用法学习: 1. cops and robbers. Hopscotch跳房子 is a children's game that can be played with several players or alone. Hopscotch is a popular playground game in which players toss a small object into numbered spaces of a pattern of rectangles outlined on the ground and then hop or jump through the spaces to retrieve the object. In Australia, hopscotch is played in stages. First stage is played by hopping per the standard rules. Once this stage is complete, the player is promoted to the next stage called "jumps" where the player jumps into each square with two feet. Final stage is the most difficult stage called "sizzles", which is similar to jumps except the legs are crossed. The first player to complete all three stages wins. If a player touches a line, he is demoted to the start of his current stage. For younger players, "helps" can be used. These are lines typically extended at the sides between squares 2 and 3 so younger players can use these to get closer to throwing the "tor" into the required square. 2. Tag (cops and robbers) (also known as it, tip you're it or tig (in regions of Britain), and many other names) is a playground game that involves one or more players chasing other players in an attempt to "tag" or touch them, usually with their hands. There are many variations; most forms have no teams, scores, or equipment. 3. However, the Government is cutting the Medicare rebate paid to doctors by $5 a visit in a bid to address the "troublesome issue of six-minute medicine" and encourage doctors to spend more time with patients. The cut means it will be left up to doctors to decide whether to make up the shortfall( 不足. 缺口. a lack of something that you need or want, or the amount that you lack. a sudden shortfall in the supply of skilled labour. ) by charging what the Government has called an "optional co-payment". "In the end, though, this is a question for the doctors, and what we're saying to the doctors is for adults who aren't on concession cards, we don't think it's unreasonable for you to charge a co-payment," Mr Abbott said. "And what we want to do by legislation is enable them to directly claim the rebate, provided the co-payment they charge for that particular class of patients is $5 or less." The Government also announced that to receive the standard rebate, consultations with doctors must be at least 10 minutes and that the level of rebate would be frozen over the forward estimates(Forward estimates are budget projections
for revenue, expenses and financial position for the three years beyond
the current (budgeted) fiscal year. The "forward estimates" system
evolved in Australia from the late 1970s through the 1980s and is used
at both the Federal and State levels. The forward estimates provide a mechanism for discipline within the budgeting process
that enables a greater focus on strategic policy issues, and provide a
strategic framework for budgetary decision making in the medium-term.
Depending on the context, the forward estimates period can refer to the three years following the budget year or the four years inclusive of the budget year.). The $7 fee on visits to the doctor, pathology and diagnostic imaging services was announced in the budget and had been regarded as a "barnacle 水蛭"( [ˈbɑ:(r)nək(ə)l] a sea creature that sticks firmly to rocks and to the bottoms of ships. 紧紧吸住不放. ) stuck to the Government. Mr Abbott said the Government's Expenditure Review Committee had been "chewing over"反复咀嚼 this change for some weeks and it had been approved by Cabinet today. 4. come preposition at a particular time in the future or when a particular event happens. Come summer, all the building work should be finished. fracas [ˈfrækɑ:] 争吵, 吵架 a noisy fight or argument. A noisy disorderly quarrel, fight, brawl, disturbance or scrap. kerfuffle = carfuffle = kurfuffle [kə(r)ˈfʌf(ə)l] 乱哄哄, 闹哄哄, 你争我吵, 争吵不休 British informal
a lot of talk, activity, or worry about something that is not
important. a commotion or fuss, especially one caused by conflicting
views. A disorderly outburst, disturbance, commotion or tumult. Her glasses were broken in the kerfuffle. "There was a kerfuffle over the chairmanship". melee [ˈmeleɪ] mainly literary
I. a noisy confused fight involving a lot of people. A noisy or heated
fight, argument or scrap. II. a large confused group of people or
things. III. A naval or armor battle at an abnormally close range,
extending even to disorganized crowds of people or traffic jams, using
