美国习惯用语: Lesson 209 - WALL-TO-WALL / WALLFLOWER
时间：2019-01-11 作者：英语课 分类：美国习惯用语
在这次节目里我们要给大家介绍两个都是以wall这个字为主的习惯用语。Wall这个字是什么意思呢？Wall就是一堵墙的墙。有不少习惯用语都跟wall这个字有关。但是，今天我们只能讲两个。我们在这次节目里要讲的第一个习惯用语是：Wall-to-wall. Wall-to-wall这三个字之间有两个hyphens, 也就是连接号。所以，wall-to-wall实际上已经成为一个字了。那么，wall-to-wall究竟是什么意思呢？
刚开始的时候，wall-to-wall是用来形容一个房间里的地毯从一边的墙铺到另一边的墙，也就是铺满了整个一间房间。但是，逐渐地，wall-to-wall这个说法就不仅仅用来描写地毯了，而是可以应用到其他生活各个方面。比如说,当一间屋子里挤满了人的时候，我们就可以说：Wall-to-wall people.
下面是一个人在说他参加一个聚会的情况。
例句-1: I went to this cocktail 1 party last night but I walked out after fifteen minutes. It was 3 wall-to-wall people - so crowded 4 I couldn't even 5 get close to where they were serving 6 food and drinks.
这个人说：我昨晚去参加那个鸡尾酒会，但是我进去十五分钟后就走了。屋子里挤满了人，挤得我根本没有办法靠近放食品和饮料的地方。
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每个人都有自己的爱好。有的人喜欢看书，有的人爱听音乐。但是，有的人有不同寻常的嗜好。例如，有的人热衷于搜集火柴盒，还有的人把每天看的报纸都存起来。下面这个例子里说的那个人就是对报纸有特别的感情。
例句2: Jack's hobby is to save 7 the newspaper he reads every day, saying 8 he might 9 need to check some information 10 later 11 on. There's practically 12 no more space in his study except 13 wall-to-wall newspapers. His wife 14 is afraid of having a fire someday 15.
这位讲话的人说：杰克的嗜好是把每天看过的报纸存起来。他说他以后要查什么消息的时候可能有用。除了满屋子的报纸外，他的书房里几乎没有什么空的地方了。他的太太担心哪天可能会起火。
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现在我们来讲今天要给大家介绍的第二个习惯用语。Wallflower. 大家要注意的是：wallflower是一个字，虽然这个字很明显是由wall和flower这两个字组成的。而且，wallflower也不是墙上的花的意思，wallflower是指一个很害羞的女孩子，在参加舞会的时候大多数时间都跟其他害羞的女孩子坐在靠墙的椅子上，因为她没有男朋友，又不善于跟男孩子打交道。但是，这样的女孩子有时也会交好运。下面就是一个例子。
例句3: I felt so sorry for this wallflower at the school dance last night that I asked her to dance. And I'm glad I did 16. Once she got 17 over her shyness 18, I found 19 she had 20 a smile that lit up the whole 21 room. And believe 22 it or not, I'm taking her to the dance on Friday night.
这个人说：昨晚在学校的舞会上，我替那个坐在那里老不跳舞的女孩感到很不好受，所以我就过去请她跳舞。我真高兴我请了她。一旦她不再感到害羞，她的笑容好像点亮了整个屋子。你信不信，我还要请她一起去参加星期五晚上的舞会呢。
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我们再来举一个例子。这是一个女孩在说为什么她不愿去参加舞会。
例句4: I like dancing. As 2 a matter of fact 23, my friends think I'm a good dancer 24 and I enjoy the music very much. But I never go dancing if I don't have a partner 25 because I don't want to be a wallflower.
她说：我喜欢跳舞。事实上，我的朋友们说我跳舞跳得很好。我也很喜欢听音乐。但是，在没有夥伴的时候，我从来不去跳舞，因为我不要参加舞会而又坐在那里不跳舞。
- We invited some foreign friends for a cocktail party.我们邀请了一些外国朋友参加鸡尾酒会。
- At a cocktail party in Hollywood,I was introduced to Charlie Chaplin.在好莱坞的一次鸡尾酒会上，人家把我介绍给查理·卓别林。
- 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。
- Earth is becoming more and more crowded.地球变得越来越拥挤。
- Guangzhou is a crowded city!广州是个拥挤的城市！
- It was cold yesterday,but it's even colder today. 昨天冷，今天更冷了。
- He's the best teacher even though he has the least experience.尽管他经验最少，但教得最好。
- The number of prisoners serving life sentences has fallen. 被判无期徒刑的囚犯数目下降了。
- She can't come to the telephone; she's serving a client. 她不能来接电话，她正在接待一位顾客。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- Why didn't you save me?你为什么不救我？
- We have to save old newspapers.我们得保存旧报纸。
- Saying and doing are two things.说和做是两码事。
- I know a chinese saying.我知道一句中国谚语。
- It looks as if it might snow.看起来好像要下雪了。
- Might I ask a question?我能问个问题吗？
- I hope the information I gave you was helpful.我希望我给你的消息对你有所帮助。
- We must get further information.我们必须获得更多的消息。
- He didn't turn up until half an hour later.半小时后他才出现。
- This part of the hospital was built on later.医院的这个部分是后来增建的。
- He solved the problem very practically.他很实事求是地解决了这个问题。
- She's practically always late for school.她上学几乎总是迟到。
- Everybody is here except tom.除了汤姆大家都到了。
- He never came except when he was in trouble. 除非有了困难，他从来不到这里来。
- She is my wife.她是我妻子。
- He is a tall man but his wife is a short woman.他是个子很高的男人，但他妻子很矮。
- He'll forgive me someday.总有一天他会宽恕我的。
- My hope is that someday you will move to this town.我希望你有朝一日能搬到这个城市里来。
- How many goals did you score in the last game?上一场比赛你们进了几个球？
- Why did you choose basketball in the first place?你为何首先选择篮球呢？
- 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。
- She overcompensated for her shyness by talking too much and laughing too loud.她为了克服自己的羞怯，却说话太多，笑声太大。
- After she'd overcome her initial shyness,she became very friendly.她克服了起初的羞怯之后，变得十分友善。
- I found him at home.我发现他在家。
- The United Nations was found in 1945.联合国于1945年成立。
- I just had a good idea!我有个好主意！
- The boy had a small branch of a tree in his hand.这个男孩手上拿一条小树枝。
- It snowed for two whole days.雪下了整整两天。
- The whole village was sleeping.整个村庄一片寂静。
- Believe it or not,that's the way it is.信不信由你，反正事情就是这样。
- I believe what you say.我相信你的话。
- 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。