Snowclone

The term "snowclone" describes the practice of transforming cliches, axioms and pop culture catchphrases into modern analogies. For example, the catchphrase, "To be or not to be, that is the question", can be turned into, "To eat or not to eat, that is the question."

“雪克隆”指的是把一些陈词滥调、公理、流行文化名言改编成现代版本的行为。例如，名言“生，还是死，这就是问题的所在”可以变成“吃，还是不吃，这就是问题的所在”。

A snowclone can be formed simply by borrowing a timeworn but familiar cliche and injecting the specific topic into its basic syntax. The movie catchphrase in Alien, "In space, no one can hear you scream", for example, can be turned into the business-related snowclone, "In space, no one can hear you negotiate".

雪克隆可借用一些过时但却脍炙人口的陈词滥调，在其基本句式中加入具体话题。举例来说，电影《异形》的名句“在太空中，没有人能听到你的尖叫”可以改编成跟商业有关的雪克隆：“在太空中，没有人能听到你的谈判”。

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Graycation

Graycation is a family vacation that's spent with grandparents to share costs.

同堂假期是和祖父母一起度假来分担费用的家庭假期。

An estimated 2.7 million families are planning to holiday in the UK this year with children, parents and grandparents all in the same resort, according to a survey. Researchers say that the total number has soared this year, thanks to the rising price of foreign holidays and the opportunities for sharing costs on a graycation.

据调查，英国今年预计有270万个家庭计划和孩子、父母及祖父母在同一地方度假。调查者称，选择同堂度假的人数增多，一方面是因为境外游的价格上涨，另一方面是因为可以分担开支。

In addition to the economic benefits of multigenerational vacationing, many of those surveyed said graycations were appealing because they allowed grandparents and grandchildren to spend more time together.

此外，许多受访者称，同堂假期这么有吸引力，除了经济利益方面的原因，还因为这种假期让祖父母和孙子孙女有更多的时间共处。

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一个 iPad 商标，引发了一场知识产权的血战，也引发了网友的围观。苹果公司在与唯冠科技(深圳)有限公司的商标侵权案中一审判决败诉，唯冠申请禁售令，苹果公司iPad在中国各地的专卖店遭遇下架。

Trademark infringement就是指“商标侵权”，是指行为人未经商标权人许可，在相同或类似商品上使用与其 trademark registration(注册商标)相同或近似的商标，或者干涉、妨碍商标权人使用其注册商标，损害商标权人legitimate interest(合法权益)的其他行为。行为人销售明知或应知是counterfeit registered trademark(假冒注册商标)的商品, right to exclusive use of trademark(商标专用权)被侵权的natural person(自然人)或者legal entity(法人)在civil affairs(民事)上有权要求侵权人cessation of infringement(停止侵害)、eliminate ill effects(消除影响)、redress damage(赔偿损失)。

For example:

The tablets have been confiscated from shelves in many retail shops and electronic stores due to a Chinese company's lawsuit against the Apple Inc over the trademark infringement, in Shijiazhuang, capital of Hebei province.

在河北省省会石家庄市，由于苹果公司商标侵权案，使得多处零售商店和电子产品商店中的iPad平板电脑遭遇下架的命运。唯冠科技(深圳)有限公司是在2011年年初提出上诉，起诉苹果公司iPad商标侵权，并开始了court proceedings(法律诉讼程序)。公司还向北京工商管理部门提出投诉，并向其他三地的法院申请禁售令。双方自此陷入了trademark infringement(商标侵权)的诉讼混战中。

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Cog in the machine

I am not an important person in this company. I'm just a lowly cog in the machine.

http://translate.chinadaily.com.cn/?mod=question&action=viewthread&qid=39057

My comments:

Cogs are essential parts of a machine. They're gears that work together to make machinery work their magic. Without cogs, machines and, indeed, the entirety of modern-day industry would grind to a halt. And so it is curious that cogs are considered unimportant. And perhaps it's not so curious. Cogs are considered unimportant because they're commonplace — there are thousands upon thousands of them in an assembly line, for instance.

Hence, people who work jobs that are mundane routines in an organization or business call themselves "cogs".

A lower cog is a lower-ranking staff member. Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

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最近，一个名为“休假式治疗”的新词在中华大地飘然降临并异军突起，变成了2012年年初爆红网络的流行语。那么它的英文表达是怎样的呢？纵观各路媒体，大致的说法有以下几种：

1. vacation-style treatment

这是“休假式治疗”最常规的一种译法，vacation就是指“休假，假期”，style是指“样式，风格”，treatment是指“治疗，疗法”。

2. vacation-style therapy

这种译法将treatment一词换成了therapy。therapy和treatment都是“治疗”的意思，区别不大，经常可以互换使用，但是相比之下therapy一词不太用来指“用药物治疗”。

3. “therapeutic” leave

有媒体直接译作了take “therapeutic” leave。Therapeutic是therapy的形容词形式，意思是“治疗的；有疗效的”。另外”take ... leave”也是一种固定用法，我们平时说“请病假”就是take sick leave。

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中国国家副主席习近平2月对美国进行为期五天的正式访问。一名高级外交官员说，中国和美国之间存在“信任赤字”，希望国家副主席习近平此次对华盛顿的访问可以有助于增进两国间的互信。

Trust deficit就是指“信任赤字”，deficit就是指“赤字，不足额”，例如fiscal deficit(财政赤字)，trade deficit(贸易逆差；贸易赤字)。

For example:

Vice-President Xi Jinping's visit to the United States provides a very important opportunity to enhance bilateral mutual trust, as a "trust deficit" exists that contrasts with booming bilateral ties, a top Chinese diplomat said on Thursday.

中国一名高级外交官员周四说，中美日益兴起的双边关系存在“信任赤字”，国家副主席习近平进行的美国之访对提升双边互信起着非常重要的作用。

国家副主席习近平此次访美的主要目的是为了削减中美之的“trust deficit (信任赤字)”，增强中美互信、减少猜疑，共同建设相互尊重、互利共赢的cooperative partnership (合作伙伴关系)达成的共识，进一步推动合作伙伴关系的发展。

除此之外，加强China-invested enterprise (中资企业)对美投资，也是此行的重点。作为中美关系中的重要组成部分，双边经贸问题在此次访美中尤为重要，双边市场开放、trade disputes (贸易争端) 解决、合作空间拓展等将成为主要经贸议题。预计未来中美利益交融、相互依存的格局将进一步加深。在知识产权、新能源、energy saving and environmental protection (节能环保)、医药、smart grid (智能电网)、航空、engineering contract (工程承包)等领域的合作将稳步推进。

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Manther

A manther is a middle-aged man who seeks sexual or romantic relationships with significantly younger women.

少女猎手是那些总喜欢和比自己小很多的女性发生性关系或谈恋爱的中年男子。

Lee Rangel is a manther, but likes older women as well. The 57-year old is dating a 36-year old. "Usually women that are older are married. They have multiple children and they don't really like to have a lot of fun, the ones that I've met. And women that are younger tend to want to go do things and have fun and enjoy themselves and that’s what I like to do."

李·兰杰尔是一个少女猎手，但也喜欢老女人。57岁的他正在和一个36岁的女人约会。“年龄大一些的女人通常都已经结婚了。就我认识的那些，她们都有一大帮孩子要养，也不是很喜欢尽兴玩乐。年轻一点的女性则会想去做点新鲜事，尽情享乐，这也是我所喜欢的。”

Women are often interested in older men because they appear more mature, self-assured, confi dent and the attraction could be the result of an unavailable father. While an age difference doesn’t necessarily mean trouble for a couple, there could be age-related problems.

女人对老男人感兴趣是因为他们看上去更成熟、自信。这种吸引力可能源于女人缺乏父爱。尽管年龄差距不一定会导致情侣或夫妻之间的矛盾，但是年龄差距过大也会产生一些问题。

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1. on my back 找我麻烦，挑我毛病

例句：Whenever I come home late my wife is always on my back.

每当我回家晚了，我妻子总找我的麻烦。

2. get off my back 少跟我罗嗦

例句：I had enough with you. Get off my back!

我已经受够你了。别再烦我了！

3. turn my back on 拒绝帮助

例句：I can’t turn my back on him when he needs help.

在他需要帮助的时候，我不能不管。

4. behind my back 在背后

例句：If I did refuse to help, my supervisor might say bad things about me behind my back.

如果我真的拒绝帮忙，我的上司会在背后说我坏话。

5. stab in the back 伤人的暗箭；背叛；诽谤

例句：Such a vicious lie could be nothing but a stab in the back.

这样的恶毒谎言简直是背地里向人捅刀子。

6. pat on the back 鼓励；表扬

例句：Sometimes, when I am very productive in my job, my employer gives me a pat on the back.

有时当我工作非常富有成效时，我老板会表扬我。

7. I will scratch your back if you will scratch mine 礼尚往来

例句：I’ll scratch your back if you’ll scratch mine” only works if you will respond with something approaching parity.

只有晓得对方会以接近对等的方式回应，“礼尚往来”才行得通。

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在“虎妈狼爸”引爆家庭教育之争后，“鹰爸”又横空出世。近日，网上一段“裸跑弟”的视频，引发了网友关注：除夕清晨，一名来自南京跟随父母到美国旅行的4岁男童，在纽约-13℃的暴雪中裸跑。孩子的父亲何先生表示儿子是早产儿，曾被告知未来可能脑瘫痴呆，遂制定残酷的“鹰爸”式训练计划让其健康长大。

Eagle dad就是指“鹰爸”，其educational ideas(教育理念)是：当幼鹰长到足够大的时候，鹰妈妈就会狠心地把幼鹰赶下山崖，幼鹰往谷底坠下时，拼命地拍打翅膀，趁此掌握了基本的本领—飞翔。与此前出现的“tiger mom(虎妈)”、“wolf dad(狼爸)”近似，对“eagle dad(鹰爸)”的教育方式，社会各界也同样是褒贬不一。一项调查显示，70%的网友不认同这种近乎“残酷的鹰式教育”。对越来越趋向于远离严厉的传统教育模式，尊崇宽松自由美国模式的中国家庭教育来说，“如狼似虎”的父母往往让人们嗤之以鼻。

在home education(家庭教育)中,父母也应适度谦抑individual will(个人意志)和personal ideal(个人理想)对孩子的影响，以便与孩子的选择和兴趣形成合理博弈，而不是将孩子完全变成自身教育理念的实验品。

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Idle car owners are the car owners who rarely get behind the wheel of their vehicles because of rising gasoline, insurance and registration costs. Their cars linger in parking lots or on streets the majority of the time and are used on the weekend or during holidays and vacations.

所谓“捧车族”就是那些因为油费、保险、登记费用上涨而极少开车的有车族。他们大多数时间把车停在停车场和街道上，只有在周末或者节假日才开车出行。

Having a car is convenient for commuting or taking trips. But nowadays, some private car owners are leaving their cars in the garage and driving as infrequently as possible. Surveys show 10 percent of private car owners in Beijing have become "idle car owners."

拥有车确实便于上下班及休闲出行。但是如今，很多私家车主把他们的车留在车库里，尽量少开车。调查显示，北京10%的私家车主成为“捧车族”。

Many factors, such as traffi c, economic status and parking fees, haverestricted people's driving. The deterioration of these conditions has resulted in rising driving costs. Improved public transportation is another factor leading people to drive less.

包括交通、经济条件、停车费用等很多因素限制了人们开车。这些条件的恶化导致开车成本上升。公共交通改善也是人们少开车的另一个原因。

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春节是一个举家团聚的欢庆日子。但节日里的过度吃喝玩乐会导致一些“节日病”的发生，如突发心脏病、因燃放烟花爆竹受伤、暴饮暴食导致的消化不良、肠胃疾病等等，更有甚者，还会引起死亡。近日据沈阳市急救中心统计，刚刚过去的春节长假期间，城市死亡人数达259人。

Holiday excess就是指“节日病”，每逢长假，尤其在中国传统的节日— Spring Festival(春节)，总会有许多因狂欢娱乐过度、crapulent(暴饮暴食)、饮酒过量而出现的各种heart cerebrovascular disease(心脑血管疾病)的患者和digestive system disease(消化系统疾病)的患者出现。

For example:

Ji was not the only one suff ering from the holiday excess. According to a survey by the popular Chinese website Sohu.com, the top three places where people like drinking most are Beijing, Shandong province and Hebei province.

冀先生(音)不是唯一一个染上“节日病”的人。根据搜狐网的一项调查，人们最嗜好饮酒的三个地区分别为北京、山东、和河北。春节，本是万家团圆的日子，可却成了很多人“sweet torment(甜蜜的痛苦)”，频繁的family gatherings and parties(家庭聚会)、休闲娱乐导致人们因过度饮酒、饮食不规律而引发各种春节“holiday excess(节日病)”。为此，专家提醒，春节过后，应及时调整饮食，尽快从节日状态中走出来，静下心来安心工作。

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广东省首个民间智库组织南方民间智库咨询服务中心日前在广州正式揭牌，专家称此举是广东管理的又一创新，也是广东推进社会改革的又一次突破。Private think tank就是指“民间智库”，指的是一种非政府的社会组织，可以通过自己的第三方调查、客观中立的报告为政府决策提供很好的参考意见。

For example:

A province in South China has approved the first registered private think tank to help advise officials on key issues, the People’s Daily reported.

