“不可靠”怎么说

"这个人不太可靠"怎么表达？叫某人"不要那么坏"该怎么说？下文就来告诉你。

1. He is shaky.
他不太可靠。

Shaky 是指"动摇，不稳定, 不太确定"，通常就是指一个人不太可靠。另外 shaky 也可以用来形容数据，比如教授在课堂上说"The data is shaky."意思就是"这些 data 怪怪的，不太可靠。"Shaky 另外有一个惯用法：He has a shaky start. 就是说有人要上台报告准备却不够充分，以致一上去就开始紧张, 冒冷汗, 不知所云, 这种情况老美就会说"He has a shaky start. "或是另一个很意思很接近的说法："He has a bumpy ride."

2. You are mean.
你很坏。

Mean 这个词当形容词可以有两种解释，一种是指别人很坏，这种坏并不是说是坏人的"坏", 而是像有时候男生喜欢耍贫嘴，这种行为你就可以说他"You are so mean."

另外一种 mean 则是解释成 "贱"。我想就是指"行为很让人瞧不起", 比如说吧，有一只猫, 你拿东西给它吃, 它就过来跟你亲热, 你没东西给它吃它就躲的远远的, 这样的行为你就可以用 mean 来形容，你可以说"The cat is so mean. "

有时候 mean 在口语中也可以当成 cool 的意思喔! 例如别人看到一辆很拉风的跑车, 他说, "Wow, look at that car, that is mean!" 在这里不可能说一部车很贱, 所以这个 mean 就是当成 cool 来解释。

办公室会话：零食

零食可是办公室里不可缺少的小点哦。看看Brian 和 Mary是怎么谈论吃零食的吧。

Brian: Would you like to have some ice-cream? I've got a variety of flavors for you to choose from. I've got strawberry, peach, chocolate, coffee, vanilla and praline.
布莱恩：要吃冰淇淋吗？我这有好多口味让你挑，有草莓的、桃的、巧克力的、咖啡的、香草的，还有果仁的。

Mary: Wow! What choices you have! I wish I could, but I just can't. I'm on a diet to lose weight.
玛丽：哇，这么多种！要是我能吃就好了，可是不行啊，我在节食减肥呢。

Brian: Come on, it's just a bite. It doesn't really hurt to have just a bite.
布莱恩：哎呦，就咬一口嘛，不会影响你减肥的啦。

Mary: I'd better not. Please don't tempt me. Please!
玛丽：我还是不吃了。求你了，别勾引我。

Brian: Gee! You are really strong-willed.
布莱恩：哈，你意志还真坚定啊。

Mary: You're damn right. I'm not so easily coaxed into doing something that I think is wrong.
玛丽：没错。想勾引我做不好的事不是那么容易的。

Brian: Well, I'd better not tempt you. Otherwise, if I give you a piece of cake, you might ask for a glass of milk.
布莱恩：那我还是不勾引你了。要不然你该得寸进尺了。

汇丰银行商务写作教程（5）

对商务写作中的 organising 感到头痛吗？下面就教你organising 的 SOFAR 五步法。

Organising: SOFAR Strategy

So far, so good?

Actually, if you remember that expression - SOFAR -- it'll help you remember how to organise external correspondence.

Salutation
Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss...

Opening
Background + Purpose

Facts
Reader's Information

Action
Reader's Response

Remarks
Polite Closing

You can also use this outline for memos and internal e-mails. Just leave out the salutation.


SALUTATION

The Salutation begins with 'Dear'.

The Salutation should include the reader's name (eg, Dear Mr Chan, Dear Ms Lewis). You can use the reader's first name (eg, Dear John) if you know them well.

If you do not know the reader's name, use "Dear Sir" or "Dear Madam".

If you do not know if the reader is a man or a woman, use "Dear Sir or Madam".

OPENING (BACKGROUND)

The Opening includes two parts (and usually two paragraphs):
the background (referring to previous contact with the reader or introducing a situation)
the writer's purpose

These provide a logical introduction to your correspondence and help the reader focus on the subject.

The background "sets the scene" by referring to a previous contact (memo, letter, phone call etc). If you've had no previous contact with the reader, you should briefly describe the situation that you are writing about.

EXAMPLES:
Previous contact: Thank you for your call this morning.
A situation: Our annual staff party is coming soon!
An attention-grabbing statement or question: Have you heard
about...? Our Department Open Day is coming soon!

Some opening sentences are better than others.

Read through the sentences in the table below. Decide which sentence of each pair (in Column A and Column B) is better.

Column A
Column B

With reference to your correspondence of 21 August...
Thank you for your letter of 21 August.

Further to our conversation earlier today...
Thank you for your call today about...

Regarding your request for credit approval...
I have just received your request for credit approval.


If you chose the sentences in Column B, you've chosen the better ones.

Why?

Sentences that begin with prepositions (eg, with, in, further, for, following, regarding) are difficult to write correctly. They are also quite long and therefore more difficult for your reader to understand.

So, keep your writing simple by writing shorter, more direct sentences.

OPENING (WRITER'S PURPOSE)

In the second part of the opening you state the writer's purpose.

You've already learned (in Chapter 1) that there can be many purposes for writing.

Two of the most common reasons are:
to inform someone about something
to request someone to do something.

Look at the memo from the General Manager again. Which sentence states the manager's purpose for writing?

The HSBC Group
MEMO




To: All Staff
Date: 20 July 200X

From: General Manager
Reference

Subject: Dress Code
  




As you know, we have always enforced a strict dress code. We have now revised this code.

I would like to inform you of the changes.

The code for branch staff and office staff is different. As I'm sure you will appreciate, there are no changes for branch staff. All branch staff must wear the correct uniform at all times. On the other hand, if you work in the office, you may wear 'smart-casual' wear. However, on any day that you do meet people from outside the company, please ensure you are dressed in a business-like manner.

Please adopt the new dress code from 1 September. If you have any questions, please call Annie Wong on 2344 7765.


Answer: I would like to inform you of the changes.

To practise writing openings, do the exercise below.

Read the two situations below and write an appropriate opening for each of them.

Situation 1: You are replying to a customer who called this morning asking for details about opening a new account.

Situation 2: You are replying to a customer's letter that you received yesterday. He would like to know why delivery of his order is late.

Suggested answers:

Situation 1:
Thank you for calling this morning asking about how to open a new account.
I am delighted to give you the details about opening a Premier account.

Situation 2:
Thank you for your letter of 28 April about the delivery of your order.
I apologise for the delay and would like to explain what has happened.


FACTS

In the Opening, you provide your reader with background information and state your purpose.

In the next part of the letter - Facts - you provide all the information your reader needs so that they can
understand your purpose completely
respond appropriately.

Remember, though - only one main idea per paragraph! If you have a lot of information for the reader, write several paragraphs in this section.

ACTION

After reading the information you have provided in the Facts section, your reader should be able to respond.

In the next section -- Action -- you should tell your reader
how to respond (what they need to do)
when to respond (by what date/time).

For example, if you are writing to invite someone to lunch, what do you want your reader to do? Come to lunch, right? It may seem obvious to you, but you need to make it obvious to your reader, too. That will get the result you want.

Example:

Writer's Purpose:
I'd like to invite you to lunch next Thursday.

Reader's Response:
Please call by Tuesday and let me know if you can come.


What you want your reader to do often depends on why you are writing.



Writer's purpose Reader's response  
Invite  Please let me know if you will be able to join us.
Confirm If we need to make any changes to the schedule, please let me know before Friday.
Inform Please adopt the new dress code from 1 September.
Request Please send your bid to us by 15 March.
Complain Please deliver the delayed shipment within three days.
   

REMARKS

When writing to customers, you want to end politely and positively. You often can do this with just one sentence.

But be careful! Try to make your writing sound natural - as if you were speaking to the reader face-to-face.

Have you ever written sentences like these? Would you actually say them to someone in person?

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Assuring you of our best attention at all times.
Thanking you in anticipation.



Think about a more natural way to close a letter, memo, fax or e-mail.

Examples:

I look forward to hearing from you.
I look forward to receiving your order.
I hope this information is useful.
Please call me if you need any further information.
Please call me if you have any questions.

“倒胃口”怎么说

现在充斥银屏的各种选秀、辫子戏、言情戏一定是让很多人厌烦不已、倒尽了胃口。那我们要用英语表达这种"厌烦"、"倒胃口"的情绪该怎么说呢？下文就教给大家一些常用的口语表达。

1. That movie was a turn-off.
那部电影真是让我倒尽胃口。

"Turn-off" 就是让你"倒胃口的东西", 而"turn-on"则是你"非常喜欢的东西"，例如你说"She is a turn-off."就表示说"你对她是一点兴趣都没有。"要是 "She is a turn-on."那就表示"你对她蛮有兴趣的"。此外, turn-on 跟 turn-off 也可以当成一种个人喜好上的标准, 比如说征友吧, 你说"我不想要低于 160 cm 的", 则低于 160 就是你的 turn-off, 也等于 What's not。如果说"我喜欢住在美国的", 那 "住在美国" 就是你的 turn-on。另外也有人把 turn-on 说成 What's hot，把 turn off 说成 What's not，大家可以看情况自行运用。

Turn on 当动词的时候也非常普遍, 例如你可以说：The movie totally turns me off. 或是 she turns me off.

2. I'm so pissed off with his attitude.
我对他的态度感到非常反感。

Piss 原意是"上小号"的意思, 但是现在几乎没有人会用 piss 来代表"上小号"的意思了, 反而是常用在 pissed off 这个片语上, 指的是"反感, 厌恶"的意思，例如老美会说"He pissed me off."就是说"他把我给惹毛了。"

补充一点就是"上小号"可以有很多讲法，例如 pee，take a piss，take a slash，relieve myself，take a number one，urinate 等等。

3. I am sick and tired of doing homework.
我对做作业感到厌烦。

Sick and tired of something 可以视之为一个片语,并没有 sick (生病) 的意思在里面! 例如贩卖机老是吃钱，你也可以说"I am sick and tired of this vending machine."还有一句话也很有趣：I am so sick and tired of being sick and tired. 就是说"你对于老是感到厌烦已经感到十分厌烦了", 我想这是很多都市人共同的心声吧。

办公室会话：发火

生活中，工作中难免会有一些让人生气的事情，在职场中，人们是怎么谈论的呢？我们来看下面几段小对话吧。

（1）

Clara: What happened just now, Mark? You weren't very kind when you were talking with Ted. What do you have against him?
克拉拉：马克，刚才怎么回事？你和泰德说话的态度不是很好啊。你对他有什么不满吗？

Mark: I just don't like him at all.
马克：我就是不喜欢他。

Clara: Why? Is there something in particular?
克拉拉：为什么？有什么特别的原因吗？

Mark: Well, he has such a mean streak in him! I went to his office to ask him for some help, and he simply turned up his nose at me! I was so angry that I wanted to slap him! He wasn't like that before he got the job. Now he's such a snob!
马克：他太刻薄太无礼了！我刚才去他办公室找他帮忙，他理都不理我一下！气死我了，真想扇他一巴掌！他没坐这个职位以前不是这样的，真势利！

Clara: You want my advice? Let it go.
克拉拉：想听听我的建议吗？别去想了。

Mark: Of course, logically I know you're right, but somehow I just can't bring myself to forget it. Even the mention of his name starts me fuming.
马克：当然，按理说你是对的，可是我就是过不去。就连提他的名字都让我火大。

（2）

Judy: You look like you're fuming. What's going on?
朱蒂：你气得快冒烟了。怎么了？

Andy: The boss is being unreasonable! He flared up at me, making a mountain out of molehill!
安迪：老板太不讲理了！一点小事就冲我发火。

Judy: What's the "molehill" he made a mountain out of?
朱蒂：什么小事？

Andy: I only made a few more copies, and I didn't think it was any big deal, but he blew up at me!
安迪：我就多复印了几份文件，没什么大不了的，他就发火了。

Judy: Well, he has been under a lot of pressure recently. The company has been losing money and he's been a little bit depressed.
朱蒂：哎，他最近压力挺大的。公司一直亏损，他有点沮丧。

Andy: Well, I know he has the blues, but it doesn't mean he can vent his anger on me.
安迪：我知道他心情不好，可是他也不能冲我撒气呀。

（3）

Jane: You look so angry. What happened?
简：你看起来很生气呀，怎么了？

Mark: Nothing. I'd rather not talk about it. Just don't ask.
马克：没什么，我不想说，所以别问了。

Jane: Come on. I think you need to let off some steam. Besides, you shouldn't keep your feelings pent up. They'll eat you alive. So, talk to me.
简：来吧，我觉得你应该把愤怒发泄出来。而且不能压抑自己的情绪，它们会吞了你的。跟我说说。
Mark: All right. This morning I took my car to the garage to have them check the air-conditioner. They only gave it a once-over, refilled it with some Freon, and charged me 300 bucks!
马克：好吧。我今天早上去修车厂修车里的空调，他们就随便看了一下，加了点氟利昂，就要我300块钱！

Jane: No wonder you're livid. I'd be mad, too, if someone ripped me off like that.
简：怪不得你脸都绿了。如果人家这么打发我的话，我也会很生气的。

Mark: Yeah. AND they were rude. They said I didn't know anything about cars, which I don't, but they didn't have to be so blunt!
马克：是啊，更过分的是他们很无礼。他们说我根本不懂车，我是不懂，可是他们也不能这么说我呀！

Jane: Sounds like you got a raw deal! Maybe you should file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Agency.
简：看来你真是受到了很糟的待遇。你可以向消费者保护协会投诉他们。

抱怨：terrible，stupid

"他很糟糕"怎么说？"考试题目很烂"怎么形容？这些都是我们生活中常说的一些抱怨的话，你都知道它们的英语表达吗？赶快来看一看吧！

1. I am terrible. / I am horrible
我很糟糕。

这句话并不是说"我很可怕或恐怖"的意思。这里Terrible 翻成中文的意思是"糟糕"。比如有次我问一个同学上次为什么没来上课? 他的回答是："I am so terrible. I keep skipping my classes."他的意思是说"他很糟糕，常常在跷课。"注意"跷课"是 skip classes哦。有时学生们也会用 terrible 来形容一个教授："He is so terrible."就是说"这个老师教的很烂"。要是用 terrible 来形容一样东西，则表示该样东西很糟糕，例如形容食物，如：The food is terrible. 说的当然就是食物很难吃了!

