at first
- 起初，起先
at firstFirstly and first (of all) are used to introduce a series of facts, reasons, opinions, etc. firstly在英国英语中比在北美英语中更通用。
The brochure is divided into two sections, dealing firstly with basic courses and secondly with advanced ones.
小册子分为两部分：第一部分涉及基础课程，第二部分涉及高级课程。
At first is used to talk about the situation at the beginning of a period of time, especially when you are comparing it with a different situation at a later period. at first用以讲述最初阶段的情况，尤指与后来的不同情况相比较：
Maggie had seen him nearly every day at first. Now she saw him much less.
起初玛吉几乎每天都见到他，现在见到他的次数少得多了。
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I didn 't like the job much at first .
起初我并不很喜欢这个工作。
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The situation was more complicated than they had at first realized .
形势比他们最初意识到的更为复杂。
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At first the place was strange to me .
起先我对这个地方不熟悉。
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We left at first light .
我们黎明时离去。
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If at first you don 't succeed , try , try again .
一次不成功就反复尝试。
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You may find it somewhat overwhelming at first .
起初你可能觉得它有些无法抗拒。
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At first glance the problem seemed easy .
乍一看问题似乎很简单。
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I found the job tiring at first but I soon got used to it .
起初我觉得这份工作很累人，但很快就习惯了。
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The President visited the area to see the devastation at first hand .
总统亲临该地区视察受损情况。
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He didn 't like the plan at first , but we managed to bring him round .
他起初并不喜欢这个计划，但我们最终使他回心转意了。
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There will be rain at first , with sunny spells later .
开始会有雨，雨后间晴。
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The children were shy at first , but soon lost their inhibitions .
孩子们起初很羞涩，但很快就放开了。
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It was fun working there at first but the novelty soon wore off .
开始的时候在那里工作很有趣，但这股新鲜劲很快就过去了。
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At first she tried to take charge of the meeting but I soon put her in her place .
起初她很想主持会议，但我很快就把她轰下来了。
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At first she demurred , but then finally agreed .
她开始表示反对，但最终还是同意了。
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I know it sounds corny , but it really was love at first sight !
我知道这听起来像陈词滥调，然而的确是一见钟情啊！
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The shoes may seem tight at first , but the leather has plenty of give in it .
这鞋刚开始穿时可能显得紧，但皮子的伸展性很好。
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Some of the space will at first be used for storage
一部分空间将首先用于贮藏。
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At first I really didn 't care whether he came or not .
起先我真的不在乎他是否会来。
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You will find it hard at first , but stick at it
你会发现刚开始时有点难，但要坚持下去。
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She 'd liked him at first , but soon lost interest
她刚开始是喜欢他，但很快就失去了兴趣。
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It 's not easy at first , but it soon becomes second nature .
起初不容易，但很快就习惯了。
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At first I gave him the benefit of the doubt
起初，我姑且相信了他。
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At first , neither man could speak .
起初，两个人都不会说。
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The pair met often — at first by chance but later by design .
这两个人经常见面——开始是偶然的，后来就是有意的了。
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At first sight it looked less like a capital city than a mining camp
乍看上去，它不像是首府，更像是矿工村。
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It is always prudent to start any exercise programme gradually at first
刚开始一项锻炼计划时循序渐进总是明智的。
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At first glance , it would be tempting to agree .
乍一看，会让人很想同意。
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I thought at first that Jay had been stirring things up .
我起初认为杰伊一直在挑起事端。
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It was love at first sight , and he proposed to me six weeks later .
我们一见钟情，他6周后就向我求婚了。