据《人民日报》报道，广东省批准注册首个民间智库，以帮助政府在关键事务中咨询决策。广东“南方民间智库”目前已吸收了来自all walks of life(各行各业)的57名正式智库成员，他们将通过网络问政、领导见面会等平台，为广东党委政府充当brain truster(智囊)，出谋划策。该智库的正式成员包括知名网友、专家学者、政府及事业单位研究型人员、自由职业者等，此外还联系着上千名活跃的参与者。从本质上说，private think tank(民间智库)应该游离于体制之外，回归并立足于民间，人民群众才是其力量和智慧的源泉。民间智库要真正发挥作用，就必须建立一整套科学完整的制度，为民间智库的发展奠定基础。比如设立民间智库的special fund(专项资金)，使民间智库保持必要的独立性，政府可出台必要的supportive policy(扶持政策)，对民间智库的建言开通“green channel(绿色通道)”，并体现在public policy(公共政策)的制定与落实上。

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中国互联网络信息中心日前在京发布《第29次中国互联网络发展状况统计报告》。《报告》显示，截至2011年12月底，中国网民规模突破5亿。Internet penetration rate就是指“互联网普及率”。目前我国Internet population(网民)已经达到5.13亿，其中mobile phone Internetuser(手机网络用户)达到3.56亿人。

For example:

The Internet penetration rate rose to 38.3 percent, up 4 percentage points from the same period in 2010, increasing by 55.8 million Internet users.

互联网普及率上升至38.3%，与2010年同期相比上升了四个百分点，新增网民5580万。

2011年，我国group purchasing users(团购用户)数达到6465万，年增长高达244.8%。团购用户热情不减，但group purchasing websites(团购网站)数量却在下半年开始下滑。在大部分网络娱乐类应用的使用率继续下滑的同时，web TV(网络视频)的使用率呈逆势上扬的态势。但《报告》同时指出，由于各大视频网站需要靠聚合数量更多、质量更好的copyright(版权)内容来获取高netfl ow(网络流量)，使得网络视频业版权价格提高、operation cost(运营成本)大幅攀升，同时视频广告价格较低、其他profi t model(盈利模式)无法在短时间内培养成熟，因而网络视频行业整体处于亏损状态，这一现状目前还很难改变。

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At times local organizations may drag their heels in the campaign.

有时候地方组织在竞选活动中故意延迟行动。

2. drag somebody into something 使某人卷入某种困境中

Don’t drag me into your plan.

不要强迫我参加你们的计划。

3. drag somebody away 使某人从某事中脱离开来转而从事其它事情

Though its time for dinner, it is diffi cult to drag my son away from the wonderful TV program.

虽是吃晚饭的时间了，可很难把儿子从精彩的电视节目中拉走。

4. a drag 无趣的事情

This fi lm is a drag.

这部电影枯燥乏味。

5. drag in 牵扯，插入讨论中

Please concentrate on the business at hand and don’t drag in irrelevant issues.

请你集中谈这件事，不要牵扯其他问题。

6. drag on/drag out 拖延

Let’s not drag on/out this discussion. We’ve got to reach a decision.

这场讨论别拖下去了，我们得作个决定。

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Body mass index

著名的饱受争议的迪康减肥法(Dukan Diet)创始人法国营养学家迪康(Pierre Dukan)，日前在其新书中提出，可以通过给变瘦的孩子增加额外考试成绩的方法来解决儿童肥胖问题。

Body mass index (BMI)就是指“身体质量指数”，简称“体重指数”，mass就是指“质量”。BMI是一个calculated value(计算值)，主要用于统计用途，是用体重公斤数除以身高米数平方得出的数字，是目前国际上常用的衡量人体胖瘦程度以及是否健康的一个标准。

For example: The plan calls for high school students to be allowed to take a so-called "ideal weight" option in their fi nal year exams, the "baccalaureat", under which they would earn extra points if they kept a body mass index (BMI) of between 18 and 25.

这项计划要求在高中毕业会考时，允许所有高中生增加一项所谓“标准体重”的选择，体重指数保持在18至25之间的学生会得到额外的分数。

此外，还可以依照body mass index(体重指数)来判断一个人的physical constitution(体格)。体格泛指身体健康强壮程度，如muscle function(肌肉功能)、cardio-pulmonary function(心肺功能)等。常用于指一个人的身体是否强健，通常称某人体格很好表示此人physical condition(身体状况)良好。

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Notting Hill Complex

Notting Hill Complex refers to the dream that the perfect star or actress can walk into our lives and marry us. Notting Hill Complex is a romantic kind of love.

“诺丁山情结”是指男人们渴望浪漫的爱情故事，渴望梦想中完美的女明星或者童话里完美的女主角，能够走进自己的现实生活中，带给他们刻骨铭心的邂逅。他们甚至梦想穿着公主鞋的明星最后能够爱上他，并一起走上教堂的红地毯。诺丁山式的浪漫爱情是一种把爱情故事理想化的情结。

Notting Hill Complex is a dream, before coming back down to Earth. We realize that we are ordinary people and should live our lives.

诺丁山式的爱情故事，应该曾是每个人的梦想。很多人希望自己也可以有次浪漫的邂逅，只是一切过后现实让人们都冷静下来，变得实际。我们意识到大多数人都只是平凡的普通人，人们终究要过属于自己的平凡生活。

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Alpha-wives vs trophy wife

"Alpha-wives" emerge when women are the primary breadwinners in a household.

如今美国超过半数的家庭中，女人才是主要的经济支柱，这样的女人就是“阿尔法老婆”。

Sociologist Catherine Bartlett says the alpha-wife has begun to replace the so-called trophy wife. "The trophy wife was wanted for her youth, beauty and body. She earned nothing on her own and truthfully wasn't someone who was sought after for her brains. The alpha-wife is desired for her intelligence and her power as a top money earner. She's independent and savvy. Her looks, though certainly visible, are secondary."

社会学家巴特莱特说，阿尔法老婆已经开始取代所谓的花瓶老婆。“男人想从花瓶老婆那里得到的是青春、美貌和身体。她自己不挣钱，说实话男人也不是因为她有脑子才追求她的。男人想得到阿尔法老婆则是因为她聪慧，而且很能挣钱。她既独立又精明。虽然阿尔法老婆长相也不差，但相貌并不是男人选择她的首要原因。”

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英国一个非营利组织“理智科学”整理出2011年名人们在全球媒体上宣传的一些“伪科学”言论。

Pseudo-science就是指“伪科学”，也可以称为false science、badscience、suspect science。Pseudo就是指“冒充的，假的，伪的”，如pseudo instruction(伪指令/虚拟指令)、pseudo language(虚拟语言)。

While the review is partly about entertainment, the campaign group stresses it also has a serious aim — to make sure pseudo-science is not allowed to be accepted as truth.

虽然这期总结回顾是半娱乐的，但该组织强调也有严肃目的，就是确保公众不要相信伪科学。

Pseudo-science(伪科学)是指把没有scientifi c basis/evidence(科学根据)的non-science(非科学)理论或方法宣称为科学或者比科学还要

科学的某种主张，如西方典型的伪科学astrology(占星学)、Phrenology(骨相学)等。Falsifi ability(可证伪性)是区分科学与非科学(包括伪科学)的标准。“Sense about science (SAS)理智科学”组织希望名人们都能用自己的影响力来宣传正确的scientifi c knowledge(科学知识)，以免误导公众。

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春运，中国铁道部启动网络售票系统，但很多旅客在网上购票时遭遇“系统忙”而无法登陆网站。还有多名旅客称网购火车票已支付成功，但到现场取票却发现系统内没有购票记录。

Online booking system就是指“网上订票系统”，铁道部表示在2011年年底前所有列车都将实现online purchasing(网上购票)，同时在春运前完成system upgrade(系统升级)，在全国范围内推行telephone booking(电话订票)业务。

The railway system’s online booking system has begun to show its vulnerability — and at times has been unable to issue tickets that were paid for — as the massive wave of travelers during Spring Festival approaches.

随着春运客流高峰的到来，铁路网上订票系统开始出现漏洞，旅客经常遭遇火车票已支付，却不能出票的情况。

此前铁道部已宣布，2011年11月20日起所有nonstop trains(直达特快列车)(Z字头)将实现Web sales of train tickets(网络售票)，12月10日起所有express trains(特快列车)(T字头)实现互联网售票。铁道部将逐步扩大ID-based ticket booking system(火车票实名制)实行范围，以遏制“ticket scalper(黄牛/票贩子)”ticket touting/scalping(倒票)。

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1. all year round 一年到头、终年

例句：We’ve made certain arrangements so there can be fl owers of different colors all year round.

我们已做了精心的安排，以使一年四季都有不同颜色的花朵开放。

2. the seven-year itch 七年之痒

例句：Is there the so-called “seven-year itch” between two friends?

朋友之间有没有所谓的“七年之痒”呢？

3. put years on 使某人觉得(显得)老些

例句：Being tired and unhappy put years on him.

由于劳累和心情不好，他苍老了很多。

4. be light years away from something 遥不可及，或指两个事物截然不

同、差别很大

例句：Righteous punishment is a thousand light years away from revenge.

公正的惩罚跟报复可差得十万八千里。

5. ring in the new year 新年前夕喜迎新年

例句：We ring in the New Year with church bells.

随着教堂的钟声，我们迎来了新年。

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Illegal collection of evidence就是指“非法取证”，是指通过extort confessions by torture(刑讯逼供)和以威胁、引诱、欺骗以及其他非法方法收集的证据。

Chinese lawmakers continued to read a draft amendment to the Criminal Procedural Law, suggesting more detailed stipulations to stem the illegal collection of evidence.

全国人大常委会周二再次审议刑事诉讼法修正案草案，建议增加更多阻止非法取证行为的细节规定。

根据草案规定，今后司法机关可能会对criminal suspects(犯罪嫌疑人)的审讯进行录音或录像。对被判life imprisonment(终身监禁)、death sentences(死刑)和felony charges(重罪指控)嫌疑人的interrogation process(审讯过程)，必须进行录音或录像。

今年8月，全国人大常委会首次审议a draft amendment to the Criminal Procedural Law(刑诉法修正案草案)。随后，中国人大网全文公布草案向社会征求意见。同时，全国人大法律委员会、全国人大常委会法制工作委员会还通过座谈、调研等方式听取了各方面意见。这些意见、建议被立法机关采纳后形成了修正案草案二次审议稿。

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Year-end panic

Year-end panic refers to the self-reproach and overall feeling of panic brought about by the approach of the year’s end, often due to a poor financial year and pressure at work.

“年关焦虑症”指的是年关将至而产生的自责和恐慌心理，通常由年度收入不佳、工作压力过大引起。

Thinking of New Year’s Day, it involves a lot of spending, entertaining — often with the boss and colleagues — personnel assessments, changes, boredom, agitation and panic leading to stomach discomfort, headaches, insomnia and so on.

想到新年、春节的大量花销，和同事、老板间的应酬，各类部门总结，人事变动，很多人都会感到厌烦、无助、焦虑、恐慌，甚至出现肠胃不适、头疼、失眠等一系列亚健康症状。

The psychological expert suggests that we should avoid increasing the pressure by comparing ourselves with others blindly. The end of the year is an ideal time for strategic review and renewal. Stress is high. But excitement is in the air! Regret lingers about goals left unfulfilled. But resolutions flourish to do better in the New Year!

对此，心理专家建议不应盲目攀比徒增压力。年关是一个回顾和展望的好时机。压力是很大，但新的一年即将开始也让人振奋！也许你还在为没有实现的目标后悔不已，但是你还是可以下定决心在来年做得更好！

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俚语是指民间非正式、较口语化的语句，是百姓在日常生活中总结出来的通俗易懂顺口的具有地方色彩的词语。我们生活中的常见词汇，包括水果蔬菜等都能在美国俚语中被赋予特殊含义。今天我们要学的俚语是关于“香蕉(banana)”这一大家都非常熟悉和喜欢的水果。

1. bananas 发疯的、神经错乱的(相当于crazy)

例句：The noise drives them bananas.

那噪声让他们抓狂。

2. go bananas (= become crazy) 发疯、神经错乱

例句：She went bananas when she found him cheating.

她发现他欺骗时气得要命。

3. big/top banana 主要人物、大老板、最好的演员或重要的官员

例句：He’s the top banana in this company.

他是这家公司的大老板。

4. second banana 第二选择、次要人物、配角

例句：I always play second banana to her.

我总是做她的后补。

5. banana oil 明显夸大的吹捧(花言巧语)

例句：Cut out the banana oil; fl attery will get you nowhere!

别花言巧语了，吹捧是不会使你捞到好处的！

6. banana skin 尴尬事、隐患

例句：The proposed tax changes are likely to prove a banana skin for

the government.

建议中的税务变动很可能给政府带来无穷后患。

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Pre-movie adverts

继荧屏“限广令”叫停电视剧插播广告之后，银幕上贴片广告的经营权又在岁末被明确归属。国家广电总局日前出台的《关于促进电影制片发行上映协调发展的指导意见》中明确表示，贴片广告的经营权将逐步回归到影院，制片方不再经营贴片广告。

Pre-movie adverts(也叫cinema advertising)，就是指“贴片广告”或“随片广告”，是指将企业产品广告或企业形象广告与影片一同拷贝，在电影放映前播出的广告。

电影中的夹带广告按其表现的方式来说，一般分为显性和隐性广告两类。Dominant advertising(显性广告)主要以电影中的pre-movie adverts(贴片广告)为主，而recessive advertisement(隐性广告)则以电影中的product placement(植入式广告)为主。

For example:

Cinemas in China may be prohibited from screening pre-movie adverts after the fi lm’s start time printed on tickets, according to a draft law on movie promotion.

根据《电影产业促进法(征求意见稿)》，我国电影院不能在向观众明示的电影放映时间之后放映贴片广告。

对影视剧的最大受众咱老百姓来说，新政策到底是能把TV Commercial(影视广告)数量控制在一个合理的范畴，还是在强力打压下使其变相生长，变本加厉地闯进我们的cultural life(文化生活)，这才是关键问题。

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Live and let live

We are only passing through, and since this government is a government led by a God-fearing leader who believes in God, why do we not agree, starting with this house, that we should adopt a policy of live and let live?

