新华社报道如下:British Prime Minister on Sunday admitted mistakes in the run-up to the US-led war against Iraq, but refused to bow calls for a full apology. Run-up在这里表示“事件的前奏曲,预备阶段”,常和to连用。例如:the run-up to the election(选举的准备阶段)。在美语中,run-up 还有“急剧上升”的含义,通常指突然的增长。例如:a run-up in interest rates/ house values(利率的急剧上升;房价的急剧增长)。