英语博客(A cup of English):A bedroom facelift

Beginners.

I drove around town today, looking for 'Hello Kitty' posters. I couldn't find any. I was so frustrated¹. I have a project going on at home that I really want to finish. Last week I painted my children's rooms, and now I am looking for accessories like pictures, lamps, and rugs to make the bedrooms comfortable. I don't actually like shopping because most of the time I'm in a hurry. But, I'm making a special effort to get things just right. Robert is into fishing, so I would like to get a poster of someone fly fishing in a mountain stream. My oldest two are into music, architecture, and mythology², so I'm sure there are some interesting elements that I could add to their rooms. Domini's room is actually in need of posters to break up all of the pink of the room. The color I chose is exceptionally pink; a little overpowering. She thinks it's great. It's her 'girly' get-a-way from the boys and their stuff. "No boys allowed," is her rule for her bedroom, and of course the "no girls allowed" rule applies to the other bedrooms. At night, though, when it gets dark, and they know that it's bedtime, you can guarantee that two or three of them will be sleeping in the same bedroom.

Grammar notes.

 Vocabulary: accessories, to be in a hurry, element, a get-a-way.

Exs:

Those pillows and pictures are perfect accessories for this room.

Gosh, I'm always in a hurry. I feel like a busy mouse!

The marriage scene was a necessary element in the film.

The spa was a perfect weekend get-a-way for both of us.

Advanced.

Don't ask me why I decided³ to spend a week painting the kids' bedrooms. The project doesn't sound too intimidating⁴ does it? Projects never do, though, do they? They just get more involved and trickier⁵ as time goes on. In retrospect⁶, I can say that the rooms definitely look better; it was time that they had a fresh coat of paint. However, my back, my hands, and my patience are all the worse for wear. I had originally wanted to present new and improved bedrooms to my kids all at once, which would have meant getting all of the painting and decorating done in one day, - impossible. The 'extreme make-over' programs that we have on television inspired me too much. If I had made over four bedrooms in one day, I would have ended up in hospital! But, my kids know me. They know that I try my best, and they also know to not say anything if I give them 'the look'. You know, the look that means, "I'm exhausted⁷, back off, you don't know what my day has been like, don't even think about moaning or asking me for anything ...etc...etc." Anyone who has had a mother will understand what 'the look' is. But, the worst is over; the work has been done, and is just about finished. I did some touch-ups today, and will probably do more tomorrow to make my little puppies proud.

Grammar notes.

Common expressions: in retrospect, to be the worse for wear, a fresh coat of paint, new and improved, back off, a touch-up.

Exs:

In retrospect, we should never have bought that car!

After fixing the appliances in the kitchen, all of my tools were the worse for wear; they were worn out and bent⁸.

You don't need to do much to your new house. A fresh coat of paint is really all it needs.

Behold⁹ my new and improved grandma. She's lost thirty pounds, had a facelift, dyed her hair red, and bleached¹⁰ her teeth.

Back off mister! Take one step closer, and I'll call the police!

I touched up the paint in the hall, then I touched up my makeup¹¹ because I was going on a date.

 

1 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 mythology   

n.神话，神话学，神话集

参考例句：

• In Greek mythology,Zeus was the ruler of Gods and men.在希腊神话中，宙斯是众神和人类的统治者。
• He is the hero of Greek mythology.他是希腊民间传说中的英雄。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 intimidating   

vt.恐吓，威胁( intimidate的现在分词)

参考例句：

• They were accused of intimidating people into voting for them. 他们被控胁迫选民投他们的票。
• This kind of questioning can be very intimidating to children. 这种问话的方式可能让孩子们非常害怕。

5 trickier   

adj.狡猾的( tricky的比较级 )；（形势、工作等）复杂的；机警的；微妙的

参考例句：

• This is the general rule, but some cases are trickier than others. 以上是一般规则，但某些案例会比别的案例更为棘手。 来自互联网
• The lower the numbers go, the trickier the problems get. 武器的数量越低，问题就越复杂。 来自互联网

6 retrospect   

n.回顾，追溯；v.回顾，回想，追溯

参考例句：

• One's school life seems happier in retrospect than in reality.学校生活回忆起来显得比实际上要快乐。
• In retrospect,it's easy to see why we were wrong.回顾过去就很容易明白我们的错处了。

7 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

8 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

9 behold   

v.看，注视，看到

参考例句：

• The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
• The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。

10 bleached   

漂白的，晒白的，颜色变浅的

参考例句：

• His hair was bleached by the sun . 他的头发被太阳晒得发白。
• The sun has bleached her yellow skirt. 阳光把她的黄裙子晒得褪色了。

11 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？