口语进阶06 | 美国常用idioms及表达方式

　　访问学者、博士后初到美国，在沟通和交流方面往往会遇到各种问题，正如中国有各种成语谚语，美国人日常生活中也有很多常用俗语和词组搭配。提前掌握这些知识点可以让各位学者更容易理解美国人的日常对话，融入当地工作生活环境。知识人网整理相关情景对话，介绍美国人常用惯用语（idiom）及表达方式，希望能对大家有所帮助。请看Lesson 06：

　　MARK AND CINDY MAKE DINNER PLANS

　　Mark had planned to take Cindy to Carmen’s Bistro, but Cindy insists on going to Café Felix instead. Mark tells Cindy about his girlfriend Sara. Cindy is surprised to hear he is seeing someone and takes the opportunity to insult Sara.

　　Cindy:           It’s about time you got here! You're 20 minutes late.

　　Mark:             Sorry. I got held up in traffic.

　　Cindy:           Where are we going to dinner?

　　Mark:             I made reservations at Carmen's Bistro.

　　Cindy:           Carmen's? I was just there last weekend. It has really gone downhill. Let's go to Café Felix instead.

　　Mark:             But we don't have reservations. It'll be packed to the rafters on a Saturday night!

　　Cindy:           I called yesterday and reserved a table.

　　Mark:             I guess that means you'll be picking up the tab, too.

　　Cindy:           Like hell I will! Don't forget that I'm going to share some valuable information with you.

　　Mark:             I haven't forgotten. It's why I broke my date with Sara to go out with you.

　　Cindy:           Who's Sara? I didn't know you had a new girlfriend!

　　Mark:             Why should you know? You and I split up a year ago.

　　Cindy:           Is that the Sara who's the receptionist at your company? The plain Jane who sits at the front desk?

　　Mark:             She's not the receptionist anymore. She got a promotion and moved into the marketing department.

　　Cindy:          I guess it pays to date the boss!

　　Mark:             Don’t go there.

　　Cindy:           Why not? People must think that's why she got promoted!

　　Mark:             It's a touchy subject. Let's not talk about it anymore.

　　IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS

　　Vocabulary

　　It’s about time – 是……的时候了

　　Example: Brian finally got a job? It’s about time. He's been hanging around the house for over a year. 布莱恩终于找到工作了？也是时候了。他已经游手好闲一年了。

　　(To) get held up – 受到阻碍

　　Example: Sorry I'm late. I got held up in a meeting. 抱歉我迟到了，刚刚参加了一个会议脱不开身。

　　(To) go downhill – 每况愈下、事态变糟

　　Example: The service at this hotel has really gone downhill. They don't even help you with your luggage anymore.这家酒店的服务真是越来越糟糕。他们不再帮忙安置行李了。

　　Packed to the rafters – 人山人海

　　Example: The Retox Rock Bar in New York is always packed to the rafters on Saturday nights. 纽约的Retox Rock Bar在周六晚上总是人山人海。

　　(To) pick up the tab – 结账、付账、承担费用

　　Example: You paid last time we went out for lunch. Let me pick up the tab this time.上次我们出去吃饭的时候是你结的账，这次我来结账吧。

　　Like hell – 没门儿、绝不（表示强烈反对、拒绝）

　　Example: “Jeff says he already paid you back.” — “Like hell he did!” “Jeff说已经付过你钱了。”— “绝对不可能！”

　　(To) break one’s date – 取消约会

　　Example: Sorry to break our date, but I can't make it to the movies tonight. 非常抱歉取消了我们的约会，但是我今天晚上没法去看电影。

　　(To) split up –分手

　　Example: Did you hear the news? Laura and Tony have split up! 你知道吗？劳拉和托尼已经分手了。

　　Plain Jane – 相貌平平

　　Example: “Is Rich's new girlfriend pretty?” — “No, to tell you the truth, she's a plain Jane.” “里奇的新女朋友是不是很漂亮？”——“不，说实话，她相貌平平。”

　　it pays to – 值得的，想法很好

　　Example: Although the restaurant was very crowded, we got seated right away. It pays to be friends with the owner! 虽然这家饭店的客人很多，但我们马上就入座了。和这家店的老板做朋友可真好呀！

　　Don’t go there –别提这事了

　　Example: “Why did you lose your job?” — “Don’t go there.” “你怎么失业了？”——“别提这事了。”

　　Touchy subject –敏感话题

　　Example: Don't ask Joy how old she is. Age is a touchy subject for her. 不要问乔伊的年龄，对她来说年龄是一个敏感的话题。

　　PRACTICE THE IDIOMS

　　Choose the best substitute for the phrase or sentence in bold:

　　1) Let's go somewhere else. This club is packed to the rafters.

　　a)   noisy

　　b)    full

　　c) dangerous

　　2) You think our boss will agree to have the office holiday party at his house? Like hell he will!

　　a) He's probably going to.

　　b) He's definitely going to.

　　c) He's definitely not going to.

　　3) ”Why didn't you invite Kyle to your party?” – “Don’t go there.”

　　a) I didn't want to talk to him.

　　b) I couldn't reach him.

　　c) I don't want to talk about it.

　　4) Al's girlfriend is a plain Jane, but she has a great personality.

　　a) not pretty

　　b) hideous

　　c) attractive

　　5) If we go out tonight, I'm not going to let you pick up the tab.

　　a) pick everybody up

　　b) pay the bill

　　c) drink too much

　　6) Fran's Five Star Catering has gone downhill recently. Let's use a different company.

　　a) become expensive

　　b) become cheaper

　　c) gone down in quality

　　7) When it comes to buying a new TV, it pays to compare prices at many stores.

　　a) it takes a lot of time to

　　b) it is worthwhile to

　　c) it costs money to

　　8) Josh finally apologized to you for breaking your iPod? It’s about time.

　　a) It took him longer than it should have.

　　b) He did so very quickly.

　　c) That was nice of him.

　　9) When Anna arrived an hour late to work, she explained to her boss that she got held up in traffic.

　　a) got delayed by

　　b) avoided

　　c) decided to blame

　　10) Don't ask Tim how he's doing in school. It's a touchy subject for him right now.

　　a) a topic he enjoys discussing

　　b) a topic that may upset him

　　c) a topic he doesn't know anything about

　　ANSWERS: 1. B;   2. C;   3. C;   4. A;   5. B;   6. C;   7. B;   8. A;   9. A;   10. B