busybody不是指“大忙人”而是指“爱多管闲事的人”,white man不是“白人”而是“忠实可靠的人”,black stranger不是“陌生的黑人”而是“完全陌生的人”……在学习英语的过程中,我们总被提醒由于中西方文化的差异,对英文表达千万不可望文生义。不过,今天小编要说的是,有些英语表达可以根据字面意思来理解,可以望文生义。
1.Walls have ears.隔墙有耳。
例如:-Did I tell you what I found out about Fred?我告诉了你我发现弗瑞德什么了吗?
-Shhh! Walls have ears. Dont say anything about our business dealings in here.嘘,隔墙有耳,不要在这儿说我们生意上的事。
2.try ones hand尝试,一试身手
例如:Oscar-nominee Lee Daniels was planning to try his hand at horror movies.获得奥斯卡提名的李·丹尼尔斯当时正打算尝试恐怖片。
和hand相关的其他词组还有:need hands需要人手;tie ones hand and foot绑住了手脚;with bare hands赤手空拳。
3. Strike while the iron is hot.趁熱打铁。
例如:Ask Lisa for a favor now, while shes in a good mood. Strike wh.le the iron is hot.
趁丽萨心情好,去请她帮忙吧。趁热打铁。
4.in the bag探囊取物;十拿九稳的
例如:Once wed scored the third goal,the match was pretty much in the bag.再进第三个球,这场比赛我们就赢定了。
5.make ones mouth water(指美食)令人馋涎欲滴
例如:The sight of that chocolate cake made her mouth water.
看到巧克力蛋糕,她口水都出来了。
6.have ones hands fu很忙:应接不暇
例如:Right now lve got my hands full with preparations for the conference.
我现在手头正忙,在为会议做准备。
7.go down in history载入史册
例如:l think that,in the end,he will go down in history as a famous scientist,我想,最后,他会作为著名科学家载入史册的。
和history有关的词组还有make history,意为“创造历史”。
8.There is truth in wine.酒后吐真言。
例如:You might have to believe it. There is truth in wine.
你或许必须相信这件事。酒后吐真言呢。
9.born into wealth天生富责,出身富贵
例如:Though born into wealth, he still works hard and values every penny he earns.虽然出生在富贵之家,但他还是很努力的工作,珍惜自己挣得的每一分钱。
10.Dack ones baas打包袱走人
例如:Tell him if he doesnt shake up, he can pack his bags.
告诉他,他若还不振作起来的话,就让他打包袱走人。
11. in ones dreams做梦去吧
例如:-I can beat you.我可以打败你。
-Yeah, in your dreams.是的,在梦里。
12.say to ones face当面说
例如:I never say it to her face, but her hair looks terrible.
我不会当她的面说,但她的头发太难看了。
和face相关的词组还有lose face,表示“丢面子”。
13.full of oneself自满,目中无人
例如: Mary is very unpopular because shes so full of herself. She doesnt care about otherpeoples feelings.玛丽不是很受欢迎,因为她太自满了,从来不管别人的感受。
14.pave the way for为……铺平道路
例如:Scientists hope that data from this expedition will pave the way for a more detailedexploration of Mars。科学家们希望此次考察获得的数据可以为进一步的火星探索铺平道路。