
BBC地道英语 – Joking aside
当某人说 “joking aside(撇开玩笑不谈)” 时,意思是 “别开玩笑了,严肃一点”,也就是 “玩笑归玩笑,说正经的,言归正传”。搭配 “joking apart” 与 “joking aside” 的意思相同,用法也一样。

当某人说 “joking aside(撇开玩笑不谈)” 时,意思是 “别开玩笑了,严肃一点”,也就是 “玩笑归玩笑,说正经的,言归正传”。搭配 “joking apart” 与 “joking aside” 的意思相同,用法也一样。

This is a moment when we must urgently act not only to restore what has been lost for women and girls, but to end the harmful status quo which keeps inequality thriving. The stakes simply couldn’t be higher. The world – not just women – needs innovative solutions more than ever. Optimizing inclusivity is our best chance at success. Find themselves tasked with making decisions that shape lives.

“As pretty as picture” 比喻事物 “美得像田园风景画一般”,也就是 “非常美丽”。它也可以用来形容人 “非常漂亮”。

“Paint a picture” 用 “画画” 来比喻 “以特定的方式刻画、构想或描述某事” 或 “暗示某种结果”。比如,信息或数据可以 “paint a picture (暗示了某种结果)”。你也可以用 “paint someone a picture” 表示 “向某人描述某事”。

I guess what I’m trying to say is life is like one big Mardi Gras. But instead of showing your boobs, show people your brain, and if they like what they see, you’ll have more beads than you know what to do with and you’ll be drunk, most of the time.

“Trust to luck” 的意思是 “相信会有好运,希望某事能碰巧成功”。这意味着你无法改变现状,所以 “听天由命,靠运气行事”。

《彼得·潘》是苏格兰小说家及剧作家詹姆斯·马修·巴利创作的长篇小说,该故事原本为舞台剧,作者将剧本小说化,于1911年首次在英美出版,原名《彼得·潘与温迪》(Peter Pan and Wendy)。
小说讲述一个会飞的淘气小男孩彼得·潘和他在永无岛(也译为梦幻岛)的冒险故事,同他相伴的还有温蒂·达令及她的两个弟弟、精灵婷科·贝尔(或译奇妙仙子)、迷失少年们,而以霍克船长为首的一群海盗是他们最大的威胁。

“The picture of” 的意思是 “某人的特质是一件事情的完美典范”,最常用来谈论人,描述 “此人的态度、情绪或状态等非常、很……”。 搭配中的冠词 “the” 可以换成 “a”,即 “a picture of”,含义不变。

Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Commencement Speech at Tuskegee University 2015. I have learned that as long as I hold fast to my beliefs and values — and follow my own moral compass — then the only expectations I need to live up to are my own. So, graduates, that’s what I want for all of you. I want you all to stay true to the most real, most sincere, most authentic parts of yourselves.

“Be able to picture something” 用来谈论某人 “想象得到某件事情”,它的一个同义词是 “visualise(想象得出,设想)”。在这个短语中表示 “能够” 的搭配 “be able to” 可用情态动词 “can” 替换,即 “can picture something”,意思不变。

“Put someone in the picture” 的意思是 “告知某人有关情况,让某人了解最新消息和信息”,这么做通常是因为这个人错过了重大事件。“Put someone in the picture” 在工作场合中很常用。

As the US grapples with a disinformation crisis, Tom Hanks told graduates of Harvard on Thursday to be superheroes in their defense of truth and American ideals, and to resist those who twist the truth for their own gain.
“For the truth to some is no longer empirical. It’s no longer based on data, nor common sense, nor even common decency,”

名词 “hindsight” 的意思是 “事后的认识”,它常与介词 “in” 和 “with” 搭配使用,即 “in hindsight” 和 “with hindsight”,意思是 “事后看来,回过头想想”。

I want you to know that as your Prime Minister, I will work night and day to change that, and quickly. Not just by providing relief and peace of mind for the months to come – although we will. But also by changing our country…and building a better future for our children and grandchildren.

“Lucky streak” 指 “一系列相继发生的幸运事件,在同一段时间内运气好”。它应与介词 “on” 搭配使用,即 “be on a lucky streak”。

The whole world grows when people like you and me take a stand because we know that beyond the idea of how men and women are different, there is a deeper truth that love is love, and parents are parents.

当有人说 “not a cloud in the sky” 时,意思是 “天气很好”,因为天空湛蓝,万里无云。这个表达也可以用来比喻 “一切都好,此前面临的所有问题都不存在了或都被解决了”

As you leave Stanford, take your genius and your optimism and your empathy and go change the world in ways that will make millions of others optimistic as well. In the course of your lives, without any plan on your part, you’ll come to see suffering that will break your heart. When it happens, and it will, don’t turn away from it; turn toward it.

“Rise and shine” 的意思是 “快起床”。人们用它来叫他人起床,这是一个幽默的说法。

“Watch (somebody/something) like a hawk(像鹰一样盯着某人或物)” 的实际意思是 “密切观察,严密监视,盯着……”。