thus far 到目前为止
释义
You use thus far to indicate up to this point.
例句
A successful and effective mortgage-finance reform bill could fix what's broken in the current system and build on what has worked thus far.
GRE
Given the great expense of conducting such experiments with proper controls, and the limited promise of experiments performed thus far, it is questionable whether further experiments in this area should even be conducted.
由于控制这类实验需要大量的投入，同时目前看来其结果并不明朗，因此这个领域是否值得在未来继续探索还有待商榷。
in advance of 在……之前
释义
If one thing happens or is done in advance of another, it happens or is done before the other thing.
例句
Hackers look for computers with security flaws in advance of an attack.
GRE
Marison was a scientist of unusual insight and imagination who had startling success in discerning new and fundamental principles well in advance of their general recognition.
Marison是一个具有非凡的洞悉力和想象力的科学家，远在某些全新的基本原理被人们普遍认识之前，他早就能够成功地令人吃惊地将其察觉发现。
lead to 导致
释义
If something leads to a situation or event, usually an unpleasant one, it begins a process which causes that situation or event to happen.
例句
Racial prejudice among the republics could lead to civil war.
GRE
Ironically, the proper use of figurative language must be based on the denotative meaning of the words, because it is the failure to recognize this literal meaning that leads to mixed metaphors and their attendant incongruity.
充满讽刺意味的是，比喻性语言的恰当使用必须建立在理解单词确切含义的基础上，因为正是由于未能认识到单词的字面意思才导致混乱的比喻，因而造成比喻上的牛头不对马嘴。