英语小达人 314 How Old Am I?

 　　How Old Am I?

　　我多大了？

　　Some people grow old gracefully¹, while others fight and scratch the whole way.

　　有人优雅地老去，也有人挣扎着不愿面对岁月流逝的现实。

　　Judy, a friend of mine, refusing to give in to the looks of growing old, goes out and buys a new line of expensive cosmetics² guaranteed to make her look years younger.

　　朱迪，我的一个朋友，不愿屈从于自己的容貌变老而跑去买了一整套价格不菲的据说是能使她显得年轻的新款护肤品。

　　After a lengthy³ sitting before the mirror applying the "miracle" products, she asks her husband, "Darling, honestly, if you didn't know me, what age would you say I am?"

　　坐在镜子前长时间地涂涂抹抹这种“神奇的”化妆品后，她问丈夫：“亲爱的，你跟我说实话，如果你不认识我，你认为我多大了？”

　　Looking over her carefully, he replied, "Judging from your skin, twenty; your hair, eighteen; and your figure, twenty five."

　　他仔细地看了看她，说：“从你的皮肤判断是20岁；从你的头发看是18岁；看身材嘛，25岁。”

　　"Oh, you flatterer!" she gushed⁴. Just as she was about to tell him his reward, he stops her by saying...

　　“哎呀，你这个马屁精！”她嗲嗲地说。就在她要说出对他的奖赏时，他打断了她……

　　"WHOA, hold on there sweety!" he interrupted. "I haven't added them up yet!"

　　“啊啊，亲爱的，打住！”他说，“我还没把这些数字加起来呢！”

　　重点讲解：

　　1. give in

　　屈从；让步；

　　eg. I pressed my parents until they finally gave in and registered me for skating classes.

　　我不断缠着父母，直到他们最终让步，给我报了溜冰班。

　　eg. Officials say they won't give in to the workers' demands.

　　官员们表示他们不会向工人的要求让步。

　　2. look over

　　翻阅，浏览；

　　eg. Look over exercises before handing them in.

　　把练习检查一遍再交。

　　eg. Here's the essay for you to look over.

　　这篇文章请你过目。

　　3. judging from

　　根据…判断；根据…来看；

　　eg. Judging from the way he laughed as he told it, it was meant to be humorous.

　　从他讲这件事时笑的样子来看，那应该是很幽默的了。

　　eg. Judging from experience, a proper balance is not easy to achieve.

　　经验表明，要达到适度的平衡是很难的。

　　4. hold on

　　稍等；等一下；

　　eg. Hold on for a minute, I've just got to put on my make - up.

　　等一会儿，我得化妆一下。

　　eg. Please hold on while I check your seat status.

　　请等一下，我帮您查询您的座位状况。

　　5. add up

　　加；加起来；

　　eg. The time I spend in commuting⁵ every day adds up to three hours.

　　我每天上下班乘车花费的时间加起来有3个小时。

　　eg. The numbers wouldn't add up.

　　这些数目加起来与总数不符。

1 gracefully   

ad.大大方方地；优美地

参考例句：

• She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

2 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。

3 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。

4 gushed   

v.喷，涌( gush的过去式和过去分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话

参考例句：

• Oil gushed from the well. 石油从井口喷了出来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Clear water gushed into the irrigational channel. 清澈的水涌进了灌溉渠道。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 commuting   

交换（的）

参考例句：

• I used the commuting time to read and answer my mail. 我利用上下班在汽车中的时间来阅读和答复给我的函电。
• Noncommuting objects are as real to the mathematicians as commuting objects. 对于数学家来说，不可交换的对象与可交换的对象是一样真实的。