时间:2018-12-16 作者:英语课 分类:美国习惯用语


英语课

 


如果你去住旅店,只有两个房间可供选择,一个在电梯旁边,另外一个在饮料自动贩卖机旁边。你挑哪个?要是我的话,我肯定挑选饮料自动贩卖机旁边的那个,虽然不时会有人来买东西,但起码不会象电梯口那么吵。


在英语里,有一种说法叫,the lesser 1 of two evils. Evil是邪恶的意思,lesser意思是比较小的,次要的。说the lesser of two evils,就是说在两种令人不快的选择中,选择一个伤害相对小的,也就是中文里说的两害相权取其轻。


所以说,一个房间在饮料自动贩卖机旁边,另外一个在电梯口旁边,我宁可选择在饮料贩卖机旁边的那个。这就是两害相权取其轻the lesser of two evils。好在我随身带了一副耳塞。


不过,下面例子里这个新娘子可就没有我这么幸运了。让我们听听新郎官是怎么说,


例句-1:My in-laws insisted that my wife choose one her sisters as her maid of honor. She could have asked Marilyn, but she isn't dependable at all. So she picked Ann, the lesser of two evils. She may be rather unsociable, but, at least, she could be relied upon to help out with arrangements and be on time.


我丈母娘和老丈人坚持要我妻子在她的妹妹里选一个当伴娘。她本来可以请玛里琳来当,可是她太靠不住了。思前想后,我妻子最后挑选了Ann,Ann虽然不怎么喜欢跟人搭讪,但至少还能指望她帮忙做一些婚礼的安排,而且知道她会准时出现。


难怪有人要跑到拉斯维加斯去结婚。这样能省掉不少麻烦!那天女儿问我,在无糖但是带有化学成分的健怡可乐,和含有很多糖分的普通可乐,哪个是the lesser of two evils. 我想了半天,最后告诉她,还是喝水最健康。


美国大选前,很多选民都觉得,在民主、共和两党的候选人里,没有任何一个让他们感到满意,我的邻居约翰就持这种看法。让我们一起听听他是怎么说的。


例句-2:There doesn't seem to be much choice in the upcoming election. Both candidates lack experience and leadership skills. I guess I'll have to vote for the one who promises not to raise taxes. He's the lesser of two evils.


在即将举行的选举中,好像没有什么选择。两个候选人都缺少经验和领导才能。我最后可能还是会把票投给保证不增收个人所得税的那个候选人;两害相权取其轻嘛!


如今经济不景气,很多以前从来没有考虑过的问题现在都变得格外现实了。昨天还有一个同事问我,在减少工资和不减少工资,但是增加工作小时数二者之间选择哪个。换句话说,which is the lesser of two evils? 我一时还真答不上来。这里面涉及了太多的因素,包括我的生活开销、以及时间对我有多重要等等。



1 lesser
adj.次要的,较小的;adv.较小地,较少地
  • Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
  • She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及,但程度较轻。
学英语单词
4-oxycoumarine
akoto
aliyu
allees
alpha-Carboxylase
Amioune
apex point
at low water
attitude
bambang
Bourg-de-Visa
box motion rocking shaft
brisking
burno
Claydon
closed-loop voltage galn
combination window
continuous polymerization
correctresses
defervescing
didymium perforatum
diverticule
Doob-Meyer decomposition
droplet mean diameter
elementary and high school textbook
external documents
Festuca ovina
final degree of utility
flanged brass valve
fractionte contraction
free leg
functional category
ganem
grain EMC values
Halkett, Cape
hexatic
hivite
insert
InterVideo
ionic bond
isopipteses
jagoda
lancker
liaison role
line-drop voltmeter compensator
linen frieze
liquid scintillation counter
lithium lactate
lobbyings
luxuriousnesses
magazine-less system
maxie
minimum
moving-iron voltmeter
Nadezhdy, Proliv
nahualism
neighborhood density
noncommercial enterprise
nongoodness
nonharvestable
Novo Horizonte
nucleus interpeduncularis
Olalla
on the bounce
organellular
output power of vision transmitter
over - the - counter drugs
owston's squirrel
palaeomicroides discopurpurella
pharmacokineticss
piston ring face
pneumocystiss
pterolophia riantennalis
reallege
recirculating main
recirculating-tank
renewal period of water body
ring interconnection
Rossby number
sand roll
seller consignor
single study
snap their finger
sour-puss
special mission unit
speech-language
stochastic pattern
straw brede
stud rivet
take-hold
time-and-distance
toughies
tree-root
trimipramine maleate
tuj
turbostratic
visual designer
vote-counters
wax clloth
weisbord
work-force
worstness