prase mix 2

1. They're not actively searching for a replacement 替换, 替代, 取代, 换的 yet. You're quitting your job at the end of this year. Your company will probably need to hire someone to replace you, but they haven't placed any job ads or hired a recruiter. (someone) is actively (doing something) Doing something "actively" means that you're working on it and directly trying to do it. In the example above, the company isn't trying hard to find a new employee yet. The opposite of "actively" is "passively". To understand the difference, think about two ways that you can search for a new job: actively searching for a new job means responding to job postings, sending your résumé to lots of companies, attending networking events, and so on. passively searching for a new job means doing something like posting your résumé on an Internet job board, and waiting for interesting companies to contact you. search for a replacement 替代 When someone leaves a job or gets let go, you have to "search for a replacement". This means interviewing and hiring a new person to take the job. You can call the new person who takes a job a "replacement" for the old person. A "replacement" is permanent. If an employee is gone temporarily but is going to come back later (like because of a pregnancy), you hire a "fill-in" or a "temp". 2. Please note that all applications must be accompanied by two letters of recommendation. You're going to apply to a school in the U.S. You're reading the rules for applying on the school's website. This sentence is on the page. Please note that (sentence) This is a formal way to direct people's attention to some information. For example, if you're selling something on the internet that has to be mailed, your site might have this sentence: Please note that delivery may take up to three weeks. One reason to use "Please note that..." is because it can sometimes seem rude if you say or write things directly without any introduction. For example, if you're making a short introduction at the beginning of a conference, you might announce: Food and drinks are not allowed in the auditorium. But that could sound a little too strict. This sounds nicer: Please note that food and drinks are not allowed in the auditorium. (something is) accompanied by (something) The word "accompany" means to go somewhere together with. For example, one of the most common uses of this word is in this sentence: All children must be accompanied 有人陪伴 by an adult. You can see this on signs at places that are dangerous for kids, like swimming pools. It can also be used to talk about documents that need to be sent together: Please note that all applications must be accompanied by two letters of recommendation. The word "accompany" is quite formal, so it's mostly used in writing. letters of recommendation 推荐信 When you apply for a school, you often need to get "letters of recommendation". These are letters written by a teacher, boss, coach, or some other authority. They're supposed to be about how great you are. The letters are usually sealed in a closed envelope and sent along with the application. Letters of recommendation are commonly needed for getting into college, graduate school, getting a scholarship, or for winning certain awards. They're not usually needed in the U.S. for getting most jobs. (something) must be (done) This is a form that people use for giving formal instructions. It means that everyone has to do this. For example: Seat backs and tray tables must be placed in their upright and locked positions. All reimbursement requests must be submitted by Dec. 8th. 3. I know I'm going to mangle this...  You're presenting awards at a company-wide end of year party. You have to call out someone's name that's written down, but the spelling is very tricky. You don't think you'll be able to pronounce the name correctly. Before saying the name, you say this. mangle (the pronunciation of something) 念错, 发音错 (mangle I. If a physical object is mangled, it is crushed or twisted very forcefully, so that it is difficult to see what its original shape was. His body was crushed and mangled beyond recognition. ...the mangled wreckage. II. If you say that someone mangles words or information, you are criticizing them for not speaking or writing clearly or correctly. There is almost no phrase so simple that he cannot mangle it. They don't know what they're talking about and mangle scientific information. noun. A mangle is an old-fashioned machine for removing water from clothes that have been washed. The clothes are squeezed between two wooden cylinders.) The word "mangle" means to mess something up by cutting, ripping, beating, or crushing it. For example, imagine what would happen to an animal that was attacked by a pack of wolves. The wolves would "mangle" the animal. However, "mangle" is even more commonly used to talk about pronouncing something really badly. "Mangling" the pronunciation of a name, word, or sentence means pronouncing it really, really badly. You can also "mangle" a song by singing it badly - singing it out of tune, forgetting lyrics, etc. 4. That seems pretty risky, given the current economic climate 经济形势. One of your company's competitors is expanding and hiring a lot of new employees. You think that's a bad idea because the economy is bad now. You're discussing it with your boss at lunch. You say this. The word "risky" means "dangerous". Specifically, something that is "risky" has a high chance of going badly. People especially use the word "risky" to talk about money and investments. (sentence), given (something) The phrase "___, given ___" is pretty complicated! It's used to introduce an idea that provides a reason for part of your sentence: It's surprisingly fast, given how big it is. In this example, "given how big it is" explains why it's surprising for it to be fast. And here's another example: We probably shouldn't invite both of them at the same time, given their romantic history. the economic climate The "economic climate" just means the situation that the economy is in. It includes: How many people have jobs. How much money businesses are making. How well the stock market is doing. Although the phrase "economic climate" isn't negative, people mostly use it when the economy is bad. When people want to carefully talk about a bad economy, they often say things like: The economic climate these days is tough. In this economic climate, we can't afford to spend any additional money on staffing. the current (something) "Current" means "now". But "now" can't be used as an adjective. So we use the word "current" instead. For example: Their current President is a former business executive. In this example, the "current President" is the person who is President right now. Here's another example: He had two kids with his ex-wife, but he doesn't have any with his current wife. 5. We're seeing our retail marketing efforts really pay off 获得回报, 结出硕果.  (something) pays off When something "pays off", it means that there's a benefit or profit from it. In the example above, the marketing efforts "paid off". That means that the company made more money because of it. Here are some other examples using "pay off": All that hard work and determination really paid off. I'm putting a lot of time and money into this business, but hopefully it'll pay off down the road. 6. We need to take an in-depth look at our process to determine 搞清楚, 整明白 how this managed to happen. One of your employees made a big mistake that cost the company a lot of money to fix. You need to find out what caused the mistake so that it doesn't happen again, but you don't want to blame the employee personally. In a staff meeting. you say this. an in-depth (something) Doing something "in-depth" means that you do it in a really careful and detailed way. Here are some things that you can do "in-depth": write an in-depth explanation. listen to an in-depth description. conduct an in-depth scientific study. a process A "process" is a repeatable series of steps or actions. For example, a doctor might have a specific "process" for doing a surgical operation. Businesses often have processes for each of the different things that they do. Workers are supposed to "follow" the processes. determine (something) To "determine" something means to figure it out or make a decision about it. "Determine" is a formal word, so you can use it in situations like when describing legal decisions: The judge determined that Medco was responsible for the patients' medical issues. They were required to pay a large settlement. Or you can use it in a business setting: Have they determined when the merger will take place? After "determined", you can use a clause like in the previous examples, or a noun: Once we've determined the cause of the outage, we'll send a full report. 6. You totally called it 说得太准了, 说对了, 猜对了, 说中了! Yesterday, you and a friend were talking about a TV singing competition you both like. Your friend predicted which contestant would win. She was right. So today, you tell her this. (someone) called it One of the meanings of "calling" something is to make a correct guess or prediction. When someone correctly guesses a future event, you say "You called it!" In the example above, the speaker's friend correctly guessed who the winner of the singing competition would be. So she "called" it. This is an expression that's used in casual English. In more formal English, you can say that someone "predicted" something instead: She accurately predicted who would win. 7. They're both avid 热衷 乐此不疲的 travelers. (someone) is an avid (something) When someone likes to do a certain activity a lot, you can describe them as "an avid ___". You complete the phrase with a noun like "traveler": it's a label that describes the category of people who like to do that activity. Here are some other examples: an avid reader. an avid fan. an avid gardener. an avid runner. The word "avid" sounds positive and intellectual. 8. I know it's tough going 不容易, 形势不好 out there, but we need to keep pushing. You lead a sales team. The economy is bad, so your team hasn't been selling much lately. You want to encourage your team members, so you say this in a meeting.  "It's tough going" means "it's difficult" or "there are a lot of problems". Here are some situations that can be described as "tough going": A sports team's losing season: It's been tough going for the Lakers this season. A country's bad economy. It's tough going for millions of unemployed Brits right now. Emergency workers' effort to help people after a large natural disaster. Rescuers are desperately searching for survivors, but so far it's been tough going. out there Salespeople often talk about "the market". "The market" represents all of the people a company is trying to sell to (customers and potential customers), as well as their competitors. "The marketplace" is a kind of imaginary space, which is outside of the company. So salespeople often use the phrase "out there" to describe talking to customers or clients. Things are tough out there. We've got to get out there and talk to more prospects. keep pushing 坚持住, 不松懈, 坚持不懈, 努力, 坚韧不拔 You can use the phrase "keep pushing" to mean "continue to try hard": Keep pushing. Don't give up! When someone says "keep pushing", you can imagine pushing something, like a rock, up a steep hill. It's tough and challenging. 