1、set off

动身;出发;启程

Nichols set off for his remote farmhouse in Connecticut.

尼科尔斯动身去他在康涅狄格州的偏僻农舍了。

The President's envoy set off on another diplomatic trip.

总统的使节开始了又一次外交之旅。

引爆(炸弹);触发，拉响(警报等)

Any escape, once it's detected, sets off the alarm.

一旦发现有泄漏，警报就会响起来。

Someone set off a fire extinguisher.

有人打开了灭火器。

引发;触发;激起

The arrival of the charity van set off a minor riot as villagers scrambled for a share of the aid.

救济物资车的到来引发了小小的骚乱,村民们争先恐后地想抢到一份援助物资。

If he attended a party without his wife, it set off a storm of speculation.

如果他没和妻子一块儿出席宴会，便会招致各种猜测满天飞。

2、make out

（勉强地）辨认出，看出，听出

I could just make out a tall, pale, shadowy figure tramping through the undergrowth.

我只依稀看见一个高个的模糊身影穿过了矮树丛。

She thought she heard a name. She couldn't make it out, though.

她觉着听到了一个名字，却又没听清。

把…弄清楚;理解;明白

I couldn't make it out at all.

我一头雾水。

It is hard to make out what criteria are used.

很难弄清楚使用的是什么样的标准。

力图说成;努力证明

They were trying to make out that I'd actually done it.

他们正在努力证明我真的干过这件事。

I don't think it was as glorious as everybody made it out to be.

我觉得这件事并非像大家说的那么了不起。

(工作、生活)进展

Who is making out better right now?

现在谁的日子更好过呢？

Bob turned over to sleep again, wondering how Jupiter and Pete were making out.

鲍勃一面挂念着丘辟特和皮特的生活状况，一面转身又去睡了。