Horrible 跟 terrible 的意思可说是一模一样, 两者可以互换使用, 例如：The coffee is horrible. 或是 Our professor is horrible.

2. That's so stupid.
真是愚蠢。

Stupid 这个词很好用, 它含有"轻视，不以为然"的味道在里面，比如说考试题目出的很烂， 你就可以说"That's a stupid test."或是有人在冬天的时候提议去游泳，你的反应大概就会是：That's a stupid idea. Stupid 不单只是"笨"的意思, 还有"愚蠢"的味道在里面。中文里说"笨笨的"还有点可爱的味道，但英文中的 stupid 则比较像是我们说的"愚蠢"的意思，听来一点也不可爱。

“Booboo”：错误

"错误"怎么说？相信很多人都会想到mistake，今天我们来给大家介绍一个口语中常用的词：booboo。

我们来看个例子：

A: How did you do on the exam?
考试考得怎么样？

B: Oh, you won't believe it. I got all the questions right at first, and then I decided to go back and make some changes. Guess what? I ended up getting five booboos. I'm kicking myself for that. 噢，你不会相信的。我起先全部答对了。后来决定跑回去改一下。你猜怎么样？结果我错了五题。我怪死自己了。

汇丰银行商务写作教程

开始写作之前要有个计划，这样在写作的时候才会知道自己要写什么、写作的目的是什么，才能更好的考虑用什么样的写作方式。



Chapter 1  Plan



Objectives:



By the end of this chapter, you'll be able to plan your writing. You'll do this by deciding:

--why you are writing

--how you want your reader to respond

--what you want your reader to know



Why do you plan?



What is the value of planning? Think about this...



Have you ever sat at your desk not knowing how to begin? Very often, you may find writing difficult because you start writing right away. In other words, you overlook the importance of planning before you write.  Unfortunately, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail." So you need to plan your writing ... and then write according to your plan. If you plan well, your writing is more likely to get the results you want.



How can you plan your writing?



Effective writers use 3 strategies.



WHY are you writing?

WHAT do you want the reader to do?

WHAT does the reader need to know?



These 3 questions provide a good framework for planning. Let’s look at them one by one.



Why are you writing?



The business world is full of busy people. They don't want to waste time reading meaningless letters, memos, faxes and e-mails. They don't want to guess why you're writing to them. That's why it's very important for you to state your purpose for writing very clearly at the beginning.



Look at the following letter:



20 September 200X

Mr Robert Roman
13/F 151 Gloucester Rd
Wan Chai
Hong Kong

Dear Mr Roman

HSBC CREDIT CARD 5411 8001 7633 8766

Thank you for your letter dated 18 September 200X.

We would advise that the card fee would be automatically billed to your card account annually despite your renewed card is remained uncollected. However, annual fee can be refunded provided that the card is uncollected within a certain period and is returned to the Card Centre for cancellation.

Please therefore pick up your renewed card at your earliest convenience.

We are pleased to be of service.

Yours sincerely

S TSE

Simon Tse
Customer Service Officer
Card Centre




Simon's letter is not as effective as it could be. It's actually quite difficult to identify his purpose. You may have had to guess.

Simon probably wanted to do two things:
--to ask Mr Roman to collect his credit card and
--to explain how the annual fee for credit cards is charged.

So, you need to identify your purpose for writing. Your readers need to know why you are writing to them. Therefore, you should state your purpose for writing very clearly at the beginning. You can do this by writing a sentence which begins with a set phrase followed by a verb. For example,



I’m writing to / I would like to…explain / request…



When you use this method to state your purpose, the verb you choose is very important. Why? Because it helps your reader understand why you are writing.

Here are some of the verbs you can use: announce, complain, confirm, explain, inform, notify, propose, request and suggest.



WHAT do you want the reader to do?



After you decide why you are writing, you need to determine your reader's response.

Your readers need to know exactly what you want them to do. Therefore, you should be very specific when determining your reader's response. Compare the following two sentences:



1. Please therefore pick up your renewed card at your earliest convenience.

2. Please pick up your new card at our Central branch by 31 May.



Sentence 2 is more specific than sentence 1.



Remember: when you decide what you want your reader to do, you need to be as specific as possible.



WHAT does the reader need to know?



So far, you've learned how to determine your purpose for writing and your reader's response. But how can you determine what your reader needs to know? The answer depends on:

--why you are writing and

--what you want the reader to do.



Look at the letter again:



20 September 200X

Mr Robert Roman
13/F 151 Gloucester Rd
Wan Chai
Hong Kong

Dear Mr Roman

HSBC CREDIT CARD 5411 8001 7633 8766

Thank you for your letter dated 18 September 200X.

We would advise that the card fee would be automatically billed to your card account annually despite your renewed card is remained uncollected. However, annual fee can be refunded provided that the card is uncollected within a certain period and is returned to the Card Centre for cancellation.

Please therefore pick up your renewed card at your earliest convenience.

We are pleased to be of service.

Yours sincerely

S TSE

Simon Tse
Customer Service Officer
Card Centre




IF Simon

--wants to explain the charges (writer's purpose)

--expects Mr Roman to understand the charges (reader's response)



THEN Mr Roman needs to know (reader's information)

--WHAT the charges are

--WHY the charges are applied

--WHO to talk to if he has questions



IF Simon

--wants to ask Mr Roman to collect his credit card (writer's purpose)

--expects Mr Roman to collect his credit card (reader's response)



THEN Mr Roman needs to know (reader's information)

--HOW to collect his credit card

--WHERE to collect his credit card

--WHEN to collect his credit card



He needs to know WHO? WHAT? WHY? WHERE? WHEN? and HOW? Some professional writers call these the five W's and the one H. You can use the "5WIH" questions when you plan the reader's information. If you do this, you will ensure that your reader has all the necessary information.



Summary



In this chapter, you've learned the three strategies used in planning. Planning is a key to success in writing. "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail."



Before you start to write, you have to plan what to write. You then write according to your plan. When you plan, you need to consider the following:



--the writer's purpose

--the reader's response

--the reader's information.



In other words, you can help your reader by stating very clearly why you are writing and how you expect your reader to respond. The 5W1H questions (who, what, why, where, when and how) help to ensure you have included all the necessary information.

Then, you can provide the information your reader needs to know.

应聘秘书：面试实例

下面是一位有五年工作经验的人士应聘秘书职位的面试。相信大家可以从中学到不少技巧。

I: Tell me about yourself and your past experience.
说说你自己和你过去的经历吧。

A: I have worked as an executive secretary for 5 years, first for trading companies, and now I am working for a trust company. I interact well with peers, clients, administrators and bosses. I thrive on challenge and work well in high-stress environments.
我已经做执行秘书五年了，开始是为一家贸易公司工作，现在是一家信托公司。我和同事、客户、行政管理员以及老板相处得非常好。我能应付挑战，而且在高压力环境中也能工作很出色。

I: How are your typing and shorthand skills?
你的打字和速记能力如何？

A: I can type 100 Chinese words a minute and take dictation in English at 150 words a minute.
我能一分钟打100个汉字，英语速记一分钟可达150个。

I: Can you operate computers skillfully?
你能熟练操作计算机吗？

A: Yes, I can. I have received some special training in computers. Besides I am good at operating common office machines, such as fax machines and duplicating machines.
没问题，我接受过计算机方面的特殊培训，而且我还能熟练操作一般的办公设备，比如传真机和复印机。

I: Sometimes we are very busy and need to work overtime. How do you feel about that?
有时候我们工作很忙，需要加班，你觉得如何？

A: That's all right. But could you tell me how often and how many hours I should work overtime?
没关系，你能告诉我加班的频率和时间长度吗？

I: It just depends. If we have important visiting delegations, you have to stay with us. It is not unusual.
这得看情况。如果我们有重要的访问代表团，你必须留在我们身边，这种情况很平常。

A: Mr. Smith, I'd like to ask you a question.
史密斯先生，我想问你一个问题。

I: OK, please.
好的，请问吧。

A: What specific duties would I perform if I am hired?
如果我被录用，我的具体职责是什么？

I: Nothing different from a secretary's common responsibilities. However, you know, our company is an international trade-oriented company; can you handle English papers and write English correspondence?
和普通的秘书没什么区别，但我们公司是面向国际贸易的，你能处理英文文件和写英文信件吗？

A: Yes. I specialized in English secretary studies at college and that's one of the main parts of my present job.
可以，我大学时专门学过英语文秘的课程，而且这也是我目前工作中的主要部分之一。

I: What are your salary expectations?
你期望多少薪水？

A: I really need more information about the job before we start to discuss salary. Maybe you could tell me what is budgeted for the position.
在讨论薪水前，我需要更多了解这份工作，或者你可以告诉我这个职位的预算报酬是多少。

I: The starting monthly salary would be ￥2,000, with rises after the half year according to your competence.
起薪是每月2000元，半年后会根据你的表现增加薪水。

A: I think it is acceptable and I really like the job. And when can I know the decision?
我觉得可以接受，我真的喜欢这份工作。我什么时候能得知结果呢？

I: We will inform you of our final decision by early July. Do you have any other questions?
我们会在7月初通知你我们的最终决定。你还有别的问题吗？

A: No. Thank you for the time.
没有了，谢谢你的宝贵时间。

“宿醉”怎么说

喝酒会让人感觉非常畅快，可是喝酒也有非常不好的一点，就是喝醉了难免会出些洋相，或是呕吐，有些人第二天还有宿醉的症状，很难受。所以这里劝大家一句：酒要少喝，珍惜身体哦！下面我们来看看醉酒的症状都怎么用英语表达。

1. I am still sober.
我还很清醒。

看了这句话，大家是不是有点纳闷？不是要讲"宿醉"吗，怎么说到"清醒"了。我想，有一个道理大家都知道，喝醉的人很少说自己醉。如果你要说自己醉了的话，就是 "I am drunk." 或是用俚语的讲法，把 drunk 换成 afloat，all at sea，bashed，belted 或是 boozed。但如果你坚持自己是清醒的话，就是："I am sober." 要是你要强调自己非常清醒的话，则可以说："I am stone sober." 或是 "I am cold sober."还有一个跟酒醉有关的词叫 hangover，中文翻成"宿醉"，也就是指喝醉酒后隔天早上醒来头痛等等的症状。例如你一早醒来发现头痛得不得了，就可以说："I've got a hangover. Having a hangover sucks. (我还在宿醉啦。宿醉真讨厌)"

在此顺道提醒各位，酒后驾车可是非常不安全的，即使你幸运没出事故，被警察发现也是要受罚的。

2. If you want to puke, just go ahead.
如果你想吐的话，就去吧。

"吐"这个动作在英文里叫 puke 或 throw up，俚语的讲法则是 toss (up) one's cookie。一般人比较容易犯的毛病是把 throw up 说成 throw out，因为感觉上"吐"是往外吐而不是往上吐，其实想想，吐的东西都是在胃里，要吐出来，当然要先"上行"到嗓子眼啦。

汇丰银行商务写作教程

这是汇丰银行内部培训员工用的写作课程。它把写作分为五步：计划、组织、草稿、修改和编辑。分成8章讲解。讲解的时候举具体的例子做示范，对提高商务写作能力很有帮助。今天我们先来了解一下教程的体系和学习计划。

HSBC Writing Course--"Writing for Results"

Chapter 1 Plan your writing
Chapter 2 Organise your writing
Chapter 3 Draft and revise your writing to make it complete
Chapter 4 Revise your writing to make it cohesive
Chapter 5 Revise your writing to make it clear and concise
Chapter 6 Revise your writing to make it courteous
Chapter 7 Structure difficult letters
Chapter 8 Edit your writing


Introduction

Welcome to "Writing for Results", a course that can help you enhance your English writing skills.

HSBC has designed this course for its staff in the Asia Pacific region. HSBC staff study this course to improve the e-mails, memos, faxes and letters they write at work.
If you've never written business documents before, you'll find this course extremely useful. Even if you're familiar with business writing, this course can still help you.

"Writing For Results" will help you write in a modern style. By the end of this course you'll be able to write business documents that are: better organized, more complete, clearer and more concise, more courteous, more correct.

The most important feature of the Writing Process is its five stages:
plan--organize--draft--revise--edit

Good writers follow the five stages of the Writing Process to
--meet their readers' expectations
--get the results they want.

