我们今天要讲的习惯用语都有这样一个词nerve。Nerve通常解释为“神经”,但是它也有“勇气”的意思。例如在我们要学的第一个习惯用语: get up the nerve里,它就表示“勇气”。
我们今天要讲的习惯用语都有这样一个词nerve。Nerve通常解释为“神经”,但是它也有“勇气”的意思。例如在我们要学的第一个习惯用语: get up the nerve里,它就表示“勇气”。 例句-1:I m trying to get up the nerve to walk in and tell my boss I want a 20% raise or I ll look for another job where they ll pay me what I m really worth. 我打算鼓起勇气到老板的办公室去,告诉他我想加薪百分之二十,否则我就要另谋高就,到愿意付给我应得报酬的地方去工作了。 有时候人们用work代替get,成为work up the nerve。我们再看个例子,说话的人很希望向他所钟情的女孩求婚,但却一直怯于启齿。 例句-2:I ve been going with Susan for three years and I m crazy about her! For six months I ve been trying to work up the nerve to ask her to marry me, but I m afraid all she ll do is laugh. 我和苏珊已经约会了三年了,我对她一往情深。最近六个月来我一直想鼓起勇气开口向她求婚,但我老觉得难以启齿,因为我怕她会一笑了之。 我们再来学个习惯用语: have got a lot of nerve。在这个习惯用语里,nerve不再解释为“神经”或者“勇气”,而是“鲁莽”。 例句-3:You ve really got a lot of nerve telling me I spend too much money! Remember, you are the one who goes up to New York every month and brings back a thousand dollars worth of stuff. 你也好意思说我花钱太多?你每个月都得去一次纽约,而且每次总要买一千多美元的东西! 这儿have got a lot of nerve是用来指责对方厚脸皮,或者太鲁莽的说法,这个习惯用语通常是争论中用的。还有一个习惯用语和这个说法意思一样,而且也常用在争吵的时候。它是: of all the nerve。Of all the nerve和have got a lot of nerve都可以用来说对方太莽撞甚至厚颜无耻。 例句-4:Of all the nerve! How dare you criticize me for being late in the morning. You re the one who sneak out half an hour early - at least I work a full eight hours every day! 真是大言不惭!你还说我早上迟到?你自己每天提前半小时就回家了,至少我每天都待够八小时。 美国人还喜欢用chutzpah这个词来代替nerve指责别人蛮横或者厚颜无耻,看看下面的例子: 例句-5:The man murdered his father and mother, but at his trial he had the chutzpah to tell the judge that he shouldn t be sent to prison because his parents were dead and he was an orphan. 这人谋害了他的父母,但是在审判中他竟然恬不知耻地对法官说,他不该坐牢,因为他父母双亡,是个孤儿。