My comments:

“Live and let live” is the age-old idiom that literally means you should live your own life as you see fi t and let others live theirs as they want to.

There are many ways to interpret this, but, generally speaking, this line of philosophy advocates mutual tolerance and peaceful coexistence.

To elaborate, life off ers a wide variety of pleasures and opportunities, which generates vastly diff erent lifestyles in diff erent countries, societies and sometimes within the same cultures and communities.

Each person has his/her own reasons for, and ideologies about, living they way they do. Hence, to enjoy our lives the way we want to, we should allow others to do the same, even though their lifestyles may appear totally bizarre to us.

Otherwise, there’d be no peace.

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

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1. apple of one’s eye 掌上明珠、心肝宝贝(指某人极为珍爱的人或物)

例句：Grandfather always made the most fuss over Gillian. She is the apple of his eye.

祖父总是极其宠爱吉林恩，她是他的掌上明珠。

2. apples and oranges 风马牛不相及的事物

例句：Men and women are like apples and oranges.

男人和女人是完全不同的。

3. rotten apple 坏家伙、害群之马

例句：He’s a rotten apple.

他是一个讨厌的家伙。

4. upset the apple cart 搞砸或毁坏某事物

例句：Tom really upset the apple cart by telling Mary the truth about Jane.

汤姆把珍妮的真实情况告诉了玛丽，他可真把事情给搞砸了。

5. an apple of discord 争端；祸根

例句：I sense an apple of discord between you two.

我感觉你们俩不和。

6. dead sea apple 不可靠的成就；令人失望的事情

例句：This proposal sounds perfect, but it will be dead sea apple if we

don’t do it exactly right.

这个计划听起来很完美，但如果我们不切实执行，一切都是一场空。

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A “stress puppy” is a person who thrives on stress but complains about it constantly.

压力小狗指的是因为压力而成长，但是又因承受不了压力终日抱怨，像小狗一样呜呜叫的人。

They are always in a hurry, never have spare time, have anger explosions for the slightest provocation and are, frankly, just miserable people to live with.

他们总是匆匆忙忙，从来都没有空，轻微的刺激也会触怒他们，说实在的，跟他们生活很悲惨。

People with this type of personality need to be conscious of the fact that the underlying reason why they are always stressed has to do with the way that they manage their lives. Stress is not an objective, independent entity but rather is something perceived in the mind of the person who experiences the stress. If someone suffers from stress not caused by dealing with the impact of a major life-changing event, but rather about the day-to-day grind of dealing with life, he needs to learn how to cope with stress and manage it.

这种性格的人要意识到他们的紧张感和他们经营生活的方式有关——压力不是一个客观独立的实体，而是人的心理感知。如果压力不是来自重大的生命转折事件，而只是来自日常生活中的例行事务，那么这个人就要学学如何应对压力了。

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Swiss cheese

And that means there’s no conditionality. They’re not conditional on receiving technology or fi nancing. There’re no trap doors. There’s no Swiss cheese in that kind of an agreement.

Swiss cheese is a kind of cheese that has large holes in it. Well, not all Swiss cheeses have holes in them, but what Switzerland is famous for in the cheese department is this fi rm pale yellow kind, the kind with large holes.

Hence, the long and short of it is that Swiss cheese gets to stand for, figuratively speaking, holes, or loopholes, as in laws which allow you to avoid doing what you’re supposed to do.

Another media example (Volcker: Rule is no Swiss cheese, Cityam.com, June 22, 2010):

White House economic adviser Paul Volcker has told US lawmakers they should not allow his proposed Volcker rule limiting risky trading by banks to become fi lled with holes.

“He has told several people, including some lawmakers, that he does not want the Volcker rule to look like Swiss cheese.”

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

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Freemale

A freemale is a woman who opts for a single life, valuing friendships rather than pursuing extended romantic relationships. Some freemales also choose to live childfree, choosing not to have children for a variety of reasons, while others decide to become single mothers.

自由女是选择单身生活，不追求长期恋爱关系而更重视友谊的女性。有些自由女会出于种种原因选择不要孩子，而有些会选择做单身母亲。

There are a variety of reasons to choose to live as a single woman, including a desire for an unencumbered lifestyle, the rising divorce rate and an inclination for asexuality. The freemale demographic is very intriguing from a real estate perspective. Single women are putting pressure on housing markets to provide homes that are comfortable for single women living alone.

女性选择单身的原因有很多，对无羁绊生活方式的向往，越来越高的离婚率，缺乏性欲的倾向等。房地产商们对这种自由女性非常感兴趣。因为需要为单身女性提供单独的舒适住房，房地产市场的压力也大大增加。

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1. a bag of bones 骨瘦如柴的人

例句：If you don’t eat more you’ll soon be a bag of bones.

你要再不多吃些，真的要变得骨瘦如柴了。

2. be as dry as a bone 干燥极了、口渴极了

例句：Let’s stop for a drink. I’m as dry as a bone.

咱们停下来喝点什么吧，我的嗓子干得直冒烟。

3. be bone idle 懒到家了、懒到极点了

例句：The boy has a good enough brain but he’s bone idle and won’t

study.

这个男孩脑子十分好，但就是懒惰成性，不肯学习。

4. close to the bone 近乎下流的、卑鄙的

例句： Some of his jokes were a bit close to the bone.

他的有些笑话近乎下流。

5. bone of contention 争论的焦点

例句：The division of their father’s property is their bone of contention.

父亲的财产分配问题是他们争吵的原因。

6. feel in your bones 直觉地意识到，从内心(预)感到

例句：She felt in her bones that she would succeed.

她坚信自己能成功。

7. bone up 刻苦用功读书

例句：I must bone up on my French before we go to Paris.

在我们去巴黎之前，我必须刻苦学习法语。

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11月28日，广电总局正式下发《〈广播电视广告播出管理办法〉的补充规定》，传闻已久的“限广令”终于得到证实。《规定》决定，自2012年1月1日起，全国各电视台播出电视剧时，每集电视剧中间不得再以任何形式插播广告。

Ban on all TV stations airing commercials指的就是TV commercials ban(限广令)，这一新规定将于2012年1月1日take into effect(开始实施)。全国各TV stations(电视台)必须重新调整节目安排，取消在TV dramas(电视剧)播放时插播的各种广告，违规播出机构将受到stern punishment(严肃处理)。

China’s top broadcasting watchdog has ordered a national ban on all TV stations airing commercials during TV dramas.

国家广电总局近日颁布“限广令”，规定在全国各电视台播出电视剧时，禁止插播广告。

继cutback on TV entertainment(限娱令)之后，广电总局紧接着又重拳出台TV commercials ban(限广令)，对电视行业进行规范和整顿，符合广大观众的利益和愿望。据调查，大多数观众都支持这一禁令，一些支持者表示，每次看电视剧时被广告打断，极大地破坏viewing experience(视觉体验)。

同时，TV commercials ban(限广令)不能只限制电视剧中插播的广告，更应该对那些涉嫌违法违规的fake advertising(虚假广告)、sexrelated commercials(色情广告)等进行整顿和规范。

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Two-pizza teams

“Two-pizza teams” is the concept of keeping a team small enough that it can be fed with two pizzas. That means being small enough for every member to make a noticeable contribution. The team requires interdependence, a common objective and a single criterion of success.

“双比萨团队”，就是说让团队保持在两个比萨能让队员吃饱的小规模。团队要小到让每个成员都能做出显著的贡献，并且相互依赖，有共同目标，以及统一的成功标准。

If you’re working in a group of more than 15 people, you’re fighting human nature. The number of group members varies from three to 12 or 15, and is likely optimal at around 10.

如果你在一个大于15人的团队里工作，你就是在和人类本性对抗。团队成员数量可以是3到12或者15个，最佳的成员数量是10个。

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Sit on its hands

The Fed’s extraordinary intervention should impress upon the European Central Bank, as well as its paymasters in Germany, that it is high time it stopped sitting on its hands.

My comments:

Children in kindergarten are sometimes asked to literally sit on their hands while listening to the teacher in class. With their hands thus unable to move, they’re much less likely to play with their hands, let alone fi ht one another.

Hence, to sit on one’s hands suggests fi guratively means someone just sits there, remains idle and does nothing in, say, a time of crisis when he should be taking action.

In the above example, Germany is accused of having been sitting on its hands — that is, of inaction, when it is clearly expected to have done something to ease the euro crisis.

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

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Holidates

Holidates is one way of advertising for temporary boyfriends and girlfriends to accompany one during the holidays. The relationships are terminated at the end of the holidays.

节日约会是用广告征临时男友或女友度假并在假日结束时终结关系的一种方式。

Two unnamed American women created one ad that read: “We need two guys (preferably two in a bromance to match our womance) to stick around for the holidays. Our love will be fake, but epic. We want to make everyone jealous.”

两位美国匿名女性发布了一个广告：“我们需要两位男士(最好是关系特别好的哥们，可以和我们俩姐妹配对)共度节日。我们的爱情是假的，但会像史诗般绚烂。我们要让所有人艳羡我们。”

If you’re single and too busy for full-time boyfriends, holidates is one way of warding off a nosey mother’s interrogations as to, “Why haven’t you got a boyfriend?”

是的，如果你单身并且忙到没时间找全职男友，节日约会是一种躲避妈妈不休地追问“你为什么还没有男朋友？”的好方法。

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1. give/lend an ear to someone 倾听某人的心声(常用以表示同情)

例句：He tried to give a sympathetic ear to the patient.

他极力怀着同情心倾听患者的叙述。

2. fall on deaf ears 未被理睬、未受重视

例句：My advice always seems to fall on deaf ears.

我的建议好像总是没人听。

3. talk one’s ear off 喋喋不休，絮叨个不停

例句：All I wanted was a chance to read my book, but my seatmate

talked my ear off .

我巴不得能有机会看书，但我的同桌却唠唠叨叨地说个不停。

4. make a pig’s ear of 把事情搞得很糟糕

例句：He made a pig’s ear (out) of repairing my car.

他把我的车修得一团糟。

5. have big ears 耳朵尖、消息灵通；爱打听别人的事

例句：He can’t help having big ears.

他总爱打听别人的事。

6. all eyes and ears 聚精会神

例句：A detective must be all eyes and all ears.

一个侦探必须眼观六路，耳听八方。

7. grin from ear to ear 咧着嘴笑、笑逐颜开

例句：When he was told he won fi rst prize, he grinned from ear to ear.

当他被告知自己得了一等奖时，他咧开嘴笑了。

8. play it by ear 随机应变、见机行事

例句：In dealing with that unpredictable man, you simply can’t follow a

prearranged plan. You have to play it by ear.

和那个捉摸不定的人打交道，你简直无法按预定计划行事，只好随

行应变。

9. ears prick up 竖起耳朵仔细听

例句：His ears pricked up when they mentioned the salary.

当他们提到工资时，他立刻注意起来。

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1. have/got one’s hands full 很忙，应接不暇

Three emergency cases came into the hospital at the same time and the doctors really had their hands full.

三个急诊病人被同时送到医院，医生们真是应接不暇。

2. be up to one’s neck 忙得不可开交

I can’t possibly come out tonight, I’m up to my neck in work.

今晚我不可能出来，我的工作忙得不可开交。

3. be as busy as a bee 忙忙碌碌，忙死忙活的

He was as busy as a bee trying to put the house in order.

他为了要把家里弄得整整齐齐，忙了好一阵子。

4. busy as a beaver 忙得团团转

He is working so hard that he is as busy as a beaver.

他没日没夜地工作，看起来很忙。

5. be tied up 被占用，很忙

I’ll be tied up for the rest of the week, I am afraid.

这个星期我恐怕都抽不出时间。

6. in the middle of something 正忙于某事

I’m in the middle of something. Could you call back later?

我现在很忙，你能过会给我打电话吗？

7. irons in the fi re 要做的事情

Don’t put too many irons in the fi re.

不要揽事太多。

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The Ikea eff ect

“The Ikea eff ect” is when people buy and then construct products themselves, then develop an attachment or sense of pride to this object.

The Ikea effect leads people to value things that they assemble, customize or build themselves more than pre-made, fi nished goods.

“宜家效应”指人们自己购买并动手制作产品时，会产生对该产品的依恋感或自豪感。“宜家效应”让人们珍视自己组装、定制或建造的东西多过那些预先做好的成品。

People are making a mistake; they believe they want to avoid labor, but they really like doing it more than they thought than they would. There’s something about imbuing a product with your own labor that makes you come to overvalue it.

人们犯了一个错误，他们认为自己会设法避免劳作，但是实际上人们比自己想象的更喜欢制作东西。把自己的努力灌输到一件产品上会让人加倍重视这件东西。

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Casing the joint

Had your fill of the summer’s parching rays? If not, perhaps your skin would beg to differ. The reason why aging is so intimidating isn’t because it appears to sneak up on you like a fi rst-rate mugger. In reality, aging is more like a savvy bank robber who’s spent months casing the joint.

My comments:

“Casing the joint” is an American idiom describing the criminal activity of thieves and robbers. Joint is slang for a place, especially a meeting place. The pub on the corner, for instance, is a familiar joint. To case the joint is to look the place over, thoroughly examine it before going ahead with one’s plans to, say, ransack it. A case completely wraps up what’s inside, hence the idea that to “case” the joint is to “thoroughly” examine it, fi nding out every piece of information about the place.

To say that in reality, aging is “more like a savvy bank robber who’s spent months casing the joint” is to say that aging is a slow process.

It doesn’t happen all of a sudden. It is a gradual process. In fact, it is something that has been happening all the time.

And, yet, it happens so slowly that people often don’t notice it — until it’s too late.

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

— To ask a question about learning English, please go to http://translate.chinadaily.com.cn.

People who have been surfing the Internet for a long time may have dozens of avatars that they’ve created over the years, but more often than not, they say that the fi rst avatar you create is the most like yourself.

