ability, capacity, capability, competence, talent

ability n.①能力。指能够做某事,~ to do sth。②才能,本领,才智。指一种技能和智能水平。

【搭配】

He has lost all faith in his ability to succeed. 他已对自己取得成功的能力失去信心。

They believe in man’s ability to master the world. 他们相信人有征服世界的能力。

His organizing ability is very great. 他的组织能力非常强。Adam is a man of extraordinary ability. 亚当是一个能力卓越的人。

【相关词汇】

able adj.①能,能够。be able to do sth常被用作情态动词。②有才智的,有才能的,(某方面)擅长的He is the ablest student in the class. 他是班上最有才华的学生。

capacity n.①容量,容纳能力②领悟(或理解、办事)能力③职位,职责④生产量,生产能力

【搭配】

The auditorium has a seating capacity of 500. 那个礼堂能容纳500名观众。

The storage vessel has a capacity of 1,000 liters. 那个存储容器有1000升的存储量。

His capacity for learning languages astonished me. 他学习语言的能力令我惊讶。

Limited resources are restricting our capacity for developing new products. 有限的资源正限制着我们开发新产品的能力。

He is speaking in the capacity as manager of the company. 他正以公司经理的身份讲话。

Capability n.①能力,才能(~ to do sth/of doing sth)②(国家的)军事力量③潜力,未展现的特色(常用复数)

【搭配】

Animals in the zoo have lost the capability to catch food for themselves. 动物园里的动物已经丧失了自己捕食的能力。

He has the capability of leading the group. 他有领导这个团队的能力。

The country has the capability to defeat any aggressor. 这个国家有抵御任何侵略的力量。

She has capabilities as a singer and is worth training. 她有成为歌手的潜质,值得培养。

【同根词】

capable adj.①有能力的,有才能的(指拥有做某事所必要的能力,常用搭配:~ of sth / of doing sth)②能力强的,足以胜任的(指拥有做好某事的能力,常用作定语)

I’m perfectly capable of doing it myself. 我完全有能力自己做这项工作。

Alice is a very capable teacher. 艾丽丝是一位能力很强的教师。

Competence n.①能力,胜任(指把某事做好的能力,~ in sth / ~ in doing sth)②(技术用语)技能(指针对某项工作或任务等的特定技能)③(法律用语)权限,管辖权

【搭配】

We must constantly help improve their professional competence. 我们必须不断帮助他们提高专业能力。

This can help you gain a high level of competence in English. 这有助于你在英语方面的能力达到一个高水平。

This case is beyond this court’s competence. 此法院无权受理这宗案件。

【同根词】

competent adj.有能力的,称职的,足以胜任的(~ to do sth)

Make sure the firm is competent to carry out the work. 要确保这家公司有能力完成这项工作。

talent n.①天资,天赋②有才能的人,天才

【搭配】

He possesses a remarkable talent for music.他具有非凡的音乐天赋。

She is a diving talent.她是一个跳水天才。

【同根词】

talented adj.天才的,有才能的

He is a talented artist. 他是个天才的艺术家。

辨析一点通

本组词都有"能力"的意思,但具体用法和搭配各有区别:ability泛指人先天具有或后天培养成的各种能力；capacity侧重指人的领悟、理解和办事的能力；capability 指做某事所必要的能力,也可特指一国的军事力量,还可表示人未发挥出的潜质(多用复数形式)；competence强调在某方面胜任,指把某事做好的能力；talent指天生具有的出众的才能。

四、六级真题解析

1. Housewives who do not go out to work often feel they are not working to their full ______.

(CET-4,1997年6月)

A) capacity

B) strength

C) length

D) possibility

2. Mobile telecommunications ____ is expected to double in Shanghai this year as a result of a contract signed between the two companies.

(CET-4,2002年1月)

A) capacity

B) potential

C) possession

D) impact

3. He soon received promotion, for his superiors realized that he was a man of considerable _______.

(CET-4,2002年6月)

A)                 ability

B) future

C) possibility

D) opportunity

答案及解析

1. A)。句意:不外出工作的家庭主妇经常感到没有充分发挥自己的才干。分析:"to (full) capacity"为"充分发挥才干,满负载"的意思,英美习惯用法。例如:The hall was filled to capacity (= was completely full). 大厅内座无虚席。

2. A)。句意:两家公司签定合同后,今年上海移动通信的负载量有望翻一番。分析:potential意为"潜力",possession意为"拥有,所有物",impact意为"影响,效果",只有capacity(负载量)最符题意。

3. A)。句意:他很快就受到了提拔,因为他的上司认为他是个相当有能力的人。分析:根据上文"他受到了提拔",可推测他一定被认为具有相当的"能力"。