●《校园英语迷你惯用语(1)》:
▲1. What am I gonna do? I'm gonno miss this curfew.
怎么办!我会赶不上关门(时间的.) 美国口语常用 I'm gonna (=going to)及 I wanna (=want to)
的省略形;听起来虽有亲切感,但应避免在正式的场合中使用. curfew 是指"关门"之意. "我赶不上(宿舍等的)关门时间"是 I'm
not gonna make (it for) the curfew. ▲2. Those people hanging out
next door are so noisy. 经常聚集在隔壁的那些人吵闹的很. hang out 是"经常聚集", 等于hang
around. "经常流连的场所(名词)" 拼为 hangout. This coffee shop is our favorite
hangout. (这家咖啡屋是我们最喜欢聚会的地方). ▲3. Heaven is eating convenience store
"hotdogs" in winter. 冬天吃便利商店的"热狗"真棒
表示"幸福,快乐,真棒"等情况时也可以用漫画里的Snoopy"史奴比" 常说的 Happiness is..... Nothing
is better than eating.... 以及 You can't beat
eating....都是表示"吃.......最棒"之意. ▲4. Shoot. They cut my phone service
again. 呦!他们(电信局)又切断我的电话了. 也可以说 They cut me off again. shoot (=****)
是"狗屎,胡说"之意; ****一词最好少用,shoot尚可. service是指"公共事业". The postal service
in this country is not so good. 是(这个国家的邮政事业不太好). ▲5. Who am I gonna
bum some money from next? 我下一个该向谁借钱呢? bum是"敲竹杠,乞讨",含有"有借无还"的意思, 如:
Can I bum a cigarette from/off you? (我可以向你要一支香烟吗?). 也有 Can I hit
you up for 1,000 yuan till next month? (我可不可以向你借1,000元,下个月还你?)的说法.
▲6. This room's starting to smell like a compost heap.
这个房间开始有些(垃圾)臭味了. compost heap 是"肥堆",用作"恶臭"之意. "垃圾"一般称为
trash(英国人称为rubbish), 厨房的"菜屑碎肉之类的垃圾"称作(kitchen) garbage.
同时,"(不)可燃垃圾"称为(non) burnable waste. ▲7. That pervert again?! He
gives me the creeps. 那个色狼又出现了!?他让我浑身其鸡皮疙瘩. pervert 是"变态者","调戏孩子者"称为
child molester, "偷窥者"称为peeper.(你这老不正经的!)常用 You dirty old man!
....gives me the creeps 是"....使我起鸡皮疙瘩". He's creepy. 是(他令人毛骨悚然)之意.
▲9. I kill time. 消磨时间. kill除了有"杀死"的意思以外,还有许多不同的意思. 如: The noise
killed the music. 是指(噪音吵的听不到音乐)之意. ▲10. I blow-dry my hair. 吹干头发.
dry 是"弄干"之意. "用毛巾擦干"是 towel oneself, "用力擦干"就用 towel away. ▲11.
缩写表达方式一览表. 英美人士在会话中,常使用缩写的词语,以使会话更为生动. 以下是一些使用频率较高的缩写词句,以供参考.
when's ---- when is; he's ---- he is/ he has; kinda ---- kind of;
it's been ---- it has been; what're ---- what are; what'll ----
what will; that'll ---- that will; I'd ---- I would/ I had; It'd
(be) ---- It would (be); wanna ---- want to; gonna ---- going to;
I've gotta ---- I have got to; C'mon ---- Come on; shoulda ----
should have; 'cause ---- because; a lotta ---- a lot of; ▲12. I
feel relief when I see the questions. 看完题目后方下心. What a relief!
是(多么令人感到欣慰/放心!)的意思. ▲13. I rack my brain trying to remember the
answer. 绞尽脑汁想答案. rack one's brain 是"绞尽脑汁". 也顺便记下 on the rack,
意思是"非常痛苦". ▲14. I throw in the towel. 我认输了. throw in the towel
是"承认败北", 源自拳击比赛时的做法. 也可以说 I give up. ▲15. I hope there're a lot of
decent guys in that club. 我希望那个社团多数是正派的人. decent是"得体的,体面的"之意.
decent guys 通常是指"正派的人". 指"容貌英俊的男孩",可以用 good/decent-looking guys.
目前一般所谓的"三高",指的就是 a tall, high-income, and well-educated man
"高个子,高收入,高学历." ▲16. He says he's sick, but I think he just doesn't
wanna join us anymore. 他说他病了,但我想他只是不愿再加入我们的行列. (他以生病为借口) 是 It's an
excuse that he's sick. 或 He's using sickness as an excuse. 还有 I'm
gonna call in sick 是"(向工作单位等)请病假"之意, 真假的时候都可以说. ▲17. No. A
ratty-haired bookworm, in this day and age?
噢!现在都什么时代了,还有这种满头邋遢头发的书呆子? ratty-haired 是"邋遢的头发"之意. bookworm
如字面所示,是"书虫(书呆子)"的意思. "用功念书的古怪家伙"在美国俚语中是 nerd, 而英国俚语指猛K(啃)书的人则说
swot. ▲18. That guy! he took our club's video camera home.
那个家伙!他把我们社团里的摄像机拿回家了. guy 是"家伙,(男)人之意;在美国还用 jerk "讨厌鬼" 如: What a
gerk! 表示"好家伙!"之意. You shouldn't help yourself to our club
equipment. 是(你不可将我们的社团公物私用)之意. ▲19. I invite people to join our
club. 我邀请人来参加社团. invite...over 是"邀请人来家里"之意. invitation 是"请柬". 请柬上注明
R.S.V.P. (法语 Repondez s'il vous plait 的简称)时, 表示 please reply.
(出席与否请复函)之意. ▲20. I agree grudgingly. 我勉强的同意. 形容词 grudging
是"不情愿的,勉强的"之意. grudging praise 是"不情愿说的奉承话". 动词 grudge 是"吝惜"的意思.
▲21. I stretch to loosen up. 我伸展身体. stretch 是"伸展". ▲22. What is
this? What kind of party organizer is he? 搞什么嘛? 他算哪种聚会主办人? (酒不够喝)说
There's not enough drinks to go around. 而(点心太差)则说 The appetizers
are lousy. "主办人"称为 party host/hotess. What kind of...?是"哪一种.."之意.
▲23. He can really chug his beer. 他可以一口气喝掉他的啤酒. chug 是 chug-a-lug
(表示"咕噜咕噜"的象声词,为俚语,"一口气喝下去"的意思) 的缩写. (各位,让我们一口气喝干啤酒吧!)是说 Everybody,
get ready to chug your beer!. ▲24. The ones who get all quiet and
suddenly throw up worry me the most. 有一种人静静的喝酒中间会突然呕吐出来,我最怕这样了.
"呕吐"可以用 throw up 或 vomit. 俚语中有 puke (还记得//puke吗?),
barf,heave,upchuck,toss one's cookies 等说法. 也有 Watch out! Looks like
somebody lost his dinner. (注意!好象有人丢掉了他(吃) 的晚餐)的委婉说法. ▲25. I don't
think the wimpy drinkers are gonna last long in this club.
我不认为那些酒量差的老兄会在这社团呆的太久. wimpy 是"窝囊(wimp)的"意思, 如: What a wimp!
(多窝囊啊!). (他不太会喝酒)是 He's a light drinker.; (他酒量普通)是 He's a social
drinker.; (他是一个善饮者)则说 He's a heavy/hard drinker. ▲26. He looks like
he can hold his liquor. Let's see how long he lasts.
他看起来好像海量,让我们看看他能撑到几时. He can hold his liquor. 是(他喝酒不醉/海量). 而 He
can't hold his liquor. 则是(他一喝酒就会乱来)之意. liquor 是"酒精饮料". 在美国,"酒店"称为
liquor store. 而(我可以把你灌醉)是说 I can drink you under the table. ▲27.
Laugh while you can, fella. 看你还能得意到几时!小子. fella 是 fellow 的转化,
以为"男子;家伙".说 out-drink...时是"喝赢.." 的意思. (让我们看看谁最会喝)是 Let's see who
can outdrink the others. 或说 Let's see who can last the longest.
▲28. Wow!! I lucked out! We're going back the same way. 哇!!我幸运透了!
我们可以同路回去. luck out 是"幸运透了"之意. He lucked out. He didn't get drafted.
是(他很幸运免服兵役). (我们住在同一方向/同一条路线)则说 We live the same way/one the same
line. ▲29. I've brought the best-looking girls, and this is the
best you could do? 我邀请了最漂亮的女孩子,而你们只能做到这个程度? best-looking
是"最好看的..."之意. This is...?是"只能...吗?". "最差的男人"可以用dog
(即俚语中"最没魅力的人"来称呼,如: What a bunch of dogs!)
(**我分特.早知道dog还有这个意思,我一定不会用 它作昵称的,不过话又说回来了,这个词义你一定记住了.呵呵**) (没什么
好选的!)可以说 Slim pickings! ▲30. Don't tell me. Is he after her, too?
不至于吧,他也在追求她?! Don't tell me (that...) 是口语"不至于吧;别开玩笑"之意. Be
after...是"追着...". The police are after him. 是(他被警察 追着)的意思,而 What's
he after? 则是(他想要追求什么?)之意. ▲31. They are in their own world.
他们沉浸在自己的天地里. be in one's own world 是"沉浸在自我的世界"之意. 也可以用在指爱情 以外的情形.
(他们相互恋爱着)可以说 They're completely in love with each other., 或是俚语用法的
They're crazy/mad/nuts about each other. ▲32. He was more
interesting than I expected. 他比我想像的还风趣. I never would have guessed
he would be so interesting. 是(我从未想到 他是如此风趣)之意.
相反的,(我不知道他是这样的一个土包子)则说 I didn't know he was such a jerk. ▲33. Yuck!
The guy's wearing a tux. 呦! 那位仁兄穿起晚礼服来了. It's yucky! 是稚语的(糟糕了!)之意.
tuxedo 在口语中只说 tux即可. 而(我不知道要穿正式礼服)是 I didn't know I had to dress
up., 或说 I didn't know this was gonna be a dress-up party. ▲34.
They're gonna be rolling in it. 他们会赚死了. He's rolling in it/money.
是(他正在大赚其钱)的常用句. make a big profit on...也是"大赚..."之意.如: They must
have made a big profit on this party. 是(他们在这次聚会上,一定大赚一笔). ▲35. I
round up the gang. 聚了一帮人. I drink to a toast. 干杯. 在欧洲,干杯时常说 Cheers!
或 Mud in the eye! I reach for some snacks and munchies. 伸手抓点心吃.
动词munch 是"嘎之 嘎之的咬/嚼"之意.munchies是名词点心. ▲36. I gorge myself on the
food. 狼吞虎咽的吃. gorge oneself 是"狼吞虎咽"之意. I come on strong and try to
pick up a girl. 为亲近那女孩猛灌迷魂汤. come on strong 是"侃侃而谈", 此处含有"猛灌迷魂汤"之意.
pick up a girl 在此处是指"拍女孩,找个女孩交朋友"之意. make a smooth pick up
是"很顺利就交上(女朋友)"的意思. I jeer and start yelling. 喝倒彩. I do an
impersonation. 做模仿表演. ▲37. I get dead drunk.醉倒了. 翌日醒来再喝酒,"以酒攻酒" 称为
a hair of the dog. 古时候人们认为被哪只狂犬咬着,就用它的毛来治疗. 有这个传说转意而来就有了"以毒攻毒"的意思.
I take care of someone who has passed out. 照顾一个醉倒的人. 请注意,passed out
而不是 passed away.呵呵. ▲38. I wonder if two crates of cabbage is
enough. 我不知道两箱包心菜够不够. crate 是指"(运送,打包用的)箱柜,竹笼"等. cabbage 是"包心菜".
此处将 two crates of cabbage 当作一个整体,所以动词用单数 is. 如果说 Shall I go and get
another crate, just in case? 是指 (是要我再去拿一箱,以防万一吗?) ▲39. Well, since
he's making such a fuss, guess I'll just have to.
好吧!因为他很罗嗦,我想只好就听他的吧! since 是"因为",用来表示"理由". make a fuss(about .....)
是"小题大作;罗里罗唆"之意. just have to (do so) 是"只好听他"之意. (哼,她总是独断专行)可以用
Gosh, she always has her own way. (怕怕的问, is she Angel?? :-P) ▲40.
Hey, there're some cute girls over there. Let's go!
嘿,那边有些漂亮女孩.我们去吧! cute girl 是"可爱的女孩".美国俚语也用 chick "妞"或 babe (=baby)
"可人儿"来称呼女孩子. 美国的棒球王 Babe Ruth 是因他长的 一副娃娃脸而被大家称为 Babe. ▲41. These
guys think they're really great, don't they? 这些家伙以为他们真的很了不起,不是吗?
"自我满足"是 self-satisfaction, 也可以用 complacency. (无聊!胡说八道!废话!)等说法可以用
Nonsense! (笨得无可救药!)可以说 A fool remains a fool until he dies. ▲42. I
thought she was just a rich princess, but it looks like we have a
lot in common. 我以为她不过是千金小姐,但看来我们有许多共同点. 带着轻蔑口吻的"千金小姐,阔少爷"常用 spoiled
rich kid/brat. have a lot in common 是"有许多共同之处". We have good
chemistry. 是一句俗语,意味(我们很谈的来). ▲43. I'm glad I got it off my chest.
我很高兴自己把心事讲出来. got it off my chest 是"把心事吐露出来". (为什么不把心事讲出来?
你会觉得舒服的多)是 Why don't you get it off your chest? You'll feel much
better; 相反的,想说(我有心事)可以用 I have something on my mind. ▲44. She
always says, "I don't know what to do...", but she's just showing
off. 她总是说"我不知道该怎么办",....但她只是为了要炫耀自己. show off...是"炫耀......"之意.
"夸耀"可用 brag 或 boast, 如: She's always bragging/going on about her
boyfriend. (她经常夸耀她的男友). ▲45. We've been through a lot but we're
still together. It must be fate. 我们历尽沧桑后仍在一起,必定是命中注定的. we've been
through a lot 是(我们一起历尽沧桑)之意. It must be fate. 是说(一定是命中注定的)之意.
(我想我们是命中注定在一起)可以说 I guess we're meant to be stuck with each
other.
●《校园英语迷你惯用语(2)》:
▲46. I guess sometimes people hit it right off. 我想有时候人们初次见面就会很投缘.
hit it off (well) 是"很投缘"之意. I hit it off well with him. 或 He and I
hit it off (well) together (with each other). 是指(我和他非常投缘,我们很谈的来)之意.
right含有"开始就...."之意. ▲47. We talked so long, I ended up missing
class. 我们谈了好久,把课都给误了. end/wind up doing... 是"结果....."之意.
(今天逃课算了!)是用 I'm gonna miss/cut/ckip class today. 俚语也可以说 I'm gonna
play hooky. ▲48. Since she started college, all of a sudden she's
Miss Glamor. 她上了大学后,一下子变得很时髦. 英语的 glamor 含有"妩媚,魅力"之意.
(她看起来非常耀眼,)可以说 She looks too flashy. 或 Her outfit is a bit too
much. (她的穿着太过分了.) ▲49. Next to her, anybody would look good.
谁只要在她的旁边,看上去都长得不错. "难看"是 ugly/ugly-looking, 俚语也用 dog, 可用于男女. I am
not here just to make her look better. 是(我不在这里只是 为了让她好看些的). ▲50. I
confide a secret to a friend. 向朋友吐露密秘. confide...to..是"向...吐露..";
confide in... 则是"吐露秘密给..."的意思.能够吐露秘密或心事的朋友称为 confidant "密友,心腹". I
break off a relation. 跟她断交. break off 是"分离,离开". patch up 原意为"补缀"之意,
此处是指"言归于好"的意思. ▲51. She's real pretty, but I bet she has a
boyfriend. 她真漂亮,但我打赌她已经有男朋友了. 此外, She's a beauty/fox. 和 She's so
hot/cute. 等也是同样的意思. I bet (that)... 是"我相信......" ▲52. Looks like
those two are up to something, huh? 最近那两人好象怪怪的,关系暧昧. 和 Looks like
something's going one there. 相同. be up
to...是"从事于......,企图于....."之意.如: What's she up to? (她想做什么事?). 而 They
can come in the open. 是(他们可以大大方方的交往)之意. ▲53. Girls just love
hanging out in the bathroom. 女孩子喜欢在洗手间里磨蹭. love doing/to
do...是"非常喜欢做....." hang out 是"徘徊". 而 I was just touching up my make
up/powdering my nose in the ladies room. 是(我刚在女用化妆室补妆)之意. ▲54. I
lose my mind just standing next to him. 和他站在一起就使我意乱情迷. lose one's
mind 是"失神,忘形"之意. have butterflies in one's stomach 是"意乱情迷",如: He
gives me butterflies. (我不禁微笑)则说 I just can't keep from smiling.
▲55. Too much! Matching outfits! 太过分了! 情侣装! Too much! 是(太过分!).
matching 是"相配的". Their clothes matches. 是(他们的衣服相配)之意. outfit
是指"(全套)服装". Nice outfit! 是(好棒的打扮!). ▲56. I'd never try to woo
someone with fine cars or gifts. 我决不会用香车和礼物来求婚. woo...是"求爱,求婚"之意.
也可以用 try to win over a girl's heart的说法. fine 是"豪华的".
想开玩笑说(他是我的司机)就说 He's just my chauffer., 或 He's just my
wheels/transportation. ▲57. He said he wouldn't try anything, but
come on.... 他说他不会做任何事,但说归说... I wouldn't come on to you.
是(我不会逼迫你的)之意. I wouldn't do anything funny. 是(我不会乱来的). 此处的 but come
one 是接近于"够了,够了",也可用 Give me a break. 含义相似. I can read you like a
book. 是(我深知你心)之意. ▲58. We are kind of stuck in a rut.
我们有点陷入固定(乏味)的生活方式. rut 是"车痕;常规;惯例". be/get stuck in a rut
是"陷于同一种模式, 惯例"之意. 与 be/get in the same old routine. 同义.
(是该分手的时候了)是说 Time to call it quits. ▲59. I wonder if there's an
easy way to break up and still be friends. 我在想有没有既能分手又能彼此做朋友的简便方法.
"分手"可说 break up 或split up, 如: She broke up with him. (她和他分手了).
想要彻底分手时,可以说 Let's not make it messy. (我们不要拖泥带水的分手.). 也可以说 Let's
make a clean break. (让我们彻底的分手.) ▲60. Isn't that something how he
left me after four years? 交往了4年之后,他这样离开我不是太过分了吗? Isn't that
something...? 是"...不是太过分了吗?" 俗语说 He dumped/dropped me. 是(他甩了我)的意思.
He turned me down. 则是(他拒绝了我). ▲61. I pretend to give him the cold
shoulder. 我故意假装冷落他. give someone the cold shoulder 是"冷落某人"之意,此处的
shoulder是由从前对讨厌的客人露出肩膀,表示厌恶引申来的. cold turkey 是指"冷漠的人". ▲62. I
played the field. 和很多异性交往. 相反的,如果"只和某一特定对象交往"时,则说:go steady. I fly
into a rage. 很生气 rage 是"盛怒"之意. fly into raptures 是"兴高采烈". I assume
a defiant attitude. 采取倨傲的态度. ▲63. I suggest we make a clean break.
我建议我们干干净净的分手吧! 夫妻或情侣要分手时,也可以用 break up 表示. ▲64. Being a tutor for
slow learners is really a drag. 身为反映迟钝学生的家庭教师真累人.
Being....是用动名词为主语的句型. tutor 是"家庭教师,(英国)大学的导师". slow learner
是"反映迟钝的学生", drag 是"累赘"之意. 反过来说 Being a tutor for quick learners is
duck soup/a soft job. 是(作为头脑灵敏学生的家庭教师真情松). ▲65. That guy has
connections in lots of shady jobs. 那家伙在很多不正经的工作方面都有人际关系.
此处的connections 是指"关系,门路,社会关系"等义. shady 是"可疑的". He has powerful
connections in the publishing world 是(他在出版界有强而有力的社会关系). After all,
connections talk. 是(终究还是有门路才行的通). ▲66. Yeah, working conditions
matter, but I want a job where there're lots of babes.