no ammunition. 5. tack I. [countable] a small pointed nail with a flat top. a carpet tack. a. American a thumbtack. II. [singular] a particular way of doing or achieving something. Let's try a different tack. change tack: The government may change tack if it loses support. change tack also try a different tack 改变思路, 改变方式方法, 改变策略 to start using a different method for dealing with a situation, especially in the way that you communicate. I've
been very pleasant with them so far but if they don't cooperate, I may
have to change tack. Instead of always asking him what he wants, why
don't you try a different tack and tell him what you want? III. [uncountable] 马鞍子(saddle). the pieces of equipment that you put on a horse when you are going to ride it. IV. [uncountable] informal objects that you do not like because they are cheap and not attractive. V. [countable] a direction that a boat sails in relation to the wind; a long starboard tack. v. [transitive] to fix something somewhere with a small nail. The wooden strips have to be tacked down. a. to pin something such as a piece of paper on a wall or board etc. She tacked up the photograph on the bulletin board. II. [transitive] British
to stitch pieces of cloth together with long loose stitches, usually
before you stitch the cloth more carefully. III. [intransitive] if a
boat tacks, it turns so that the wind is blowing on the other side of
its sails. Blu-Tack a blue substance like soft rubber that is used for sticking pieces of paper, posters etc to walls. tack on to add something extra, especially something that does not seem to belong to the rest. It's a violent film with a happy ending tacked on. spit blood/venom(spit nails US, spit tacks AU) 恶语相向, 臭骂, 骂出口(Snake venom 蛇毒 is highly modified saliva containing zootoxins that facilitates the immobilization and digestion of prey, and defends against a threat. It is injected by unique fangs after a bite but some species are also able to spit. A spitting cobra 射毒眼镜蛇 is any of several species of cobras that can project venom from their fangs獠牙(one of the long pointed teeth that some animals have, for example snakes, dogs, and tigers.) when defending themselves. The sprayed venom is harmless on intact mammalian skin, but can cause permanent blindness if introduced to the eye; if left untreated it may cause chemosis and corneal swelling. The venom sprays out in distinctive geometric patterns when muscles squeeze the glands to squirt it out through forward-facing holes near the tips of the fangs.) to speak in an angry way, or to show anger: I thought he was going to spit blood when he saw what had happened. count heads/noses To make a count of members, attendees, or participants by or as if by noting bodily presence. not counting 不算 excluding. count someone out 遗落, 拉下, 不算, 丢下, 不算在内 (Informal) leave out, except, exclude, disregard, pass over, leave out of account. If it means working extra hours, you can count me out. out for the count exhausted; asleep. He was out for the count for several hours after his long walk. A thumb tack图钉 (North American English) or push pin按钉
is a short nail or pin used to fasten items to a wall or board for
display and intended to be inserted by hand, generally without the
assistance of tools. A variety of names are used to refer to different
designs intended for various purpose. Thumb tack and push pin are both
sometimes compounded (thumbtack or pushpin) or hyphenated (thumb-tack or
push-pin). Thumb tacks made of brass, tin or iron may be referred to as
brass tacks, brass pins, tin tacks or iron tacks, respectively. These
terms are particularly used in the idiomatic expression to come (or get) down to brass (or otherwise) tacks(get down to brass tacks get down to business = get down to the nitty-gritty = get down to nuts and bolts = roll up one's sleeves. to start talking about the most important or basic facts of a situation. Usage notes: Brass tacks is Cockney rhyming slang (= an informal kind of language said to be used in parts of London) for facts. Let's get down to brass tacks. Who's paying for all of this? ), meaning to consider basic facts of a situation. Drawing pin or drawing-pin refers to thumb tacks used to hold drawings on drawing boards. Map pin or map tack refers to thumb tacks used to mark locations on a map and to hold the map in place. 6. 绕远, 走远路(detour, take the scenic route, take/go the long way round, go the short way): A scenic route观光路, tourist road, tourist route, tourist drive, holiday route, theme route, or scenic byway is a specially designated road or waterway
that travels through an area of natural or cultural beauty. The
designation is usually determined by a governmental body, such as a
Department of Transportation or a Ministry of Transport. A tourist highway or holiday route
is a road which is marketed as particularly suited for tourists.
