用法学习: 1. 交通问题: Traffic banked up 堆积 13 kilometres after M1 crash in Sydney's north. Traffic is queued more than 13 kilometres after a truck and car collided near Edgeworth David Avenue just before 7am. All lanes have recently reopened after emergency crews were on scene to clear the crash site and attend to a large glass spill across two southbound lanes. neglectable [nɪˈɡlɛktəbəl] I. that may be ignored or neglected. II. negligible, insignificant. negligible [ˈnɛɡlɪdʒɪb(ə)l] 无关大局的, 不足道的, 无足轻重的 adj so small or unimportant as to be not worth considering; insignificant. An amount or effect that is negligible is so small that it is not worth considering or worrying about. The pay that the soldiers received was negligible. Senior managers are convinced that the strike will have a negligible impact. "he said that the risks were negligible". belligerent [bəˈlɪdʒ(ə)rənt] 好斗的 I. A belligerent person is hostile and aggressive. ...the belligerent statements from both sides which have led to fears of war. He was almost back to his belligerent mood of twelve months ago. 'Why not?' he asked belligerently. He could be accused of passion, but never belligerence. II. The belligerents in a war are the countries or groups that are fighting each other. The belligerents 交战双方 were due, once again, to try to settle their differences. 2. Former Australian tennis player Sam Groth has doubled down on an explosive column that branded Serena Williams "an absolute disgrace" for how she reacted to Ashleigh Barty's new world No.1 ranking. Groth then referred to footage of Roger Federer seeking out 15-year-old star Coco Gauff for a handshake and some words of encouragement, saying that was the type of behaviour befitting 符合身份, 比较像, 更像, 更合适的 a tennis legend. He said that Williams had not entirely fulfilled her obligations towards the betterment of the sport, with her treatment of Barty the latest example. "I've always from the day I played her in Australia had a tremendous amount of respect for her game," Williams said, having played a fresh-faced Barty at the Australian Open in 2014. "I just thought she's just a beautiful player. She has great technique. I love that. "I'm really a technical player. I like when people have a beautiful game and they do the right techniques. It's so right up my alley. "I've seen her play a lot recently, too. Like I always say, she's just someone in the locker room that you just always root for. "But in general I have been watching her game because I know that she's a force to be reckoned with 不可忽视的新生代力量. So I've been watching a lot." 3. unvarnished [ʌnˈvɑːnɪʃt] adj I. not elaborated upon or glossed; plain and direct. expressed in a very direct way that gives the true facts the unvarnished truth 不加修饰的, 不加掩饰的. She told him the plain unvarnished truth. II. not covered with varnish (=a clear liquid for protecting wood). varnish noun. I. Varnish is an oily liquid which is painted onto wood or other material to give it a hard, clear, shiny surface. The varnish comes in six natural wood shades. II. The varnish on an object is the hard, clear, shiny surface that it has when it has been painted with varnish. He brought out the fiddle, its varnish cracked and blistered. Nail varnish = US nail polish 指甲油. verb. If you varnish something, you paint it with varnish. Varnish the table with two or three coats of water-based varnish. The floors have been varnished. ...the varnished floorboards. 英驻美大使memo遭泄露: The Foreign Office said the leak of the memos to the Mail on Sunday was "mischievous" but did not deny their accuracy. "We don't really believe this Administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction riven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept," Darroch wrote in one, according to the newspaper. A spokesman for the Foreign Office said the public would expect ambassadors "to provide ministers with an honest, unvarnished assessment of the politics in their country". "Their views are not necessarily the views of ministers or indeed the government. But we pay them to be candid," he said. "Our team in Washington have strong relations with the White House and no doubt these will withstand such mischievous behaviour." The Foreign Office later said a formal investigation into the leak would take place. The Ambassador's comments have also drawn criticism from conservatives in Britain. Among them, outspoken eurosceptic [jʊəroʊskeptɪk] (noun & adj. 反欧盟的. A Eurosceptic is someone, especially a politician, who is opposed to closer links between Britain and the European Union. ...Eurosceptic MPs.) and Trump supporter Nigel Farage called for Darroch to be sacked. "Kim Darroch is totally unsuitable for the job and the sooner he is gone the better," Farage tweeted. Sir Kim said it was "unlikely that US policy on Iran is going to become more coherent 连贯的, 一致的 any time soon" because "this is a divided administration".
