时间:2019-03-14 作者:英语课 分类:美国习惯用语


英语课

 美国习惯用语第845:气数已尽,要倒霉了(音频)


somebody's number is up
在美国,一到星期五,很多公司里的员工都会轮流带多纳圈到办公室,跟同事分享,我们办公室也不例外。老实说,我本人并不喜欢多纳圈,太甜,而且离我家最近的一家多纳圈专卖店开车二十分钟才能到,很不方便。你猜,明天轮到谁带多纳圈?没错,又轮到我了。这倒让我想起一个有趣的习惯用语,叫:somebody's number is up.  Somebody's number is up这个习惯用语的意思是气数已尽,要倒霉了。
就好比我,虽然自己并不喜欢吃多纳圈,而且又要绕道去买,但是轮到我了,没办法。在这种情况下,就可以说, my number is up! 不过,跟下面例子里的这些人相比,我恐怕还算是幸运的。我们一起听下面这段话。
例句-1:We knew to expect another round of layoffs 1. So I had a bad feeling when my coworker got called in to meet with the boss. Sure enough, his number was up. He and five other associates were given one hour to clean out their desks and turn in their office IDs. I'm just lucky I still have my position.
这个人说:我们都知道,还要裁一批人。所以,我的同事被老板叫去谈话,我就有一种很不好的预感。果不其然,轮到他倒霉了。他和另外五个人被要求在一个小时内整理好自己的东西,交还工作证件。我的运气还不错,至今还有工作。
现在经济不景气,谁都可能会丢饭碗。我的一个朋友就担心,她老公如果在三个月内找不到新工作的话,their number will be up,他们就要惨了。
******
不过,也不是所有人都这么倒霉。比如说我的邻居Judy Allen就刚刚当选连任了市议员。我们一起来听听下面这段政治评论:
例句-2:Judy Allen's reelection to the city council 2 confirms that her number isn't up yet. It's true that she may have made some political enemies in her first term. But the majority of voters still felt she did a good job. And what they want now is to see her build on her success.
这个人说:Judy Allen当选连任市议员说明,她的政治生涯还没有走到尽头。不错,她在第一个任期内确实树了一些政敌,但是大多数选民还是觉得她干得不错。他们希望她能在成功的基础上再接再励。
我的另外一个邻居可就没这么走运了。她儿子开车回家的路上跟一个醉酒开车的人撞上。按我邻居的话说,现在马路上这么多危险驾驶的司机,You never know when your number will be up. 谁也不知道什么时候会轮到自己倒霉。
大家也许会问,这个习惯用语是怎么来的呢?根据我的研究,这个习惯用语最早是十九世纪早期出现的。Number当时指的可能是没中的彩票上的数字。也有人说,Number是指任何可以用来辨别某个人身份的数字。

临时解雇( layoff的名词复数 ); 停工,停止活动
  • Textile companies announced 2000 fresh layoffs last week. 各纺织公司上周宣布再次裁员两千人。
  • Stock prices broke when the firm suddenly announced layoffs. 当公司突然宣布裁员时,股票价格便大跌
n.理事会,委员会,议事机构
  • The town council passed a law forbidding the distribution of handbills.市议会通过法律,禁止散发传单。
  • The city council has declared for improving the public bus system.市议会宣布同意改进公共汽车系统。
标签: 习惯用语
学英语单词
abrasiometer
accuracy of forecasting techniques
Adcon-I
anadara taiwanica
bachelor apartments
balanced value
Baushar
be in duty bound to do
bellyaching
benzyl neocaprate
bighorn rivers
botulin
canalicyoplasty
cascom
character generation option
chopping device
consumer profiling
country-people
customary form
cyclically balanced budget
delve into sth
demultiplexers
distillest
down for lining
drugg
dutch-speaking
eigenspectra
eight-liter
environmental photobiology
eprolin-S
expect to departure
extended low-surface brightness source
f.f
Fay-wei
fixing powder
forgat
Franklin Mts.
gyrene
Habit-formation
ignition point
inquests
internal block brake
Ishinomaki
Kapachira Falls
Kefenrod
kemppi
lithotriptor
longitudinal median plane
Makushino
mal de raquette
malt vinegar
material surface
meshcement
moss-likest
neurofibromas
neuron nucleus
non-negative characteristic form
nonexistant
nucleus fastigii
orifice tube
periglacial
pile lighthouse
platinum-silver alloy
plumbous nitrate
Podophyllum hexandrum
prosopopoeia
pseudo-indole
quadrate (bone)
re-arrive
reciprocal coefficient
resonant-cavity maser
rice scoop
roof bar
rubbing off
scolithus
self-align type
self-parodying
simal
sixthform
sizzle reel
source neutron
spanandry
spirocheticidal
ST_technology_internet-terminology-and-abbreviations
Super Technirama
supernity
swarl
tabular calculation
taibi
taraghi
tectosilicates
temporary ramp
tighthead
trpes
tuberculum
vapour check
venae conjunctivales anteriores et posteriores
VG-BWS
vinyl tile
writing-pad
yarmuk
yoldia similis