流行口語 第181課

Larry和李华正在商量如何帮助他们的朋友Jane，因为Jane在工作上碰到了困难。今天李华会学到两个常用语：a can of worms和cut one's losses。

LL: I think that maybe we should just be supportive of Jane. It's best not to open a can of worms by trying to give her advice.

LH: 当然我们应该支持Jane。你说我们不要什么？Open a can of worms? Worms是虫子，支持Jane，给她提建议和一罐虫子有什么关系？而且哪儿有什么罐子里装虫子的？

LL: "To open a can of worms" means to do something that results in a complicated¹ situation full of problems.

LH: 我说呢，open a can of worms是个比喻，不是真的开一罐虫子。所以To open a can of worms 是指做了某件事会把问题弄得更复杂。可是，Larry， 我不懂，为什么给Jane提一些建议反而会造成更多问题呢？

LL: Well, if she follows your advice and it doesn't solve her problem, then she might blame you.

LH: 这倒也是，如果Jane听了我们的建议，但是问题解决不了，她可能会反过来怪我们。还有，我们也可能因为不了解情况而给她错误的建议呀！

LL: Right. There are so many things that could go wrong when you give people advice that I usually avoid opening that can of worms.

LH: 这是没错，给人提建议是很可能会出问题的，因为你毕竟不了解他的情况。可是，你也不能因为这样就避免给人提建议，不能因咽废食。给朋友出主意也是应该的嘛。对了，Larry, 你还不知道，那天在课堂上我才真的是opened a can of worms.

LL: What did you do?

LH: 我问教授为什么不讨论第13章，结果教授要全班回家读第13章，而且星期一还要考试呢！

LL: I bet² that everyone in your class is unhappy with you right now.

LH: 就是啊，现在全班同学一定在骂我。更惨的是，连教授也生我的气，因为这本来是他的疏忽，可给我指明了。所以喽，我真的是招惹了更多麻烦。

LL: Wow, that's a tough situation. You really did open a can of worms.

LH: 就是啊，所以我现在很后悔，早知道什么都别说就好了。

LL: Unfortunately, sometimes keeping your mouth shut is the only way to avoid opening a can of worms.

******

LL: Well, Jane decided³ to cut her losses and quit her job. She's going to start looking for a new job tomorrow.

LH: 真的？Jane决定要辞掉那个工作啦？Larry，什么是cut her losses?

LL: To cut one's losses means to give up and withdraw⁴ from a losing situation.

LH: Cut one's losses就是看到形势对自己不利就决定改变方向，这样可以减少损失。所以Jane决定宁可辞职，也不要再浪费时间去解决工作上的问题。是这个意思吗？

LL: Exactly. She didn't see any way to improve her relationship with her co-workers, so she decided to cut her losses and leave.

LH: 嗯，要是根本没有希望改善和她同事的关系，那还不如趁早离开，免得再继续受罪。

LL: Sometimes, there's nothing you can do to improve a situation. All you can do is cut your losses and try to find a better situation.

LH: 说的也是。人生有许多事情真的是你再怎么努力，也没办法改善的。像我一位朋友，她是研究生化专业的博士生，可是她和她的指导教授关系很差。

LL: What happened?

LH: 跟了那个教授三年后，决定不能再浪费时间了。所以她决定cut her losses，拿了个硕士学位就走人。博士学位也不要了。

LL: She gave up on her PhD?

LH: 她实在没别的选择，就只能放弃喽！

今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是to open a can of worms，意思是做了某件事会造成更多问题。另一个常用语是to cut one's losses，这是指及时从对自己不利的局面里撤出来，以减少损失。今天的流行美语就进行到这里，谢谢大家收听，我们下次节目再见。
 

1 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。

2 bet   

v.打赌，以(与)...打赌；n.赌注，赌金；打赌

参考例句：

• I bet you can't do this puzzle.我敢说，你解决不了这个难题。
• I offered to bet with him.我提出与他打赌。

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 withdraw   

vt.收回，撤消，撤退；vi.缩回，退出，撤退

参考例句：

• I want to withdraw a statement I made earlier.我想收回我早些时候发表的一项声明。
• The general decided to withdraw his soldiers.那位将军决定撤军。