是啊,虽然工作条件很重要,但我想要在有很多侨妞的地方工作. Yeah 是 yes 的口语说法. Yeah....是自言自语的口气,
表示 "虽然...."之意. working conditions 是"工作条件". 此处的 matter
做动词用,表示"非常重要"之意. ▲67. Uh-oh, this looks like an underworld
operation. 哎呀!这地方看起来象是黑道经营的场所. this (=this place) 是"这里,此处"的意思.
underworld 指黑社会. operation 是"事业,经营". I'd better wash my hands of
the underworld and go straight as soon as possible. 是(我最好尽早改邪归正).
▲68. Come to think of it, I've been working here for five years.
想起来,我在这地方已工作五年了. come to think of it 的意思是"来想想看".也就是 when/now that I
come to think of it 的简略. 此句用现在完成进行式 have been....ing 表示"持续..". It's
about time I left this job 是(是我该离开这职务的时候了!)之意. ▲69. Now that I'm
out on errands, they'll never know whether I am working or not.
由于我在外面跑腿,他们永远也不知道我是否在工作. now that (=since)...是"由于....."之意. out on
errands 是"在外当跑腿". He is always going on/running errands for his
girlfriend. 是(他总是替他女朋友跑腿). ▲70. Gross. That cook doesn't even wash
his hands after he goes to the bathroom. 好可怕哦....那厨师上完洗手间后,连手也不洗.
gross 是"哎呀!",表示"好可怕"之意. not even..."连...也不...". bathroom
是"洗手间",在公共场所也可以称为 lavatory, restroom washroom 等. I want to work in
a clean, tidy kitchen. 是(我想在一个清洁,干净的厨房工作). ▲71. I always wanted to
wear this uniform. 我一直想穿这套制服. 也可以改用现在完成式,而说 I've always/long wanted
to... Wearing an Italian Tomato's uniform has been my
long-cherished desire. 是"穿着意大利番茄的(餐厅)制服,是我长久以来的梦想". ▲72. This
manager's such a lech! 这个经理真是好色之徒. lech 是"好色之徒,色狼". Have you
suffered sexual harrassment? 时(你有没有 受到过性骚扰?). Huh, I'd like to be
seduced by such a handsome manager. 是(哦,我倒也想要被这样英俊的经理诱拐). ▲73. I
still have to keep a smile on my face, even to this strange
customer? 对这种怪客人,我还得强颜欢笑吗? 美国俗话中的 turkey 是指"无聊的家伙",左句也可以改用 even to
this turkey. My fact got tense from smiling all the time.
是(我总是笑着,把脸都笑僵了.) ▲74. I was only a little late. Don't have a fit
about it. 我只不过是迟到了一会儿,不要发火嘛! a little late 是"稍稍迟到". "...迟到"是 be
late for.... "及时赶上"是 be in time for... have a fit/forty fits
是"勃然大怒". Don't be fussy about trifles. 是(不要大惊小怪)之意. ▲75. God, I've
had it with this job! 天啊!这种工作我真是受够了. have had it 是"吃不消,厌烦了"之意. 和
I've had enough of it! 同义. I am done with it. 是(我不干了). You're
fired. 是(你被解雇了.) (我被解雇了)可以说 I was fired/got it in the neck. ▲76. I
scrunch up my nose at the sight of (table) scraps in the garbage.
残羹剩菜使我掩鼻. scrunch 压迫,挤压, 捏成一团,揉成一团. scraps 是"不可吃的残羹剩饭",而 leftovers
则是"可以再吃的剩菜". ▲78. I wonder if there are any alumni of my school at
this company. 不知道这家公司里有没有我们学校的校友. alumni 是 alumnus
的复数形式,是指"毕业生,校友". 女子大专的毕业生其复数 形式为alunma. "同学会"是 alumni association;
"同学的聚会,聚餐"则称为 alumni metting. wonder if...从功能上讲相当于疑问句,所以句中使用any.
▲79. I guess the whole world runs on connections. 我想全世界还是靠人际关系运作的啦.
run on 是"用...运转/开动",如 This toy runs on batteries. (这玩具使用电池开动的). How
can I find a job without connections? 是(没有人际关系我怎么能找到工作呢?) ▲80.
Working for a foreign company'd be glamorous. 在外商公司工作会很神气. "外商"也称为
foreign affiliate. glamorous 是指"(工作等)富有魅力的,迷人的" 之意;在此处也可以用 stylish
"时髦的"加以代替. Working for a local govern- ment might be good.
是(在地方政府机关工作也并不坏)的意思. ▲81. Looks like I'm gonna have to buy a winter
suit, too. 看来我也得去买一套冬季西装. suit /sju:t/ 是"(上下成套的)西装",而suite /swi:t/
是饭店的"套房", 请注意拼写及发音的差异. 如果说 in one's birthday suit 则是指"裸体"的意思. ▲82.
God, we look like sheep---we're all carrying the same folders.
天啊!我们都带着同样的文件夹,看起来一模一样. sheep 是"绵羊",单复数同,此处指"模仿别人着,盲从者", 含有轻蔑的意思.
They are all sheep, looking just alike. 是说(他们这群人相互模仿,看起来一模一样). ▲83.
I'd like to stay away from jobs that are demanding, dirty, or
dangerous. 我想避开劳累,污秽或危险的工作. stay away from ...是"离开...".
英语中所谈到的"工作上的三D"是指 demanding "苛求的;劳累的", dirty "污秽的,肮脏的", dangerous
"危险的". 相反的, Can you imagine an easy, clean and safe job?
则是(你能想象安逸,干净而安全的工作吗?) ▲84. That guy checks out every lead he lays
his hands on. 那老兄只要一得到消息,就去应聘. 此处的 lead 是"线索". lay one's hands on
则是"抓住,得到,找出"等意. Does it increase job chances in any way?
是(那样会增加就业的机会吗?)之意. ▲85. Shoot! I forgot to take off my nail polish.
糟糕!我忘了擦掉指甲油. take off (=remove) 是"除去". nail polish
(=manicure)是"指甲油", 而脚趾则涂 pedicure "脚指甲油".(她那样涂着红指甲油,大概不会被录取的)是说 She
won't be employed, with that red nail polish. ▲86. I am a shoo-in
for a job at this company. 我可以轻而易举的取得这家公司的工作. Shoo-in
是指在选举竞赛时,"轻易可以获胜,为有力的候补"之意. I'm at best a dark horse.
是(我最多是一匹黑马而已). Shoot, some guys can't even be in the running.
则意味(哦.. 有人连候补都当不成). ▲87. It's their treat. Might as well get
something expensive, since I'm not taking this job anyway.
这是他们(公司)请客,反正我不想在这里工作,不妨叫贵一些的吧! 此处的 treat 当名词用, 表示"请客"之意. He
treated me to a steak. 的treat做动词用, 表示(他请我吃牛排). might as well...
是"不妨.....". take a job 是"就业".而 anyway 是"不管怎样"的意思. ▲88. Are they
really gonna throw their drinks in my face if I renegue?
如果我回绝的话,他们会不会生气? throw...in my face 是"向我丢.....". renegue /ri'ni:g/
是"食言,背弃(诺言等)" Will they sue me for breaches of contract?
是(他们会不会为了我的毁约而 控告我?)之意. ▲89. I put on just a little makeup. 稍微化妆.
完全没化妆用 wear no makeup 即可. I choose a tie that goes with my suit.
选择搭配西装的领带. 此处的go 用来表示"相配"之意. Soy sauce doesn't go well with wine.
是(酱油和酒是不能调在一起的). ▲90. I make a slip and say more than I should.
说溜了嘴而话多. make a slip 是"说溜了嘴". 而 a slip of the pen 是"多写了不必写的事情"之意. I
congratulate my friend who has make it. 向被录取的朋友祝贺. congratulations!
是(恭喜). 含有"努力后得到"之意,因此在对新娘祝贺时 最好不用. 也不用做新年贺词.
●《最新流行美语》:
▲1、A-list (very best) 最好的,最优秀的,最酷的 Every girl
dreams of dating A-list guys. 每个女孩子都渴望跟最好的男人约会。 I
was totally psyched when I met this guy who definitely was on the
A-list. 这个男人简直太酷了。当我遇见他时,竟完全不能自已。 ▲2、All hands (groping)
动手动脚的,毛手毛脚的。 When my boyfriend is with me, he
wouldn't listen to me and was all hands.
当我男朋友跟我在一起时,他不听我说话,只是动手动脚的。 I hate guys who are
no talk and all hands. 我最讨厌男人不善言辞而且毛手毛脚的。 ▲3、babe
宝贝,梦中情人 Who is your idea of a total babe?
谁是你心中完全理想的梦中情人? ▲4、bad hair day (hair looks bad) 头发不整,暗示一整天心情也不好
I'm having a bad hair day.
我今天的头发就是梳不好。 It's not the end
of the world if you have a bad hair day. 头发不整无伤大雅(没有到世界末日那么严重)。
▲5、bag (skip) 逃课 It's not your
fault that she bagged class. 她逃课并不是你的错。 ▲6、bash (party)
舞会、大型派对 At a bush at my
friend's house, I spilled punch all over my white jeans.
在我朋友家的舞会上,我把饮料洒在白牛仔裤上了,洒得到处都是。
I just found out that your buds will throw you a mega birthday
bash. 我刚刚才知道你的朋友准备给你开个盛大的生日舞会。 ▲7、be into (get involved deeply)
深深投入 If he's into you, he's got
the green light.
如果他喜欢你,他得的是绿灯。(表示没有人反对) Now I'm
really into blading. 现在我对滑轮很感兴趣。 ▲8、beau (boyfriend)
美男子 Every Saturday, she heads
over with her beau to catch a movie.
每个星期六她和她的男朋友都要去看一场电影。 My beau
always buys me flowers. Sweet! 我的男朋友总是给我买花,真甜蜜。 ▲9、BF (best
friend)的简写,最好的朋友 Are you there for your BF when
the going gets rough? 当你最好的朋友生活不顺的时候,你在他身边吗? I
couldn't believe my eyes that my BF just heads out to a movie with
my boyfriend. 我简直不敢相信我的眼睛,我最好的朋友刚刚跟我的男朋友去看了一场电影。 ▲10、biggie (big
deal, important) 重要的事或人物,大亨,大款
Trust is a biggie. 信赖是很重要的。 He
is now a biggie. His picture is on the front page all the time.
他现在是个大款,他的照片常常在(报纸、杂志的)封面上出现。
●《取个好的英文名》:
名字关乎一生,婴儿一出生,大家首先就会问:"叫什么名字?"
中国人很重视取名,所谓"名不正则言不顺,言不顺则事不成"。父母无不希望给孩子取个好名字。
西风东渐,中国人开始在中文名字之外,取个西方名字。而对于欲出国留学、移民的人名说,取个西名就更有必要了。
圣经第一本《创世记》记载上帝创造了人类始祖之后,立刻给了他一个名字"亚当",意思是"用泥土造成";接着造了女人,亚当给她起名"夏娃",意思是"众生之母"。圣经说,"上帝照着自己的形像造人,乃是照着他的形像造男造女"。在上帝眼中,人有人格,理性和道德意识;会思想,有感情和意志,可以和天父往来、谈话、爱他,也享受他的爱。因为人有上帝的形像,所以又赋他以管治这个世界的责任。
人类不同于野兽、昆虫,这些生物可以没有名字,但人有尊严,有性格,有奇妙生命,为万物之灵。各个不同,性情各异,必须有个名字来具现他(她)的独立地位,提醒每一个人都是独立的个体。
名字是仅次于生命的奇妙礼物,是人之为人的永远明证。你为孩子、为自己取个好名字,其乐真的无穷。 西名的五个含义:
1.来源:指出人名的最早出处和文化背景。有的名字含有几种语言字根。
2.含义:指出名字的表面意义。大部份的人名含义都有迹可寻,可以确定,但部份人名因语言不同而产生歧义,有的人名出诸口语,现已不知含义为何。
3.灵意:指人名在传统的意义之外所隐含的属灵意义,例如Adam(亚当)原义为"红土"(为尘土所造);灵意则为"有上帝的形像",因人乃照上帝的形像而造。
4.人名故事简介:西名常有历史典故,且其演变故事富有趣味。
5.圣经经节:每一人名均有在含义与灵意上配合的圣经经文,带着应许与勉励的话语,为取用此名者祝福。 例如:
JOHN男(d3dn),Jahn, Jhan, Jhon, Johnnie, Johnny, Jon, Jonn, Jonnie,
Jonny(参JONATHAN) 来源:希腊文 含义:上帝是恩慈的 灵意:上帝的力量 中译:约翰--耶稣十二个门徒之一
此名在东正教会十分流行,藉十字军传入英国,于12世纪广泛流传。早期欧洲人采用拉丁文写法Johannes,后来缩写为Johan及Jon,最后变成John。苏格兰人把名字写成Jock;
lan及lain是John的盖尔语写法;Evan是威尔土语写法,Sean是爱尔兰语写法。John至今仍是英国最受欢迎的一个名字。
取名宜注意的几点: 采用一名须考虑若干因素。西名男的多过女的很多,约为10与1之比,但很多男性名字也适用于女性,例如Ariel,
Blair, Bobbie, Carey, Dana, Darby,
Macaulay等,因而女性名字可用的还是很多。名字既然有性别之分,拣选时,不适合的最好不要采用。
其次,每个名字都有其含义。有的涉及优美品德,例如Grace(恩惠),Joy(喜乐);有的指出生时环境,例如Spring(春天),
Noel(圣诞节);有的含有一种品格,例如Alexander(人类的保卫者),Asa(医治者),Boris(勇士),Gina(王后)。从美德、品格入手,也是选名的一个方法。
名字勿选太长的,以免孩子拼写困难,也应避免选不易拼读的,例如Dwayne, Ilya, Quaneisha, Vashawn之类。
要是一个名字的读音,其谐音在中文或方言中容易为人挪揄、嘲弄或引起联想的,应该避免。
中文姓氏大多为单音,少数为复姓,例如上官,欧阳。选名时,若名字与姓氏连读,应选读来顺口、铿锵有声的,避免拗口、不能一气呵成的。
●《浅谈唐宋词中词牌名的英译》:
词是韵文文体之一,又称"曲子词",即歌词。它本来是为配乐歌唱而写的诗。由于它是配乐歌唱的,所以每首词都有或至少曾经有过一个乐谱。每个乐谱都必定属于某种宫调(类似今天的C调、G调之类),有一定的旋律、节奏,这些东西的总和就是词调。每种词调都有一个名称(如《西江月》、《清平乐》),这个名称就叫词牌。
词始于唐,盛于宋,是一种脍炙人口的文学表达形式,历来为人们所钟爱。为把中华文化中这一绮丽的瑰宝译介到国外,不少译者已进行了大量开拓性的艰辛劳动,其中不乏精美传神叹为观止之作。然而,词的翻译比之散文小说确似更难,尤其是词牌名的翻译。
尽管就大多数词作来说,词牌与音乐或词中的内容关系不大,作者填词时,只视哪种词调形式更符合自己的需要,完全可以不去考虑词牌名称的原有含义和原来词曲的内容。因此词牌在一般意义上不过是标明作者依哪一种现成的曲谱进行填词而已。然而将词牌名译成英文时就不能不在传达词牌的神韵和美感的同时考虑它的历史来源和反映在其中的格律了。
下面试就词牌的几种常见的英译方法略抒浅见。 ▲ 一、一般性词牌名的译法
一般性词牌名没有什么历史典故,或有,但已无从考证,或取自前人的某个词句,或只是一个风雅的名词而已。在这种情况下,按字面意思直译成英文,即可较好地保留原文的风格,传达原文的神韵和美感形象。例如:
鹧鸪天 Partridge Sky 踏莎行 Treading On Grass 相见欢 Joy At Meeting
点绦唇 Rouged Lips 满江红 The River All Red 模鱼儿 Groping For Fish
最高楼 The Highest Tower 疏影 space Shadows 玉楼春 Spring In Jade
Pavilion 昼夜乐 Joy Of Day And Night 西江月 The Moon Over The West
River 风入松 Wind Through Pines 双双燕 A Pair Of Sparrows
▲二、"歌"、"词"、"歌头"、"吟"等词牌名的译法
1.常带"歌"、"词"、"子"的词牌,不妨直译成"Song",既简单明了,又贴切自然。例如: 子夜歌
Midnight Song 洞仙歌 Song Of A Fairy In The Cave 柳枝词 Willow Branch
Song 卜算子 Song Of Divination 天仙子 Song Of Immortal 更漏子 Song Of
Water Clock At Night 南歌子 A Southern Song
2.词牌子带"吟"一类的较"歌"、"词"更为典雅,是一种便于吟诵、格调高雅、节奏舒缓的诗体,译成"Chant",可以显得庄重端方,因为英语中的"Chant"多指宗教中的赞美诗或圣歌,意思与"吟"很相近。例如:
水龙吟 Water Dragon Chant 瑞龙吟 Auspicious Dragon Chant
3."歌头"意即前奏或序曲,可译成"Prelude"。例如: 水调歌头 Prelude To Water Melody
▲ 三、"令"、"引"、"近"、"慢"等词牌名的译法
有一些词牌末带有"令"、"引"、"近"、"慢"等术语。"令"与酒令有关,是一种比较接近民歌的抒情小曲;"引"集歌体与诗体于一身,也是这类诗歌诗曲调的演化;"慢"有篇幅较长、语言节奏舒缓、韵脚间隔较大等特点;"近"有亲昵、浅显的意思,可能与令、引等一样与曲调有关,指一种篇幅较"令"长而又不如"慢"曲那么典雅庄重的曲调。从字数上讲,大体上说,"令"多半属于"小令"范围,"引"、"近"多半属于"中调"范围,"慢"则绝大多数是"长调"。所以译成英文时可视具体情况译成"Song";"Slow
Song";"Slow Tune"或"Slow,Slow Song"。例如; 调笑令 Song Of
Flirtation 唐多令Tang Duo Song 祝英台令Slow Song Of Zhu Ying Tai 扬州慢
Slow Tune Of Yangzhou 声声馒 Slow,Slow Song
▲ 四、"摊破"、"促拍"、"减字"、"偷声"等词牌名的译法
"摊破"(又名"摊声"、"添字")和"促拍"这两个术语都表示在原调基础上加了字、句。而"减字"、"偷声"则是在原调基础上减少了字句,而另成新调。"摊破"和"减字"是就字数而言,而"促拍"和"偷声"是就调而言。所以"摊破"可译成"Lengthened
Form","促拍"可译成"Quickened Tune","减字"则可译成"Shortened
Form,","偷声"则可译成"Slowed Tune"。例如: 减字木兰花 Shortened Form Of
Lily Magnolia Flowers 摊破浣溪沙 Lengthened Form Of Silk-Washing
Stream ▲五、根源于历史掌故的词牌名的译法
据考证,词调有五种来源:1.边疆民族曲调或域外音乐传入内地的;2.内地民歌曲调;3.乐工歌妓们创制或改制的曲调;4.宫廷音乐机构或词曲家根据古曲、大曲改制的;5.文人创作的曲子。正因为词调来源广泛,所以词牌的意思也很复杂。因此,有些词牌是不能根据字面直译的,而应在考释它的来历后再行动笔。
例如:《苏幕遮》原本是指从今天新疆吐鲁番(古高昌)传来的"浑脱"舞曲。"浑脱"是"囊袋"的意思。据说,舞时舞者用油囊装水,互相泼洒,所以唐人又称之为"泼寒胡戏"。表演者为了不使冷水浇到头面,就戴上一种涂了油的帽子,高昌语叫"苏幕遮",因而乐曲和后来依曲填出的词就被称为《苏幕遮》了。有人将它译成"Screened
By Southern
Curtain".就是没考虑到它的来源而望文生义译出来的,尤其是"Southern"一词不知从何而来。据此,我以为直译成"Oiled
Hat"未免太俗,不如译成"Water-bag Dance"。这样既点明了是舞曲,又可使读者领略到舞蹈的内容和形象。
《菩萨蛮》据考证原是今缅甸境内古代罗摩国的乐曲,后经汉族乐工改制而来的。唐苏鹗从《杜阳杂编》说:"大中(唐宣宗年号)初,女蛮国贡双龙犀……其国.人危髻金冠,缨珞被体,故谓之菩萨蛮。当时倡优遂制菩萨蛮曲;文人亦往往声其词。"可见《菩萨蛮》中的菩萨与我们的佛祖菩萨(Buddha或Buddhist
Idol)并无关系,词牌的意思是"象菩萨似的蛮国人"。有人将其译成"Buddhist
Dancers",真是差之毫厘失之千里!因为形容词"Buddhist"是"佛的,佛教的"意思,译回成中文就是"佛的舞者",佛教中有没有舞者尚且不论,光意思就南辕北辙。如译成"Dancers
Like Buddha"或"Buddha-like Dancer 还勉强过得去,或干脆译为"Song Of The
Country Norm",既简单又明了,只是失去了菩萨这个形象。
又如《念奴娇》,念奴为唐玄宗天宝年间一著名歌妓,玄宗时常诏见命歌,曲名本此。如果不知此曲底里,将它译成"Dreaming Of
Her Charm"那就令人捧腹了。有人将它译成"Charm Of A Maiden
Singer,"歌手"和"娇"都译出来了,可我认为Maiden一词用得不恰当。"Maiden"一词在英文中是"处女"或"未婚女子"的意思,把它用在古时的歌妓身上未免太圣洁了,不如去掉"Malden",译成"Charm
Of A
Singer"。"Charm"多指女子的妩媚,所以大可不必担心读者会弄错。"Singer"的性别。从这个意义上讲,"Maiden"也可删去,当然若将其换译成"Woman"也未尝不可。这里还牵涉到专有名词的译法,"念奴"这个名字对于大多数中国人尚且陌生,更不用说外国人了,译出来也不一定知道,反而妨碍意思的理解,故此处可撇下不管,用"A
Singer"代替即可。类似的情况都可如此处理:如《昭君怨》就可译成"Lament Of A Fair
Lady"。也可用加注的办法,如《虞美人》就可译成"The Beautiful Lady
Yu",这样外国人就知道是一个姓虞的美人了。
●《打开话匣子(上)》:
在美国交朋友, 除了基本的语言学习, 最大的的困难恐怕是在如何克服心理方面的恐惧。 其实很多问候应对的话并不难,
可能都是你早已经认识的字, 只要你平常多准备准备, 有机会可以表现一下你友善的一面喔! ▲1. What’s up? 怎么样了?
