职场英语每日一句•人物性格篇 第82句

I know everyone here is sweating bullets over the new assignment, and I really appreciate you efforts. But just think of your stock options when our product hits the market!

我知道在座的各位都在为新的任务拼命，我非常感激！但是，想想产品上市后大家手上的公司股权吧?

字里行间

sweat流汗；bullet，子弹。中国人说豆大的汗珠；美国人则说汗流如弹。在口语中，sweating bullets有两个意思：其一是指拼命努力地工作；其二则是因某事焦虑，担忧。sweating bullets中的名词始终是复数形式，通常与over连用接宾语。

弦外之音

在美国上班，虽然平日会承受极大的压力而辛苦工作，但多数美国人都会选择将个人生活、娱乐与工作划分得一清二楚。一旦轮到休假，他们多会谢绝任何工作联系，足迹走遍“五湖四海”，全身心、放松地投入私人假期。
相对美国人将公私生活分得泾渭分明的情形，中国很多公司职员的公私生活界限就不那么清楚了。

活学活用

1. When GM announced 30,000 would be laid off in the next five years, all of us at Ford were sweating bullets.

通用公司宣布今后五年内，要让三万员工走人。我们福特公司的人听后不由忧心忡忡。

2. It was in his college years when Kevin realized how his parents were sweating bullets just to make ends meet as new immigrants.

到了上大学时，凯文才认识到他的父母像其他新移民一样，虽然整天含辛茹苦，也只能让全家得个温饱而已。