美国习惯用语:838 moment of truth

 

上星期，是我婆婆七十大寿。我专门给她烤了一个生日蛋糕。因为第一次做，心里一点谱都没有，虽然蛋糕看上去样子还不错，但是吃到嘴里味道如何，就不知道了。

这么关键时刻在英语里叫， moment of truth. Moment在中文里是时刻，truth在中文里是真相。Moment of truth就是说最终得知一件事情是否会如愿成功的意思，特别是指一件你投入了极大努力的事情。

下面例子里这个高中生，正用急切的心情等待 the moment of truth. 让我们一起听听看。

例句-1：Algebra didn't come easy to me. But I knew I had to pass the class in order to graduate. Throughout¹ the semester², I met my teacher after school for extra help and studied real hard for tests. My moment of truth came when my grades arrived. I got a B, which was good enough to earn my diploma³!

这个学生说：代数对我来说很难，但是我知道，要想毕业，代数考试就一定得及格。整个一个学期，我下课后都要找老师补习，为准备考试做出了很大的努力。考试成绩发下来的关键时刻到了，结果我得了个 B，让我顺利过关，拿到了毕业证书。

这就叫工夫不负有心人。

******

我们上面谈到的几个例子，关键时刻moment of truth来到的时候，结果都是令人满意的。但是下面这个例句里的小伙子，却碰了一鼻子灰。让我们一起听听他的遭遇。

例句-2：I'd been going out with Kerry for months. We seemed to share similar interests and values. In my mind, she was the perfect woman for me. So I decided⁴ that the time had come to ask her if she'd marry me. It was the moment of truth; a day I'll never forget because she turned me down.

这个人说：我跟凯莉约会已经好几个月了。我们好象有很多共同的爱好和价值观。我觉得，她是最适合我的女人。所以我决定，鼓起勇气，向她求婚。这可是紧要关头。我永远也忘不了这一天，因为她拒绝了我。

Ouch! 太残忍了。或许这个女孩子还没有做好安定下来的准备。

Moment of truth这个习惯用语其实是从西班牙语翻译过来的。美国著名作家海明威在1932年出版的小说《午后之死》里第一次用到了这个习惯用语。如今，你又多掌握了一个习惯用语，可以把它用在口头、写作和电子邮件里。只要多学多练，you're sure to sound like a native when your moment of truth arrives. 到了关键时刻，你的英语听上去绝对地道。

1 throughout   

adv.到处，自始至终；prep.遍及，贯穿

参考例句：

• These magazines are sold at bookstores throughout the country.这些杂志在全国各地书店均有发售。
• Guilin is known throughout the world for its scenery.桂林以山水著称于世。

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 diploma   

n.毕业文凭，学位证书

参考例句：

• She won her diploma in only three years.她仅用三年时间就取得了毕业文凭。
• She worked hard to earn her music diploma.她刻苦用功，以求获得音乐学位证书。

4 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。