在英语阅读中pluck这个词经常遇见，它是动词，“摘；拔；弹，弹拨(乐器的弦)；拔掉，退去(死禽的毛)；抢夺；解救”；名词意思是“胆识；胆量；意志”。几个重要用法：
1. pluck a fruit, flower, or leaf摘；掐；采摘;
I plucked a lemon from the tree.
我从树上采了一个柠檬。
I plucked an orange from the tree.
我从树上摘了一个橙子。
Pickers are bent double, plucking each flower with lightning speed.
采花人弓着身子飞快地摘着花。
pluck sth (from sth)抢夺；抽出……
He plucked the wallet from the man's grasp.
他抢走了那个男人紧抓着的钱包。
He plucked the baby out of my arms
他从我怀里夺过宝宝。
He plucked the cigarette from his mouth and tossed it out into the street
他从嘴里抽出香烟，把它扔到街上。
Sb be plucked某人考试不及格；没有考上
The poor student was plucked in his examination.
那个差生未考上。
2. pluck at sth揪；拽；拉；抻；拔
The child kept plucking at his mother's sleeve.
小孩不停地拉扯着他妈妈的衣袖。
The wind plucked at my jacket.
风不时地吹动着我的上衣。
He took the guitar and plucked at the strings.
他拿起吉他拨动起琴弦来。
A stranger plucked at my sleeve as I was leaving.
我刚要离去，一个陌生人拽我的袖子。
3.拔毛，修眉毛
She looked relaxed as she plucked a chicken.
她拔鸡毛时看上去很轻松。
You've plucked your eyebrows at last!
你终于修了眉毛！
4. be plucked from把…（从险境中）救起
be plucked to
Police plucked a drowning girl from the river yesterday.
昨天警方从河里救起了一名溺水少女。
A workman was plucked from the roof of a burning power station by a police helicopter.
一名工人被警用直升机从着火电站的屋顶上救了出来。
Ten fishermen were plucked to safety from life-rafts.
10名渔夫从救生筏上被救到了安全处。
Survivors of the wreck were plucked to safety by a helicopter.
沉船的幸存者被直升机营救脱险。
5. be plucked from obscurity
Pluck sb from obscurity
挖掘；使一跃成名
If someone unknown is given an important job or role and quickly becomes famous because of it, you can say that they have been plucked from obscurity or plucked from an unimportant position.
The agency plucked Naomi from obscurity and turned her into one of the world's top models.
这个经纪公司挖掘了默默无闻的娜奥米，并把她打造成了世界顶尖模特。
The actress was only 17 when she was plucked from obscurity and made a star.
这个演员受到提携从无名少女一跃成为明星时年仅17岁。
For the lucky few, there's the chance of being plucked from obscurity and thrown into the glamorous world of modelling
只有极少数幸运儿才有机会从籍籍无名中脱颖而出，进入光鲜亮丽的模特圈。
She was plucked from the corps de ballet to take on Juliet
她从芭蕾舞团的伴舞队中被挖掘出来，担任朱丽叶这一角色。
6. plucks a figure, name, or date out of the air脱口而出；随意说出
If you say that someone plucks a figure, name, or date out of the air, you mean that they say it without thinking much about it before they speak.
to say a name, number, etc. without thinking about it, especially in answer to a question
I just plucked a figure out of the air and said : ‘Would £1 000 seem reasonable to you?’
我随口说出一个数字问道：“你看1 000英镑合适吗？”
Is this just a figure she plucked out of the air?
这是否仅仅是她随口说出的数字？
7. pluck up (the) courage (to do sth)
鼓起勇气（做某事）
pluck up one's heart 鼓起勇气
to make yourself do sth even though you are afraid to do it
I finally plucked up the courage to ask her for a date.
我终于鼓起勇气约她出去。
It took me about two hours to pluck up the courage to call.
我用了大约2个小时才鼓起勇气打电话。
I haven't yet plucked up the courage to ask her.
我还鼓不起勇气去问她。
What’s there to be afraid of? Pluck up courage and face the critical situation.
有什么好怕的？鼓起勇气，面对严峻的形势吧！
She was trying to summon up the courage to leave him.
当时她试图鼓起勇气离开他。
Painfully shy, he finally summoned up courage to ask her to a game...
他太过腼腆，不过最后终于鼓起勇气邀请她一起去看比赛。
It took her a full month to summon the courage to tell her mother.
她用了整整一个月才鼓足勇气告诉了妈妈。
《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》（说明此处的pluck up和summon或summon up同义）