用法学习: 1. tomfoolery [tɒmˈfuːl(ə)ri] 蠢话, 蠢事, 愚蠢的行为 noun. foolish or silly behaviour. silly behaviour, especially done as a joke. Tomfoolery is playful behaviour, usually of a rather silly, noisy, or rough kind. Were you serious, or was that a bit of tomfoolery? "the tomfoolery of MPs at question time". Howard: Okay, what if I were to tell you, tomorrow, at 4:30 you could
meet a woman who has been scientifically chosen to be your perfect mate?
Sheldon: I would snort in derision 嗤之以鼻 and throw my arms in the air, exhausted by your constant tomfoolery. construct [kənˈstrʌkt] verb. I. build or make (something, typically a building, road, or machine). If you construct something such as a building, road, or machine, you build it or make it. The company is constructing 70 homes and a 130-room hotel on the land. The boxes should be constructed from rough-sawn timber. They thought he had escaped through a specially-constructed tunnel. "a company that constructs oil rigs". The walls are constructed of concrete. II. If you construct something such as an idea, a piece of writing, or a system, you create it by putting different parts together. to construct a story/sentence/argument. You will find it difficult to construct a spending plan without first recording your spending. He eventually constructed a business empire which ran to Thailand and Singapore. The novel is constructed from a series of on-the-spot reports. ...using carefully-constructed tests. construct [ˈkɒnstrʌkt] noun. I. 构造. an idea or theory containing various conceptual elements, typically one considered to be subjective and not based on empirical evidence. A construct is a complex idea. ...the underlying constructs (beliefs, philosophy, etc.) which influence action and behaviour. It was a re-enactment of the same mental construct under which slavery was justified. "history is largely an ideological construct". an idea or theory put together from different elements that may not be proved: His reputation as an eccentric is largely a media construct. Marriage is a social construct that is found in most communities and cultures. I hate it here: You see I was a debutant in another life but. Now I seem to be scared to go outside. If comfort is a construct 一种想象. I don't believe in good luck. Now that I know what's what. II. A construct is something that is built, made, or created. The kites were flimsy constructs but soared to over a thousand feet. The country was an artificial construct held together by force. Big Bang Theory: Beverley: So, Howard, have you and Rajesh finally summoned the courage to express your latent homosexual feelings toward one another? Howard: What? No. Beverley: Why not? Howard: Because we don't have latent homosexual feelings toward one another. Beverley: I see. Howard: No, really. I have a girlfriend now. Beverley: And where is she this evening? Howard: She had to go out of town. Her grandmother died. Beverley: I see. Her grandmother died. Howard: Honest to God. Leonard, tell her I have a girlfriend. Leonard: I don't know what you're talking about. Howard: What do you mean you don't know what I'm talking about? Tell her I have a girlfriend! Leonard: All right. He "has" a "girlfriend." Howard: Her name is Bernadette, she's working as a waitress, but she's going to school to be a microbiologist. Beverley: Howard, keep in mind that the more passionately you stick to this construct, the more you're hurting your partner. structured I. 有组织的, 有条理的. 有结构的. 条理清楚. 结构分明的. organized so that the parts relate well to each other; having a clear structure. planned in broad outline; organized structured play for preschoolers. In today's competitive climate, success is most likely to come to those who understand the need for a structured approach to job hunting. The course provides hands-on experience within a structured programme of study. These product reviews are highly structured so that it is easy to make comparisons. II. finance & economics specialized Structured financial products are designed to be suitable for the particular needs of the person or organization lending or borrowing money, and usually consist of a range of different choices: The company did not insure complicated structured products such as bonds backed by mortgages and credit card receipts. Until the crisis at least half of the lending in the market consisted of structured credit. III. Structured clothes have a definite shape and do not hang loosely. having a distinct physical shape or form, often provided by an internal structure Update your wardrobe with a structured jacket. They slim the body and look great over dresses. Structured clothes have a distinct shape, and will help you look elegant. IV. having a definite predetermined pattern; rigid structured hierarchy. 