用法学习: 1. 美代理海军秘书辞职: US Defence Secretary Mark Esper says he has accepted the resignation of Acting US Navy Secretary Thomas Modly, who came under fire for his handling of a crisis involving the captain of a coronavirus-stricken aircraft carrier. He said Mr Modly quit on his own accord 主动辞职, "putting the Navy and the sailors above self". Secretary Modly's resignation is appropriate and called for. His disparaging remarks were far beneath the dignity of the office he held. NSW says relaxing restrictions would mean more deaths: "If the advice in a couple of weeks is that there might be a couple of aspects that we can tweak 微调 to provide relief to our citizens, well then, we'll take that advice. But that comes with risk. And I need to be very upfront about that," she said. Ms Berejiklian also said that while some restrictions 限制措施 could be relaxed, social distancing would still be here to stay until there was a coronavirus vaccine. Queen wishes Boris Johnson a speedy recovery: Officials said Mr Johnson was conscious and in a stable condition at a London hospital, where he was receiving oxygen in intensive care but was not on a ventilator. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab was designated 指派, 委任 to run the country in the meantime. 2. ride someone's ass 针对某人, 挑刺, 找茬, 滋事 (Canada, US, slang, vulgar) to find fault with someone, to constantly criticise. To frequently or constantly harass, nag, or upbraid someone to do, accomplish, or complete something. If he doesn't quit riding my ass, I'm gonna punch him right in his face. The boss is riding everyone's ass to get the project finished by next week. Quit riding my ass, I'll get it done eventually! II. To tailgate, i.e. to follow unnecessarily closely behind another vehicle while driving.
mandatory VS compulsory VS obligatory VS imperative: mandatory [mændətri , US -tɔːri] 法律强制的 I. If an action or procedure is mandatory, people have to do it, because it is a rule or a law. ...the mandatory retirement age of 65. Attendance is mandatory. II. If a crime carries a mandatory 法定的 punishment, that punishment is fixed by law for all cases, in contrast to crimes for which the judge or magistrate has to decide the punishment for each particular case. ...the mandatory life sentence for murder. ...the four-year ban which is mandatory. ordered by a law or rule. mandatory for: A new accounting system will soon become mandatory for all departments. it is mandatory to do something: It's mandatory to wear a seat belt in all states. a mandatory sentence: mandatory minimum sentencing clause 法律规定的最低入狱年限. The trial judge imposed the mandatory sentence of life imprisonment. compulsory 强制的 something that is compulsory must be done because of a rule or law. A school outfit is no longer compulsory. If something is compulsory, you must do it or accept it, because it is the law or because someone in a position of authority says you must. In East Germany, learning Russian was compulsory. Many young men are trying to get away from compulsory military conscription 强制服兵役. Five of the company's senior managers have been made compulsorily redundant. obligatory [əˈblɪɡəˌtɔri] I. formal something that is obligatory must be done in order to obey a law or rule. It is obligatory for members to be insured. If something is obligatory, you must do it because of a rule or a law. Most women will be offered an ultrasound scan during pregnancy, although it's not obligatory. These rates do not include the charge for obligatory medical consultations. II. often humorous used for describing something that happens or is done so often that people expect it. Indian movies with their obligatory 必不可少的, 不可或缺的, 惯例的. 例行的 song and dance routines. If you describe something as obligatory, you mean that it is done from habit or custom and not because the person involved has thought carefully about it or really means it. His lips curved up in the obligatory smile, acknowledging the compliment. She was wearing the obligatory sweater and pearl necklace. imperative [ɪmˈperətɪv] I. formal extremely important and urgent. Long-term investing is risky, and careful planning is imperative. it is imperative (that): It is imperative that these claims are dealt with quickly. it is imperative to do something: It was imperative to maintain peace and stability in the region. II. formal an imperative voice or way of speaking 发号施令的, 号令的, 命令式的语气 is confident and determined and shows that you expect to be obeyed. III. linguistics the imperative form of a verb expresses an order to do something.
Ozark season 3: 1. staying power the ability to maintain an activity or commitment despite fatigue or difficulty; stamina. "do you have the staying power to study alone at home?" a. If you have staying power, you have the strength or determination to keep going until you reach the end of what you are doing. Someone who lacks staying power and persistence 持之以恒的毅力 is unlikely to make a good researcher. b. If something such as an idea or a product has staying power, it remains popular or successful for a long time 长期生存能力. This iconic TV series has staying power 持续盈利能力. The new casino might not having the staying power that we do, we have been in this business for over 20 years. 2. vigilant [vɪdʒɪlənt] 高度警惕的 watching a person or situation very carefully so that you will notice any problems or signs of danger immediately. Someone who is vigilant gives careful attention to a particular problem or situation and concentrates on noticing any danger or trouble that there might be. He warned the public to be vigilant and report anything suspicious. All but one of these letter bombs had been intercepted by vigilant post office staff. Democracy is fragile and will not survive without constant vigilance. Ozark Season 3: Leading a cartel, he know he's in a hyper-vigilant place. 3. prerogative [prɪˈrɑɡətɪv] 特权, 专有权利 a right that a particular person or group has. If something is the prerogative of a particular person or group, it is a privilege or a power that only they have. Constitutional changes are exclusively the prerogative of the parliament. It is your prerogative to stop seeing that particular therapist and find another one. It's the manager's prerogative to decide who will play on the day. royal prerogative the special rights of a king or queen. What does that's your prerogative mean? A prerogative is someone's special right or privilege. As Bobby Brown once sang, "I don't need permission / Make my own decisions / That's my prerogative." ... A near synonym is privilege, which puts more emphasis on the fact that others do not have it. 4. line up I. intransitive/transitive to form a row, or to put people or things in a row. The books are lined up on a shelf above the desk. All children must line up when the whistle goes. If you line things up, you move them into a straight row. I would line up my toys on this windowsill and play. He finished polishing the cocktail glasses and lined them up behind the bar. Ozark Season 3: If those boxes are already lined with cash 一排一排的钞票, then our dirty money is in circulation before anyone's even looking. II. transitive 准备. 安排. 组织. to organize or prepare things for an event or a series of events. If you line up an event or activity, you arrange for it to happen. If you line someone up for an event or activity, you arrange for them to be available for that event or activity. She lined up executives, politicians and educators to serve on the board of directors. The band is lining up a two-week U.K. tour for the New Year. We have a series of activities lined up to keep you entertained. III. transitive to move something into the correct position in relation to something else, especially so that it is level with it. If you line one thing up with another, or one thing lines up with another, the first thing is moved into its correct position in relation to the second. You can also say that two things line up, or are lined up. You have to line the car up with the ones beside you. Gas cookers are adjustable in height to line up with your kitchen work top. Mahoney had lined up two of the crates. When the images line up exactly, the projectors should be fixed in place. All we have to do is to get the two pieces lined up properly. He lined the ball up and kicked it straight into the net. line up with: Hold a pen in front of you and line up its tip with some distant object 冲齐, 冲准. IV. intransitive if people are lining up to do something, they all want to do it at the same time. Her colleagues are lining up to demand her resignation. V. If you line up with, behind, or alongside a person or group, you support them. If you line up against a person or group, you oppose them. Some surprising names have lined up behind 支持, 表示支持 the idea. We Spaniards have lined up against each other all too often. line-up I. A line-up is a group of people or a series of things that have been gathered together to be part of a particular event. He is likely to be in Wales's starting line-up 出场阵容, 首发阵容 for their World Cup qualifying match. The programme is back for a new series with a great line-up of musicians and comedy acts. II. At a line-up, a witness to a crime tries to identify the criminal from among a line of people. He failed to identify Graham from photographs, but later picked him out of a police line-up. the battle lines are drawn If you say that the battle lines are drawn between opposing groups or people, you mean that they are ready to start fighting or arguing, and that it has become clear what the main points of conflict or disagreement will be. The battle lines were drawn after the government refused to budge from its final offer. 5. I'll show you out 我带你出去, 我送你出去. 6. mushy [mʌʃi] I. disapproving Vegetables and fruit that are mushy are soft and have lost most of their shape. soft and having no firm shape: Cook the lentils until they are mushy. The meat was mushy 软乎乎的, 砣了 (面条坨了, 沱了) and tasteless. When the fruit is mushy and cooked, remove from the heat. II. [disapproval] If you describe someone or something as mushy, you mean that they are very sentimental. excessively sentimental. romantic in a way that seems silly and not sincere. "a mushy film". 煽情的. 动情的. 感动的, 感人的.Don't go getting all mushy and sentimental. I hate those mushy love stories. Here's your present. Stop, don't go mushy on me. mushy peas peas that are boiled until they are very soft, eaten as a vegetable, especially in northern England. 7. call someone to account (for something) to say that someone is responsible for something that has gone wrong and expect them to explain it, deal with it, or be punished for it. account for I. If a particular thing accounts for a part or proportion of something, that part or proportion consists of that thing, or is used or produced by it. Computers 占比 account for 5% of the country's commercial electricity consumption. II. If something accounts for a particular fact or situation, it causes or explains it. Now, the gene they discovered today doesn't account for all those cases. III. If you can account for something, you can explain it or give the necessary information about it. How do you account for the company's alarmingly high staff turnover? He said only 200 of the train's 600 passengers had been accounted for. IV. If someone has to account for an action or policy 负责任, 担责任, they are responsible for it, and may be required to explain it to other people or be punished if it fails. The President and the President alone must account for his government's reforms. V. If a sum of money is accounted for in a budget, it has been included in that budget for a particular purpose. The really heavy redundancy costs have been accounted for 对上账了. give a satisfactory record of (something, typically money, that one is responsible for). "I had to account for 入账 every penny I spent". to say where all the members of a group of people or things are, especially because you are worried that some of them may be lost Three days after the earthquake, more than 150 people had still to be accounted for 对上账, 找到. VI. If you account for an enemy or opponent, you kill, destroy, or beat them. In the first ten days of May our squadron accounted for at least seven enemy aircraft. In the final they accounted for Brentford by three goals to two. 