Tourist highways may be formed when existing roads are promoted with
traffic signs and advertising material. Some tourist highways such as
the Blue Ridge Parkway are built especially for tourism purposes. Others
may be roadways enjoyed by local citizens in areas of unique or
exceptional natural beauty. take on the a nice route. scenic route I. the long way. II. the wrong way. We were supposed to turn on 13th Street to get to the Capitol, but I guess we can take the scenic route...through Virginia. Imagine you are choosing to ride a train. You have two choices: the fastest and most direct route to your destination,
or the scenic route, the longer (and therefore slower) path that allows
you to relax and enjoy the trip. Before mass air travel, train was how
many vacation tours were accomplished, helping the phrase get firmly
established in the language. In idioms, "the scenic route" means the long way (whether or not there is an advantage!), as opposed to the short way, which is the most efficient path to one's destination. Example: "Daisy
was supposed to be here at 10 o'clock, but she took the scenic route
when she went shopping. Who knows when she'll arrive now?" 5. eunuch [ˈju:nək] 阉人
a man whose testicles have been removed, especially, in the past, a man
whose job was guarding women in a harem. 没消毒牛奶: A Victorian child has reportedly died after drinking raw milk sold in health food shops for cosmetic 美容目的的 purposes(I. showing disapproval cosmetic changes only affect the appearance of something instead of its basic structure. Alterations to the original building have been largely cosmetic. II. relating to the improvement of someone's appearance. Several nuts produce oils suitable for cosmetic use. the cosmetic industry. medical operations that improve someone's appearance. ), prompting a health warning. The sale of unpasteurised ( pasteurize [ˈpɑ:stʃəraɪzd] 巴氏消毒, 巴氏杀菌 if a liquid such as milk is pasteurized, it has been heated to a temperature that kills all the harmful bacteria. Luis Pasteur 巴氏消毒法. In Canada, all milk produced at a processor and intended for consumption must be pasteurized, which legally requires that it be heated to at least 72 °C for at least 16 seconds, then cooling it to 4 °C to ensure any harmful bacteria are destroyed. Microwave Volumetric Heating: Microwave Volumetric Heating (MVH) is the newest available pasteurization technology. It uses microwaves to heat liquids, suspensions, or semi-solids in a continuous flow. Because MVH delivers energy evenly 传递能量均匀 and deeply into the whole body of a flowing product, it allows for gentler and shorter heating, so that almost all heat-sensitive substances in the milk are preserved. Consumer acceptance: As pasteurization is a very old and traditional way of preservation保存牛奶, it is well known and accepted by consumers. Nearly every label of milk products contains the word "pasteurization" and it is associated by consumers with good quality attributes and safety. In the consumer studies of Hightech Europe consumers mentioned more positive than negative associations for this technology showing that these products are well accepted. ) milk for human consumption is illegal in Victoria, but the raw milk is being marketed as bath or cosmetic milk. Dr Lester says raw milk can affect the kidneys and the bloodstream and cause watery diarrhoea. "Only a small number of these pathogens are needed to cause illness," she said. 6. 菲律宾人对钱的态度及色情业: Filipinos by and large tend to be one-day millionnaires有钱猛花, wherein saving money is given low priority and spending it is given a high priority. Poorer Filipinos often tend to have spending habits 消费习惯 not commensurate with their ability to afford items消费能力与挣钱能力不符([kəˈmenʃərət] intended to be suitable for the quality, status, or value of someone or something. a pay increase commensurate with job performance.). Hence most Filipinos have a low accumulation of savings; and as a result, when the typical individual experiences a paucity of money, prostitution is seen in many cases as a convenient way out便宜的出路. Many Filipinas in the prostitution business—who tend to be women with families, husbands, and children—work in it temporarily as a means to supplement their domestic income补贴家用, 贴补家用. Despite being a majority Catholic nation, for many Filipino households having money is more important than morality, thus augmenting this attitude助长这种对卖淫不以为然的态度. Filipino society in general tends to have high acceptance levels of different behaviour. Gays, lesbians, same sex couples, single mothers, interracial marriages and couples with large age difference (up to 40 years) are openly accepted. Marrying for money, even when obvious, is not always looked down upon被看不起. In some provinces, having a foreigner boyfriend or husband (irrespective of age differences) may be seen as a good catch(A "good catch" is a romantic partner who is ideal - maybe attractive, nice to you, romantic - whatever you would want in an ideal partner. A "bad catch" is probably more commonly referred to as a "bad seed" or a "bad apple." ). In some regions, such alliances这种结合 are seen to elevate to social status提升社会地位 of the girl. 7. A bad apple spoils the whole barrel. Some girls join the prostitution industry after they become single unwed mothers. The reasons for this vary, between the unpopularity of condoms in the Philippines because of a strong Catholic church opposing it, poor / non-existent sex education, lack of a sex awareness legislation and a feeling of machismo among Filipino males. This normally consists of girls in the 17 to 19 years age bracket年龄区间(bracket one of the groups that people or things are divided into, according to a feature such as income. people in the $75,000–$100,000 bracket. tax bracket a particular range of incomes that are taxed at the same rate. age bracket the range between two particular ages. This promotion is aimed at people in the 50–60 age bracket. ) (sex with a girl below 18 is a punishable crime in the Philippines;it is not, however, uncommon). 