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辨析与产品 “溯源” 有关的三个单词：“trace”、“source” 和 “track”

Episode 261028 / 28 Oct 2026

内容简介

一位听众想知道 “trace”、“source” 和 “track” 这三个词该如何使用。这三个单词都可以用于描述产品来源、供应链及物流运输等场景，但含义和用法各有侧重。“Trace” 强调追溯来源或过程，“source” 表示 “获取” 或 “采购”，“track” 则表示 “追踪” 或 “跟踪”。本期节目将通过具体例子，带你辨析这三个容易混淆的单词。

文字稿

（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Buli
Hi Georgie. How's it going?

Georgie
I'm pretty good, thanks Buli. I recently subscribed to a food delivery service, and it's really great! I get a box of fresh fruit and vegetables each week, and there are a few things I really like about it.

Buli
Oh yeah? Please share them!

Georgie
Well, I researched the business a bit, and I was able to trace their ingredients back to a few small farms. I like that they source their ingredients from small, family-run businesses. They also have an app which lets you track the delivery from start to finish.

Buli
Wow, Georgie. That does sound good. Perhaps you can share the details with me after this recording. You've just used some useful words – 'trace', 'track' and 'source', and that is what this week's question is about.

Georgie
Let's hear it.

Question
“Track”、“trace” 和 “source” 三个词在确定某物来源的时候可以互换使用吗？我想到的场景是农产品溯源。谢谢。

Buli
欢迎收听 “你问我答” 节目。这位听众在问题中提到了三个可以用来描述 “查明某样东西的来源” 这个行为的单词 “track”、“trace” 和 “source”，尤其是对 “农产品溯源” 来说。

So, Georgie, in this case, we're looking at these words as verbs. Where and how can we use them?

Georgie
Hmm, well let's think about my food delivery subscription. I said, from my research, I managed to trace the ingredients back to a few small farms. That means I identified the source of the ingredients. I discovered where they came from.

Buli
“Trace” 的意思就是 “追溯、探寻某物的来源”。比如，刚刚 Georgie 就用 “trace” 这个词来描述她 “通过调研，追溯了她订购的食品原料具体来自哪些农场” 的过程，也就是说，她成功找到了 “the source of the ingredients（原料的来源）”。在这里，单词 “source” 是一个名词，意思是 “来源，源头”。

But Georgie, you said that the food delivery company sources their ingredients from these farms. So, 'source' in this case means 'to get' or 'to obtain'. The meaning is quite different. So, let's hear another example to hear the difference again.

Georgie
Sure. I love the coffee in my local cafe, so I wanted to find out where they get their coffee beans from. I looked into it, and I traced the beans back to a supplier in Brazil. I found out where they came from. So, now I know that the cafe sources their beans from Brazil. They get their beans from Brazil.

Buli
And that's how we can use 'source' as a verb! 我们也可以把 “source” 当作动词来使用，意思是 “获取或采购某种原材料、物品或者信息”。就拿 Georgie 刚才举的例子来说，她喜欢的一家咖啡店会从巴西 “source（采购）” 他们使用的咖啡豆。

I think that all sounds pretty clear. Now, what about 'track'? You said the food delivery company has an app which allows you to track the delivery.

Georgie
Yes. 'Track' means you follow something as it moves or changes. Think about the app I was talking about. It lets me see when my fruit and vegetable delivery has arrived at their warehouse. Then I can watch as the delivery van drives to my city, and then around my neighbourhood, before it finally arrives at my house. I track the delivery.

Buli
也就是说，“track” 和 “trace” 的含义有所不同，表达的是 “追踪，沿着某条信息或线索持续地观察一样东西的位置或状态”。比如，在收发快递时，查看包裹所在的位置和状态的服务或功能就叫做 “track” 或者 “tracking”。

你正在收听的是 BBC 英语教学制作的 “你问我答” 节目。在本期节目中，我和 Georgie 正在辨析三个和 “追溯，追踪” 有关的单词 “trace”、“source” 和 “track”。

从含义上来讲，如果我们想表达 “查明某样东西的来源”，特别是像这位听众在问题中提到的给农产品 “溯源” 这个说法，那么最合适的词可能是 “trace”，比如 “tracing the source of agricultural product”。“Trace” 指的是 “通过调查，弄清楚或发现某样东西的来源、事情发生的原因等等”。与之相比，“source” 指的是 “从某个地方获得或采购某样东西”；而 “track” 的意思则是 “持续地观察和追踪某样东西的移动过程或变化”。那么，Georgie，这三个词在实际使用中又有什么特点呢？

Georgie
This is a good question. When using 'trace', we often say 'trace something back to something', but it also works to say 'trace something to something', without 'back'.

Buli
在使用单词 “trace” 的时候，我们经常说 “trace something back to something”，意思就是 “追溯某物的来源到……”。不过，直接说 “trace something to something”，也是可以的。

Georgie，那么想用 “source” 来表达 “从……获取或采购某物” 是不是可以说 “source something from” 呢？

Georgie
That's it, yes. 'Track' is a bit different because we're talking about a beginning and end of a journey. You can use 'throughout' or 'from' and 'to'. For example, 'We tracked it throughout the supply chain', or 'We tracked it from its origin to when it arrived at the supermarket'.

Buli
是的，我们在使用单词 “track” 的时候，可以说 “track… throughout…” 或者 “track something from… to…”，来表示追踪一段行程从起点到终点的整个过程。

That's really helpful. Thank you, Georgie.

Georgie
Remember, if you have a question that you'd like us to answer, you can email us too at: [email protected]

Buli
你也可以通过微博向我们提问。我们的微博账号是 “BBC英语教学”。Bye!

Georgie
Bye!

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