A: Hey man, What’s up? A: 嘿! 怎么样了? B: Nothing much. B: 没什么 “What’s
up?” 并不是「什么在上头的意思?」。它和 “How are you doing?”、 “How’s it going”、
“What’s new?”....等等, 都是美国人很常说的寒暄语。如果你懒得讲, 或许真的没发生什么新鲜事, 就回答
“Nothing much.”吧! 很有用的话喔! (我是指“What’s up?”这句话。) ▲2. Long time no
see. 好久不见了。 A: Hey, long time no see. How have you been? A: 嘿!
好久不见了。 近来可好呀? B: So so. B: 马马虎虎! 好玩吧! 就像中文一样。 注: 据苜蓿子小姐说, “Long
time no see.” 应是从中文来的。 (10/06/99) 【的确,Long time no
see.这句话是中国人发明的美语,只是这么说的人实在是太多了,所以也就约定俗成,成了一句标准的美语了。大家从这里也可以了解到一些学习语言的规律吧,先别管他什么道理,说的多了,自然就接受了。
海泓注】 ▲3. I have heard a lot about you. 久仰大名 A: I’ve heard a lot
about you. A: 久仰大名 B: Good things, I hope. B: 希望是好事! 初见面的问候语其实还有不少;
像“How do you do?”、“Howdy” (中西部用语) 都是「你好吗?」的意思。 ▲4. You look great
today. 你今天看起来很好(有精神、好看等)。 A: You look great today. I love your new
haircut.. A: 你今天看起来很好看。我很喜欢你的新发型。 B: Oh, yeah? Thank you. I like
it, too. B: 真的吗? 谢谢。我自己也喜欢。 美国人是从不吝啬赞美人的, 因为他们的赞美常是发自内心的,
总让人听起来也很舒服。在美国交朋友, 不妨从「赞美别人」开始吧! 除了“good”、 “great” 外, 你还可以用
“wonderful”、“fantastic”、“terrific” 等。 ▲5. No kidding? 不是开玩笑的吧? A: I
can finish two large pizzas in 10 minutes all by myself. A:
我可以一个人十分钟内吃掉二个大比萨。 B: No kidding? B: 真的啊? 这里的“No kidding?”也可说成“Are
you serious?”、“Really?”、“Are you kidding me?”之类的话。 ▲ 6. into ...
热衷; 喜爱(人、事) A: Hey, there’s very good Thai restaurant down the
street. Would you like to go? A: 嘿! 这里在过一点有一家很棒的泰国餐厅喔! 你想不想去呢 B:
Well, actually, I’m not really into spicy food. Can we try
something else? B: 嗯...实际上, 我并不是很喜欢辣的食物。我们可以试试别的东西吗? “into
something” 是对某事「有兴趣」、 「喜欢」的意 思。好比 “I’m into fishing
lately.”(我近来对钓鱼有兴趣。) “spicy food” 就是的辛辣 (hot )
的食物。美国人中很多怕吃辣的东西。很多异国风味 (包括中餐)到了美国都要调整一下口味。原本较辣的东西,
都会改为所谓的「微辣」(mild)。
【其实美国的东西到了中国也是一样的,也的适合咱中国人的口味。最明显的就是肯德基的“香辣鸡翅”了,我想在美国不会有这么hot的肯德基吧!
海泓注】 ▲7. What are you up to? 最近忙什么啊? A: I haven’t seen you around
lately. What are you up to? A: 最近都没看到你。 忙什么呢? B: I’m working two
jobs right now. It’s killing me. B: 我现在做二份工作。把我累死了! “It’s killing
me.” 是表示某事很折腾人的意思。如“Her singing is killing me.” 她的歌声(很恐怖)简直要我的命!
▲8. You flatter me. 你过奖了! A: Gail. I saw your art show last night,
and I must let you know how amazed I was by your incredible
accomplishments. A: Gail, 我昨天参观了你的美术展。 我一定要告诉你我对你的卓越成就感到多么惊讶。 B:
Oh, you flatter me. B: 哎呀, 你真是过奖了! 美国人从不吝啬夸奖别人。他们夸赞的话,
也往往让人听了飘飘然。重要的是, 他们通常是发自内心的。我觉得他们这种能够欣赏别人优点的性格是一个很值得学习的。
【这么看来flatter可不像国内一些书籍上所翻译的“奉承,说好话”这类的贬义,我们有些中国人特别喜欢窝里斗,看不得别人超过自己,只要一flatter,必是另有所图。
海泓注】 ▲9. alive and kicking (活得)好好得 A: How is your boyfriend doing?
A: 妳的男朋友好不好啊? B: Still alive and kicking. Thank you. B: (他)活得好好得!
谢谢。 因为还能踢来踢去, 表示还很健康。好记吧! ▲10. I got you. 我懂你(的意思)。 A: I don’t get
you. Your dad wanted to give you a Porsche and you turned him down.
What were you thinking? A: 我真不懂你。你爸爸要给你一部保时捷, 你还拒绝他。你在想什么啊? B: He
can buy me a car but he can’t buy me. B: 他可以买车给我, 但他不能买我(的心)。 “I
don’t get you.” 里的 “get” 是 “understand”(明白、了解) 的意思。 “turn down”
是「拒绝」的意思。
●《打开话匣子(下)》:
▲11. Beats me! 把我考倒了; 我也不懂 A: Do you know why a jerk like Todd gets
all the pretty girls? A: 你知道为何像 Todd 这种没人品的人的女朋友的都那么漂亮呢? B: Beats
me! B: 莫宰羊(台语) “Beats me!” 是「我也不懂」的意思。 「我不懂」还可用“I have no idea.”、“I
can’t understand.”、“I don’t dig it.”。 “jerk” 是「人品差」的人。 ▲12.
something like that 像...之类的 A: Time for dessert? A: 点心时间了吗? B:
Yeah. Do we have cheesecake or something like that? B: 嗯! 我们有没有
cheesecake 还是(cheesecake)之类的东西? 美国人蛮喜欢在饭后来点甜的东西。常常饭后就回来一句“Time for
dessert?”。 “something like that” 是蛮好用的一个词组。好比有时候碰到我不是很肯定一个英文字的用法,
我会举个情况, 然后问朋友那样用对不对。如果我的答案够接近 , 对方常常会回答: “Yeah, something like
that.” (对!差不多就是这样。) ▲13. Cool! 很棒!; 很好! A: This is the painting
that I was talking about. What do you think? A: 这就是我跟你讲的那幅画。你觉得怎么样?
B: Cool! I love it! B: 哇! 真棒! 我好喜欢啊! “It’s cool.” 跟“It’s neat.”
都是「很棒、 很好」的意思。 美国人在很多与感觉有关的字都用的比我们强烈许多。不了解这一点,
有些东方人会被误解为「冷漠」。如果老外给你看他的作品, 你告诉他你喜欢 (I like it.), 在他耳里听到的就变成 “It’s
all right. I don’t really like it.” (还好了, 我并不是真的很喜欢。)
这不是一个要不要讨人欢喜的问题, 而是个入境随俗的问题。 ▲14. That’s good for you. 对你是一件很好的事!
A: I’ve decide to go back to school for some training in
programing. A: 我决定再回学校修点程序设计的课。 B: Good for you. When would you
like to start? B: 不错啊! 打算什么时后开始呢? “good for you”
是用在听到某人(将要或已经)做一件对他自己有益的事时, 所表示「认同」的话。好比一个从来不运动的人告诉你, 他要开始每天运动了,
你就可以回答“Good for you!”。 ▲15. I’ve got to go. 我(有事)得走了! A: I’ve got
to go. It’s nice talking to you. A: 我得走了。很开心跟你讲话。 B: Same here.
I’ll see you. B: 我也是。再见。 “I’ve go to go.” 也可以用来结束一段在电话对答。通常说完“I’ve
got to go.” 后会跟对方解释原因。 “Same here.” 是表示自己的感觉也是一样。 ▲16. Check this
out! 告诉你喔!; 看看这个东西! A: Check this out! I just now got a call asking
about the bike ad I put in the newspapers. A: 告诉你喔!
我刚刚接到一通询问有关我放在报纸上的那个脚踏车广告。 B: You mean somebody’s actually
interested in that rusty old bike? B: 你是说, 真的有人对那部生锈的旧脚踏车有兴趣啊! “ad”
是“advertisement” 的简称, 在口语里面常见到。 “Check this
out!”也是句蛮常用的句子。当你要告诉别人一件事, 或要对方看一个东西的时候, 就可以用这句话来引起他的注意。当作「告诉你!」时,
用法跟“Guess what?”、“You know what?”、“You know something?”等的用法都差不多,
都是一些没有真正实际的意思的一些类似发语词的句子。 ▲17. Count me in 把我也算进去; 我也要参加入 A:
Jessica and I are looking for a good gym to join. Do you think
you’d be interested, too? A: Jessica 跟我正在找个好的健身房来加入。你我没有兴趣呢? B: Why
not? Count me in. B: 怎么会没有呢? 把我也算一份! 年轻一点的美国人中有不少喜欢上健身房,
让自己练出一些肌肉来。 尤其是男孩子, 如果练出个所谓的「洗衣板般的腹肌」(washboard abs),
是会引起很多女生的尖叫的。「运动」除了用“exercise” 这个字外, 还可以用“work
out”来表示。实际上在一般的日常对话里, 用 “work out” 的机率还大过 “exercise” 哩!
“exercise”反而是像医生之类的比较会用。如果要表示自己一个礼拜运动三天, 就可以说:“I work out three
times a week.”。 “count me in” 是「把我也算进去!」的意思, 也是蛮好的一个词组。毕竟
很多时候要和新认识的朋友熟络起来, 是要靠一些共同参与的活动来培养的。那么“Count me out.”
应该是「我不想有份」的意思啰! 不过我想 “Count me out!” 还是用来对比较熟一点的朋友说吧!
不然听起来是不是比较无礼呢? 还是宛转地拒绝比较好一点喔!
【看到这里,今天下午我也得到健身房去了,不能老是呆在电脑前。要德智体全面发展嘛! 海泓注】 ▲18. Any time 不客气;
有事尽管开口 A: Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it. A:
谢谢你的帮忙, 我真的很感谢。 B: Any time. B: 不客气! 当别人向我们道谢时, 我们除了可以用“You’re
welcome.”(不客气!)外, 还可以说“Sure.”、“You bet.” 或“You bet you.”等等,
都有「哪里!」、「应该的」的意思。也有人会用“Any time.”, 意思是「不客气! 有事随时开口。」的意思。可以把它想成是“Any
time you need anything, just let me know. You're very welcome.”
▲19. Good luck to you ! 祝你好运(顺利)! A: I have a job interview with
Nintendo tomorrow. A: 我明天跟 Nintendo 公司有个工作面谈。 B: That’s wonderful!
Good luck to you. I’m sure you’re going to do extremely well. B:
那真是太好了!祝你顺利! 我相信你一定会作得很好的。 “Good luck.” 是蛮好用的一句话。像是朋友要找工作、找房子,
都可以用这句话。好比“Good luck to you on the test.”就是「祝你考试顺利!」的意思。 ▲20. Stay
in touch. 保持联络! A: It’s getting late. I’d better get going. A:
晚了。我该走了。 B: All right. Stay in touch and take care of yourself. B:
好的! 保持联络, 好好照顾自己。 “stay and touch”跟“keep in
touch”都是「保持联络」的意思。
●《我爱背单词》:
曾经有一段时间我为英语而疯狂,经常在夜里睡觉时,扯着被角,一边想着可爱的单词,一边偷着乐。同舍的人问我乐啥呢?我说,背单词呢。这可能不大容易被人理解,要在以前,我也会说,背单词有啥可乐的?现在就不一样了,我会说,即使太阳失去光芒,星星不再出现,山川变成了平壤,河流不再流淌,花儿不再芬芳,但有一样东西是永远不变的:那就是--我爱背单词。呵呵,我可不是想讨打。
这样吧,独乐乐,不如与人乐乐。我就把自己背单词的一点小得拿出来与大家共同分享。
背单词,首先要做的当然是选择一本好的单词书了,这是第一步也是非常重要的一步。关于单词书的选择,我为大家提供这样几个参考标准:
▲1.
不要太厚!要知道,越厚的书越容易打击读者的积极性,而且读这样的书,往往周期拖得非常长,这样就难免看了后面忘了前面。而且一本好的单词书,并不要求是面面俱到的,要面面俱到,你买本英汉大辞典好了。
▲2.
适合自己的水平。我们都有这样的经验:如果一本单词书有三四成都认识的话,背起来就相当容易;而如果有七八成需要第一次记忆的话,就比较困难了。所以,挑选一本适合自己的词汇书就显得格外重要。比方说,你要考研,但是背考研的词汇书感觉比较困难,不妨先背基础一些的词汇书,循序渐进要比一口气吃成胖子好得多。
▲ 3.
单词释义正确,且有相应的例句。对于考研来说,掌握单词的中文释义就完全足够了。但是,这里有一个问题:就是对于相同中文释义的单词,就比较容易混淆。这样就必须有相应的例句来帮助你记忆它的用法。例句并不要多,一句足够。当然,例句的作用不止于此,对于记忆单词来说,例句还是非常重要的工具,这将在后面讲到。
▲ 4. 最好能提供比较容易的记忆方法。记忆单词是比较枯燥的工作,如果能够找到一些比较有趣的记忆方法,它可以变得相当可爱。
综合以上,我推荐给大家这样几套词汇书:刘毅的Vocabulary系列,马德高的星火词汇书系列,俞敏洪的GRE词汇精选系列。
挑选好了适合自己的词汇书,现在就到了最关键的问题了:怎样一个背法,才能既轻松又有趣呢? ▲1.
大声朗读出来。识记单词的方法主要是掌握发音,因为绝大多数的单词是可以听音写出来,不规则的单词很少。可以这么说,如果你记住了单词的发音,再看过3遍,就可以拚出80%的单词,这一点也不夸张。一些同学没有体会到这一点,他们背单词的方法就是一本书、一叠纸和一根笔,狂练拼写。显然,这样做既枯燥又低效。记住,要背单词,第一的要决就是把它读出来,不管你的发音怎样,只要你知道那样的发音对应的是怎样的拼写就够了。
▲ 2.
结合语境(Context)。要真正的掌握单词,只有在具体的语境中才可能达到。李扬.克立兹疯狂英语学习法就一直强调:孤立背诵单词几乎是徒劳无功的!人和人交往的最基本单位是句子,而不是单词。一些同学跟我说,他们背了很多单词,但是做单词题目还是没信心。我想,他们存在的一个非常关键的问题就是,光背单词的中文释义,而忽视了单词使用的具体语境。
那有些人可能又会说,背中文释义已经够累了,再加上背例句,那岂不是更麻烦?事实上,并不是这样的。背例句远远要比单纯地记忆单词要容易的多。就好比说,第一次见到一个人,你要马上记住他的面容不大容易(至少对我来说很困难:)),那我们往往采取这样的办法:就是用心记住他的发型、服饰和一些相关的特征(比方说,他经常带一条花斑狗:))。这跟通过语境来掌握单词是一个道理:通过语句或者短语来记忆单词,是最有效也是最轻松的手段。
▲3.结合听磁带。听磁带的记忆方法,简单来说有这样的几个优点:首先,不管你在干什么,耳朵总是经常闲着,这时候就可以听听磁带,可以说对其他事件有相当好的兼容性;其次,可以大大提高学习效率;最后,不易疲劳。
具体的方法是这样的:先背书,背个三四分熟,这时候就可以通过反复的听磁带来强化记忆。现在,有的单词书配有磁带,有的没有;其实自己就可以录这样的磁带。我背俞敏洪的GRE词汇精选(97版)的时候,没有磁带,就自个儿录了六盘磁带:挑自己不熟的单词,念一遍、然后念中文释义,对于拼写不合规则的单词,再把拚写念一遍,中间再留一些空白以加强记忆,这样,一个单词差不多八九秒钟就过去了。一面磁带可以念将近200个单词,也就是说,听半个小时的磁带,你就把200个单词又复习了一遍。这几盘磁带是我随身必备的物品,我几乎是走路听、坐车听、吃饭听、睡觉的时候还听。我同学很奇怪我每天没头没脑听的是些啥,就问我,我告诉他们是李扬•克立兹,他们拿过去听了听,居然还信了,一个说,没想到李扬•克立兹还出GRE词汇的磁带;另一个说,好像李扬•克立兹的发音不是很准?(我faint)
关于听磁带背单词,还要强调两点:一是一定要先背书,把书背个三四分熟再听磁带,这样才会有效果;二是这样的记忆方法可能使你对单词的发音非常熟悉,但对于单词的拼写不大敏感,所以一般过一个礼拜,就要坐下来,一边听磁带,一边看书,再一边把不熟悉的单词在纸上拼写出来。
▲ 4.
每天大剂量地记忆。有的同学觉得一天背个50个单词已经很不错了,但我要说,这还不够,一天至少要背100个。怎样的背法呢?每天抽出两个固定的时间段,每个大约一个半小时,专门进行词汇的记忆。这对于词汇基础较差的同学来说,是绝对有效的方法。因为背单词非常讲究一个周期,一天背50个,3000词的一本书就要背两个月,这就难免看了后面忘了前面;而如果你一天能背150个,20天就可以搞定它了。这两个时间段可以这样安排:第一个时间段专门背新词,第二个时间段则用来温习刚刚背的新词和定期需要复习的已经背过的单词。
▲5.
掌握常见词根词缀等构词元素。英语单词是很有章法的,跟我们汉字的造字法是一样。这里,套用我的一位朋友的话,英文单词是非常有美感的东西,用心体会,你会发现其中的乐趣的。这里随便举几个例子:
第一个单词,magniloquent,可能大家不太熟悉,但是如果知道magn(i) = big, great(大)、loqu =
language(语言、话)、-ent是一个形容词后缀,那应该可以猜到这个词的意思:夸张的。
第二个单词,malodorous,其中的词根和词缀:mal = bad, evil(不好的),odor
就是气味,还有-ous是形容词后缀,那它的意思就是"有臭味的",引申为"不合法的(illegal)"。怎么样,是不是很有趣?就象我们见到这样一个汉字:孬,就知道是"不好"的意思一样。
就考研来说,需要掌握的常见词根词缀并不多,所以值得花时间做一下这个工作。具体的掌握方法其实也不难:不一定专门找一份词根词缀表来背,那是相当乏味的,只要在背单词的过程中,留意一些常见的词根词缀再用心记一下,保证下次在另一个单词中见到它时认识就可以了。
▲6.