8. The reason/idea/thought being. reason 和 the reason的区别: Reason: the power of logical thought. "Poor Petra! she lost her reason after teaching English to 12 year-olds for too long!". the reason: the specific basis for some action, thought, belief, etc. 'Not everyone is able to have a church wedding today, the reason being that some congregations'. I put A, and I was wrong, the correct answer being B." "We couldn't fix it, the problem being we didn't have the tools." "His mother read to him from an early age, the idea being that he would speak sooner". things that go bump in the night humorous frightening and mysterious noises that you hear at night. She was easily frightened by ghost stories and things that go bump in the night. bump I. [no object] Knock or run into someone or something with a jolt: I almost bumped into him [with object]: she bumped the girl with her hip. I.1. (bump into) 偶然遇上 Meet by chance: we might just bump into each other. I.2. [with object] Hurt or damage (something) by striking it on something else: she bumped her head on the sink. II. [no object, with adverbial of direction] Move or travel with much jolting: the car bumped along the rutted track. II.1. [with object and adverbial of direction] Push (something) jerkily in a specified direction: she had to bump the pushchair down the steps. III. [with object] Refuse (a passenger) a reserved place on a flight because of deliberate overbooking by the airline: if you check in on time and are bumped拒绝登机, you will be entitled to a full refund. III.1 North American Displace from a job, especially in favour of someone else: she was bumped for a youthful model. I was wondering when can we bump in 进去 to set up for the party. Jackie got you down as contact for this party organizing. death stare鄙视的盯着看 A hostile or contemptuous look directed at a particular person: Bruce gave her a death stare that was even detectable through his sunglasses. Love the death glare she gives the paparazzi! Isn't it cool when Kim and Phil flash those death glares at the innocent townspeople? Des shoots Michael a death glare and starts calling Michael out on his behavior, telling him that she isn't comfortable that he is so aggressive. beat-up 编造的批评, 无根据的批评 (Australia, UK, New Zealand) An artificially or disingenuously manufactured outcry, usually in the media. "It has been suggested that this is a vicious book, a poisonous book, that it's a disgrace to have written it," Mr Barry said at today's book launch. "That's a total beat-up.". 'Is Britain's stem cell crisis a beat-up?', BioEdgeFew areas of science journalism are more susceptible to frothy beat-ups than stem cell research. a living hell 人间地狱 also hell on earth an extremely unpleasant place or experience She worked as a substitute teacher in a living hell of a public high school. upstage 抢风头, 占尽风头, 被比下去了 to do something so that you get more attention and admiration than someone else, especially someone who will be annoyed by this. YOU'D think it'd be impossible to make Aussie supermodel Miranda Kerr look dowdy([ˈdaudi] not attractive or fashionable), but somehow, Kate Hudson's managed it做到了. The pair were snapped together at the Pierre Paulin/Playing with Shapes Louis Vuitton dinner in Miami on Tuesday night, and while we love our homegrown star, we couldn't help but notice she was rather upstaged by Hudson in her flesh-flashing outfit. Hats off to you, Hudson. You managed to make one of the world's most in-demand supermodels look frumpy看上去穿的土的, 不时尚的 by comparison. be bitter and twisted 心怀不满的 to be angry and unhappy, usually because you are unable to forget bad things which have happened to you in the past. I had a difficult childhood, but there's no point getting all bitter and twisted about it. Women get bitter and twisted when they turn 30 years old. 9. Jackie is the queen of buying kitchen appliances then never using it. crash hot I. (slang, Australia, New Zealand) Very good, excellent; very well. The storyline of this movie isn't crash hot. Well
well well, don′t you look crash hot in your new sunnies! I'm sorry boss,
I can′t come in to work today, I′m not feeling too crash hot. Usage notes: Apparently most often used in the negative as a form of sarcasm. E.g. That doesn't smell crash hot, does it?! "Cold
turkey( It is difficult, but possible to quit smoking cold turkey. )" describes the actions of a person who abruptly gives up a habit
or addiction rather than gradually easing the process through gradual
reduction or by using replacement medication.The supposed advantage is,
by not actively using supplemental methods, the addict avoids thinking
about the habit and its temptation, and avoids further feeding the
addiction. The supposed disadvantages related to the abuse of drugs such
as alcohol and benzodiazepines are unbearable withdrawal symptoms from
the total abstinence, which may cause tremendous stress on the heart and
blood vessels (and, in a worst-case scenario, death). Heroin withdrawal
shares many of these same symptoms, although deaths only occur in
"rapid-detox" treatments alongside other administered medications, such
