英语中,有很多描述人物类型、性格与特征的习语和惯用语,这些地道的成语不仅形象生动,而且简单易记。
Types of People 人物类型
Does it matter if someone says you’re no rocket scientist? Yes, it does! This phrase means not very intelligent.
如果某人说你是no rocket scientist时要紧吗?当然要紧!因为该短语的意思是“不很聪明”。
例句:He was no rocket scientist with computers. 他对计算机不太灵光。
What if a newspaper describes a politician as a dark horse? This means nobody knows much about him.
要是报纸把某一政客描述为dark horse呢?这说明“没有人很了解他”。
例句:Our congressman had been in Washington 20 years and thought we’d keep voting for him forever. This year, though, the other party nominated a dark horse out of nowhere. He kept telling voters it was time for a change and he won the election.
我们的国会议员已经在华盛顿二十年了,他以为我们会永远投他的票。然而,今年另一个党提名了一个不知从那儿冒出来的人,谁也不认识他。他不断地告诉选民,现在是进行改变的时候了。结果他当选了。
And a party pooper? This means a person who spoils enjoyable activities by refusing to join in. This idiom is also useful in apologies:"I’m sorry to be a party pooper, but I have to go home now."
那么party pooper呢?这是指“拒绝加入愉快考试~大的聚会或活动,而使人扫兴的人”。该短语在道歉时也很有用:I’m sorry to be a party pooper, but I have to go home now.(真抱歉要扫大家的兴了,可我现在就得回家了。)
例句:If you are not interested, don’t accept the invitation. If you do accept it, have fun and don’t be a party pooper. That’s the basic decorum. 如果你没兴趣,就不要接受邀请。如果你决定去了,就痛痛快快地玩,别做扫兴的人。这是基本的礼仪。
Brains and beauty 智慧与美丽
A Hollywood actress once met the British philosopher, Bertrand Russell. Whereas he was quite ugly, she turned heads wherever she went. She was rather full of herself and said to Russell, "They say I’m the most beautiful woman in the world, and I hear you’re the smartest man. Imagine if we had a child with your brains and my beauty." Russell, who was never lost for words, replied, "Imagine if it had my beauty and your brains."
一位好莱坞女明星遇见了英国哲学家伯特兰罗素。他非常丑陋,而她则无论到哪里都回头率颇高。她相当自得,便对罗素说:“他们说我是世界上最漂亮的女人,而我听说你是最聪明的男人。想象一下,要是我们有个孩子有你的智慧跟我的美丽,那该是什么样子。”向来善于应对的罗素回答道:“想象一下,要是他长得像我而头脑又像你呢?”
turned heads:吸引很多人回头
full of oneself:过于自得
lost for words:无以应对
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