give someone a shout VS sing out VS check in with someone: give someone a shout 知会, 告诉一声, 打声招呼, 打个招呼, 跟我说, 叫一声, 喊一声, 招呼一声, 说一声 to go and tell someone something Give me a shout when it's ready. to go and tell someone something. to go and find someone and tell them something Give me a shout when you've finished in the bathroom. Give me a shout when you're ready to go. sing something out 大喊一声, 告知一下 to sing or announce something loudly. To shout or call loudly. If someone sings out something, they say it in a loud, cheerful voice. to shout or sing some words clearly and loudly 'Freeze!' a shrill voice sang out. 'See you,' Geoff sang out. The teacher sang the names out loud and clear. She sang out "The Star-Spangled Banner" in a loud voice. II. 说一声, 喊一声 叫一声. 叫我. 告诉我 to make known. Adler tried in a scholarly way to sing out the joys of studying philosophy. Sing out please, when you are ready. "Clearly I like you more than you like me." "I don't think you can put a number on one person likes another". check in with someone I. 表示关心, 查看一下 (verb) to talk to someone to let them know that you are okay. Teenager:
Mom, I'm going camping for the weekend! I'll see you on Monday. Mom:
Okay! Don't forget to check in with me. Give me a call! The travelling
businessman checked in with his wife when he arrived at his hotel.
Husband: Our son called today. Wife: From his European vacation?
Husband: Yes. He was just checking in with us. Wife: Is he okay?
Husband: He needs money. II. 告知一声. 告诉一声. 说一声. 打个招呼. 让...知道. to go to someone and indicate that one has arrived some place. Please check in with the desk clerk. haunt I. If something unpleasant haunts you, you keep thinking or worrying about it over a long period of time. The decision to leave her children now haunts her. He would always be haunted by that scene in Well Park. II. Something that haunts a person or organization regularly causes them problems over a long period of time. The stigma of being a bankrupt is likely to haunt him for the rest of his life. III. A ghost or spirit that haunts a place or a person regularly appears in the place, or is seen by the person and frightens them. His ghost is said to haunt some of the rooms, banging a toy drum. noun. 经常光顾的地方. A place that is the haunt of a particular person is one which they often visit because they enjoy going there. a place that someone visits often because they enjoy going there The Savoy soon became a favorite haunt of stage celebrities. The Channel Islands are a favourite summer haunt for UK and French tourists alike. a tall order 非易事 if something is a tall order it is very difficult. something very difficult that someone expects you to do To score four goals in one game is a tall order, even for him. Trying to restructure your negative ways of thinking may sound like a tall order, particularly if you feel so depressed that you cannot be bothered with anything. Financing your studies may be a tall order. kip 休息一下, 睡一觉 noun. Kip is sleep. Go get some kip. Mason went home for a couple of hours' kip. verb. If you kip somewhere, usually somewhere that is not your own home or bed, you sleep there. He moved from one friend's flat to another, first kipping on the floor of Theodore's studio. fight your corner = fight your corner/fight somebody's corner British English to defend something that you believe in by arguing. to try very hard to defend yourself in a discussion or argument, or to do this for someone else My line manager supports me, and says she's willing to fight my corner. You'll have to be prepared to fight your corner if you want them to extend the project. fag break (plural fag breaks) (Britain, slang) A brief cessation of work, activity etc. in order to have a cigarette. All I need is your backing 你的力挺, 你的支持. Are you a regular 常客?
Unforgotten Season 3: 1. fete [feɪt] BRITISH a public function, typically held outdoors and organized to raise funds for a charity, including entertainment and the sale of goods and refreshments. A fete is an event that is usually held outdoors and includes competitions, entertainments, and the selling of used and home-made goods. "a church fete". verb. honour or entertain (someone) lavishly. "she was an instant celebrity, feted by the media". 2. In his cellar, behind a thousand boxes of junk, we found one of those old, like, money box type things. And when we got it open, we found these. A necklace, with hair still attached to the clasp(verb. I. 紧抱. If you clasp someone or something, you hold them tightly in your hands or arms. She clasped the children to her. He paced the corridor, hands clasped behind his back. With one last clasp of his hand, she left him and went to her usual chair. to hold someone or something tightly with your hand He clasped Lindsay’s hand tightly. clasp something to/over something: Rick had a handkerchief clasped to his nose to try to stop the bleeding. if you clasp your hands, or if they are clasped, you hold them together with the fingers of one hand in between the fingers of the other Porter clasped his hands behind his head and grinned. II. 