a range of
Much more difficult are the semi-scientific or semi-technical words, which have a whole range of meanings and are frequently used idiomatically. One of the aims of this book is to present as many of these words as possible. (研考英语试题) [原译]半科技性的词汇却更加困难，它具有全面的意义，并且常常按照习惯用法使用。本书的目的之一是提供尽可能多的常用词汇。(《留学生研究生英语试题答案》)“词汇具有全面的意义”是什么意思呢？很难理解。
a whole range 是“一系列”“一连串”“许多”的意思。类例：
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Three colours—red, green and blue—will, if mixed together in the right proportion, give us white light. Change the proportions, or leave out one of the colours, and a range of other colours becomes available: red and green light gives us yellow; green and dark blue gives us a lighter blue; and so on. 如果将红绿蓝三种颜色按适当的比例混合，便能得到白色。改变混合比例，或排除其中的某一种，就能得到一系列的其它颜色：红和绿产生黄色，绿和深蓝产生淡蓝色，等等。
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In previous chapters, particularly chapter 7, we have seen how English sentences are built up from various phrase types which serve a range of constructional functions within the grammar (subject, verb, adverbial, etc.). (GCE) 在前几章里，特别在第七章里，我们已经看到，英语句子是如何由语法上具有一系列结构功能（如主语、谓语、状语等等）的各类短语所构成。
[试译]半科技词汇却要难得多,因为它们词义繁多,并且常常以惯用语的形式使用。本书的目的之一,就是提供尽可能多的这类词汇。