VOA慢速英语2019 “Read Someone Like a Book”和“Write a Book on Something”

（单词翻译）

Read Someone Like a Book or Write a Book on Something

Now, the VOA Learning¹ English program Words and Their Stories.

现在是VOA慢速英语节目“词汇掌故”栏目。 

On this show, we explore words and expressions in the English language. We can also tell where they come from. And probably more importantly for those learning to speak English, we explain how and when we use these terms.

在这个节目中，我们探索英语中的单词和短语表达。我们还可以谈论它们的来源。对于英语学习者而言，更重要的可能是，我们要解释如何使用这些词语以及何时使用。

Reading is a popular activity for people all over the world. There is nothing quite like getting lost in a really good book. It can be a special experience. Minor² problems melt³ away as the characters in the story seem to come to life.

阅读对于世界各地的人们而言都是一项很受欢迎的活动。没有什么可以比拟沉浸于一本好书中。这是种特别的体验。随着故事中的人物变得鲜活起来，其中的那些小问题也就消失了。

The best part about books is that they can take you anywhere you want! They can take you to places that do not even exist. We can also understand the world around us and its people better by reading stories.

书籍的最棒之处在于，它们可以带你到任何你想要去的地方！它们甚至可以带你到不存在的地方去。通过阅读一个个故事，我们还可以更好地了解我们周围的世界和人们。

So, it is no surprise that Americans sometimes use expressions involving the word "book." Today we will talk about two such terms. Both use the two main verbs⁵ you need when talking about a book -- "reading" and "writing."

因此，美国人有时会使用含有“book”（“书”）的表达也就不足为奇了。 今天，我们将讨论两个这样的表达。这两个表达都使用在谈论书籍时会用到的两个主要动词：“reading”（“阅读”）和“writing”（“写作”）。

Let us begin with an expression from a reader’s point of view. The following example sounds like an enjoyable activity -- reading someone like a book.

让我们先从读者的角度开始讨论其中一个表达。以下例子听起来像是一项令人愉快的活动——“ reading someone like a book”。

Yet "to read someone like a book" means⁶ that you know the person very well -- and usually not in a good way. We often use this expression in special situations. A person may be trying to trick you, but you know their true objectives⁷. In other words, you can see through their attempts to fool you or someone else.

然而，“to read someone like a book”指的是你非常了解这个人，而且通常是以一种不好的方式。我们经常在一些特殊情况下使用此种表达。 （比如）有人可能试图骗你，但你知道他们的真实意图。 换句话说，您能看穿他们想要骗你或其他人的意图。

Now, let’s hear how this expression is used in this exchange between two co-workers.

现在，让我们听听在这两个同事之间的交流中是如何使用此表达的。 

A: Were you able to get him to agree to the deal?

A：你让他同意这笔交易了吗？ 

B: No. He didn’t sign the agreement.

B：没有。他没有签署协议。 

A: Without his signature⁸, we cannot make the movie.

A：没有他的签名，我们就拍不了这部电影。 

B: Don’t you think I know that! I thought it was a sure thing. He said he was really interested. So, I took him to dinner. I spent a lot of money on a bottle of wine. I even offered him front row seats to that sold-out show next weekend.

B：你以为我不知道吗！我以为这是板上钉钉的事情了。他说非常感兴趣。 所以我才带他去吃饭。光买瓶红酒就花了我不少钱。我甚至还给了他下周末那个早已抢购一空的演出的前排座位。

A: And he still didn’t sign.

A：然后他还是没有签字。 

B: If you ask me, he had no interest in signing the contract⁹. He just wanted a free dinner and more!

B：在我看来，他对签订合同没兴趣。他只是想要免费的晚餐甚至更多！ 

A: Yes, he read you like a book.

A：是的，他对你的心思了如指掌（he read you like a book） 

So, that is an expression with the verb⁴ "read." Now, let’s turn to one with the words “to write.”

那么，这就是含有动词“read”“的表达。 现在，让我们转到含有“to write”的表达。 

When you become an expert at something, you may write a book about it. After all, many experts write about what they know. They want to share their expertise¹⁰ or make a name for themselves. Or both.

当你成为某方面的专家时，可能会写本书。毕竟，许多专家都会把他们知道的东西写出来。 他们想分享自己的专业知识或为自己谋求名声，或者两者兼有之。

In any case, we use the expression to write the book on something to describe a person who knows a lot about something. And this person does not need to have published an actual book. But it can be funny to tie the two together, like in the following example.

无论如何，我们使用“to write the book on something”这一表达都是用来描述某人对某事非常了解。而且此人不需要真正有书出版。 但是将两者结合在一起就可能变得有趣起来，如以下示例所示。

A: What’s keeping you so busy these days? I haven’t seen you in weeks.

A：最近怎么这么忙？几周没见到你了。 

B: I am studying for my exams on building materials. But I’m having a lot of trouble. I’m not sure what materials are the best or worst for natural disasters.

B：我正在准备建材考试。但是我遇到了很多问题。 我不确定哪种材料最适合防御自然灾害，哪种材料最不适合。

A: You should talk to Madeline.

A：你应该和马德琳谈谈。 

B: Madeline? Is she good with building homes in disaster areas?

B：玛德琳？她擅长处理在灾区盖房问题吗？ 

A: Are you serious? She is THE leading expert on building for natural disasters, from earthquakes to hurricanes¹¹.

A：你是认真的吗？在自然灾害建设方面，从地震到飓风，她可是前沿专家。 

B: I had no idea.

B：我不知道。 

A: Oh yeah! She wrote the book on th subject – literally¹² and figuratively. In fact, do you want to borrow her book? I have a copy.

A：哦，对了！ 她不仅非常熟悉，还真的写了本关于这个主题的书。总之，你想借她的书吗？ 我有个复印本。

B: Yes. And please give her my number. I would love to pick her brain!

B：是的。还有，请给我她的电话号码。我非常愿意向她请教！ 

And that’s all for Words and Their Stories. Until next time, I’m Kelly Jean Kelly, for Anna Matteo.

这就是本期“词汇掌故”的全部内容。 我们下次见，我是凯利·简·凯利，感谢安娜·马特奥。