2. Howard (on the phone): Yeah, I miss you, too, sweetie. Listen, I got to go, but I'll see you tonight? Okay. Bye-bye. No, you hang up first. Hello? Raj: Dude, I'm glad you finally got a girlfriend, but do you have to do all that lovey-dovey stuff in front of those of us who don't? Sheldon: Actually, he might have to. There's an economic concept known as a positional good in which an object is only valued by the possessor because it's not possessed by others. The term was coined in 1976 by economist Fred Hirsch to replace the more colloquial, but less precise neener-neener 气死你( neener, neener 羡慕嫉妒恨 exclamation US informal humorous used for intentionally annoying or upsetting someone, especially when something bad has happened to them or when you have been proved right about something : You're not the in-crowd anymore, neener, neener. You just know Rachel is going to turn up any minute and go, "neener, neener, neener!"). Howard: That's not true. My happiness is not dependent on my best friend being miserable and alone. Raj: Thank you. Howard: Although, I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a little bit of a perk. Leonard: Who's miserable and alone? Raj: Me. Leonard: Oh. I used to be like that. Then I got a girlfriend. Sheldon: In pre-1976 terms, neener-neener. 3. suburbia [səbɜːrbiə] Journalists often use suburbia to refer to the suburbs of cities and large towns considered as a whole. ...images of bright summer mornings in leafy suburbia. a. the outer parts of a town, where there are houses, but no large stores, places of work, or places of entertainment: They live in a two-bedroomed house in the heart of suburbia. b. the way of life of people who live in the outer parts of a town: He has written a book about middle-class suburbia. disturbia A blend of the words disturbing (or disturbed) and suburbia, disturbia is used to convey a perceived sense of distress about modern life, especially middle-class consumerism in American suburbs. note: A 1960 psychological study of a New Jersey suburb, The Split-Level Trap, used disturbia to characterize suburban living as a hotbed of mental illness. The book describes an increased prevalence of heart attacks and ulcers, which the authors attributed to the stresses of living in the suburbs. The Split-Level Trap and the term it introduced were occasionally referenced in newspapers and other psychology texts in the 1960–70s. In 1997, Christopher Fowler released a thriller novel titled Disturbia about a London secret society. Designer Frank Major founded a clothing brand named Disturbia in 2003. Major described the name as a "simple portmanteau of the words disturb and suburbia," without reference to The Split-Level Trap or the novel. The movie Disturbia, about a student who suspects his neighbor is a serial killer, was released in 2007. Rihanna's "Disturbia," described as a song about mental anguish, became a hit single the following year. 4. tell someone to pound sand = tell someone to go pound sand 见鬼去吧, 去死 to tell someone forcefully and rudely to go away. To go away; get lost; go to hell. All you do is complain. Why don't you go pound sand up your ass and stop bothering the line staff. I'm at the point where I want to tell my girlfriend to pound sand because of all the drama. She found the owner of the car and confronted him, but he told her to go pound sand. 45 minutes late is blatantly disrespectful. Your mother can pound sand. I bet she's an entitled bully in other areas as well. Etymology: Probably originating as a mild insult, as the act of pounding sand is considered not only to be a menial task, but also one which causes no fruition, therefore suggesting those who perform it are somehow hopelessly mentally impaired. 5. lilac [ˈlʌɪlək] 丁香花 noun. A lilac or a lilac tree is a small tree which has sweet-smelling purple, pink, or white flowers in large, cone-shaped groups. a bush or small tree with sweet-smelling purple or white flowers: Lilacs grew against the side wall. ...a twig of lilac. Lilacs are the flowers which grow on this tree. ...a vase of tulips, lilies, lilacs and primroses. Her hair smelt of lilac. adj. 