夹紧. to fasten something that has a clasp. noun. 小夹子. A clasp is a small device that fastens something. a metal object used to fasten a piece of jewelry, bag, belt, etc. a black handbag with a brass clasp. ...the clasp of her handbag. [+ of]), a scrunchie 发箍 and a pair of knickers. 3. And my thinking was 我的想法是, you have a dead body in your boot, you might be driving a little faster than normal. So here is a copy of Tim Finch's driving license endorsements, going back 35 years. There's four speeding offences on there, which is kinda normal. Except for the date of the second one. Shit! The 3rd of January, 2000. That's the day after he got back to London. D'you know where he got it? Not yet. They're gonna get back to us. But that is a tickle ( I. When you tickle 挠痒痒, 瘙痒 someone, you move your fingers lightly over a sensitive part of their body, often in order to make them laugh. I was tickling him, and he was laughing and giggling. to move your fingers gently on someone’s skin in order to give them a pleasant feeling or to make them laugh The dog rolled over, waiting for his tummy to be tickled. II. If something tickles you or tickles, it causes an irritating feeling by lightly touching a part of your body. ...a yellow hat with a great feather that tickled her ear. A beard doesn't scratch, it just tickles. if something tickles you, it touches your skin gently and gives you a pleasant or slightly uncomfortable feeling Bubbles from the champagne were tickling her nose. My nose is tickling 痒痒的, I think I'm going to sneeze. III. If a fact or a situation tickles you, it amuses you or gives you pleasure. if something such as a remark or an idea tickles you, you think it is funny. It tickled him to think that she'd asked him for advice. a. if something tickles you, it makes you feel pleased. It always tickled her to get a card from them. It tickles me to see him riled. The story was really funny–it tickled me. They all sounded just as tickled. tickle (one's) fancy To be appealing or pleasant to someone; to be intriguing or of interest to someone. A: "Do you want to go to a movie later on?" B: "I don't know, there's nothing that really tickles my fancy in theaters right now." I'm not going to declare my major until I've had a couple years in college to see what ends up tickling my fancy. to be tickled pink If you are tickled pink, you are extremely pleased about something. 'I'm tickled pink,' said Jimmy after his wife gave birth. noun. I. a slightly sore feeling in your throat that makes you want to cough. II. an act of tickling someone. give someone a tickle: She gave him a little tickle under the chin. ). That's definitely a tickle. 3. Well, that was a great evening, thank you. I'd really like to do it again sometime. Yeah, me too. All right, this is me( this is us. 我到了, 我到站了(坐公交车), 到了我要去的楼层了(做电梯). 这是我家, 我到了. 我家在这儿. I. 我到站了. 我该下了. 我要下了. Used on the train (usually subway, metro, etc.) - when the train starts to pull off at your destination station, this is probably what you say to someone you're talking to to tell it "this is where I get off." A: So are you just visiting New York or you work... B: I'm sorry, but... this is me. I gotta go, nice meeting you, though. A: Well, okay. Hope to see you again soon. B: Ditto. II. When people are escorting you back to a place you need to go, this is something you can say to indicate that you have arrived. "So this is your house, huh?" "Yeh...THIS IS ME. Wanna see mah room?" "Woahs..!". 讨论: I found two examples of this kind in Harry Potter so far and in both cases, the speaker is Mr. Weasley and the listener is Harry. Does it add some nuance? Is it his habit of saying? (In a lift of the Ministry of Magic building. They reach their story.) "This is us, Harry," said Mr. Weasley, and they followed the witch out of the lift into a corridor lined with doors. "My office is on the other side of the floor." (Harry Potter 5 [US Version]: p.130-131). (They are looking for the camp site they booked in advance.) "Always the same," said Mr. Weasley, smiling. "We can't resist showing off when we get together. Ah, here we are, look, this is us." They had reached the very edge of the wood at the top of the field, (Harry Potter 4 [US Version]: p.79). It's commonly used when in a queue-like situation to show that it's our turn. In a lift, for example, when you arrive at your floor, it would be acceptable to say 'this is us'. In the second example, I would be more likely to say 'this is ours', but it's similar. The sites are allocated, so there's sort of a queue, but it's a stretch. You will commonly hear someone (in both North America and the UK) say "this is me" when either riding a bus with someone else or walking together. It means something like "this is my stop" or "this is where my path diverges from yours" or "we've reached my destination, so I'm stopping now". It's an idiom, which means it doesn't have to make sense. I hadn't heard "this is us" before, but to me it's just an obvious pluralization of "this is me." ). 