9. Just as I started to think that I was going to get a few minutes to relax, the baby woke up and started crying at the top of his lungs. Just as you started to think we were finally headed toward an economic recovery, unemployment goes up again. You're discussing the bad economy with a group of co-workers. A few months ago, the economy seemed better. Now it seems bad again because there are more people without jobs. You say this. The word "you" doesn't always mean the person who you're directly speaking with. Sometimes it means "people in general" or "anyone". Here are some examples of "you" used in a general way: You need a solid foundation in basic math and science. You can't beat face-to-face communication, you know? In very formal English, you can use "one" instead of "you": One is able to convey subtle nuances through face-to-face communication that are not possible to convey through other means. (society/a business) is headed toward (something) Use this expression to talk about big changes in a country or an organization that are going to have some end result: The nation is headed toward a civil war. We're headed toward an undefeated season if we can just beat Missouri and Kansas State. I hear that Brown Industries is headed toward bankruptcy. an economic recovery 经济复苏 The "economy" is the system of money in a country. An "economic recovery" is when the economy has been bad for a while, then becomes good again. unemployment goes (up or down) The "unemployment rate" of an area is the % of people who don't have jobs. The unemployment rate is also called just "unemployment". If unemployment is high, it means that a lot of people don't have jobs. If unemployment is low, it means that most people have jobs. To describe a change in the unemployment rate, you say that unemployment is "going up" or "going down": Unemployment has gone up for 6 straight months. 9. Try to flesh out 补充细节, 充实内容 that first point 第一点 a little bit more. You're checking one of your students' essays. One of the sections of the essay isn't very convincing because the student didn't explain himself very well. You want him to write more. You say this. You may have heard that there's a difference between "try to (do something)" and "try (doing something)". In general, you should talk about a goal after "try to ___": Try to get there by 10:00. I try to make everyone feel comfortable when I host a party. And talk about a method to reach a goal with "try ___ing": I can never sleep on an airplane. I've tried listening to relaxing music, taking sleeping pills, staying up the night before. Nothing seems to work. flesh out (something) "Fleshing something out" means adding details, explanations, information, etc. to make something more complete. Here are some of the main things that you can "flesh out": flesh out a character (in a story). flesh out a decription. flesh out an idea. flesh out a point. a point When you're writing or speaking to convince people of something, you "make points". A "point" is basically one idea that you want people to believe or understand. Communicating one of these ideas is called "making a point". In one speech or essay, there are usually several points. Traditionally, people try to make three or more points which all support one "main point" of the writing or speech. For example, if I write a blog post about why memorizing English phrases is a good way to learn, I might make a few points 几个要点: you can learn how different words fit together. it's easier to picture and remember words in phrases than by themselves. it's a good way to avoid mentally translating words into your native language. Each of these "points" might contain smaller points as well. This is why, when someone says something smart, people say" Good point. 10. Don't you think you're rushing into things? (someone) is rushing into things 仓促行事, 太草率 "Rushing into things" means making a big decision too quickly. You can tell people not to "rush into things" when they quickly decide something like: buying a house. moving to a new country. quitting their job. People use this phrase in sentences like: Let's not rush into things. Don't you think you're rushing into things? No need to rush into things. 11. He got suspended for flipping off the bus driver. Your son made a rude gesture, so he got in trouble at school. Now he's not allowed to ride the school bus for two weeks. You're explaining what happened to your brother. You say this. "Getting suspended" from school means that you can't come to the school for some specific length of time. Schools sometimes suspend students to punish them for bad behavior. You can also "get suspended" from some other things: students can get suspended from a school bus if they do bad things on the bus. police officers can get suspended from work if they do something wrong. flip (someone) off 竖中指 This phrase refers to a certain rude gesture. In the United States, it's quite rude to do this: face the back of your hand toward someone. stick up your middle finger. lower all the other fingers on your hand. Doing this toward someone is called "flipping them off". The object of the phrase "flip off" can come in between the two words, or after them: He got suspended for flipping the bus driver off. 12. Can you hold it in 忍住, 忍着, 憋着, 憋住 (憋住尿, busting) for a few more minutes? You're on a car trip with your son. He says that he has to go to the bathroom, but you just stopped at a gas station 10 minutes ago. You don't want to stop again so soon. You ask him this. hold it in 保守秘密 When you have to use the bathroom, but you need to wait, you "hold it in". Something else that people "hold in" is a secret: She told me not to say anything about it, but I just couldn't hold it in! So you might say that people "hold in" something that's inside of them but pushing to get out. (do something) for a few more minutes This is an easy expression to understand, but it might be helpful to remember it all together. Here are some other examples: Stir it for a few more minutes. 