丁香花色(淡粉紫色). Something that is lilac is pale pinkish-purple in colour. a pale colour between pink and purple All shades of mauve, lilac, lavender and purple were fashionable. lavender 淡紫色 薰衣草 a pale purple colour. make a show of (oneself) 丢人现眼 To do something that makes oneself seem stupid or ridiculous. I'm not going to dance too much at the party because I don't want to make a show of myself in front of my coworkers. I know Greg is only trying to impress Lisa, but he's making a show of himself with all those corny jokes. make a show of 假装, 做给别人看 to be ostentatious about; affect. pretend to take on a false or deceptive appearance She made a show of addressing the whole audience, rather than a few like-minded folk. Whenever there are visitors, the bosses make a show of being nice to their employees. agronomy [əˈɡrɒnəmɪ] 农作物种植学 the science of cultivation of land, soil management, and crop production. the science of farming, including the study of soil, plants, and animals, and ways to improve the production of food on farms: Agronomy encompasses work in many areas including plant genetics, crop rotation, irrigation, and food production. dissolute [ˈdɪsəl(j)uːt] 放纵的, 放荡不羁的, 不道德的, 浪荡的, 邪恶的, 没有道德是非观念的 adj [disapproval] Someone who is dissolute does not care at all about morals and lives in a way that is considered to be wicked and immoral. (of a person) living in a way that other people strongly disapprove of: He led a dissolute life, drinking, and womanizing till his death. It begins in Mexico City, where the dissolute Lee wanders from bar to bar wearing a trilby hat, a linen suit and a pistol on his belt. As he knocks back tequila, he swaps gossip with his fellow American roués, including a beer-bellied writer played by Jason Schwartzman. He also eyes up any man who might be willing to join him in his hotel room. One potential candidate is Gene (Drew Starkey), a fresh-faced, glowingly handsome photographer. Lee is besotted from the moment he spots this young Adonis, and the fact that he can't tell whether Gene is gay or not only adds to the stranger's allure. Craig is touchingly vulnerable as the frustrated and exhausted barfly (A barfly is a person who spends a lot of time drinking in bars. ) who knows that he isn't the man he once was, but who still has glints of his old panache. Stripping away all the confidence that armoured James Bond and Benoit Blanc, Craig reminds us of what an exceptional actor he is, and his heartbreaking performance is enough to sustain the sad anti-romance between two ex-pats. 6. matt = US matte [mæt] 无光泽的, 不是油光光的 used to describe a surface, colour, or paint that is not shiny. A matt colour, paint, or surface is dull rather than shiny. ...a creamy white matt emulsion. ...matt black. The paint is available in matt or gloss finish. mensa: a social organization for highly intelligent people. Established in Britain in 1946, it became an international organization in the 1960s. It is based on the idea that intelligence can be measured by special tests and only people who achieve very high scores in intelligence tests are allowed to join. The word mensa ([ˈmɛnsə], Latin: [ˈmẽːs̠ä]) is Latin for 'table', as is symbolised in the organisation's logo, and was chosen to demonstrate the round-table nature of the organisation: the coming together of equals. Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organisation open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test. Mensa-fied (mensa化了的, 高智商) best friends and roomates, Leonard and Sheldon, may be able to tell everybody more than they want to know about quantam physics, but getting through the most basic social situations totally baffles them.
Pomfret, Vermont: The fall foliage town that banned influencers: As hordes of photographers began descending on a small, rural community to capture its vibrant autumnal colours 秋色, 秋天的颜色, local residents have been fighting back – and winning. To enter the town of Pomfret, located in the US state of Vermont, is to be instantly struck by its bucolic ( bucolic [bjuːˈkɒlɪk] 乡村的, 农村的 Bucolic means relating to the countryside. The painting shows a typically bucolic scene with peasants. ...the bucolic surroundings of Chantilly. ) beauty 乡村的美景. From the north, Howe Hill Road winds downhill in a series of gentle curves, each sweep revealing verdant [ˈvəːdnt] 绿油油的, 绿树丛荫的 ( If you describe a place as verdant, you mean that it is covered with green grass, trees, and plants. covered with healthy green plants or grass: Much of the region's verdant countryside has been destroyed in the hurricane. ...a small verdant garden with a view out over Paris. ) farm fields 农田 dotted with sheep, or swaths of forest in which the red and orange autumn leaves cling to boughs ( bough [baʊ] 枝桠 A bough is a large branch of a tree. I rested my fishing rod against a pine bough. ). At one home, a tree heavy with apples bends over a meticulously maintained stone wall, its slate top filled with decaying fruit. But come early autumn, more than half of the cars driving through this 900-person town will sport out-of-state license plates, coming to abrupt stops