应聘秘书：面试实例

孙女士有多年的秘书工作经验。今天她来到一家公司面试。

A=Applicant I=Interviewer

R: Good morning, madam. Can I help you?
早上好，女士，需要我帮忙吗？

A: Good morning. I am Sunfang. Yesterday Mr. Smith told me to come for a job interview this morning. Is he available now?
早上好，我叫孙芳。昨天史密斯先生通知我今天早上来面试，他现在有时间吗？

R: Yes, he is waiting for you in Room 123.
有，他正在123房间等你。

A: Thank you very much.
非常感谢你。

A: May I come in?
我可以进来吗？

I: Come in, please.
请进。

A: Good morning, Mr. Smith. I am Sunfang coming for an interview.
早上好，史密斯先生。我是孙芳，来面试的。

I: Nice to see you. Take a seat, please.
很高兴见到你。请坐。

A: Thank you.
谢谢。

I: We have been looking over your application. I see you have got several years experience in secretarial work. What kind of work did you do in your previous job?
我们已经仔细看过你的申请表了，我知道你已经有几年的文秘工作经验。你以前的工作具体做什么？

A: I mainly did typing, filing, answering telephone calls and such routine work in the beginning. I started the job as a junior secretary, but within the year I was promoted to senior secretary of Southeast Company. I drafted business correspondence for the general manager.
开始主要是打字、文件归档、回电话等日常工作。刚开始工作时我是初级秘书，不过在一年内我被东南公司提升为高级秘书。我为总经理起草商业信件。

I: Then what's the reason that promoted you to leave Southeast Company?
那什么原因促使你离开东南公司呢？

A: Last month the company moved to Guangzhou for further development. I was reluctant to relocate because I love Nanjing so much.
上个月公司搬到了广州去发展。我很喜欢南京，不想重新安家。

I: Tell me what you know about our company.
能说说你对我们公司的了解吗？

A: Your company is the leading dealer in the import and export of cosmetics. Also, you have a reputation for being a good company to work for and you are in last year's top 500 Employers list.
贵公司在化妆品进出口方面是最主要的经销商，而且你们公司名声很好，值得为其工作，还有你们公司上了去年最佳500名雇主的名单。

I: Tell me three positive qualities your coworkers would use to describe you and your work style.
说说你的同事评价你的为人以及工作方式的三个积极方面。

A: First they'll say I am very punctual. They'll also say I am a cheerful person to work with. I don't bring my problems to work. I try to have a positive attitude about work. And thirdly, they will say I am flexible. I accept change easily.
首先他们会说我是一个非常守时的人。他们也会说和我一起工作很愉快。我从不把个人的麻烦带到工作中。我努力以积极的态度来工作。第三，我处事很灵活--我很容易接受变化。

I: Tell me something about your education.
说说你的教育背景吧。

A: I graduated from Yangzhou Junior College. Now I am attending evening classes in Nanjing Radio & TV University three times a week. My major is International Trade. I have already passed over half of the compulsory courses and five optional courses, and expect to receive a BA degree next year.
我毕业于扬州专科学校，现在正在上南京广播电视大学的夜校，每周去三次，我学的专业是国际贸易。我已经通过了一半必修课和5门选修课，有望明年拿到文学学士学位。

I: I see you are an ambitious young lady. I wish you can make greater progress in the future.
看得出你很有雄心，祝愿你在将来取得更大的进步。

搞怪的“打鼾声”

汉语中，我们常说“鼾声大如雷”；英语中，竟有这样的比拟——“鼾声”好似“锯木声”（to saw logs）。

片语“to saw logs”最早见于20世纪初。据说，当时有位作家耳朵特别好使，喜欢把生活中的各种声音变成文字。一天，他心血来潮，希望能用一种想象的手法描述“打鼾声”。夜深人静，这位怪才作家竟由“听”到的呼噜声想到了“锯原木”的声音……

直至今日，这种“鼾声-锯木”的想象创作仍受漫画家的青睐，比如，他们戏谑打鼾者时，会在他们的头顶附上拉据和木头。

当然，除了“to saw logs”，你还可直接用“to snore”来描述“打鼾”。

看下面一个例句：I could hear Dad sawing logs on the living room couch.（我能听到父亲在卧室躺椅上一直打呼噜。）

“眼冒金星”怎么说

看来，真的要和溜冰说再见了。昨儿那一脚，摔得实在吃不消 —— 只知道是后脑勺着地，随即便是天旋地转、金星乱冒……

对了，汉语的“眼冒金星”还真的能在英语中找到“star”与之相应呢！片语“to see stars”最早见于19世纪，指的就是“两眼冒金星”，常用来形容头部受击后的视觉感受，如：A swinging door hit me and I really saw stars.（一扇旋转门撞得我两眼冒金星）。

此外，还有一个与“star”相关的短语“to have stars in one's eyes”，常用来指“（因爱情、天真、过分乐观而产生的）幸福感”，如Mary has/gets stars in her eyes when she thinks of her boy friend.玛丽想到她的男朋友就乐滋滋的。

“欢迎”的尴尬

某市的市长在为来访的美国客人的欢送宴会上热情地说了这么一句“We welcome you to come to China next year.”而他本想表达的意思是“我们欢迎你们明年再来中国。”可是他的英语意思却好象是“我们明年（迎）接你们再来中国。”

市长“欢迎”错了。这是一个典型的中式英语。这句话在外国人听起来好象中国市长要去美国接他们似的。为什么？

首先，“welcome”作为动词指当客人到场后主人进行欢迎活动。主人表达高兴的心情“欢迎你们明年再来中国”的这个动作还没有发生，客人明年才可能到场，现在怎么举行欢迎活动呢？只有在客人到达后才能用动词“welcome”。所以这句话只能在中国用，若你在美国则说错了。还有就是“Welcome to my home!”（欢迎到我家！）只能在客人到你家并且你也在家的情况下使用，若你不在家则不能这么说。

其次，汉语“我们欢迎你们明年再来中国。”中的“欢迎”并不是真正意义上的“welcome”（欢迎活动）。而是一种邀请和希望，因为动作还未发生。所以应该用“hope”代替“welcome”。

另外，英语中没有“welcome sb to do sth”的句型，如果要按照汉语句型翻译“欢迎某人做某事”，除了用“hope”“wish”外，也可以用形容词性的“welcome”，这里则表达的是一种愿望句型是“sb be welcome to do sth”。因此市长的那句话可以翻译为“We wish you to come to China next year.”“You are welcome to China again next year.”“We hope you can come to China next year.”或“Please feel free to visit China next time”。

那么应该如何用好“欢迎”（ welcome）呢？

1、做动词表示热情接待的动作如欢迎，款待，愉快接受等。
“welcome a friend at the door”（在门口欢迎一位朋友）
“Her marriage was not welcomed by her family.”（她的婚姻家里不接受。）
“We welcomed the delegates from the airport to the hotel.”（我们把代表团从机场接到宾馆。）

2、做名词意思为欢迎，迎接，欢迎辞等。
“extend a warm welcome to sb”（向某人表示热烈欢迎）
“deliver a welcome”（致欢迎辞）
3 做形容词表示受欢迎的，被允许的，尽管的等。
“a welcome guest”（受欢迎的客人）
“You are welcome to (use) my telephone.”（我的电话你尽管用。）
“You’re welcome.”（别客气。）

4 做感叹词意思为欢迎，常常用于客人已到达的场合。跟简单的词如“”“”等，中间不加代词。
“Welcome back!”（欢迎归来！）
“Welcome on board!”（欢迎登船！）
那么类似于“北京欢迎您！”之类的句子就不能想当然地翻译为“Welcome you to Beijing!”，而应该翻译为“Welcome to Beijing!”或“You are welcome to Beijing!”。

因此在翻译“欢迎”时，我们首先要想到的就是形容词性的“welcome”，而不要用成动词；翻译成英语时要把汉语顺序颠倒过来；“welcome”后面不要轻易跟代词，以免变成“接某人”的意思了。

口语：漫天要价

第一次陪大学同学逛商场的时候，她那句颇为经典的“骂”贵——“要价这么高，干嘛不去抢劫呀！”——给我留下了极其深刻的印象。

这种比喻简直太经典了。巧的是，英语中“漫天要价”就是这么表达的——“highway robbery”（拦路抢劫）。

早在莎士比亚的那个年代到16世纪初，旅行者在大路上走的时候经常会遭遇强盗拦路抢劫。后来随着时间的推移，“highway robbery”就被人们用来表达商品或服务高收费的现象——因为商家狮子大开口，所以消费者会感觉自己像被抢劫了一样。

看下面例句：

Two hundred dollars for one night in a hotel? That's highway robbery!
在旅馆住一晚上要200美元？简直是漫天要价！

圆桌上的“大转盘”怎么翻？

曾经有一位中国人在一家豪华餐厅宴请一位美国人，这位美国人指着桌上的大转盘惊叫道：“Wow! Look at the Chinese lazy Susan! She carries so many delicious dishes!”。这里老外用了“lazy Susan”来指代桌上的大转盘，那么为什么要把转盘称为“lazy Susan”呢？

这其中有它的来历。据说以前在美国有一个名叫Susan的女老板，她开了一家名叫Susan Restaurant 的餐馆。餐馆的女服务员觉得为顾客一个个上菜夹菜很麻烦，而顾客自己取菜也不方便，于是就想到了一个主意。她做了一个可以旋转的圆盘放在桌子中间，让顾客自己取食。后来，这种手动旋转圆盘被称为“lazy Susan”。在英语中“餐桌转盘”还有另一种说法即“dumbwaiter”，千万不要按照字面意思翻译为“哑巴服务员”。

其实在英语中，含有人名的成语很多，但大多与人无多大关系，翻译时则不能想当然地按照字面意思翻译。

1. Jack of all trades (and master of none) 万金油，杂而不精的人
直译为“杰克什么都会”，但实际形容什么也不通的人。Jack有勤杂工，伙计的意思。

2. dear John letter 绝交信
据说是约翰的情人写给约翰的信。曾经美国有过一首十分流行的歌曲，写的是一个女子既不忍心又不得不与男友分手的痛苦心情，其中开头的每一句都是“dear John”。也有人认为其出处来自这里。

3. Columbus discovered American 陈年旧事，老生常谈
哥伦布于15世纪发现新大陆已经是人尽皆知的事，不再是什么新闻了。

4. a Judas kiss奸诈，口蜜腹剑
犹大以吻耶稣为暗号，向坏人暗示此人是耶稣，从而出卖了耶稣。所以此语形容奸诈，口蜜腹剑。

5. Joe Miller老掉牙的笑话
Joe Miller于1793年出版了一本笑话集，这样的笑话还不老掉牙吗？

6. John Hancock亲笔签名
源自美国政治家John Hancock。他在《独立宣言》上的签名潇洒有力，引人注目。“ Put your John Hancock here.”指“在此签上你的大名。”

7. David and Jonathan生死与共的朋友，莫逆之交
据《圣经》记载，古以色列国王，耶稣的祖先David，为建立统一的以色列王国，与Jonathan建立了深厚的友谊。

8. Jack shall have Jill.有情人终成眷属。

9. Tom, Dick and Harry张三，李四和王二，普通人

10. as old as Adam 非常古老
《圣经》记载，Adam是上帝创造出的世上的第一个人。“和亚当一样老”自然是“非常古老”了。

11. rob Peter to pay Paul 拆东墙补西墙

12. John Bull 约翰牛
英国或英国人的绰号，表现典型的英国（人）的形象或特征，如顽强刚毅，固执冷峻，气势汹汹，精力旺盛。它会让人联想到头戴高礼帽，身穿夹克杉，足蹬长统靴的矮胖英国绅士的形象。这个绰号是英国人自己取的，源自于英国作家John的讽刺作品The History of John Bull 《约翰牛的生平》。

13. Uncle Sam 山姆大叔
这是美国的绰号。漫画里的美国常常以一个大叔式的人物出现，身材瘦长，身着红蓝白燕尾服和条纹裤，头戴花旗高帽，下巴长着山羊胡子。据说美国独立战争期间，纽约州有个老头叫Sam Wilson,他开了一家肉制品厂，专门为美军供货。由于他爱国，热情，忠厚，大家都叫他Uncle Sam，他自己也很喜欢这种叫法。政府每次收到他的货在验收合格后总习惯打上“ US ”的字样，恰好与“the United States”的缩写相符。后来人们就把Uncle Sam作为美国的绰号。

14. Aunt Sally 众矢之的，受人攻击，嘲讽的对象
在英国集贸市场上曾有一种叫Aunt Sally的木偶，鼻子歪斜，嘴里常常叼着烟斗，游客们朝烟斗投东西以打掉烟斗中奖。

15. Aunt Tom/Jane 专门讨好白人的黑人妇女

16. dumb Dora 傻姑娘，痴情女

17. Queen Anne is dead.老生常谈
安妮女王已经死了，这是人人都知道的事情。

俚语：注意新动向！

最近的股市行情真是一片大好啊！听朋友说，只要是年初买股票的人，都或多或少地赚了一笔。不过，股市瞬息万变，大家可一定要保持警惕，注意股市的风吹草动哦。

保持警惕有很多表达方式，我们今天要说一个形象的说法，叫“keep your ear to the ground”。单看其字面意“把耳朵贴在地上”，估计它的来历你已经猜得八九不离十了吧。没错，该俚语与战争有关。

19世纪末，来自欧洲的美国人与当地的土著居民经常打仗。为了判断敌人是否来了，站岗放哨的士兵会贴着地面听马蹄的声音。有个风吹草动，立刻备站。于是，这种表达就被用来表示“保持警惕，注意新动向。”

俗话说，商场如战场。大家炒股、买基金一定记着“keep your ear to the ground”哦！

看下面例句：

Years ago my uncle kept his ear to the ground and invested in cable TV, and today he's a millionaire.（几年前，我舅舅瞄准新的商机，投资有线电视，现在已经是百万富翁了。）

口语：今儿个“真高兴”

生活中让人高兴的事还真不少，升职啦、喜得贵子啦、亲朋好友团聚啦……就连歌里都唱到“咱们老百姓啊，今儿个真高兴！” 今天我们要说的这个短语“pleased as punch”就是“非常高兴”的意思。

乍一看，是不是有点困惑？“Punch”不是打孔机嘛，难道它也有喜怒哀乐？非也，非也。本短语中的“punch”从英国传统滑稽木偶剧“Punch and Judy”（《潘趣与朱迪》）中来，该剧从17世纪一直风靡至今。

在剧中，潘趣和朱迪是一对夫妇，他们俩经常大呼小叫，有时甚至互相殴打对方。丈夫潘趣是一个长着一个鹰勾鼻、驼背、性情古怪的家伙，每天就喜欢策划各种阴谋诡计。当他的阴谋得逞时，他就会大摇大摆地炫耀自己。于是就有了“pleased as punch”这种说法，表示“非常高兴”，尤其是“自满”。

看下面例句：

Mom looked as pleased as punch when she got your letter!
妈妈收到你的信时特别高兴。

《圣经》语录集锦

在西方历史上占有举足轻重地位的《圣经》，不仅仅是一种宗教的象征，其中故事里的许多说法与典故已经深深渗透到人们的日常语言中，因此了解其中的一些知识是十分必要的。

一、运用特指的建筑物名称，地名等进行表述

1. Garden of Eden 伊甸园。比喻为“人间天堂，乐园”。
From: The Book of Genesis
Example: This place is thought the Garden of Eden by young people.（在年轻人看来，这个地方是他们的伊甸园。）

2. Tower of Babel 巴别塔。比喻为“空想，空中阁楼”。
From: The Book of Genesis
Example: They think Mike’s plan is the Tower of Babel.（他们认为迈克的计划是空想。）

二、运用特指的日常生活用品进行描述

1. Aaron’s rod 亚伦的杖。比喻为“大权在握”。
From: The Book of Exodus
Example: What do you want if you are given Aaron’s rod?（如果你大权在握，你想要什么？）

2. a widow’s cruse 寡妇的坛子。比喻为“貌似有限但取之不竭的财源”。
From: The Book of Kings
Example: In Susan’s yard, the little well is a widow’s cruse, which never dries, even in the severe season of drought.（苏姗家院子里的小井有着取之不竭的水，再干旱的季节都不会干涸。）

3. coat of many colors 彩衣。比喻为“恩宠”。
From: The Book of Genesis
Example: In our classroom, Mary is the one wearing a coat of many colors before our teachers.（在我们班，玛丽是我们老师最喜爱的学生。）

三、两种熟悉的事物合用，表述一种含义。

1. pillar of cloud and pillar of fire 云柱和火柱。比喻为“指明灯”。
From: The Book of Exodus
Example: Jane regards her teachers as pillar of cloud and pillar of fire in her life.（简把她的老师们当作自己人生的指明灯。）

2. loaves and fishes 面包和鱼。比喻为“物质利益，实惠，好处”。
From: The Gospel According to John
Example: They seek office, not to be useful to the state, but for the loaves and fishes.（他们谋求公职，不是为了对国家有用，而是为了个人私利。）

3. dove and olive leaf 鸽子和橄榄枝。比喻为“和平，和解”。
From: The Book of Genesis
Example: They are flying flags of dove and olive leaf instead of war.（他们提出要和平，不要战争。）

电子邮件地址中的@是怎么来的？

人人都知道写电子邮件地址的时候，要加一个@字符，把用户名和邮件服务提供商的名字分开。关于@的起源，说法不一。它的读法就更加是五花八门，而且不乏有趣的联想哦！

What do you call the @ symbol used in e-mail addresses?

