careful、cautious、attentive与prudent这些形容词均含有“小心的、谨慎的”之意。
careful : 侧重做事谨慎、留心，特别注意一些细节地方。
- Be careful!
小心！ - He was careful to keep out of sight.
他小心翼翼地躲开别人的视线。 - Be careful not to wake the baby.
注意别吵醒了宝宝。 - You must be careful when handling chemicals.
接触化学药品必须小心谨慎。
cautious : 着重考虑事情的后果，谨慎留意，防止出差错。
- He was very cautious about committing himself to anything.
他谨小慎微，从不轻易表态。 - The government has been cautious in its response to the report.
政府对此报道反应谨慎。 - They've taken a very cautious approach.
他们采取了十分谨慎的态度。 - They expressed cautious optimism about a solution to the crisis.
他们对解决危机持谨慎的乐观态度。
attentive : 指认真地注意地倾听别人的意见，留心别人的需要等。
- an attentive audience
聚精会神的听众 - The vast majority of the attentive audience applauded these sentiments.
大多数聚精会神听讲的观众都对这些观点表示赞赏。
prudent : 指遇事审慎，思考计划周密，不贸然行事。
- 签合同前先好好看一下，这样做永远都是明智的。
It's always prudent to read a contract carefully before signing it. - 该共和国现任总统的施政风格时而轻率鲁莽，时而谨慎务实。
The incumbent president of the Republic oscillated between a facile audacity and a prudent realism.
（拓展学习：小词详解 | prudent）