on a road with a 45-mile-per-hour speed limit, blocking one of two lanes. The reason? To take a picture of a farm's silo against a backdrop of autumn leaves. With a mere handful of businesses – a general mercantile store ( mercantile [ˈməːk(ə)ntʌɪl] adj. Mercantile means relating to or involved in trade. relating to trade: Instead of mercantile competition with Europe and America, Chinese capitalists have been looking to the developing world for bigger opportunities. a mercantile economy/society/tax. ...the emergence of a new mercantile class. ), an art centre with a gallery and a theatre and a few pick-your-own apple or pumpkin 采摘园 farms – Pomfret is generally a quiet, unassuming place. But in autumn as "leaf-peepers" from around the world descend on the region's rolling hills and fetching 吸引人的 (If you describe someone or something as fetching, you think that they look very attractive. A fetching person or piece of clothing is attractive: a fetching off-the-shoulder dress. look fetching You look very fetching in your green shorts. Sue was sitting up in bed, looking very fetching in a flowered bedjacket. ) small towns to witness its kaleidoscopic foliage, that all changes. Until recently, the number of leaf-peepers visiting Pomfret was more trickle than torrent 汹涌的, 蜂拥而至的. But ever since images of Sleepy Hollow Farm, a 115-acre private property set on a rustic 乡间小路 ( adj. [approval] You can use rustic to describe things or people that you approve of because they are simple or unsophisticated in a way that is typical of the countryside. simple and often rough in appearance; typical of the countryside: a rustic bench/cabin. The property has a certain rustic charm. ...the rustic charm of a country lifestyle. ...a half dozen or so wonderfully rustic old log cabins. noun. You can refer to someone who comes from the countryside as a rustic if you find their behaviour amusing or very different from that of people who live in towns and cities. ...lots of opera-loving Italian rustics in from the country. ) road, began going viral on social media a few years ago, locals say things have gotten out of hand. A quick look on Instagram reveals thousands of images of the farm's winding earthen road lined by stately maple trees lit up in autumnal reds and jack-o-lantern oranges leading toward an elegant 1700s Cape Farmhouse on Cloudland Road. It's no wonder then, that this unlikely farm has become known as one of "the most photographed places in the state". "It's a beautiful spot. It's too bad it's been ruined for everybody," said Deborah Goodwin, the exhibits coordinator at Pomfret's Artistree Community Arts Center. "[For] the past couple years it's been out of control. Tour buses were just dumping... people out there." Goodwin says social media influencers would regularly climb over a gate plastered with "No Trespassing" signs, set up changing booths 换衣间 to accommodate their many costume swaps, get their "city cars" stuck on the narrow dirt road, and leave bodily waste by the roadside. "It was bad," she recalled. "The residents went to the [local government] and said, 'We can't have this anymore.'" During the 2022 leaf-peeping season, law enforcement temporarily turned the road past Sleepy Hollow into a one-way thoroughfare. It wasn't enough to deter tourists from behaving badly. In 2023, local residents tried a different approach: crowdsourced funding. In a plea on GoFundMe, a team of organisers wrote: "[We have] experienced an unprecedented surge in Instagram and TikTok-fuelled tourist 'influencers'... [who] have damaged roads, had accidents, required towing out of ditches, trampled gardens, defecated on private property… and verbally assaulted residents." To date, the request has garnered 125 donations, and raised more than $22,058. As a result, town officials voted to close the roads leading to the farm during the peak fall foliage season (23 September to 15 October) to non-residents, spurring the ire of travellers who had driven to the area in hopes of capturing a perfectly curated autumn photo. "It's a hotel and amusement park," scoffed one Instagrammer with 153,000 followers. "Bring all your friends and RVs." Most Pomfret residents stressed that they're not anti-tourist; they simply want people to treat their hometown with respect. Even more concerning than issues of private property, several mentioned, are safety concerns for the residents of Cloudland Road, as well as the tourists themselves. According to Windsor County Sheriff Ryan Palmer, "This is not a road that's designed to have multiple vehicles on it. [In 2021 and 2022] there were lines of traffic parked up and down the roadway, and you couldn't get fire