新来的FBI是被杀的那个FBI的boyfriend: I think what none of us can account for is the emotional component 情感因素, 情感成分 for the FBI. We can't be sure what level of resources they'll invest. So is it a tougher hand 更厉害的角色. 情感的组成: These three components are intimacy, passion, and decision/commitment. Each component manifests a different aspect of love. Intimacy. Intimacy refers to feelings of closeness, connectedness, and bondedness in loving relationships. 8. in (one's) feelings adj I. overreacting, getting mad over something. II. distracted by one's (usually morose) feelings. I'm sorry I didn't call you back last night. I was in my feelings 黯然伤神. 感伤. 感时伤逝. Are we good or are we in our feelings 没有问题吗, 还是说你们[因为我的要求]不高兴了(生气了)? 9. She has a much higher tolerance for risk (Wendy 更愿意冒险, 承担风险) than I do. 10. seed money 启动资金 How legitimate can we get if the seed money is dirty? Seed money, sometimes known as seed funding or seed capital, is a form of securities offering in which an investor invests capital in a startup company in exchange for an equity stake or convertible note stake in the company. 10. fit the bill to fill the bill 满足要求, 满足条件, 符合条件 If you say that someone or something fits the bill or fills the bill, you mean that they are suitable for a particular job or purpose. If you fit the bill, send a CV to Rebecca Rees. hyperbole [haɪˈpɜrbəli] a way of emphasizing what you are saying by describing it as far more extreme than it really is. hold back on the hyperbole 先别夸张, 夸大其词, 别夸大. If someone uses hyperbole, they say or write things that make something sound much more impressive than it really is. ...the hyperbole that portrays him as one of the greatest visionaries in the world. allure [əˈlʊr] 魅力, 魅惑力, 诱惑 a special, exciting, and attractive quality that someone or something has. The allure of something or someone is the pleasing or exciting quality that they have. It's a game that has really lost its allure. sexual allure. allure of: the allure of gambling. 体型: Twink bodies are usually either ectomorphic bodies ( ectomorph [ˌɛktoʊˈmɔrf] 天生瘦型 a body type that tends to be thin, and struggles to gain weight as either body fat or muscle. My body type is ectomorph. ectomorphic [ˌɛktoʊˈmɔrfɪk] adj designating or of the slender physical type, characterized by predominance of the structures developed from the ectodermal layer of the embryo, as skin, nerves, brain, and sense organs. mesomorph [ˈmɛsəʊˌmɔːf] 天生肌肉型 a person with a muscular body build: said to be correlated with somatotonia. endomorphic [ˌɛndoʊˈmɔrfɪk] designating or of the round, fat physical type characterized by predominance of the structures developed from the endodermal layer of the embryo, as the internal organs. endomorph [ˈɛndəʊˌmɔːf] 天生肥胖型 a person with a fat and heavy body build: said to be correlated with viscerotonia. ), or mesomorphic bodies that have not been developed. It might be difficult to achieve with a build meso-morphic or endomorphic body. 11. Do you want me to watch your kids 看孩子?
sprung I. being sprung is being obsessed. you have to see them, you have to talk to them, you'll do anything for them no matter how bad they dog you. Being in love is when you appreciate the person for who they are. 一般就说be sprung不加补语. 一定要加补语的话, 加over sb. II. (Aussie slang) 被抓住, 被看到, 被逮住. 被抓现行. = by busted doing sth. Caught doing something illegal or against the rules. Notes: The adjective sprung, unlike (say) infatuated, does not normally take a complement; a person may be infatuated with someone, but is simply sprung. As with crazy or gaga, the target of the emotion is normally indicated by surrounding context; this is seen in the 1992 and 2003 quotations above. However, while relatively uncommon, it is possible for sprung to take a complement, construed with a preposition such as over (much like gaga); this is seen in the 2005 quotation above. dog verb (If someone calls a man a dog, they strongly disapprove of him. If someone calls a woman or girl a dog, they mean that she is unattractive. [US, informal, disapproval] People use dog to refer to something that they consider unsatisfactory or of poor quality. It's a real dog. .) I. often passive to cause trouble for someone over a long period of time. If problems or injuries dog you, they are with you all the time. The problems that have dogged 烦扰, 烦忧 him all year are just a temporary setback. His career has been dogged 困扰, 纠缠不休 by bad luck. He has been dogged by persistent back problems. These rumors had dogged the president for years. II. to follow someone closely in a way that annoys them. Photographers dogged the princess all her adult life. III. Americanvery informal to criticize someone in a continuous and annoying way. dogged [dɒgɪd] If you describe someone's actions as dogged, you mean that they are determined to continue with something even if it becomes difficult or dangerous. They have gained respect through sheer dogged 坚持不懈的, 不肯放弃的 determination. ...his dogged insistence on their rights. She would fight doggedly 打不死的 不服气的, 不服输的 for her rights as the children's mother. Most of my accomplishments came as the result of sheer doggedness. gaga [ˈɡɑˌɡɑ] I. not thinking clearly because you have very strong feelings of love for someone or because you are very enthusiastic or excited about something. Teenage girls have gone gaga over the band's lead singer. II. no longer able to think clearly because you are getting very old. The perception is horrible': Premier orders Minister sprung staying at holiday house back to Sydney: Gladys Berejiklian orders her Arts Minister Don Harwin back to Sydney, after he was sprung at his Central Coast holiday house despite bans on non-essential travel. Jobseekers facing coronavirus cash crisis as savings dry up 用完, 用尽 weeks before support will arrive. Student nurse Keith Dwyer is heading into the coronavirus trenches, ending his studies early to be rocketed to the frontline of the pandemic — except he can't fill up the tank of his car to get to his final classes. "I essentially have no more savings because I've used the last of it to pay my last lot of rent," he said. "As soon as the gas runs out of my car … I'm pretty much done." Mr Dwyer, who lost his casual job at a cafe, is emblematic ( [ˌembləˈmætɪk] generally accepted as being a symbol of a quality, idea, or principle. a. If something, such as an object in a picture, is emblematic of a particular quality or an idea, it symbolically represents the quality or idea. Dogs are emblematic of faithfulness. In some works, flowers take on a powerful emblematic quality. II. If you say that something is emblematic of 广泛代表性, 具有代表性的 a state of affairs, you mean that it is characteristic of it and represents its most typical features. The killing in Pensacola is emblematic of a lot of the violence that is happening around the world. emblem [ˈembləm] I. a design or object that is a symbol of something such as a country or organization. II. something that is generally accepted as a symbol of a quality, idea, or principle. a dove, the emblem of peace 和平的象征. ) of the cash crisis facing Australians, who have high levels of household debt 高债务, 很多债 and only a small cushion 缓冲资金 of savings. Expenses vary between individuals and between different places across the country — for example, people in major cities tend to have higher housing costs, but some rural and remote locations pay more for groceries and essential services. However, low-ball estimates 保守估计, 压低报价( to deliberately underestimate a price, cost, rate etc. in order to deceive. to make a very low estimate or offer for (a service, product, company, etc). To give (a customer) a deceptively low price or cost estimate that one has no intention of honoring or to prepare a cost estimate deliberately and misleadingly low. To make an offer well below an item's true value, often to take advantage of the seller's desperation or desire to sell the item quickly. The campaign accused insurance companies of using computer programs designed to lowball claims and increase company profits. Bob Diamond refused to name the government minister who allegedly put pressure on Barclays to 'lowball' its Libor rating during a gruelling appearance before MPs today. at a level that is unfairly low: lowball bid/offer/price 过低的报价 The board issued a statement to make it clear that they would not consider any lowball offers. a lowball bid 报价低. a conservative estimate/guess 保守猜测, 保守估计 a guess which is deliberately lower than what the real amount probably is At a conservative estimate, the holiday will cost about £1,500. Conservative approach (aggressive approach) is a risk-free strategy of working capital financing. A company adopting this strategy maintains a higher level of current assets and therefore higher working capital also. ... So, the risk associated with short-term financing is abolished to a great extent. ) suggest an average single person needs $2,835 a month for expenses and a couple needs $4,118, not including rent or mortgage payments. As the coronavirus crisis has escalated 逐步升级 and public health measures have been increased, jobs have been lost and incomes have been slashed 收入腰斩, leading to more people running out of savings. "I don't think people understand how hospitality workers in particular live pay cheque to pay cheque 靠工资生活, 月光族, because we don't make a whole lot of money and Melbourne isn't a cheap place to live," Mr Dwyer said. "It's not feasible to think that I could have three months of savings in the bank when I work what is considered an unskilled non-essential job that's been casualised for years." Casual workers slip through the cracks 被漏掉了, 漏网之鱼: Emma King, the chief executive of the Victorian Council of Social Service, the peak body for the state's social and community sector, said people thrown into unemployment needed support now. "The sheer desperation of people who are lining up at Centrelink at 4:30 in the morning, simply to get seen, speaks to the fact of 说明了这样一个事实 ( speak to sth I. 说明. 表明. to show that a situation exists or something is true. This situation speaks to a need for a better tax system. The party's success speaks to the fact that many people in the US want change. II. to talk or write about something, especially something that needs discussing or dealing with. I am qualified to speak to this issue. the facts speak for themselves used for saying that the facts of a particular situation provide all the necessary, true information about it. We do not have to defend our record: the facts speak for themselves. ) people's fear, their anxiety and the sense of urgency of not having enough money to make ends meet," she said. Casual workers, gig economy workers, internationals students and people on working visas are among the groups who may fall through the cracks of the new schemes. The $130 billion program is eye-watering in its size but has been criticised for leaving out large groups of workers, many of them already vulnerable.