把已学过的单词和生词联系起来。这是一个非常重要的扩充词汇的手段,也是巩固词汇记忆的重要手段。具体来说,有很多的单词可能形近、或者音近、或者义近,这样就容易产生混淆,而我们恰恰又可以通过把这些词汇放在一起,从而把他们真正记住并区分开。还是通过举例来说吧:
第一个单词,maim(v.使残废),可以看出来,它和我们熟悉的main(主要的)形近。那我们就可以通过main
来联想maim,记住"主要的,使残废",就记住这个单词了。
第二个单词,reverie(幻想),和revere(尊重)形近,也可以放在一起记忆:尊重幻想。
第三个单词,grate(v.磨碎,使人烦躁),和单词great(伟大)音同, 就可以通过great
来联想grate,记住"伟大磨碎"就行了。
第四个单词,rein(n.缰绳,v.控制),和rain(雨)音同,可以通过"雨中缰绳"来记忆。 ▲ 7.
采用分割单词或者利用谐音来记忆,这就是我所谓的"邪门方法"了,也是背单词的乐趣之一。可能有些人对这种歪门邪道非常不屑,但是为了能记住单词,也就"无所不用其极"了,这也可以算"黑猫白猫"理论的一个推论吧。
单词的分割,就是不管它是不是词缀,如果把它拆开容易记,那当然拆它没商量了。还是举几个例子比较容易理解:
第一个单词,sloop(小帆船),可以拆成s + loop ,可以这样记 small(小)+ loop(圈) =
sloop(小帆船)。 第二个单词:kinetic(运动的),可以拆分成 kin(亲戚) + net(网) + ic
,可以这样记"亲网运动的"。呵呵,是不是有些无厘头?不过关键问题是,你记住了这个单词。
第三个单词:leaven(发酵剂,影响力),可以拆分成 leave + n ,记住"离开n 就影响发酵",就记住这个单词了。
第四个单词:incandescent(白热的,热烈的),可以拆分成 in(不)+ can(能)+ descent
(降下)。那就可以这样记:不能降温下来--可见白热化的程度喽。 谐音记忆单词,也是比较极端的技巧。这里也通过举例来说明吧:
第一个单词,gollop(v. &
n.大口吞咽),它的发音很容易让人联想到"高乐高",哈哈,跟"大口吞咽"还算搭得上边。是不是很有趣?
第二个单词,pariah(贱民,被社会遗弃者),发音象"泼赖",意思也差不多。记起来是不是很容易?
第三个单词,pectoral(a.胸部的,胸的),谐音是"拍可疼呢",好记吧。
这里介绍的邪门方法,完全是因人而异的。每个人见到一个单词的联想可能千差万别,你要做的就是怎样用自己的方法来达到记住单词的目的。
还有一点非常重要,需要提醒大家:以上提到的前5种方法是背单词的基本方法,而6、7则是辅助记忆的方法。所以千万不要本末倒置,一心想着走旁门左道,这样可能导致严重的后果,具体我就不说了,你要是试过的话,别忘了告诉我:)。
好了,关于背单词的心得,我已经和盘托出了。最后要说的是:这样记住的单词仍然很容易遗忘,所以要和它们保持亲密,很重要的一点就是:经常去接触它们,就是要经常翻词汇书、做词汇练习和阅读练习。套用一句广告词,我们的目标是:没有生词!
●《网络聊天英语》:
▲ASAP: As soon as possible 尽快 ▲BF: Boyfriend 男朋友 ▲GF: girlfriend
女朋友 ▲BTW: By the way 随便说一下 ▲BBL: Be back later 稍后回来 ▲BRB: Be right
back 很快回来 ▲CU: See you 再见 ▲CUL: See you later 下次再会 ▲DIIK: Damned if
I known 我的确不知 ▲DS: Dunce smiley 笨伯 ▲FE: For example 举例 ▲FTF: Face
to face 面对面 ▲FYI: For your information 供参考 IAE: In any event无论如何
▲IC: I see 我明白 ▲IMHO: In my humble opinion 依愚人之见 ▲IMO: In my
opinion 依我所见 ▲IOW: In other words 换句话说 ▲LOL: laughing out loudly
大声笑 ▲NRN: No reply necessary 不必回信
●《Email中的“笑脸符号”:-)》:
写电子邮件给朋友时,要怎样才能让他们看到你的“笑容”呢?使用“笑脸符号”吧!在公事信件中通常避免使用表情符号。但是在朋友往来的信件中,它们可是相当普遍的!它们可利用电脑键盘上的特殊符号及标志表现。
以下是一些可以用来表达心情的表情符号。 ▲:-) 微笑 ▲;-) 眨眼笑 ▲:-‖ 生气 ▲:-( 难过 ▲:'-( 哭
▲:-)) 非常高兴 ▲:-D 咧嘴笑 ▲:-* 亲一下 ▲:-0 哇!或是我很意外 ▲:-P 伸舌头 ▲:-/ 困惑的 ▲=:O
受到惊吓(头发都直起来了) ▲:-'| 我感冒了 ▲>:-<
非常生气
●《GAP的种种》:
像generation
gap这样的gap组合词,在英语里还有好几个,“代沟”出现得稍迟一点,但其流行程度却后来居上。
gap组合词的始祖恐怕是missile
gap了。此一词组创于一九六○年美国总统大选期间,用来表示美、苏两国火箭武器力量的均势已被打破,苏联已开始占优。故此,missile
gap可译为“导弹力量差距”。gap在这里不译为“沟”,否则会使词组的含意不明确。
missile gap流行开去之后,几个模仿此结构的新词组以陆续出现。它们包括news gap,production
gap,culture gap,development gap和communication
gap。 news
gap指国家与国家、国家与地区与地区之间由于某种关系而致彼此的消息不能正常传送。这就是一般所谓“新闻差距”。
production
gap指两个国家、地区或集团企业的某一类生产中存在的差距也可以指某类产品的各部件生产不配合,一些快时一些慢,某种多时某种少。故此production
gap通常译作“生产差距”。
culture
gap上社会上各阶层的人士因所受教育不同,知识水平自然存在着一道鸿沟。因此,这两个(或更多)阶层的人士所接触的事物,所喜爱的东西必然也各不相同,思想和认识都会有很大差异。这一种情况,就是所谓culture
gap,亦即“文化沟”。此外,不同国家的人民或不同的民族的文化
之间的差异,也称为“文化沟”。
不同的国家,或者同一国家的不同地区,在各方面的发展上总是有快有慢的。目前,世界上最强大的工业国如美国、西德和日本等国家,和亚、非、拉三洲的许多发展中国家,在科技、工业、农业等方面的发展水平存在着极大的差距。这个差距若以年份计算,可能达到数十年以至达到数十年以至上百年以上。把这差距缩短,是发展中国家的当务之急。在英文里,这种“发展差距”或“发展沟”称为development
gap。 gap
的家族中另一个新成员。是和generation gap(“代沟”)同期出现的credibility
gap。这是流行于美国政坛一个术语,中文可译为“信誉沟”。所谓“信誉沟”是指政府领袖在有关公共事务上的声明和主张。与他的实际行动上的差距。若言行一致的话,credibility
gap 便不会存在。若这个领袖只是开空头支票,而永远不兑现的话,那么这种“信誉沟”越大,领袖
与政府的信誉就越低。
gap的组合词出现到今只不过短短的十多年,但是由于含意明确,易记易懂,故此很受欢迎,其家族也逐渐壮大。不单如此,这些新的组合词还在广泛的应用中获得新的意义。以下是generation
gap的一个引申用法:Thus the generation gap between computers inside and
outside eastern Europe seems likely to be
perpetuated.(摘自《美国科学》)这里面的generation gap当然不再是“代沟”,而是指电脑的“技术差距”。来源
中青英语
●《动物名词及其文化喻意》:
日常生活中,人一般不能与动物相提并论,但语言中却有不少借动物的特性来形容人的特性的词语。值得注意的是,这种比喻性表达法往往因语言、文化的不同而具有不同的含义。
下面,我们比较一下英汉语言中同一动物名词的不同喻意。 ▲1.cat(猫)
俗话说“猫有九命”,这是汉语的说法。此外,中国人常戏称嘴馋的人为“馋猫”。
cat在西方是人们宠爱之物(pet),但令人奇怪的是,在英语俚语中,cat的含义为a spiteful or unpleasant
woman(心地恶毒或令人讨厌的女人)。照此看来,似乎是中国的猫可亲,西方的猫可恶了。 ▲2.dog(狗)
在英语中dog的形象一般不差,常可泛指“个人”。如谚语:Every dog has his day.(人人皆有得意日。)又如:a
gay dog(快活的人、好玩的人)。 但dog也有形象不佳之时。如:dog eat
dog(注意eat为原形),意指“人们自相残害”;同样,a dog in the manger喻“占着茅坑不拉屎的人”。
在汉语里,尽管狗在某些地方也为宠物,但“狗”的形象总是不雅,因而用来指人时多含贬义。如“狗咬狗”、“哈巴狗”、“走狗”、“狗仗人势”、“癞皮狗”等等。
▲3.pig(猪) pig所受待遇可谓最糟,人们总是一边吃猪肉(pork),一边又对猪恶语相加。
汉语里,猪集“懒、笨、馋”于一身,借此喻人具有刻毒之意,其用语不胜枚举。 英国人也给pig以丑恶的形象。a pig意为a
greedy,dirty or bad-mannered person(贪婪、肮脏或无礼貌的人)。注意,最后一喻意似乎未进入汉语。
▲4.rat(鼠)
汉语中的“胆小如鼠、鼠目寸光、鼠肚鸡肠”及“鼠辈”等词语,皆有“畏琐、卑微”及“心胸狭窄”等含义,可见鼠在汉语中简直一无是处。
作为俚语,英语的rat指人时喻意与汉语稍有出入,但也含贬义:a rat即a person who behaves
selfishly(自私的人)或a person who is disloyal(不忠的人)。 ▲5.ass(驴)
汉语有“笨驴”之说,用来指人,则表达“愚、笨”之意。 英语同汉语在这一点上有相通之处:an ass意为a foolish
person(傻瓜),同义语还有donkey,但常用来指小孩。 ▲6.bear(熊)
在中国人的心目中,熊的形象一般是“行为缓慢”,因而具有“呆傻”之态;指人时常有“熊样”之说;目前形容股市不景气乃称“熊市”。
但英语用bear指人时,则为a bad-tempered or bad-mannered
person(粗鄙之人、鲁莽之人);另一习惯用语be like a bear with a sore head则表示“脾气暴躁”。
▲7.lion(狮) 百兽之王狮子在中西方文化中有一点是相通的,即“勇猛”,借此喻人时,汉语有“勇猛如狮”之说;英语也有习语as
brave as a lion。 在英语中,a lion亦用来指“名流、社交场合的宠儿”。 ▲8.rabbit(兔)
“兔”在中国人心中可谓形象复杂,有好的一面,如“形如脱兔”(喻快捷);也有差的一面,如“狡兔三窟、兔子尾巴长不了”。后者用来形容人时则分别暗示“狡猾”与“难以持久”之意。
对英国人来说,rabbit的形象亦不美。不过用来指人时,所取喻意同汉语大相径庭:a rabbit意为a person who
plays a game
badly(蹩脚的运动员———尤指网球运动员);与中国兔子不同的是,西rabbit一出场就显得“窝囊”。
●《品牌中的英语含义》:
▲ 雪碧(饮料)Sprite小妖精,调皮鬼 ▲乐百氏(饮料)Robust健壮的
▲金利来(领带)Goldlion金狮子 ▲司麦脱(衬衫)Smart潇洒的 ▲舒肤佳(香皂)Safeguard保护者
▲纳爱斯(香皂)Nice美好的 ▲英克莱(自行车)Incline喜爱 ▲四通(打字机)Stone石头 ▲汰渍(洗衣粉)Tide潮流
▲雷达(电蚊香)Raid袭击,搜捕 ▲飘柔(洗发水)Rejoice欣喜 ▲立士洁(卫生纸)Luxury奢侈品
▲富绅(衬衫)Virtue美德 ▲神浪(服装)Sunland太阳地 ▲苏泊尔(压力锅)Super特级品 ▲天能(领带)Talent天才
▲爱多(无绳电话)Idle闲着的 ▲雅戈尔(衬衫) Younger更年轻的 ▲美登高(冰淇淋) Meadowgold金草地
▲耐克(鞋)Nike胜利女神 ▲捷安特(自行车)Giant巨人
●《关于fish(鱼)》:
提起fish,它给人们的第一印象便是指“鱼”,实际上它的用法并非如此简单。fish用作可数名词指“鱼的条数”时单数和复数形式相同(two
fish两条鱼),指“鱼的种类”时复数形式才为fishes(two
fishes两种鱼);fish用作不可数名词时无复数形式,应作“鱼肉”解(Help yourself to some
fish.随便吃些鱼。);fish用作动词时,它的含义又与“钓(捕)鱼”有关(go fishing去钓鱼)。
在英语口语里,fish还常常被用来指“人”,类似于汉语里的“家伙、东西”等。如:a poor fish(可怜虫),a big
fish(大亨),a cool fish(无耻之徒),a strange fish(奇人、怪人),a loose
fish(放荡鬼)等。但必须注意的是,fish用来指人时形象虽然鲜明,但往往含有贬义。
由fish构成的习语也非常生动有趣。如:fish in the
air本意为“空中钓鱼”,喻指“方法(向)不对而达不到目的”,相当于汉语中的成语“缘木求鱼”。又如:like a fish out
of water喻指“如鱼离水、感到生疏”,feel the fishes喻指“葬身鱼腹;晕船”。
含fish的一些谚语更加赋有哲理性。如: 1.Never offer to teach fish to
swim.不要班门弄斧。(原意为:决不要教鱼游泳。) 2.The best fish smell bad when they are
three days old.久居别家招人嫌。(原意为:鱼过三天就要臭。) 3.He who would catch fish
must not mind getting wet.不入虎穴,焉得虎子。(原意为:捉鱼不要怕鞋湿。) 4.There's as
good fish in the sea as ever came out of
it.纵然失去一个机会,不愁没有其他机会。(原意为:海里的好鱼是取之不尽的。) 来源
中青英语
●《妙趣横生的英语单词
看见英语单词头不大》:
不时听有人讲:“我一看见英语单词头就大,叫我学英语实在是赶鸭子上树。”在某种程度上,这是一个公众性错觉和误解。可能是最初不当的教学方法和学习方法,败坏了你学习的兴致,进而扭曲了你对英语的态度。其实,学习和研究英语词汇是其乐无穷的事情,有时甚至忘了窗外的世界,以致于不知今夕何年。首先,妙趣横生的发音
英语中有很多叠声词(组),复合词或词组前后发音相近,读起来朗朗上口,富有音乐感。 ▲Tit for tat:针锋相对
▲Tweedledum and tweedledee:半斤八两 ▲hum and haw:表示犹豫或支吾的嗯嗯呃呃声
▲cling-clang:叮当作响,铿锵声。▲rat-tat, rat-a-rat, rat-tat
-tat:(敲门的)砰砰声。▲Flip-flop:啪嗒啪嗒地响(动)▲Zigzag:弯弯曲曲▲Hotch-potch:大杂烩▲Criss-cross:纵横交错▲Helter-skelter:慌慌张张▲Shilly-shally:犹犹豫豫▲Chit-chat:拉呱▲Dillydally:磨磨蹭蹭▲Tittle-tattle:嚼舌头,搬弄是非▲Higgledy-piggledy:乱七八糟▲Walkie-talkie:步话机▲Job-hop:跳槽▲其次,妙趣横生的词形▲有些单词正看、反看都有意思,越看越有意思,越有意思越想看。因为英语单词只能横向变化,没有上下结构,
故叫妙趣“横”生。如: live倒过来就是evil。
可见“生活”不能颠倒,颠倒过来就是“罪恶”——俨如警世通言!又,鼠辈造反(猜一英语单词)。谜底是star。因为star从后往前读,正好是rats。英语中有不少单词左右有讲,堪称翻然成趣。
▲Are--------- era(时代);bin(贮藏器)----- nib(笔尖);but ------
tub(盆);deer(鹿)----- reed(芦苇); door----- rood(十字架);doom(注定)-----
mood(心情);deem(认为)----- meed(适当的报答); dot(点)-----
tod(狐);evil(罪恶)------ live(生活);God----- dog;gnat(小烦扰)-----
tang(强烈的味道);gulp(吞)-------plug(插座);gut(内容,实质)-----
tug(猛拉,苦干);keel(船的龙骨)------leek(韭葱);loop(环)-----
pool(水池);loot(赃物)----- tool,meet---- teem(充满,涌现);nip(呷)------
pin(大头针);nod(点头)------ don(大学教师);not----- ton(吨);on----
no;pan(平底锅)------- nap(小睡);part----- trap(陷阱);pets(宠物)-------
step;pots(壶)-----stop;put-----tup(公羊);rail(铁轨)------
liar(说谎者);ram(公羊)------ mar(弄糟);raw(生的)------ war;saw(锯)-----
was;sloop(小型护航舰)-----pools;smart(机灵的)-----
trams(电车);snap(猛咬,争购)----- pans;tap(水龙头)------ pat(轻拍);ten-----
net(网);tog(衣服)------ got;tom(雄猫)----- mot(警句);tops(顶)-------
spot(点);tun(大酒桶)------ nut(坚果)。 ▲再者,妙趣横生的含义
不少单词似是而非,千万不要望文生义,而误入陷阱。如: one-two 是“拳击中连击两次”,而不是一种“一二”。
Two-time是“对人不忠”,而不是一种“两次”。 In two twos是“立刻”,而不是一种“两两之间”。
Three-score是“六十”,而不是一种“三分”。 Four o’clock是“紫茉莉或食蜜鸟”,而不是“四点”。 Four
Hundred 是“名流、上层”,而不是“四百”。 Five-finger是“贼”,类似汉语的“三只手”,而不是一种“五指”。 At
sixes and sevens是“乱七八糟”,而 和“六”无关。 Seven-Hill City是“罗马”,而不是一种“七山市”。
Eight-ball是“老实人”,这里的“八” 和“发”无关。 To the tens是“打扮得极为华丽”,而 “数到十”。 a
white day是“良晨吉日”,而不是一种“大白天”。 a white elephant是“沉重的负担”,而不是一种“白象”。
Blue film是“黄色电影”,而和 “蓝色” 无关。 Yellow book是“法国政府或议会的报告书”,而不是一种“黄色书刊”。
Green-eyed是“红眼病”,而不是“绿眼病”。 Green hand是“生手”,而不是“绿手”。 Green
horn是“新移民”,而和 “牛羊的角” 无关。 White lie是“善意的谎言”,而和 “白色” 无关。 Green back
是“美圆”,而不是“绿毛龟”。 Yellow back 是“法国廉价小说”,而不是“黄背”。 Green
line是“轰炸线”,而不是“绿线”。 Green room是“演员休息室”,而不是“绿色房间”。 White
room是“绝尘室”,而不是“白色房间”。 Green house是“温室”,而不是“绿色的屋子”。 White
house是“白宫”,而不是普通的“白房子”。 White smith是“银匠,锡匠”,而不是“白人史密斯”。 Black
smith是“铁匠”,而不是“黑人史密斯”。 Chocolate drop是蔑称的“黑人”,而不是“巧克力滴”。 Black
tea是“红茶”,而不是“黑茶”。 Brown sugar是“红糖”,而不是“棕糖”。 Green
power是“金钱的力量”,而不是“绿色国家”。 firefly是“萤火虫”,而不是一种“苍蝇”。
dragonfly是“蜻蜓”,而不是一种“飞龙”。 Lady bird是“瓢虫”,而不是一种“太太鸟”。 Dragon’s
teeth是“相互争斗的根源”,而不是一种“龙齿”。 Talk fish是“吹牛”,而不是“谈马”。 Morning
glory是“牵牛花”,而不是“早晨的光荣”。 Lead pencil是“铅笔”,它是“石墨”做的,而和 “铅(lead)” 无关。
Silk worm是“蚕”,既不是“寄生虫”,也不是“可怜虫”。 Cat gut是“羊肠线”,而和 “猫” 无关。 Barber’s
cat是“面黄肌瘦的人”,而不是“理发师的猫”。 Cat’s eye 是“反光路丁”,而不是门镜“猫眼”。 Cats and dogs
是“杂物,价值低的股票”,而不是门上的“猫和狗”或“狗事猫事”。 Rain cats and
dogs是“大雨倾盆”,而不是门上的“下猫和狗”。 Prairie dog是“草原鼠”,而和 “狗” 无关。 Lucky
dog是“幸运儿”,而不是“幸运狗”。 You dirty dog.
