生活英语对话 Episode 100: More tears

本单元是关于伤心流泪事的对话。

Helen: Alice! Please don't cry.
Alice: I can't help it. I've just done the exact same thing as you.
Helen: What! You had a bust-up with Tim?
Alice: No, not with Tim, with Paul.
Helen: But why?
Alice: Oh I had to babysit Ellie and she just gave me the runaround. But then when Paul asked how it had been, I just completely lost it. I called him a bad dad and I said that she was spoiled rotten¹.
Helen: Oh no, that's a bit harsh²!
Alice: I know but I was so tired Helen. The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them.
Helen: Erm, do you think it's maybe time for us to eat some humble³ pie?


Vocabulary (词汇)

a bust-up (非正式用语，爆发，突然发怒):
a fight or disagreement

gave me the runaround （敷衍搪塞）:
deliberately behave in a way that is not helpful

I completely lost it （完全发火了）
lost my temper⁴ completely

harsh （严厉的；苛刻的）
unkind, cruel or unnecessarily severe

eat some humble pie (习语，指低声下气地道歉)
admit that you were wrong

本单元的语言点是关于吃喝的习语，请看下面的解释和例句。

Idioms: eating and drinking

Background (背景):
Idioms use language metaphorically⁵ rather than literally⁶. If you have 'a sweet tooth' it means you like eating chocolate and other sweet things, not that you have a tooth that's made of sugar. Idioms are also fixed⁷ groups of words so you can't change the wording of an idiom. For example, you can say you 'make a meal of something' to mean take more time or energy doing something than is necessary but you can't say 'cook a meal of something' or 'make a cake of something'.


Eating idioms (与吃有关的习语):

to eat humble pie
to admit that you were wrong
She made a huge mistake a work and now she's going to have to eat humble pie and admit to the boss that she was wrong.

could eat a horse
am/is/are very hungry
I haven't had anything since breakfast time. I could eat a horse right now!

make a meal of it
take more time or energy doing something than is necessary
I only asked him to tidy up the sitting room but he made a right meal of it. It took him two hours just to clear up the room.

a second bite at the cherry
another try after you have failed the first time
He didn't get the job when he applied⁸ for it last year but another vacancy⁹ came up a few weeks ago and he got a second bite at the cherry. He's so please he got the job!

not my taste
I don't like it
She's happy with her new curtains but that bright colour isn't my taste at all.


Drinking idioms (与喝有关的习语):

not my cup of tea
similar to 'not my taste'. See above
She likes thrillers¹⁰ but films that frighten me just aren't my cup of tea.

there's no use crying over spilt milk
it is useless to regret something which has already happened
I know you're upset you failed your exam but there's no use crying over spilt milk. Just get over it and start studying so you'll be ready to take it again soon.

throw cold water on something
to be negative about someone's ideas or plans
I spent hours preparing that report and then the boss threw cold water on it. What a waste of my time!

a storm in a teacup
a lot of unnecessary anger and anxiety about something that's not important
He got really angry with us about being late for work. But it was a storm in a teacup. We were only 5 minutes late.

1 rotten   

adj.腐烂(朽)的；令人不愉快的；糟糕的

参考例句：

• The book was pretty rotten.这本书糟透了。
• Rotten eggs give off a bad smell.臭蛋散发出难闻的气味。

2 harsh   

adj.严厉（酷）的，刺耳的，刺目的，毛糙的

参考例句：

• The sunlight is very harsh.太阳光很刺眼。
• Although his words are harsh,there is positiveness in them.虽然他的话很苛刻，但有建设性。

3 humble   

adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低

参考例句：

• In my humble opinion,he will win the election.依我拙见，他将在选举中获胜。
• Defeat and failure make people humble.挫折与失败会使人谦卑。

4 temper   

n.恶劣的心情，心绪焦躁；性情，脾气

参考例句：

• The man lost his temper and struck out wildly.那人因发怒而大打出手。
• One day the man flew at me in a temper.一天,那个人冲着我大发脾气。

5 metaphorically   

adv. 用比喻地

参考例句：

• It is context and convention that determine whether a term will be interpreted literally or metaphorically. 对一个词的理解是按字面意思还是隐喻的意思要视乎上下文和习惯。
• Metaphorically it implied a sort of admirable energy. 从比喻来讲，它含有一种令人赞许的能量的意思。

6 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

7 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

8 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

9 vacancy   

n.（旅馆的）空位，空房，（职务的）空缺

参考例句：

• Her going on maternity leave will create a temporary vacancy.她休产假时将会有一个临时空缺。
• The vacancy of her expression made me doubt if she was listening.她茫然的神情让我怀疑她是否在听。

10 thrillers   

n.紧张刺激的故事( thriller的名词复数 )；戏剧；令人感到兴奋的事；（电影）惊悚片

参考例句：

• He has written seven thrillers, and clearly enjoys intellectual pursuits. 他已经写了7本惊悚小说，显然很喜欢这样的智力活动。 来自辞典例句
• Most Americans prefer to read fast-moving adventure stories that we call "thrillers". 大部分美国人喜欢看我们称之为"惊险小说"的情节多变的冒险故事。 来自辞典例句