4. Sorry, I meant I think you need to take a bit of a look at yourself, Cass. Oh, really, is that a dad lecture coming up, is it? Well, you clearly don't want me to be with Jenny. Not true. You clearly think she's trying to fleece (noun I. A sheep's fleece is the coat of wool that covers it. II. A fleece is the wool that is cut off one sheep in a single piece. III. Fleece is a soft warm artificial fabric. A fleece is also a jacket or other garment made from this fabric. verb. If you fleece someone, you get a lot of money from them by tricking them or charging them too much. She claims he fleeced her out of thousands of pounds.) me. Er, a little bit. And I'm guessing suggesting that I have dementia is just another way of trying to scupper ( To scupper a plan or attempt means to spoil 挫败, 毁掉 it completely. [mainly British, journalism] If Schneider had seen him that would have scuppered all his plans. If the Commission has its way, the entire deal will be scuppered. ) the relationship. But actually the problem is you. 5. Where was Hayley between leaving the pub at 12:10 and four or five? No, that feels wrong. Yeah, maybe. But not as wrong as all four men having clearly lied to us through their teeth 红口白牙的撒谎. So she could actually have left the pub earlier. At 11. Which means we now have four men, variously pissed, drugged up and possibly mentally unstable ( A stable job 固定工作, 稳定工作 is something that allows you to survive (pays your bills, provides food, covers rent, etc). It's predictable income and will continue to be predictable for years to come. Things have changed in the last couple of years and stable jobs do not mean the same for you as they did for your parents.), out somewhere in Middenham, at exactly the same time as Hayley. 6. My marriage ended early 2000. And because of some issues that I had at the time, my wife Laura, she felt it was damaging for Maya to be around that. And I'd run up some debts( run sth up 有贷在身 If you run up a debt, you do things that cause you to owe a large amount of money: She stayed two weeks at the hotel and ran up a bill that she couldn't pay. ). So I went from living in a nice house in Notting Hill to a one-bedroom flat in Acton and then a hostel and and then the streets. I have bipolar disorder, which was undiagnosed at the time, and so it was unmedicated 没有被医治, which meant that, you know, my behaviour was challenging. And as soon as I started costing my company money, it was inevitable I'd be asked to step down. And that was just not what she had married, an unemployed man who had mental health issues. So she asked me to leave. Maya wrote to tell me that Laura had died from breast cancer and to ask that I stay away from the funeral. I thought about writing back, and saying that I was better now, that I was a different person. And I am. But I think there comes a time when you have to accept how things have turned out 事情发展的结果. That life can sometimes simply be unfair. And to keep resisting that it takes so much energy, Mila. Energy that you need for the future. 7. I was meant to have bought 我本来应该 the puddings and I forgot, so I legged it 步行到 to the corner shop and bought a load of Cornettos, which your ex wasn't too happy about. Anyway, I just wanted to check that you remembered it the same as I did 记忆是一致的. 8. So are you heading back down tonight or? No. No, no, my kids live with their mum in town, so I'm going to stick around, spend some time with them for a few days. Right. How old are they? 21 and 20. Ah, same as mine. Boys or? Two boys. Jinx(a force that brings bad luck that often affects someone or something. There seems to be a jinx on that family. a. [countable] someone or something that causes bad luck. You can call something or someone that is considered to be unlucky or to bring bad luck a jinx. He was beginning to think he was a jinx. ). Hm! Er, anyway, I better go and check into the hotel, so Go for it. And we will speak soon, I hope. Yeah, absolutely. John Thanks for that. That was great. Listen, er if you're at a loose end any evening(be at a loose end 闲得无事, 没什么事, 无所事事, 无聊了 informal (US also be at loose ends) to have nothing to do. If you are at a loose end, you are bored because you do not have anything to do and cannot think of anything that you want to do. In American English, you usually say that you are at loose ends. Adolescents are most likely to get into trouble when they're at a loose end. If you find yourself at a loose end, you could always clean the bathroom.), there's always a few of us at The Enterprise, if you fancy a drink. It's just opposite 就在对面. Yeah, great. Cheers. I might take you up on that ( take someone up on something to accept an offer or invitation from someone: I think I'll take him up on his offer of a free ticket. to accept an invitation or suggestion. take somebody up on an offer/promise/suggestion etc 接受邀请, 接受建议 I'll take you up on that offer of a drink, if it still stands.). Good. All right, see you.
