书城外语一句话让老美刮目相看
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第8章 工作学习(1)

Do you get the picture?

明白是怎么回事了吗?

这句话直译的时意思是:你得到照片了吗?实则不然,get the picture 是一个习语,是指“明白”的意思,picture 这里并非指“照片、图片”;Get the Picture 还曾经是20世纪90年代在美国电视节目中流行的一档节目。

E语范特西

英语中表示“明白”的词或短语还有“I see.”“I got it.”“I've got it.”“I get you.”“I understand.”“I see your point.”等等。

励志E言E语

Optimists always picture themselves accomplishing their goals.

乐观主义者总是想象自己实现了目标的情景。

picture有“画;画像;图片”的基本义,还有“想象”“局面;状况”的引申义。

补充一点:He's been away for several weeks,and we'd better put him in the picture at once.他已经离开几星期了,我们最好立即把情况告诉他。put sb.in the picture把情况告诉某人。

笑侃E言E语

I Never Work after Supper

A penny-pinching farmer didn't want his hired hand to stop working.One morning,he told the farmhand,“It's such a nuisance to come in from the field wash up for lunch and take time to eat.Why don't we save time and eat lunch now?”

The hired man agreed.The farm's wife brought in some cold meat and fired potatoes,and the two men ate again.

When they had finished,the cheap farmer said,“While we're still at the table,let's have supper too.”They were now served steak,boiled potatoes and mixed vegetables,and they ate once more.

“Now that the meals are out of the way,”the farmer announced,we can go out and work all day without interruption.

“Oh,no,”the farmer answered,“I never work after supper.”

我晚饭后从不工作

一位吝啬的农场主不想让他雇佣的帮手停下工作。一天早上,他对帮手说:“从地里干活回来,又要洗手又要吃饭,真是太麻烦了。我们为什么不现在就吃饭,节省时间呢?”

雇员欣然同意。农场主的妻子端上一些冷肉和油炸土豆。于是,两个人又吃起来。

他们吃完后,吝啬的农场主说:“既然我们还坐在桌子旁边,那我们把晚饭也吃了吧。”这次他们吃的是排骨、煮土豆和杂烩青菜。两个人又一次吃了起来。

“现在,我们把三顿饭都吃了,”农场主说道,“我们出去干活,整整一天都可以不停了。”

“哦,不行。”那帮手回答,“我晚饭后从不工作。”

扫描E言E语

penny-pinching小气的

nuisance讨厌的人(或事物);麻烦事;【律】妨害行为;骚扰行为

wash up洗碗碟等餐具;洗手脸

steak牛排;肉排;鱼排;(碎肉做的)牛肉饼

interruption中止;阻碍;障碍物;打扰;干扰;休止;间歇

I'm done.

我不行了。

在以下几种情况可以用I'm done来表达:①感到太累,不耐烦而不想做、某事。②吃太饱而不想再吃。③完成某件工作。另外,也可以用“I'm finished.”来代替,意思一样。

E语范特西

相关的表达还有I've done my best.我已尽力了。I'm really dead.我真要累死了。有的时候当你的工作负担太重的时候,你难免也会发出这样的感叹。正如:Many people are breaking down due to working stress.许多人因为工作压力而垮了。break down损坏;(健康等)垮掉,崩溃;due to working stress因为工作压力。

励志E言E语

Easier said than done.

说的容易,做起来难。

这句名言的完整说法是:It is easier said than done。省略了形式上的主语it(泛指某事),said和done用了过去分词,主要是修饰形式主语it,因为事情是被人谈论和被人做的。

补充一点:I can't walk any farther,I'm done up.一步都走不动了太累了。be done up精疲力竭。

笑侃E言E语

Traffic Accident

In the middle of the night,in the middle of nowhere,two cars both veer over the white line in the center or in the center of the road.They collide and a fair amount of damage is done,although neither occupant is hurt.It is impossible to assess blame for the accident.

Both the drivers get out of their cars.One is a doctor and the other is a lawyer.The lawyer calls the police on his car phone and goes over to talk to the doctor.

It's cold and damp,and both men are quite shaken up at the accident.The lawyer offers the doctor a drink of brandy from his hip flask.

“Oh,thank you,”the doctor accepts.He takes a few drinks and hands it back to the lawyer,who puts it away.

“Aren't you also going to have a drink?”the doctor asks.