It’s also common for people to create an avatar who is the opposite of themselves, a virtual alter ego. Either way, when we create a character instinctually, it reveals enormous amounts about our sensitivities, personality and priorities. That is called avatar personality.

混迹网络许久的人们大概都会有过十几个头像，不过有人说，你选的第一个头像是最像你自己的。还有人喜欢用跟自己形象完全不同的头像，展现虚拟的另一个自己。不管怎么样，我们凭着直觉创建头像时，它就会反应出我们的敏感度、个性以及喜好。这就是“头像性格”。

A micro blog post that defi nes aura fi elds for diff erent types of avatars has gone viral. It goes like this: A woman with a weak aura field will most likely have an avatar of a mighty female, a woman with a strong aura field will use her own photo as avatar; a man with a strong aura field usually chooses comic fi gures as his avatar, while a weak man’s avatar often is a photo of himself.

一则鉴定微博头像气场的段子被疯狂转发：气场不强的女人，头像往往是个气场很强的洋妞；气场强大的女人，头像一般是真相；气场强大的男人，头像一般是动漫人物，气场不强的男人，头像是真相。

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Wolf dad

萧百佑，香港商人，自称“中国狼爸”，用“打”的教育方式，将三个孩子送进北大。“美国虎妈”已让西方人大面积质疑，以“打”为法宝的“中国狼爸”，再次掀起对中国国产教育模式的讨论。

Stick parenting就是指“棍棒教育”，这是自称中国“wolf dad(狼爸)”的香港商人萧百佑所推崇的一种教育理念。去年红极一时的美国“tiger mom(虎妈)”已经遭到西方社会的普遍质疑，而萧百佑的“‘wolf dad’ approach(狼爸教育)”引起公众对education techniques(教育方式)的再次讨论。

After the roars of a “tiger mom”, a “wolf dad” again stirred controversy on “stick parenting”.

继“虎妈”热潮之后，“狼爸”再一次激起了关于“棍棒教育”的争论。

“Wolf dad(狼爸)”将traditional Chinese education(中国传统国学教育)和自己的经验相结合，以极其彪悍的教育手法将4个儿女培养成品学兼优且知书达理的好孩子，其中三个孩子相继被北京大学录取，创造了“一门三北大”的奇迹。

Stick parenting(棍棒教育)引起社会各界的反响和争论，学者们认为在这种教育方式下考入一流大学的孩子可能会有某种personality disorders(人格障碍)；律师警告这种教育方式有可能违反有关domestic violence(家庭暴力)和child abuse(儿童虐待)的法律。

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Thanksgiving Third Degree

If you’re single, the pressures of going home on Thanksgiving Day can make you sick with anxiety. Because, no matter how much therapy you jammed into your schedule leading up to the big weekend, one can never be prepared for the Thanksgiving Third Degree, probing questions, insolent comments and looks of pity, that invariably come as aside order to the turkey.

如果你单身，那么感恩节回家要面临的压力会让你很不安。因为无论为即将到来的这个长周末准备了多少节目，面对家中的“感恩节逼婚”环节，你却永远不知道该如何应对。那些试探性的问题、无理的评价还有惋惜的表情，就像是感恩节餐桌上火鸡的辅料一样。

The following are the most frequently asked questions in the Thanksgiving Third Degree:

以下是“感恩节逼婚”环节最常问到的几个问题：

Question 1: Is there a special someone we should know about whom you’re hiding back at home?

是不是有个什么特殊人物你藏着不让我们见啊？

Question 2: What are you waiting for? Maybe you’re just being too picky.

你还在等什么呢？是不是你太挑了啊？

Question 3: There must be something wrong. Are you depressed?

肯定是哪儿不对劲，你是不是抑郁了啊？

Question 4: Aren’t you worried you’re going to give your parents/grandparents a heart attack?

难道你不担心你的爸妈(爷爷奶奶)会因此得心脏病吗？

Question 5: Have you considered seeing a professional matchmaker?

有没有考虑过去专业的婚介机构试试呢？

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Irish Goodbye

An Irish Goodbye is when a person leaves a bar or party or other gathering surreptitiously, without saying goodbye to anyone.

The Irish Goodbye could be a furtive sneak out the back door, “running out to get something from the car” and not returning, a trip to the bathroom that never ends, and so on. Basically, the Irish Goodbye is when you want to get away without the awkwardness or emotions of an actual goodbye or kiss on the cheek.

偷偷从后门溜走、“去车里取东西”然后一去不回，以及去趟卫生间就消失不见等行为都属于“爱尔兰式告别”。基本上，采用这种告别形式是为了避免尴尬，或者不想引发告别时的情绪起伏以及面颊吻别等客套礼节。

There’s no definitive explanation of how the Irish Goodbye got its name.

One theory holds that the Irish Goodbye originated during the Potato Famine of 1845-1852, when many Irish fl ed their homeland for the United States. At the time, distance and technology meant that when someone went to America, they were gone forever and it was unlikely they would ever again speak to or see friends or family back home. The departure was sudden and absolute.

关于“爱尔兰式告别”这个表达的来源，倒是没有一个明确的说法。

有人说这个短语来源于1845－1852年爱尔兰大饥荒时期，很多爱尔兰人从家乡逃到美国。当时，两国的距离和科技手段意味着一旦去了美国，他们就是永远离开，不会再有机会跟家乡的亲人和朋友联络。这种告别是突然又决然的。

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free rein

They seek a new career in which they can give free rein to the desire to manage and dominate others.

http://translate.chinadaily.com.cn/showQuestion. action?qid=1291321247

My comments:

“Rein” refers to the long band of leather fastened around a horse’s head to control it. Hence, to “rein the horse in”, you pull the reins to make the horse go slowly.

To have “free rein”, therefore, is to have complete freedom to do what you want. To give “free rein to the desire” to manage and dominate others is to be able to freely act on that desire.

Whether or not they can fi nd such a career that satisfi es their “desire to manage and dominate others”, however, is quite another matter altogether.

I mean, dominate others? Why do you want to do that?

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

— To ask a question about learning English, please go to http://translate.chinadaily.com.cn.

Cheapskate

A cheapskate is a stingy person who buys cheap things rather than higher-quality pricier items, even though they can aff ord the more expensive goods. Perhaps they try to not spend much on their friends.

The word isn’t particularly off ensive and is often intended to ridicule in a light-hearted manner.

Cheapskate指手里有钱却仍然放弃优质货品转而购买廉价物品的“吝啬鬼”。他们可能没什么恶意，只是不愿意在朋友身上花太多钱，有时也是一种轻松的自嘲。

The term is of North American origin. Skate began to appear in print in the United States at the end of the 19th century. It has several meanings, including a mean or contemptible person and a second-rate sportsman. Cheap was added later to refer to a person’s tightfi sted nature rather than any of his other perceived inadequacies.

这个词来源于北美。Skate这个说法19世纪末期初现于美国，多指刻薄卑鄙的人，或者二流的运动员。前面加上cheap则表示某人“手紧”的本性，与他后天形成的其他缺点无关。

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Costume shot

APEC大家庭一年一次的“全家福”合影是峰会最抢眼的风景，多年来，领导人合影时到底要穿什么样式的衣服，就成了会前各国新闻媒体所关心的热点问题之一。刚刚闭幕的2011APEC与会领导人在夏威夷拍摄“全家福”合影，而此次拍摄合影的领导人并没像往年那样身着当地特色的传统服饰。

据外电报道，美国总统奥巴马表示APEC峰会上的元首costume shot(“全家福”服装秀)不再成为必需的一项内容，costume shot就是指a “family photo” in some garb representative of the host country.

US President Barack Obama, as the host this year, packed away for good the two-decade tradition of having the group pose for a “family photo” in some garb representative of the host country.

作为今年APEC峰会的东道主，美国总统奥巴马表示，峰会将打破20年来元首身穿举办国当地特色传统服饰拍摄“全家福”的惯例。

奥巴马在Asia- Pacifi c Economic Cooperation (APEC) 19th informal leadership meeting (APEC第十九次领导人非正式会议)闭幕后召开的

记者会上回答提问时表示，他希望能打破传统，虽然发给每位领导人Hawaiian shirts(夏威夷花衬衫)，但没有规定他们必须在“family photo”(合影)时穿上。

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teetotaler

Teetotalism refers to either the practice of or the promotion of complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages. A person who practices (and possibly advocates) teetotalism is called a teetotaler or is simply said to be teetotal.

禁酒主义(teetotalism)指践行或推广禁止饮用酒精饮料的做法，实践(或提倡)禁酒主义的人就叫做teetotaler(滴酒不沾的人，禁酒人士)。

Some common reasons for choosing to be a teetotaler are related to religion, health, family, or social and, sometimes, simply a matter of taste or preference. When at drinking establishments, teetotallers either abstain from drinking or consume nonalcoholic beverages, such as tea, coff ee, water, juice, soft drinks and mocktails.

选择做禁酒人士常见的原因多与宗教、健康、家庭、肠胃以及社会问题有关，有时也可能只是因为口味的原因选择不喝酒。在一些饮酒的场合，禁酒人士或者避免参与，或者就选择一些不含酒精的饮料，比如茶、咖啡、白水、果汁、软饮以及不含酒精的鸡尾酒等。

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假面时代

PS generation describes the phenomenon that many people would like to polish their photos to perfection with Photoshop software before uploading them to social networking websites or micro blogs, which may show others a manmade beautiful image but might also become a target of online mocking. And frequent use of Photoshop may also lead to a tendency of pretence in daily life, keeping everything real to oneself and pretending to be someone else all the time.

“假面时代”(PS generation)专指多数人将照片用PS软件处理过后才上传到社交网站或微博等网络平台。假面时代除了向人展示伪装后的美丽外表，有时还有可能成为网友恶搞的对象。而习惯伪装照片的背后，很多人更开始伪装自己的言谈举止，把真实的自己隐藏起来，整天以假面示人。

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bear the brunt of

I have tried to make this point clear today because you have to work on the front lines, bearing the brunt of all difficulties.

My comments:

“Brunt” is the principal force of an attack or the greater part of a burden.

The point being made “clear today” is that “because you have to work on the front lines” (handling day-to-day tasks), you get to face all the difficulties or “bear the brunt” (the most diffi cult part) of them.

The front lines, of course, are where real battles are fought, where blood is actually shed. In a way, that’s where the brunt of the burden of fighting a war really lies.

Come to think of it, if all warmongers are forced to send their own sons and daughters to the front lines, and better yet, if all politicians who wage wars are themselves forced to fight in the front lines, there’d be no wars. Or many fewer of them at any rate.

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

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中国伦理学会慈孝专业文化委员会计划用五年时间，在全国培养百万4至6岁的中华小孝子，并倡议天下父母要从小培养孩子有孝心，为孩子做孝道榜样。

Filial piety就是“孝道”，由儒家创始人孔子提出，并提倡，filial piety is one of the virtues to be held above all else(百善孝为先)，强调the responsibility to care for, respect and obey parents(照顾、尊敬并顺从父母之责)。

The special committee of fi lial piety under the China National Association for Ethical Studies announced on Sunday that it aims to help 1 million children between the ages of 4 and 6 learn about fi lial piety, which is deeply rooted in China’s traditional culture.

中国伦理学会慈孝专业文化委员会周日宣布将致力于帮助100万年龄在4岁到6岁之间的儿童学习中国传统文化中的孝道。

这个百万小孝子工程计划培养出100万名fi lial children(孝子)，尽管original intention(初衷)很好，但是否真能培养出孝子，就不得而知了。

近年来，中国传统文化日益受到重视和发扬，例如让学生穿上traditional Han costumes(汉服)，举行coming-of-age ceremony(成人礼)，给入学的孩子举行first writing ceremony(开笔礼)等。

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Sleep debt is the cumulative eff ect of not getting enough sleep over time. A large sleep debt may lead to mental and physical fatigue.

睡眠负债(sleep debt)指长期睡眠不足产生的影响。睡眠负债过多可能会导致精神或身体疲惫。

There are presumed to be two kinds of sleep debt, caused by partialsleep deprivation or total sleep deprivation. Partial sleep deprivation occurs when a person sleeps too little for many days or weeks. Total sleep deprivation means being kept awake for days or weeks.

睡眠负债的来源有两种：部分睡眠不足和整体睡眠不足。前者指一个人连续几天或几周每天都睡很短的时间；后者则指一个人连续几天或几周不合眼。

A long-term sleep debt may cause emotional upheaval, compromise work performance, and weaken memory, alertness, attention and judgment. It may also speed up the ageing process and lead to disease.

长期处于睡眠负债的状况中，不但会影响情绪、工作表现、还会减低记忆力、警觉性、注意力和判断力、并且加速老化，甚至引发其它疾病。

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The Mute Age

Talking to a colleague sitting next to you through instant messaging instead of vocal communication; mass texting friends and relatives with downloaded festival greetings instead of calling them in person; e-mailing work reports to your boss without worrying about getting punched in the face and saving printing resources for your company at the same time. Does any of this sound familiar to you? Yes, this is what we are doing every day. We’ve entered the mute age.

跟邻桌同事商量事情不用张口，而用MSN之类的聊天工具；逢年过节亲朋好友问候，不再用昂贵的长途电话，改成了群发网上下载的祝福短信；工作汇报也不必浪费公司纸张油墨、不必担心老板脸色，一封邮件统统搞定。以上描述的这些场景你觉得熟悉吗？对，这就是我们每天都在做的事情。我们已经进入了“默声”时代。

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cross one’s path

They steal, they rob, they swindle; no one dares to cross their path.

http://translate.chinadaily.com.cn/showQuestion.action?qid=1291322681

My comments:

If you cross the street, you go from one side of it to the other. If you cross someone’s path, hence, you encounter that person and see him face to face while crossing the route along which he is walking.

