a tall plant that can live a long time. Trees have a thick central wooden trunk from which branches grow, usually with leaves on them 树；树木；乔木 
an oak/olive/apple tree 橡树/橄榄树/苹果树 to plant a tree 植树 to chop/cut down/fell a tree 砍树/砍倒树/砍倒树 They took a seat on a fallen tree trunk in the middle of a small clearing. 他们在一小片空地中间一棵倒下的树干上坐下。 They followed a path through the trees. 他们沿着林间小路走着。 Tall pine trees line the roadways. 道路两旁是高大的松树。 a fruit tree 果树 I quickly climbed a nearby tree and hid in the branches. 我迅速爬上附近的一棵树，藏在树枝里。 The branches of trees sway in the wind. 树枝在风中摇摆。
Collocations The living worldcompare bush, shrub see also bay tree, bread tree, Christmas tree, clothes tree, family tree, gum tree, maidenhair tree, phone tree, plane tree, sausage tree, shade tree, shoe tree, tea treeThe living world 生物界 Animals 动物 - animals mate/breed/reproduce/feed (on something)
动物交配／繁育／繁殖／以…为食 - fish/amphibians swim/spawn (= lay eggs)
鱼／两栖动物游动／产卵 - birds fly/migrate/nest/sing
鸟飞翔／迁徙／筑巢／啼叫 - insects crawl/fly/bite/sting
昆虫爬／飞／咬／叮 - insects/bees/locusts swarm
昆虫／蜜蜂／蝗虫成群地飞来飞去 - bees collect/gather nectar/pollen
蜜蜂采蜜／花粉 - spiders spin/weave a web
蜘蛛结网／织网 - snakes/lizards shed their skins
蛇／蜥蜴蜕皮 - bears/hedgehogs/frogs hibernate
熊／刺猬／青蛙冬眠 - insect larvae grow/develop/pupate
昆虫的幼虫生长／发育／化蛹 - an egg/a chick/a larva hatches
卵孵化；小鸡出壳；幼虫孵出 - attract/find/choose a mate
吸引／找到／选择配偶 - produce/release eggs/sperm
产卵；排卵；产生／释放精子 - lay/fertilize/incubate/hatch eggs
产卵；使卵受精；孵卵 - inhabit a forest/a reef/the coast
栖居于森林／礁石／海岸 - mark/enter/defend (a) territory
标出／进入／保卫领地 - stalk/hunt/capture/catch/kill prey
悄悄接近／猎杀／捕获／杀死猎物
Plants and fungi 植物和真菌 - trees/plants grow/bloom/blossom/flower
树木／植物生长／开花 - a seed germinates/sprouts
种子发芽 - leaves/buds/roots/shoots appear/develop/form
叶子／花蕾／根茎／幼苗长出来／长大／成形 - flower buds swell/open
花蕾含苞欲放／绽放 - a fungus grows/spreads/colonizes something
菌类生长／扩散／长满… - pollinate/fertilize a flower/plant
给花／植物授粉 - produce/release/spread/disperse pollen/seeds/spores
长出／传播花粉／种子／孢子 - produce/bear fruit
结果 - develop/grow/form roots/shoots/leaves
长出根茎／嫩芽／叶子 - provide/supply/absorb/extract/release nutrients
提供／吸收／提取／释放营养物 - perform/increase/reduce photosynthesis
进行／增加／减少光合作用
Bacteria and viruses 细菌和病毒 - bacteria/microbes/viruses grow/spread/multiply
细菌／微生物／病毒生长／扩散／繁殖 - bacteria/microbes live/thrive in/on something
细菌／微生物在…中存活／大量生长 - bacteria/microbes/viruses evolve/colonize something/cause disease
细菌／微生物／病毒进化／长满…／引发疾病 - bacteria break something down/convert something (into something)
细菌（将某物）分解／转化（成某物） - a virus enters/invades something/the body
病毒进入／侵入某物／身体 - a virus mutates/evolves/replicates (itself)
病毒变异／演化／（自我）复制 - be infected with/contaminated with/exposed to a new strain of a virus/drug-resistant bacteria
感染上／接触到一种新病毒／抗药性细菌 - contain/carry/harbour bacteria/a virus
带有细菌／病毒 - kill/destroy/eliminate harmful/deadly bacteria
杀灭有害的／致命的细菌
Extra ExamplesTopics Plants and treesa1A fallen tree was blocking the road. 一棵倒下的树挡住了路。 Palm trees line the broad avenue. 宽阔的道路两旁种着棕榈树。 Protesters formed a human blockade to stop loggers felling trees. 抗议者组成人墙阻止伐木者伐木。 The cat got stuck up a tree. 猫被困在树上了。 The floods left a tide of mud and uprooted trees. 洪水过后，留下了一地污泥和连根拔起的树。 The forest can be dated by studying tree rings. 通过观察树的年轮可以推测森林形成的年代。 The tree belt around the fields acts as a windbreak. 田地周围的林带起着挡风墙的作用。 Tree cover would prevent further soil erosion. 林木植被能防止进一步的水土流失。 Monkeys were swinging wildly from tree to tree. 猴子在树与树之间疯狂摇摆。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- deciduous
- evergreen
- coniferous
- …
- clump
- copse
- grove
- …
- grow
- plant
- climb
- …
- grow
- stand
- line something
- …
- bark
- branch
- leaves
- …
- in a/the tree
- on a/the tree
- under a tree
- …
Word OriginOld English trēow, trēo: from a Germanic variant of an Indo-European root shared by Greek doru ‘wood, spear’, drus ‘oak’.
Idioms
the apple doesn’t fall/never falls far from the tree
- (saying, especially North American English)
a child usually behaves in a similar way to his or her parent(s) 有什么样的父母就有什么样的儿女；上行下效
at the top of the tree
in the highest position or rank in a profession or career （在行业、事业中）高居首位，处于顶峰
be barking up the wrong tree
- (informal)
to have the wrong idea about how to get or achieve something 把方法搞错（或想偏）；走错路线
be out of your tree
- (informal)
to be behaving in a crazy or stupid way, perhaps because of drugs or alcohol （因药物或酒精等）发疯，发傻
it/money doesn’t grow on trees
- (saying)
used to tell somebody not to use something or spend money carelessly because you do not have a lot of it 树上长不出钱来，那东西（或钱）来之不易（告诫人不要随便乱用）
not see the wood for the trees (British English)
(North American English not see the forest for the trees)
to not see or understand the main point about something, because you are paying too much attention to small details 见树不见林