是“你这卑鄙的家伙”,而不是“脏狗”。
●《美国口语惯用语句拾零》:
▲1、 You are a dreamboat. 你是位(异性所追求的)理想人选▲2、 You are such a dish.
你是个绝色美人▲3、 I've been dying to meet you. 我非常非常想见到你▲4、 Every time I
see you, you leave me out in the cold. 每次我见到你,你都不睬我▲5、 I only have
eyes for you . 我只在意你▲6、 I'd do anything to see you crack a smile.
为了博得你的一笑,我情愿做任何事▲7、 You swept me off my feet. 你使我神魂颠倒▲8、 You don't
have a care in the world. 你不知人间烦恼为何物 ▲9、 I'm still trying to get to
second base with you. 我仍旧试着想和你发展到‘第二阶段’(在美国,first base
指拉手,接吻,second base 指抚摩等,third base 指做爱)▲10、If you don't want to
lose me, you'd better lay it on the line. 如果你不想失去我,就最好一五一十地告诉我吧
▲11、Tell me your story, I'm all ears. 告诉我你的故事,我洗耳恭听▲12、Someday,
when your ship come in, you'll build your dream house.
总有一天,当你有钱时,你会建造你梦想的家▲13、I hope your idea takes wing. 我希望你的想法成真▲14、I
wish that you would put your cards on the table. 我希望你干脆把话挑明▲15、Have
you ever seen your old flame? 你还见过你的旧情人吗▲16、If the shoe fits, wear
it. 如果是真的就承认吧▲17、This experience will make me show my true color.
这种经历将使我暴露我的本性▲18、I have a bottomed-down mind. 我是个没有什么独到见解的人▲19、I
have no direction, I just get wherever the wind blows.
我没有方向,只是随风到处飘▲20、I can't burn the candle at both ends forever.
我不能永远这么过分地消耗精力▲21、We could make beautiful music together.
我们也许会是和谐幸福的一对儿▲22、You are always trying to get my goat.
你总是想惹我发火▲23、I'm a man of my word. 我是个讲信用的人▲24、Someday you're going
to have to face the music for your actions. 总有一天,你将不得不承担自己的行为所带来的后果
▲25、Just cool your heels! 好了,安静会儿吧 ▲26、Save your breath! I don't
want to hear it. 不要说了,我不想听 ▲27、Really?? You are so bad!
真的吗?你真棒!!!
●《吃出来的习语》:
谈及eat,大家都会联想到吃,在英语中与eat有关的词语并非都有吃的含义。下面列举数例。 ▲1.eat sb.'s
salt(做某人的客人,受某人的款待)
相传在阿拉伯人中,吃了某人的盐,意味着在主人和客人之间产生了神圣的契约。一个人只要吃了别人的盐,就不应该再说他的坏话或恩将仇报。
One has no business to eat a man's salt and then say nasty things
about him.一个人没有权利一面享受人家的款待,一面又讲人家的坏话。 ▲2.eat crow(被迫认错,忍辱含垢)
此语源自年英美双方停战期间。一美国兵误入英方警戒区打落一只乌鸦,一英国军官闻声赶来,决意要惩罚来犯者。但苦于未带武器,只得夸奖美国兵的枪法,以骗取其枪支。枪支一到手,便逼美国兵咬一口乌鸦,等到他把枪支还给美国兵后,美国兵又逼英国军官把他咬剩下的乌鸦吃下去。
Whenever his boss reprimands him,he eats crow with no
resistance.无论老板何时责骂他,他都忍气吞声,毫不反抗。 ▲3.eat,drink and be
merry(吃喝玩乐,人生短暂,及时行乐) Let's leave the restofthis work for another
day.I'm in the mood to eat,drink and be merry and the rest of you
had better be too.剩下的工作改日再做吧。我现在想快乐享受一番,你们最好也和我一样。 ▲4.eat humble
pie(忍气吞声,低头谢罪) He tolerated Mr.Morse,wondering the while how it
felt to eat such humble pie.他忍受了摩斯先生的态度,一边心想,不知道这低声下气究竟是什么味儿。 eat
sb.out of house and home(吃穷某人,吃得倾家荡产) John's family was likely to
be eaten out of house and home.约翰一家很可能要被吃得倾家荡产。
●《维妙维肖的重迭词》:
英语中有些词是通过重复一个词的基本音节而派生来的,构词学上称之为重迭词(reduplication
words)。 fuddy-duddy(大惊小怪的人,为fuddy的重迭); handy-dandy(一种猜对方手中握有什么东西的游戏,为handy的重迭。); hoity-toity(轻率,傲慢,来自hoity); tittle-tattle(闲聊,来自tattle)。 ▲(一)
重迭词的一个显著特点就是具有一定的韵律和较强的节奏感。它们有的押尾韵,如: knicker-bocker(纽约人); jiggery-pockery(欺骗); walkie-lookie(一种手提式摄像机), 而有的重迭词既押尾韵又押头韵,如: niddle-noddle(不断地点头); flipperty-flopperty(松驰地下垂着)。 由于重迭词讲究韵律,因此,读起来朗朗上口,听上去娓娓动听,可以说正是这种谐音大大地增添了词的表现力,让人听了有如身临其境,目睹其人的感受。例如: 1.She
pitter-pattered along the hallway. 她在走廊里哒哒啪啪地走。 2.The bell goes
ding-dang. 铃儿在了当地响。 3.He is shilly-shally about it in his
mind. 对此事,他一直犹豫不决。 4.The two gossips,when coming together,would
tittle-tattle to the slander of
others. 那两个长舌妇,碰到一起时总要喋喋不休地诽谤别人。 5.And all argle-bargling
suggested it was at the end of the
fair. 而这一片付价还价的嘈杂声说明集市已近尾音。 6.The druken man zig-zagged down the
street. 酒鬼在大街上东倒西歪地行走。 7.She was so round and roly-ploy that I
used to wonder how she ever moved fast enough to catch a
bird. 她身圆体胖,我过去总感到不解的是她何以能捉到一只小鸟。 8.Willy-nilly,every youth must
serve in the army for three years. 每个年轻人,不管是否愿意,都得服三年兵役。 9. He
pooh-poohed the idea. 他对那条建议嗤之以鼻。 ▲ (二)
重迭词按现代词汇学的观点,属于次要拟声(secondary onomatopoeia),
即通过词中的元音或辅音的替换构成。 通过元音替换的词有: riff-raff (下等人), wishy-washy
(空洞无物) tick-tack (滴答声) fiddl-faddle (胡扯), pit-a-pat
(劈劈啪啪的声音), prittle-prattle (空谈), jim-jam (神经过敏), knick-knack
(装饰品), skimble-skamble (随口说出), whimsy-whamsy (怪念头), snip-snap
(机智的对答),等等。 利用辅音更替的词有: humpty-dumpty (矮胖子), hurdy-gurdy
(街头艺人用的手摇琴), hurry-scurry (慌乱), hurly-burly (喧闹), lovey-dovey
(多情的), namby-pamby (无生气的,易伤感的人), palsy-walsy (要好的), pell-mell
(乱七八糟的), raggle-taggle (杂色的), huff-buff (无线电高频测向仪), occa-cola
(可口可乐), tootsy-wootsy(宝贝), hi-fi (高保真的), hugger-mugger
(秘密的), itty-bitty (极小的), popsy-wopsy (对小孩的爱称:宝贝), walkie-talkie
(背式步话机), helter-skelter (狼狈的) higglety-pogglety
(杂乱无章的), hanky-panky (阴谋诡计),等等。 ▲(三)
重迭词的来源大致可分为以下几种: 1.拟声词:hubble-bubble (沸腾声),rat-tat (敲门声),hush-hush
(嘘声)。 2.商标名称: ping-pong
(table-tennis), handie-talkie(手提式步话机), coca-cola
(一种清凉饮料)等均源于商标名称。 3.首字母缩写词: hi-fi (=high fidelity), huff-duff
(=high frequency direction finder),等等。 4.古英语词汇: shilly-shally
是犹豫不决的意思,当一个人不知道怎么办的时候就可能这样自问"shall I ? shall I
?" 即:"我该不该?我该不该?"后来就慢慢地变成了现在的形式:shilly-shally。 又如:
willy-nilly,原先有几种不同的形式,"Will I ? nil I. " 愿意吗?我不愿意。 或will he? nil
he.(他愿意吗?他不愿意。) nil为古英语词,意指不愿意或不想要某物。这一词组到后来就慢慢变成了willy-nilly(无论是否愿意)。 5.来自文艺作品,如:
humpty-dumpty。该词源于一首儿歌,其角色Humpty-dumpty
为一蛋状之人。 heeble-jeeble(神经过敏)和hotsy-totsy(好的,妙的)都来自于美国漫画家Billy
DeBeck 的作品,Namby-pamby系英国十六世纪感伤诗人Ambrose Philips
的绰号,后人用此喻文风浮华而枯燥无味。 knicker-bocker系Washington
Irving的作品中自称是纽约史的编著人DiedrickKnickerbocker演变而来,后人借指纽约人。 另外,据美国之音的词语典故(Words
and Their
Stories)广播,还有不少的重迭词仅仅是为了押韵而加上后半部分的。 如:fiddle(胡扯),不知何时人们开始fiddle-faddle,它们的意思仍旧不变,但听上去比fiddle好。 又如hurly-burly来自hurly(冲突和嘈杂)。topsy-turvy(上下颠倒),top是"顶",一件物体的最上端,turve是个旧词,即颠倒之意。而topsy-turvy中的"-y","-sy"没有任何意思,加上后只是为了押韵罢了。 这类词还有一些,比如,
flimflam(胡言乱语),hocus-pocus(胡编乱造),dilly-dally(磨磨蹭蹭),nitty-gritty(关键的关键)。
●《十分有趣的英语形象化词汇》:
有些英语学习者觉得学习和记忆英语词汇太枯燥乏味,因而产生畏难情绪,影响了他们学习英语的积极性和效果。
由于英语和汉语分别属于两种不同的语系,差异很大,要学好英语词汇的确不容易。不过,尽管如此,不是所有的英语词汇都是枯燥无味的。相反,有些英语词汇,而且应该说有相当数量的英语词汇具有鲜明、生动、具体的形象。你一看到它们,只要稍加思考,理解它们包含的形象,就会在脑中产生联想,留下深刻印象,而难以忘记它们。下面就是一些这样的词汇:
▲walk-in patient门诊病人(门诊病人大多能走着去就诊) ▲walk-up无电梯公寓(既然无电梯,就只好walk
up,即walk upstairs之意。注意walk-up后面没有apartment一词或别的表示建筑物的词汇。) ▲wage
ceiling最高工资限额(用ceiling“天花板”表示最高限额,形象生动。) ▲chalk and
talk注入式教学法(习惯于满堂灌的老师授课时总是讲呀,板书呀,而忽略了学生的参与。用 chalk and
talk来表示此意十分形象。) ▲ozone-friendly product不损害臭氧层的产品(ozone-friendly比not
damaging ozone既简洁又形象。) ▲twilight
home养老院(twilight一词既可指“曙光”,也可指“黄昏,黄昏时的光线”。twilight在这个词组中指的是“黄昏”,也就是我们常说的“夕阳”的意思。)
▲floating
voter无党派投票人(无党派的人没有党派归属感。floating一词使人联想到在水面漂来漂去的浮萍,用它来喻指“无党派”,妙不可言。)
▲cram
school补习学校(cram一词意为“把……塞进……”,其引申义指的是“用填鸭式方法教学生”。在补习学校中一般都要采用此种教法方能有成效。)
▲cradle-to-grave protection一生的保护(用cradle-to-grave“从摇篮到坟墓”表示a whole
life,生动、具体、形象。这个词组还可表示“自始至终的”,如cradle-to-grave control自始至终的管理。)
类似上面的形象化词汇在英语中还有很多很多。这里有以下三点需要说明:
1.形象化词汇是整个英语词汇量(《国际新韦氏英语大辞典》已收录了四十五万个英语词汇)中一个不可分割的组成部分,是在英语漫长的发展过程中逐渐形成的。我们作为英语学习者在英语还学得不很好的时候一般不宜生造或杜撰这种词汇,而应当细心观察,多发现、学习这种词汇。
2.不要随意改变形象化词汇的结构。例如:不要把walk-up改成walk-upstairs,不要把chalk and
talk改成talk and chalk。
3.有些形象化词语中的某个组成成分可用于其它搭配中,如environment-friendly
approach“不损害环境的对策”。不过,就形象化英语词汇而言,这种情况只是少数,不具备普遍意义。
●《Clipped
words
--英语节略词小谈》:
一般说来,节略词多限于非正式场合,尤其在日常生活中,经常使用的词被节略的机会最多. Clipped
words和原词一样有语法形态的变化,一个名词可以与冠词连用,也可以有复数形式. 例如, 烫发(permanent
wave)的节略词perm可以有现在分词perming,过去分词 permed.▲Ad:advertisement
广告▲Auto:automobile 汽车▲Biz:business 商业▲Cig:cigarette
香烟▲Coke:cocacola 可口可乐▲co-op:co-operative store
合作商店▲delt:delicatessen 熟食▲disco:discotheque 迪斯科▲dorm:dormitary
宿舍▲flu:influenza 流感▲exam:examination 考试▲grad:graduate
毕业生▲lab:laboratory 实验室▲hosp:hospital 医院▲kilo:kilogram
千克▲mike:microphone 扬声器▲medic:medical personnel 医护人员▲mod:modern
现代▲nuke:nuclear 核▲pc:percent 百分比▲perm:permanent wave
烫发▲ped:pedestrian 行人▲photo:photograph 相片▲pic:picture
电影▲pix:pictures 电影▲porn:pornography 黄色书刊▲pro:professional
职业的▲phone:telephone 电话▲sec:secretary 秘书▲tele:television
电视▲uni:university 大学▲vet:veterinary surgeon 兽医▲atomomb:atom bomb
原子弹▲blacketeer:black marketeer 黑市商人▲cinemanufacturer:cinema
manufacturer 电影制片人▲fruice:fruit juice 果汁▲slanguage:slang language
方言俗语▲teleceiver:television receiver 电视接收机
●《“牛市”与“熊市”》:
在股票市场,“牛市”(bull market)是上涨的行情,“熊市”(bear
market)是下跌的行情。stockbroker是指股票投资者。sell the bear´s skin before he had
caught the bear指卖空(buy short),在俚语中,sell a
bear也同样指卖空。另外,在股市以外,牛和熊也有含义:英国人自称为“约翰牛”(John
Bull),美国男篮也有大名鼎鼎的“芝加哥公牛队”(Chicago Bulls),bull指“粗壮的人,卤莽得人,凶猛的人”,a
bull in a china shop指“说话或行动卤莽的人,笨手笨脚动辄闯祸的人”,shoot the bull指“吹牛皮”,a
bear for hard work指“能吃苦耐劳的人”。
●《汽车词汇——Automobile》:
汽车品牌 汽车术语 ▲Benz, Mercedes-Benz 奔驰 ▲Cadillac 卡迪拉克▲Chrysler
克莱斯勒▲Chevroler 雪佛莱▲Citroen 雪铁龙▲Ford 福特▲Honda 本田▲Mazda 马自达▲Mustang
野马▲Porsche 保时捷▲Renault 雷诺▲Rolls-Royce 罗尔斯罗伊斯▲Santana 桑塔纳▲Toyota
丰田▲Volvo 沃尔沃, 富豪▲Volkswagen 大众▲first gear 一档▲second gear 二档▲reverse
倒车档▲two-stroke engine 二冲程发动机▲diesel 柴油机▲limousine 豪华轿车▲drophead
活动车篷汽车 (美作:convertible)▲racing car 赛车▲saloon 轿车 (美作:sedan)▲roadster
敞蓬车▲wecker, beat-up car, jalopy 老爷车▲notchback 客货两用车▲four-wheel
drive 四轮驱动▲front-wheel drive 前轮驱动▲trailer 拖车▲station wagon
小旅行车▲truck 卡车▲compact car 小型汽车▲light-van 小型货车▲garbage truck
垃圾车▲automobile carrier 货运卡车▲fire engine 消防车▲tractor 牵引车▲ambulance
救护车▲taxi 出租车, 计程车▲trailer truck 拖车▲sports car 跑车▲formula car 方程式赛车,
方程式汽车▲mail car 邮车▲jeep 吉普车▲bloodmobile 血浆车▲bumper car 碰撞用汽车▲camper
露营车▲police car 警车▲wrecker 清障车▲ambulance 急救车
●《英汉类同的词语》:
有相当一部分英语成语和汉语里的成语或词组相通,其用法和表达方式几乎完全一样,可以逐词对译出来;这类成语比较容易为我们所接受,特别适合于初涉英语成语的同志学习。
▲(1)bad egg坏蛋,歹徒。 Trust him nothing;he is a bad egg。别信他,他是个坏蛋。
▲(2)crocodile tears鳄鱼的眼泪,假慈悲。 Don't weep crocodile tears with his
misfortune. I know you have always detested him and are only too
happy to see him get into
trouble。别假惺惺地为他的不幸难过了,我知道你一直讨厌他,看到他倒霉,心里可高兴哩! ▲(3)cry
wolf呼喊“狼来了”,发假情报。 That politician cries wolf in every speech he
makes。那个政治家在他的每篇演说中都发假警报。 ▲(4) (that is) easier said than
done说起来容易做起来难。 Easier said than done,let's pay more attention to
practice. 说起来容易做起来难,让我们多注意些实践吧! ▲(5)fish in troubled
waters混水摸鱼,乘人之危。 He's always been good at fishing in troubled
waters; he made a lot of money by buying houses that were bombed in
the war.他总是善于乘人之危大捞一把,他靠购买在战争中遭过轰炸的房屋而赚了大量的钱财。 ▲(6)fish out of
water离水之鱼,不得其所。 She felt like a fish of water at the evening party
because she knew no one. 她在晚会上感到很局促,因为她一个人也不认识。 ▲(7)gives someone
an inch and he will take an ell得寸进尺。 If you give those people an
inch,they'll take an ell;we told them they might use our side path
to reach their garden,now they have fenced in the path so that we
cannot use it
ourselves.那些人就是得寸进尺;我们对他们说,他们可以经过我们的小道进他们的花园,现在他们已在小道上修起了篱笆,以致我们自己也无法走这条小路过去了。
▲(8)go west上西天,死,失败。 Poor John was one of those who went west in
the explosion.可怜的约翰是在这次爆炸中魂归西天的人物之一。 ▲(9)in a word一句话,简而言之 I have
no time to tell you the whole story, in a word, they become hostile
to each other。我没时间把全部经过告诉你,一句话,他们相互成了仇敌。 ▲(10)lose face丢脸;失面子。
Certain country often loses face in regard to its relations with
small weak countries on account of its dirty
tricks某个国家在与弱小国家交往中因其使用卑鄙手段而总是丢脸。 ▲(11)odds and ends零零碎碎。 What
shall we do with all those odds and ends?我们用那些残余的东西可做什么呢? ▲(12)play
with fire玩火,作无谓而危险的事。 He who plays with fire gets burned.玩火者必自焚。
▲(13)strike while the iron is hot趁热打铁。 Father is in a good mood at
the moment.Strike while the iron is hot and ask him to let you go
to the circus.这时父亲的情绪很好,乘此机会求他让你去看马戏。 ▲(14)there’s no smoke without
fire无火不冒烟;无风不起浪。 The story is all over the town. It is being spread
by someone or by some people. There's no smoke without
fire.这个传说遍及全城,有人或有些人还在散布。真是无火不冒烟。 ▲(15)a thorn in the flesh
(side)肉中刺;棘手的事,不断使某人烦恼的根源。 ▲(16)The memory of this act will be a
thorn in the flesh for the rest of your life,my
boy.这种行动会使你不断引起回忆。使你终生烦恼,我的朋友。
●《BLUE
MOON》:
在英语语言中,与blue moon相关的短语还有once in a blue moon(千载难逢地),cry/ask for the
moon(异想天开,想做做不到的事)等。blue
moon的本来含意是指根本不可能发生的事情。按照天文学家的说法,月亮不可能是蓝色的,至少这也是千载难逢的天象。(当然啦,实际事实证明,如果天空聚积了大量的灰尘,在灰尘的衬托下,月亮看上去完全可能是蓝色的。1883年克雷克吐尔岛的火山爆发就曾一度使天空的月亮看上去湛蓝湛蓝。1927年的印度季风和
1951年的加拿大森林大火也导致类似的天文景观。)blue moon的起源大致可以追溯到1528年一首题为"Rede me and
be nott wrothe, For I say no things but trothe"的无名诗:"Yf they saye
the mone is belewe, We must believe that it is true."现代意义上的blue
moon始见于1821年,其含意也发生了一定的变化,它不再指『根本不可能发生的事情』,而是指『很少/难得(但不是不可能)发生的事情』。
●《SOAP OPERA
肥皂剧》:
肥皂剧有一个很形象的名字,叫soap
opera,它是指“以家庭问题为题材的广播或电视连续剧”,主要以家庭妇女为主要观众,以家庭日用品商家为赞助商,以普通家庭生活环境为舞台……有些人以为soap
opera这个名字是因为这类连续剧非常休闲并且冗长,为了节省时间,人们可以边洗泡沫浴边看连续剧而来的。但事实上,最早的肥皂剧指本世纪30年代美国无线电广播中播放的一种长篇广播连续剧,由于当时的赞助商主要是日用清洁剂厂商,期间插播的广告也主要是肥皂广告,“肥皂剧”之名便由此诞生。肥皂剧一般有日间肥皂剧和晚间肥皂剧之分。日间肥皂剧以18-49岁的家庭主妇为受众,每周白天固定播5集。“其结构在半个世纪以来几乎是一成不变的——一般是星期一是呈现部和再现部;每一集中都是几条叙事线路并存,在一周中由一个悬念引向一个动人的高潮,在星期五以至少一个情节线中的危机点收尾。如果一个困境解决了,那么另一个困境必须制造出来。”晚间肥皂剧则在晚间黄金时段以每周一集的频率播出,在结构上与日间相似。但到了80年代末,晚间肥皂剧已渐渐退出了历史的舞台。除了肥皂剧外,常见的剧集还有Sitcom--Situation
Comedy(情景喜剧)和Drama(情节系列剧)。
●《Gold watch
or golden
watch?》:
gold 与golden很容易混淆,一次朋友给我看一块金表,我说:“What a beautiful golden watch!”
