语言小点心:Fire Away

1. What does fire away mean?:
a) you can ask me anything you want
b) it's safe to fire the gun
c) I think I can smell something burning

2. Which other expression has the same meaning as fire away?

3. Is fire away a friendly or unfriendly thing to say?
Today on Language Snacks we take a look at the expression fire away. Let’s listen to the dialogue.
A: ...so that concludes¹ my presentation² today and I will now be happy to answer any questions you may have.
B: Er, thank you for such an interesting talk. Could I just ask one question about the plans for a new building that you mentioned at the beginning?
A: Yes, of course. Fire away.

The expression fire away is an invitation to ask questions about anything you want. It's often used as a friendly and informal³ reply to someone who has said 'can I ask you something?', and is the same as saying 'go ahead'.
Informal expressions like this can be used occasionally⁴ in formal situations, like the presentation example above, to make you sound relaxed, friendly and confident. It's important that your body language matches this message though, so try to smile when you say it!
And that’s it for now – join us again for some more Language Snacks.

fire away--[口语]开始说；开始问；开始(常用于祈使句)：
I'm ready to start writing down what you're going to say——fire away!
我准备记录下你所要说的话 ——请说吧!
1. a

 

2. go ahead

3. friendly

1 concludes   

结束( conclude的第三人称单数 )； 得出结论； 断定； 推断出

参考例句：

• The film concludes with the heroine's death. 影片以女主角之死结束。
• That concludes our programme for this transmission. 这次播音到此结束。

2 presentation   

n.赠与，陈述，介绍；表演，展示

参考例句：

• Last week we went to the presentation of a new play.上星期我们去观看了一场新剧的演出。
• The manner of presentation is highly important.介绍的方式很重要。

3 informal   

adj.非正式的，不拘礼的，通俗的

参考例句：

• I got an informal reception.我受到了非正式接待。
• The leaders met over informal lunches.领袖们在非正式午餐时进行会晤。

4 occasionally   

adv.偶然地；非经常地

参考例句：

• He went on talking,occasionally wiping at his face with a towel.他继续说着，偶尔用毛巾擦一下脸。
• I like playing football best,but occasionally I play table tennis,too.我最喜欢踢足球，偶尔也打打乒乓球。