生活英语对话 Episode 34: Helen Saves the Day
本单元是关于 Helen 扭转败局的对话
Michal: I told you so!
Tim: Hurry up, I'm getting soaked!
Helen: What's going on here? What a mess! Dad'll kill me.
Michal: It's the water. Tim didn't turn off it before trying to fix the tap.
Helen: Honestly Tim! You're as thick as two short planks 1 sometimes. Michal, turn the water off. Tim, give me the spanner. I'll soon have this sorted.
Tim: What shall I do?
Helen: Get the mop, of course! I want this floor as dry as a bone now! Dad's coming round later to check the flat.
Tim: Is he?
Tim and Michal: Oh no!
Helen: No, I'm just winding 2 you up!
Vocabulary: 词汇
to get soaked:
to get very wet, often in heavy rain
使弄湿,被倾盆大雨淋湿
as thick as two short planks:
not clever
不聪明
as right as rain:
in normal condition
正常状态
a mop:
similar to a broom but for cleaning a floor with water
拖把
to wind someone up (informal):
to tell someone something that's not true, as a joke
捉弄某人,和某人开玩笑
本单元语言点是 as...as 表明喻的短语,英语里面有许多使用'as ... as ...' 的习惯用法,例如:as dry as a bone - This piece of bread is as dry as a bone. I can't eat it. 在这个句子里,As dry as a bone 的意思是非常干。这种习惯法用非常相似,而且通常带有强调的语气。
Comparative idioms
There are lots of idioms which use 'as ... as ...' as a key structure. For example, as dry as a bone - This piece of bread is as dry as a bone. I can't eat it. As dry as a bone means something is very dry.
These idioms function as similes 3 and they often carry an emphatic 4 meaning.
Idioms describing personality and behaviour:
描述个性和行为的惯用语
As thick as two short planks - very stupid, not at all clever (an informal idiom). Planks are flat pieces of wood, often used in house building
As stubborn as a mule 5 - very stubborn, obstinate 6. A mule is an animal similar to a donkey
As good as gold - very well behaved, often used to describe children
As timid as a mouse - very shy and quiet
Idioms describing physical characteristics:
描述生理特征的惯用语
As strong as a horse - very strong
As strong as an ox - very strong. An ox is a strong animal similar to a cow
As pretty as a picture - very pretty, very attractive
As blind as a bat - very poor eyesight, unable to see. A bat is an animal that flies at night and does not use its eyes, it uses sound
As white as a sheet - very pale or white face, because you are unwell or very scared. Sheets on beds are often white
As light as a feather - not heavy, very light in weight. Birds are covered in feathers
Idioms describing the state of things:
描述事物的状态的惯用语
As right as rain - in good and normal condition
As good as new - in very good condition
As safe as houses - very safe, very secure and certain
As sound as a bell - in very good physical condition, e.g. an engine. A bell has to be in good condition in order to make a good ringing sound
- The house was built solidly of rough wooden planks. 这房子是用粗木板牢固地建造的。
- We sawed the log into planks. 我们把木头锯成了木板。
- A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
- The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。
- Similes usually start with "like" or "as". 明喻通常以like或as开头。
- All similes and allegories concerning her began and ended with birds. 要比仿她,要模拟她,总得以鸟类始,还得以鸟类终。
- Their reply was too emphatic for anyone to doubt them.他们的回答很坚决,不容有任何人怀疑。
- He was emphatic about the importance of being punctual.他强调严守时间的重要性。