迷你对话学地道口语第283期:捡了芝麻,丢了西瓜

　　迷你对话：
A: He is penny¹ wise and pound-foolish.
他这个人小处精明，大处糊涂。
B: Why do you say so?
怎么这样说他。
A: The trash of the world he sets high price upon, but the heavenly things he shamefully² undervalues.
对废物估价太高，对珍品却呲之以鼻。
B: Maybe all of us are the same.
或许我们都大同小异。
地道表达：
penny wise and pound-foolish
解词释义：
此语的意思是指小处精明，大处浪费，明于小事而昧于大事。其英文解释为：unwise because doing something small now would prevent much more trouble later。
支持范例：
Education budget cuts are penny wise and pound foolish ——public education is an investment³ in our future.
教育预算削减是明于小事而昧于大事，因为学校教育是我们将来的一项投资。
Asking the workers not to make private phone calls from the office is not likely to reduce the firm’s losses⁴, it is just being penny wise and pound-foolish.
要工作人员不在办公室打私人电话不大可能减少企业的亏损，那只是打小段盘而忽略大处。
词海拾贝：
set high price (upon)：在......设置高价格
范例：You remember the child who set a high price on this picture?
你还记得那个买这幅画要了高价的孩子吗？
He set a high price on his services.
他把服务费用定得很高。
She has set a high price on the fashion dress so that nobody want to buy it.
她把这款时尚的裙子的价位定得太高了，因此没有人想去买。

1 penny   

n.（英）便士，美分

参考例句：

• I will not lent you a penny.我一便士都不愿借给你。
• Sugar has risen a penny a pound.糖价每磅涨了1便士。

2 shamefully   

可耻地； 丢脸地； 不体面地； 羞耻地

参考例句：

• He misused his dog shamefully. 他可耻地虐待自己的狗。
• They have served me shamefully for a long time. 长期以来，他们待我很坏。

3 investment   

n.投资，投资额；(时间、精力等的)投入

参考例句：

• It took two years before I recouped my investment.我用了两年时间才收回投资。
• The success of the project pivots on investment from abroad.这个工程的成功主要依靠外来投资。

4 losses   

n.损失( loss的名词复数 )；损耗；失败；降低

参考例句：

• Rumours of job losses were later confirmed. 裁员的传言后来得到了证实。
• The army was forced to retreat after suffering heavy losses. 部队因伤亡惨重被迫撤退。