时间:2019-02-03 作者:英语课 分类:美国习惯用语


英语课

  今天我们要讲的两个习惯用语都是从音乐界流传到日常生活中的。 第一个是: pull out all the stops。 这里的stops指管风琴上的圆纽,用来控制琴上的那些笛管是否奏乐。按下 stops,笛管就停止奏乐,而演奏者得拔起他要用的笛管上的stops,让气流进入,才能奏出他需要的乐声。所以如果演奏者pull out all the stops,那么这架管风琴上所有的笛管就是在齐声共鸣了。Pull out all the stops大约在一百五十多年前被转用到日常生活中。

我们听个例子来体会它表达什么意思。说话的人主办一家电脑软件公司。他有一种新产品要打入市场。这会儿正跟他的销售部主任Harry 1在商谈怎样推出这个产品。

例句-1:Harry, let's pull out all the stops. We'll use our whole advertising 2 budget this year to sell this. Tell everyone it's cheaper and better than anything our competitors can offer.

他要求销售部主任把他们全年的广告预算都花在推销这种产品上。他要告诉每一个人这个产品比一切竞争者所能提供的任何商品都更价廉物美。

既然他要动用整个公司全年的广告费用来为这一件产品作促销,让产品的优点家喻户晓,所以他说: Let's pull out all the stops。意思显然是: 我们要不遗余力。这就是这个习惯用语的含义。

******

我们再听个例子。这回说话的是个篮球教练。他的球队即将上阵打一场重大的比赛,而这位教练正努力振奋球员的士气。

例句-2:Okay, men, we're playing the champions, but we can beat them if you pull out all the stops. You all have to play the best you've ever played - don't hold anything back. Let's go!

他说:好吧,各位,我们要跟冠军队比赛了,但是只要你们全力以赴,一定能击败他们。你们全得打出自己的最高水平来。要不遗余力。上阵吧!

这里的pull out all the stops意思就是“全力以赴。”

******

我们再学个也是来自音乐的习惯用语: beat the drum for。 Drum是鼓。鼓是古来就有的乐器,而且虽然不同的国家有各种不同的乐器,然而鼓却几乎是各国共有的最为普遍应用的乐器。

人们在战场上击鼓助阵,在喜庆中打鼓助兴,在游行时也擂鼓吸引大家的注意。难怪beat the drum for会成为日常通用的习惯用语。那么作为习惯用语它是什么意思呢?

我们通过一个例子来琢磨。这是个学生在说自己和伙伴们怎么为大学戏剧俱乐部演出的一台戏作宣传。

例句-3:A few of us club members took a bunch of tickets out and beat the drum for the play with our friends. And we sold enough to fill all the seats, the first time in history.

他说:我们俱乐部的几个成员把一大把票子拿到外面去和我们的朋友一起作推销宣传。而且卖出的票足以使剧场座无虚席。这是有史以来第一次。

这里的beat the drum for the play意思显然是为这场戏作宣传,beat the drum for类似于中国成语: 为什么摇旗呐喊。

******

有时beat the drum for里面的drum也可以是复数形式。这样,这个习惯用语就成了beat the drums for,但是它的意思不变。

我们再听个例子,里面有beat the drums for。这是几名记者正谈论一个州长在竞选连任的过程中获胜的阻力很大,所以州长不得不竭尽全力地开展竞选。好,我们来听听这名记者的话。

例句-4:He's in real trouble; people don't like him much. So he's out early beating the drums for himself, trying to raise campaign money and find groups to support him.

他说:他可真是困难重重,因为人们都不怎么喜欢他。所以他赶早开展宣传为自己大吹大擂,尽力募集竞选资金并寻觅支持他的团体。

这里的beating the drums for意思也是为作宣传。



vt.掠夺,蹂躏,使苦恼
  • Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天,人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
  • Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。
n.广告业;广告活动 a.广告的;广告业务的
  • Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
  • The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。
学英语单词
adarism
air patterns
air-inflated structure
analytical liquid chromatograph
anhad
antitrinitarians
Arabically
arcidaes
Ashby de la Zouch
axinost (or axonost)
Babo's psammism
Balmain, Pierre (Alexan dre)
be at bat
blazing star
break faith with
callogobius sheni
Camarillas, Embalse de
carbon bit
carrhotus xanthogramma
certificate of expenditure
checking for leaks
chlorcresol
cicatricial fibromatosis
computer system validation
concurrent validity
cost-justified
cranked spanner
cystic dilatation
deamochore
deferred demand as a determinant
Dethyron
deutsch-jozsa algorithm
digital data encoding
disfranchises
display pedestal
dominatours
dorsocentral region
dreaper & tompkins process
drivis
due payment
dunchurches
exit time
express consideration
Fiat-Chrysler
flashlight battery
folding nucleus
futures non-clearing dealer
genus dendrocalamuss
glomerid
greyeyes
hardfaced
hiding declaration
humid temperate climate
hump resonance
iceways
ICOSC
immuno-fluorescence
independent form description language
ingot pit
intermittent manual blowdown
Keping
Kioto
lavage cytologic examination
lieber Gott
light rose
logical escape symbol
Lolworth
longitudinal-stress
Maccas
menued
mould life
multiple completion packer
outwearied
parasitic prosopopagus
phase correction
portrait painter
pressing-in method
pressure cabin examination
purposive behaviour
quinine acid sulfate
raceophenidol
radio sounding
random fixation of gene
relationship material
reporters committee for freedom of the press
reservoir filter
resident certificate
rhythmeur
savannah
scavenging material
sonic and ultrasonic applications
tachometry
technical analyses
torpedo gunner's mate
Tudoresque
twibilled
unenrolls
unilingualdictionary
unlocking yoke cam driving wheel
venous
width of sowing
zero milk