朋友郑重的说,“ gold watch, not golden watch.” 回来查查字典才知道gold
指的是一种物质,而“golden”指的是一种颜色。 A gold watch 是说手表是用真金制成的,而不是金色的手表。
同样的我们一般不买“ golden ring, golden necklace”等。Golden 可以形容“field, sunset
, opportunity, voice”等。补充:有时候看见老外的漂亮的金黄色的头发,我们忍不住感叹一下“ Wow, how
beautiful a golden hair!" 在这里呢,形容金发一般用“blonde” 而不用“golden”了,golden
用于关系亲密的两人之间“ He has a golden hair. ”(当然了这里的语气一定是很甜蜜的哦)
●《COOKIE》:
▲COOKIE 小甜饼 小甜饼人人都喜欢 cookie(小甜饼),不过你知道吗,小甜饼对于电脑用户来说,还有很特别的用途呢!
当你用互联网浏览器在因特网上搜索信息时,你的用户资料、所用电脑系统的资料和你所浏览过的网页资料都将被储存在一个资料夹中,这个资料夹就是
cookies。 关于 cookies
的由来有各种说法,有人说它可能源于海外中国餐馆在客人用完餐离开前向客人所赠幸运小饼干(fortune
cookies),每块幸运小饼干里面都有一张小字条,上面写有表示祝福或预言的话。也有人认为 cookies
来自于《艾丽丝漫游仙境》中出现的 magic cookie。 magic cookie
可以神奇地使艾丽丝变大或变小,不过艾丽丝变大后要想再缩回去的话,必须饮用装在写着 DRINK ME
的瓶子里面装的东西或把白兔扇握在手里才行,这两种说法各有道理,但都无法提供让人完全信服的依据。
说到底,“小甜饼”给网上用户带来的未必都是快乐,因为它就象一个小尾巴,记录下你在网上的一举一动,使人的隐私受到威胁。不信的话,打开你电脑硬盘浏览器目录中的小甜饼,看一看它到底记录了些什么。
●《COMPUTER-ASSISTED
JOURNALISM》:
COMPUTER-ASSISTED JOURNALISM
中文译为『计算机辅助新闻写作』。对英国大多数人来说这还是个新词,但它却为美国新闻界越来越广泛使用。所谓计算机辅助新闻写作,就是指借助计算机收集新闻素材。计算机信息资源丰富,现在美国新闻记者已习惯于利用它收集各种相关资料,根据计算机所提供的资料提炼新闻主题、发现受访对象、获取背景题材和核对主要事实。根据收集到的资料,记者们再借助各种软件如空白表格程序、资料采集程序等研究、校对和处理资料。计算机辅助新闻写作(CAJ)也叫计算机辅助报导(Computer-Assisted
Reporting)。
这两个词在英国都很少有人使用,这既不是因为英国人怀疑这种新闻报导方式的实际价值,也不是因为英国报界的网络普及程度不如美国抑或英国记者不谙计算机操作,关键是英国的电子信息业不如美国普及,而且使用此类信息还受诸多法律条文的限制。
●《RAIN CATS
AND
DOGS》:
可能你已经知道了rain cats and dogs
的含意为『下倾盆大雨』,但你知道这个短语是怎样衍生而来的吗?下雨就下雨,怎可能从天上掉下来猫和狗呢?下雨同猫及狗又是怎样扯上关系的呢?原来,据说这个短语最早出现于17世纪,不过关于它的起源已经无从考证。但是现在人们普遍认为,它的起源可能同17世纪使用的地下排水系统有关,当时人们使用的排水系统非常简陋,排水能力极其有限。一旦下起暴雨,地下排水沟里的污水便四处横流。随着污水流出来的不仅有垃圾,各种污秽物,有时甚至还有死猫死狗之类的小动物死尸随污水蔓延出来。如此狗和猫便与瓢泼大雨扯上了关系,人们也据此杜撰了
rain cats and dogs 这一短语。由此可以看出,rain cats and dogs
并不是指天上真的掉下猫和狗(要真是如此,还不让那些喜欢猫和狗的西方人笑歪了鼻子乐歪了嘴?),而是由于大雨引起地下排水不畅,结果阴沟里的死猫死狗便随污水漂浮到地面。另外,也有人认为,这个短语可能起源于这样的事实:每当下起暴风雨,风大雨急,看上去就好像是猫和狗在打架。还有人认为它来自北欧神话传说,在北欧,人们都认为猫影响天气的变化,而狗则代表风,所以一旦下起暴雨,猫和狗自然脱不了干系(不过我们还是有点替阿猫阿狗们叫屈!不是吗?^-^)。
来源 中青英语
●《KARAOKE》:
「卡拉OK」是很多人喜欢的一种比较新的娱乐方式,也比较流行。一看到饭店舞厅上的「卡拉OK」或「OK助兴」字样,大家都明白是什么意思。显然,汉语中所说的「卡拉OK」来自英语词karaoke。但是,这个英语词又是从哪里来的呢?这个词比较新,只有少数几部词典收录。词典Webster's
Collegiate Dictionary: Tenth Edition
(1993出版)说,karaoke一词从1982年开始在美国报刊上频繁出现。它的解释是:a device that plays
instrumental accompaniments for a selection of songs to which the
user sings along and that records the user's singing with the
music. (一种播放一些歌曲乐器伴奏的装置,用户可以随之演唱,并可以把演唱和音乐同时录下。)词典Random House
Unabridged Dictionary (1993) 的解释是:an act of singing along to a
music video, esp. one from which the original vocals have been
electronically eliminated. (一种随音乐录影带演唱的活动,特别是原唱被电子方法消除的录影带。)
两本词典的解释内容差不多,只是方式不同。前者从「卡拉OK」的设备入手,后者则是以唱歌为中心 。
词典说karaoke源于日语的kara(empty)+oke(orchestra);此话前一半正确,后一半不完全对。原因是我们的东邻造词之活跃无人能比;造「卡拉OK」时,前一半使用了「空」字的假名kara,后一半是把从orchestra变来的外来语"o-ke-su-to-ra"缩简到只剩下开头的两个假名oke。难怪此字刚造成不久的时候,竟有熟谙日文而还不知卡拉OK字源的人认为这四个音节代表的是「空桶」一字。
●《TIPS
小费》:
tips最为人所熟知的意思是指小费,那你知道是怎么来的吗?这个意思的起源可以追溯到18世纪的英国,当时的理发店盛行在店里摆个小盒子,上面写着“To
insure prompt
service”,就是保证立刻服务,客人如果要得到优先服务,就得在里面放些零钱。后人不但沿用了这个习惯,还把这句话的每个单词的第一个字母连起来,就成了今天大家所熟知的tips.说到这儿,不免要说一说tip。tip有好几个意思,其中一个意思是指“尖端、顶端”,比如说我们一时想不起某一个熟识的人的名字时,就可以说“I've
got that name at the tip of my tongue”,
意思是他的名字就在我舌尖上,只是一时想不起来。tip也可以做“倾倒、翻倒”的意思,比如说“He tipped the bottle
over”, 就是他把瓶子碰翻倒了。tip另一个意思是“泄漏、暗示”,比如说“He tipped the launching
schedule of the product to the
press”,就是他跟新闻界的人士透露了该产品的发布时间安排。哦,还有,不要忘了我们常常说的“贴士”,也是这个“tips”!至于“贴士”是什么意思,相信不用我多费唇舌了吧?
●《ROMAN
HOLIDAY》:
罗马假日? 相信大家看到“Roman
holiday”,首先想到的应该是奥黛丽•赫本和格里高利•派克的那部经典之作《罗马假日》。不过今天我们要说的可不是浪漫爱情。公元前3世纪到公元前2世纪初,古罗马很有特色的地方就是角斗士。这些角斗士多数是战争中的俘虏和罪犯,他们都经过专门的剑术训练。每逢假日,他们就在斗兽场或公开场合彼此格斗或与野兽搏斗,供罗马贵族、奴隶主们观看取乐。因此,Roman
holiday就用来比喻“以欣赏别人受苦为乐的娱乐;幸灾乐祸”。如:Barney knew that Lamb and John
liked to match boxers who went in to be cut to pieces to make a
Roman holiday for the
crowds.巴纳知道,兰姆和约翰专爱组织那些不惜斗得筋断骨折的拳击手来比赛,让观众看个痛快。现在想想那一部爱情经典是不是采用了双关意义呢?
●《趣谈
Workaholic》:
Workaholic这个词在普通词典上是查不到的,它是根据alcoholic这个词衍生出来的。Alcoholic是指饮酒上瘾的人,当然Workaholic就是指对工作上瘾的人。有些人在工作上喜欢花很多时间,他干工作的时间比别人长。他一开口就谈工作,不谈别的什么,好像对工作有瘾一样。 几十年前美国有一位教会辅导员,名叫维恩奥茨,他从早到晚忙个不停,成了典型的工作狂。他工作时连家人都不能见到他。后来维恩奥茨写了一本名为《一个工作狂的忏悔录》的书。书中第一次使用Workaholic这个词,意思是指那些只知道工作,不顾家庭,没有正常生活的人。例如:People
call Mr.•Green workaholic He spends most of his time in the office,
pays no attention to his wife and kids, and never goes on vacation
with them.
人们管格林先生叫工作狂。他把大多数时间花在办公室里,不注意他的妻子和孩子,从不和他们去度假。
踢地雷
英语当中许多语汇与体育运动是分不开的,kick就是一例。足球比赛的第一脚是kickoff,这一脚后比赛便开始了。久而久之,这个词组也用于日常生活中,如这样一句话“Starting
on Friday, the soldiers kicked off the second round of the landmine
clearance
drive”怎么译呢?是不是从星期五开始士兵踢地雷?逻辑上显然是错误的,因为踢地雷不啻于送命。而且原文中说是second
round(第二轮),命岂有送了一次再送一回的理?kick
off在此就是开始的意思,相当于比赛开始,因而全句可译为:“士兵在星期五又开始第二轮的扫雷行动。”再举一例:“They kicked
off a ten day tour of China with a party in Beijing.
”(他们在北京搞了个聚会,以此开始对中国的十天旅行。) 踢足球很刺激,kick也就有了这样的含义,如:They loved
debate, and got a kick out of court
proceedings.(他们喜欢辩论,因而法庭的辩辞使他们觉得特过瘾。
●《由人名而来的词
》Oscar, one of several gold statuettes awarded annually by the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the USA for
outstanding achievements in the cinema. The trophies, first awarded
in 1929, were not called Oscars until1931, when, so it is said, the
Academy's librarian, Margaret Herrick, remarked that the statuettes
reminded her of her uncle Oscar. A newspaper reporter who happened
to be listening passed this fact on to his readers, and so , the
story goes, the word came into the language.
奥斯卡是一尊金雕像,一年一度由美国电影艺术与科学学院颁发给电影辊有突出业绩的人士。该奖项始于1929年,但直到1931年才被称为奥斯卡奖。据说学院的图书馆员玛格丽特.赫里克说该雕像使她想起她的叔叔奥斯卡。一名报社记者恰巧听到,便把这一信息传达给读者,奥斯卡奖由此得名。Pulitzer
prizes, awarded annually for outstanding achievements in
journalism, literature, and music. Named after Joseph Pulitzer
(1847-1911), the Hungarian-born US newspaper publisher, the prizes
were established by Pulitzer's
will.普利策奖一年一度颁发给在新闻、文学和音乐领域有突出业绩的人士。该奖以匈牙利裔美国报纸出版商的瑟夫.普利策(1847-1911)的名字命名,是根据他的遗愿而设立的。
●《A CHURCH
MOUSE
赤贫的人》:
虽然老鼠在中文里有财神之说,因为它光顾的地方通常油水最足,但“A church mouse
教堂里的老鼠”,可不是指富有的教士或教堂的小偷们,它所比喻的人可没那么幸运,因为教堂里没有大鱼大肉,那里的老鼠也没有什么食物可吃。
因此,church mouse 只能用来比喻“赤贫的人”,因为他们像教堂里的老鼠般常常挨饿。
●《KILL
SOMEONE WITH
KINDNESS》:
kindness有时确实可以置人于死地的喔,但不必过于担忧,kill someone with
kindness只是一种夸张的说法,其真正含义在汉语中大致可以表达为热情得让人受不了,而没有你想像的那样危情四起。打个比方,你到百货大楼去购物,本来只是想买一件衬衣,可热情有加的服务员不仅为你拿来了各式各样的衬衣让你比试,更是还拿出了她们认为是和此件衬衫最完美搭配的领带、外套、裤子、鞋子,笑容可掬地极力向你推荐,而且称赞你眼光独具品味极高,挑到了最好的货色。对此情景,你能拒绝吗?你好意思拒绝吗?那就全买下来吧。结果回家之后一个劲地后悔,我买这些个有用没用的东西都是干啥来着?唉,都是被服务员那"冬天里的一把火"似的热情烧的,从心底你会说they
killed me with kindness.。
●《HIJACK》:
Hijack 这个字是“抢劫”的意思,据说是因为过去歹徒会假装成搭便车的路人,拦到车后都先假装友好,跟司机说 Hi
打招呼,然后再实施抢劫。 传说美国在颁行禁酒令(1920-1933)初期,歹徒常常打劫运酒车. 他们抢司机时的命令是:"Stick
'em up high, Jack!" 或 " Up high, Jack!" (兄弟, 把手高举起来!) 因为这句话,
人们于是称他们是 highjacker, 再简写为 hijacker, 然后才有动词 hijack 的产生。
另外还有一种说法,歹徒要打劫运酒车时,先会假装成 搭便车的路人(hitch-hiker) 要求搭乘便车(thumb a
lift),拦到车后对司机的第一句话是:" Hi, Jack!"。于是,hijack 便成了“抢劫”的代名词。
●《TATTOO
纹身》:
知道 tattoo
是什么东东吗?对了,就是电影里黑社会成员身上的纹身图案,不太讨人喜欢,是吧?不过,现在到了夏天,我们在街上到处可以看到身上有
tattoo 的美眉们。tattoo 如何能够变成一种时髦呢?哪些美眉们难道不怕疼吗?哈哈,其实现在我们所看到的那种 tattoo
不是永久性的,而是用印度的一种树叶碾成的浆汁画出来的,这种树叶名叫 Mehndi,所以啊,这种 tattoo
一点儿也不疼,并且只维持两三个星期,又被称为 Mehndi tattoos。 tattoo 一词源于玻利尼西亚的
tattau,指“划下印记”的意思。最早是在皮肤内植入刺激物,使皮肤表面长出突起的,永久的疤痕。而现代的 tattoo
则是由新西兰的毛利人和日本人不断完善发展起来的一种色彩艳丽,图案精美的身体装饰。真正的 tattoo
是永久性的,但也可以人为去除,只是去除的过程相当缓慢而痛苦。在西方国家,这是一个相当有争议的词,多少体现了文化的巨大差异:一般在宗教国家,人们认为
tattoo 是粗俗的代名词,国家甚至专门发布了禁止纹身的法令;而在自由思潮风行的国家,有人却将 tattoo
视为时髦。无论所受待遇如何,tattoo
已被广泛用作赛马的标记。同时,在医学美容领域,它也被用来消除不雅的胎记。听说现在还有人专门研究 tattoo。说不定哪天,tattoo
真的会被人们作为艺术接受呢!
●《S.O.S.》:
可能大家都知道S.O.S.是一种求救信号,并由此联想到了历史上最大的悲剧性海难--泰坦尼克沉船事件,在为那些屈死的灵魂深感惋惜的同时,也在心里埋怨当时没有能够及时发出海难求救信号,其他船只和海上救援组织没有及时施救。很多人都以为S.O.S.是由一些单字的首字母缩写而成,如Save
Our Souls(拯救我们的生命!),Save Our Ship(拯救我们的船只!),Stop Other
Signals(停止发送任何其他信号!),Sure Of
Sinking(船就要沉了!)等。真是这样的吗?其实,S.O.S.是国际莫尔斯电码救难信号,并非任何单字的缩写。鉴于当时海难事件频繁发生,往往由于不能及时发出求救信号和最快组织施救,结果造成很大的人员伤亡和财产损失,国际无线电报公约组织于1908年正式将它确定为国际通用海难求救信号。这三个字母组合没有任何实际意义,只是因为它的电码
...---...(三个圆点,三个破折号,然后再加三个圆点)在电报中是发报方最容易发出,接报方最容易辨识的电码。在1908年之前,国际公海海难求救信号为C.Q.D.。这三个字母也没有任何实际意义,尽管很多人认为它是Come
Quickly,
Danger.(快来,危险!)的首字母缩写。虽然1908年国际无线电报公约组织已经明确规定应用S.O.S.作为海难求救信号,但C.Q.D.仍然有人使用。泰坦尼克海难发生初期,其他船只和救助组织之所以没有能够及时组织施救,主要是因为他们不明白船上发报员开始发出的过时的C.Q.D.求救信号。直到整个船只都快没入大海才发出了S.O.S.求救信号,但到了此时谁可能还有如此的回天之力,拯救那些无辜的即将永远葬身海底的灵魂呢?