That little "a" with a circle curling around it that is found in email addresses is most commonly referred to as the "at" symbol.

Surprisingly though, there is no official, universal name for this sign. There are dozens of strange terms to describe the @ symbol.

Several languages use words that associate the shape of the symbol with some type of animal.

For instance, some quirky names for the @ symbol include:
apenstaartje - Dutch for "monkey's tail"
snabel - Danish for "elephant's trunk"
kissanhnta - Finnish for "cat's tail"
klammeraffe - German for "hanging monkey"
papaki - Greek for "little duck"
kukac - Hungarian for "worm"
dalphaengi - Korean for "snail"
grisehale - Norwegian for "pig's tail"
sobachka - Russian for "little dog"

Before it became the standard symbol for electronic mail, the @ symbol was used to represent the cost or weight of something. For instance, if you purchased 6 apples, you might write it as 6 apples @ $1.10 each.

With the introduction of e-mail came the popularity of the @ symbol. The @ symbol or the "at sign" separates a person's online user name from his mail server address. For instance, [email]joe@uselessknowledge.com[/email]. Its widespread use on the Internet made it necessary to put this symbol on keyboards in other countries that have never seen or used the symbol before. As a result, there is really no official name for this symbol.

The actual origin of the @ symbol remains an enigma.

History tells us that the @ symbol stemmed from the tired hands of the medieval monks. During the Middle Ages before the invention of printing presses, every letter of a word had to be painstakingly transcribed by hand for each copy of a published book. The monks that performed these long, tedious copying duties looked for ways to reduce the number of individual strokes per word for common words. Although the word "at" is quite short to begin with, it was a common enough word in texts and documents that medieval monks thought it would be quicker and easier to shorten the word "at" even more. As a result, the monks looped the "t" around the "a" and created it into a circle-eliminating two strokes of the pen.

Another story tells the @ symbol was used as an abbreviation for the word amphora. Amphora was the unit of measurement that determined the amount held by the large terra cotta jars that were used to ship grain, spices and wine. Giorgio Stabile, an Italian scholar, discovered the @ symbol in a letter written in 1536 by a Florentine trader named Francesco Lapi. It seems likely that some industrious trader saw the @ symbol in a book transcribed by monks using the symbol and appropriated it for use as the amphora abbreviation. This would also explain why it became common to use the symbol in relation to quantities of something.

enigma: 迷，费解的事物

接吻从何起源？

接吻，是一种古老而风行的示爱方式，也是一种甜蜜的享受，世界上不同民族都乐于接受它。接吻能给人一种爱情的美感。在享受爱情美妙的同时，让我们来了解一下接吻这种示爱方式的起源。

Over time, the custom of kissing developed as a way for adults to express their love and affection for one another. The roots of this form of affection can be traced back to primitive times, when mothers fondled their children, much as mothers do today.

Much later, in the sixth century, society apparently accepted the custom of kissing between adults as an expression of their affection. Not surprisingly, France first accepted kissing in courtship,and in amore. There, figure dancing was the rage, and each dance was sealed with a kiss.

The custom of kissing swept from France through Europe to Russia, where Russian nobility loved to ape the French. Eventually, the kiss was incorporated into marriage ceremonies, and today lip-locks couples into sweet matrimony.

The custom of kissing today, as well as in ancient times, serves to show respect, and to pay homage to another. For example, early Romans kissed each other on the mouth or on the eyes to greet one another in a manner they deemed to be a dignified. One Roman emperor even ranked a person's importance by the body part he was allowed to kiss. He allowed important nobles to kiss his lips, less important ones to kiss his hands, and the least important ones to kiss his feet.

In Russia, the highest sign of recognition from the Crown meant a kiss from the Tsar himself. Today, natives of many African tribes pay homage to their Chief by kissing the ground over which he has walked.

fondled: 爱抚



courtship: 求爱




homage: 敬意




Tsar: 沙皇

指甲上的白斑是怎么回事

我们的指甲上有时会出现一些白色的小点，对于这些白斑，各个民族、各种文化都有不同的说法。不过从医学上看，白斑确实也是一种病变哦。我们来看看详细的解释吧。

Some cultures see the white spots as a good luck sign, and even call them fortune or gift spots. There's also the old idea that someone with a white spot on a fingernail is in love, or that the number of white spots equals the number of "sweethearts" a girl has. In an Alice Hoffman novel, a white spot appeared on a character's fingernail each time he lied, a telltale sign like Pinocchio's growing nose.

But fibbing, falling in love, or winning the lottery actually have nothing to do with white spots, unless you happen to hit one of your fingers in all the excitement. Dermatologists (skin doctors) say that white spots and smeary streaks happen to all of us, and are usually nothing to worry about.

The official name for white nail spots is the somewhat scary-sounding punctate leukonychia. (In total leukonychia, the entire nail turns white.) Kids and adults often have one or more random white dots or marks on their nails, especially if they are hard on their hands. Dermatologists say the spots appear because of repeated dings to the nail bed at the base of a fingernail (say, by a striking ball when playing sports). Much rarer causes include infections, systemic illnesses and dietary deficiencies.

White spots are a mix of keratin (a tough protein) and air. The spots are places where, due to an minor injury to the nail bed, new nail cells were incompletely formed or "keratinized." The white spots will rise higher as the nail is pushed up by new growth from the nail bed. Since a nail grows about one millimeter in 10 days, it can take months for the spotted part to reach the tip for trimming off. Meanwhile, you can look at your nail spots and relive memories of all the insults and injuries to your fingers in the past year.

先有鸡还是先有蛋？

鸡下蛋，蛋孵鸡，这周而复始的循环到底从哪里开始？科学家们提出了一种解释--鸡由鸟进化而来，鸟由恐龙进化而来，而恐龙从蛋里孵出来。那就是先有蛋喽？让我们一起来看个究竟吧。

Chicken or egg? Like a hall of mirrors at the carnival, each attempt at an answer just leads to another question. If the chicken came first, then didn't it hatch from an egg? And if the egg came first, wasn't it laid by a chicken? It's one of those questions that seem unanswerable.

Scientists agree on where chickens came from: In a sense, human beings invented them, just like they invented cows and pigs and other domesticated animals on Old MacDonald's Farm.

If chickens were interested in tracing their family trees, they would need to bone up on some DNA research done in Japan. Every chicken that ever lived can trace its ancestors, say researchers, to a particular subspecies of Red Jungle Fowl in Thailand.

The male Red Jungle Fowl looks a lot like a storybook rooster. But the Jungle Fowl isn't identical to a farm chicken. Unlike chickens, female Red Jungle Fowls have no combs. Another Jungle Fowl peculiarity: After mating season, males replace their bright red and orange ruff with a crop of dull, blackish feathers called "eclipse plumage."

Scientists think the first domestic chickens were bred from Red Jungle Fowls more than 8,000 years ago in the region now divided into Thailand and Vietnam. People bred chickens first for cockfighting contests, later for eggs and meat.

So the first official "chicken" pecked its way out of an egg laid by a bird that was not-quite-a-chicken. Depending on how you look at it, the egg--or the wild chicken--came first.

In creating the domestic chicken--and coming up with some 175 varieties--human beings also created a world where chickens rule the roost: There are more chickens than any other kind of domesticated bird on Earth.

And where did birds come from? Scientists think that a group of egg-laying feathered dinosaurs were probably the ancestors of today's birds. So if it weren't for dinosaurs, there wouldn't be any Jungle Fowl OR chickens.

We've solved the riddle of where chickens came from. But there's still the question of where eggs came from.

Scientists say eggs--handy miniature incubators of life, nutrients already packed inside--evolved more than 1 billion years ago, in the oceans of Earth. When land animals evolved about 250 million years ago, their eggs had a tough covering to retain moisture on dry land. Egg-layers like amphibians, reptiles, and insects flourished. The first "land eggs" pre-dated chickens by about 249,992,000 years.

So "the egg" may be one answer to the old riddle, but here's another, if a little longer: The chicken came after the bird, the bird came after the dinosaur, the dinosaur came after the egg. And the egg came long after the first single-celled bacteria, the prokaryotes, evolved in the oceans, some 3.5 billion years ago.

bone up on: 专心致志于

comb: 鸡冠

incubator: 孵卵器

牛奶补钙是谎言？

长期以来，经由医界、媒体报道，乳制品是钙质无可取代的标准来源这一观念已经深入人心。然而，牛奶真有那么大的功效吗？根据科学家们最新的研究，乳制品的钙质可能比绿叶蔬菜还要少，而补钙的最佳食品则可能是易于吸收的豆制品。

Children who drink more milk do not necessarily develop healthier bones, researchers said in a report that stresses exercise and modest consumption of calcium-rich foods such as tofu and broccoli.

Appearing in the journal Pediatrics, the report drew its conclusions from previously published studies and was written by researchers from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which advocates a strict vegetarian diet.

"Under scientific scrutiny, the support for the milk myth crumbles. This analysis of 58 published studies shows that the evidence on which U.S. dairy intake recommendations are based is scant," said study author Dr. Amy Lanou in a statement.

Some earlier studies that extol dairy products as a calcium source have been funded at least in part by the dairy industry.

The U.S. government has gradually increased recommendations for daily calcium intake, largely from dairy products, to between 800 and 1,300 milligrams to promote healthy bones and prevent osteoporosis.

But the Physicians Committee's report said boosting consumption of milk or other dairy products was not necessarily the best way to provide the minimal calcium intake of at least 400 milligrams per day. Other ways to get the absorbable calcium found in one cup of cow's milk include a cup of fortified orange juice, a cup of cooked kale or turnip greens, two packages of instant oats, two-thirds cup of tofu, or 1-2/3 cups of broccoli, the report said.

Several of the studies, which examined such factors as bone density and rate of fractures, concluded that exercise may be more important than increased calcium consumption in developing strong bones.

Data was scarce on the effect of calcium intake for children younger than 7 years, the report said. Dairy products provide 18 percent of the total energy and 25 percent of the total fat intake in the diets of American children, who are developing increasing rates of obesity, it said.

In an editorial in the journal commenting on the report, Frank Greer, a pediatrician at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, said the ideal way to achieve the goal of healthy bones is to make sure children exercise and consume up to 1,300 milligrams a day of calcium.

turnip greens: 萝卜汤

broccoli: 青花菜，甘蓝汤

为什么笑有利于身体健康？

笑--每个人都会的一个简单的动作。笑充满了我们的生活。它不仅表达了我们内心的愉悦，更有利于我们的健康。尤其是对心脏有好处，那到底好在哪里呢，让我们一起来看个究竟。

Laughter is good for the heart because it prolongs life while depression increases the risk of an early death, according to two new studies.

A good bout of laughter every day provides similar cardiovascular benefits as exercise because it stimulates the blood flow, said Michael Miller, who headed one research team at the University of Maryland.

On the other hand, depression -- or the lack of laughter -- is often linked to unhealthy habits such as smoking and drug addiction and increases the risk of death by 44 percent, said Wein Jiang, who led a study of 1,000 heart patients for the University of North Carolina.

Miller said laughter produced a "magnitude of change... in the endothelium... similar to the benefit we might see with aerobic activity, but without the aches, pains and muscle tension associated with exercise."

While laughter should not replace exercise, he said, "we do recommend that you try to laugh on a regular basis. Thirty minutes of exercise three times a week, and 15 minutes of laughter on a daily basis is probably good for the vascular system."

口香糖是怎么制造的

说起口香糖，几乎没有人不知道它。据说瑞典人还曾发现过一块九千年前的口香糖残渣,可见历史的悠久了。尽管现在口香糖已成为一种非常大众化的消费品，但对口香糖的成分，大家了解的可不一定多。下面这篇文章就将为您介绍一下口香糖是怎么制造的。

All recipes for chewing gum manufactured today share the same main ingredients: a gum base, sweeteners, primarily sugar and corn syrup, and flavorings. Some also contain softeners, such as glycerin and vegetable oil. The amount of each added to the mix varies as to which type of gum is being manufactured. For example, bubble gum contains more of the gum base, so that your bubbles don't burst...especially during class!

Though gum manufacturers carefully guard their recipes, they all share the same basic process to reach the finished product. Preparation of the gum base at the factory, by far the lengthiest step, requires that the raw gum materials be melted down in sterilized in a steam cooker, and then pumped to a high-powered centrifuge to rid the gum base of undesirable dirt and bark.

Once the factory workers clean the melted gum base, they combine approximately 20% of the base with 63% sugar, 16% corn syrup, and 1% flavoring oils, such as spearmint, peppermint, and cinnamon. While still warm, they run the mixture between pairs of rollers, which are coated on both sides with powdered sugar, to prevent the resulting ribbon of gum from sticking. The final pair of rollers comes fully equipped with knives, which snip the ribbon into sticks, which yet another machine individually wraps.