“They steal, they rob, they swindle”…. “They” sound like gangsters or, figuratively speaking, Wall Street bankers. Both are powerful people.

They’re bullies.“No one dares to cross their path” — nobody dares to confront them, to stand in their way to stop them or to say what they’re doing is wrong.

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

Four months ago, my girlfriend and I broke up.

四个月前，我和我的女朋友分手了。

2. break down 精神崩溃/毁坏

The machine might break down at this busy hour.

正忙的时候，机器偏偏又坏了。

3. break in 破门而入

Robbers often break in at midnight.

强盗经常在半夜破门而入。

4. break out 出皮疹/爆发

The baby broke out in a rash.

婴孩全身出了一片红疹。

5. break through 突破/穿过

The sun broke through the clouds.

太阳冲破云层出来了。

6. break the ice 打破僵局/破冰

The host told a joke to his guest to break the ice.

主人为了打破僵局，给客人讲了个笑话。

7. break the bank 太贵

Come on! One evening at the theater won’t break the bank.

得啦! 看一晚上戏不会倾家荡产的。

Weibo Refutes Rumors就是新浪“微博辟谣”频道的英文说法，也可以称为rumor refutal。

For example:

Sina said it has created a separate channel dubbed “Weibo Refutes Rumors” to spread denials of false information. It announced an e-mail address for users to send reports of possible falsehoods.

新浪网表示已创建单独的“微博辟谣”频道，告知用户哪些是虚假信息。新浪还专设了举报邮箱，供用户举报疑似虚假消息。谣言散布群体常称为rumor mill(谣言工厂，流言簿)。Rumor也可以直接作动词，比如It is rumored that she has committed suicide.(据传闻，她已自杀身亡。)微博(microblog)属于一种We-Media(自媒体)。在微博发展过程中，微博抄袭现象大量存在，微博版权事件频频出现，这被称为copy culture(复制文化)。微博不仅仅是信息传播的宠儿，更是“微博问政”的利器。写微博不能超过140个字，而两人在路上偶遇，停下来闲聊不超140秒就称为microvisit(微访)。

They have also been publicity ornaments used by local offi cials to boost their standing.

My comments:

Tribute is the thing to grasp here. Tribute projects pay tribute to something, i.e. praise something. Or in other words, such projects are meant to be a tribute to something or someone. They make a city or region, or more likely its leader look good.

Or, in Chinese vernacular, “image projects”. In other words, a project may cost a lot of money and may not be all that useful or essential to improving the livelihood of the people but it is a big project and, supposedly, will help improve the city’s public image, whatever that is.

More importantly, it supposedly will make city offi cials look good when they talk about it in the newspaper.

And don’t forget the money. Money plays a big role in tribute projects, which are usually funded by the tax payer.

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

越来越多的人喜欢在汽车后窗张贴各类图释或标语。不同个性的车主，所展示的显然是不同的姿态，这些标语图案汇集在一起其实就是一种文化，即“后窗文化”。

There are diff erent types of posters people like to put on their rear windows. Some warn the vehicles driving behind them, with statements such as “Don’t follow me, I lost my way too”, “Baby in car” and “Stop pursuing, I’m married”.

后窗标语有很多种。有的属于车距警示类：如“别跟着我，我也迷路了”、“车里有小孩”、“别追了，本人已婚”等。

Some are just make jokes of themselves, such as “Newbie on road, no threatening please”, “Oops, I don’t know which one is the brake pedal”, or “After you”.

有些则是自我调侃，如“新手上路，禁止恐吓”、“脚底哪个板板是刹车？”、“新手龟速，你走先⋯⋯”等。

The purpose of an exit interview is to gather employees’ feedback on the work experience in order to improve working conditions and retain employees. Other uses for exit interviews include improving work productivity, providing an early warning about sexual harassment, workplace violence and discrimination issues and measuring the success of diversity initiatives.

辞职面试的目的是收集员工工作经历的反馈信息，由此改善工作环境并留住员工。其他目的包括：提高工作效率，对性骚扰、职场暴力以及歧视行为提出预警，衡量各类新举措的成效。

Common questions include reasons for leaving, job satisfaction, frustrations and feedback concerning company policies or procedures.

Questions may relate to the work environment, supervisors, compensation, the work itself and the company culture.

辞职面试中常见的问题有：辞职原因，工作满意度，对公司政策或工作流程的不满和反馈等。多与工作环境、上司、补贴、本职工作以及公司文化有关。

Whatever you think is fi ne with me.

随你怎么想，我无所谓。

2. give a damn 不在乎, 不感兴趣(永远用于否定形式)

He couldn’t give a damn whether he passes the exam or not.

他对考试及格与否满不在乎。

3. suit yourself 随你的便；按自己的意愿行事

You don’t want to join the club? Oh well, suit yourself.

你不愿意参加俱乐部是吗? 那好，随你的便吧。

4. I don’t care 我不在乎

I don’t care what she thinks.

我不管她怎么想。

5. do whatever you want 爱咋咋地

I have no doubt about that. You can always do whatever you want.

我对此毫不怀疑，你想做的事，总是能做到。

6. as you wish/if you want 随你吧

As for your department’s plan, you can change as you wish.

至于你们部门的计划，你愿意怎么改就怎么改吧。

7. whatever 管他呢

I totally have no idea how to fi le my tax return, whatever.

我完全不知道该怎么报税，唉，随便啦。

Cutback on TV entertainment 就是指“限娱令”，也可以用cap the amount of entertainment programs来表述。

For example:

China has issued a cutback on TV entertainment, which will limit the number of entertainment programs, including everything from matchmaking game shows to dance broadcasts.

中国颁布“限娱令”。中国将对包括婚恋交友及舞林大赛等在内的电视娱乐节目数量做出限制。

今后，地方卫视将制作更多的morality-building programming(道德建设类节目)，宣传traditional virtues(传统道德)和socialist core values(社会主义核心价值观)。

电视台在制作节目时不能只考虑audience viewing fi gures(收视率)。在prime time(黄金时段)的娱乐节目数量大幅缩减，尤其是那些excessive entertainment(过度娱乐)和low taste(低级趣味)的节目，包括matchmaking programs(婚恋交友类)、talent contests(才艺竞秀类)，talk shows(访谈脱口秀)和reality shows(真人秀)等节目。

after 1980.

“穿越式聚会”指踏入社会多年的80后一代举办的一种新式同学聚会。

Participants take a photo showing a “version 1.0” of themselves — that is, a photo of themselves taken during their school days. Everyone poses for a new photo replicating the old as closely as possible. They will often wear the same clothes, strike the same pose and stand with the same people as in the original. The experience takes them back to the “good old days”.

同学聚会上，他们要“与1.0版的自己合影”。每人要带张学生时代的照片到场。穿着与照片中相同的衣服，摆相同的姿势，或者跟相同的几个人一起，聚会现场拿着当年的照片再拍一张。仿佛时光穿越回到了从前。

off the beaten track

Journalists travel off the beaten track to give news a diff erent perspective.

My comments:

The “beaten track” is the road most people travel by. In the beginning, there is no road. Gradually, people create tracks by beating them into the ground with their feet as they walk — hence, the term, “the beaten track”.

To go off this track is to go sideways, like a train going off the rail. Well, no one wants to see a train go off the rail. But for journalists, this term means they do not copy one another’s work. They look for new angles, do their own investigations and dig out hidden materials and, thus, give news a “diff erent perspective”.

In other words, they do not write the same old stories that everyone else has already done. The same old boring stuff , that is.

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

“午饭恐惧症”是网络盛行的流行词汇之一，主要“症状”表现为：不知吃点什么好，更不知道该跟谁吃。

Many employees have to go out for lunch because their companies don’t have canteens. “Where?” and “what?” become two of the most spoken words at the time. What’s more, some employees are not as sociable and spend lunchtime alone. For them, lunchtime is not interesting but, rather embarrassing.

很多单位没有食堂，员工需要在外面解决午饭。于是，“去哪里”和“吃什么”已经成了很多人午饭时间的固定对白。另外，有些员工因为无法融入团体，只能选择在午饭时间单独用餐。原本很期待的午休时间不再那么美好，甚至让他们有些尴尬。

She screwed up and had to do it all over again.

她把事情搞砸了，只得重新再做。

2. goof up 出大错，把⋯⋯搞乱

Don’t goof up.

别出岔子。

3. blow it 搞砸

Why did you blow it?

你怎么搞砸了?

4. play the devil with 把⋯⋯搞乱

The delay on the track has played the devil with the train timetable.

铁路线上的这次误点已严重打乱了列车的运行时刻。

5. ruin it 搞砸，弄坏

She poured water all over my painting and ruined it.

她把水倒在我整幅画上，把画全毁了。

6. foul up 搞砸

Our plans were fouled up by the bad weather.

我们的计划被坏天气破坏了。

7. make a hash of 弄糟

They’ve made a hash of their financial aff airs.

他们把自己的财务搞得一团糟。

Civility monitor group字面意思为“文明监督队”，其实就是最近北京市倡导的“市民劝导队”。

For example:

The “civility monitor group,” unlike law enforcement offi cials, will try to stop uncivilized behavior through reasoning and gentle words.

与执法人员不同的是，“文明监督队”(即“市民劝导队”)将用善意规劝引导的方式阻止不文明行为。

他们的主要职责是：asking residents to stop uncivilized behavior(规劝居民停止不文明行为)，patrolling communities for security(社区安全巡逻)， trying to resolve disputes between residents(化解居民矛盾)，helping residents in need(居民互助)，以及 promoting laws and rules(宣传法律法规)等。

Civility多指“礼仪；客套”，如 do business with civility(文明经商)。再看一个例句，We exchanged a few civilities.(我们相互寒暄了几句。

Lockout指的就是NBA的“停摆”。“NBA停摆”是NBA的特有名词，指的是因为各种原因造成体育联赛暂停的局面。

For example:

The NBA has already canceled its pre-season and the first two weeks of the regular season because of the protracted lockout and the two sides are scheduled to meet with federal mediator George Cohen on Tuesday.

由于停摆时间的延长，NBA已经取消了它的季前赛和头两周的常规赛，双方定于周二同联邦调停员乔治?科恩会面。这次“停摆”的主要原因就是labor dispute(劳资纠纷)。因为这次停摆，NBA已经取消了本赛季的pre-season games(季前赛)和头两周的regular season games(常规赛)。

Fuel collar refers to those either in the travel industry or who very regularly travel as a part of their job, such as door to door salesmen, field salesmen, airline pilots, etc. They spend the bulk of their time traveling, consuming a lot of fuel.

Fuel collar(油领)指那些就职于旅游行业或者工作经常需要出行的人，例如，入户推销员、区域销售员、飞行员等。他们大部分时间都在旅途中度过，会耗费大量燃油。由此得名为fuel collar。

For example:

Her boyfriend is a fuel collar. He works for an airline company and travels a lot.

她男朋友是个油领。他在航空公司工作，总是出差。

墨西哥建筑师日前设计了一座深入地下达300米的65层“摩地大楼”，令人叹为观止。这座“倒金字塔”位于墨西哥城的市中心，如此设计是为了规避墨西哥城新建筑限高的规定。

The subterranean building will have 10 stories for homes, shops and a museum, and 35 more stories for offi ces. The earth-scraper preserves the iconic presence of the city square and the existing hierarchy of the buildings that surround it. It is an inverted pyramid with a central void to allow all habitable spaces to enjoy natural lighting and ventilation.

“摩地大楼”中住宅、商场以及博物馆各占10层，另外35层用作办公楼。“摩地大楼”既保存了城市广场这个地标，又没有破坏广场附近的现有建筑层次。大楼设计为倒金字塔型，采用中空结构，所有居住空间都可享受自然照明和通风。

Could you explain, “at the forefront of”?

My comments:

At the forefront means to be at the front of or to be leading the way. Fore means front, and so why then does forefront have a diff erent meaning? Fore, as in the phrase, “to the fore”, means to move toward the front of. It might have originally come from golf.

When a player tees off (makes the opening shot), he walks forward, leaving behind other players and spectators. So, the phrase “to the fore”, metaphorically means that someone steps forward or wants to assert himself.

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988

Analysts have long speculated that Dmitry Medvedev is merely a “seatwarmer” while Vladamir Putin serves as Prime Minister.

My comments:

“Seat warmer” is originally a sports term. In many team sports, such as basketball, soccer, volleyball, etc, you see a fi xed number of players playing at any given time during a game. Basketball, for example, is fi ve on fi ve, soccer 11 against 11, while for volleyball, it’s six versus six.

However, teams carry more than those numbers of players, in case of injuries. But more importantly, they carry more players to serve as reserves,  or substitutes, as they’re called in games.

A basketball team, for instance, is allowed to carry 12 players, with only five as starters － the rest are reserves, or bench or seat warmers － so called because they sit mostly on the team bench as they do not get to play. They seldom leave their seat － hence warming the seat up with their body temperature.

Medvedev being merely a seat warmer means, therefore, that he doesn’t run Russia － he occupies the seat of the President while Putin serves as Prime Minster.

Putin, these analysts suggest, is the one who calls the shots in Russia and he may return to take back the seat of the President someday.

This is democracy, Russian style.

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

Wealth investment product就是指“理财产品”，也可以用wealth management product来表示，指由商业银行自行设计并发行，将募集到的资金根据产品合同约定投入相关金融市场及购买相关金融产品，获取投资收益后，根据合同约定分配给投资人的一类理财产品。

For example:

The China Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), the nation’s banking regulator, on Oct 9, unveiled new measures to improve regulations over banks’ wealth investment products.

