美国习惯用语: Lesson 201 - SUNDAY BEST / SUNDAY DRIVER
时间:2019-01-10 作者:英语课 分类:美国习惯用语
今天我们要给大家讲解的两个习惯用语都是以"星期天"这个字为主的。"星期天"在英文里是怎么说的?Sunday. 信基督教的人星期天都去教堂做礼拜。在这个世纪初的时候,星期天除了去教堂外没有什么事情可做,因为大多数的商店和娱乐场所都关门。现在可不同了。基督徒仍然去教堂做礼拜,但是,除此以外人们可以去逛商店,看电影和参加其它娱乐活动。在美国,大规模的足球和棒球比赛都是在星期天举行的。今天我们要讲的第一个习惯用语既显示了以往的星期天,也反映了当今星期天的情景。这个习惯用语就是:Sunday best. 在美国和其它西方国家,人们星期天去教堂的时候总是穿的非常正式,非常漂亮。所以,Sunday best就是指一个人最漂亮的衣服。当然,你也可以穿这些衣服去出席像婚礼那样的特殊场合。Sunday best实际上也就是我们所说的那种留着出去做客人时候穿的衣服。下面就是一个例子。
例句-1: I'm leaving work early tonight. I want to go home and put on my Sunday best because I am going 1 out with a very special friend to try that new French 2 restaurant we hear is so good.
这个人说:我今天准备早一点下班。我要先回家去换上我的漂亮衣服。因为我要跟一个非常特殊的朋友一起去那个新开张的法国饭馆去试一试。我们听说那个饭馆非常好。
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美国也经常有人给别人介绍男朋友或者是介绍女朋友。当然,被介绍的男女双方都会设法穿得很漂亮,好给对方一个好印象。下面是一个年轻人正在发愁,因为他不知道穿什么衣服去才好。他说:
例句2: Well, I don't know what to wear. As 3 a matter of fact 4, I don't have any decent 5 clothes. But everybody 6 says I've got 7 to put on my Sunday best if I want to impress 8 the girl. But I can't afford 9 to buy a new suit 10.
这个年轻人说:我不知道穿什么好。事实上,我根本没有什么像样的衣服。但是,每个人都说,要是我想给那个女孩子留下好印象的话,我一定得穿得非常漂亮。可是,我没有那么多的钱去买新的西装。
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下面我们再给大家介绍一个和Sunday有关的习惯用语。Sunday driver. Driver就是开车的人。Sunday driver就是指那些开起车来很慢、很胆小的人。有些老年人平时不太出门,唯一出门的时候就是星期天开车到教堂去。他们往往开车开得很慢、很胆怯。当然,许多人都很讨厌这些Sunday drivers,特别是那些爱开快车的人。下面就是一个正在路上开车的人在说话。
例句3: Darn it! I wish I could 11 get around this guy 12 in front of me -- he must be a Sunday driver. He's only going thirty miles 13 an hour and everybody else is going at least 14 fifty.
这个人说:真讨厌,我真希望我能超过前面那辆车。那人肯定是一个开慢车的人。他的速度只有每小时三十英里,而其他所有的人都至少开每小时五十英里。
美国各地关于开车速度的规定也有不同。当然,在市区内交通拥挤的地方车速就比较低,一般是每小时二十五英里。但是,高速公路的车速就要快多了,一般是每小时五十五英里,但是也有车辆比较少的高速公路允许开六十五英里。车速的快慢也是美国人经常争论的一个问题,有的人主张提高车速,有的人认为提高车速会发生更多车祸。
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下面是一个儿子在说他为他爸爸开车开得太慢而感到担忧。他说:
例句4: My dad is eighty-five and naturally he drives much slower than before. He said 15 that he doesn't care 16 if people consider 17 him a Sunday driver so long as he feels safe. But he doesn't realize 18 that to drive too slowly 19 can be dangerous too.
这个儿子说:我爸爸已经八十五岁,他比以前开车开得慢多了.这也是自然的。他老是说,只要他感到安全,别人说他开车开太慢他不在乎。可是,他不知道车开得太慢也是危险的。
- We're going to listen to a report this afternoon. 今天下午我们要去听报告。
- He hates leaving the office and going on holiday.他不愿离开办公室去度假。
- She reads French quite well,but doesn't speak it.她法语的阅读能力相当强,但不会讲。
- The only French city she enjoyed was Paris.巴黎是她惟一喜欢的法国城市。
- He got work in a hotel as a waiter.他在一家旅馆找到了当服务生的工作。
- In the hotel,the old men were drinking away as usual.在旅馆里,这些老人和往常一样喝个不停。
- It is close to fact.这更接近于事实。
- I'm going there tomorrow,as a matter of fact.其实,我明天是准备去那里。
- We want to raise our children to be decent men and women.我们盼望把孩子们培养成优秀人才。
- There isn't even a decent table in this room.这屋里连张像样的桌子也没有。
- Christmas is a holiday for everybody.圣诞节是所有人的节日。
- It is difficult to find a time that suits everybody.很难找到一个对每人都合适的时间。
- I just got some bad news.我刚得到一些坏消息。
- I have got far too much work to do.我要做的事太多了。
- Time has left its impress upon him.岁月在他身上留下了印记。
- The sights of the city never fail to impress foreign tourists.外国游客无一不对该市留有深刻印象。
- At last they could afford a house.他们终于买得起房子了。
- I'll afford you a chance.我将给你提供一个机会。
- That suit is so expensive.这套衣服很贵。
- Which day would suit you?哪一天适合你?
- Could I open the window?我可以打开窗子吗?
- I could wait ten minutes.我可以等十分钟。
- She lost her heart to the handsome guy.她爱上了这个漂亮的小伙子。
- That guy is very hard to deal with.那家伙很难对付。
- Eight kilometres is roughly equivalent to five miles. 八公里约等于五英里。
- a fortress town enclosed by four miles of ramparts 由四英里长的城墙围着的设防城镇
- He spends at least a part of his time in reading. 他至少有一部分空闲时间看书。
- The trip will take ten days,at least.这趟旅行顶少得10天时间。
- He said to me that he could not come.他对我说他不能来。
- He said to his mother that he would do it by himself.他对他的母亲说他将自己独立做那件事。
- I really care about the students in my class.我的确喜欢这个班上的学生。
- Her work is to take care of the children.她的工作是照料好孩子。
- We should consider what to do next.我们应考虑下一步该怎么办。
- They consider it better to do it that way.他们以为那样做比较妥当。
- Do you realize the importance of this question?你意识到这个问题的重要性了吗?
- He'll come to realize it one day.他总有一天会懂得这一点。