The gum base used in these recipes is, for the most part, manufactured, due to economic constraints. In the good old days, the entire gum base came directly from the milky white sap, or chicle, of the sapodilla tree found in Mexico and in Guatemala. There, natives collect the chicle by the bucketful, boil it down, mold it into 25-pound blocks, and ship it directly to chewing gum factories. Those with little or no self-restraint, chew their chicle directly from the tree, as did New England settlers, after watching Indians do the same.

The concept of chewing gum stuck, and continues to play a vital role in our economy, largely due to the many benefits associated with its use. Sales of chewing gum first began in the early 1800s. Later, in the 1860s, chicle was imported as a substitute for rubber, and finally, in approximately the 1890s, for use in chewing gum.

The pure pleasure derived from enraging a schoolteacher by blowing bubbles in class, or from annoying a co-worker by snapping it, is only one of the attractions of chewing gum. Chewing gum actually helps to clean the teeth, and to moisturize the mouth, by stimulating saliva production, which helps to neutralize tooth-decay-forming acids left behind after eating fermented food.

The muscular action of chewing gum also helps to curb a person's appetite for a snack or for a cigarette, to concentrate, to stay alert, to ease tension, and to relax one's nerves and muscles. For these very reasons, the armed forces supplied soldiers with chewing gum in World War I, World War II, in Korea, and in Vietnam. Today, chewing gum is still included in field and combat rations. In fact, the Wrigley Company, following the Department of Defense specifications supplied to government contractors, supplied chewing gum for the distribution to troops stationed in Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf War. It is safe to say that chewing gum has served our country well.

sweetener: 甜料

corn syrup: 玉米糖浆

flavoring: 调味品, 调味料

softener: 软化剂; 柔软剂

glycerin: 甘油，丙三醇

bubble gum: 泡泡糖

steam cooker: 蒸汽蒸煮器（杀菌器）

centrifuge: 离心分离机

spearmint: 荷兰薄荷

peppermint: 胡椒薄荷

cinnamon: 肉桂, 桂皮

sap: .树液

chicle: （中美产的）一种树胶

sapodilla: 人心果树（赤铁科常青树）

saliva: 口水, 唾液

ferment: 发酵

为什么兔子的脚会带来好运？

传说兔子的脚可是一件吉祥物，它会给人带来好运。在古老的宗教信仰中，兔子被认为是神圣的，因为有神灵栖身在它身上。兔子果真如此神通吗？为什么后来人们转而用它的脚来代表好运了呢？请看下文分解。

Superstitions, such as a rabbit's foot being considered lucky, grow out of man's attempts to explain the unknown. When man disproves the old belief, and some still cling to the belief, it becomes a superstition. In Western Europe, prior to 600 B.C., man considered rabbits to be sacred, because of their belief that spirits inhabited the bodies of animals, and also because of their belief that man directly descended from a select few of these animals.

Later, the ancient European Celts adopted portions of the older belief, that rabbits were sacred, and that spirits inhabited their bodies. The Celts, based on the fact that these animals spent an inordinate amount of time in their underground burrows, held the belief that the rabbits' bodies were inhabited by numina, underground spirits with whom they communicated at very close proximity!

Another reason the Celts held the rabbit to be sacred was because of their prowess in the field of reproduction. They believed that the numina intended for rabbits to be put upon pedestals and revered as symbols of procreation, reproduction with a high turnover rate, of health, and of prosperity.

Since the rabbit itself was considered to be lucky, it follows that any of its body parts would also be considered lucky. People selected the rabbit's foot to tote around for good luck because of its capacity to dry quickly, its small size, and the fact that it made a great key chain!

prowess: 威力

pedestals: 台子

revered: 敬畏

为什么一英里等于5280英尺？

从古到今，世界上出现过很多种度量方法。英里是其中的一个度量单位。不过奇怪的一点是，一般的度量单位是以整数进位的，英里却不同。一英里等于5280英尺，而非5000英尺或是6000英尺。原来，这是英国度量单位与罗马度量单位妥协的结果。欲知详情如何，且看下文分解。

The measurement known as a mile is a vestige of the Roman Empire's rule over Britain. At this time, the Romans had a measurement known as mille pasuum (ME-lay PA-soo-em), or a thousand paces. A pace comprised five, possibly sandal shod, Roman feet. Using a simple mathematical calculation, we arrive at 5,000 feet per mile.

The demise of the Roman Empire left the Britons in a quandary. They now had a mile, consisting of 5,000 feet, and their own agricultural measurement, the furlong, used to measure the farmers' fields for the purpose of property deeds, etc. Instead of using the Roman foot in calculating the measure of a furlong, they used the distance a horse could pull a plow, in a linear fashion, before the nag needed a nap. They agreed that this measurement consisted 660 feet.

Now came the dilemma. The British wished to marry the furlong to the mile, but, as they wanted a mile to comprise eight furlongs, totaling 5,280 feet, instead of the Roman 5,000 feet per mile, they had no choice but to select one of the two. Not surprisingly, they chose their measurement over the Roman measurement because, as property deeds at the time were measured in furlongs, or 660 feet, a change to the Roman measurement would short the farmer or landowner.

vestige: 痕迹

demise: 让位，告终

quandary: 窘境

furlong: 浪，英国长度单位

nag: 老马

nap: 小睡

鱼会淹死吗

鱼会淹死吗？这个问题看来很荒谬，因为鱼本来就是生活在水中的，怎么会淹死呢？不过答案却是肯定的，只不过鱼是“淹死”在氧气中的。

Can a fish drown?

YES!

Fish, like people, need oxygen to live.

A fish out of water is a fish out of its element. A fish comes fully equipped with a pair of gills, which it uses to breathe under water. The gills extract life-sustaining oxygen from the hydrogen in the water molecules, in order to regulate the amount of oxygen intake. This maintains the necessary balance of the two components of water for the fish to survive.

When a fish is taken out of water, and exposed only to air, not to oxygen and hydrogen containing water, its gills are unable to control the oxygen intake, the delicate balance cannot be maintained, and the gills inhale a lethal overdose of oxygen. The fish essentially experiences death by "drowning."

gill 腮

hydrogen 氢

molecules 分子

lethal 致命的

为什么会有黄昏

日升日落让我们的地球上有了白天和黑夜。大家都知道太阳的照耀是我们白天有光明的原因。然而，日落后，地球并不是马上被黑暗覆盖的。还会有大约一个小时的时间我们能看到、感受到光亮，这又是为什么呢？

Twilight time: a time of purple clouds, deepening shadows, a fading glow in the sky. Still light enough to play outside, but getting harder and harder to read without a lamp. As a song made popular by the group The Platters in 1958 goes, "Heavenly shades of night are falling; it's twilight time."

Twilight usually refers to the time just after the sun sets in the evening. But it also can mean the time just before the sun rises in the morning. During twilight, although the sun is hidden below the horizon, the sky is still aglow with light, gradually dimming (after sunset) or intensifying (before sunrise).

During twilight, the light for our evening activities comes courtesy of the upper atmosphere.

Circling in a plane at sunset, you can see the sun (and bask in its light) for much longer than if you were on the ground below. It's the same for the atmosphere. Light rays from below the horizon strike the upper atmosphere. The light is refracted (bent) as it passes through air molecules, as well as scattered every which way. The softly illuminated sky creates the twilight, an hour or so of afterglow before night sets in.

In fact, there are actually four categories of twilight. During the evening, it all starts with sunset itself, ending when the Sun has just dipped below the horizon. That's "sunset twilight."

Next comes "civil twilight." During civil twilight it is still light enough to carry on most outdoor activities, like playing tag on the lawn or watering a garden. Big shapes are still visible during this early twilight, even without street lamps or porch lights lit. You may see a few bright stars or planets in the sky. In the continental U.S., civil twilight lasts for about 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the time of the year (evening twilight is longest in the summer) and the location. It ends when the sun is about 6 degrees below the horizon.

Then there's "nautical twilight." During nautical twilight, the sky is dark enough that all the brighter stars are visible. However, someone at sea could still sea the horizon well enough to navigate by star altitudes. By the end of nautical twilight, the Sun has sunk to 12 degrees below the horizon, and the horizon is no longer visible at sea.

Finally, there's "astronomical twilight." More and more stars can be seen, but the sky is still too light for an astronomer to do any serious work. When the sun has dipped to 18 degrees below the horizon, twilight is officially over. Official "astronomical darkness" has begun.

Unfortunately for astronomers, astronomical twilight lasts all night long during the summer in place above 49 degrees latitude. And in winter, it's twilight at noon for people living in far north latitudes.

为什么鸟儿站在电线上不会触电

在乡间，或是大城市中比较清静的地方，常会看到电线上站着一排一排的鸟儿。看到它们在上面休憩、放松的样子，不知你有没有想过：这些鸟儿为什么不会被电到呢？难到因为它们的爪子绝缘么？下面这篇文章将为您解答这个问题。



High above the ground, electrical and telephone poles and their connecting wires must seem made for birds, like artificial trees with limbs that stretch on forever. Sometimes a hundred birds will be stretched out along a wire, in a kind of high-tension convention.

How come a bird on a wire doesn't get shocked? When the bird perches on a live wire, her body becomes charged--for the moment, it's at the same voltage as the wire. But no current flows into her body. A body is a poor conductor compared to copper wire, so there's no reason for electrons to take a detour through the bird. More importantly, electrons current flow from a region of high voltage to one of low voltage. The drifting current, in effect, ignores the bird.

But if a bird (or a power line worker) accidentally touches an electrical "ground" while in contact with the high-voltage wire, she completes an electrical circuit. A ground is a region of approximately zero voltage. The earth, and anything touching it that can conduct current, is the ground.

Like water flowing over a dam into a river, current surges through the bird (or person's) body on its way into the ground. Severe injury or death by electrocution is the result.

That's why a squirrel can run across an electrical line, but sadly die when its foot makes contact with the (grounded) transformer on the pole at wire's end.

It's also why drivers and passengers are warned to stay inside the car if it runs into a downed power line. Touching the ground with your foot would complete the circuit: Electrons would flow from the wire, into the car, and through you on their way into the earth. (Inside the car you are usually protected by the car's four rubber tires, which act as insulators between car and ground.)

Likewise, birds can get in trouble with power lines if wing or wrist bones--or wet feathers--connect bare wires and grounds.

Raptors (birds of prey) are especially likely to be killed by power lines, particularly in the western U.S. In wide-open plains and deserts, power poles are often the only high perches available for hunters like Bald and Golden eagles and Great Horned owls, who survey the landscape for prey and take off into rising wind currents.

Such large birds can easily contact two wires or a wire and a transformer with their great wingspread. And raptors can easily brush against a live wire while settling onto a (grounded) pole-top. Thousands are killed by power lines each year.

How to protect big birds? Power lines can be made less dangerous by widening the gap between conducting and ground wires, insulating wires and metal parts, and moving wires farther away from pole tops. And guards can be built around favorite raptor perches.

为什么头发有直有曲

有些人的头发天生卷曲，有些人却天生一头直发，这其中有什么奥妙在里面吗？烫发又是通过何种原理将头发变直或变曲的呢？下文将为您解释一下。

Hair is curly or straight, depending upon the number of disulfide bonds between hair proteins found in the hair shaft.

The greater the number of links, the curlier the hair, and the fewer the number of links, the straighter the hair.

Hair is primarily composed of keratin, a protein, which grows from a sac called the follicle. Cells in the hair follicle generate keratin, and various other proteins, which become a part of the hair shaft. These proteins contain sulfur atoms, and when two of these sulfur atoms pair up and bond, they form a disulfide bond. If the two sulfur atoms in the same protein are at a distance, and join to form the disulfide bond, the protein will bend.

The amount of humidity in the air not only makes for what some label a "bad hair day," but alters the degree of curliness or of straightness of hair. This occurs when high humidity forces water back into the hair fiber, acts on its protein structure, and forces the hair shaft to return to its original structure.

People can temporarily alter their hair to force it into a straight state, or a curly state, but only on a temporary, not on a permanent, basis. When a straight-haired person gets a "permanent wave," known as a "perm,"he or she is chemically forcing the making of strong disulfide bonds. The wave does not stay permanently, because new hair, which is straight, grows in as the "perm" grows out. People with curly hair may chemically alter their hair to give it a straighter appearance, but this, too, is also a temporary solution to a permanent "problem," with the same end result.

hair shaft: 毛干

keratin: 角蛋白

perm: 烫发

我们为什么会发胖？

人为什么会发胖？比较常见的说法是我们摄入的脂肪高于消耗掉的脂肪，所以就发胖了。但是一项新的研究似乎找到了更科学的原因。想要减肥的人们要注意看啦！

The discovery of the obesity gene in humans half a decade ago offered evidence that chronic weight gain is the consequence of a mismatch between nature and nurture. Simplistic explanations, such as blaming obesity on a drop in fat consumption, ignore scientific reality. In countries like India and China, obesity was virtually unknown until the introduction of a high-fat, western-style diet.

One well-known reason for this is that dietary fat converts to body fat more efficiently than does protein or carbohydrate, but recently scientists have uncovered what appears to be an equally important factor. Some researchers in universities are investigating the possibility that high levels of fat and fructose are mucking up our brain chemistry, and thereby muting the signals that would normally tell us to put down the fork. These signals are produced by peptides, which are regulated by a number of hormones. Under normal conditions these hormones help maintain a stable body weight by adjusting levels of the peptides that control eating. But a diet loaded with fat and fructose hampers the regulation of these hormones. Complicating matters still further is that the brain loses its ability to respond to these hormones as body fat increases -- so the obese are doubly penalized.

Other researchers are finding evidence that constant exposure to fat and sugar can cause some humans to crave them as they do an addictive drug. A Princeton University psychologist recently showed that rats fed a high sugar diet were, when the sugar was removed, thrown into a state of anxiety similar to that seen in withdrawal from morphine or nicotine. Sarah Leibowitz, a neurobiologist, believes that frequent exposure to fatty foods may configure the brain to crave still more fat. She has shown in animal studies that galanin, a brain peptide that simulates eating behavior and decreases energy expenditure, increases when the animal eats a high-fat diet.

