Reader question:
In this paragraph from the Economist (China: Responding to Disaster, May 12, 2008) – As Beijing prepares to host the summer Olympic Games in less than three months, officials were quick to report that the city's dozens of Olympic venues were built to withstand earthquakes and that none had suffered damage. Authorities also said that no damage was observed at the massive Three Gorges Dam, located on the Yangtze River, several hundred kilometres east of the epicentre. That is just as well. Holding back an enormous reservoir, the dam was built in the face of strong opposition from critics who gave warning, among other things, that it would be vulnerable to earthquake damage that might cause disastrous floods – What does "That is just as well" mean?
My comments:
First, my thoughts as well as yours are with the victims, survivors and rescue workers at this difficult time for folks in Sichuan.
...
Now, definitions. "That is just as well" is a piece of nitty-gritty English. Here, it means that's not bad at all or that's fortunate, considering the circumstances.
The root of the phrase is "as well", meaning the same in effect as the alternative. If you do one thing but you may as well do another, it means it makes no difference one way or the other.
"Just as well", with the emphasis on "just", may in fact imply to a preference. For example, if someone invites you and others to a dinner and you tell them that you don't know if you can make it, they might say: "You may just as well tell me you won't come." That means they'd prefer a definite answer because then they could focus on others instead of keeping worrying about you.
And in situations like this, a reason for that "preference" is usually given in context, either explicitly or implicitly. For example in the Economist story, what's been said or and implied essentially is this:
No damage to the Gorges Dam was reported. No damage either to stadiums built for the upcoming Olympics in Beijing. That is fortunate, better than the other way around because, you see, the dams had been facing criticism that they might be vulnerable to earthquakes as well as be a potential eco-liability. No-one wants to hear that they are not safe, certainly not now – in the immediate run-up to the Olympics.
Alright, let me give you a few more examples so that you can get the hang of "just as well" – Paraphrasing (in brackets) is mine.
1. There aren't many manual controls on the Sony T100. That is just as well (That's perhaps better, for). Surely they would be difficult to access with the small size of the buttons and the multitude of options crammed in the menus already. The manual controls that are included are discussed in the following sections.
2. Bureaucracies are difficult to kill and NATO is unlikely to die soon. That is just as well (That's perhaps not so bad, because): Abolishing it would cause real traumas and tremors, and the organization does provide useful if minor functions in military planning and training, as well as a forum.
3. Still, this new rule cannot function properly in the longer run. Eventually, an unexpected economic slowdown will lower revenue and raise entitlement spending by so much that Congress will be politically incapable of raising taxes or cutting spending fast enough to make up for the shortfall. That is just as well (That's fine), because the tax increases and spending cuts, encouraged by the new budget rule, do not make sense when the economy is slowing.
4. One either likes or dislikes China, and then proceeds to justify one's likes or dislikes. That is just as well (There's nothing wrong with that, perhaps), for we must take some sort of attitude toward China to justify ourselves as intelligent beings.
2016年重庆渝中区高考英语阅读理解一轮选练(10)及答案
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 模块7 Unit 4《Public transport》
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习课后达标检测2 Unit 2《Growing pains》
2016年重庆渝中区高考英语阅读理解一轮选练(12)及答案
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 写作 第十讲 发挥合理想象灵活阐释开放作文
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 语法精讲 第六讲 非谓语动词
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习课后达标检测4 Unit 1《Tales of the unexplained》
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 语法精讲 第三讲 形容词和副词
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 写作 第六讲 打造写作亮点提升写作档次
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 写作 第七讲 精研提纲材料轻松驾驭提纲作文
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 写作 第五讲 完美衔接过渡编织流畅作文
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 模块1 Unit 2《Growing pains》
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 模块7 Unit 1《Living with technology》
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 模块7 Unit 2《Fit for life》
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 模块6 Unit 4《Helping people around the world》
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 写作 第三讲 熟悉三大复合句式复合句变得更实用
2016届高三英语一轮复习全书讲义 模块5Unit2《The environment》(牛津版)
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 模块8 Unit 4《Films and film events》
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 语法精讲 第十二讲 情景交际
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习课后达标检测3 Unit 3《Looking goodfeeling good》
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 模块7 Unit 3《The world online》
2016届高三英语一轮复习全书讲义 模块8Unit1《The written word》(牛津版)
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 模块5 Unit 1《Getting along with others》
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 语法精讲 第九讲 名词性从句
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 语法精讲 第二讲 代词和介词
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 写作 第八讲 揣摩图画内涵从容掌控图画作文
2016届高三英语一轮复习全书讲义 模块6Unit1《Laughter is good for you》(牛津版)
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习课后达标检测6 Unit 3《Amazing people》
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 语法精讲 第七讲 情态动词和虚拟语气
2016届高三(牛津版)英语一轮复习讲义 模块2 Unit 3《Amazing people》