中国银行监管机构银监会本月9日公布了新措施，来加强银行理财产品的监管。

Red bombs(红色炸弹)即wedding invitation card(婚礼请柬)，因请柬为红色，收到请柬一般都要破费，所以俗称“红色炸弹”。

For example:

The 25-year-old Shanghai native Liu Yiwei has had an exhausting holiday during the past seven days. Rather than traveling or working overtime, she was busy hopping from one wedding to giving out against “red bombs”, or piles of cash.

过去的七天假期让25岁的上海人刘依薇(音译)感到精疲力竭。她不是去旅行也没有加班，而是在各地之间奔忙，准备好一叠叠钞票来应对“红色炸弹”。

被红色炸弹“炸”到的人就要准备好给新婚夫妇的gift money(礼金)，俗称份子钱。如今随着80后一代纷纷到了prime marriage age(适婚年龄)，一到marriage season(结婚旺季)“红色炸弹”多得让人望而生畏。

Trashion(trash“垃圾”和fashion“时尚”的合成词)指用旧的、废弃的、捡来的或者重新改装的部件制作的艺术品、珠宝，及家居时尚用品，即“垃圾时尚”。

Initially trashion was used to describe art-couture costume usually linked to contests or fashion shows. The term is now widely used in creative circles to describe any wearable item or accessory that is constructed using all or part materials that have been recycled, including clothing that has been reconditioned.

起初，“垃圾时尚”只用来描述那些与竞赛或者时尚表演有关的艺术类服装。如今，“垃圾时尚”这个词在创意界多用来指代全部或部分由再循环材料制成的衣服或饰物，这其中也包括那些不舍得扔和重新修改过的旧衣服。

椅子其实是你的敌人。就算你每天早晨都坚持跑步，或者定期去健身房锻炼；只要你每天大部分时间都是坐着的，不管是在车里、办公室座椅或者家里的沙发上，你就是在把自己推向肥胖、糖尿病、心脏病、各类癌症以及早亡的危险。

So what’s the solution if your job requires you to spend a lot of time in front of a computer? Stand- working! Stand-working can help you resolve your back problems. You’ll have more energy and can concentrate better.

那么对于大部分工作时间都需要在电脑前度过的我们来说，怎么才能解决这一问题呢？答案就是站立办公！站立办公能够解决背部酸疼问题，站立的时候你会觉得精力更加充沛，而且也更易于集中精神。

“Submarine parents” also remain out of sight, yet can pop up in the case of an emergency. “Submarine parents” will lay out a variety of school lunch supplies and encourage their child to pack his/her own lunch. If the child packs only chips and carrot sticks, he/she will be hungry and learn to pack a bigger lunch the next day.

潜水艇通常都待在水下，躲在人们的视线之外。遇到紧急情况需要浮出水面的时候，潜水艇就会迅速升起。潜水艇父母也是平时不露面，紧急情况时才会立即现身。他们会摆出一堆可供选择的午餐食物鼓励孩子自己装盒。如果孩子只往午餐盒里装了薯片和胡萝卜条，他就会挨饿，然后下次装午餐的时候就会多装些吃的了。

“Submarine parents” are the kind to buy a sturdy and comfortable stroller at a garage sale. As soon as the child starts to walk, the stroller is re-sold at a garage sale and kids get exercise by walking.

潜水艇父母一般会在车库甩卖会上购置一辆结实又舒适的婴儿推车，等到孩子开始学走路的时候，就在车库甩卖会上把那车卖了，然后让孩子自己练习走路。

The rule of the jungle

This is the law of — more precisely, the rule of — the jungle. Sure, the US is by far and away the biggest cat in that jungle.

My comments:

The jungle refers to the big forest with many large plants growing close and thick together amongst which diverse animals thrive, although some merely try to survive. Here the Darwinian law of “survival of the fittest” applies. The strong prey on the weak － beat them and eat them.

In human politics, the rule of the jungle is equivalent to the saying “might is right”. In other words, stronger nations can do whatever they want to smaller and weaker nations, moral or immoral.

“Sure, the US is by far and way the biggest cat in the jungle” － America,as the single superpower, does just that.

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

所谓“口袋技能”(pocket skills)，就是无论身处哪一行业，哪些岗位，都能随时拿出来用的技能。例如思维能力，给你看一份报告，你能否简练地概括其内容，指出存在的缺陷，提出改进意见。又如沟通能力，当别人不同意你的做法时，或者双方观点发生冲突时，该如何应付。

Many companies are more concerned about pocket skills such as teamwork than specifi c majors, except for research and development positions.

目前在许多用人单位，除了研发类岗位之外，许多岗位并不强求人才的专业对口，而更看重团队合作等“口袋技能”。

时下火爆荧屏的“穿越剧”就是time-travel TV series，穿越剧是以人物穿越时空为线索的电视剧，许多穿越剧都改编自hot online novels(热门网络小说)。

For example:

The time-travel series bu bu jing xin, or Startling by Each Step, has been showing on TV since September 10. Ratings for the show rose to nearly 7 percent in the fi rst two days. It was searched on the Internet more than 1 million times in the fi rst three days. Most viewers gave the show high marks.

穿越剧《步步惊心》于2011年9月10日在电视上开播，头两天的收视份额就达到了近7%。该剧开播头三天网络搜索量就破百万，而且还在不断增加。大部分观众都给该剧打了高分。

《步步惊心》所改编的原著就是Internet writer(网络作家)创作的time-travel novel(穿越小说)。除了穿越剧外，现在最受欢迎的电视剧类型还有spy drama(谍战剧)、courtroom drama / legal thriller(案情剧)和idol drama(偶像剧)等。

Super grain就是“超级水稻”，指的是在yield(产量)、grain quality(米质)、resistance(抗性)等主要方面均显著超过现有水稻品种的水稻。

For example:

Yuan Longping, China’s leading agricultural scientist, realized one of his 80th birthday wishes recently when his super grain brought yields of 13.9 tons a hectare, setting a new world record for rice output.

中国顶尖农业科学家袁隆平近日实现了他80岁生日的愿望之一——他的超级水稻实现每公顷产量13.9吨，创造了水稻产量新的世界记录。

“Smartphone owners are using their phones to get fast access to locationrelevant information on the go,” said Kathryn Zickuhr, co-author of the Pew report.

My comments:

The good thing about English is that virtually every verb can be used as a noun, which is not unlike ancient Chinese, of course, and which is as it should be. “On the go” hence means on the move, while you’re traveling, going from place to place. By extension, “on the go” may also mean when you’re busy and active, when you have something in hand, when you’re not free and idle.

Smartphone owners are using their phones to get fast access to “location-relevant information” on the go? “Location-relevant information” simply means where the place you’re going to is located and how you are supposed to get there.

Suppose you’re going to the zoo. By using one of the many smartphone applications, such as Google Map, you can get to see where it is on your screen.

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

可口可乐化(Coca-colonization)一词是跨国软饮制造商Coca-Cola(可口可乐)和colonization(殖民化)两个词的合成词，指全球化或文化殖民。

The term is used to imply either the importation of Western (particularly American) goods, or an invasion by Western, especially American cultural  values, which threaten the local culture.

这个词多用来指代西方(尤其是美国)产品的进口，或者是西方及美国文化价值观的入侵，导致当地文化受到威胁的状况。

It gained visibility in the European-Americanization debate with the 1994 publication of Reinhold Wagnleitner’s book, Coca-Colonization and the Cold War: The Cultural Mission of the United States in Austria After the World War II. The expression also became a catchphrase of the anti-globalization movement.

该表达在1994年初现于欧洲关于美国化的辩论中，来自于雷纳德?瓦恩莱特纳一本名为《可口可乐化与冷战：二战后美国在奥地利的文化使命》的书中。后来在反全球化运动中一度成为热门词汇。

It seems you are in a dilemma.

看起来你很纠结。

2. You just can’t get over...

The French soccer fans can’t get over their national team’s defeat in the World Cup 2002.

法国的球迷很难从2002年世界杯中的失利的阴影中走出来。

3. dwell on something

We shouldn’t dwell on a person’s past mistakes.

我们不该总抓住一个人的过去不放。

4. take something to heart

Don’t take such small things to heart.

别为这点小事想不开。

5. be torn

She was torn between her responsibility to her children and the demands

of her career.

她在家庭和事业之间进退两难。

“改版”就是makeover，也可以用revamp来表示。

For example:

Xinwen Lianbo, which runs every night at 7 pm on CCTV 1 and all provincial satellite channels, is expected to get new faces and a new focus in the makeover.

每晚7点在央视一套和各省卫视播出的《新闻联播》将在此次改版中启用新人，加入新的关注点。

此次改版除了要把opening theme(片头曲)换掉之外，还要增加欧阳夏丹、郎永淳两位70后news anchors(新闻主播)。据悉，欧阳夏丹和郎永淳在21日上午已经录制了demo(样片)。

改版后的《新闻联播》将把in-studio reporting(播音室报道)、guest interviews(嘉宾访谈)和on-the-spot reports(现场报道)结合在一起。调查数据显示，《新闻联播》是我国most authoritative news programs(最权威的新闻节目)，拥有数百万loyal viewers(忠实观众)。

在微博这个分享平台上，“复制不转发”的用户们忠实履行着“分享”的义务，如同完成任务一般 ，复制文化”盛行，版权问题频现。

Copy culture就是“复制文化”，指的就是直接将他人的原创微博不署名地进行复制以个人名义发布，属于“标准的抄袭”，涉及侵犯copyright(版权/著作权)的问题。Copyright本身属于一种Intellectual Property Right(知识产权)。

For example:

When a massive downpour hit Beijing on June 23, it took just a few minutes for a photograph taken by micro-blogger Yang Di to be forwarded thousands of times on the Internet. Yang’s story is just one example of the “copy culture” that is becoming rampant among micro-bloggers.

6月23日北京遭遇强降雨，杨迪(音译)通过微博发布的一张照片在几分钟内被转发数千次。杨先生的故事仅仅是“复制文化”在微博领域日益流行的一个例子。

Micro blog(微博)属于一种me-media(自媒体)，发布微博的人称为micro-blogger(博主)。很多网友不核查消息源，也不注意署名，盲目点击forward(转发)，这样会造成谣言的扩散。这里的forward也常用于邮件和短信中。

步行巴士(walking bus)指一群孩子在两个以上大人的护送下步行上下学的方式，被认为是一种健康又环保的出行方式。参与“步行巴士”的家长会自发组织起来轮流护送孩子们，一名大人会充当“司机”的角色走在前面带领整个队伍，另外一名则充当售票员跟在队伍后面。而且，“步行巴士”和传统的巴士一样也设有车站和接站时刻。

The walking bus idea originated in the United Kingdom, and the expression has been in general use there since 2004. Walking bus initiatives have proved extremely popular and eff ective in the UK. More recently, walking buses have gained a level of popularity in the United States, Australia and New Zealand.

“步行巴士”这一理念来自于英国，而walking bus这个表达自2004年起就开始广泛使用了。目前，这一做法在英国已很普遍，而且证实卓有成效。近几年，在美国、澳大利亚及新西兰等国也开始得到一定认可。

Savior sibling指生下来就是为了给患有致命疾病的兄弟姐妹提供器官或细胞移植的小孩，译为“救命手足”。患病一方一般都需要通过造血干细胞移植才能治愈。

The savior sibling is conceived through In Vitro Fertilization. Fertilized zygotes are tested for genetic compatibility, and only zygotes that are compatible with the existing child are implanted. Zygotes are also tested to make sure they are free of the original genetic disease.

救命手足多通过试管婴儿生殖技术获得。受精卵会先经过基因匹配试验，只有完全与患病一方完全匹配的受精卵才会被植入。另外，还要通过试验确保植入的受精卵不携带基因原本的疾病因子。

The term savior sibling is likely to have controversial overtones for some time. Some disagree with the idea on ethical grounds, arguing that the long-term social and emotional eff ects on the donor sibling are unknown.

Savior sibling这个说法一直以来都颇受争议。有人从道德角度对其进行批判，认为捐献器官的孩子长期受到的社会和情感影响是外人无从得知的。

First-year American Idol judge Jennifer Lopez says she’s “on the fence” about returning to Fox’s competition series for a second season.

My comments:

This is a short variation from the idiom “sitting on the fence”.

Two neighboring households, say, are engaged in a back-yard shouting match and you have come to help them make peace. Their back yards are separated by a fence. To give the appearance of being neutral, you climb onto the fence and observe the dispute from there.

That’s you sitting on a fence in a good-neighborly dispute. What if it’s a war between too countries? Sitting on the fence in that situation means that you’re not taking sides in their dispute.

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

我哥哥是个控制狂人。

2. He tries to dictate how everything around him is done.

他什么事儿都要管。

3. He has fi ngers in every pie and works them to the bone in the

process.

他每件事都要插手，而且还特别投入。

4. His wife is a real bossy boots at home.

他们家的指挥权在他老婆手里。

5. Her children are totally under her thumb.

她的孩子都在她的掌控之中。

6. He really loves to boss people around.

他特别喜欢指使别人。

7. He became demandingly dominant over the years.

这些年，他变得颐指气使

2. It is another rude, crude R-rated comedy with the expected and familiar racial jokes, gay jokes, penis jokes. Nothing new. 这部片不过是又一部粗俗的、制作粗糙的限制级喜剧，里面的种族笑话、同性恋笑话、性笑话都是听过的，了无新意。

3. I think Nicolas Cage is great. He’s got character. He can act with a lot of depth. 我觉得尼古拉斯·凯奇很棒。他很有个性，演得也很有深度。

4. They ruined the movie when they dubbed it into Chinese from English. I would rather have seen it in English with Chinese sub-titles. 那些中文的配音几乎毁了那部电影。我还是更喜欢听英文原声，配上中文字幕就行了。

5. Mrs Doubtfi re is very touching. You would have to be a “concrete zombie” to have avoided laughing or crying. 《窈窕奶爸》非常感人，如果你看的时候既没笑也没哭那你可真算得上是铁石心肠了。

For example:

High temperatures are blamed for the cracking of safety glass in those cases, but experts said the fundamental cause of “glass rain” is the government’s inattention to the safety of glass curtain walls.