There are many factors contributing to the explosion of obesity in the United States, and the world, but the radical changes in the composition of our diet are first among them. While scientific work in this area is in its infancy, it's already clear that varying the amount of fat and other nutrients in the diet affects brain chemistry by activating certain genes, and this in turn directs our dietary preferences. By submitting ourselves to a steady dose of highly processed, sweet, high-fat foods, we have unwittingly entered into a dangerous experiment, the long term consequences of which are only now beginning to surface.

converts to: 转换为

muck up: 扰乱

crave: 渴望

A Walk in the Clouds《云中漫步》

Paul: I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Paul Sutton.

Victoria: Victoria Aragon. I'm sorry about the bus.

Paul: Um...

Victoria: I feel terrible. All the problems I've caused you. You should just keep going. Who knows what will happen to you next?

Paul: There's always the possibility of a forest fire, I suppose. Why aren't you on the bus?

Victoria: My stop.

Paul: You're waiting for a ride.

Victoria: No. No. A miracle. He's going to kill me.

Paul: Who?

Victoria: My father.

Paul: Listen, if you're still worried about that picture--

Victoria: It's not about the picture. Oh, God.

Paul: Look, it's none of my business, but if you'd like to talk about it...

Paul: "I was not meant for the conventions of this world, not meant to be tied down. I'm a free spirit." Who's a free spirit?

Victoria: My professor. He and I were...We--We were...

Paul: I don't know your father, but I don't think just because some free spirit broke up with you--

Victoria: I'm pregnant.

Paul: Oh. Oh. You're very upset. I can understand that. Definitely understand that. But, Victoria, look at the positive side. It's a new life coming into the world. That's a miracle in itself, right?

Victoria: "I will kill anyone who dishonors my family." How many times has he said that? A hundred times, a million times?

Paul: I'm sure it's just a figure of speech.

Victoria: It's not. My father means what he says. Always. He's--He's very old-fashioned. If I come home this way without a husband, he'll kill me. I know he will.

Paul: How about if you do show up with a husband?

Victoria: Who does what, comes for the day and then just leaves?

Paul: Yes, sure. Comes to meet the family, stays one night, leaves in the morning, puts a letter in the mailbox saying he's...

Victoria: Abandoned me.

Paul: It happens.

Victoria: You're very kind for trying to help me. Maybe it might work...but...there's nobody.

Paul: Miss Aragon.Victoria. There's me.

妙语佳句，活学活用

1. Tie down

意为"Constrain, confine, or limit 束缚，受限"，例如：As long as the children were small, she was too tied down to look for a job.

2. Break up

Break up 可以表示"结束一段关系"，例如：
Their marriage broke up last year.
当表示"与……分手"时，用 with 引出分手对象：
Finally, David decided to break up with Lily.

3. Figure of speech

本意是"修辞"，这里表示"打比方，说说（而已）"，例如：I didn't really mean she was in outer space it's just a figure of speech.

A Walk in the Clouds《云中漫步》（精讲之一）

Paul: Betty?

Man's voice: I prefer to dine at home alone.

Betty: Paul? Paul!

Paul: When I didn't see you on the dock I thought--

Betty: I didn't know you were coming today.

Paul: Didn't you get my letters?

Betty: Oh, oh Paul, I started to read them, I did, but after the first few, I just couldn't bear to hear about all that fighting and the killing.

Paul: I wrote you almost every day.

Betty: I know. And I kept them. Look. See? Oh, Paul, even the thought of you in all that danger, it was just too much. I knew if I got them, you were still alive. That's all that I cared about-that, that you were alive...safe. That's all that was important to me. Can you forgive me?

Paul: Yeah, sure.

Betty: I wrote to you. You got those, right?

Paul: Got a few.

Betty: I told you I wasn't a big writer.

Man's voice: I quite agree the distinction is dubious. Don't you?

Betty: It's a course I'm taking. Self-improvement. His name's Armistead. He makes tons of money. The whole country's making money hand over fist. You've been away, out of touch. You don't know, but you will. I went to see Mr. Sweeney and make sure he held your job, like he promised. He said you could start the day you got back. "Rarely cared, just make sure you wear your uniform," he said. Who could resist a war hero? Of course I negotiated a raise.

Paul: Betty, I... I don't want to go back to selling chocolate.

Betty: You've got something better.

Paul: No...I don't. But, you know...in the war, I had time to think about what's important, about what I want out of life for me, for us. I wrote you all this in the letters.

Betty: Are we back to those old letters again? You want me to read the letters?

Paul: No. It's just you'd understand what I'm feeling, what I want.

妙语佳句，活学活用

1. Hand over fist

这个片语的意思是"大量地，迅速地（赚钱）"，源于航海或捕鱼，当渔民用力拖网时，双手必须一前一后交替拉，当后面的那只手松开向前伸时，前面那只手处于紧张状态。例如：
He owns a chain of restaurants and makes money hand over fist.

He's making money hand over fist.

2. Out of touch

本意是指"中断联系"，这里引申为"不知道现在的情况"。我们来看个例子：John and Mark have been out of touch for years.

That speech showed he's out of touch with his constituency.

此外，out of touch 还表示"不表同情，和…不一致"，例如：Older people sometimes seem out of touch with the modern world.

3. Hold one's job

Hold 这个词在此处的意思是"保留，保有"的意思，就是Mr. Sweeney 为Paul 保留他的工作。此外，hold 还表示"担任职务或拥有权力"，例如：He held the governorship for six years.

那如果说"有（工作）"要怎么表达呢？除了常用的have 之外，还可以说 hold down，例如：Paul holds down two jobs.

《哈利•波特与密室》（精讲之三）

HAGRID: Who's there? Hello? Hello?

HARRY: What's that for?

HAGRID: Oh, nothing. I, I was expecting... it doesn't matter. Come on in. Just made a pot of tea.

HARRY: Hagrid? Are you okay?

HAGRID: I'm fine. I'm all right.

HARRY: Did you hear about Hermione?

HAGRID: Oh, yeah. I heard about that alright.  

HARRY: Look, we have to ask you something. Do you know who's opened the Chamber of Secrets?

HAGRID: What you have to understand... Quickly, under the cloak. Don't say a word. Be quiet. Both you. Professor Dumbledore, sir.

DUMBLEDORE: Good evening, Hagrid. I wonder could we?

HAGRID: Of course. Come in, come in.

RON: That's Dad's boss! Cornelius Fudge. Minister of Magic!

FUDGE: Bad business, Hagrid. Very bad business. Had to come. Three attacks on Muggle-borns. Things've gone far enough. The Ministry's got to act.

HAGRID: I've been never... You know I never, Professor.

DUMBLEDORE: I want it understood, Cornelius, that Hagrid has my full confidence.

FUDGE: Albus, look, Hagrid's record is against him. I've got to take him.

HAGRID: Take me? Take me where? Not Azkaban prison.

FUDGE: I'm afraid you have no choice, Hagrid.

LUCIUS MALFOY: Already here, Fudge? Good.

HAGRID: What're you doing here! Get outta my house!

LUCIUS MALFOY: Believe me, I take absolutely no pleasure of being inside your -- you call this a house? Now, I simply called at the school and was told the Headmaster was here.

DUMBLEDORE: And what exactly is it, that you want with me?

LUCIUS MALFOY: The other governors and I've decided it's time for you to step aside. This is an Order of Suspension. You'll find all twelve signatures on it. I'm afraid we feel you have rather lost your touch. With all these recent attacks, there'll be no Muggle-borns left at Hogwarts. And we can all imagine what an awful loss that would be.

HAGRID: You can't take Professor Dumbledore away! Take him away the Muggle-borns won't stand a chance! You mark my words. There'll be killings next!

LUCIUS MALFOY: Do you think so?

DUMBLEDORE: Calm yourself, Hagrid! If the governors desire my removal, I will, of course, step aside. However you will find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it.

LUCIUS MALFOY: Admirable sentiments. Shall we? Forge.

FUDGE: Come, Hagrid, now.

HAGRID: If, if anybody was looking for some stuff, all they'd have to do would be to follow the spiders. Yah. That'd lead them right! That's all I have to say.

妙语佳句，活学活用

1. Step aside

Step aside 本来的意思是"让开路"，例如：Please step aside--I've got my arms full of groceries.
在这个片段中，step aside 的意思是"辞职，为……让位"，例如：The senior researcher decided to step aside for a younger colleague.

2. Lose one's touch

意思是"No longer be able to do or handle something skillfully"，例如：I used to make beautiful cakes but I seem to have lost my touch.

3. Stand a chance

"有……的可能，有……的机会（尤指成功）"，例如：Do you think Mary stands a chance of finishing the marathon?

《哈利•波特与密室》（精讲之二）

JUSTIN: What are you playing at?

RON: You're a Parselmouth! Why didn't you tell us?

HARRY: I'm a what?

HERMIONE: You can talk to snakes.

HARRY: I know. I mean, I accidentally set a python on my cousin Dudley at the zoo once... once! But so what? I bet loads of people here can do it.

HERMIONE: No. They can't. It's not a very common gift, Harry. This is bad.

HARRY: What's bad? If I hadn't told that snake not to attack Justin -

RON: Oh, that's what you said to it.

HARRY: You were there! You heard me!

RON: I heard you speaking Parseltongue. Snake language.

HARRY: I spoke a different language? But I didn't realize -- how can I speak a language without knowing I can?

HERMIONE: I don't know, Harry. But it sounded like you were egging the snake on or something. Harry, listen to me. There's a reason the symbol of Slytherin House is a serpent. Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth. He could talk to snakes, too.

RON: Exactly. And now the whole school's gonna to think you're his great-great-great grandson or something.

HARRY: But I'm not. I can't be.

HERMIONE: He lived a thousand years ago. For all we know... you could be.

妙语佳句，活学活用

1. Play at

Play at 在这里的意思是"做，参加，从事于"， What are you playing at? 的意思就是"你在耍什么把戏？"此外，play at 还有以下一些常用意义：
1) 玩，做游戏，假扮……玩，例如：The children are playing at hide-and-seek. The children are playing at policemen and robbers.
2) 打球，打牌，例如：Can we play at cards this evening?
3) 儿戏似地做，不认真地干，例如：She was just playing at keeping house, letting the others do all the work.

2. Set on

这个片语也写做set upon，意思是"to attack or cause to attack someone physically or emotionally"，例如：The man sets his dog on a stranger.

3. Loads of

Loads of 表示"许多的，大量的"，也可以用 a load of 来表示同样的意思，例如：loads of parties during the holiday season，To the reader's disappointment, the leading article in this issue of the magazine is a load of rubbish.

4. Egg on

"怂恿，煽动某人做某事"的意思，例如：Jack is always egging me on to drive faster.

文化面面观

“石化”——传说中的魔法

我们都知道石化就是把我们变成石头从此再也不能移动。但是幸运的是我们都没有赫敏那样倒霉的经历，被人变成了一尊石头。

在古希腊神话中，很多不幸的灵魂都被石化，他们的四肢和躯体都变得僵硬无法移动。其中的很多灵魂都是美杜沙的牺牲品，美杜沙有长长的头发，头发里藏着毒蛇，很多看到她的人都会被变成石头。

她居住的洞穴中堆满了试图接近她的人的尸骨。后来，一位年轻的英雄珀尔修斯杀死了美杜沙，他与美杜沙搏斗时盯着的是她在水中的倒影，这样一来就躲过了因为看到美杜沙的眼睛而被变成石头的情况的发生。他随身携带自己的战利品，经常在敌人面前把它拿出来，吓退他们。

对于美杜沙那样的怪物来说，把人变成石头只是为了好玩。但是奥林匹亚山上的希腊众神把石化看成是一种惩罚。特别是指道德方面的罪行，例如傲慢自大或不顺从等。其中最著名的是古希腊第比斯国的女王尼尔波，她吹嘘自己有12个孩子而宙斯的爱妾勒托只有两个，于是，她得罪了奥林匹亚山上的希腊众神，勒托的两个孩子--太阳神阿波罗和月神阿尔忒弥斯很快用箭射死了尼尔波的所有孩子。尼尔波受不了这样的刺激开始大哭，她被变成了石头，但永远湿漉漉的，代表她的悲伤。

石化也是民间故事中一个永恒的主题。特别是那些形状容易让人联想起动物或人的石头更是带给人无限的遐思。在德国的一个乡村，那里的悬崖看起来很像人，在当地人中就流传着这样的故事：山里的侏儒在正在庆祝婚礼的时候遭到了邪恶幽灵的袭击，他们都被变成了石头。在斯堪的纳维亚，长得像人形的石头被认为是巨怪变的，因为它们没能在太阳升起之前回到自己在地下的巢穴中。

在英国神话中，把活人变成石头的传说实际上是因为当地存在很多史前西欧时期（约公元前3000年到公元前1200年）形成的神秘巨石。在当地神话中，英国的这些史前巨石被认为是魔法师把女巫变成石头的结果。在坎布里亚郡的当地神话中，《马格丽特和她的女儿》的故事中就讲到这样的事，另外，在英国中部的埃文河附近也有这样的石头，人们甚至从中看出了新娘、新郎和婚礼上拉琴的人等，人们认为他们变成石头是因为在举行婚礼的时候，魔鬼混入其中，把他们都石化了。

虽然美国没有那样的神秘巨石，但仍然对人变成石头的传说津津乐道。19世纪，美国报纸报道了很多在地下找到的被石化的人或在树干中的人形石头。甚至有报道说有人看见别人在自己面前变成石头。但是这些报道都是编辑们杜撰的，就为了充满报纸的版面。《顽童历险记》的作者马克·吐温也写作了这样的故事来讽刺这种风气，但是没想到读者只想知道更多这样的故事。

《哈利•波特与密室》（精讲之一）

UNCLE VERNON: We've raised you since you were a baby, give you the food off our table, even let you have Dudley's second bedroom purely out of the goodness of our hearts.

AUNT PETUNIA: Not now, pop kin. That's for when the Masons arrive.

UNCLE VERNON: Which should be any minute. Now. Let's go over our schedule once again, shall we? Petunia, when the Masons arrive, you will be -

AUNT PETUNIA: In the lounge, waiting to welcome them graciously to our home.

UNCLE VERNON: Good. And Dudley, you will be-

DUDLEY: I'll be waiting to open the door.

UNCLE VERNON: Excellent. And you?

HARRY: I'll be in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending that I don't exist.

UNCLE VERNON: Too right you will. With any luck, this could well be the day I make the biggest deal of my career. And you will not mess it up.

DOBBY: Harry Potter! Such an honor it is!

HARRY: Who are you?