apparatus or an ambulance through. It was just overwhelming the infrastructure in the area." How to leaf-peep responsibly: • When visiting a small town during a busy time or year, consider calling a local chamber of commerce or the town offices. Someone there can point you towards sites of interest that aren't mobbed with tourists. • Make reservations, and then show up! Hospitality businesses thrive when they know exactly how many people they'll be feeding or housing. • Visit businesses that rely on tourists and welcome visitors – think: farms that offer tours, locally owned boutiques and unique mom-and-pop restaurants. Things were different in the buzzy neighbouring town of Woodstock, where Cloudland Road ends. There, throngs of visitors dipped in and out of cute boutiques, their storefronts decorated with pots of chrysanthemums and warty winter squash. Outside Au Comptoir cocktail bar, patrons waiting for tables draped themselves over stone walls. On the town's sidewalks, people paused mid-step to capture scenic photographs of stately buildings erected by the Rockefellers. The town's eateries were jam-packed, too. At the Woodstock Inn & Resort – whose executive chef, Matthew McClure, is a seven-time James Beard Award semi-finalist – there was only enough room in the property's restaurants for those who were staying at the inn. Unlike Pomfret, Woodstock is a town that thrives on tourism and is equipped to handle it. Lori Crowningshield, retail manager at The Vermont Flannel Co's flagship store on Elm Street, reported that 2023's shockingly rainy summer was "really hard on everyone. We really, really need the tourists here." But what's good for Woodstock isn't necessarily good for Pomfret. At a time when cities like Venice are so inundated with travellers that officials have imposed a tourist tax to visitors, and when trendy restaurants are banning influencers and their phones from dining, Pomfret is just one of many places around the world trying to curb overtourism and fight back against the hashtaggers – but it's come with a cost. According to Palmer, Pomfret's road closures aren't just time consuming for law enforcement to maintain; they're expensive too. Palmer guesses that Cloudland Road residents footed a bill upwards of $10,000 so officials could post road closure signs and enforce patrols – all of which inadvertently raised the town's profile as word got out. Palmer hopes that the Pomfret drama is a "one-and-done" deal. Residents have floated the idea of creating a reservation or ticketing system for visits to Sleepy Hollow to help manage the tourist rush in a more responsible way, but as far as he knows, that option isn't under serious consideration. In fact: feedback on the traffic pattern changes implemented in 2023 has been largely positive, leading to the Pomfret Selectboard's decision to implement similar road closures for the imminent 2024 foliage season."We enjoy having tourists here, it's a big part of the Vermont economy, and we want people to enjoy the natural beauty, visit the vendors and the shops, and drive around," he said. "The big thing is having respect for people's homes and their property… Please come visit, just be respectful."
Movie - Migration: The story follows a family of mallards ( The mallard ([ˈmælɑːrd, ˈmælərd] 绿头鸭) or wild duck (Anas platyrhynchos) is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate ( [tempərət] adj. I. 气候温和的. not extreme; within a middle range. Temperate is used to describe a climate or a place which is never extremely hot or extremely cold. (of weather conditions) neither very hot nor very cold: The climate here is pretty temperate. a temperate climate. The Nile Valley keeps a temperate climate throughout the year. II. If a person's behaviour is temperate, it is calm and reasonable, so that they do not get angry or lose their temper easily. His final report to the President was far more temperate and balanced than the earlier memorandum. III. Temperate plants grow naturally in places where the weather is neither very hot nor very cold. ) and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa. This duck belongs to the subfamily Anatinae of the waterfowl family Anatidae. Males (drakes) have green heads, while the females (hens) have mainly brown-speckled plumage. Both sexes have an area of white-bordered black or iridescent purple or blue feathers called a speculum on their wings; males especially tend to have blue speculum feathers. The mallard is considered to be a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Unlike many waterfowl 水鸟, 水禽, mallards are considered an invasive species in some regions. It is a very adaptable 适应能力强 