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英语学习

BBC地道英语 – Quick/slow on the uptake

当我们说某人 “quick on the uptake”,意思是这个人 “很快就能明白或掌握某件事情”。反之,假如说某人 “slow on the uptake”,就表示这个人 “理解某件事情感到很吃力,领悟较慢”。

James Madison

美国第4任总统詹姆斯·麦迪逊1813年就职演讲

When the public voice called for war, all knew, and still know, that without them it could not be carried on through the period which it might last, and the patriotism, the good sense, and the manly spirit of our fellow-citizens are pledges for the cheerfulness with which they will bear each his share of the common burden.

Kennedy addresses before the Irish Parliament

肯尼迪在爱尔兰议会发表的演讲

It is that our two nations, divided by distance, have been united by history. No people ever believed more deeply in the cause of Irish freedom than the people of the United States. And no country contributed more to building my own than your sons and daughters.

BBC地道英语 – Chalk something up to experience

在谈论一个没有达到理想结果的事情或情况时,表达 “chalk something up to experience” 用来表示 “将这件事情当作一次学习的经验或教训”。当已知事情的具体内容时,可以直接用 “it” 替换 “something”,即 “chalk it up to experience”。

BBC地道英语 – Pick someone’s brains

“Pick someone’s brains” 的意思是 “请教某人,就某个话题咨询这个人的意见,或请此人帮助回答、解决一个问题”。这是表示 “问问题” 的一个非正式说法。

BBC地道英语 – Walk before one can run

我们用表达 “walk before you can run(先学走,再学跑)” 来比喻 “做事应循序渐进”。比如,在学习新事物的时候,不应急于求成,而是先学会基本的技能,再尝试更复杂、困难的事情。我们也可以用 “don’t run before you can walk(会走之前先别跑)” 来提醒别人 “不要急于求成”。

Kennedy at Amherst College

肯尼迪在阿默斯特学院关于艺术的演讲

I look forward to an America which will reward achievement in the arts as we reward achievement in business or statecraft. I look forward to an America which will steadily raise the standards of artistic accomplishment and which will steadily enlarge cultural opportunities for all of our citizens.

BBC地道英语 – Make a mental note

“Make a mental note” 的意思是 “试着记住一件事情”。如果想说明要记在脑子里的事情具体是什么,可以说 “make a mental note of something”。

BBC地道英语 – Cover a lot of ground

“Cover a lot of ground” 既可以按字面理解为 “跨越很长的距离”;也可以被用作一种比喻,表示 “提供的信息十分全面,或者教的内容涉及面很广”。这个表达用在教育领域时,通常用来描述 “传授的内容涵盖了很多知识点”。

BBC地道英语 – Goody-goody

合成名词 “goody-goody” 指 “自鸣得意或道貌岸然的人”,这个人可能 “伪善、假正经,或在他人面前故意讨好卖乖”。这是一个非正式的说法,带有贬义,表达 “goody two shoes” 的意思相同。

Franklin D. Roosevelt

罗斯福关于国家安全的演讲:Great Arsenal of Democracy

We have no excuse for defeatism. We have every good reason for hope — hope for peace, yes, and hope for the defense of our civilization and for the building of a better civilization in the future. I have the profound conviction that the American people are now determined to put forth a mightier effort than they have ever yet made to increase our production of all the implements of defense, to meet the threat to our democratic faith.

BBC地道英语 – Know-it-all

合成名词 “know-it-all” 带有贬义,意思是 “自以为无所不知的人”,用来形容某人觉得自己比别人懂得都多,其实不然。

Kennedy at the Rudolph Wilde Platz, Berlin.

肯尼迪在柏林墙前的演讲

Freedom is indivisible, and when one man is enslaved, all are not free. When all are free, then we can look forward to that day when this city will be joined as one and this country and this great Continent of Europe in a peaceful and hopeful globe. When that day finally comes, as it will, the people of West Berlin can take sober satisfaction in the fact that they were in the front lines for almost two decades.

President Obama’s Message for America’s Students

奥巴马2009年开学演讲: 我们为什么要上学

No matter what you want to do with your life, you want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You cannot drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to train for it and work for it and learn for it.

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