专家认为，高温致使安全玻璃自爆固然是导致这些事故的原因，但引发“玻璃雨”的根本原因是政府对玻璃幕墙安全的忽视。

看似现代感十足的glass curtain walls(玻璃幕墙)，早在上世纪初就被发明，近年来逐渐出现在中国的central business district(CBD，中央商务区)。然而，这种玻璃幕墙却存在种种drawbacks(缺点)：巨大的玻璃幕墙在太阳光下熠熠闪光，会造成严重的light pollution(光污染)，这不仅造成大量的energy consumption(能源消耗)， 容易induce traffic accident(引发交通事故)，还使人产生dizzy (头晕)、anxious(焦虑)、impaired vision(视力下降)，depression(情绪低落)等症状。

近两个月，国内发生了多起玻璃幕墙坠落事故。专家称，造成这些事故的原因是多方面的：包括engineering design(工程设计)，material uality(材料质量)，workmanship(技术水平)等。

Reader’s question:

This is just a wild guess, but maybe it was all those hours you spent practicing over the past month.

My comments:

A guess is a rough estimation, an attempt to answer a question or make a judgment about something without having all the necessary facts, so that you’re not sure whether you’re correct.

In other words, a conjecture.

Wild guess?

Hence a wild guess sounds even more out of control, crazy, suggesting you’re making a guess without careful consideration of the matter at all.

This is just my wild guess － maybe it was the rain. Blame it on rain.

Just kidding.

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

Spoiler指与电影、书籍或者游戏内容有关的信息，即我们所说的“剧透”，这类信息会大大减少初看者了解剧情或者参与游戏的兴致。

This sense of spoiler has been around since the mid-1990s, and initially referred to pieces of information which reveal elements of the plot of a film or book. Since proper enjoyment of a plot depends on dramatic tension and suspense, prematurely discovering what is going to happen“spoils” the experience that the viewer or reader has when watching or reading for the first time.

Spoiler用作“剧透”之意始于上世纪90年代，最初指透露电影或书籍情节的信息。故事情节的欣赏主要有赖于扣人心弦的紧张气氛和悬念，如果提前得知后面的情节发展就会“破坏”(spoil)初看者欣赏故事的体验。

Pay as you throw(垃圾按量收费，缩写为PAYT)制度指每个家庭都要为不可回收垃圾的处理支付费用，而费用的多少则根据垃圾的数量和重量来计算。在该制度内，可回收垃圾的处理是免费的。

Pay-as-you-throw schemes are already operational in many parts of the United States. Payments for refuse collection would not be a fixed fee incorporated into local government taxes, but dealt with separately in what is now being referred to as a (dust) bin tax, calculated for individual households.

垃圾按量收费制度在美国一些地方已经开始实施。垃圾处理的费用并没有作为一项固定收费被归入当地政府的税收项目，而是单独作为一项收费来处理，也就是所谓的dustbin tax(垃圾箱税)，每个家庭单独计算。

所谓的mooncake tax(月饼税)其实不是新鲜事，早在2009年9月，南京地税部门就表示，单位发放月饼等in-kind benefi ts(实物福利)都应计入工资薪金所得，扣缴individual income tax(个人所得税)。

For example:

The approach of the Mid-Autumn Festival has reignited debate over China’s “mooncake tax”.

随着中秋节的临近，我国关于“月饼税”的争论又热了起来。这次月饼税饱受争议，主要有两点，第一，涉嫌double taxation(重复征税)，当单位购买月饼时，已经被扣除了consumption tax(消费税)，发放给员工后就不该再征税。第二，很多人认为月饼税缺乏人情味，在union of family(家庭团圆)之际，收到作为福利的月饼却被征税，这让很多人无法接受，且加重了公众的tax burden(税负)。

子女的监护权包括legal custody(法定监护权)和physical custody(生活监护权)。在父母离婚或分居的情况下，一般会判决一方获取子女的监护权，即sole custody，而另一方获得则获得visitation(探视权)。

张柏芝和谢霆锋在2006年tie the knot(喜结连理)。2008年的 nude-picture scandal(艳照门)一度令媒体纷纷猜测两人陷入婚姻危机。今年5月媒体报道张柏芝与陈冠希在飞机上chance encounter (偶遇)时self-snapshot(自拍)合影，此事曝光后，有关两人的离婚传闻愈演愈烈，直至最终分道扬镳。

Stage-phoning(演戏式通话)指一个人用手机打电话很大声，故意想要吸引旁边人的关注。这些人打电话时候的行为就好像在表演一样，把手机当作道具，所以才会用stage这个词来表示。

The derived noun stage-phoner has been coined to describe these types, who in American English are sometimes also referred to by the rather derogatory term cell (phone) jerk. We meet stage-phoners at every street corner, waiting room or café.

由此衍生的stage-phoner就指进行演戏式通话的人，在美式英语中还有一个更具贬义的词cell (phone) jerk(手机傻冒)来形容这些人。在街角、等候室或者咖啡馆都会有他们的身影。

Gap year(空档年)是一个英国词儿，指学生离开学校一段时间，经历一些学习以外的事情，比如外出旅行或者工作。当然，这段时间不一定非得是一年。空档年一般选在离开中学进入大学之前。

The practice of taking a deferred year developed in the United Kingdom in the 1960s. It has grown very popular among students in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. A trend for the year out is to participate in international education programs that combine language study, cultural immersion, and independent study.

空档年这种做法于二十世纪六十年代兴起于英国。如今，空档年在英国、澳大利亚、新西兰以及加拿大的学生当中都已非常流行。新近的趋势是在空档年期间参与国际教育项目，其中包括语言学习、住家、文化渗透、社区服务以及独立学习等。

最近“hold住”这个说法在网络上很流行。在英语中，“hold”有抱、坚持、握住、掌控等意思。

1. The drug has a hold on the minds of those who use it.

毒品对吸毒者的思想影响极大。

2. You can’t hold your drink, that’s your problem. Two beers and you’re

under the table.

你的问题是酒量不行，两杯啤酒下肚你就醉了。

3. Most of the arguments put forward by our opponents simply do not

hold water.

我们的对手提出的大部分辩解都站不住脚。

4. Sadie held forth on the virtues of home cooking.

莎蒂大谈特谈在家做饭的好处。

5. In our house it was my mother who held the purse strings.

在我家，我妈掌管着金钱财务。

Lavender language

Lavender language functions as a kind of homosexual code, characterized by acronyms, plays on words and double meanings only intended to be understood by the gay community.

Lavender language相当于一种同性恋密码，以使用缩略字、文字游戏以及双关语为特点，主要服务于同性恋人群内的沟通交流，所以称为“同性恋语言”。

The color lavender is often used to identify “gay-friendly” environments, hence its use in terminology surrounding gay issues, such as lavender texts, lavender phonology/terminology and the lavender lexicon.

淡紫色(lavender)通常都被认作“同性恋友好”类环境的标志，因此，与lavender相关的专用术语多与同性恋有关。比如lavender texts(同性恋文本)、lavender phonology(同性恋语音体系)，以及lavender lexicon(同性恋词汇表)等。

Reader’s question

Unfortunately, her unforced error count continued to stifl e her play 30 in total and she lost the fi nal two points of the match.

Could you explain “unforced error”?

My comments:

This is generally speaking a tennis term, which means a simple mistake,

one that actually could be avoided. In tennis you win points by striking the ball hard and sharp into, say, the deep corners of the opponent’s court, making it diffi cult for him or her to return the ball back. You do this the best you can in order to force them into making errors.

Unforced errors, though, are those you make inadvertently, either due to carelessness or distraction. Unforced errors are costly, a sign that your concentration level is not there.

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

Durian clan

Durian clan refers to those ill-tempered co-workers who have been working for many years and are hard to get along with, just like the smelly fruit with thick thorny skin.

榴莲族，是对职场中有一定工作资历，但脾气像榴莲一样又臭又硬，不好相处的群体的称呼。

Unlike the strawberry clan, who are newcomers in the workplace, people in the durian clan are accustomed to workplace routines, and may be experiencing a kind of job burnout after many years of hard work. As a result, they might easily show their hot temper in the office.

相对初入职场的草莓族来说，榴莲族已经入职多年，工作对于他们来说，也许早已脱离了兴趣爱好，每天只是过着按部就搬的日子。如此情况下，榴莲族们对职业的疲劳感会越来越深，对人对事，自然少了些随和，多了些暴躁。

In addition, people in the durian clan often don’t look so well due to years of overwork and signs of aging. And as old hands in the workplace, they usually have thicker skin than others.

除此之外，长期熬夜加班再加上岁月的痕迹，让榴莲族的脸色不怎么好看，而且“职场老油条”的榴莲族们，往往脸皮都比较厚。

Judicial explanation

8月12日，最高人民法院发布19条《婚姻法》司法解释。其中一条规定：明确婚后一方父母出资为子女购买不动产且产权登记在自己子女名下的应认定为夫妻一方的个人财产。

Judicial explanation就是“司法解释”，简单说来，就是由the Supreme Court(最高法院)对具体适用法律的问题做出的解释。

For example:

A house bought by parents and registered under their child’s name remains the personal property of the child even after the child gets married, according to a judicial explanation issued by China’s Supreme

People’s Court.

根据最高人民法院发布的司法解释，父母为子女购买房产且产权登记在自己子女名下的，即使在子女婚后仍属于其个人财产。

这次的Marriage Law(《婚姻法》)第19条的司法解释意思是说如果父母为儿子或女儿购买了real estate(房产)，当儿女结婚后，这套房子不算作是小夫妻俩的mutual property(共同财产)，而只能算作是购买那一方的personal property(个人财产)。而若这套房子是两方父母共同购买的，而最后双方end in divorce(最后离婚)，那么，将根据两方父母的出资额来分割财产，由此避免房产购买方的loss of family

property(家庭财产损失)。

有的人还在婚前签订prenuptial agreement(婚前协议)，规定离婚后双方财产的归属，但这难免会伤害到夫妻双方的感情。而这次《婚姻法》的司法解释，对很多人来说算是一个welcome relief(可喜的安慰)。

Pyramid scheme

8月11日以来，广西持续掀起大规模、全方位、地毯式的打击传销专项行动。重拳之下，约有1万多名传销人员从广西撤离。

Pyramid scheme即我们通常说的“传销”，或叫pyramid selling。我们知道pyramid是金字塔的意思，顾名思义，传销就是一种由上而下的运作模式，即用尖顶来比喻上线，基于上线，逐上而下次第发展许

多下线的销售模式。

For example:

A crackdown on pyramid schemes in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region is leading to an exodus of scam artists from the area.

广西壮族自治区开展打击非法传销行动后，大批传销人员纷纷撤离该地区。

传销集团新会员通常都要先缴纳一定的membership fee(会员费)，怀着获得windfall(意外横财)的期望，说服更多的人加入进来，这些人都是他的下家。在我国，传销于1998就被禁止了。

与pyramid scheme相类似的有一个词叫Ponzi scheme，即庞氏骗局。20世纪初，一个叫庞齐的美国商人许诺投资者以利润回报，把新投资者的钱作为快速盈利付给最初投资的人，以诱使更多的人上当，7个月居然吸引了3万名投资者，一年后这场骗局才被揭穿，史称Ponzi scheme(庞氏骗局)，在中国就是“空手套白狼”。

WAGs

WAGs (or Wags) is an acronym, used particularly by the British tabloid press, to describe the wives and girlfriends of high-profile soccer players, originally the England national soccer team.

WAGs(有时也写作Wags)是一个缩略语，英国八卦报纸多用来指代明星足球球员的妻子和女朋友(wives and girlfriends)，亦称“太太团”，最初特指英国国家足球队队员的妻子和女朋友。

The term came into common use during the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

The acronym has since been used by the media in other countries to describe the wives and girlfriends of sportsmen in general.

这个称呼在2006年世界杯期间开始广泛使用，之后其他国家的媒体多用WAGs来统称体育明星的“太太团”。

During the 2006 World Cup the press gave increasing coverage to the socialising and shopping activities of the English WAGs, who were based in the German town of Baden-Baden.

2006年世界杯期间，英国球员“太太团”驻扎在德国小镇巴登-巴登，媒体对她们的社交和购物活动做了大量的报道。

It was frequently suggested that England’s exit from the tournament in the quarterfi nals was a result of such distractions.

后来屡有传言说英格兰队在四分之一决赛中出局就是因为被“太太团”分了心。

Status-gap marriage

A “status-gap marriage” is one in which there is a clear gap in income, pedigree, social status, and so on. between the husband and wife. The phrase usually refers to marriages in which a woman marries “beneath herself”.

Status-gap marriage(格差婚)指夫妻双方在收入、家庭条件、社会地位等方面相差悬殊的婚姻，多指女方“下嫁”的情况。

For example, the marriage between Japanese actress Norika Fujiwara and her husband, the lesser-known comedian Tomonori Jinnai is deemed a status-gap marriage.

比如，日本女星藤原纪香与不太知名的喜剧演员阵内智则的婚姻就被看作是格差婚。

Their marriage ended in divorce in 2009.

两人最终于2009年离婚。

Reader’s question:

Political correctness now debates the worthiness of many words.

Could you explain “political correctness”?

Political correctness involves avoiding language or practices that could o end others. It is often a concerted attempt to redress historical injustices relating to race, gender, class or sexual orientation, for example. You can also say someone or something is “politically correct”, or you could just say they are “PC”.

