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846:断断续续的(音频)


on again, off again
我昨天收到了大学室友寄来的一张生日贺卡,让我感慨万千。一眨眼,大学毕业已经好多年了,虽然我们一直保持联系,但是大家都在为生活奔波,所以每年也只有逢年过节才会互通信息。这倒让我想起了我们今天要学的习惯用语,叫:on again, off again.
On again, off again这个习惯用语的意思是断断续续的。就好象我毕业后跟大学室友的联络一样,on again, off again. 时断时续。下面例子里的这个远足爱好者打算退出自己的远足俱乐部。让我们听听他是怎么想的。
例句-1:I'm thinking of dropping out of my hiking club. It's not that I don't like getting out and exploring some of the great trails in the area. But one month there might be an outing every week, then the next there's only one. I'd prefer a schedule of hikes that's not so on again, off again.
这个人说:我正在考虑是不是要退出远足俱乐部,这样做并不是因为我不喜欢跟大家一起去远足,探索这附近很多有意思的山间小道,但是有时候一个月每星期都有活动,下个月却可能只有一次。我真希望,俱乐部的远足活动不要这么时断时续。
这倒让我想起了我妹妹的那些男朋友,也许是因为她住在加州,那里的男人更不愿意安定下来吧。她每次交男朋友,都是几个月的热度,然后男方就会失去兴趣,但又藕断丝连,过一段时间又回来给她打电话。让我妹妹十分苦恼。这种on again, off again时断时续的交往方式并不适合她。
******
显然,连续性对很多事情来说都很重要。我们一起来听听下面这位居民的看法:
例句-2:The last neighborhood committee never got much done. Perhaps it was because of all the on again, off again meetings they had. But now, the new leaders get together regularly. As a result, they've been able to improve public safety, organize civic 1 events and accomplished 2 a lot that's made our area a nicer place to live.
这个人说:上一届居民委员会什么都没干,也许是因为他们开会太少、太没准日子了吧。新一届负责人走马上任后,定期开会,结果有效地改善了小区的公共安全,组织了各种活动,还做了很多其它事情,结果显著改变了我们这片地区的居住环境。
这倒让我想起了原来用的那家手机公司,信号特别不稳定,我每次开车出去买东西、办事情,手机的信号总是时断时续,丝毫没有保障。这种情况持续了不到一个月,我就忍无可忍了,换成了现在的这家手机公司。
大家猜猜看,这个习惯用语是怎么来的?有些语言学家说, on again, off again这个习惯用语最早是指那些并不严重的火车事故,因为火车刚刚出现的时候,经常会脱离轨道,过一会儿又会自己重新回到轨道上去,因此就有了on again, off again的说法。

adj.城市的,都市的,市民的,公民的
  • I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
  • The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的
  • Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
  • Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
标签: 习惯用语
学英语单词
active-reflective
Alaric
Aldrich Bay
amino toluene
Aubel
be sick about
bitmap data
brine-cured
byssosphaeria erumpens
Bārah
calcium mediatory protein
careening wharf
caryophyllaceous
centralized and unified command
child health care
ciocentrum
citrate utilization test
compacted earth
contact aeration process
cycloidal gear pair with small teeth difference
deep fried products
delegable responsibilities
direct-reverse switch
divinora
doppler free spectroscopy
double visions
egglestons
electromagnetic pulse simulator
Englishization
ensheathe
erection of penis
error energy
extensive communication system
fagg
family Taccaceae
fecaluria
flakinesses
flocculent sludge
from date
gazumper
Grand Canyon City
hereditary factor
hoja blanca
Hollyburn
homona coffearias
hydrazo compounds
hyperenzootia
illlegal
impredictable
induced radiation
innervates
International Express Carriage by Air
inverse path
iron charge
iso (international organization for standardization)
joint tenants
kales
keymasks
Ligularia chimiliensis
Ljungstrom turbine
lose me
Luculia yunnanensis
macro, key
Martensdale
matrix drive
meliority
most-favored nation
mualig
multitubercolate
non-spin hoisting cable
old-new
one-runway
optic discs
pacing parameter
paralled surface grinding machine
pertinent to
plantarflexion
pristina aequiseta
pythonists
radial compressor
radioactive sodium
Salix juparica
scream for
separator box
serious mistake
set price
shew bread
sky fighter
stable trigger circuit
steam slug
tau coefficient of correlation
the bar sinister
there is not much in
titanium trichloride
to starve
to zigzag the rivets
toxicogenic
Trapellaceae
tubular bowl ultra-centrifuge(open type)
unsatirised
violation of law and breach of discipline
weld-deposited cladding