life in close
groups of towering vertical (垂直的) columns.
问题是,这个afford如何理解?我查牛津词典给出的可能释义为:to provide sb
with sth 提供;给予
例句里的宾语也是人,并非物,那这里的 the enthusiasm...that Americans
afford trains, jets, and even bicycles 是什么用法呢?