迷你对话学地道口语第464期:拼命工作

　　迷你对话
A: I am very sorry that I cannot go shopping with you, because I have to finish my report today.
非常抱歉，我不能和你一起去购物，因为我今天要完成我的报告。
B: Never mind. You have to break your neck.
没关系，你拼命地工作吧。
地道表达
break one’s neck
1. 解词释义
Break在这里是“折断”的意思，to break one’s neck 是夸张地说法。字面意思就是“弄断一个人的脖子”，引申为“尽最大努力去完成一项工作”，或者是“用最快的速度赶到一个地方去”。总之，就是指“拼命地干活”。这跟中文对话中的“You have to break you neck. ”的意思就是“你得拼命地做。
2. 典型范例
e.g. I was really up to my neck in work today, I couldn't get away from the office till six-thirty. So I had to break my neck to get to my sister's engagement¹ party at seven o'clock.
今天我工作忙的不得了,直到六点半我才能离开办公室。可是,我妹妹今天订婚,七点举行订婚仪式,还请了一些客人。所以我不得不拼了命用最快的速度赶去。
e.g. My parents agreed to pay my trip to Europe this summer only if I complete all my course work before the end of the semester². So now I'm breaking my neck to finish all the papers³ I have to write.
我爸爸妈妈答应我,要是我在这学期结束前完成所有的作业,那末他们就给我钱让我今年暑假到欧洲去旅行。所以,我现在正在拼命地把我要写的学术报告写完。

1 engagement   

n.订婚，婚约，约定，约会

参考例句：

• I can't see you on Monday because I have a previous engagement.星期一我不能见你，因为我有约在先。
• It was my mother's very own engagement ring.这正是我母亲自己的订婚戒指。

2 semester   

n.一学期，半学年，六个月的时间

参考例句：

• A student will probably attend four or five courses during each semester.每个学生一学期可能要修四五门课程。
• I had an especially rough time during my first semester.我第一个学期的日子难受极了。

3 papers   

n.文件，纸币，论文

参考例句：

• I want to check with my secretary before I sign the papers.在签署这些文件前，我要与我的秘书商议。
• The lawyer read all the papers relating to the case.律师阅读了与该案有关的全部文件。