"account for"短語含義很多：解釋、查明、占比、責任和考慮、列入預算、打敗消滅等。

1. 解釋、查明某事物或現象：

Now, the gene they discovered today doesn't account for all those cases.

不過，他們現在發現的基因無法解釋所有的病例。

He couldn't account for his sudden disappearance.

他無法解釋他突然消失的原因。

The new evidence accounts for the increase in crime rates.

新證據解釋了犯罪率的增加。

We have to account for every penny we spend on business trips.

我們出公差所用的每一分錢都得報清楚。

He said only 200 of the train's 600 passengers had been accounted for.

他說火車上的600名乘客中僅有200名乘客的信息得已查明。

All passengers have now been accounted for.

現在所有乘客的情況均已查明。

2. 占據或構成比例：

Together they account for less than five per cent of the population.

他們總共占不到總人口的5%。

The minority nationalities account for six per cent of the population.

少數民族占人口的百分之六。

Computers account for 5% of the country's commercial electricity consumption.

計算機占去該國商業用電的5%。

Private sponsorships only accounted for a third of all arts funding last year.

個人贊助只占去年所有藝術基金的三分之一。

The social services account for a substantial part of public spending.

社會福利事業占了一大部分的公共支出。

Together they account for less than five per cent of the population.

他們總共占不到總人口的5%。

Last year Oxbridge graduates accounted for 41% of entrants to the civil service's fast stream to promotion.

去年加入快速晉職隊伍的新公務員中，牛津和劍橋大學的畢業生占了41%。

In 2007, Nokia accounted for more than 40% of mobile phone sales worldwide.

2007年,諾基亞在全球手機銷售中的份額超過40%。

六級真題- 2015年 12月

Sales of smartphones account for a large portion of their overall revenue.

智能手機銷售額占據了其整體收入的很大比例。

Students from rural areas account for about 20% of the university's enrollment.

來自農村地區的學生占該大學招生人數的約20%。

Overall, stress-related health problems account for up to 90% of hospital visits, many of them preventable.

總體而言，與壓力相關的健康問題占醫院總就診量的90%，而其中許多健康問題都是可預防的。六級真題- 2016年 12月

3. 負有責任或解釋；為…提出理由;對…作出說明：

How do you account for the company's alarmingly high staff turnover?

你怎么解釋這家公司高得令人憂慮的人員流動率？

The President and the President alone must account for his government's reforms.

總統必須為他的政府改革負責，而且是負全責。

Ministers should be called to account for their actions.

部長們應該對他們的行為作出解釋。

You need to account for the missing funds in your report.

你需要在報告中解釋缺失的資金。

The employee had to account for the delays in the project.

員工需要解釋項目的延遲原因。

4. 排除或考慮（因素、情況），將（錢款）列入預算：

The study accounted for various factors that could influence the outcome.

這項研究考慮了可能影響結果的各種因素。

We need to account for inflation when calculating the final costs.

在計算最終成本時，我們需要考慮通貨膨脹因素。

The really heavy redundancy costs have been accounted for.

非常龐大的裁員開支已被列入預算。

5. 殺死；消滅；打敗

In the first ten days of May our squadron accounted for at least seven enemy aircraft.

5月的頭10天里我們中隊至少報銷了7架敵機。

In the final they accounted for Brentford by three goals to two.

決賽時他們以3比2擊敗了布倫特福德隊。