“Yes,after the police gets here.”replies the lawyer.

交通事故

午夜,某地两辆车同时在路中央的白线上调头。然后撞在一块,车损伤情况严重。虽然两个车主并没有受伤,但很难看出谁是肇事者。

两人都走出车外,一人是一位医生,另一人是一名律师。律师用车上的电话报了警,然后走过来同医生交谈。

空气很冷很湿,两人对这场事故都有点儿心有余悸。律师掏出身后裤袋里的酒瓶,递给医生让他喝一口白兰地。

“哦,谢谢。”医生接过来,他喝了一点,然后还给律师。律师把酒瓶抛到一边。

“你不来一口吗?”医生问。

“要,在警察到了之后。”律师回答。

扫描E言E语

collide碰撞;相撞;冲突;抵触

occupant占有人;居住者;【律】先占取者;实际占有人

assess估计;评估;评价

blame责备;指责

damp有湿气的;潮湿的;消沉的;沮丧的

brandy白兰地酒;一杯白兰地酒;(用苹果等发酵制成的)果子酒

flask携带瓶;酒瓶;【英】热水瓶

put away把……收起;放好;储存;抛弃;放弃

The discussions throw no light on the matter.

讨论没能让事情有个头绪。

throw light on sth.表示的是使某事清晰、为某事提供信息;使明白等,英文的解释为provide information or clarification to sth.,to help people understand a situation。实际上,在中文里,我们有时候也会说有点亮了,以此来形容一个问题有了头绪、有些眉目或已找到解决的途径之类情形。

E语范特西

表达有了头绪、有些眉目这层含义的相关说法还有Things soon settled into shape.事情很快就有了头绪。settled into shape意为有头绪,上正轨。After months of work,we are beginning to see daylight.工作几个月后,我们开始有头绪了。see daylight看到胜利曙光。The plan is beginning to take shape in my mind.这个计划在我脑子里逐渐有了眉目。take shape成形;体现。

励志E言E语

A heavy purse makes a light heart.袋里有钱,心里不慌。

a light heart意为(心情)轻松愉快地,也含有豁达的意思。

补充一点:His explication cast some light on the question.他的讲解让问题有了头绪。cast light on 阐明某事。

笑侃E言E语

The Sun and the Moon

One day,a lady talked with her friend saying that the sun is the most beautiful and useful of the celestial bodies.A gentleman,who was present,answered:“Yes,Madam,the sun is a very fine body,to be sure,but in my opinion,it is not as useful as the moon.”

“Why so?”asked the lady.

“Because,”replied the gentleman,“the moon affords us light in the night-time,when we really want it,whereas we have the sun always with us in the day-time,when we have not so much need of it.”

太阳和月亮

一天,一位太太和她的朋友在一起谈论太阳是太空中最美丽、最有用的星体。一位被邀请来的绅士答道:“是的,太太,太阳的确是一颗非常美丽的星体,但我认为它不如月亮用处大。”

那位太太问:“为什么?”

绅士回答:“因为月亮在夜晚给我们亮光,那时我们正需要它;而太阳总是在白天和我们在一起,而那时我们并不需要它呀。”

扫描E言E语

celestial天的;天空的;天国的;神圣的;精妙的;极佳的

in one's opinion按某人的看法;在某人看来;依某人之见

whereas然而

He's alive to the danger of the work.

他非常清楚这项工作的危险。

alive作形容词时,意思是“活着的”。这句中使用的是比较常用的一个习惯用语,可以从这个词的本意去理解:鲜活的,对……保持/拥有鲜活的状态。搭配be alive to就等于be aware of,或be sensitive to,意思是“意识到,注意到,对……敏感”。

E语范特西

表达“一清二楚”,除了上面提到的几种说法,还有一些比较有意思的表达。如:The fact was as clear as daylight that the girl was innocent.事实非常清楚,这个女孩是无辜的。as clear as daylight 一清二楚。I got that straight.这我是弄得一清二楚。get that straight搞清楚,弄明白。As far as I can see the whole matter is open-and-shut.我看整件事是一清二楚。open-and-shut明白的;一目了然的。

励志E言E语

Confidence doesn't need any specific reason.If you're alive,you should keep 100percent confidence.

