An hour later, the son came back with the empty basket and told his father it was impossible to hold water with the basket.

一个小时后，儿子带着空篮子回来了，告诉父亲用篮子装水是不可能的。

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Then it snows because as the air rises, it cools off and loses its capacity to hold water vapor.

然后就会下雪，因为当空气上升时，它就会冷却并失去保持水蒸气的能力。

youdao

This theory also fails to hold water.

这种理论也站不住脚。

youdao

Scientists have long believed that Earth's satellite lacks the ability to hold water near its surface because it has no atmosphere.

VOA: special.2009.09.30

But they spent a lot of time, energy, and money on being sure that they would have a supply of water to hold them for a long siege.

他们花费了大量的时间,精力,和金钱来确保,在长期的围城中他们可以获得足够的水源

耶鲁公开课 - 古希腊历史简介课程节选

Another common expression, to hold water, is about the strength or weakness of an idea,opinion or argument.

VOA: special.2009.05.10

"Adding compost to the soil dramatically increases its ability to hold water, aiding in water conservation, " he adds.

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Also, if the U.S. and China economies manage to hold water in 2012, that could bode well for Brazil.

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The Japanese, for instance, used teapots to hold the water, and cellophane is sometimes used instead of a cloth.

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