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to turn one\'s back on someone
to get on someone\'s back
我们今天要给大家介绍的两个习惯用语都和back这个字有关。Back是指人体的后背。由back这个组成的常用语是很多的。首先我们要讲的是:to turn one\'s back on someone。
从字面上解释,这是把自己的背对着某人。可是,实际上这是指根本不理会某人,或不肯给那个有困难的人任何帮助。下面这个例子是一个弟弟在抱怨他的哥哥:
例句-1: "I won\'t ever forgive my older brother--he turned his back on me and refused to lend me any money when I lost my job."
这人说:“我永远也不会原谅我的大哥哥。当我失去我的工作的时候,他根本不肯帮忙,一点钱都不愿意借给我。”
这个哥哥也确实不太讲兄弟之情。不过,这恐怕也不是什么少见的事,有时候父亲不认孩子的事还有呢。下面的例子就是一个儿子在说他爸爸:
例句-2: "My father deserted my mother and me when I was five years old. But I can\'t turn my back on him now that he\'s old and sick. So I\'m paying the rent for him on a little apartment in Los Angeles."
他说:“当我五岁的时候,我爸爸抛弃了我妈妈和我。可是,现在我爸爸又老又病,我可不能不管。他现在在洛杉矶租了一个小公寓套房,我替他付房租。”
下面我们要给大家介绍的一个俗语是:to get on someone\'s back。To get on someone\'s back是指对某人唠唠叨叨没完。太太嫌先生不帮忙做家务,先生又嫌太太太唠叨,这个现象可能是没有国界的,那儿都存在。下面两个例子表达了双方的观点,先听太太的吧:
例句-3: "I really don\'t like to get on Henry\'s back all the time. But after twenty years, you would think he\'d learn to pick up his clothes and hang them in the closet to help me keep the house neat."
太太的话听起来很有理,她说:“我实在并不喜欢老是对亨利唠叨。可是,二十年啦,你想他总学会了把自己的衣服拣起来,挂在衣柜里,帮我把屋子弄乾净吧!”
先生倒也承认太太有道理,但是就是......还是让他自己说吧:
例句-4: "Helen is always on my back to make me pick up my clothes when I leave them lying around the house. She\'s right, of course, but I wish she wouldn\'t get on my back so much."
他说:“每次我把衣服随便扔的时候,海伦总是唠唠叨叨,让我把它们拣起来。当然,她是对的。可是,我就是希望她不要那样唠叨个没完。”
我们今天给大家讲的两个俗语是:to turn one\'s back on someone和to get on someone\'s back。To turn one\'s back on someone是指不理会某人、不愿帮助某人。To get on someone\'s back是指对某人唠叨没完。
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crocodile tears
sob story
今天我们要给大家介绍两个和眼泪有关的俗语。大家知道,眼泪的英文字就是tears。 英文里有一个说法,叫做:crocodile tears。Crocodile就是鳄鱼。Crocodile tears和中国人常说的“猫哭老鼠假慈悲”是一样的意思。Crocodile tears这个俗语来自一个古老的神话,说是鳄鱼往往发出一种哭的声音来引诱那些它们要吃的动物,然后一面吃一面流眼泪。这当然不是事实,但是这个说法已经成常用语。下面我们来举个例子:
例句-1: "The truth is that Pete never liked his rich Uncle John. But you should have seen his crocodile tears when the old man died and left him a million dollars!"
这句话是说:“皮特从来都不喜欢他那有钱的叔叔约翰,这是事实。可是那老人去世的时候给他留了一百万美元,你可真该看看皮特当时那假流泪的样子。”
下面这个例子说的是一位政客:
例句-2: "In his speeches the mayor always puts on a big show of crocodile tears for poor and homeless people. But I don\'t see him doing anything to help them."
这是说:“这位市长在讲话时总是装得好像他对穷人和无家可归的人非常同情。但是,我并没有见到他做些什么来帮助他们。”
我们要讲的另一个和“哭”有关的俗语是:sob story。Sob是哭泣的意思,story就是故事。Sob story的意思就是某人编造一个令人伤心的故事来赢得别人的同情,甚至于让人给钱来帮助他。下面是一位女士在描述她怎么听了一个sob story以后受骗的:
例句-3: "Usually I don\'t give money to beggars. But this nice young man told me a sob story about needing money for a bus ticket to see his dying mother, so I gave him two dollars."
这位女士说:“一般我是不给乞丐钱的。但是,这个看上去挺不错的年轻人告诉我他需要钱坐公共汽车去看他那快要死的妈妈。他说得这么悲惨,我就给了他两块钱。”
世界上好心人是不少的,下面这个例子又是一个人上了sob story的当:
例句-4: "On my way to work this man stopped me and said he hadn\'t eaten in three days so I gave him a dollar. On my way home I saw him get into a new car and drive off and I know now he had given me a sob story."
这个好心人说:“在我去上班的路上那个人挡住了我,对我说,他已经三天没吃东西了。所以我给了他一块钱。可是,我在回家的路上看见他跨进了一辆新的汽车后就开走了。我这才知道他说的事全是假的。”
我们今天讲的两个习惯用语都是和眼泪有关的。它们是:crocodile tears和sob story。Crocodile tears从字面上来翻译就是:鳄鱼的眼泪,实际上也就是“猫哭老鼠假慈悲”。Sob story是编造悲惨的故事来赢得人们的同情。 |
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