13. I know; it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue 顺嘴. Your name is complicated to pronounce for English speakers. You're introducing yourself to someone that you just met, and explaining how to pronounce your name. You say this. not exactly (something) This is an example of understatement. If you're talking about someone and say: She's not exactly poor. ..it means that she actually has a lot of money. Instead of simply saying "She's rich", you might use this expression in order to sound witty and intelligent. Here's another example: if your husband is overweight, but made fun of you for being a little heavy, you can say: You're not exactly in the best shape yourself, you know. "Not exactly" can be followed either by an adjective, or by a noun: A: You're dumb. B: You're not exactly a rocket scientist yourself. (something) rolls off the tongue 顺嘴, 不拗口, 绕口 When a name or word is easy to pronounce, we say that it "rolls off the tongue". You can use it in a positive sense like this: His last name is Lane, huh? So you would be Lisa Lane? I like it; it kind of rolls off the tongue. You can also use it in a negative sentence like the example at top. 14. Pick up the pace 加速, 快点, 迅速点, ladies! You coach a kids' soccer team. The players are practicing, but they're not running as fast as they can. You want them to run faster, so you say this. pick up the pace To "pick up the pace" means to go faster. You can use this to talk about running, working, reading, and other things. However, you probably wouldn't use "pick up the pace" to talk about the speed of a car. 15. Quit playing with your food! You're eating dinner with your family. Your son doesn't like the vegetables, so he's doing things like picking them up and putting them down, making piles with them, and so on to avoid eating them. You say this. Tell people "Quit ___!" when you're annoyed and want them to stop. "Quit" is a little more casual than "stop". (someone) is playing with (their) food When kids don't want to eat their food, they "play with" it. "Playing with" your food means touching it, moving it around, or doing other things instead of eating it. 16. Right back at you 你也是一样, . You and a friend show up to a party wearing the exact same shirt. He laughs and says "Nice shirt!" You reply like this. Right back at you. This phrase means "you too". You can use it when someone compliments you. A: Nice car! B: Right back at you. People who use this phrase sound fun, sporty, and easy-going. It might make you sound a little "slick" (too smooth) like a salesperson. 17. You may have to hold my hand 手把手; 一步一步的教 I'm not that tech-savvy. You're buying a new computer. The salesperson asks you what you want, but you don't really know. You want her to help you decide. You say this. hold (someone's) hand You know what it means to physically hold someone's hand, but English speakers also use this phrase to talk about carefully explaining or showing something to a person who's inexperienced. The phrase "hold (someone's) hand" is often used in a negative sense, like: Figure it out for yourself. I don't have time to hold your hand! What am I supposed to do? Hold his hand, like "First you do this, and then you do that..."? No way! (someone) is tech-savvy The phrase "tech-savvy" describes a person who knows how to use computers, mobile phones, and other electronic devices well. The word "savvy" means "smart" or "well-informed". However, it isn't as common as something like "smart". It appears in a few other combinations: It seems like some of the younger members have more business savvy than some of the higher-ups. She's intelligent, charming, and has a lot of political savvy. I'm sure she'll go far. Even the savviest investors can't predict what's going to happen in this market. 18. We can't take in every stray that comes along. Your kids found a homeless cat. They want to keep it. You're not going to let them keep it because you already have enough pets. You tell them this. take in (an animal) 收留, 收养 The phrase "take in ___" means to let a homeless animal live with you. If you use words like "it" or "them" as the object, they will come between "take" and "in": They wanted to take it in. I was like, "No way." Sometimes people also use the phrase "take in ___" to talk about letting a person live in your home. a stray A "stray" is a pet which doesn't seem to have a home or master. Cats and dogs are most often called "strays". You can call an animal "a stray" or you can say "a stray cat", "a stray dog 流浪狗, 流浪猫", etc. every/any (something) that comes along This is a phrase that you use when someone isn't very selective. In other words, if someone says "yes" to everything, even though it's a bad idea, use this phrase: She'll sleep with any guy that comes along 遇到的. You're highly qualified, so it's not like you have to take every job offer that comes along. In the example above, the speaker says that they can't take in every stray "that comes along". She means that they have to be more selective 有所取舍的, 