Big Bang Theory: 1. Mary: Thank you, God, for the food we are about to receive and for the nourishment of our bodies and bless the hands that prepared it. Amen. Sheldon: Given that your hands prepared it, isn't that a little self-serving ( self-serving 为自己的, 为自己考虑的, 为自己着想的 adj. formal disapproving working or acting for your own advantage: Politicians are seen as corrupt and self-serving. self-seeking formal disapproving interested in your own advantage in everything that you do: A lot of people feel that politicians are just self-seeking opportunists. Self-checkout (also known as self-service 自助式的 checkout and as semi-attended customer-activated terminal, SACAT) machines provide a mechanism for customers to process their own purchases from a retailer. They are an alternative to the traditional cashier-staffed checkout. The customer performs the job of the cashier themselves, by scanning and applying payment for the items. )? Mary: You start changing the words to the prayers, next thing you know, you're in a church with a guitar. Amy: Thank you for cooking, it looks delicious. 2. Amy: This was a potential issue, so I got out ahead of it and I managed the situation for you. Sheldon: You managed the situation? Amy: That's right. Sheldon: So my mother thought I was incapable of finding a mate, and my mate thinks I'm incapable of running my own life. Amy: Not your whole life. I mean, science, you got that 不在话下. Organizing your sock drawer, you're the king 王者. But understanding how other people are feeling, that's a weak spot for you. Sheldon: I have gotten much better at that.
Wednesday, 8 April 2020
Tuesday, 7 April 2020
take to doing something 习惯于; flimsy evidence/execuse;
用法学习: 1. take to someone/something to begin to like someone or something. Sandra took to it straight away. Charles was an odd character whom Kelly had never really taken to. I took to John immediately. take to doing something 养成新习惯 to start doing something as a habit Dee's taken to getting up at 6 and going jogging. Recently he's taken to 开始习惯于, 已经习惯于 wearing a cap. take up I. to start doing something regularly as a habit, job, or interest. I took up smoking when I was at school. Chris has taken up jogging. take up a post/position就职, 就位: The new surgeon will take up her post in May. II. to fill a particular amount of space or time. These files take up a lot of disk space. I'll try not to take up too much of your time. III. take up something 接受 to accept an offer or a challenge (=an offer to fight or compete) that someone has made to you. Schools are taking up the offer of cut-price computers. One of our greatest athletes has taken up a new challenge. IV. to reduce the length of a piece of clothing or some curtains. V. 继承. 接续. to continue to discuss or deal with an idea, problem, or suggestion. She fell silent, and her brother took up the story. Mrs Pankhurst took up the cause of women's rights. VI. take up arms formal to start a battle using weapons. Would you be willing to take up arms for this cause? VII. take up residence formal to start living somewhere. Mice have taken up residence under their floorboards. take someone up on something 接受 to accept an offer or invitation that someone has made. I've decided to take you up on that job offer. take up with I. [transitive] take up with someone 鬼混, 厮混, 混在一起 informal to become friendly with someone, especially someone who could have a bad influence on you. I don't want you to take up with the wrong crowd. II. be taken up with something 充斥, 占据, 充满 to be busy doing, discussing, or thinking about something. The whole meeting was taken up with arguing about the budget. She was completely taken up with her own worries. . take to something old-fashioned to go to a place, especially your bed. Joanne says she’s ill, and she's taken to her bed. take to your bed 卧床不起, 足不出户 to get into your bed and stay there He was so depressed, he took to his bed for a week. make little of sth (see little of) 不足为道, 不当回事, 不认真看待 to not consider something to be very important: He made little of his ordeal. the little/small matter of something 小事一桩 spoken something that is not important or not difficult – used when you really think something is important or difficult He seemed unworried by the small matter of the war that was in progress. There's the small matter of tonight's game if we are to reach the finals. to cross the Rubicon 踏上不归路, 没有回头路, 回不去了, 没有后悔药了 If you say that someone has crossed the Rubicon, you mean that they have reached a point where they cannot change a decision or course of action. [journalism] He's crossed the Rubicon with regard to the use of military force as an option. rooted to the spot 僵立当场, 当场僵住, 一动不动 If you are rooted to the spot, you are unable to move because you are very frightened or shocked. She was rooted to the spot with fear/amazement. We just stopped there, rooted to the spot. meritorious [ˌmɛrɪˈtɔːrɪəs] adj I. deserving reward or praise. If you describe something as meritorious, you approve of it for its good or worthwhile qualities. [formal, approval] I had been promoted for what was called gallant and meritorious service. "a medal for meritorious conduct". "the captain was awarded a medal for meritorious conduct". II. (of an action or claim) likely to succeed on the merits of the case. "the costs involved in civil litigation may prevent a meritorious appeal". 2. infamous [ˈɪnfəməs] well known for something bad. an infamous criminal. indication a sign that something will happen, is true, or exists. indication of: The size of the crowd is a clear indication of the strength of public feeling. give an indication: He gave no indication that that he had noticed her. Can you give an indication of how quickly you could respond in an emergency? indication that: The indications are that the economy has become more efficient and successful. 指甲垢: I always seem to get grease 油垢 under my nails whenever I use it. I always have grease under my nails, it's really quite annoying. I keep meaning to get one of those brushes 老是想着, 总想着, 老想着...but it just slipped my mind 总是忘. I have some grease under my nails right now. As for cleaning hands, gojo works miracles. I'm in the same boat as you... don't you just hate it when you chew a nail, and you can feel the grit 沙沙的东西 in your teeth from the said nail?. surly [ˈsəːli] adjective bad-tempered and unfriendly. Someone who is surly behaves in a rude bad-tempered way. He became surly and rude towards me. "the porter left with a surly expression". think better of it 想想又改主意了, 想想后悔了, 想想算了 If you intend to do something and then think better of it, you decide not to do it because you realize it would not be sensible. Alberg opened his mouth, as if to protest. But he thought better of it. to not do something that you had planned to do, because you realize that it is not a good idea He started to say something, then thought better of it. A cover band (or covers band) 模仿乐队, 翻版乐队, is a band that plays songs recorded by someone else, sometimes mimicking the original as perfectly as possible, and sometimes re-interpreting or changing the original. These remade songs are known as cover songs. 3. He's pushing 40 快40了, 年近40 and everything is fake. Harem [ˈherəm] n. 为一个雄性动物所控制的许多雌性动物, 闺房里的妻妾群, 闺房(伊斯兰教教徒的). 后宫. I. 妻妾群. If a man, especially a Muslim, has several wives or sexual partners living in his house, they can be referred to as his harem. a group of women living together as the wives of a rich man in some Muslim societies, especially in the past. II. 后宫. A harem is a part of a building where a harem lives. a separate part of a Muslim home in which only women live. trim adj. I. Something that is trim is neat, tidy, and attractive. The neighbours' gardens were trim and neat. II. If you describe someone's figure as trim, you mean that it is attractive because there is no extra fat on their body. [approval] The driver was a trim young woman of perhaps thirty. The 43-year-old looked youthful 看上去很年轻 and toned as she paraded her trim figure in a long-sleeved floral-print one-piece. verb. I. If you trim something, for example someone's hair, you cut off small amounts of it in order to make it look neater and tidier. My friend trims my hair every eight weeks. Grass shears are specially made to trim grass growing in awkward places. His hair needed a trim 修剪一下. II. If a government or other organization trims something such as a plan, policy, or amount, they reduce it slightly in extent or size. American companies looked at ways they could trim these costs. We trimmed the marketing department. trim costs 削减开支, 节省开支 Neither patients or doctors have any incentive to use purchaser power to trim costs. III. If something such as a piece of clothing is trimmed with a type of 镶着 material or design, it is decorated with it, usually along its edges. ...jackets, which are then trimmed with crocheted flowers. I am wearing a plaid nightgown trimmed with white lace. He wears a fur-trimmed 镶边的 coat. ...gold-trimmed fitted 镶金边的 furniture. n. The trim on something such as a piece of clothing is a decoration, for example along its edges, that is in a different colour or material. ...a white satin scarf with black trim. The saddles feature a reflective trim for night time visibility. in trim/in good trim 收拾的很得体 When people are in trim or in good trim, they are in good physical condition. He is already getting in trim for the big day. It is an excellent way of keeping my voice in trim. 4. 新闻: In a statement, Mr Broad said he had let his constituency and his family down, and would withdraw his nomination 被提名 to contest 放弃竞选 the 2019 election. The young woman told the magazine Mr Broad, the former Assistant to the Deputy Prime Minister, had 'bragged about his important job', before becoming brash 放肆 and forward 直接, 露骨 (If you describe someone or their behaviour as brash, you disapprove of them because you think that they are too confident and aggressive. [disapproval] On stage she seems hard, brash and uncompromising. I brashly announced to the group that NATO needed to be turned around. He was a typical showman with a brashness bordering on arrogance. ) when the pair arranged to meet after about a month of texting. 新闻电影制作人贩卖毒品: It was prosecutors' second attempt at jailing the pair after an earlier jury failed to reach a verdict. But in a twist befitting 堪比, 像电影一样的 ( befit verb. to be suitable for someone or something. She dressed as befitted the daughter of a millionaire. befitting adj. proper or right; suitable.) one of their films, Galecki and Ritchie's convictions were soon vacated. A court found their trial judge had erred in barring a US government scientist, who had been accused of soliciting a minor for sex, from testifying for the defence. After much legal wrangling 法律角力, Galecki and Ritchie's sentences were eventually reinstated 判决恢复, 恢复判决 but just last week, the pair launched a new round of appeals. Their latest appeal remains before US courts. For Shelley, helping eradicate what she calls the "poison" of spice and better training for first responders who deal with mentally ill young people are slivers 一丝 of hope(A sliver of something is a small thin piece or amount of it. Not a sliver of glass remains where the windows were. [+ of] There was only one sliver of light in the darkness.) from the darkness of her personal tragedy. entrance (captivate) 迷住, 着迷 Someone or something that entrances you is so beautiful or interesting that you cannot stop listening to or watching him, her, or it: He has entranced millions of people with his beautifully illustrated books. right to it 直接了当的进入主题. Right to it, huh? 不带打哈哈的. Out of focus 照片失焦: They deleted those pictures because they are out of focus. 5. 警察证人指认犯罪嫌疑人: My department didn't use physical line-ups (technically, these are called "show-ups or field identification"). We used what most agencies use these days, a photo array or "sixpack" of mug shots of people of similar ages, races, and hair types. I look enough like Joe Average that I posed for mug shots while wearing street clothes several times, and appeared in multiple photo arrays. A police lineup (in American English) or identity parade (in British English) is a process by which a crime victim or witness's putative identification of a suspect is confirmed to a level that can count as evidence at trial. The suspect, along with several "fillers" 充数的 or "foils" 迷惑人的—people of similar height, build, and complexion who may be prisoners, actors, police officers, or volunteers—stand side-by-side, both facing and in profile 既有侧门照也有正面照. The lineup sometimes takes place in a room for the purpose, one which may feature a one-way mirror to allow a witness to remain anonymous, and may include markings on the wall to aid identifying the person's height. For evidence from a lineup to be admissible in court, the lineup itself must be conducted fairly. The police may not say or do anything that persuades the witness to identify the suspect that they prefer. This includes loading the lineup with people who look very dissimilar to the suspect. Photographs of the suspect and fillers can be shown to the identifier in what is called a "photo-lineup", or a "six pack" 照片指认. If the victim or witness successfully identifies the suspect from among the fillers, the identification is considered valid. A "show-up" is another alternative, in which a suspect is individually shown to a witness. day release 和半工半读不同 I. BRITISH Paid leave of absence from employment (one day per week) to attend college. a system of allowing employees days off work to go on educational courses. a system in which people who work can study one day a week at a college. Day release is a system in which workers spend one day each week at a college in order to study a subject connected with their work: My boss wants me to do a day-release course in computing. "she goes to college on day release". II. Temporary liberation from a prison, for the period of one day. She committed a murder while on day release. forever I. 总是. 老是. 经常是. 一直是. You use forever to emphasize that someone always has or shows the quality mentioned. Katherine was forever secretive. To this end the young child is forever watchful. II. 经常会, 老是在, 总是在, 一直在 经常不断的 If you say that someone is forever doing a particular thing, especially something which annoys or amuses you, you are emphasizing that they do it very often. [informal, emphasis] I
think he's from Bristol, because he's forever making calls to Bristol.