DOBBY: Dobby, sir. Dobby the house-elf.

HARRY: Not to be rude or anything, but this isn't a great time for me to have a house-elf in my bedroom.

DOBBY: Oh, yes, sir, Dobby understands. It's just that, Dobby has come to tell you... it is difficult, sir...Dobby wonders where to begin.

HARRY: Why don't you sit down?

DOBBY: S-s-sit down? Sit down? Oh...

HARRY: Dobby! Shhhh! I'm sorry. I, I didn't mean to offend you or anything.

DOBBY: Offend Dobby! Dobby has heard of your greatness, sir, but never has he been asked to sit down by a wizard, like an equal.

HARRY: You can't have met many decent wizards then.

DOBBY: No, I haven't… that's an awful thing to say. Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby! Bad Dobby!

HARRY: Stop! Dobby, please stop!

UNCLE VERNON Don't mind that. It's just the... cat.

DOBBY: Bad Dobby!

HARRY: Are you... all right?

DOBBY: Dobby had to punish himself, sir. Dobby almost spoke ill of his family, sir.

HARRY: Your family?

DOBBY: The wizard family Dobby serves, sir. Dobby is bound to serve one family forever. If they ever knew Dobby was here... But Dobby had to come. Dobby has to protect Harry Potter. To warn him. Harry Potter must not go back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year. There is a plot. A plot to make most terrible things happen.

HARRY: What terrible things? Who's plotting them?

HARRY: Okay! I understand. You can't say! Dobby, Dobby, put the lump. Come on.

UNCLE VERNON: So, when they arrive at the ninth hole-

HARRY: Give me the lump! Dobby, stop! Give it to me and keep quiet.

UNCLE VERNON: What the devil are you doing up here!

HARRY: I was just...

UNCLE VERNON: You've just ruined the punch line of my Japanese golfer joke.

HARRY: Sorry.

UNCLE VERNON: One more sound and you'll wish you'd never been born, boy! I'll fix the door!

HARRY: Yes sir. See why I've got to go back? I don't belong here. I belong in your world -- at Hogwarts. It's the only place I've got friends.

DOBBY: Friends who don't even write to Harry Potter?

HARRY: Well, I expect they've been... hang on, how do you know my friends haven't been writing me?

DOBBY: Harry Potter mustn't be angry with Dobby. Dobby hoped if Harry Potter thought his friends had forgotten him, Harry Potter might not want to go back to school, sir.

妙语佳句，活学活用

1. Mess up

意为"搞得乱七八糟，搞砸"，例如：On rainy days the children really mess up the house, or He had a way of messing up his own business.

此外，mess up 还表示"弄错，做错（尤指因为紧张或困惑而造成的）"，例如：He messed up and took the wrong dossier to the meeting.

2. Speak ill

"说……的坏话，责备……"，例如：Don't speak ill of Ivy. Especially when she's not here to defend herself.

3. What the devil

这里的 the devil起到的是加强语气的作用，和 what the hell… 差不多，例如：What the devil do you think you're doing?

What the devil单用时表示"我的天，天啊"。

4. Hang on

"Wait for a short time, be patient 等一下，稍等"的意思，例如：Hang on, I'm getting it as fast as I can.

《哈利•波特与魔法石》（精讲之三）

Hagrid: That? It's, it's um...

Ron: I know what that is! But Hagrid, how did you get one?

Hagrid: I won it! Off a stranger I met in the pub. Seemed quite glad to be rid of it, as a matter of fact.

Hermione: Is that a dragon?

Ron: That's not just a dragon! That's a Norwegian Ridgeback! My brother Charlie works with these in Romania.

Hagrid: Isn't he beautiful? Oh bless him, look, he knows his mummy! Hello, Norbert!

Harry: Norbert?

Hagrid: Yeah. Why he's gotta have a name, got he? Don't you, Norbert? Te de de de de! Oh! Woah! Woah! He'll have to be trained up a bit of course. Who's that?

Harry: Malfoy.

Hagrid: Oh, dear.

Harry: Hagrid always wanted a dragon. He told me so the first time I ever met him.

Ron: It's crazy! And worse Malfoy knows.

Hermione: I don't understand. Is that bad?

Ron: It's bad.

McGonagall: Good evening. Nothing, I repeat, nothing gives a student the right to walk about the school at night. Therefore as punishment for your actions, 50 points will be taken.

Harry: 50!

McGonagall: Each. And to ensure it doesn't happen again, all four of you will receive detention.

Malfoy: Excuse me, Professor. Perhaps I heard you wrong. I thought you said the four of us.

McGonagall: No you heard me correctly, Mr. Malfoy. You see, honorable as your intentions were, you, too, were out of bed after hours. You will join your classmates in detention.

Filch: A pity they let the old punishments die. Was a time detention was found you hanging by your thumbs in the dungeons. God, I'll miss the screaming. You'll be serving detention with Hagrid tonight. He's got a little job to do inside the Dark Forest. A sorry lot, this, Hagrid. Oh good God, man, you're not still on about that bloody dragon, are you?

Hagrid: Norbert's gone. Dumbledore sent him off to Romania to live in a colony.

Hermione: Well, that's good, isn't it? He'll be with his own kind.

Hagrid: Yeah, but what if he don't like Romania? What if the other dragons are mean to him? He's only a baby after all.

Filch: Oh, for God's sake, pull yourself together, man. You're going into the Forest after all. Got to have your wits about you.

Malfoy: The Forest? I thought that was a joke. We can't go in there. Students aren't allowed. And there are... werewolves!

Filch: Ah, there's more than werewolves in those trees, lad. You can be sure of that. Nighty- night.

Hagrid: Right, let's go.

妙语佳句，活学活用

1. After hours

意思是"After normal working hours, after closing time"，也表示"after legal or established opening hours"，例如：I haven't time while the shop is open, but I can see you after hours.
像那种after-hours club 指的就是a drinking club that remained open later than similar establishments.

2. Be on

Be on 有几个常用的意思，我们来看一下：

1) Be taking medication or an illegal drug，例如：Are you on some antibiotic?
2）Be in favor of something or willing to participate，例如：We're going dancing after the play--are you on?
3）Appear in a show, on T.V. or radio，例如：The news won't be on tonight.

在这里，这个be on 和about 连用，表示"反复地/不停地谈论"，例如：You mean, the kind of thing Carol is always on about.

3. Pull oneself together

意思是"恢复冷静，恢复自控"，例如：After that frightening episode, it took her a while to pull herself together.

4. Have one's wits about one

这个片语也写作"keep one's wits about one"，意思是"Remain alert or calm, especially in a crisis"，例如：After the collision I had my wits about me and got his name and license number.

文化面面观

龙之众说纷纭 About Dragons

魔幻小说里几乎都少不了龙。Dragons are mentioned throughout the Harry Potter books and a baby dragon appears in the first installment and dragons later play a significant role in the fourth. They are portrayed as having strong magic (even in their blood), but they do not exhibit any hints of intelligence or self-awareness. Within the series, dragons are considered very dangerous by most characters (Rubeus Hagrid being a notable exception) and private ownership of dragons is illegal.

在人类历史中，龙一直是个经久不老的传说。Dragons are commonly portrayed as serpentine or reptilian, hatching from eggs and possessing extremely large, typically scaly, bodies; they are sometimes portrayed as having large eyes, a feature that is the origin for the word for dragon in many cultures, and are often (but not always) portrayed with wings and a fiery breath. Some dragons do not have wings at all, but look more like long snakes. Dragons can have a variable number of legs: none, two or four. Modern depictions of dragons are very large in size, but some early European depictions of dragons were only the size of bears, or, in some cases, even smaller, around the size of a butterfly.

Although dragons (or dragon-like creatures) occur commonly in legends around the world, different cultures have perceived them differently. Chinese dragons, and Eastern dragons generally, are usually seen as benevolent, whereas European dragons are usually malevolent (there are of course exceptions to these rules). Malevolent dragons also occur in Persian mythology and other cultures.

Dragons are often held to have major spiritual significance in various religions and cultures around the world. In many Eastern and Native American cultures dragons were, and in some cultures still are, revered as representative of the primal forces of nature and the universe. They are associated with wisdom-often said to be wiser than humans-and longevity. They are commonly said to possess some form of magic or other supernormal power, and are often associated with wells, rain, and rivers. In some cultures, they are said to be capable of human speech.

Dragons are very popular characters in fantasy literature, role-playing games and video games today.

龙是如此具有威慑力，以至于人们将它用在雕塑中，甚至用它来命名兵种。The term dragoon, for infantry that move around by horse, yet still fight as foot soldiers, is derived from their early firearm, the "dragon", a wide-bore musket that spat flame when it fired, and was thus named for the mythical beast.


考考你

用今日所学将下面的句子译成英语。

1．饭店的员工们有时会在打烊后留下来吃饭。
2．事情发生的时候他一定服用了毒品。
3．仅仅是件小事故，但看起来司机没法恢复冷静。
4．被人跟踪很可怕，但凯特保持镇定，安全回到了家。


《哈利·波特与魔法石》（精讲之二）考考你 参考答案

Hermione: Help! Help!
救命！救命！

Ron: Hey, pea-brain!
嗨，笨蛋！

Hermione: Ah! Help!
啊！救救我！

Harry: Woah!
啊！

Ron: Ugh!
呃！

Harry: Do something!
想点办法！

Ron: What?
怎么办啊？

Harry: Anything! Hurry up!
怎么办都行！快点！

《哈利•波特与魔法石》（精讲之二）

Quirrell: Troll in the dungeon! Troll in the dungeon! Thought you ought to know.

Others: Ah!

Dumbledore: SILENCE! Everyone will please not panic! Now prefects will lead their house back to the dormitories. Teachers will follow me to the dungeons.

Percy: Gryffindors, keep up, please, and stay alert!

Harry: How could a troll get in?

Ron: Not on its own. Trolls are really stupid. Probably people playing jokes. What?

Harry: Hermione! She doesn't know!

Ron: I think the troll's left the dungeon!

Harry: It's going into the girl's bathroom. Hermione move!

Hermione: Help! Help!

Ron: Hey, pea-brain!

Hermione: Ah! Help!

Harry: Woah!

Ron: Ugh!

Harry: Do something!

Ron: What?

Harry: Anything! Hurry up!

Hermione: Swish & Flick!

Ron: Wingardium Leviosa! Cool.

Hermione: Is it dead?

Harry: I don't think so. Just knocked out. Ugh.

Ron: Troll boogies.

McGonagall: Oh my goodness! Explain yourselves, both of you!

Harry & Ron: Well what it is-

Hermione: It's my fault Professor McGonagall.

McGonagall: Miss. Granger?

Hermione: I went looking for the troll I've read about them and I thought I could handle it. But I was wrong. If Harry and Ron hadn't come and found me? I'd probably be dead.

McGonagall: Be that as it may, it was an extremely foolish thing to do. I would have expected more rational behavior on your part and am very disappointed in you Miss. Granger. Five points will be taken from Gryffindor for your serious lack of judgment. As for you two gentlemen I just hope you realize how fortunate you are. Not many first year students could take on a fully grown mountain troll and live to tell the tale. Five points will be awarded to each of you, for sheer dumb luck.

妙语佳句，活学活用

1. Keep up

这个片语大家应该都不陌生，我们这里来重温一下。Keep up 的意思是"跟上，赶上"，当要表示"跟上，赶上……"时，用with 连接后面的事物。 例如：We try to keep up with the times.

2. Play jokes

"开玩笑"怎么说？就是这个play jokes。那要表示"对某人开玩笑"要怎么说呢？就是 play a joke on someone，例如：Richard called and said I had won ten thousand dollars, and it took me a second to realize he was playing a joke on me.

3. Knock out

"被打/弄晕"的意思，例如： It was just a swinging door, but it knocked her out. 这个片语也写作knock out cold.

4. Be that as it may

意为"Nevertheless, it may be true but 然而，不过"，例如：Be that as it may, I can't take your place on Monday.

5. Take on

这里的意思是"对抗，打败"，例如：This young wrestler was willing to take on all comers.

文化面面观

Troll 身世探查

Troll 在哈利·波特系列丛书中被描绘成是a creature that lives in the mountains. They are very large, ugly, small brained, and they have very bad tempers.

事实上，troll这种生物在很多古老的北欧神话中早已有之，在很多世界经典魔幻小说、童话书中也经常出现。下面我们就来探查一下troll的身世。


"The Troll." A statue under the north end of the Aurora Bridge in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, Washington, USA.

A troll is a fearsome member of a mythical anthropomorph race from Scandinavia. Their role ranges from fiendish giants - similar to the ogres of England - to a devious, more human-like folk of the wilderness, living underground in hills, caves or mounds. In Orkney and Shetland tales, trolls are called trows, adopted from the Norse language when these islands were settled by Vikings.

Nordic literature, art and music from the romantic era and onwards has adapted trolls in various manners - often in the form of an aboriginal race, endowed with oversized ears and noses. From here, as well as from Scandinavian fairy tales such as Three Billy Goats Gruff, trolls have achieved international recognition, and in modern fantasy literature and role-playing games, trolls are featured to the extent of being stock characters.

The meaning of the word troll is uncertain. It might have had the original meaning of supernatural or magical with an overlay of malignant and perilous. Another likely suggestion is that it means "someone who behaves violently". In old Swedish law, trolleri was a particular kind of magic intended to do harm. It should be noted that North Germanic terms such as trolldom (witchcraft) and trolla/trylle (perform magic tricks) in modern Scandinavian languages does not imply any connection with the mythical beings. Moreover, in the sources for Norse mythology, troll can signify any uncanny being, including but not restricted to the Norse giants (j?tnar).


A traditional norwegian troll

In fairytales and legends trolls are less the people living next to humans and more frightening creatures. Particularly in these tales they come in any size and can be as huge as giants or as small as dwarves. They are often regarded as having poor intellect (especially the males, whereas the females, trollkonor, may be quite cunning), great strength, big noses, long arms, and as being hairy and not very beautiful (Once again, females often constitute the exception, with female trolls frequently being quite comely). In Scandinavian fairy tales trolls sometimes turn to stone if exposed to sunlight, a myth generally attributed to pareidolia found in naturally eroded rock outcrops.

