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发信人: roy_young(小眼无罪) 整理人: roy_young(2001-12-18 15:08:39), 站内信件 |
| 令人迷糊的常用英文字眼 (上)/ 懷中
●在美國有許多常用的字眼，往往使許多學習英語的華人感到「迷糊」。在此，舉一些例子供讀者參考。 1. Head Start：如果這兩個字開頭的字母是大寫，則是專有名詞，係指美國政府為貧窮或弱智的兒童設立一種訓練機構，幫助他們，希望孩子進小學前能趕上功課。(U.S. government tries to give extra － help for those underprivileged children before entering first grade.) (underprivileged 比 poor 好聽，委婉些) 例如： Many poor parents send their children to Head Start. 但是 head start 小寫時，就當普通名詞用，是指比別人早開始做，或「領先」、「有利」的意思。(advance start or advantage) 例如： In order to give his son a head start, the father decided to send him to a private kindergarten. (為了使他的兒子有好的開始，他決定送兒子到私立幼稚園。) To know more colloquial expressions is a head start in learning English. (瞭解更多的俗語對學習英語有好處) 2. blue blood：這是指有錢人或富家出身的人 (rich or wealthy people) 例如： He has blue blood.（當名詞用）或 He is blue blooded (person). (當形容詞用) Mr. Lin comes from a blue blooded family. (林先生來自有錢的家庭) Some people do not want to admit that they have blue blood. (有些人不願承認自己是富家出身) Many blue blooded children attend this private school. (許多有錢人的孩子進這所私立學校) 注意：指窮人，倒不用其他的顏色形容 blood。 如果指紅血球和白血球，只用 red cell 和 white cell，中間可不加 blood; 例如： White cells and red cells are components of blood. (白血球和紅血球是血液的成份) 註：cell 也指牢房，例如 The cells were painted white at the prison. (監獄的牢房漆成白色) 3. bed of roses：意思是稱心如意的境遇，一切都是美好、理想的「安樂窩」。(everything seems to be wonderful) 例如： Life is not always a bed of roses. (生活未必都是稱心如意的) Young people think that marriage will be a bed of roses. (年輕人認為婚姻將是美好的) 或者說： Newly-weds (=Newly-wed couples) may think marriage is a bed of roses. 4. from soup to nuts：意思是從頭到尾，自始至終；或是一應俱全，完整詳盡。多半是指物品方面。(from beginning to the end; generally refers to material) 例如： This store sells everything from soup to nuts. (這個店舖出售的貨品一應俱全) My office is supplied from soup to nuts. (我辦公室裡的用品，供應得十分齊全。) 但是指知識方面(knowledge)，通常是用 from A to Z; 例如： Mr. Greenspan knows economics from A to Z. (Greenspan 先生在經濟方面的知識非常豐富) (= His knowledge of economics is profound.) 5. real blast：blast 這個字，本來是指一陣狂風。但當口語用，則指歡樂，或玩得愉快，很滿足。多半是對參加派對或與親友相聚等而言。(have a good time; usually refers to a party or gathering.) 例如： Miss Su had a (real) blast at the party. (蘇小姐參加派對時，玩得很痛快。) I hope our get-together will be a (real) blast. (我希望我們有愉快的相聚) 註：blast 前面用 real 形容，只是老外喜歡加強語氣而已，其實也可不用。） 6. off-limits：意思是禁止入內，限制進出或不准使用；也就是指關閉 (closed or not available) (多半當形容詞用) 例如： The library will be off-limits to the public until re-carpeting project is completed. (圖書館對外不開放，一直到新地毯鋪好為止。) The teachers have the use of a john that is off-limits to students.（老師使用的廁所，學生不准入內。) (john 的j要小寫，才是指廁所) 或 This bathroom is off-limits to students. 註：off-limits 常被一些人譯為「沒有限制」，其實意義恰好相反。limit 後面要加 s) 7. next of kin：這是指近親或家人(closest relatives or anyone in the family) 在美國，所謂「最近的親屬」也是依每個人不同的情況而定，也許是夫婦、父母、兒女，或是叔叔嬸嬸、表兄弟姐妹。例如： If a person has a serious car accident, his or her next of kin will be notified. (假如一個人有嚴重的車禍，那麼他或她的近親就會接到通知。) At the funeral all next of kin were in attendance. (在葬禮上，所有的親人都參加。) The doctor should discuss the prognosis candidly with the next of kin. (醫師應該把病症結果的預測坦誠地告知病人的近親。) All his property will eventually go to his next of kin. (他的所有財產最終歸屬他的近親。) 如果「kin」單獨使用時，又是家屬或親屬的總稱，通常後面也不加 s。例如： All my kin attended the family get-together. (我全家人都參加家庭的團聚。) 8. fair-weather friend：這是指一些只能同安樂而不能共患難的「酒肉」朋友。(being friend only during favorable time) 例如： A fair-weather friend will not contact you during your time of hardship. (當你困難時，酒肉朋友不會與你聯絡。) When she ignored him during his financial problem, he knew she was a fair-weather friend. (當他經濟困難時，她不理他；他知道她只在順境時，才是朋友。) ---- 自らの手で生み出した者になぜ害を加えるの！？ 命の重さを知りなさいっ 
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