as Naltrexone or Naloxone. Sudden withdrawal from drugs such as
alcohol, benzodiazepines, and barbiturates can be extremely dangerous,
leading to potentially fatal seizures. For long-term alcoholics, going
cold turkey can cause life-threatening delirium tremens, rendering this
an inappropriate method for breaking an alcohol addiction. 10. "United we stand, divided we fall团结就是力量" is a phrase that has been used in mottos, from nations and states to songs. The basic concept is that unless the people are united, they will be defeated. It is often used in the abbreviated form United we stand. People who join together as a group are much harder to defeat than they would be separately. The tenants of this building must band together if we are to make the landlord agree to our demands. United we stand, divided we fall! We had better all agree on what we are going to say to the boss before we go in there and say it. United we stand, divided we fall. fall from power to lose a position of power. Divisions within the ruling party caused the government to fall. The General fell from power in 1955. fall from grace/favour to lose your position, or to lose the respect or approval of other people. a good/great fit Are you still hanging out with him? You two don't seem like a good fit any more. This phrase is often used when talking about open positions and job applicants. If you think that a person is "a great fit" for a job, it means that you think they can do the job well. You might get a question like this in a job interview or on an application form: Why would you be a good fit for this position? If the company rejects you, they might write this in an e-mail to you: Unfortunately, we don't feel that you'd be a good fit at this time. You can also talk about it the other way: a job can be a "great fit" for a person: I think this job would be a great fit for you. I was a middle school teacher for a few years, but it wasn't really a good fit for me. Fit means you demonstrate emotional intelligence skills, and have the ability to read and adapt to the situation at hand. So when an interviewer asks you about your hobbies, the latest book you've read and who you most admire? It's not really about your hobbies or the last title of the book, it's about getting a glimpse of your personality. In addition to your background, employers look for your sense of humor, how flexible you are in stressful situations and your ability to problem solve. 11. learning curve the rate at which someone learns a new skill: There has been a learning curve for the company in discovering what works and what doesn't. a huge/sharp/steep learning curve a situation in which someone has to learn a lot in a short period of time: I'm on a steep learning curve in this new job. pipe dream (idiomatic) A plan, desire, or idea that will not likely work; a near impossibility. I think that his plan to become a professional athlete is a pipe dream and that he should stay in school. conservative I. conservative clothing or styles are traditional and without decoration. Tending to resist change or innovation. The curriculum committee at this university is extremely conservative. Now you might get conservative with water now. II. A person who favors maintenance of the status quo or reversion to some earlier status. III. a conservative guess is usually less than the actual amount. Based on pessimistic assumptions. At a conservative estimate, growth may even be negative next year. At a conservative estimate保守估计, 2.5 million people die each year from smoking. Small-c conservative(Small-l liberal): This term is also used in the United Kingdom to describe those who are conservative in the sense of resisting radical change rather than being members of supporters of the official Conservative Party. For example, the House of Lords as a body, tends to resist social change and executive power and so, regardless of the numbers of lords who take the Conservative party whip, it is described as "small-c conservative". 12. passing I. 顺便提到. 捎带脚的提到. 言语中提到, 言语中谈到. If something is said in passing, it is said while talking about something else and is not the main subject of a conversation.casually; said or mentioned as an aside. I just heard your name in
passing. I didn't hear more than that. The lecturer referred to George
Washington in passing. I. the process of time passing: the passing of time/the years. the passing of the old year 旧年逝去, 旧的一年过去 My parents seem to have mellowed with the passing of the years. III. the death or end of someone or something: Ten years after her death, the public still mourns her passing. (mellow I. 收敛锋芒. 平和. 柔和. 不那么有棱角. if you mellow, or if something mellows you, you become gentler, wiser, and easier to talk to, especially because of age or experience. She's mellowed a lot over the years. II. if colours mellow, or if something mellows them, they become softer, warmer, and less bright. mellow out to become more relaxed and calm, or to make someone more relaxed and calm. He needs to mellow out a little. adj. gentle, wise, and easy to talk to, especially because of age and experience. He had grown mellow with age. ) mention someone or something in passing to mention someone or something casually; to mention someone or something while talking about someone or something else. to refer to someone or something briefly while talking about something
else During the interview, she mentioned in passing that her father had
also been involved in publishing. He just happened to mention in passing that the mayor had resigned. John mentioned in passing that he was nearly eighty years old.