He was forever attempting to arrange deals. I was forever dragging him
away from the fireplace. 6. make time I. 找机会. 找时间. 挤时间. to find an opportunity. find an occasion when time is available to do something. to find time to do something or be with someone in spite of being busy. He's finding it difficult to make time for his children. "the nurse should make time to talk to the patient". II. informal North American to succeed in seducing. make sexual advances to someone. "I couldn't make time with Marilyn because she was already a senior". to greet someone. 打招呼. 问好. diverse [dadɪ-ˈvəː(r)s,ˈdaɪvəː(r)s; US also: dɪ-]. The murder of Tran in 1995 sparked a power struggle 夺权斗争, 权力斗争, 争权夺势 within the organization. This was ultimately furthered加剧 with the death of the 5T successor. This led to an escalation of violence in 1999, as rival mobs, the 'Four Aces' and 'Madonna's boys', which were break-away groups of the 5T, challenged the 5T leading to an increase in the murder rate in Cabramatta. This gang warfare eventually led to the NSW Parliament establishing a Parliamentary Inquiry. A number of Phuong Ngo's supporters have stated that he was convicted on flimsy ( I. A flimsy object is weak because it is made of a weak material, or is badly made. ...a flimsy wooden door. ...a pair of flimsy shoes. ...flimsily constructed houses. II. Flimsy cloth or clothing is thin and does not give much protection. ...a very flimsy pink chiffon nightgown. III. 勉强的, 牵强的. If you describe something such as evidence or an excuse as flimsy, you mean that it is not very good or convincing. The charges were based on very flimsy evidence 证据非常不可靠, 非常牵强的证据. ) evidence. He was a prominent leader in the Vietnamese Catholic community, which held prayer services for him in the hope that he would be acquitted of the murder. However, almost 300 leaders in the Vietnamese community signed a petition to the Supreme Court requesting that Ngo be denied bail.
Coroner's court: A coroner may conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death, and investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within the coroner's jurisdiction. The Coroner's Court of New South Wales is the court in the Australian state of New South Wales where legal proceedings, in the form of an inquest or inquiry, are held and presided over by the State Coroner of New South Wales (or NSW State Coroner), a Deputy State Coroner of New South Wales, or another coroner of the state of New South Wales. Coroners must be magistrates in the state and sit in branches of the Local Court of New South Wales. They hold jurisdiction over the remains of a person and have the power to make findings in respect of the cause of death of a person or the cause of any fire in New South Wales. Generally, there are no appeals from the decision(s) of a coroner; but, there is provision for the Supreme Court of New South Wales to order a fresh inquest or inquiry or to grant prerogative relief in respect of the proceedings. The Coronial Division of the Magistrates Court (or the 'coroner's court') investigates certain deaths, fires and explosions by collecting and examining evidence and making findings. The coroner's court is generally inquisitorial, with few adversarial elements: Most courts are "adversarial" in nature; this means that there are two opposing sides (such as prosecution and defence). Both sides argue that the judge should accept their own case. In an "inquisitorial" court, there are no sides: there is simply a search for the truth in which all parties collaborate. Each party may still wish to emphasise certain facts over others. Judges in inquisitorial courts do not rely on others to give the information to them; rather they investigate actively and find things out for themselves. The rules of evidence do not apply: The Coroners Act 1995, specifies in section 51 that the rules of evidence do not apply to coronial proceedings. Instead, coroners may inform themselves in any manner the coroner reasonably thinks fit. This flexibility allows coroners to take into account materials that would not be admissible in a criminal trial, such as hearsay and non-expert opinion evidence. Relevance is still paramount in coronial matters: the relevant issues define the scope of the investigation (and of the inquest, if one is held). Enquiries made by the coroner must be relevant to the manner and cause of death; therefore, all parties are prevented from pursuing causation to its extreme (refer to Key Elements in the Process: Inquests – Causation, scope and relevance). The common law has less effect: Section 4 of the Act states that 'a rule of the common law that, immediately before the commencement of this section, conferred a power or imposed a duty on a coroner or a coroner's court ceases to have effect'. This provision removes the common law jurisdiction of the coroner's court. It is most likely that 'duties imposed on a coroner' are procedural duties. A similar provision in the Coroners Act 2003 (Qld) expressly states as examples that coroners are not required to view a body or sit with a jury. Coroners remain bound by the authorities and judicial pronouncements of courts in interpreting the legislation. The coroner's court is neither criminal nor civil in nature: A coronial inquest is an inquiry not a trial. Coroners are concerned with fact-finding, not determining guilt and delivering punishment. Coroners are not permitted to include in their findings a statement that a person is, or may be, guilty of committing an offence (Act ss 28(4) & 45(3)). Coronial proceedings are not criminal or civil in nature, but they may open the way for proceedings of either type. Criminal proceedings may result through referral of the case to the Attorney-General and the Attorney-General / Director of Public Prosecutions preferring charges. Civil proceedings may result through the disclosure of evidence that potentially supports the argument that a person or entity was negligent or responsible in some way for the death, fire or explosion. There may also be repercussions as to internal disciplinary proceedings, tribunals, commissions and similar. It is important that practitioners do not discount the consequences that coronial proceedings may have for their clients or treat an inquest as a mere precursor to future court proceedings. preliminary hearing 先期听证会: Within some criminal justice systems, a preliminary hearing, preliminary examination, evidentiary hearing or probable cause hearing is a proceeding, after a criminal complaint has been filed by the prosecutor, to determine whether there is enough evidence to require a trial. At such a hearing, the defendant may be assisted by lawyer.
Yorkshire ripper: Assistant Chief Constable George Oldfield was criticised for being too focused on a hoax confessional tape that seemed to indicate a perpetrator with a Wearside background, and for ignoring advice from survivors of Sutcliffe's attacks, and several eminent specialists including the FBI, plus dialect analysts such as Stanley Ellis and Jack Windsor Lewis, whom he had also consulted throughout the manhunt, that "Wearside Jack" was a blatant hoaxer. The investigation used it as a point of elimination 排除点 rather than a line of enquiry and allowed Sutcliffe to avoid scrutiny, as he did not fit the profile of 不符合特征 the sender of the tape or letters. The "Wearside Jack" hoaxer was given unusual credibility 可信度 when analysis of saliva on the envelopes he sent showed he had the same blood group as the Yorkshire Ripper had left at crime scenes, a type shared by only 6% of the population. 下级曾经提议查最终的罪犯, 被上级否决: He said: "I wasn't happy with Peter Sutcliffe, there were a lot of alarm bells ringing. He had a striking resemblance to the photofits of the attacker(photofit 素描: a reconstructed picture of a person, especially one sought by the police, made from composite photographs of facial features. A facial composite is a graphical representation of one or more eyewitnesses' memory of a face, as recorded by a composite artist. Facial composites are used mainly by police in their investigation of (usually serious) crimes. These images are also used to reconstruct the suspect's face in hope of identifying them.). He was in the suspect occupation group – he was a heavy goods vehicle driver. I took it directly to Dick Holland, a man I put on a pedestal (knock someone off pedestal) [ˈpedɪst(ə)l]. He asked, 'Has he got a Geordie accent?' I said, 'No, he's local. He's from Bradford. He's a dead ringer for the photofit'. Then he said, 'If anybody mentions photofits to me again, they'll be doing traffic for the rest of their service' with a few expletives thrown in. I could have crawled through the crack in the door 从门缝里钻出去的." Sutcliffe's murderous reign finally ended in January 1981, six years after claiming his first victim. Through his childhood and his early adolescence, Sutcliffe showed no signs of abnormality. Later, in part related to his occupation as a gravedigger, he developed an unhealthy, macabre ( [məˈkɑbrə] frightening or unpleasant, and usually involving death, decay, or violence. a macabre joke. You describe something such as an event or story as macabre when it is strange and horrible or upsetting, usually because it involves death or injury. Police have made a macabre discovery. Mr Dahl was well-known for his macabre adult stories called 'Tales of the Unexpected'.) sense of humour. In his late adolescence, he developed a growing obsession with voyeurism and spent much time spying on prostitutes and the men seeking their services. Sutcliffe was charged at Dewsbury on 5 January. At his trial, he pleaded not guilty to 13 charges of murder, but guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. The basis of his defence was he claimed to be the tool of God's will. Sutcliffe claimed to have heard voices that ordered him to kill prostitutes while working as a gravedigger. He said the voices originated from a headstone of a Polish man, Bronisław Zapolski, and that the voices were that of God.