●《CANCER
癌症》:
Cancer 是让我们谈之色变的癌症,可它的起源却和味道鲜美,人人爱吃的大闸蟹大有干系,这是怎么回事呢? 原来,cancer
既即可以表示癌症,又可以表示巨蟹座,都是来自于拉丁语中表示蟹的 cancer 或
cancrum。据占星学说,巨蟹座的星际分布图像一只蟹,而古希腊的医学家 Galen
又指出某些肿瘤旁胀起的血管就像蟹脚一样。通过各种途径,这种说法被带到了英国,在英语中,cancer
于1000年开始用来表示癌症,而表示巨蟹座则要到1391年了。
●《Honeymoon》:
想必成年朋友和未成年朋友都知道,honeymoon 嘛,就是 honey(蜂蜜)和
moon(月)的组合,中文意思就是『蜜月』喔!不错,honeymoon
正是指新婚夫妇结为伉俪的最初一段时光(但并非结婚后的第一个月喔,虽然很多人都有这样的错觉!)。爱情经过长久的期盼和耕耘,相爱的情侣终于手拉手走到了一起,双方的感觉能不像蜜一样甘甜醇美?
最近我从互联网上看到了一篇有关 honeymoon 一词的讨论文章,该文作者认为 honeymoon
来源于巴比伦的民俗传统。这个古老的国家一直保留着这样一个传统,在女儿出嫁的第一个月,女孩的父亲每天都会让女婿(即女儿的丈夫)喝
mead
即蜂蜜啤酒,以期愿后辈们的婚姻永远幸福甜蜜。我不知道巴比伦是不是有这样的传统,但我对这种说法表示怀疑,因为蜂蜜啤酒多见于不适宜种植葡萄的北部高纬度地区。
从词源学的观点来看,这种说法是错误的。honeymoon 最早出现于 16 世纪。honey 用以喻指新婚的甜蜜,但 moon
并不是指很多人认为的阴历月份(lunar-based
month),它是一种苦涩的暗示,旨在告诫人们婚姻固然是幸福甜美的,但这种甜蜜就像月亮的盈亏,只是暂时的(因此应该十分珍惜才对喔!),婚姻更多的意味着双方要一起肩负生活的重担,一起承受人生的酸甜苦辣,一起经受生活的风风雨雨。
●《CHINA》:
太简单了,China 一词不就是指我们『中国』吗?不错,China
的确就是指中国,但如果有人告诉你『中国』一词并非中国人的首创,可能你怎样也无法相信,从情感上也无法接受。『中国』这一称谓被我们沿用少说也有数千年的历史了,难道它还是一舶来品?遗憾的是,事实正是这样的。根据《牛津英语大词典》的说法,China
一词大约来源于两千年前的梵文,而且在多种亚洲文字中都有其变体。在欧洲,最早使用该词的非马可•波罗莫属了。该字出现在英文词汇中大概可以追溯到1555年。《美国遗产大词典》则认为,『中国』一词与公元前三世纪的秦朝有关。秦始皇凭借他超人的谋略和英勇的军队一举消灭六国,结束了长期诸侯分裂割据的纷争局面,统一『中国』建立了强大的秦王朝。但他之后的秦二世却昏庸无道,治国无方,民不聊生,官逼民反,结果统一的秦朝很快遭到覆灭,整个国家又重新陷入四分五裂战乱年年的局面。
●《Yankee
美国人》:
Yankee在英式口语是指“美国人”,而在美式英语中,Yankee是指“新英格兰人”、“北方佬”。
它的来源虽不完全明确,但这应该是17世纪英、荷在美国殖民冲突的产物。荷兰语 Janke 是
Jan(约翰)的浑名。当时曼哈顿的荷佬统称占据康乃狄克的英佬叫Jan Kees,即英文的 John
Cheese(约翰•起士)。这个浑名可能是因为 John 是英文最普遍的名字,而老英又爱吃乳酪的缘故。Jan 的 J 发成 you 的
[j],因此后人将 Jan 改成 Yan;而 Kees 有复数之嫌,因此简化为 Kee,所以合起来就是 Yankee。
●《BIRTHDAY
SUIT》:
这是一条在美国十分流行的短语,千万不要望文生意地将其理解为“生日礼服”,否则你一定会闹出让人啼笑皆非的笑话。比如你若对一位美国人说
"Why not wear your birthday suit at your birthday
party?",虽然你的本意可能是要说:“你干嘛不在生日晚会上穿上你的新衣服呢?”,但是这句话足可以使你的美国朋友瞠目结舌了。
常识告诉我们,每个人都是光着身子来到这个世界上的,因此 birthday suit
暗喻的就是我们的身体,所以该短语实际上所表达的含义为:the skin with no clothes on;complete
nakedness,汉语的意思就是“光著身子,赤身裸体”。而且 birthday suit
是一种戏谑口吻的说法,多用于较熟识的人之间,不好随便使用的喔。
●《My cup of
tea》:
My cup of tea refers to the sort of thing that pleases or appeals
to me. The metaphor is nearly always used negatively. The
expression came into use between the First and Second World Wars.
In the Victorian age the consumption of tea by all classes had not
yet, especially among men, become common. A more likely metaphor
then, derived from food or drink for something not to one's taste,
would have been, say, 'not my pot of beer', or among the well-to-do
classes 'not my glass of wine'. Later the increasing employment of
women in offices led to the introduction there of afternoon tea, in
which gradually the male members of a staff would join. Later, tea
would come to be regarded as a universal social drink. Individual
taste, however, often varied: for China or India tea; weak or
strong; with or without milk; with or without sugar; with lemon.
This variation would naturally lend itself to the expression 'That
is not my cup of tea', and then by extension in general reference
to other things that did not suit one's taste: e.g. an
entertainment at a theatre, a book, etc., with the meaning
'Whatever others may like, that is not the sort of thing to appeal
to me'. My cup of tea
比喻令我愉悦或吸引我的某种事物。这一词组几乎都是用在否定句中。它产生于第一次和第二次世界大战期间在维多利亚时代,饮茶还没有在各个阶层,特别是在男人中广为普及。那时,表示不合某人胃口的比喻说法多半源于食物或饮料,比如可能是'not
my pot of beer'(不是我想喝的那罐啤酒),或富人阶层可能说'not my glass of
wine'(不是我喜欢喝的那杯葡萄酒)。后来,
办公室女性雇员不断增加,她们把下午茶带到办公室。男职员也逐渐加入喝下午茶的行列。于是茶被认为是一种大众饮料。不过,个人品茶的口味却不尽相同;有人喜欢中国茶,有人喜欢印度茶;有人喜欢淡茶,有人则偏爱浓茶;有人愿意在茶中加奶,有人却不愿意有人爱加糖,有人却不爱加糖;还有人愿意加柠檬。这种口味的各异自然就会引出'That's
not my cup of
tea'这一表达法,延伸开来就泛指其他不合口味的事还必须:比如说剧院一出戏的演出,或一本书等等:其意义就是'不管别人可能会多喜欢,那不是吸引我的东西'。
●《Call in,
Call on, Call at, Call for, Call
up》:
▲Call in 作"请来"、"找来"、"召来"解,"请人来作某种专业的咨询或帮忙"的意思。如:Your father is ill,
you should call in a doctor at once.你父亲病了,应该马上去请个大夫来。The police
have been called in to help make it clear.已请来了警察帮忙把这件事弄清楚。▲Call
on和call at的意思一样,都是"拜访""访问",但call on后接表示人的名词或代词,call at
后接表示地点或场所的词语。试比较:I called on the Smiths yesterday.我昨天拜访了史密斯一家人。I
called at the Smith's yesterday.我昨天去了史密斯家。I called on the doctor
yesterday.我昨天去拜访了医生。I called at the doctor's
yesterday.我昨天去了医务室。另外,call on还可以"号召",后面往往接动词不定式作宾语补主语。如:The
headmaster called on the students to work
harder.校长号召学生们更努力地学习。 ▲Call for 有几个不同的意思:1.作"要求"、"需要"、"提倡"解。如:
Success calls for hard work.成功要靠勤奋。People are calling for the
freedom of all slaves.人们要求解放所有奴隶。The work calls for a lot of
time.这项工作需要大量时间。2.表示"接(某人)"、"来取(某物)"。如:I'll call for you at sever
this evening.今晚七点我来接你。We call for the package at the post
office.我们到邮局去取包裹。3.表示"喊着要人取来",相当于ask for。如:The man sat down and
called for a glass of beer.那人坐下来,要了一杯啤酒。▲Call up是"打电话"之意,相当于ring
up或telephone或phone。 如:I'll call you up tomorrow.我明天给你打电话。另外,call up
还有"回想起"之意。如:Your letter called up the days when we worked
together.你的信使我回想起我们一同工作的日子。趋势生物研究进展生物产业进展生物医药进展人物&企业张博士信箱生物在线制药在线生物招聘生命科学论坛
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12:54:22
●《Glossary
of Internet
Terms》:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | R |
S | T | U | W | ▲Applet A small Java program that can be embedded
in an HTML page. Applets differ from full-fledged Java applications
in that they are not allowed to access certain resources on the
local computer, such as files and serial devices (modems, printers,
etc.), and are prohibited from communicating with most other
computers across a network. The current rule is that an applet can
only make an Internet connection to the computer from which the
applet was sent. ▲ASCII,ASCII码,美国信息交换标准码
(American Standard Code for Information Interchange) -- This is the
de facto world-wide standard for the code numbers used by computers
to represent all the upper and lower-case Latin letters, numbers,
punctuation, etc. There are 128 standard ASCII codes each of which
can be represented by a 7 digit binary number: 0000000 through
1111111. ¡¡ ▲Backbone 主干网 A high-speed line or series of
connections that forms a major pathway within a network. The term
is relative as a backbone in a small network will likely be much
smaller than many non-backbone lines in a large network. Bandwidth
How much stuff you can send through a connection. Usually measured
in bits-per-second. A full page of English text is about 16,000
bits. A fast modem can move about 15,000 bits in one second.
Full-motion full-screen video would require roughly 10,000,000
bits-per-second, depending on compression. ▲Baud 波特 In common usage
the baud rate of a modem is how many bits it can send or receive
per second. Technically, baud is the number of times per second
that the carrier signal shifts value - for example a 1200
bit-per-second modem actually runs at 300 baud, but it moves 4 bits
per baud (4 x 300 = 1200 bits per second). ▲BBS 电子公告牌 (Bulletin
Board System) -- A computerized meeting and announcement system
that allows people to carry on discussions, upload and download
files, and make announcements without the people being connected to
the computer at the same time. There are many thousands (millions?)
of BBS’s around the world, most are very small, running on a single
IBM clone PC with 1 or 2 phone lines. Some are very large and the
line between a BBS and a system like CompuServe gets crossed at
some point, but it is not clearly drawn. ¡¡ ▲Bit 比特 (Binary DigIT)
-- A single digit number in base-2, in other words, either a 1 or a
zero. The smallest unit of computerized data. Bandwidth is usually
measured in bits-per-second. See Also: Bandwidth , Bps , Byte ,
Kilobyte , Megabyte ▲bookmark 书签Sometimes it seems like there are
so many great sites out there, there's no way to keep track of them
all! Your browser has a way to save all your favorite sites and
keep them ready for to use with a single click. When you "bookmark"
a site it gets added to a list your browser saves for you.
(Bookmarks are the same as Favorites- it just depends what browser
you are using). ▲Bps 比特/秒, 每秒传输位数 (Bits-Per-Second) -- A
measurement of how fast data is moved from one place to another. A
28.8 modem can move 28,800 bits per second. See Also: Bandwidth ,
Bit ▲Browser 浏览器 A Client program (software) that is used to look
at various kinds of Internet resources.
▲BTW 顺便(说一句)
(By The Way) -- A shorthand appended to a comment written in an
online forum. ¡¡ ▲Byte 字节 A set of Bits that represent a single
character. Usually there are 8 Bits in a Byte, sometimes more,
depending on how the measurement is being made. ▲CGI (Common
Gateway Interface) -- A set of rules that describe how a Web Server
communicates with another piece of software on the same machine,
and how the other piece of software (the “CGI program”) talks to
the web server. Any piece of software can be a CGI program if it
handles input and output according to the CGI standard. Usually a
CGI program is a small program that takes data from a web server
and does something with it, like putting the content of a form into
an e-mail message, or turning the data into a database query. You
can often see that a CGI program is being used by seeing “cgi-bin”
in a URL, but not always. ▲cgi-bin The most common name of a
directory on a web server in which CGI programs are stored. The
“bin” part of “cgi-bin” is a shorthand version of “binary”, because
once upon a time, most programs were referred to as “binaries”. In
real life, most programs found in cgi-bin directories are text
files -- scripts that are executed by binaries located elsewhere on
the same machine. ¡¡ ▲Client A software program that is used to
contact and obtain data from a Server software program on another
computer, often across a great distance. Each Client program is
designed to work with one or more specific kinds of Server
programs, and each Server requires a specific kind of Client. A Web
Browser is a specific kind of Client. ▲Cookie The most common
meaning of “Cookie” on the Internet refers to a piece of
information sent by a Web Server to a Web Browser that the Browser
software is expected to save and to send back to the Server
whenever the browser makes additional requests from the Server.
Depending on the type of Cookie used, and the Browser’s settings,
the Browser may accept or not accept the Cookie, and may save the
Cookie for either a short time or a long time. Cookies might
contain information such as login or registration information,
online “shopping cart” information, user preferences, etc. When a
Server receives a request from a Browser that includes a Cookie,
the Server is able to use the information stored in the Cookie. For
example, the Server might customize what is sent back to the user,
or keep a log of particular user’s requests. Cookies are usually
set to expire after a predetermined amount of time and are usually
saved in memory until the Browser software is closed down, at which
time they may be saved to disk if their “expire time” has not been
reached. Cookies do not read your hard drive and send your life
story to the CIA, but they can be used to gather more information
about a user than would be possible without them. ▲Cyberpunk 计算机朋客,
以发匿名电子邮件为乐事的网络迷 Cyberpunk was originally a cultural sub-genre of
science fiction taking place in a not-so-distant, dystopian,
over-industrialized society. The term grew out of the work of
William Gibson and Bruce Sterling and has evolved into a cultural
label encompassing many different kinds of human, machine, and punk
attitudes. It includes clothing and lifestyle choices as well.
▲Cyberspace . 电脑网络空间 Term originated by author William Gibson in
his novel Neuromancer the word Cyberspace is currently used to
describe the whole range of information resources available through
computer networks. ¡¡ ▲Domain Name 域名 The unique
name that identifies an Internet site. Domain Names always have 2
or more parts, separated by dots. The part on the left is the most
specific, and the part on the right is the most general. A given
machine may have more than one Domain Name but a given Domain Name
points to only one machine. For example, the domain names:
cycnet.com englishcorner.cycnet.comfashion.cycnet.com can all refer
to the same machine, but each domain name can refer to no more than
one machine. Usually, all of the machines on a given Network will
have the same thing as the right-hand portion of their Domain Names
(cycnet.com in the examples above). It is also possible for a
Domain Name to exist but not be connected to an actual machine.
This is often done so that a group or business can have an Internet
e-mail address without having to establish a real Internet site. In
these cases, some real Internet machine must handle the mail on
behalf of the listed Domain Name. ▲E-mail 电子邮件 (Electronic Mail) --
Messages, usually text, sent from one person to another via
computer. E-mail can also be sent automatically to a large number
of addresses (Mailing List). ¡¡ ▲Ethernet 以太网 A very common method
of networking computers in a LAN. Ethernet will handle about
10,000,000 bits-per-second and can be used with almost any kind of
computer. ▲FAQ 常见问题解答 (Frequently Asked Questions) -- FAQs are
documents that list and answer the most common questions on a
particular subject. There are hundreds of FAQs on subjects as
diverse as Pet Grooming and Cryptography. FAQs are usually written
by people who have tired of answering the same question over and
over. ¡¡ ▲Fire Wall 防火墙 A combination of hardware and software that
separates a LAN into two or more parts for security purposes. ¡¡
▲FTP 文件传送[输]协议 (File Transfer Protocol) -- A very common method of
moving files between two Internet sites. FTP is a special way to
login to another Internet site for the purposes of retrieving
and/or sending files. There are many Internet sites that have
established publicly accessible repositories of material that can
be obtained using FTP, by logging in using the account name
anonymous, thus these sites are called anonymous ftp servers. ¡¡
▲Gateway 网关 The technical meaning is a hardware or software set-up
that translates between two dissimilar protocols, for example
Prodigy has a gateway that translates between its internal,
proprietary e-mail format and Internet e-mail format. Another,
sloppier meaning of gateway is to describe any mechanism for
providing access to another system, e.g. AOL might be called a
gateway to the Internet. ¡¡ ▲GIF 可交换的图像文件,可交换的图像文件格式 (Graphic
Interchange Format) -- A common format for image files, especially
suitable for images containing large areas of the same color. GIF
format files of simple images are often smaller than the same file
would be if stored in JPEG format, but GIF format does not store
photographic images as well as JPEG. ▲Gigabyte
十亿字节(giga-为字首,意为?#21313;亿? 1000 or 1024 Megabytes, depending on who
is measuring. hit As used in reference to the
World Wide Web, “hit” means a single request from a web browser for
a single item from a web server; thus in order for a web browser to
display a page that contains 3 graphics, 4 “hits” would occur at
the server: 1 for the HTML page, and one for each of the 3
graphics. “hits” are often used as a very rough measure of load on
a server, e.g. “Our server has been getting 300,000 hits per
month.” Because each “hit” can represent anything from a request
for a tiny document (or even a request for a missing document) all
the way to a request that requires some significant extra
processing (such as a complex search request), the actual load on a
machine from 1 hit is almost impossible to define. ▲Home Page (or
Homepage) Several meanings. Originally, the web page that your
browser is set to use when it starts up. The more common meaning
refers to the main web page for a business, organization, person or
simply the main page out of a collection of web pages, e.g. “Check
out so-and-so’s new Home Page.” Another sloppier use of the term
refers to practically any web page as a “homepage,” e.g. “That web
site has 65 homepages and none of them are interesting.” ▲Host 主机
Any computer on a network that is a repository for services
available to other computers on the network. It is quite common to
have one host machine provide several services, such as WWW and
USENET. ¡¡ ▲HTML (HyperText Markup Language) -- The coding language
used to create Hypertext documents for use on the World Wide Web.
HTML looks a lot like old-fashioned typesetting code, where you
surround a block of text with codes that indicate how it should
appear, additionally, in HTML you can specify that a block of text,
or a word, is linked to another file on the Internet. HTML files
are meant to be viewed using a World Wide Web Client Program, such
as Netscape or Mosaic. ¡¡ ▲HTTP, WWW服务程序所用的协议 (HyperText Transfer
Protocol) -- The protocol for moving hypertext files across the
Internet. Requires a HTTP client program on one end, and an HTTP
server program on the other end. HTTP is the most important
protocol used in the World Wide Web (WWW). ¡¡ ▲Hypertext 超文本
Generally, any text that contains links to other documents - words
or phrases in the document that can be chosen by a reader and which
cause another document to be retrieved and displayed. ¡¡ ▲IMHO 恕我直言
(In My Humble Opinion) -- A shorthand appended to a comment written
in an online forum, IMHO indicates that the writer is aware that
they are expressing a debatable view, probably on a subject already
under discussion. One of may such shorthands in common use online,
especially in discussion forums. ¡¡ ▲Internet 互联网 (Upper case I)
The vast collection of inter-connected networks that all use the
TCP/IP protocols and that evolved from the ARPANET of the late 60’s
and early 70’s. The Internet now (July 1995) connects roughly
60,000 independent networks into a vast global internet. ¡¡
▲internet (Lower case i) Any time you connect 2 or more networks
together, you have an internet - as in inter-national or
inter-state. ¡¡ ▲Intranet 企业内部互联网 A private network inside a
company or organization that uses the same kinds of software that
you would find on the public Internet, but that is only for
internal use. As the Internet has become more popular many of the
tools used on the Internet are being used in private networks, for
example, many companies have web servers that are available only to
employees. Note that an Intranet may not actually be an internet --
it may simply be a network. ¡¡ ▲IP Number (Internet Protocol
Number) -- Sometimes called a dotted quad. A unique number
consisting of 4 parts separated by dots, e.g. 165.113.245.2 Every
machine that is on the Internet has a unique IP number - if a
machine does not have an IP number, it is not really on the
Internet. Most machines also have one or more Domain Names that are
easier for people to remember. ▲IRC 在线聊天系统 (Internet Relay Chat) --
Basically a huge multi-user live chat facility. There are a number
of major IRC servers around the world which are linked to each
other. Anyone can create a channel and anything that anyone types
in a given channel is seen by all others in the channel. Private
channels can (and are) created for multi-person conference calls.