自信不需要理由,生活应该保持100分的自信。

补充一点:We are very glad to see that our grandmother is still alive and kicking.我们很高兴奶奶仍旧精力充沛。alive and kicking意思“活蹦乱跳的,精力充沛的”。

笑侃E言E语

The Doctor Knows Better

A man was hit by a cab in the street.He was brought to the hospital.His wife who was standing up by his bed,said to the doctor:“I think that he is very ill.”

“I am afraid that he is dead.”said the doctor.

Hearing this,the man moved his head and said,“I'm not dead.I'm still alive.”

“Be quiet,“said the wife,”The doctor knows better than you!”

医生懂得多

一个男人在街上被出租车撞倒送进了医院。他的妻子站在他的床前对医生说:“我想他伤得很厉害。”

医生说:“恐怕他已经死了。”

听到医生的话,这个男人转动着头说:“我没死,我还活着。”

妻子说:“安静,医生比你懂得多。”

扫描E言E语

cab 出租车;(机车、卡车等的)驾驶室;出租马车

alive活着的;现存的;有活力的;有生气的;活跃的

He is the Man Friday of his boss.

他是他老板的得力助手。

Man Friday得力助手。它源自小说《鲁滨逊漂流记》。Friday是被鲁滨逊星期五救的野人,便起名叫Friday。从此,Friday就成了鲁滨逊忠实的仆人。如果助手是女性,就叫“Girl Friday”。

E语范特西

来看看“得力助手”的其他英文表达,在语句中体会和理解,会让你记得更牢固。You're a right-hand man.你是个得力助手。right-hand man/assistant得力助手。right arm作为固定搭配是意思等同于right-hand man。She is quite a help to her mother.她是她妈妈的得力助手。The professor has several capable assistants.教授手下有几名得力助手。

励志E言E语

Industry is fortunes right hand,and frugality her left.

勤劳是财富的右手,节俭是她的左手。

frugality节约;朴素;节俭。任何时候,请记住:勤劳与节俭是铸就财富人生的基本要素。

补充一点:Despite being rich,Mr.Green is still leading his life in a frugal way.尽管格林先生很富有,他仍然过著简朴的生活。

笑侃E言E语

A Lucky Customer

There is a new opening supermarket.All the housewives who went to the new supermarket had one great ambition:to be the lucky customer who did not have to pay for her shopping.For this was what the notice just inside the entrance promised.It said:“Remember,once a week,one of our customers gets free goods.This may be your lucky day!”

For several week Mrs.Edwards hoped,like many of her friends,to be the lucky customer.Unlike her friends,she never gave up hope.The cupboards in her kitchen were full of things,which she did not need.Her husband tried to advise her against buying things but failed.She dreamed of the day when the manager of the supermarket would approach her and say,“Madam,this is your lucky day.Everything in your basket is free.”

On Friday morning,after she had finished her shopping and taken it to her car,she found that she had forgotten to buy any tea.She dashed back to the supermarket,got the tea and went towards the cash desk.As she did so,she saw the manager of the supermarket approach her.“Madam,”he said,holding out his hand,“I want to congratulate you!You are our lucky customer and everything you have in your basket is free!”

幸运的顾客

最近有家新开张的超市。所有前往光顾的主妇都怀揣一个美好的愿望——幸运地成为那个购物不用交钱的顾客。这是商店入口处的启事上所承诺的。启事上写着:“请记住,每个星期都有一位可以免费购物的顾客。也许,今天就是您的幸运日!”

几个星期以来,正如自己的许多朋友一样,爱德华太太一直盼望着自己会成为那位幸运的顾客。跟朋友们不同,她一直没有放弃这一期望。家里厨房的碗柜中都塞满了并不适用的东西。她的丈夫建议她不要乱买东西,然而收效甚微。她一直梦想着有一天超市的经理走到她的面前,对她说:“夫人,今天是您的幸运日,您篮子里的所有东西都是免费的。”

一个周五的早晨,她采购完并把东西放进车里后,才想起自己忘了买茶叶。她急匆匆地回到超市,取了茶叶后向收银处走去。正在此时,她看到商店的经理走了过来。“夫人,”他一边说着一边伸出手来,“我要恭喜您!您是我们的幸运顾客,您篮子里的所有东西都免费的。”

扫描E言E语

ambition雄心;抱负;野心;追求的目标

dream of向往,渴望,梦想;梦见;梦想

dash猛冲;急奔;冲击;撞击