Coroner's court: A coroner may conduct or order an inquest into the manner or cause of death, and investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within the coroner's jurisdiction. The Coroner's Court of New South Wales is the court in the Australian state of New South Wales where legal proceedings, in the form of an inquest or inquiry, are held and presided over by the State Coroner of New South Wales (or NSW State Coroner), a Deputy State Coroner of New South Wales, or another coroner of the state of New South Wales. Coroners must be magistrates in the state and sit in branches of the Local Court of New South Wales. They hold jurisdiction over the remains of a person and have the power to make findings in respect of the cause of death of a person or the cause of any fire in New South Wales. Generally, there are no appeals from the decision(s) of a coroner; but, there is provision for the Supreme Court of New South Wales to order a fresh inquest or inquiry or to grant prerogative relief in respect of the proceedings. The Coronial Division of the Magistrates Court (or the 'coroner's court') investigates certain deaths, fires and explosions by collecting and examining evidence and making findings. The coroner's court is generally inquisitorial, with few adversarial elements: Most courts are "adversarial" in nature; this means that there are two opposing sides (such as prosecution and defence). Both sides argue that the judge should accept their own case. In an "inquisitorial" court, there are no sides: there is simply a search for the truth in which all parties collaborate. Each party may still wish to emphasise certain facts over others. Judges in inquisitorial courts do not rely on others to give the information to them; rather they investigate actively and find things out for themselves. The rules of evidence do not apply: The Coroners Act 1995, specifies in section 51 that the rules of evidence do not apply to coronial proceedings. Instead, coroners may inform themselves in any manner the coroner reasonably thinks fit. This flexibility allows coroners to take into account materials that would not be admissible in a criminal trial, such as hearsay and non-expert opinion evidence. Relevance is still paramount in coronial matters: the relevant issues define the scope of the investigation (and of the inquest, if one is held). Enquiries made by the coroner must be relevant to the manner and cause of death; therefore, all parties are prevented from pursuing causation to its extreme (refer to Key Elements in the Process: Inquests – Causation, scope and relevance). The common law has less effect: Section 4 of the Act states that 'a rule of the common law that, immediately before the commencement of this section, conferred a power or imposed a duty on a coroner or a coroner's court ceases to have effect'. This provision removes the common law jurisdiction of the coroner's court. It is most likely that 'duties imposed on a coroner' are procedural duties. A similar provision in the Coroners Act 2003 (Qld) expressly states as examples that coroners are not required to view a body or sit with a jury. Coroners remain bound by the authorities and judicial pronouncements of courts in interpreting the legislation. The coroner's court is neither criminal nor civil in nature: A coronial inquest is an inquiry not a trial. Coroners are concerned with fact-finding, not determining guilt and delivering punishment. Coroners are not permitted to include in their findings a statement that a person is, or may be, guilty of committing an offence (Act ss 28(4) & 45(3)). Coronial proceedings are not criminal or civil in nature, but they may open the way for proceedings of either type. Criminal proceedings may result through referral of the case to the Attorney-General and the Attorney-General / Director of Public Prosecutions preferring charges. Civil proceedings may result through the disclosure of evidence that potentially supports the argument that a person or entity was negligent or responsible in some way for the death, fire or explosion. There may also be repercussions as to internal disciplinary proceedings, tribunals, commissions and similar. It is important that practitioners do not discount the consequences that coronial proceedings may have for their clients or treat an inquest as a mere precursor to future court proceedings. preliminary hearing 先期听证会: Within some criminal justice systems, a preliminary hearing, preliminary examination, evidentiary hearing or probable cause hearing is a proceeding, after a criminal complaint has been filed by the prosecutor, to determine whether there is enough evidence to require a trial. At such a hearing, the defendant may be assisted by lawyer.
Yorkshire ripper: Assistant Chief Constable George Oldfield was criticised for being too focused on a hoax confessional tape that seemed to indicate a perpetrator with a Wearside background, and for ignoring advice from survivors of Sutcliffe's attacks, and several eminent specialists including the FBI, plus dialect analysts such as Stanley Ellis and Jack Windsor Lewis, whom he had also consulted throughout the manhunt, that "Wearside Jack" was a blatant hoaxer. The investigation used it as a point of elimination 排除点 rather than a line of enquiry and allowed Sutcliffe to avoid scrutiny, as he did not fit the profile of 不符合特征 the sender of the tape or letters. The "Wearside Jack" hoaxer was given unusual credibility 可信度 when analysis of saliva on the envelopes he sent showed he had the same blood group as the Yorkshire Ripper had left at crime scenes, a type shared by only 6% of the population. 下级曾经提议查最终的罪犯, 被上级否决: He said: "I wasn't happy with Peter Sutcliffe, there were a lot of alarm bells ringing. He had a striking resemblance to the photofits of the attacker(photofit 素描: a reconstructed picture of a person, especially one sought by the police, made from composite photographs of facial features. A facial composite is a graphical representation of one or more eyewitnesses' memory of a face, as recorded by a composite artist. Facial composites are used mainly by police in their investigation of (usually serious) crimes. These images are also used to reconstruct the suspect's face in hope of identifying them.). He was in the suspect occupation group – he was a heavy goods vehicle driver. I took it directly to Dick Holland, a man I put on a pedestal (knock someone off pedestal) [ˈpedɪst(ə)l]. He asked, 'Has he got a Geordie accent?' I said, 'No, he's local. He's from Bradford. He's a dead ringer for the photofit'. Then he said, 'If anybody mentions photofits to me again, they'll be doing traffic for the rest of their service' with a few expletives thrown in. I could have crawled through the crack in the door 从门缝里钻出去的." Sutcliffe's murderous reign finally ended in January 1981, six years after claiming his first victim. Through his childhood and his early adolescence, Sutcliffe showed no signs of abnormality. Later, in part related to his occupation as a gravedigger, he developed an unhealthy, macabre ( [məˈkɑbrə] frightening or unpleasant, and usually involving death, decay, or violence. a macabre joke. You describe something such as an event or story as macabre when it is strange and horrible or upsetting, usually because it involves death or injury. Police have made a macabre discovery. Mr Dahl was well-known for his macabre adult stories called 'Tales of the Unexpected'.) sense of humour. In his late adolescence, he developed a growing obsession with voyeurism and spent much time spying on prostitutes and the men seeking their services. Sutcliffe was charged at Dewsbury on 5 January. At his trial, he pleaded not guilty to 13 charges of murder, but guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. The basis of his defence was he claimed to be the tool of God's will. Sutcliffe claimed to have heard voices that ordered him to kill prostitutes while working as a gravedigger. He said the voices originated from a headstone of a Polish man, Bronisław Zapolski, and that the voices were that of God.
