shorten
/ˈʃɔ:tn; `ʃɔrtn/ v[I, Tn]
(cause sth to) become shorter （使某物）变短
The days are beginning to shorten, eg in autumn. 白天开始变短了（如在秋季）.
take two links out of the chain to shorten it 取下两个链环把链子弄短
They want to shorten the time it takes to make the car. 他们想把生产汽车的时间缩短. Cf 参看 lengthen (length).