Stop Enabling Your Overly Dependent Adult Child 啃老族 (In psychotherapy and mental health, enabling has a positive sense of empowering individuals, or a negative sense of encouraging dysfunctional behavior. As a positive term, "enabling" is similar to empowerment, and describes patterns of interaction which allow individuals to develop and grow. These patterns may be on any scale, for example within the family, or in wider society as "enabling acts" designed to empower some group, or create a new authority for a (usually governmental) body. In a negative sense, "enabling" can describe dysfunctional behavior approaches that are intended to help resolve a specific problem but in fact may perpetuate or exacerbate the problem. A common theme of enabling in this latter sense is that third parties take responsibility or blame, or make accommodations for a person's harmful conduct (often with the best of intentions, or from fear or insecurity which inhibits action). The practical effect is that the person himself or herself does not have to do so, and is shielded from awareness of the harm it may do, and the need or pressure to change.): You see your son's phone number (from the line you are paying for) come up on your Caller ID. It is your day off from work and you planned to decompress. But it is, after all, your child, and you love him, so you accept the call. As you hear his voice, you have conflicting thoughts 心情矛盾 including, "What the heck is it now?" immediately followed by your guilt for being wary of, and anxious about, what your son is seeking. Your son goes on a 20-minute rant about how his former boss was a jerk and that he still can't find another job. He mentions that he has no money for his car payment. You start to explain that you have financial pressures too and he immediately says, "Fine, don't worry about me!" You then say, "Only this time," but you know your words have a hollow ring 空洞, since you've said this so many times before. So, with mixed emotions 心情复杂的, you agree to go by his apartment later to "loan" him money to pay his rent. As usual, he promises to pay you back, but you know that will never happen. You think about how this chaos is unsustainable (your son is 29) and wonder when he will ever learn to stand on his own two feet. Do You Enable? Enabling 惯着, 骄纵, is fixing problems for others and doing so in a way that interferes with growth and responsibility. Do you create an enabling dynamic for your adult child? If he, for example, buys a new audio system for his car instead of paying rent this would result in a consequence of losing an apartment. An enabler rushes in and removes the consequence, giving the adult child no reason or opportunity to learn a valuable lesson. Does helping your adult child tend to become a pattern of unhealthy rescuing? If you try to "save" your adult child every time he or she is in trouble, you may be making things worse in the long run. Do you struggle with knowing where to draw that fine (or not so fine) line between letting him learn how to stand on his own two feet and bailing him out? Parents, for sure, need to be thoughtful about how to assist their adult children without enabling them. Adult children who remain overly dependent on their parents often are allowed to get into this situation because their parents enable them, as discussed above. Perhaps this relationship dynamic stems from parents who want to be needed. Setting boundaries with your adult child can sometimes be the best thing to do, even when it is hard to say, "I am here to listen and here's what I can offer, but I also think you will feel better about yourself if you figure this out on your own." Whether you've got a 35-year-old daughter who keeps asking for money while falsely claiming she will pay you back, or a 25-year-old son who just can't keep a job, adult children who behave immaturely can be stressful. I have seen many sad stories in my office of families with children over 21 (in one case 44!) who still are overly dependent on their parents. It can be very challenging for parents to set limits with adult children whom have become overly dependent. The parents often feel drained and emotionally depleted. They want their child to be happy on his own, yet they live in fear of not doing enough to help their child get there. This is by no means an easy situation! In some cases these adult children may have significant mental health issues, including addictions, which need to be addressed. At the same time, mental health treatment does not have to be mutually exclusive from the adult child contributing to their recovery in any way they can. Too many times, however, I see parents overly rescuing their children from their problems. While it may feel good for parents to do this, the implicit (or even explicit) message to the child is, "You're not competent to make it on your own." Parents in this situation can help themselves to be mindful of enabling their child by being carefully considering the following questions: Does your child now act entitled to, and demand, things you once enjoyed giving—car privileges, gifts, perks at home, or rent money? Does it feel like you are living from crisis to crisis with your adult child? Do you sacrifice too much to meet your adult child's needs? Are you afraid of hurting your child? Are you feeling burdened, used, resentful, or burnt out? Encouraging Them to Live in Their Own Skin—Skin That's Also in The Game: As children either graduate or quit school, they need to increasingly have "skin in the game"(have skin in the game to be at risk financially because you have invested in something that you want to happen. to be directly involved in or affected by something, especially financially: If people have skin in the game, preventable costs fall. A debate has been rumbling over how to ensure that lenders have more skin in the game. You take more ownership of something when you have some skin in the game.) and strive toward being self-sufficient. This does not mean parents should abruptly put their adult child on the street. At the same time, the adult child needs to "own" his or her goals and plans to become self-reliant 自立的. Sometimes, crises occur that send children back home such as a bad breakup, problems at college, or health issues. This is acceptable as long as there is a plan in place for the adult child to become independent. Try not to be adversarial [ˌædvɜrˈseriəl] 敌对的 as you encourage your child to become more independent. The goal is to be supportive and understanding with a collaborative mindset. Be calm, firm, and non-controlling in your demeanor as you express these guiding expectations to motivate your adult child toward healthy independence.