Phrase Mix: you know how. I like how, It's funny how; willing to (do sth); may do sth, may be doing sth; Is this seat taken? nicked it shaving; What's it going to take to get through to you;
1. He's got those big, broad shoulders. You're talking with a group of girlfriends about guys on TV shows that you think are really attractive. You're describing a guy that you like who's really strong and manly-looking. those (things) In the example above, the speaker says "those" because it's a TV actor, and all of the people she's talking to know who she's talking about. She thinks that they've all seen and noticed his shoulders. If you were describing someone who your listeners hadn't seen, you would say: He's got big, broad shoulders. (someone)'s got (something) In American English, saying that someone "has got" something means that they "have" it. But "has got" sounds more casual. broad shoulders The word "broad" means "wide" but has a slightly different feeling and is used to describe different things. "Broad" has a more positive and pleasant sound than "wide". A man with "broad shoulders", for example, has wide shoulders that make him look attractive. Other things that are often described as "broad" are: a broad smile (This is how someone smiles when they're really honest and happy.) a broad street (Think of a wide street in a nice little town.) a broad range of different things (meaning a lot of different things). big, (adjective) (something) When you're "big" and another adjective to describe something, "big" usually comes first: There's a big, old house at the top of the hill that people say is haunted. This is a big, complicated problem, and I'm not sure that we'll be able to come up with a solution for it by the end of the day. 2. These ATM fees have gotten to be ridiculous! You're out with your sister. You need some cash, but you can't find a branch of your own bank nearby. So you go to another bank's ATM. A message says that there will be a $3 charge for using the ATM. You say this because you're annoyed that it's so high. (something) is ridiculous The word "ridiculous" means "silly or unreasonable". People often use "ridiculous" to complain about things that make them angry: This is ridiculous! Why the hell is it taking so long? Their prices are ridiculous. What? Don't be ridiculous!(something) has gotten to be (adjective) When you say that something "has gotten to be ___", it means that things have become a certain way recently: It's gotten really hard to make a living as a fisherman. Wow, you've gotten to be tall, haven't you? Her show has gotten to be quite popular among teenagers. 3. She'd never even held a gun before, much less shot one. You went hunting with your girlfriend. It was her first experience with hunting. Now you're telling some of your friends the story of your trip, and you describe your girlfriend's lack of experience. (someone) had never (done something) You're telling a story about something that happened in the past. You want to talk about someone's experiences before that time. In that case, you use "had ___" or "had never ___": We went to a Korean restaurant downtown. I think he'd been there before, but I'd never even heard of it. Remember that these phrases mean that something happened before a certain point in the past that you've mentioned. If you just want to talk about someone's past experiences, use "have ___" or "haven't ___": We're going to a Korean restaurant downtown. I think he's been there before, but I've never even heard of it. not (something), much less (something else) 更不必说, 更别说, 更别提. This is an expression that you use to emphasize how little of something that there is. For example: I'm not even supposed to be talking to you, much less helping you. This means that the speaker shouldn't talk to the listener. Helping the listener is even less acceptable than talking to her. The town I grew up in doesn't even have a grocery store, much less a shopping mall. If the town is so small that it doesn't have a grocery store, it's certainly not possible for it to have a shopping mall. shoot (a gun) ( = fire a gun 打枪) You can "shoot" something, like a target, an animal, an enemy, etc: Oh my God! Someone shot him! But you can also "shoot" a gun: I've shot rifles and shotguns, but I've never shot a pistol. Another word to use in this situation is "fire": No, I've never fired a gun in my life! shotgun 散弹枪: A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug. 4. He went on for like twenty minutes about how his neighbor is putting in a swimming pool. Your boss likes to talk a lot. Today you wanted to leave and go home, but your boss came to chat with you about things that weren't related to work. Now you're telling your girlfriend about this. You say this. like (a number or amount) "Like" sometimes means "about". Use it this way before a time or a number: It'll only take like five minutes. There were like well over 500 people there. Some older people don't like it when people use "like" in this way. However, it's a pretty well-established part of spoken language for a lot of English speakers now. It's still not used in formal writing, though. how (clause) 用于阐述一件事实 (It's funny how. I like [it] how. 有人加it, 但是是不对的. you know how. I love how ) Use a "how" clause when you want to say something about a fact. For example, here's a fact: Most American people don't even own a bike. And here's a sentence that's talking about this fact: We were talking about how most American people don't even own a bike. Here are a few more examples: I love how he just stands there and watches while I do all the work! (This is said sarcastically.) It's crazy how (it's funny how) you can live so close to somewhere like this and never even know that it existed. "How" clauses like this usually come after the verb. It's not common to use a "how" clause this way at the beginning of a sentence. put in (a structure) This phrase is used to talk about installing a structure into your home or your yard. Some other examples include: put in a new counter top, put in a bookshelf, put in a vegetable garden. To "put (something) in", there needs to already be a place that it's going into. So you wouldn't say that you were "putting in" a new bedroom. You'd say: We're adding on a new bedroom for the kids. 5. Did I catch you at an OK time? You're a salesperson. You're calling a client to try to pitch them on a new product that you're selling. You check to make sure that the client isn't too busy when you call. catch (someone) 逮住, 逮到, 抓住, 没有找到他, 没有讲到话 To "catch" someone means to get a chance to speak with them. A: Have you asked Tony about getting you access to the expenses database yet? B: No, I wasn't able to catch him yesterday. Oh, I'm glad I caught you. I have a question... You can use this phrase with friends, coworkers, or other people that you've met before. Don't use this phrase to talk about getting the chance to meet someone for the first time. an OK time An "OK time" is a time when someone is able to speak with you. They're not busy, in a bad mood, on their way to somewhere, etc. Use this phrase at the beginning of a conversation to make sure that the other person will be able to speak with you: A: Hey, is this an OK time? B: Uh... I'm actually in the middle of something. Can I come by in, like, 10 minutes? A: Sure. You can also say "a good time": Did I catch you at a good time? 6. That's as low as I'm willing to go 能接受的最低价. You're trying to sell your motorcycle. You're negotiating with someone who might buy it. You've offered to sell it to them for $7,500, but they're asking for a lower price. You don't want to sell it for less than that amount, so you say this. If the speaker hadn't said the price yet, she might use "this": OK, I'll give you a little discount 一点折扣. This is as low as I'll willing to go. I'll give it to you for seventy-five hundred, and I'll throw in the cover and helmet for free. go low When you're trying to sell something, to "go low" means to offer to sell something for a low price. Here are some other examples of how to use it: Is that as low as you can go? I can't go any lower. (someone) is willing to (do something) 能接受做某事 When you say that you "are willing to ___", it means that you will say "yes" to doing it, but you don't really want to do it, or you're not happy about doing it. For example, if your lazy grown-up child asks you for money, you can say: I'm willing to lend you the money, but I expect to be paid back by the end of this year. Or if someone offers to buy something from you, and the price they offer is lower than you want but OK, you can say this: Yeah, I guess I'm willing to sell it for that. 7. I want to switch to a new carrier 换服务商, but I have 6 more months on my contract. You have mobile phone service with a certain company, but you are not happy with it. You want to change to a different company, but you can't because you signed a contract with the current company that hasn't finished yet. You are talking about your mobile phone service with a coworker and you say this. switch to (a service) (churn rate) To "switch" to a different company or service means to stop using the old one and start using a new one. You can switch to a new company for anything that you use over and over. It wouldn't make sense to say "I switched to a new restaurant, but you could say: I switched to a new shampoo. This would mean that you stopped using the shampoo that you always used in the past, and started using a different brand. a (wireless phone) carrier The company that you buy wireless phone or wireless internet service from is called your "carrier". This is only used for wireless services. A more general term for a company that you buy a service from is "a provider": Which internet provider do you use? have (a length of time) on a contract To "have" a length of time means that you must continue something for that length of time. You can use this phrase for things that you are looking forward to the end of, like the remaining time you have in school: I only have 3 semesters left. You can also use it for the length of time left for something you enjoy: We only have 2 more days before we have to go back to work. "Having" a length of time on a contract means that the contract extends until a certain date, and this is the length of time between now and the end of the contract. 8. Let me know if that works. You've chosen a week when you'd like to take a vacation. You're sending an email to your boss to request those days off. Near the end of the message, you ask for permission in a confident way. let me know The phrase "Let me know ___" means "Tell me ___". It's extremely common in everyday English, because "Tell me ___" can sound too demanding or angry. Here are some examples: Let me know when you're free and we'll set up a meeting. Let me know when you hear from them. If you encounter any problems, please let me know immediately. You can see "Let me know..." a lot in business emails. (something) works When something "works", it means that the people you're speaking or writing to think it's OK. For example: A: I'm free this Wednesday after five. Does that work? B: Yeah, that works for me. This expression is very common in business communication. It seems more confident than asking if something is "OK": Let me know if that's OK with you. This is something you might write to an executive in your company or to a customer who you've only spoken with a few times before. Let me know if that works for your team. This is something that you'd write to a coworker or client who's somewhat equal to you in status, or who you know well. 9. They've hinted that they may be introducing a new tablet computer. You have heard some information that makes you think that Sony is going to start selling a tablet computer. The information came from things that the company said and wrote, but they haven't officially said that they will do this. You think that they will announce it at a conference next week. You write this on an Internet message board about this conference. hint that (clause) "Hint that ___" means to say things that make people guess that you are thinking a certain way. For example, if Sony "hinted that" they were introducing a new tablet computer, it means that the company hasn't directly stated that they are releasing it. But they have said other things, like: We're releasing a new product that will give Apple something to consider. Since one of Apple's most popular products is a tablet computer, it seems that Sony might be talking about competing with that product. (someone) may be (doing something) This phrase means that someone might have plans to do something. There's a slight difference between using "they may be ___ing" vs. "they may ___": Sony has hinted that they may introduce a tablet computer. This means that they may or may not have decided to release one yet. The idea is in the early planning stages. Sony has hinted that they may be introducing a tablet computer. This suggests that they are already planning to do it. introduce (a product) When a company "introduces" a new product, it tells the general public that the product will be available. You can use the phrase "___ introduced ___" if the company has started just selling the product. You can also use it if the company just announced that they were going to release the product: They just introduced a new ultra-flat-screen TV at the Consumer Electronics Conference which is supposed to be available later this year. Notice that this phrase is followed by the singular ("introduced a new ultra-flat-screen TV ") instead of the plural ("introduced new ultra-flat-screen TVs"). a tablet computer This is a flat computer device with a screen but no keyboard attached, like the Apple iPad. 10. I wish I didn't 虚拟语气 have that stray hair sticking out. You're looking at vacation photos with your husband. There's one photo which has a beautiful background, but there's a problem with your hair. You complain about it. I wish (something)(didn't/wasn't)(something) When you use the phrase "I wish ___" to talk about things that you would like to be different, use the past tense instead of present tense: I wish I wasn't so thin. I wish I knew how to help you, but I don't. If you ever need to wish about something that happened in the past, you use past perfect tense: I wish you'd told me sooner. stray hair When some of a person's hair isn't in the right place, you can call it "stray hair": You have some stray hair sticking out 傲然独立, 孑然独立 over there. Other things that can be "stray", meaning not in the right place, include: a stray pet, a stray bullet. 