species, being able to live and even thrive in urban areas which may have supported more localised, sensitive species of waterfowl before development. The non-migratory mallard interbreeds with indigenous wild ducks of closely related species through genetic pollution by producing fertile offspring. dabbling duck (只在水面上觅食) VS diving duck (半个身子扎入水中觅食): The Anatinae are a subfamily of the family Anatidae (swans, geese and ducks). Its surviving members are the dabbling ducks, which feed mainly at the surface rather than by diving. The diving ducks, commonly called pochards or scaups, are a category of duck which feed by diving beneath the surface of the water. I love watching my ducks wiggle their heads as they search puddles or soft, squishy ground for food. From what I've learned, I'm fairly certain that I've only had dabbler ducks which are also known as puddle ducks. With the behavior I witness daily, it's a fitting name. When ducks are on the water, those that sit lower into the water are divers. This group feeds primarily on fish and crustaceans. They may also be known as sea ducks because they often prefer deep rivers or lakes along with coastal bays and inlets. They have compact bodies and smaller wings than the dabbler group. Pulling their feathers close to their bodies allows them to sit lower in the water by forcing air trapped between the feathers to be pushed out. These ducks have large powerful feet and legs that are set further back than the dabbler group which helps to push them into the water and allows them to swim with speed using head and tail to steer while diving. Dabbler ducks prefer shallow water, like marshes and flooded fields. They sit higher on the water and have smaller feet than divers and their legs are more forward, toward the center of the body, when compared to a diver duck. They have large wings allowing them to take off with ease, are able to fly slowly, and land in a small or targeted space. These ducks tend to feed from shallow areas by tipping their head and neck forward. Sometimes you will simply see a duck butt sticking out of the water as one searches below the surface for food, seeds, plants, insects, worms, and grains. This group is capable of limited diving as a means of predator escape but does not dive for routine foraging. This group of ducks has been so named because its members feed mainly on vegetable matter by upending on the water surface, or grazing, and only rarely diving. These are mostly gregarious ducks of freshwater or estuaries. These birds are strong fliers and northern species are highly migratory. Compared to other types of duck, their legs are located more towards the centre of their bodies. They walk well on land, and some species feed terrestrially. "Puddle ducks" generally feed on the surface of the water or feed on very shallow bottoms. They are not equipped to dive down several feet like their diving counterparts. The most prominent difference between puddle ducks and divers is the size of the feet. A puddle duck's feet are generally smaller because they do not need the extra propulsion to dive for their forage. Another distinguishing characteristic of puddle ducks when compared with diving ducks is the way in which they take flight when spooked or are on the move. Puddle ducks spring straight up from the water, but diving ducks need to gain momentum to take off, so they must run across the water a short distance to gain flight. ) who try to convince their overprotective father to go on a vacation of a lifetime and attempt to migrate from New England, through New York City, to Jamaica. In a pond in a New England forest, anxious Mack Mallard dissuades his ducklings, Dax and Gwen, from venturing into the outside world by telling stories of dangerous predators that reside there, much to the chagrin of ( chagrin [ˈʃaɡr(ɪ)n] disappointment or anger, especially when caused by a failure or mistake. Chagrin is a feeling of disappointment, upset, or annoyance, perhaps because of your own failure. Much to his father's chagrin, Al had no taste for further education. My children have never shown an interest in music, much to my chagrin. ) his wife, Pam. One day, a flock of migrating ducks stop at the pond, and the Mallards are told that they are en route south to Jamaica, which the family finds interesting. However, Mack treats the other flock coldly, and insists they leave. Pam tells Mack that he must open his eyes to the world outside him. That night, Mack talks with his aging Uncle Dan, who also does not want to leave the pond. Uncle Dan's loneliness makes Mack re-evaluate his stance and he decides to migrate with his family, with Uncle Dan joining