英语博客：If You Have The Flu.

 　　The subject of many people's conversations is the flu. Everybody is talking about it. The clinics and hospitals are full of people who have flu symptoms, and supermarkets have shelves full of medicines, tissues²(1), and vitamin powders. I've been lucky so far(2); my children and my husband have had it, but not me(3). And I'm not going to, I keep telling myself. I'm using mind over matter(4). When I do go to the supermarket, I'll often hear a horrible cough in one direction, and a sneeze in another(5). So what do I do then? I get as far away as possible(6). I push my shopping cart to the opposite part of the store as quickly as possible. I bumped³ into a man I know the other day, and he said, "Anna, you are the fastest moving thing(7) in the store!" At home I've been moving fast as well. There is extra washing to do. I wipe the countertops with disinfecting wipes(8). I remind the kids to wash their hands with soap and water, and to drink lots of water and juice. And I open windows as much as possible. And after all of that, really the only thing you should do is rest, stay warm, and sleep.

　　1. 'Tissues' here mean paper handkerchiefs. The word 'tissue¹' is the general word used, as 'handkerchief' is out dated. It is also the general word for organic⁴ material.

　　a. Do you need a tissue? It sounds like you have a bad cold.

　　b. He lost tissue from his hand in the accident.

　　2. 'So far' could be replaced by 'up until now'.

　　a. So far he has been very successful in his career.

　　b. We haven't been able to get a loan⁵ so far.

　　3. 'My children and husband have had it, but not me.' The last part of this sentence is a simplified way of speaking. It is equally normal to say 'but I haven't' at the end of the sentence, as I have already used the verb 'to have'. However, I think an easier way of completing the sentence is by saying 'but not me'. It is correct and also common use. Even if I had used the verb 'to do', I could have finished the sentence the same way.

　　a. They did it, but not me (but I didn't).

　　b. The class read the book, but not her (name).

　　4. 'Mind over matter' is a set phrase which means that you are trying to convince⁶ yourself, and control your own physical symptoms.

　　a. I was terrified of bungie jumping, but I used mind over matter, and I did it!

　　b. He doesn't like giving speeches, but with mind over matter he manages.

　　5. As with most languages, the word 'another' or other implies⁷ the repetition⁸ of a noun⁹, so you don't have to mention it twice.

　　a. In my kitchen I found a mouse on one chair, and a spider on another!

　　b. He cut his finger on one knife, and his thumb on another.

　　6. 'As far away as possible' is an example of the phrase 'as ....as possible'. The words 'far away' might make it seem more complicated¹⁰, but it's actually not. 'Far away' is simply put in between 'as' and 'as possible', like many, many other things.

　　a. He ran as fast as possible to catch the bus.

　　b. He always stands as close as possible to people, but his breath stinks¹¹!

　　c. She writes her essays as carefully as possible.

　　7. "Anna, you're the fastest moving thing in the store" this sentence uses 'moving thing' to add humor¹² because it shows me as a thing and not a person. In fact, the speaker could have said just 'the fastest thing in the store' and missed out 'moving'. We use a superlative adjective¹³ with 'thing' in these sentences.

　　a. That child is the loudest thing in the whole shopping center.

　　b. That dog is the ugliest thing I've ever seen!

　　c. That article is the most ridiculous thing I've ever read!

　　8. 'Disinfecting wipes' are disposable cloths that have disinfecting liquid in them. The word 'wipe' is a verb, and a noun with two meanings: the action of wiping, and the cloth,

　　a. I need a 'baby wipe' to clean the baby.

　　b. Wipe your mouth, you have spaghetti sauce on it.

　　c. He cleaned the glass with one wipe.

　　Join me on FACEBOOK at Anna Fromacupofenglish; you're all invited. My app is available in iTunes called A Cup Of English, and my email address is [email protected] if you wish to give me any suggestions or if you have any questions.

1 tissue   

n.组织；薄纱，薄纸，手巾纸

参考例句：

• As we age we lose muscle tissue.肌肉组织会随着我们日趋衰老而萎缩。
• Athletes have hardly any fatty tissue.运动员几乎没有什么脂肪组织。

2 tissues   

n.组织( tissue的名词复数 )；薄纸；棉纸；一套

参考例句：

• The teacher showed the students the pictures of brain tissues. 老师给学生们看脑组织的图片。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Give some face tissues to me. 给我些面巾纸。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 bumped   

凸起的，凸状的

参考例句：

• In the dark I bumped into a chair. 我在黑暗中撞上了一把椅子。
• I bumped against an old friend in town today. 我今天在城里偶然碰见了一个老朋友。

4 organic   

adj.有机的，有机物的；有组织的

参考例句：

• Organic farming is expanding everywhere.有机农业正在各地迅速发展起来。
• The organic fertilizer shall keep the soil in good heart.这有机肥一定会使土壤保持肥沃。

5 loan   

n.贷款；借出的东西；借；vt.借出；贷予

参考例句：

• I asked the bank to help me with a loan.我请银行给我一笔贷款。
• Has the bank okayed your request for a loan?银行批准你的贷款要求了吗？

6 convince   

vt.使确认，使信服；使认识错误

参考例句：

• It requires a lot of talking to convince him.要说服他很费口舌。
• I have given over trying to convince him.我已经不再试图说服他了。

7 implies   

暗示，暗指( imply的第三人称单数 )； 必然包含； 说明，表明

参考例句：

• They believe that submission in no way implies inferiority. 他们认为服从决不意味着低人一等。
• Your silence implies tacit consent to these proposals. 你的沉默意味着你默许这些提议。

8 repetition   

n.重复；反复

参考例句：

• The perfomance improved with each repetition.演出每演一场都有改进。
• This degree of repetition is not found in any known language.这种重复程度在任何已知语言中都不曾出现。

9 noun   

n.名词

参考例句：

• What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词？
• This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。

10 complicated   

adj.错综复杂的，麻烦的，结构复杂的

参考例句：

• The poem is so complicated that I cannot make out its meaning.这首诗太复杂，我理解不了它的意思。
• This is the most complicated case I have ever handled.这是我所处理过的最为复杂的案子。

11 stinks   

v.散发出恶臭( stink的第三人称单数 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透

参考例句：

• The whole scheme stinks to high heaven—don't get involved in it. 整件事十分卑鄙龌龊——可别陷了进去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soup stinks of garlic. 这汤有大蒜气味。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 humor   

n.(humour)幽默，诙谐

参考例句：

• He is distinguished for his sense of humor.他以其幽默感著称。
• American humor is founded largely on hyperbole.美式幽默主要以夸张为基础。

13 adjective   

n.形容词；adj.形容词的，用作形容词的

参考例句：

• Don't apply that adjective to me.不要用那个字眼来形容我。
• The adjective loose has several senses. 形容词loose有几个义项。