有所挑选的 in deciding which animals to keep. 19. They set up a meet in an abandoned warehouse by the docks. You like to watch a certain TV show about undercover police. You're telling a friend about the plot of last night's episode. You say this. (someone) set up a (meeting/meet/appointment/etc.) Use the phrasal verb "set up" to describe arranging a meeting: I'll set up a meeting for next Wednesday for us to go over your contract. A "meeting" is when you meet people for business. We use the word "a meet" to describe when gangs meet to do illegal business, like selling drugs. an abandoned warehouse An "abandoned" place is somewhere that people used to use, but is now empty and unused. Common "abandoned" things include: an abandoned 没人要的, 无主的, 废弃的 house. an abandoned lot (a piece of land with no buildings on it). an abandoned vehicle. an abandoned mine. A warehouse is a large building that things are stored in. For some reason, gangs in American TV shows and movies always seem to meet in abandoned warehouses. by the docks 港区 A "dock" is a place on an ocean, lake, or river where a boat can land and unload its cargo. In cities, there's usually an area with a lot of docks, and the area around it has a lot of factories and warehouses. The phrase "by the docks" refers to this area. 20. What'd you do? Did you go cold turkey, or try to ease out of it? Your friend tells you that he's quit smoking. You're happy to hear that, and want to know more about how he did it. You ask this. What'd This a contraction of "what did". go cold turkey "Going cold turkey" means quitting something that you've been addicted to suddenly. It's one way to end an addiction. It's painful for a while, but some people think that it's easier to successfully quit a habit if you "go cold turkey". This expression is most often used to talk about quitting smoking. ease out of (something) 逐步的 This means to slowly reduce the amount of something until it's completely stopped. I have about a month left at my job, so I'm starting to ease out of it. The country is slowly easing out of its recession. The expression "ease into (something)" also exists. 21. I urge everyone to take advantage of the free flu shots being offered this week. Your company gives employees free shots to protect against getting the flu. You think everyone should get one so that they don't get sick. In a meeting, you announce this. I urge (you) to (do something) Use this phrase to make a strong formal suggestion to a person or group: I urge you to get an early start on this assignment. We urge everyone to remain calm and wait for further instructions. take advantage of (something) When you use something that's available to you, you "take advantage of" it. For example, if you live in an exciting city but stay at home every day, a friend might tell you: You should take advantage of everything the city has to offer! This means that there are interesting things to do in the city, so you should use them. A common mistake is for English learners to say "take the advantage of ___". You shouldn't use "a" or "the". the (something) being offered In the example above, the company is making the flu shots available to their employees. So you can refer to them as "the flu shots being offered". 22. He was extremely animated 激动不已, 坐不住, 坐卧不宁. You saw a speech by a famous author. While he was speaking, he seemed really excited and moved around the stage a lot. Now you're describing the situation to a friend. You say this. (someone) is animated When you describe a person as "animated", it means that they: seem excited. move around a lot. make hand gestures. move their face around a lot. You usually use "animated" to describe the way that someone speaks or tells a story. You might be more familiar with the word "animated" as it's related to cartoons. An "animated" movie or video is made using drawings or 3D images that move around. The basic meaning of the word "animate" is "to make something seem alive", so that's where the two meanings of "animated" come from. 23. Do you want to go for a stroll along the river? You're taking a girl on a date. You're trying to suggest fun things to do together. There's a pretty river near you, so you suggest this. go for a stroll To "go for a stroll" means to walk somewhere in a slow, relaxed way for enjoyment. People usually "go for a stroll" in a park, around their neighborhood, on the beach, etc. Use it like this: It was a really pretty afternoon, so we went for a stroll and then sat at an outdoor café for an hour or two. 24. I can definitely relate to 太能体会了, 感同身受 that. Your friend is telling you that he's bored at work and unsatisfied with his job. You feel the same way about your job. You say this. (someone) can relate to (a feeling) Being able to "relate to" a feeling or experience means that you understand it. It might mean that you've had the same feeling or experience before. In other words, this is an expression for showing sympathy. Most parents can relate to the feeling of being overwhelmed when you have your first child. I've been made fun of my whole life. I don't know if that's something that you can relate to. You usually talk about "relating to" a feeling. It's a little odd to directly say "I relate to you" though. Instead you might say something like: I can relate to your situation. I can relate to how you feel The same thing happened to me when I first moved here. 25. You hung up on me! You were talking to your sister on the phone. The call suddenly ended. You think it was an accident, but when you call your sister back you want to joke with her, so you say this.