second gear

基本解释

Second gear is slow enough to maintain control and quick enough to maintain momentum.
一方面，二档速度够慢，有利于保持控制，同时又有一定速度，可以保持一定的冲劲。
I noticed that she was keeping the car in second gear when she clearly should have shifted to third, maybe even to fourth.Stupidly, I told her so.
我注意到她打在二档上，通常这种状况应是三档或四档，于是我告诉她该如此如此。
In which case, the speed increase we got by moving from dial-up to broadband may have just been shifting into second gear on the information superhighway.
对比起来，我们从拨号上网到宽带上网所得到的增速只是在信息高速公路上挂了第二档而已。

With members of the Apatow gang (Paul Rudd, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader) operating in second gear.
NEWYORKER: Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Stuck in second gear with a squirrelly front brake, I finally gave up all hope of a swim.
NEWYORKER: Swimming
The economy, it seems, continues to muddle along, stuck in second gear, as economist David Levy recently noted.
FORBES: Sentiment Drops As Consumers Weigh 4% Income Contraction Due To Higher Taxes