Let me give you an example to help you understand. In the past, the native people who lived in parts of Greenland and Canada were referred to as Eskimos. Today, this group is generally called Inuit, a term which literally means “the people” in the local language, as Eskimo is considered to be a derogatory term. You could say Inuit is the “politically correct” or “PC” term for Eskimo.

Sometimes, calling something or someone “politically correct” can be a slur in itself, as some people believe political correctness has gone too far and is at the point where people are overly sensitive to the words and practices of others.

Kim Bowden is a foreign expert at China Daily Website.

Granny chic

Granny chic denotes a fashion style that consists of old-fashioned items worn in a stylish way.

Granny chic(复古风潮)指将旧式衣物穿出时尚味道的流行风潮。

Granny style cardigans, tweed mid-length skirts and fl esh colored tights were seen walking down the catwalks of Paris, New York, London and Milan and the trends have now fi ltered down to the high street.

老式的羊毛开衫、斜纹呢的中长裙还有肉色紧身裤频频出现在巴黎、纽约、伦敦和米兰的T台上。 如今，这一时尚潮流已经走进了繁华商业街区。

Other granny-chic clothing includes big glasses, quasi-orthopedic shoes and fl oral dresses.

其他复古风潮单品还包括大眼镜、类似矫正鞋的鞋子和花裙子。

For example:

Granny-chic knitwear plus skinny pants equal a great new silhouette.

复古系的针织衫配上紧身裤就能打造出一个全新的形象。

Reader’s question:

Many Nigerians hope that the acting president, bolstered by his own team, may gee up Africa’s most populous country (150m-strong) and its biggest oil and gas producer south of the Sahara.

Could you explain “gee up”?

My comments:

“Gee up” is originally a command given to horses to hurry them up. “Gee up”, “Move along”, “Faster”, and so forth. Used on a person, “gee up” conveys the same message of encouragement, a rallying call for faster pace or greater eff orts.

Here, Nigerians hope the acting president will lead the country to economic prosperity. In other words, they feel encouraged with the new leadership.

Well, that’s the least they can do － hope for the best. Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

Eye-gazing party

Eye-gazing party is a dating trend based on the practice of speed-dating in which participants do not speak to each other but instead, gaze at each other for a set amount of time, before moving on.

Eye-gazing party(对眼相亲会)是在速配相亲基础上发展起来的一种相亲形式。参与对眼相亲会的男女彼此之间不用开口说话，而是在限定的时间内盯着对方看，时间一到就换个人继续看。

Some describe the experience as “having a conversation with another person’s face” while others believe eye contact can reveal one’s attraction faster than anything else.

有人将这种相亲会描述为“跟另一个人的脸对话”，也有人认为眼神交流比任何行为都能更快散发一个人的魅力。

Drive

Drive这个词在英语中有很多用法，它可以表示开车、驱赶等很多意思，下面我们通过例子来学习一下一些常用的意思吧！

1. All right, sir, you drive a hard bargain. I’ll sell you this car for $12,450.

好吧，先生，您可太会砍价了，这车我12,450美元卖给你！

2. These tax forms are driving me nuts.

填这些纳税申报表快让我发疯了。

3. Let’s drive over to Larry’s place.

我们开车去拉里家吧！

4. You are driving me out of my mind with your nagging.

我快被你唠叨疯了！

5. The traffic jam is breaking up, so we can drive on.

拥堵道路开始疏通了，我们可以继续开车了。

6. He’ll drive himself into the ground if he doesn’t take some time off .

他再不休息一段时间非得累垮不可。

7. You have driven me into a corner, so I guess I have to give in.

你让我别无选择，只能让步啊！

8. Your trouble with the police has driven me to the brink/edge! The

next time you are arrested, I will not get you out of jail.

你总惹麻烦进警察局，我快被你弄崩溃了！下次你再被抓进来，我不会再管你了！

9. She was driven to drink by the problems she had with her teenage

son.

她和她那十几岁的儿子关系不好，她快烦死了。

Reader’s question:

The media-friendly events were sponsored by a host of activist groups.

My comments:

Media-friendly is about cozying up to the media, TV, radio, newspapers and the Internet.

Media-friendly events are therefore events aimed at smoothing relations with the media, so that they stop writing nasty things about the activist groups and, in fact, begin to write nice things about them.

In other words, PR, or public relations. Normally, PR is about hiring PR firms to help improve one’s relation with the public. This time, the saidactivist groups are doing the PR work themselves, treating journalists to meetings, complete with dinners and perhaps sight-seeing in order to improve relations with the media itself.

Obviously, even activist groups need to do a lot of PR today, which essentially involves spinning tales to make one look better. It’s a refl ection on the times we are living in.

Zhang Xin, who writes a column for Language Tips, has been with China Daily since 1988.

科技发展在很大程度上影响了人们的生活，同时一些科技术语也丰富了人们的日常用语，我们一起来看一下吧！

John: I made a plant pot out of an old water bottle!

Sarah: So what? It’s not exactly rocket science, is it?

约翰：我把一个旧水壶改装成一个花盆了！

莎拉：那又怎么样？这也不是什么复杂的事嘛！

上面例子中的“It’s not rocket science”意思就是“不难做或者不难理解”，火箭科学始于上世纪20年代和30年代间，但是直至上世纪80年代，这个词才被引申为“复杂的事”，进而成为一句流行的口头禅(catch phrase)。下面是一些别的来源于科学术语的英语口语

例子：

Our Shanghai operation was a black hole. We poured money into the

business without any tangible results.

我们在上海的生意就是个“黑洞”，我们投了大量的资金进去，但是目前还没看到任何实质性的回报。

Black hole的本意是“宇宙中包括光线在内的任何东西都无法逃逸的强引力区域”，现引申为“任何只吸入而不放出物质的东西”，例如：

Don’t use my university address in Beijing. It’s a black hole and nothing

sent to me ever seems to arrive!

别把东西寄到我在北京的学校地址，那个地址就是个黑洞，通过那个地址寄给我的东西从来没有寄到的。

类似的例子还有：

It will mean a quantum leap for development if we start living on Mars.

如果我们能去火星居住的话，那真的是一个巨大的突破。

Quantum leap本来是一个物理名词，意为“量子跃进”，现引申为“巨变、飞跃”。

Citizen journalism

当你将突发事故现场的见闻发到微博上的时候，或许你还没意识到，你正在扮演一个公民记者的角色，而你所发布的微博就是citizenjournalism(公民新闻)。

Citizen journalism就是“公民新闻”，指从新闻的采访，写作，到最后的编辑发布，都不假手于专业记者或编辑，完全由“读者”自己采写的新闻，而这些读者则被称为citizen journalist(公民记者)。

For example:

The words tweeted by a passenger on high-speed train D301 on July 23 were clearly a cry for help. But they also initiated a wave of unprecedented “citizen journalism” on China’s Twitter-like micro blogs.

7月23日D301动车上的一名乘客发布的微博是在呼救，但由此却引发了微博上前所未有的“公民新闻”热潮。

全世界第一位citizen journalist当属1998年在其个人博客中对克林顿Zip Gate(拉链门)性丑闻曝光的美国人德拉吉。

公民新闻相较于传统新闻的优点在于可以在第一时间在现场进行real-time reporting(实时报道)。相较mainstream media(主流媒体)而言，也多了更多的vividness(生动性)。在突发事件的报道中，citizen journalism正在发挥越来越重要的作用。

Word of mouse

Word of mouse is an electronic version of the time-tested idea of word

of mouth.

“网络口碑”其实就是口碑的网络时代版本。

Numerous advertisers have jumped on the word of mouse bandwagon,

using a variety of innovative techniques to get their message out to

consumers, and businesses all over the world rely on word of mouse to

promote their reputations.

如今很多广告商都跟随潮流，通过网络口碑来宣传产品。他们会通

过各种各样的创新技术来传达信息给消费者，同时他们也依靠网络

口碑来建立良好声誉。

Word of mouse can be built up on review sites, which allow users to post

reviews and commentary on businesses, and it can also be generated

on forums, chat rooms, and social networking sites.

公司可以通过评论网站来建立网络口碑，用户可以在该类网站上发

表对公司的评论。网络口碑传播的形式还包括论坛、聊天室和社交

网站等。

To learn more buzz words, please log on to http://language.chinadaily.com.cn

SoLoMo

SoLoMo refers to the collision of social, local and mobile media. It is unique to the mobile device.

SoLoMo是社交、本地及移动媒体相互结合的体现，译为“社交本地移动”，是移动设备所独具的一个功能。

Today 42% of people aged 18 to 34 enjoy sharing their purchases on the Internet. Social media, local search and mobile search all collide in today’s online world to off er an ultimate user experience.

如今，18岁到34岁的人中有42%的人愿意在网上分享他们的购物体验。社交媒体，本地搜索以及移动搜索在网络世界里互相结合，并提供最终的用户体验。

For example, a user may start their search locally by looking for a business on the Web with Google local, then continue it on the social sphere by following the social networking page and “linking” the business, and fi nally completing their purchase on their mobile by calling or booking with the business. This combination of social media, local and mobile search is called SoLoMo.

比如，一个用户会先在谷歌本地搜索中搜寻本地的商家信息，然后在社交网络中跟进搜索，关注商家的社交网页，在那里选择“喜欢”该商家的信息，并最终电话咨询或者预订商家的服务以完成整个消费过程。这种社交媒体、本地及移动搜索的结合体就被称作SoLoMo(社交本地移动)。

“松花蛋”怎么说？

Century eggs

美国有线电视新闻网(CNN)日前请自家网站记者评选他们吃过的最难吃的食物，并将结果公布在网站上。中国的松花蛋位列这份全球“十大恶心食物”榜单之首。结果公布之后，在中国大陆和台湾都引起了激烈的反应。

松花蛋也叫皮蛋，英文叫century eggs。松花蛋和咸鸭蛋(salted duck egg)都属于腌制蛋(preserved egg)。卷入这场“国际争端”的CNN网站记者丹尼·霍瓦达已发表声明道歉，不过网络热议(Internet buzz)仍然未消。

For example:

“Century eggs are popular among the Chinese as a pungent appetizer,” CNN said in its iReport. “But for others, the idea of feasting on black eggs that have been preserved in clay for months may not be appetizing.”

CNN在它的iReport中如此写道：“松花蛋是一道广受中国人欢迎的气味扑鼻的开胃小菜。不过对于别人而言，这种用黏土裹了好几个月的黑蛋，光是想想可能就会让人胃口全无。”

也许，CNN的这项评选也不过是戏谑(tongue-in-cheek)而已。每个国家都有自己独特的饮食文化，我们应该秉持一颗包容尊重的心来对待多元文化(diversified cultures)。

大肆庆祝

Pushing the boat out

在英语中，这种做法可以用“push the boat out”来表示花钱出去大吃一顿或者买些东西来庆祝。

“Push the boat out”意思就是“慷慨而奢侈地花费”，不过它跟“paint the town red”的意思不同，后者意为“狂欢、胡闹”；而前者表示 “虽然出去玩乐，但并不是以一种不负责任的方式”，强调“花费虽然大，但是也是必要的”。

例如：

Sometimes you have to push the boat out and splurge on a new set of clothes.

有的时候你得挥霍一回，买些新衣服来犒劳一下自己。

有的人喜欢安稳的生活，不愿意rock the boat(破坏良好的现状)，但这也意味着他们不会有什么机会。和这个短语对应的有个短语叫push the envelope，意为“挑战极限”，这个词组往往被用来谈论科技进步，表示“人或机构等很有创新力，想尽力超越现有的边界”。

例如：

My company is really pushing the envelope in terms of design. We are working on a new type of interactive computer game that will revolutionize the market.

在设计方面，我们公司一直都在挑战极限。目前我们正在开发一款新的人机交互型电脑游戏，它将彻底改变现在的电子游戏市场。

催熟

Chemical ripening

外表红彤彤的西红柿，捏起来硬邦邦的，切开后籽是绿的，吃起来像是没长熟；黄瓜通身碧绿带刺，“身板”笔直，顶上还有一朵小黄花……这些被催熟的蔬菜在各地菜场随处可见。令人担忧的是，催熟剂的使用处于监控盲区，其有无害处仍无权威说法。

“催熟”的英文是chemical ripening，也就是artificial ripening by using chemicals，也可以称为forced ripening。进行催熟的化学制剂就是ripener/ripening agent(催熟剂)。和ripener类似，之前发生的“西瓜爆炸”是因为使用了swelling agent(膨大剂)，agent在这里指的就是化学制剂。

Ripe表示瓜果的成熟，夏天买西瓜，有时买到的只是half-ripe(半生不熟)，一点儿都不甜。Ripe还可以用来指抽象的“成熟”，比如The time is not yet ripe.(时机尚未成熟。)但ripe old age则指的是“高龄、晚年”。

For example:

Illegal chemical ripening method imperils India’s mango trade.

非法催熟有害印度芒果交易

Expressing concern over the spurt in cases of artificial ripening of fruits using chemicals, the health ministry on Thursday asked the states to take action against those indulging in this hazardous practice.

印度卫生部周四表达了对使用化学制剂人工催熟水果激增的担忧，并要求各邦采取措施，制止滥用催熟剂的危险行为。

— To learn more expressions, please log on to http://language.chinadaily.com.cn

Soap grafting

Soap grafting is the act of attaching an almost completely used piece of soap to a new, unused piece because it is now too small to be conveniently used but you also don't want to waste it.

如果你觉得快用完的小片肥皂滑滑得不好拿，但是丢掉又太可惜，你就可以将它粘在一块新的肥皂上继续使用，这个过程就叫soap grafting(肥皂嫁接)。

For example:

My mum always soap grafts because she doesn’t want to waste anything. Soap grafting is good.

我妈妈经常把快用完的肥皂粘到新肥皂上用，因为她不想浪费任何东西。这种肥皂嫁接是个不错的办法。

To learn more buzz words,please log on to http://language.chinadaily.com.cn