senseless violence, senseless death无谓的牺牲: Senseless Violence无谓的, 无意义的, 莫名其妙的暴力, 没有出处, 没有原因的, 没有缘由的 or Zinloos Geweld (Dutch) is a term frequently used by among others the media, politicians and NGOs to define the nature of several shocking events in Belgium and the Netherlands in recent years. The term expresses the perceived senselessness of the occurred acts of violence. As such, its use is politically charged有政治含义的 and may not reflect any unique elements of any particular crime given that label. Dan Markel's Meaningful Life Ends in Senseless Death: There was a time, not too long ago, when what we wanted were explanations. Religion, philosophy, art – these were meant to tell us how things fit together, how they made sense. Even today, many of us — religious, secular, spiritual相信灵道的-but-not-religious — hold to this view. "It was meant to be." "God works in mysterious ways." "This happened for a reason." I don't. Not only do I consider these attempts at "explanation" to be childish, deluded, and utterly mismatched to the facts — I find them a little obscene. They lessen the tragedy too much, with their gloss of verification bias. I prefer the inexplicable. I've gone 100 words without telling you what this piece is about. It could be about Gaza, or Ukraine, or the Holocaust. It's actually just about another random, senseless act of violence, the kind that happens every day. It just so happened that this one was directed at a friend. Professor Dan Markel, 41 years old, was found shot and killed in his Tallahassee home on Friday. Police called the killing a "murder" and said it was not a random act. Investigators did not name a suspect or offer a possible motive. I met Dan through the Dorot Fellowship. He was a couple of years behind me, but we had a lot in common: possible-law-professors (he became one, I didn't); active in the progressive Jewish world; intellectual, analytical, geeky. We became personal friends and professional colleagues. I helped him with his "job talk." He helped me navigate my career. He was a great guy. Which, frustratingly, is what people usually say in eulogies and obituaries. How can I convince you that I'm telling the truth? Dan really was a mensch( mensch [menʃ] 好人 someone who is good, kind, and generous.). And a damn fine legal scholar, with 30-odd legal academic articles to his name (authored or co-authored). On Facebook and in life, he doted on his two sons. Though his marriage ended in divorce, I never heard him say a harsh word about his ex-wife. He was focused on his kids, worried about them, determined to be there for them, despite the challenges of doing so post-divorce. His Facebook page is now full of tributes. So many people knew and were touched by him. He was a 'connector.' And just a fun guy. Not a saint, thank God. Coming as it did amid all the violence in Israel and Gaza, this sudden, senseless death just seems so random. And personally as well: for the last year, there's been serious illness in my family, and it's been as emotionally draining as you might expect it to be. I feel spiritually thin, almost like vapor. But then, out of nowhere, this. I don't believe in an afterlife. I'll say more about that in a future column. It seems to me that the moment of death is the last moment we experience, and then there are no more moments. We don't rest in peace; we don't rest at all. I hate to think of Dan's last moment, knowing that his children loved him and needed him so much. Maybe there was none. Maybe it was this sudden for him too. But more than any of that, I grieve for his two young sons, whom I never met in person and probably never will. My father died when I was 26, and that was after a long illness. I have no idea what this is like for them. I am sure they will be cared for. I am sure the care will help. But nothing will, or should, make this OK.
