“双赢时代”必会的表达
工作、学习或是生活中,我们常常会碰到需要别人帮助或协助的情况。这时候,如果我们不肯雪中送炭,又如何指望他日别人救我们于水火之中?反过来,授人以滴水之恩,也是希望得到涌泉回报的。今天,我们就来讲讲和帮助相关的两个习惯用语。 1 to turn one's back on someone Back是指人体的后背。从字面上解释,就是把自己的背对着某人。可是,实际上这是指根本不理会某人,或不肯给那个有困难的人任何帮助,即不理会某人、不愿帮助某人。 例如:I won't ever forgive my older brother--he turned his back on me and refused to lend me any money when I lost my job. 我永远也不会原谅我的大哥哥。当我失去我的工作的时候,他根本不肯帮忙,一点钱都不愿意借给我。 又如:My father deserted my mother and me when I was five years old. But I can't turn my back on him now that he's old and sick. So I'm paying the rent for him on a little apartment in Los Angeles. 当我五岁的时候,我爸爸抛弃了我妈妈和我。可是,现在我爸爸又老又病,我可不能不管。他现在在洛杉矶租了一个小公寓套房,我替他付房租。 2 to scratch one's back 要是你觉得背上某一个地方痒痒,而你自己又抓不到,这是很难受的。这时候,最好有人替你抓一下。To scratch one's back从字面上来看就是“抓某人的背”。它的真正含义是:某人帮了你一下忙,而这个帮你忙的人也期望你下回帮他的忙。因此,to scratch one's back实际上就是:这回你帮我忙,下回我就帮你的忙。 例如:This senator from the 11th district scratched my back when he voted for my bill to cut state income taxes, so it's my turn to do him a favor and vote for that bill for more money for roads in his district. 上回在投票通过我提出的有关裁减州所得税的提案时,第十一选区的参议员投了我一票,帮了我的忙。所以,现在是该我帮他忙的时候了,我得投票赞成为他的选区修建公路增加拨款的提案。 又如:In my business it's important to scratch each other's back. Say a customer does me a favor by giving me an extra big order. The next time he's in town I might take him out to dinner and a Broadway show. 干我们这行,相互帮忙是很重要的。要是一位顾客订了特别大的一批货,帮了我的忙,下次他再到这个城市来的时候,我可能得请他吃晚饭和到百老汇去看演出。 |