时间:2019-02-08 作者:英语课 分类:英语口语


英语课

 White elephant: 沉重的包袱


如今流行这么一句话,“买车容易养车难”。其中的理儿谁都明白,不说其它杂七杂八的养车开销,单看那油价居高不下就令整个儿工薪族望而却步。今天谈的white elephant(“白象”)和“车”同属一个道理——很贵重却因难养而成为负担。 White elephant(白象)是一种罕见的亚洲象,生长于印度、泰国、缅甸和非洲一些地区,因身体成白色或浅灰色而得名。在某些国家,白象一直到现在都被视为圣物,拥有很高的地位。 用white elephant来指代“累赘、大而无用的东西”源于暹罗国(今泰国)国王。在当时,白象非常尊贵,被认为是国王的私有财产。因其“受宠”的身份和巨大的食欲,白象竟成了国王整治其眼中钉的杀手锏——堂而皇之拿白象做礼物送给看不顺眼的臣子,臣子寒舍藏娇,娇物既不能使又不能用,还得宠着贡着半点怠慢不得。要不了几个月,受赐的臣子就因伺候白象而被拖累到倾家荡产的地步…… 看完这个典故,您也该明白了,并不是所有看似华贵的东西都有用,说不定它还会成为令人头痛的累赘呢。瞧下面一个例句:
When he planned 1 to sell his house, his expensive furniture 2 became 3 white elephants.(他想要卖房的时候,那些昂贵的家具竟成了累赘。)

n.家具(总称)
  • This set of the furniture is very good.这套家具非常好。
  • The room was full of wooden furniture.房间里摆满了木制家具。
v.(become的过去式)成为
  • He became a doctor at the age of 27.他27岁时成了一名医生。
  • He became a millionaire when he was still young.他还年轻时就成了百万富翁。
标签: 包袱
学英语单词
alarms and excursions
algebraic equation
all call
anouilhs
arched window
bodily-kinesthetic
braking machine
brandtail
cadorna
Capitoline
ceiling beam
ceramic ink
chill promoting element
common disease poultry and livestock
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economic indicator
educate
euonymus alatus sieb. var. pubescens maxim.
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halting processing state
have a good
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interface tension
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meal on wheels
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trim a vessel
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vane type nozzle block
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xcii
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