11. Is this seat taken 这里有人了吗? You're in a coffee shop. You're looking for somewhere to sit, but there aren't many empty tables. You see a chair with no one sitting in it, but there's someone sitting next to it. This is how you ask the person if it's OK to take the chair. This is a set expression that people use when asking to use a chair in a public place that's close to where another person is sitting. You will often hear "Is this seat taken?" in movies and on TV shows when a person sits with someone who they don't know well. Usually in those scenes, the characters have a conversation with each other. So if you ask "Is this seat taken?" people might think that you're going to talk to them. If you want to make sure that they don't think this, you can ask for the chair in a less common way like: Is anyone using this? Do you mind if I sit here? 12. Any assistance you can provide would be greatly appreciated. You're working on a charity event to raise money for cancer research. You'd like to ask some of your co-workers for help with the event, so you write an e-mail about it to a group of people. You write them an email explaining where the money from the event will go. You write this. provide (someone) (with) assistance To "provide (someone) with assistance" just means to help them. So the following phrases have nearly the same meaning: Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. But "assistance" is a more formal word than "help". "Provide" is also formal. It means to give something or to make something available for people to use: These results provide support for the theory that humankind evolved speech later than scientists had previously thought. "Provide ___" is really common in writing. Here are some of the most common things that people "provide": provide information, provide opportunities, provide assistance, provide health care, provide insurance, provide training. (something) would be greatly appreciated Use this expression to formally ask people for help, money, information, etc.: Your donations would be greatly appreciated. If you have any comments or suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. Words that go well in this phrase include: "information", "assistance", "donations", "suggestions". "___ would be greatly appreciated" is especially used in writing. 13. Can you close that for me and launch the sales tracking report again? You're training a new employee at your company. You're showing him how to use one of the company's software applications. You've finished explaining one part of the application, so you ask him to move back to another part that you were showing him before. Can you (do something) for me? This is a way of asking someone to help you: Hey, can you get that for me? Use it with people in your family, your close friends, and people who you have authority over like your employees or students. With people you're not as close with, you can ask "Would you mind ___ing for me?": Excuse me. Would you mind watching over my stuff for me for just a minute? launch (a computer program) "Launching" a computer program means starting it up. For example: I tried launching Internet Explorer, but it crashed. English speakers especially use the word "launch" for programs that start up slowly. The word "open" can be used for any program, whether it's fast or slow to start: Open Excel, and then choose "File" and then "Create from Template". the (something) report In business, people create standard reports (documents with useful information) and give them names such as: customer retention report 客户存留报告, 留存率 (a report about how many customers stay and how many leave). production tracking report (a report that keeps track of a production process). spoilage report (a report that shows how much of a product or material is being wasted). The specific names of each report will depend on the company and industry. However, they usally follow the pattern of: (topic) (detail) report The topic is something like "sales", "customer", "materials", "profit", "traffic", etc. The detail can include a variety of different things, but it usually takes the form of a noun like "tracking" (showing the current progress) or "billing". 14. I nicked 划破, 划伤, 割伤, 割破, 切到 it shaving. Your ear has a cut on it. It happened when you were shaving this morning. Your daughter asks what happened, so this is your answer. (someone) nicked (something) To "nick" something means to accidentally cut it a little bit. For example, people "nick" themselves when they're shaving. You might "nick" your finger while cutting vegetables in the kitchen. A "nick" is smaller than a cut: Don't worry. It's just a nick 划了一下. (someone)(did something)(doing something) Talk about an accident that happened while a person was doing something: I ripped the page trying to pull it out of the folder. This means "I ripped the page while I was trying to pull it out of the folder." She tripped going up the stairs. This means that she tripped while she was going up the stairs. The two things should be very closely connected. If two things happened at the same time, but they're not connected, you should use a different structure like this: I dropped my phone in the airport when I was walking to my gate. 15. Albert got all defensive when I commented on his design. At work, a software designer made a design for a new product. You saw some problems with the design, so you talked to him about the problems. He got angry and fought back against each point. Now you're telling another co-worker about it. You say this. (someone) got all (adjective) To "get all ___" means to show too much of an emotion: There's no need to get all angry about it 搞那么生气. I was just trying to help! She's at an age now where she gets all embarrassed whenever I say anything to her friends or classmates. These sentences mean the same thing as they would without "all", but "all" helps to show how you feel about the person's emotion. It shows that you think this level of emotion is too much and not needed. This phrase is mostly used in casual spoken English. get defensive (about something) "Getting defensive" means acting like someone is emotionally attacking you. Here are a few examples of people "getting defensive": You are eating dinner at your sister's house, and you put some extra salt on your food. She says, "What, is my cooking not good enough for you?" You give some suggestions to your employee about how to organize her e-mail better. She argues back against every point that you make, and seems upset about it. comment on (something) 发表意见, 发表看法 To "comment on" a topic means to talk about it and give your opinion on it. Here are some examples: A news reporter asks a politician: Senator Fredericks, would you care to comment on President Obama's statement? A woman can say to her sister: You didn't even comment on my haircut! 16. Hurry up and make up your mind 别犹豫了, 赶紧决定. You're at a restaurant with your kids. You are all looking at the menu and trying to decide what to get. Everyone has decided except for your daughter. The waiter is coming over to your table, so you want her to decide quickly. You tell her this. "Hurry up and ___" is used in casual situations, and usually when you are a little frustrated with how long someone is taking to do something: Hurry up and get ready. We're already running late! make up (one's) mind The phrase "make up your mind" means to decide. It's usually used when someone is considering a few different choices and can't decide which of the choices to go with: A: Which one are you going to get? B: I haven't made up my mind yet. 17. Yes, I just wanted to verify that my payment has been received? There's a loan payment that you have to pay before a certain date. You sent your payment for the bill, but you're not sure that the bank received it yet. So you call the bank to confirm. You start the phone conversation by saying this. If someone asks about the dishes in the dishwasher: Have these been run? ...the speaker asks "Have these been run" instead of "Did you run these?" because it's not important who ran the dishes. It could be any member of the family. I wanted to (do something) A very polite way to explain why you're doing something is "I wanted to ___". For example: Hi Jen. I wanted to see if you'd like to come out with Emma and I and some friends of ours to a show next week. Note that this is in past tense: you say "I wanted to ___" instead of "I want to ___". There's no grammatical reason for making it past tense; it just makes your sentence sound more polite. When you say it this way, it sounds like an explanation for why you're calling, why you're visiting, etc. just (do something) You use this phrase when the action you're describing seems easy, simple, fast, unimportant, or unexciting: I just googled "new york florist" and that was the first shop that came up, so I called them. A: What did you do this weekend? B: I just sat at home and watched T.V. receive (something) To "receive" something basically means to get it from someone. We received over a hundred submissions. The word "receive" is pretty formal. It's used in official documents or in business communication. In normal conversation, "get" is more common: We got over a hundred submissions. "Receive" is often used in a pair with the word "give" - there's a famous saying "It's better to give than to receive." Yes, (sentence) This is a polite way to start a telephone conversation with a business when you don't know the person you're talking to. You speak this way when: You call customer support. You call for someone at work, but someone else answers. You call to make an appointment with a doctor, dentist, hair stylist, etc. verify that (clause) To "verify" that something is true means to make sure. "Verify" is a more formal word and usually used in business situations where you don't know the person you're talking to. You verify "that ___". You can also replace the clause with a word like "something": Can I just verify something? 18. It's good stuff 好东西. Organic, no artificial flavors 人工增味剂 or preservatives 防腐剂... and it's pretty tasty! You're eating a snack at work that you bought from a health food store. It's a snack bar that you often buy because you like it. A coworker asks what you're eating, so you recommend it. (something) is good stuff This is a phrase which has become more popular in the last several years. We talk about food, drinks, or ingredients which are high-quality by saying that they are "good stuff": A: Have you had some of this? B: Yeah. It's good stuff, huh? organic (food) Organic food is made without unnatural chemicals such as: pesticides (chemicals that kill insects or animals), herbicides 除草剂 (chemicals that kill weeds), chemical fertilizers 化肥 (which make plants grow more quickly), antibiotics (medicines which kill bacteria. In some countries, food that is labeled "organic" must be inspected and pass certain tests to prove that unnatural chemicals were not used. artificial flavors 人工调味剂 (and/or) preservatives "Artificial" means "not natural". "Preservatives" are chemicals which are put in food to keep it from going bad quickly. So "artificial flavors and preservatives" are chemicals which are put in food to make it taste different or last longer. You mostly find this phrase on food commercials and packaging. Foods which are made naturally will often advertise "No artificial flavors or preservatives!" (something) is tasty 不错吃 If something tastes good, you can say that it is "tasty". However, "tasty" is not as good as other words like "delicious". So you might have a conversation like this if someone cooks for you and they're very sensitive about their cooking skill: A: How was it? B: It was tasty. A: So you didn't like it? B: No! I liked it! I said it was tasty, didn't I? 19. I bought these here earlier today, but when I got them home I discovered that one of them seems to have a hole in it. Earlier today you bought a pair of gloves, but one of them had a hole in it. Now you've returned to the store where you bought the gloves. This is how you explain your situation to a cashier on duty. earlier today The meaning of "earlier today" is obvious, but you can use this phrase to mean sometime 2-3 hours before now, and within the same day. get (something) home 拿回家, 带回家 When you buy something new, you take it back home with you. To describe this action, use the phrase "get it home": I can't wait to get it home and try it out! This phrase is only used for new things that you buy, get as a gift, or are given at work. (someone) discovered 发现 that (clause) Use the phrase "I discovered that..." to talk about learning something by noticing new details. This is different from "realizing" something, which also means to start to think something. But "realizing" things takes more mental work than "discovering" things: As I was riding the train home, I realized that I'd left my keys in the closet at work. You could also use the word "noticed": I bought these here earlier today, but when I got them home I noticed that one of them seems to have a hole in it. (something) seems to (do, have, or be something). You can say that something "seems to be ___" when you notice something but you're not completely sure that you have identified it correctly. For example, if you're video chatting and it takes her a few extra seconds to answer your questions, you can say: There seems to be a bit of a lag 有一点延迟. You can also use "seems to..." to politely point out a problem. For example, imagine that you're paying for a shirt that you buy at a department store, and you give the cashier some cash. But after he counts it, he says to you: You seem to be a bit short 差点, 不够. That means "You don't have enough money." But the cashier just says "You seem to be..." to be polite. "Seems to..." is a way to act like you might be wrong about what you've seen or heard, even if you're actually sure that you're correct. 