时间:2019-01-06 作者:英语课 分类:美国习惯用语


英语课

To shape up or ship out


To rock the boat


今天我们要给大家介绍两个和船有关的习惯用语。船在英文里就是: Ship. 船员或者和水上生活有关的人创造了一套他们自己的语言。但是,他们的有些表达形式已经上了岸,成为日常用语了。和 ship 有关的俗语还不少,我们今天只能给大家讲解两个, 我们要讲的第一个是: To shape up or ship out. To shape up or ship out,我们先来看前面一半 to shape up. To shape up 的意思是改进你的工作或行为。后面一半 to ship out 就是离开一个地方。把前后两部份合在一起 to shape up or ship out 就成了一个俗语,意思是:要就改进你的工作,否则就离开这儿。美国的陆军里经常用这个俗语。下面这个例子是一个陆军中士在训斥一个二等兵。


例句-1:"Jones, you are without a doubt the worst soldier in the whole company! Your uniform looks like you slept in it! Your rifle 1 is always dirty, and you can't follow a simple order! I'm telling you, soldier -- either shape up or ship out, you hear me!"


这个中士很严厉,他说:「琼斯,毫无疑问你是整个连队里最糟糕的兵。你的制服皱得好像睡衣似的,你的枪支老那末脏,你连简单的命令都不能执行。我告诉你,你要就做出改进,否则就请你走路,懂吗!」


我们上面说 to shape up or ship out 这个俗语在陆军里用的比较多,但是在日常生活中也可能出现的。例如,一个公司的老板对手下一个雇员说:


例句-2: "Mary, you often come late in the morning and leave early in the evening, and you are always on the phone talking to your friends. This is not acceptable 2 here. I'm now giving you a last chance, either shape up or ship out. "


这个老板说:「玛丽,你经常早上迟到,晚上早退,你还老和朋友在电话上聊天。这种表现在这里是不能接受的。我现在给你一个最后的机会,要就改进你的表现,否则你就离开这里。」


这里要指出的是许多美国人工作很紧张,生活的节奏也很快。如果有人迟到早退,又不好好专心工作的话,很有可能会被解雇。但是像这个例句里说的这种人确实存在,这也是为什么有些人难以在一个公司长期工作的原因,因为他们到哪里都不受欢迎。


女:美国人有时也把船叫做 boat. 但是,ship 和 boat 之间还是有一点差别的,一般来说boat 总是比ship 要小。我们下面要给大家介绍的一个俗语就是和 boat 这个字有关:To rock the boat. To rock the boat 指的是:找麻烦,或者让人感到厌烦,就像一个孩子站在一艘船当中,故意把船弄得摇摇晃晃,使得船上的人很害怕一样。人们往往会劝别人不要去找麻烦。下面是两个人在办公室里谈论一个很偷懒的同事。


例句-3:"Sure, I agree Smith isn't worth the big salary he gets, but I wouldn't tell the boss if I were you. Smith is one of his favorites, and he'll think you're just rocking the boat and making trouble."


这个人说:「当然,我同意斯密斯根本没有资格拿那末高的工资。但是,要是我是你,我就不会把这种想法去告诉老板。斯密斯是他的亲信之一。你要告诉他的话,他会以为你想找麻烦呢。」


每当暑假来临,美国的学生就开始计划怎么来安排这三个多月的时间,有不少人动手找工作,赚钱为下一年的学费做准备,有的计划先出去旅行,轻松一番再做打算。下面是一个学生在跟他的妹妹谈他和几个同学的暑期计划。


例句-4:"After much discussion 3, five of us in the class have finally decided 4 to go to Europe for three weeks. Preparation is already underway. Please don't rock the boat by telling mother, because I'm sure she wouldn't agree."


这个学生对妹妹说:「我们班上五个同学讨论了好久,最后终于决定去欧洲三个星期。准备工作已经开始了。我肯定妈是不会同意的,所以请你千万不要告诉妈妈,那样会破坏我们的计划的。」


这种偷偷摸摸,瞒着家长出远途旅行的作法当然很不好,使得家长很担心。但是,调皮捣蛋的孩子那儿都有。不是有人说越聪敏的孩子越调皮吗?


今天我们给大家讲了两个和船有关的习惯用语。第一个是: To shape up or ship out. To shape up or ship out 翻到中文就是:要就改进,否则就离开这里。我们今天讲的第二个和船有关的习惯用语是: To rock the boat. To rock the boat 是找麻烦,或是破坏某个计划。



n.来复枪,步枪
  • The soldiers keep a tight hold of the rifle.战士们紧握手中的枪。
  • They armed him with a rifle.他们发给他一支步枪。
adj.可接受的,合意的,受欢迎的
  • The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
  • Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。
n.讨论,谈论;论述
  • It is certain he will come to the discussion.他肯定会来参加讨论。
  • After months of discussion,a peace agreement is gradually taking shape.经过几个月的商讨,和平协议渐渐有了眉目。
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
学英语单词
abbreviated version
activity of process
Agion Oros
amount forecast
amount-of-substance concentration
applied factory overhead expense
arabler
atomizing disk
attritioning
auliscus incertus
automatic zero-set circuit
balaenoptera musculuss
ballena
Ban Cang
be present at
belin
betsko
brick with grooves
bumping collision
burnhams
cached
Calices renales
Cantu, R.
Caroni R.
cellulose-nylon blend
chemical composition of meteoroid
cholester n
clockpunk
condensation agent
convey belt
Cornu quartz prism
Delindeite
dicked
do sb's bidding
dust-box
dyscoimesis
electronical time relay
elie metchnikoffs
export agent
fannia leucosticta
follow-up grouting
fuel siphoning
Gewalan
grisemer bound
halichoeres ornatissimus
heavy weight hide
heavy-tailed distribution
hereditary ovalocytosis
hidden text
Isopropylscopolamine
Jones-Cantarow tests
lar lubovitch dance company
lateral convergence shift
left internal carotid vein
Lerbach
longstemmed
maui islands
mcphearson
mean
membrum inferius
microlaryngoscope
middle gimbal angle
middle white
midmovement
misarrangement
mixing pan mill
monthly mean of daily maximum temperature
mortar strength
nandid
Nizarid
Nodi lymphatici iliaci communes mediales
OBF
orgia
oversale
parallel pore filter
pellicularia filamentosa (patonillard) rogow
photochirogenesis
phytophenology
post-metallogenic
printed subject indexes
publicly held
puinde
quarry plant
ragione
releasing of brake
restriction of credit
round head bench mark
santuary
sbses-s
sharp-shooting
Sidney Caesar
spirit of nitrous ether
standard uncertainty
talamasca
Talofofo
tentorium cerebelli
throat of racket
unpersisted
usr (user-to-user information message)
verbalized
vv. subcutane? abdominis
X-ray transducer