【英语时差8,16】心不在焉；恍神

 To be asleep at the wheel.

 

When people do not get enough sleep, their judgement and abilities maybe impaired¹. That means they should avoid doing tasks that require great alertness³, such as driving a car. If a person falls asleep or holding a steering⁴ wheel of their car. There could be a terrible accident. To be asleep at the wheel creates danger not only for the driver and any passengers, but also for anyone else on the road.

 

As an idiom, we use this phrase to indicate about someone who's not alert² enough when something critical is taking place or not paying for attention to any important situation. If a person fails to respond in a proper manner at a precarious⁵ movement, we say they were asleep at the wheel.

1 impaired   

adj.受损的；出毛病的；有（身体或智力）缺陷的v.损害，削弱( impair的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Much reading has impaired his vision. 大量读书损害了他的视力。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His hearing is somewhat impaired. 他的听觉已受到一定程度的损害。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

2 alert   

adj.机警的，活泼的，机灵的；vt.使...警觉

参考例句：

• Drivers must be on the alert for traffic signals.驾驶员必须密切注意交通信号。
• The rabbIt'seems to be very alert all its life.兔子似乎一生都小心翼翼，十分警觉。

3 alertness   

n.警觉

参考例句：

• Alertness, calmness, courage: he could see them all in the youngster's face. 机警，镇定，胆量，都摆出在这年青人的脸上。 来自子夜部分
• We must maintain a military standard, an alertness, and never vary it. 我们必须保持军队的准则，应当随时注意，切勿随时变动。

4 steering   

n.操舵装置

参考例句：

• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration. 他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。
• Steering according to the wind, he also framed his words more amicably. 他真会看风使舵，口吻也马上变得温和了。

5 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。