20. What's it going to take to get through to you? Your son is doing badly in school. You get angry at him, but he doesn't seem to be interested in taking your advice. You are frustrated and want to complain that he's not listening. You say this to him in frustration. What's it going to take to (do something) 我要怎么样才能, 到底是要怎样才能. This question means "What do I have to do so that ___ will happen?" It's a way of asking what the conditions are for a result that you want. This phrase is often used when you are angry or frustrated that someone will not do what you want. In formal English (written or spoken) , you would say this slightly differently: What will it take in order to (do something)? get through to (someone) This means to make someone understand you or listen to your advice. It can be used when there are difficulties in communication, like when you're talking to someone who speaks a different language: I had trouble getting through to people 让...明白, 才能明白, 才能懂, 才能理解, 才能听话 in English. But it's more commonly used when talking about people who understand what you're saying, but are in disagreement with you. 21. As you're well aware, all requests for tech support are to go through me 通过我. You're the manager of a tech support department at a company. People are supposed to e-mail you when they need help with their computers and other technology. Then you choose an employee from your staff to help them. One coworker doesn't follow the rules, and always calls one of your staff members directly instead. She just did this again, so you write an angry e-mail telling her not to do this. You begin the e-mail this way. As you're (well) aware, (sentence) This expression introduces something that your reader or listener already knows, but you want to remind them of. "As you're aware," is a formal phrase. A more casual version is "As you know,": As you know, you're supposed to go through me for any help you need with tech issues. You can add "well" to talk about something that your audience knows well already: As you're well aware, we don't allow smoking in the building. You can use this phrase when you're annoyed by someone who keeps making the same mistakes, or just to be helpful. requests for tech support 技术服务 To "request" something means to ask for something. To talk about the things that you ask for and count them, use the phrase "a request for ___": My request for a transfer has been approved! "Tech support" is short for "technical support". Most large companies have some employees whose job is to fix other employees' computers, install software, etc. You call this job, and the tasks that these people do, "tech support". Putting these together, "requests for tech support" means the things that you ask for technical help with. (something) is to (happen) This is a formal and strict-sounding phrase that means that something must happen or is supposed to happen: All students are to return home immediately after school unless they are participating in an approved after-school activity 课外活动. This means that the students have to go home. "You are to ___" is strict-sounding and usually used by people in authority. 22. Think it over (consider 更正式) 好好考虑一下, 好好想想 and let me know in the next week or so. You just interviewed someone for a job in your department. You liked him, so you offered him the job. He didn't immediately make a decision, so you say this to give him some more time to think about it. think it over To "think it over" means to think about something that you have to make a decision on. In the example above, the job applicant has to "think over" whether to take the job. This expression almost always uses "it": Let me think it over. If you don't use "it", the word order changes: Have you thought over my offer? A more formal word that means something similar to "think it over" is "consider". You would write this if you were offering someone a job in writing: Please consider our offer and let us know what your decision is by next Thursday, March 10th. (a period of time) or so This is an expression for talking about time loosely. "The next week or so" means "about the next week". It could be in 5 days, in 10 days, etc. I'll be travelling for the next week or so. Other phrases that use "or so" include: the first day or so, the last year or so, for an hour or so. For example: This is one of the best songs I think I've heard in the last decade or so. 23. Guys, I thought that Craig brought up a good point earlier. You're in a meeting at work. There's a discussion going on. One of your coworkers said something that was smart, but the other people didn't seem to notice what he said. You support him. bring up (a topic) This means to introduce a topic into the conversation, or to start talking about a topic. When you use "that", "it", "her" or other pronoun, the order is "bring ___ up". When you use a noun or longer phrase, use the order "bring up ___" I'm glad you brought that up. I don't know why she had to bring up the fact that we used to go out in front of all those people. In very formal situations, avoid calling a group of people "guys". Instead, use a phrase like "everyone": Everyone, thank you for coming. a good point When there's a debate or discussion going on, a "good point" is an idea which is convincing and makes sense. For example: A: I think we should take Highway 75. B: But I bet there's a lot of traffic right now. A: That's a good point. You can also just say "Good point" when someone says something convincing: A: There's no way we'll be able to finish in time to make it to the opening. B: Good point. 24. Yeah, good luck with that (good luck with/on something). Your friend isn't a very good singer, but he tells you that he's going to enter a singing talent show. He says that he's sure that he'll win first place. You don't think that's possible. You say this under your breath (quietly, so he can't hear). If you want to specify what you're wishing them good luck with, you can say "good luck on (something)": Good luck on your job search! Good luck with that. "Good luck with that" is a set phrase that people say when you're going to try something that they think will be hard or impossible. The literal meaning of "good luck with that" is simply, "I hope that you succeed with that." However, this phrase has become popular to use sarcastically. So it often means "I don't think that you're going to succeed." Any kind of sarcasm should be used carefully, and only with people who you're close with. If you sincerely want to wish someone good luck, you can simply replace "that" with a longer phrase: Good luck with the competition! You can also use "on" instead of "with": Good luck on your exams. Sometimes we use "Yeah" sarcastically. This means that you actually disagree with what a person has said, but instead of saying "No" you say "Yeah". For example: A: I'm sorry! B: Yeah, right. That's what you always say. A: I'm going to beat you. You don't stand a chance! B: Yeah, we'll see. 25. It hasn't really sunk in yet. You just got married a few weeks ago. Now you're talking with a friend who asks what it's like being married. You don't feel any different yet from how you felt before your wedding, so you say this. (something) sinks in When an idea or thought "sinks in", it means that you notice or realize it. For example: This isn't something you can just cram for the night before. It takes at least a few days to sink in 真正理解. The true meaning of what the Reverend was telling us finally sunk in. No rush. Take some time, let it sink in, and get back to me with an answer tomorrow. "Sinking in" is a deeper experience than just "knowing". In the example above, the speaker knows that she's married, but it hasn't "sunk in" yet. She's waiting to not only know that she's married, but also to feel married. (something) hasn't (done something) yet (yet 用于完成时中, 有人也用于过去式中, 但是其实是语法不对的) "Yet" means "before now" but we only use it with negative sentences and questions: I haven't finished it yet. Have you seen it yet? When people use the word "yet", it usually goes with the perfect form of a verb, like "has done", "has been", "has ___en", and so on. They haven't started yet, have they? Have any of you bought one of the new iPhones yet? In very casual English, people sometimes use the simple past: Did you buy an iPhone yet? But a lot of English speakers don't speak this way, and it wouldn't be considered correct grammar in written English. 26. I've had to walk up and down six flights of stairs all week 关于楼梯的各种用词. You live on the 6th floor of an apartment building. This week, the elevator has been broken. (someone) has had to (do something) Use this for something that you had to do in the past, and you still have to do it. In other words, use this to talk about an obligation that started in the past and has continued until the present. For example, if you lost your job and haven't found a new one yet, you can say: I've had to cut back on my expenses and rely on my friends and family for help. walk up and down the stairs When complaining about stairs, people often use the phrase "walk up and down". This sounds tiring. If you're not talking about how tiring the stairs are, you can use the phrase "take the stairs" instead: The elevator was broken so I took the stairs 走楼梯. a flight of stairs "Stairs" can't easily be counted, but here are ways that you can specifically count them: One whole set of stairs in a building is called a "staircase". Most buildings only have one staircase, but some large buildings might have 2 or 3 separate staircases. One "flight of stairs" connects two floors. For example, between the ground floor and the 2nd floor is one flight of stairs; between the 2nd and 3rd floor is another flight, and so on. There can be several flights of stairs in one staircase. Sometimes there will be a "landing" halfway up a flight of stairs. This is a wider area where the stairs turn around and go in another direction. A staircase or a flight of stairs is made up of lots of "steps 几级台阶". You usually walk up one step at a time. 27. I'll get to that in just a minute. You're giving a presentation at work. One of your employees asks a question. You have slide in your presentation which answers that question, so you ask her to wait. get to (something) 说到, 讲到, 谈到 When you use "get to ___", it sounds like you have a long list of things to do, and you're finally reaching one item on the list. You use this phrase when you're busy: I'll try to get to that this afternoon. You can also use this phrase when you have a lot of things that you want to talk about in a conversation, a speech, a meeting, etc. I wanted to talk about the new marketing campaign we just rolled out, but it looks like we won't be able to get to that today. 29. Let me take you around and introduce you to everyone. There's a new employee in your department. You're training her. You think she should meet the other people that you work with, so you suggest this. take (someone) around 带着看看, 四处看看 Use this phrase to talk about giving someone a tour. You can give someone a tour of a city: I had some friends come to visit from out of town, so I took them around and showed them the sights. Or a company, school, etc: Ana, why don't you take him around and show him where everything is? The phrase "take ___ around" is more casual than "give ___ a tour". introduce (someone) to (someone) When you "introduce" a person, you explain who they are. To talk about introducing people, we use the form "Introduce (A) to (B)". It's a little unclear in this situation which person you're talking about, and which person you're talking to. For example: Have I introduced you to Monica? This means "Have I explained to you who Monica is?" but it also means "Have I explained who you are to Monica?" We also use the phrase "Introduce ___ to each other." I think I'm the one who introduced Bill and Ali to each other. We sometimes use the word "everyone" to talk about everyone in a specific group. For example, if a friend comes to your dinner party, ask: Thu, have you met everyone? It means "Have you met everyone at this party?". 30. Time out. I need to sit down and catch my breath. You and a friend are playing basketball together. You say this because you're getting really tired and you need to rest. Time out. This is what you say in a game if you want to take a break. In a formal competition, each team has a certain number of "time outs" 暂停 that they are allowed to take. When you're just playing with friends, you can ask for a "time out" whenever you get too tired or thirsty to keep playing. "Time out" was originally used in sports, but its meaning is sometimes extended to other situations. For example, imagine that your friend is telling a story. In the middle of the story, she says something really surprising but doesn't stop to explain it. She's continuing to tell her story, but you want to hear more about the surprising thing she just said. You say: Whoa, time out! You and Jess broke up?! "Time out" in this situation means that you want your friend to stop her story. catch (one's) breath 喘不上气, 喘不过气来 When you're breathing really quickly but don't feel like you're getting enough air, you say: I can't catch my breath. So to "catch your breath" means to rest and wait for your breathing to become normal again.
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