上面的例子就是这样。It's obvious that my friend's team was the underdog. It was a foregone conclusion that they'd lose the game. 我朋友的球队显然不是对手,在比赛中失利是不可避免的。在下面的例子里,我们要去看看一个公司里的员工如何讨论谁会升职。
例句-1:Susanna had worked as the assistant manager in the store for three years. When the boss decided to take a job with another company, most of us assumed Susanna would be getting a promotion. It seemed a foregone conclusion. But our predictions were wrong. A new manager with more experience was hired instead.
这世界上的事情谁能百分之百打保票呢?就拿我经常去光顾的一家餐厅来说,那里的服务员几个月前告诉我,餐厅可能要关门了,因为老板得了重病。They were sure the restaurant had to close down. It seems like a foregone conclusion.
例句-2:Some historians believe that the American Civil War was far from a foregone conclusion. In their view, it wasn't clear at all that the North was going to beat the South. It's true that the North had a larger population and greater resources. But, they argue, the South had the advantage of fighting on their own soil. And they had the most experienced generals.
历史是个值得讨论的话题。每个人看相同的问题都会得出不同的结论。各种战争,选举,都可能出现出人意料的结果。就比如今年的总统大选,鹿死谁手,还很难讲。Who will win the presidential election this year is far from a foregone conclusion.