them at Gwen's behest ( at sb's behest/ at the behest of sb If something is done at someone's behest, it is done because they have ordered or requested it. Both posts were removed at the school's behest. The policy document was produced at the behest of the Prime Minister. ). However, shortly after taking off, they get lost and fly into a rainstorm, forcing them to take up shelter in a swamp underneath a boardwalk, where they encounter an elderly heron ( heron [herən] 鹭 A heron is a large bird which has long legs and a long beak, and which eats fish. Great sandbanks delineated the river and we watched for kingfishers and herons.) named Erin, who brings them to her shack to spend the night with herself and her husband, Harry. Despite at first appearing to want to eat the family, Erin proves their good intentions by saving Dax and Gwen from a catfish 鲶鱼. The following day, the Mallards arrive in New York City, where Uncle Dan falls behind and ends up getting the ducks in trouble with a flock of pigeons, led by the pugnacious ( pugnacious [pʌgneɪʃəs] 好斗的 adj. Someone who is pugnacious is always ready to quarrel or start a fight. wanting to start an argument or fight, or expressing an argument or opinion very forcefully: I found him pugnacious and arrogant. ...the pugnacious little Scouse striker who terrorised defences across the North West in a prolific playing career. ) Chump, after the former accidentally takes a dropped sandwich the pigeons coveted. Pam's fiery 无畏的 disposition and negotiations on how to split the sandwich puts them in Chump's good graces( good graces If you are in someone's good graces, they are pleased with you. liked and thought highly of by someone in authority He works late to stay in his boss's good graces. You're so eager to stay in the good graces of the King that nothing else matters to you. ). Chump leads them to her friend, Delroy, a macaw ( macaw [məˈkɔː] any large tropical American parrot of the genera Ara and Anodorhynchus, having a long tail and brilliant plumage. a brightly coloured bird of the parrot family found in Central and South America. ) who is from Jamaica, but lives caged by a human chef that owns him. Wanting to set Delroy free, Mack and Pam infiltrate The Ciguapi, the restaurant where the chef works, to acquire a key to his cage. After evading the humans, injuring the chef's nose in the process, they manage to get the key and free Delroy, who gratefully guides them to Jamaica. While Gwen stops for a bathroom break, Mack discovers an entrance to a paradise full of pekin ducks 北京鸭. The group begins to enjoy themselves, but Dax soon finds out the place is a duck farm, with the chef from earlier being one of its clients. Dax helps the pekins and his family escape the farm, but he loses his wing feathers after being stepped on by the chef, rendering him flightless 不能飞, 飞不起来. The birds stop to rest at a resort in Florida, where Mack angrily scolds Dax for his heedless ( [hiːdləs] 不顾及, 不管不顾的, 不顾其他人的 If you are heedless of someone or something, you do not take any notice of them. Heedless of time or any other consideration, they began to search the underwater cave. She was rummaging through the letters, scattering them about the table in her heedless haste. ) actions, resulting in a hurt Dax disowning his father and leaving everyone else. The chef finds the birds via helicopter and traps them in a net while Dax and Gwen manage to hide. Inside, the chef plans to kill Mack and Pam first as revenge, prompting Pam to give in to despair, only for Mack to raise her spirits. Using a salsa dance they learned at the restaurant in order to move while in the cage, they attempt to push a button to release the birds, but the chef catches them in the act. At this point, Delroy has finally had enough, and he, Uncle Dan and the pekins pelt the chef with fruits and vegetables until he is knocked unconscious, hitting a button that causes the helicopter's floor to open and the occupants to fall out. The chef is caught and prevented from falling after getting caught in the helicopter's net, but Mack and Pam continue to fall, still stuck in their cage. They are saved and freed by their kids, with Dax having fixed his wings using some of Delroy and the pekin's feathers, which were lost when the chef kidnapped the birds. Both father and son silently reconcile. Now led by Dax, the birds arrive in Jamaica, where Delroy reunites with his family and the Mallards catch up with the duck family who visited their pond earlier. The following spring, the family is about to head for home when Mack shows them a group of lost penguins that need to get to the South Pole, agreeing to help them get there.
