These words all refer to the amount of money that you have to pay for sth. 以上各词均指价值、价钱。

• price the amount of money that you have to pay for an item or service 指商品或服务的价格、价钱：◆house prices 房屋价格◆How much are these? They don't have a price on them. 这些东西卖多少钱？它们都没有标价。◆I can't afford it at that price. 这样的价格我付不起。
• cost the amount of money that you need in order to buy, make or do sth 指购买、制造某物或做某事所需的成本、费用、花费：◆A new computer system has been installed at a cost of £80 000. 新的计算机系统已安装，费用为 8 万英镑。
• value how much sth is worth in money or other goods for which it can be exchanged 指价值：◆The winner will receive a prize to the value of £1 000. 获胜者将得到价值为 1 000 英镑的奖品。 NOTE Especially in British English, value can also mean how much sth is worth compared with its price. 尤其在英式英语中，value 亦表示划算程度：◆This restaurant is excellent value(= is worth the money it costs). 这家餐馆很合算。

price, cost or value? 用 price、cost 还是 value？

The price is what sb asks you to pay for an item or service. * price 指商品或服务的要价：◆to ask/charge a high price 要价高；收费高◆to ask/charge a high cost/valueObtaining or achieving sth may have a cost; the value of sth is how much other people would be willing to pay for it. * cost 指获取某物或达到某目的所需的费用；value 指别人愿意为某物付出的价值：◆house prices 房屋价格◆the cost of moving house 搬家费用◆The house now has a market value of one million pounds. 这栋房子目前的市场价值为 100 万英镑。

• expense the money that you spend on sth; sth that makes you spend money 指所花费用、花钱的东西、开销：◆The garden was transformed at great expense. 花园改建花了一大笔费用。◆Running a car is a big expense. 养一辆车开销很大。
• worth the financial value of sb/sth 指人或物的价值：◆He has a personal net worth of $10 million. 他有价值 1 000 万美元的个人净资产。 NOTE Worth is more often used to mean the practical or moral value of sth. * worth 较常用以指某事物的实际作用或道德意义。

Patterns

• the high price/cost/value
• the real/true price/cost/value/worth
• to put/set a price/value on sth
• to increase/reduce the price/cost/value/expense
• to raise/double/lower the price/cost/value
• to cut the price/cost