【英语早间课堂】话说地道美语 Lesson 23(1)

【课堂热身】

首先，大家跟我来做热身操。看看这幅有趣的图片，根据图片描绘的内容，然后猜一个习语。

Mom: You lazy bone! You have got to make a good preparation for your finals rather than watch TV.

Son: . I just want to let my hair down because I have done it for a long time. Anyway just let me alone and I have a sense of propriety¹.

妈妈：懒骨头，你必须好好复习为期末考试做好准备了，而不是在看电视。

儿子： 。我只是想放松一下，我已经复习了很久了。反正你甭管我了，我自由分寸感的。

【课堂详说】

All my dear listeners, please listen carefully——Every time my aunt comes to visit, she gets on my case because I drive a motorcycle instead of a car. Listen again——Every time my aunt comes to visit, she gets on my case because I drive a motorcycle instead of a car. 好，亲爱的听众朋友，您在这句话中找出来了哪里能够i表示的意思和我们今天的图片要传达的意思相符合呢？

In truth, it is a cinch. In the picture, we can see that 一个dress in pink的人坐在一个dress in green的人拖着的case上，那么，obviously the answer is "get on one's case"。那么get on sb's case是坐在手提箱上的意思吗？Of course not. Let's look at the above picture again.穿着粉色上衣的人用他的finger指着穿着绿色上衣的人，而且他的leg也对着那个人，那么有手有脚，这个习语就是我们中文中说的“指手划脚”“品头论足”“品头题足”“比手划脚”“说长道短”“挑三拣四”。在上面的语境下，Get on sb's case还可以翻译为“百舌之声”“呶呶不休”“一口三舌”“喋喋不休”“唠唠叨叨”等等。In English, it means "to criticize sb all the time" or "nag² sb all the time".

In addition, get on sb's case is an informal expression. And so, what is the formal expression? Please listen to the following sentences——Every time my aunt comes to visit, she nags³ me because I drive a motorcycle instead of a car. The answer is "nag".那么今天我们的课题句子的意思就是——每次我姑妈来看我，她总是唠叨个没完，说我不开汽车就开摩托车。

下面我们再来看2个例句来熟悉get sb's case的意思和用法。

例句1：She is always on my case about my cleaning my room. 她总是对我的房间需要打扫的事情唠叨个没完。

注解1：句中的be on one's case等同于get on one's case。注解2：因为......而指手画脚的表达法是get(be on) one's case about sth (doing sth)。

例句2：If you feel obliged to get her case about her character and morals, just tell Mary before her very eyes straight forward. Never say one thing to her face and another behind her back. 如果你感觉到有必要对Mary的人品说一番的话，就直接了当地在她面前公开地说。不要当面说一套，背后又说一套。

注解1：Feel obliged to do sth意思是不得不，觉得有必要做某事。例如：I feel obliged to say no to his demand. 我觉得应该拒绝他的要求。I founded an orphanage⁴ last year and feel obliged to take care of those children. 去年我创办了一个孤儿院。我觉得有责任去照顾那些小孩。

注解2：人品的表述法是one's character and morals。下面是关于character作为人品这个意思的三个例句：Her nobility of character made her much admired. 她的高尚品格令人钦佩。Character is what you are in the dark. 暗处最能反映一个人的真正品格。They will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.他们所受到的论断不是他们的肤色，而是他们的品格的内涵。

注解3：Before sb's very eyes意思是“在某人面前公开地”。除此之外，我们还可以说in front of sb，to sb's face，in the presence of a person。它们都做状语用。例如：In the presence of other people, he can talked a lot. 在他人面前，他话语很多。

注解4： 背地里，背着某人的表述法是behind one's back。例如：This meeting was held behind my back. 这次会议是背着我召开的。He took a photo of her behind her back. 他偷偷给她拍了一张照片。They talked against her behind her back. 他们在背后说她的坏话。He often speaks ill of me behind my back. 他常在背后说我的坏话。

注解5：Say one thing to one's face and another behind one's back意思是当面一套，背面一套。（两面派。）那么这种人的行为我们可以用一个非常地道的习语来形容——a stab in the back（stab sb in the back），意思是暗箭伤人、背地里捅刀子。Mr. Chen's malicious⁵ remark is a stab in the back. 陈先生的恶意评论，是暗箭伤人。A person of fine character will never stab others in the back. 有好品格的人，绝不会背后诽谤他人。Such a vicious lie could be nothing but a stab in the back. 这样的恶毒谎言简直是背地里向人捅刀子。

亲爱的朋友，我们本次的航班已经地道目的地，如果您对本次航班乘务长Juliet的服务感到满意的话，欢迎你在此乘坐话说地道美语的航班。在你下机之前，Juliet还有礼物要赠送给您，如果您有时间不妨完成下面小小的功课。对您在美国的日子会有所帮助。Thank you! Listeners, see you!

 

转自可可英语

1 propriety   

n.正当行为；正当；适当

参考例句：

• We hesitated at the propriety of the method.我们对这种办法是否适用拿不定主意。
• The sensitive matter was handled with great propriety.这件机密的事处理得极为适当。

2 nag   

v.(对…)不停地唠叨；n.爱唠叨的人

参考例句：

• Nobody likes to work with a nag.谁也不愿与好唠叨的人一起共事。
• Don't nag me like an old woman.别像个老太婆似的唠唠叨叨烦我。

3 nags   

n.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的名词复数 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责v.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的第三人称单数 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责

参考例句：

• The trouble nags at her. 那件麻烦事使她苦恼不已。 来自辞典例句
• She nags at her husBand aBout their lack of money. 她抱怨丈夫没钱。 来自互联网

4 orphanage   

n.孤儿院

参考例句：

• They dispensed new clothes to the children in the orphanage.他们把新衣服发给孤儿院的小孩们。
• They gave the proceeds of the sale to the orphanage.他们把销售的收入给了这家孤儿院。

5 malicious   

adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的

参考例句：

• You ought to kick back at such malicious slander. 你应当反击这种恶毒的污蔑。
• Their talk was slightly malicious.他们的谈话有点儿心怀不轨。