★ relief

① n. (痛苦等的)减轻;宽慰:

To our great relief, the accident caused little damage.

令我们十分宽慰的是，事故造成的损失很小。

The doctor said it was only a slight wound. What a relief.

医生说只是轻伤，谢天谢地!

(2010山东)

Those who suffer from headache will find they get relief from this medicine.

那些饱受头痛折磨的人将会发现使用这种药可以缓解疼痛。

Still, most of us volunteers breathe a sigh of relief when the season comes to a close. That relief is coupled with a deep understanding of why the same people keep coming back for more: Connecting to the community(社区)as you freely give your time, money, skills, or services provides a real joy.

尽管如此，当赛季结束时，我们大多数志愿者都松了一口气。这种宽慰伴随着深刻的理解——为什么同样的人仍然选择继续担任志愿者: 你无偿地奉献你的时间、金钱、技能或服务，与社区建立联系会给自己带来真正的快乐。

② 救济物(aid)

send relief to flood victims将救济物资运送给遭受洪灾的灾民。

▲ in /with relief 如释重负;松了口气:

Hearing that he had passed the exam, he sighed in relief.

听说自己通过了考试，他松了口气。

★ relieve vt. 使减轻;使解除(痛苦、忧愁等)

Anxiety may be relieved by talking to a friend.

和朋友谈谈可以减轻焦虑。

★ relieved adj. 宽心的;宽慰的