¡¡ ▲ISDN 综合业务数字网 (Integrated Services Digital Network) -- Basically
a way to move more data over existing regular phone lines. ISDN is
rapidly becoming available to much of the USA and in most markets
it is priced very comparably to standard analog phone circuits. It
can provide speeds of roughly 128,000 bits-per-second over regular
phone lines. In practice, most people will be limited to 56,000 or
64,000 bits-per-second. ¡¡ ▲ISP Internet服务提供者 (Internet Service
Provider) -- An institution that provides access to the Internet in
some form, usually for money. ¡¡ ▲Java, 一种新型的计算机语言 Java is a
network-oriented programming language invented by Sun Microsystems
that is specifically designed for writing programs that can be
safely downloaded to your computer through the Internet and
immediately run without fear of viruses or other harm to your
computer or files. Using small Java programs (called "Applets"),
Web pages can include functions such as animations, calculators,
and other fancy tricks. We can expect to see a huge variety of
features added to the Web using Java, since you can write a Java
program to do almost anything a regular computer program can do,
and then include that Java program in a Web page. ▲JavaScript,
Java描述语言 JavaScript is a programming language that is mostly used
in web pages, usually to add features that make the web page more
interactive. When JavaScript is included in an HTML file it relies
upon the browser to interpret the JavaScript. When JavaScript is
combined with Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and later versions of
HTML (4.0 and later) the result is often called DHTML. JavaScript
was invented by Netscape and was going to be called "LiveScript",
but the name was changed to JavaScript to cash in on the popularity
of Java. JavaScript and Java are two different programming
languages. ▲JPEG 联合图象专家组, 一种压缩标准。 (Joint Photographic Experts
Group) -- JPEG is most commonly mentioned as a format for image
files. JPEG format is preferred to the GIF format for photographic
images as opposed to line art or simple logo art. ▲Kilobyte
千字节,1024字节 A thousand bytes. Actually, usually 1024 (2^10) bytes.
¡¡ ▲LAN 局域网 (Local Area Network) -- A computer network limited to
the immediate area, usually the same building or floor of a
building. Leased Line 租用线,专用线 Refers to a phone line that is rented
for exclusive 24-hour, 7 -days-a-week use from your location to
another location. The highest speed data connections require a
leased line. ¡¡ ▲Login 进入(系统),注册,登录,同logon。 Noun or a verb. Noun:
The account name used to gain access to a computer system. Not a
secret (contrast with Password). Verb: The act of entering into a
computer system, e.g. Login to the WELL and then go to the GBN
conference. ¡¡ ▲Mail list 邮件发送清单 (or Mailing List) A (usually
automated) system that allows people to send e-mail to one address,
whereupon their message is copied and sent to all of the other
subscribers to the maillist. In this way, people who have many
different kinds of e-mail access can participate in discussions
together. ¡¡ ▲Megabyte 兆字节(信息量单位) A million bytes. Actually,
technically, 1024 kilobytes. Mirror 镜像 Generally speaking, “to
mirror” is to maintain an exact copy of something. Probably the
most common use of the term on the Internet refers to “mirror
sites” which are web sites, or FTP sites that maintain exact copies
of material originated at another location, usually in order to
provide more widespread access to the resource. Another common use
of the term “mirror” refers to an arrangement where information is
written to more than one hard disk simultaneously, so that if one
disk fails, the computer keeps on working without losing anything.
¡¡ ▲Modem 调制解调器 (MOdulator, DEModulator) -- A device that you
connect to your computer and to a phone line, that allows the
computer to talk to other computers through the phone system.
Basically, modems do for computers what a telephone does for
humans。 Netiquette 网络礼节(Network etiquette) The etiquette on the
Internet. ¡¡ ▲Netizen Derived from the term citizen, referring to a
citizen of the Internet, or someone who uses networked resources.
The term connotes civic responsibility and participation. ¡¡
▲Network 网络 Any time you connect 2 or more computers together so
that they can share resources, you have a computer network. Connect
2 or more networks together and you have an internet. ¡¡ ▲newbie
Someone who's new to using the computer-- like you or your
parents! ¡¡ ▲Newsgroup 新闻组 The name for
discussion groups on USENET. See Also: USENET ▲NIC 网络信息中心
(Networked Information Center) -- Generally, any office that
handles information for a network. The most famous of these on the
Internet is the InterNIC, which is where new domain names are
registered. Another definition: NIC also refers to Network
Interface Card which plugs into a computer and adapts the network
interface to the appropriate standard. ISA, PCI, and PCMCIA cards
are all examples of NICs. ¡¡ ▲NNTP 网络新闻传输协议 (Network News Transport
Protocol) -- The protocol used by client and server software to
carry USENET postings back and forth over a TCP/IP network. If you
are using any of the more common software such as Netscape,
Nuntius, Internet Explorer, etc. to participate in newsgroups then
you are benefiting from an NNTP connection. See Also: Newsgroup ,
TCP/IP , USENET ▲Packet Switching, (数据,信息)包交换法,(报文)分组交换技术;[小包交换}
The method used to move data around on the Internet. In packet
switching, all the data coming out of a machine is broken up into
chunks, each chunk has the address of where it came from and where
it is going. This enables chunks of data from many different
sources to co-mingle on the same lines, and be sorted and directed
to different routes by special machines along the way. This way
many people can use the same lines at the same
time.借助编址的报文分组包选择路由并发送数据,以使一个信道只在包传送时才被占用的处理方法或技术,一旦该包传送完毕,这个信道就可用于传送其它报文包
▲ Plug-in 插件程序 A (usually small) piece of software that adds
features to a larger piece of software. Common examples are
plug-ins for the Netscape?browser and web server. Adobe
Photoshop?also uses plug-ins. The idea behind plug-in’s is that a
small piece of software is loaded into memory by the larger
program, adding a new feature, and that users need only install the
few plug-ins that they need, out of a much larger pool of
possibilities. Plug-ins are usually created by people other than
the publishers of the software the plug-in works with. ▲POP (Point
of Presence, also Post Office Protocol) -- Two commonly used
meanings: Point of Presence and Post Office Protocol. A Point of
Presence usually means a city or location where a network can be
connected to, often with dial up phone lines. So if an Internet
company says they will soon have a POP in Belgrade, it means that
they will soon have a local phone number in Belgrade and/or a place
where leased lines can connect to their network. A second meaning,
Post Office Protocol refers to the way e-mail software such as
Eudora gets mail from a mail server. When you obtain a SLIP, PPP,
or shell account you almost always get a POP account with it, and
it is this POP account that you tell your e-mail software to use to
get your mail. See Also: SLIP , PPP ▲Port 3 meanings. First and
most generally, a place where information goes into or out of a
computer, or both. E.g. the serial port on a personal computer is
where a modem would be connected. On the Internet port often refers
to a number that is part of a URL, appearing after a colon (:)
right after the domain name. Every service on an Internet server
listens on a particular port number on that server. Most services
have standard port numbers, e.g. Web servers normally listen on
port 80. Services can also listen on non-standard ports, in which
case the port number must be specified in a URL when accessing the
server, so you might see a URL of the form:
gopher://peg.cwis.uci.edu:7000/
shows a gopher server running on a non-standard port (the standard
gopher port is 70). Finally, port also refers to translating a
piece of software to bring it from one type of computer system to
another, e.g. to translate a Windows program so that is will run on
a Macintosh. ▲Portal Usually used as a marketing term to described
a Web site that is or is intended to be the first place people see
when using the Web. Typically a "Portal site" has a catalog of web
sites, a search engine, or both. A Portal site may also offer email
and other service to entice people to use that site as their main
"point of entry" (hence "portal") to the Web. ¡¡ ▲Posting A single
message entered into a network communications system. E.g. A single
message posted to a newsgroup or message board. See Also: Newsgroup
▲PPP (Point to Point Protocol) -- Most well known as a protocol
that allows a computer to use a regular telephone line and a modem
to make TCP/IP connections and thus be really and truly on the
Internet. See Also: IP Number , Internet , SLIP , TCP/IP ▲Router
路由器 A special-purpose computer (or software package) that handles
the connection between 2 or more networks. Routers spend all their
time looking at the destination addresses of the packets passing
through them and deciding which route to send them on. ▲Server 服务器
A computer, or a software package, that provides a specific kind of
service to client software running on other computers. The term can
refer to a particular piece of software, such as a WWW server, or
to the machine on which the software is running, e.g.Our mail
server is down today, that’s why e-mail isn’t getting out. A single
server machine could have several different server software
packages running on it, thus providing many different servers to
clients on the network. ▲SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) --
The main protocol used to send electronic mail on the Internet.
SMTP consists of a set of rules for how a program sending mail and
a program receiving mail should interact. Almost all Internet email
is sent and received by clients and servers using SMTP, thus if one
wanted to set up an email server on the Internet one would look for
email server software that supports SMTP. ▲Spam (or Spamming) An
inappropriate attempt to use a mailing list, or USENET or other
networked communications facility as if it was a broadcast medium
(which it is not) by sending the same message to a large number of
people who didn’t ask for it. The term probably comes from a famous
Monty Python skit which featured the word spam repeated over and
over. The term may also have come from someone’s low opinion of the
food product with the same name, which is generally perceived as a
generic content-free waste of resources. (Spam is a registered
trademark of Hormel Corporation, for its processed meat product.)
E.g. Mary spammed 50 USENET groups by posting the same message to
each. See Also: Maillist , USENET ▲TCP/IP 用于网络的一组通讯协议(Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) -- This is the suite of
protocols that defines the Internet. Originally designed for the
UNIX operating system, TCP/IP software is now available for every
major kind of computer operating system. To be truly on the
Internet, your computer must have TCP/IP software. See Also: IP
Number , Internet , UNIX Telnet 用于远程联接服务的标准协议或者实现此协议的软件,可为动词.远程登录
The command and program used to login from one Internet site to
another. The telnet command/program gets you to the login: prompt
of another host. ¡¡ ▲Terminal 终端 A device that allows you to send
commands to a computer somewhere else. At a minimum, this usually
means a keyboard and a display screen and some simple circuitry.
Usually you will use terminal software in a personal computer - the
software pretends to be (emulates) a physical terminal and allows
you to type commands to a computer somewhere else. ¡¡ ▲Terminal
Server A special purpose computer that has places to plug in many
modems on one side, and a connection to a LAN or host machine on
the other side. Thus the terminal server does the work of answering
the calls and passes the connections on to the appropriate node.
Most terminal servers can provide PPP or SLIP services if connected
to the Internet. ¡¡ ▲UNIX A computer operating system (the basic
software running on a computer, underneath things like word
processors and spreadsheets). UNIX is designed to be used by many
people at the same time (it is multi-user) and has TCP/IP built-in.
It is the most common operating system for servers on the Internet.
¡¡ ▲URL (Uniform Resource Locator) -- The standard way to give the
address of any resource on the Internet that is part of the World
Wide Web (WWW). A URL looks like this:
http://www.matisse.net/seminars.html
or
telnet://well.sf.ca.us or
news:new.newusers.questions etc.
The most common way to use a URL is to enter into a WWW browser
program, such as Netscape, or Lynx. USENET 世界性的新闻组网络系统 A world-wide
system of discussion groups, with comments passed among hundreds of
thousands of machines. Not all USENET machines are on the Internet,
maybe half. USENET is completely decentralized, with over 10,000
discussion areas, called newsgroups. See Also: Newsgroup ¡¡ ▲WAN
广域网 (Wide Area Network) -- Any internet or network that covers an
area larger than a single building or campus. WWW (World Wide Web)
-- Frequently used (incorrectly) when referring to "The Internet",
WWW has two major meanings - First, loosely used: the whole
constellation of resources that can be accessed using Gopher, FTP,
HTTP, telnet, USENET, WAIS and some other tools. Second, the
universe of hypertext servers (HTTP servers) which are the servers
that allow text, graphics, sound files, etc. to be mixed
together.
●《代
沟》:
年龄不等的人,生活圈子不同,接触的事物、人物各异,故此思想方法和行为也有差别。如果这种差别不加以改善而让它扩大,两代人之间便会形成一堵无形的墙,误会便容易产生。这就是心理学上所说的世代隔阂,套用一句现代语言,即所谓“代沟”。“代沟”一词从英文generation
gap直译过来,由于译法贴切而新颖,加上易于记忆,所以马上成了常用语。从翻译的角度上看,比起原来的用语“世代隔阂”,“代沟”确是优胜一些。现代翻译的趋势看来是以短语占了上风,文绉绉的累赘译法似乎是落伍了。generation
gap一词的出现并不久,大约是六十年代后期的事吧。generation是一个总称语,指同一代的人。它所指的一“代”,大约是二十五到三十年之间,但没有定限,很可能年纪相差十年的人便会被认为是属于另一代的。至于gap一字的原义,则是缺口、裂缝或鸿沟,抽象一点的意思是指个性、意见等方面的歧异。对于generation
gap的存在与否,西方学者有过很激烈的争论。初期有些心理学家认为绝大多数的年轻人价值观方面都是接受传统的,所以不能承认“代沟”的存在。不过,最近几年来,“代沟:的问题越来越显著,越来越严重了,使得持反对意见的人也为得不正视这个问题。有人提出,要消减成年人与青少年之间的代沟,其实并非难事,只要“读青年人的书报,看青年人的电影与电视节目,参加青年人的活动”便可以了。来源
中青英语
●《趣谈
Workaholic》:
Workaholic这个词在普通词典上是查不到的,它是根据alcoholic这个词衍生出来的。Alcoholic是指饮酒上瘾的人,当然Workaholic就是指对工作上瘾的人。有些人在工作上喜欢花很多时间,他干工作的时间比别人长。他一开口就谈工作,不谈别的什么,好像对工作有瘾一样。 几十年前美国有一位教会辅导员,名叫维恩奥茨,他从早到晚忙个不停,成了典型的工作狂。他工作时连家人都不能见到他。后来维恩奥茨写了一本名为《一个工作狂的忏悔录》的书。书中第一次使用Workaholic这个词,意思是指那些只知道工作,不顾家庭,没有正常生活的人。例如:People
call Mr.•Green workaholic He spends most of his time in the office,
pays no attention to his wife and kids, and never goes on vacation
with them. 人们管格林先生叫工作狂。他把大多数时间花在办公室里,不注意他的妻子和孩子,从不和他们去度假。 来源 中青英语
2006-5-2 12:54:09
●《由人名而来的词》:
Oscar, one of several gold statuettes awarded annually by the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the USA for
outstanding achievements in the cinema. The trophies, first awarded
in 1929, were not called Oscars until1931, when, so it is said, the
Academy's librarian, Margaret Herrick, remarked that the statuettes
reminded her of her uncle Oscar. A newspaper reporter who happened
to be listening passed this fact on to his readers, and so , the
story goes, the word came into the language.
奥斯卡是一尊金雕像,一年一度由美国电影艺术与科学学院颁发给电影辊有突出业绩的人士。该奖项始于1929年,但直到1931年才被称为奥斯卡奖。据说学院的图书馆员玛格丽特.赫里克说该雕像使她想起她的叔叔奥斯卡。一名报社记者恰巧听到,便把这一信息传达给读者,奥斯卡奖由此得名。Pulitzer
prizes, awarded annually for outstanding achievements in
journalism, literature, and music. Named after Joseph Pulitzer
(1847-1911), the Hungarian-born US newspaper publisher, the prizes
were established by Pulitzer's
will.普利策奖一年一度颁发给在新闻、文学和音乐领域有突出业绩的人士。该奖以匈牙利裔美国报纸出版商的瑟夫.普利策(1847-1911)的名字命名,是根据他的遗愿而设立的。
●《fingers
五指不同名,拇指最不灵》:
英语和汉语对手指的称呼既有差别又有相似之处。现介绍如下: 1.thumb :大拇指。与汉语相映成趣的是,英语的all(fingers
and ) thumbs也表示"笨手笨脚"的意思,例如:(1)I'm all fingers and thumbs this
morning. I don't seem to be able to button up my
shirt.今天早上我的手怎么这么笨呢,好像连衬衫都扣不上了。(2)He was so excited that his
fingers were all thumbs and he dropped the
teacup.他激动得手都不好使了,竟把茶杯摔了。 2. forefinger :又称index
finger,即食指。前缀fore-表示"位置靠前的"(placed at the
front),所以从排位上说,forefinger应为"第一指"。从功用上看,此手指伸出时有标示或指向的作用。在一些英语工具书中,我们会见到这样的表示"参见"(index)含义的手型符号。 3.
middle finger :中指。此指居中,名正言顺,且与汉语说法也一致。 4. ring
finger:无名指。从世界各地的婚俗习惯来说,结婚戒指(wedding ring)戴在这一手指(通常指左手)之上,表示已婚。 5.
little finger: 顾名思义为小指。在美国和苏格兰,人们又赋予它一个爱称,管它叫
pinkie(pinky),后缀-ie(-y)有"小巧可爱"之意。 五指长短不一,各有各的用处,但唯有相互协作才能发挥最大的功能。
●《谈谈英语词汇中的嫁接艺术》:
学习英语的人都知道,在语言学习中,谴词造句,要遵守语法规则,不允许乱配鸳鸯。可是那些使用英语的英美人士,为了记录科学技术的新发展,以及生活中所创造的新观念,他们常常有意突破语法规则,灵活组合词语,使本无关联的事物联诀。这就象植物学家嫁接不同的花草树木,以创造新的物种资源一样,使大批的新词语应运而生。新词汇嫁接的方法很多,常见的有以下几种:▲一、利用词缀法。即利用词的前缀或后缀与另一个词搭配起来的方法。八十年代以来,计算机广泛运用于各个领域,故人们利用cyber这一前缀派生出了许多与电脑有关的新词。如:cyber
culture(网络文化),cyber chat(网络聊天),cyber news(网络新闻),cyber
punk(网络科幻小说),cyber space(电脑空间),cyber mania(网迷),cyber
source(网络资源)等。自一九七二年尼克松轰动一时的water-gate(水门事件)一词成为政界丑闻之后,以-gate所嫁接的新词频频出现在电视节目和舆论界内,例如:debategate(辩论丑闻),irangate(伊朗门事件),whitegate(白水门事件),cartergate(卡特丑闻),nannygate(非法雇佣保姆丑闻)。随着现代社会人们追求超越的愿望不断增长,带有super这个前缀便成了嫁接新词的种子。如:supermarket(超级市场),superman(超人),superanimal(超级野兽),superhero(超级英雄),superstar(超级明星)。▲二、复合移植法。即将一个词直接与另一个词相结合,构成一个新的词语的方法。这一方法突出了简便灵活的特点,而且词汇意义生动活泼,易于记忆。例如:将speak一词移植到人名,组织名称,机构名称和学科名称之后,便产生出了许多新词。如:computerspeak(计算机语言),businessspeak(商界语言),sports
speak(运动语言),bureau speak(官僚语言),summit speak(首脑们的言词),college
speak(校园语言),olympspeak(奥运会说法)等。可以说,现代英语中运用复合法构成了大量新词语,大大简化了句法结构。如:take
out(外卖食品),space shuttle(航天飞机),soft ware(软件),soft landing(软着陆),viedo
phone(可视电话),data bank(数据库),think
tank(智囊团),communicationgap(传播差距),culture gap(文化差距),information
gap(信息鸿沟)等。▲三、直接移植法。即利用原来词义的本体转换成喻体来表达。例如:1、window本来为“窗户”之意
,在计算机语言中,意为“电脑视窗”。2、mouse“老鼠”,则让人意识到这是“鼠标”。
3、momery“记忆‘,具有了“内存”的色彩。4、point and
click在其本身材料的基础上,赋予了新的含义“鼠标的点击”。5、library意为“图书馆”,在科技信息术语中,专指“信息库”。6、keyboard这一语义性新词是用key+board移植而来,意指“键盘”。不难看出,英语词汇中嫁接的艺术,表现了语言的灵活性和丰富性,了解和掌握这些日新月异的新词语,可以帮助我们更有效,更适宜地进行跨文化交际。