In the genre of paleofiction, the distinguished Swedish-speaking Finnish paleontologist Bjorn Kurtén has entertained the theory (e.g. in Dance of the Tiger) that trolls are a distant memory of an encounter with Neanderthals by our Cro-Magnon ancestors some 40,000 years ago during their migration into northern Europe. Spanish paleoanthropologist Juan Luis Arsuaga provides evidence for these types of encounters in his book, The Neanderthal's Necklace (El collar del Neandertal, 1999 ). The theory that Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons occupied the same area of Europe at the same time in history has been theorized based on fossil evidence. Other researchers believe that they just refer to neighboring tribes. The problem with this theory is that neither Neanderthals or Cro-Magnons existed in this part of Europe during the ice-age. Most of Scandinavia was covered by a large glacier and the area was not occupied until much later.

Another explanation for the troll myth, is that the trolls represent the remains of the forefather-cult which was ubiquitous in Scandinavia until the introduction of Christianity in the 10th and 11th centuries. In this cult the forefathers were worshipped in sacred groves, by altars or by gravemounds. One of the customs associated with this practice was to sit on top of a gravemound at night, possibly in order to make contact with the deceased. With the introduction of Christianity however, the religious elite sought to demonize the pagan cult, and denounced the forefathers as evil. For instance, according to Magnus H?konsen's laws from 1276 it is illegal to attempt to wake the "mound-dwellers". It is in these laws that the word troll appears for the first time, denoting something heathen and generally unfavourable.

This fits with the trolls in Norse sagas who are often the restless dead, to be wrestled with or otherwise laid to rest.

小编评语

这个片段是电影也是小说中很有意义的一段，自打败troll这件事后，铁三角就正式形成。勤奋好学但是好为人师的赫敏从此有了两个真正的朋友。三个好朋友协同作战，才会取得后面书中的一些列战果。在电影中，这个场景显然是加了后期特效的。据说在拍摄的时候，小演员们对着空气想象troll这个庞然大物的存在、并与它搏斗，着实难为了这些孩子。感谢他们的努力，让我们看到了这精彩的一幕。

考考你

这个片段中出现了很多简短的口语，简短，但是在生活中经常出现，非常实用。试着把下面这段对话翻译出来。

Hermione: Help! Help!
Ron: Hey, pea-brain!
Hermione: Ah! Help!
Harry: Woah!
Ron: Ugh!
Harry: Do something!
Ron: What?
Harry: Anything! Hurry up!


《哈利·波特与魔法石》（精讲之一）考考你 参考答案


1. 我正准备离家外出，这时电话铃响了。
I was all set to leave the house when the telephone rang.

2. 昨夜有人看见两个形迹可疑的人在校园里徘徊。
Two suspicious-looking fellows were seen hanging around the campus last night.

《哈利•波特与魔法石》（精讲之一）

Ron: Excuse me, do you mind? Every where else is full.

Harry: Not at all.

Ron: I'm Ron by the way. Ron Weasley.

Harry: I'm Harry. Harry Potter.

Ron: So, so it's true! I mean, do you really have the, the...

Harry: The what?

Ron: Scar?

Harry: Oh!

Ron: Wicked!

Woman: Anything off the trolley dears?

Ron: No, thanks, I'm all set.

Harry: We'll take a lot!

Ron: Woah!

Harry: Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans?

Ron: They mean every flavor! There's chocolate and peppermint and also, spinach, liver and tripe. George sweared he got boogie flavored one once.

Harry: These aren't real frogs, are they?

Ron: It's just a spell. Besides, it's the cards you want. Each pack's got a famous witch or wizard. I got about 500 meself. Watch it! That's rotten luck. They've only got one good jump in them to begin with.

Harry: I've got Dumbledore!

Ron: I've got about 6 of him.

Harry: Hey, he's gone!

Ron: Well you can't expect him to hang around all day, can you? This is Scabbers by the way. Pathetic, isn't he?

Harry: Just a little bit.

Ron: Fred gave me a spell to turn him yellow. Want to see?

Harry: Yeah!

Ron: Ahem. Sun...

Hermione: Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one.

Ron: No.

Hermione: Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see then.

Ron: Ahem. Sunshine Daisies Butter Mellow Turn this stupid fat rat yellow.

Hermione: Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good, is it? Of course, I've only tried a few simple ones myself but they've all worked for me. For example: Oculus Reparo. That's better, isn't it? Holy cricket! You're Harry Potter! I'm Hermione Granger. And you are?

Ron: I'm Ron Weasley.

Hermione: Pleasure. You two better change into your robes. I expect we'll be arriving soon. You've got dirt on your nose by the way. Did you know? Just there.

妙语佳句，活学活用

1. Wicked

Wicked 本来是"邪恶的"的意思，但在这里它的意思是"wonderful; great; masterful; deeply satisfying"，是它的俚语用法，例如：He blows a wicked trumpet.

此外，wicked 在俚语中还可以表示"very; really; totally"，例如：That shirt is wicked cool.

2. All set

"All set"的意思是"准备好，都准备妥当了"，例如：I'm all set to leave the country.
有时, 你到超市买东西，买完要付账时，店员也会对你说"Are you all set?"。意思是问你是否想买的东西都找到了

3. Sweared, meself

这两个词都是不规范的表达，正确的表达应该是swore，myself。这样的表达是小孩子或没受过教育的人常说的。

4. Hang around

意思是"Spend time idly, loiter"，例如：Every afternoon they could be found hanging around the mall.

5. Pleasure

"幸会"，和 nice to meet you 意思一样，只不过更正式一些。从Hermione 的这几句谈话中，我们就可以看出她是一个勤奋好学、受过良好家庭教育的人。

文化面面观

什么是魔法 About magic

Magic, in religion and superstition, the practice of manipulating and controlling the course of nature by preternatural means. Magic is based upon the belief that the universe is populated by unseen forces or spirits that permeate all things. Because these supernatural forces are thought to govern the course of natural events, control of these forces gives humans control over nature. The practice of magic is held to depend on the proper use of both the ritual and the spell. The spell, or incantation, is the core of the magical ceremony; it unlocks the full power of the ritual. The practice of magic, in seeking its desired end, may combines within its scope elements of religion and science. In alchemy, for example, the process of transmuting a base metal into gold requires precise weights and volumes of acids, bases, and catalysts as well as the reciting of holy passages and prayers.

Anthropologists often distinguish between two forms of magic, the sympathetic and the contiguous. Sympathetic magic works on the principle that like produces like. The Ojibwa of North America would make a wooden image of an enemy and then stick pins into it. Because the doll represented the enemy, harm done to the doll was believed to harm the enemy. Contiguous magic operates on the belief that things that have been in contact will continue to act on each other after the physical contact has ceased. The aborigines of Australia believe that they can lame a person by placing sharp pieces of quartz, glass, bone, or charcoal in that person's footprints. Sometimes both sympathetic and contiguous magic are used in conjunction; certain African tribespeople will build a clay effigy around nail clippings, hairs, or bits of cloth belonging to the enemy and roast the completed image slowly in a fire.

Not all magic is performed in order to harm or destroy, and for this reason a distinction is made between black magic and white magic. White magic is characterized by those rites and spells designed to produce beneficial effects for the community (see fertility rites) or for the individual, particularly in those cases where an illness is considered to be the result of evil demons or of black magic.

The Queen《女王》（精讲之六）

Elizabeth: Good. I always think these meetings have far a greater chance of success if the Prime Minister is a walker. As a matter of fact, it's how I think best, on my feet. I've never been one for sitting around endlessly. A good walk in fresh air sorts everything out. One in four, you said, wanted to get rid of me?

Tony: For about half an hour, but then you came down to London, and all that went away.

Elizabeth: I've never been hated like that before.   

Tony: It must have been difficult.

Elizabeth: Yes. Very. Nowadays, people want glamour and tears, the grand performance. I'm not very good at that. I never have been. I prefer to keep my feelings to myself, and foolishly, I believed that was what people wanted from their Queen - not to make a fuss, nor wear one's heart on one's sleeve. Duty first, self second. That's how I was brought up. That's all I've ever known.

Tony: You were so young when you became Queen.

Elizabeth: Well. Yes. Yes, a girl. But I can see that the world has changed, and one must... modernize?

Tony: Well, perhaps that's where I can help.

妙语佳句，活学活用

1. On one's feet

这是个很容易理解的片语，on one's feet 的意思就是"站着"，例如：I'm tired--I've been on my feet all day. 它还可以表示"恢复健康"，常与back连用，如：I hope you get back on your feet very soon.

2. Sort out

这是一个动词短语，意为"evolve; develop; turn out 发展，进展"，例如：We'll just have to wait and see how things sort out.
在这个片段中，sort out 意为"to put in order; clarify 使有秩序，澄清，阐明"，例如：After I sort things out here, I'll be able to concentrate on your problem.

3. Keep to oneself

这个片语的意思是"Refrain from revealing, to hold (something) as secret or confidential 不外露，保守秘密"，例如：He promised to keep the news to himself.

此外，keep to oneself 还表示"独处，不交际"，例如：She kept to herself all morning.

4. Make a fuss 小题大做

这是个很有意思的片语，用来指人们"小题大做，大惊小怪"，例如：I'm sure he'll be here soon; please don't make a fuss.

如果要表示"针对……大惊小怪"，要与介词 about / over 连用，例如：He's making a fuss about nothing. If you make a fuss over the small budget items, what will it be like when we discuss the big ones?

如果是make a fuss over someone，那就表示"对某人表现出过分的关心"，例如：Whenever they visit Grandma she makes a fuss over the children.

5. Wear one's heart on one's sleeve

意思是"to make one's intimate feelings or personal affairs known to all 张扬，外露，坦率"，尤指感情上的外露，例如：She was not the kind who would wear her heart on her sleeve.

这个片语也写作pin one's heart on one's sleeve。

文化面面观

伊丽莎白女王和首相布莱尔在戴安娜王妃葬礼上的致辞

On the Death of Princess Diana
by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Queen of the United Kingdom

The Queen spoke to the nation live at 6.00 p.m. on Friday, 5 September, from the Chinese Dining Room at Buckingham Palace, 1997

Since last Sunday's dreadful news we have seen, throughout Britain and around the world, an overwhelming expression of sadness at Diana's death.

We have all been trying in our different ways to cope. It is not easy to express a sense of loss, since the initial shock is often succeeded by a mixture of other feelings: disbelief, incomprehension, anger -- and concern for those who remain.

We have all felt those emotions in these last few days. So what I say to you now, as your queen and as a grandmother, I say from my heart.

First, I want to pay tribute to Diana myself. She was an exceptional and gifted human being. In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness.

I admired and respected her -- for her energy and commitment to others, and especially for her devotion to her two boys.

This week at Balmoral, we have all been trying to help William and Harry come to terms with the devastating loss that they and the rest of us have suffered.

No one who knew Diana will ever forget her. Millions of others who never met her, but felt they knew her, will remember her.

I for one believe that there are lessons to be drawn from her life and from the extraordinary and moving reaction to her death.

I share in your determination to cherish her memory.

This is also an opportunity for me, on behalf of my family, and especially Prince Charles and William and Harry, to thank all of you who have brought flowers, sent messages, and paid your respects in so many ways to a remarkable person.

These acts of kindness have been a huge source of help and comfort.

Our thoughts are also with Diana's family and the families of those who died with her. I know that they too have drawn strength from what has happened since last weekend, as they seek to heal their sorrow and then to face the future without a loved one.

I hope that tomorrow we can all, wherever we are, join in expressing our grief at Diana's loss, and gratitude for her all-too-short life.

It is a chance to show to the whole world the British nation united in grief and respect.

May those who died rest in peace and may we, each and every one of us, thank God for someone who made many, many people happy.

4. Make a fuss 小题大做

这是个很有意思的片语，用来指人们"小题大做，大惊小怪"，例如：I'm sure he'll be here soon; please don't make a fuss.

如果要表示"针对……大惊小怪"，要与介词 about / over 连用，例如：He's making a fuss about nothing. If you make a fuss over the small budget items, what will it be like when we discuss the big ones?

如果是make a fuss over someone，那就表示"对某人表现出过分的关心"，例如：Whenever they visit Grandma she makes a fuss over the children.

5. Wear one's heart on one's sleeve

意思是"to make one's intimate feelings or personal affairs known to all 张扬，外露，坦率"，尤指感情上的外露，例如：She was not the kind who would wear her heart on her sleeve.

这个片语也写作pin one's heart on one's sleeve。

文化面面观

伊丽莎白女王和首相布莱尔在戴安娜王妃葬礼上的致辞

On the Death of Princess Diana
by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Queen of the United Kingdom

The Queen spoke to the nation live at 6.00 p.m. on Friday, 5 September, from the Chinese Dining Room at Buckingham Palace, 1997

Since last Sunday's dreadful news we have seen, throughout Britain and around the world, an overwhelming expression of sadness at Diana's death.

We have all been trying in our different ways to cope. It is not easy to express a sense of loss, since the initial shock is often succeeded by a mixture of other feelings: disbelief, incomprehension, anger -- and concern for those who remain.

We have all felt those emotions in these last few days. So what I say to you now, as your queen and as a grandmother, I say from my heart.

First, I want to pay tribute to Diana myself. She was an exceptional and gifted human being. In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness.

I admired and respected her -- for her energy and commitment to others, and especially for her devotion to her two boys.

This week at Balmoral, we have all been trying to help William and Harry come to terms with the devastating loss that they and the rest of us have suffered.

No one who knew Diana will ever forget her. Millions of others who never met her, but felt they knew her, will remember her.

I for one believe that there are lessons to be drawn from her life and from the extraordinary and moving reaction to her death.

I share in your determination to cherish her memory.

This is also an opportunity for me, on behalf of my family, and especially Prince Charles and William and Harry, to thank all of you who have brought flowers, sent messages, and paid your respects in so many ways to a remarkable person.

These acts of kindness have been a huge source of help and comfort.

Our thoughts are also with Diana's family and the families of those who died with her. I know that they too have drawn strength from what has happened since last weekend, as they seek to heal their sorrow and then to face the future without a loved one.

I hope that tomorrow we can all, wherever we are, join in expressing our grief at Diana's loss, and gratitude for her all-too-short life.

It is a chance to show to the whole world the British nation united in grief and respect.

May those who died rest in peace and may we, each and every one of us, thank God for someone who made many, many people happy.