西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

[故乡的云]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

25. 我心情很沉重。My heart is heavy。
　　= I'm heavy-hearted。
　　A: My teacher died of heart attack last night。
　　我的老师昨晚死于心脏病发作。
　　B: My heart is heavy on hearing this。
　　听到这个消息我心情很沉重。
　　26. 果不其然。That figures。
　　A: He failed. 他失败了。 B: That figures. He is too proud。
　　果不其然。他太骄傲了。 ● that figures“合理，讲得通”
　　27. 我对此并不乐观。I’m not too happy about it。
　　A: How’s your exam?
　　你考得怎么样？
　　B: I’m not too happy about it. 对此我不太乐观。
　　28. 我该怎么办呢？Where do I go from here?
　　A: I can’t think of any way out now. Where do I go from here?
　　现在也想不出什么办法。我该怎么办呢？
　　B: Don’t lose heart. Everything will be fine tomorrow。
　　别灰心。明天一切都会好起来的。
　　29. 我们无计可施了。We’ve had it。
　　A: Did you finally persuade him?
　　你们最后说服他了吗？
　　B: No, we’ve had it。
　　没有，我们无计可施了。
　　● have had it“完蛋了，没希望了”
　　30. 我对此并不乐观。I’m not too optimistic about it。
　　A: Do you think we can finish the work on time?
　　你认为我们能按时完成任务吗？
　　B: I’m not too optimistic about it。
　　我对此并不乐观。
　　★optimistic [7Cpti5mistik] a. 乐观的
　　31. 不可以，没希望了。No way. It’s hopeless。
　　○ I’m out of luck this time. 这次我没希望了。
　　A: Everything will be OK. 一切都会好的。
　　B: No way. It’s hopeless. 不可能，没希望了。
　　32. 对我来说这简直是世界末日。It’s the end of the world for me。
　　A: Today I’m told I’ve failed three courses. It’s the end of the world for me. 今天我被告知我有三科不及格。对我来说这简直是世界末日。
　　B: Oh, that’s too bad. 哦，那可太糟糕了。
　　33. 没那么好运气！No such luck!
　　A: I believe you will succeed。
　　我相信你会成功的。
　　B: No such luck! 没那么好运气！
　　34. 我的心情有些沉重。I’ve got a lot on my mind。
　　A: I’ve got a lot on my mind. My best friend passed away yesterday。
　　我的心情有些沉重。我最好的朋友昨天去世了。
　　B: Oh, I’m very sorry to hear that. Take care of yourself。
　　哦，听到这件事我很难过。你要好好保重。 ● on one's mind“使人担心，惦念”
　　35. 事情已经过去了。It’s history. = It’s all over。
　　这句话是用来安慰那些经历了悲痛或失意的人，以鼓励其忘记那段令人难过的 记忆。
　　36. 我得说我相当悲观。 I have to say I’m rather pessimistic. A: I hear you want to study in Harvard. Do you see any possibility of getting your visa?
　　听说你想去哈佛大学学习。你认为有可能拿到签证吗？
　　B: I have to say I’m rather pessimistic。
　　我得说我相当悲观。 possibility [7pCsi5biliti] n. 可能性
　　37. 这不行。It can’t be done. A: Can you finish it in a week?
　　你在一周之内能完成吗？
　　B: I’m afraid it can’t be done. 恐怕这不行。
　　38. 实在没有办法。That’s the way it goes. A: You can try another time。
　　你可以再试一次。
　　B: That’s the way it goes。
　　实在没有办法。
　　39. 这样干总比没结果好。Better than nothing。
　　○ Nothing ventured, nothing gained。
　　不入虎穴，焉得虎子。
　　venture [5ventFE] v. 冒险
　　40. 除此之外我别无选择。I have no choice but to do so。
　　○ It’s my only choice. 这是我惟一的选择。
　　○ There’s no choice. 没有选择的余地。
　　but在这里表示“除了”的意思。
　　41. 我的心都碎了。I’m heartbroken. = My heart is broken。
　　42. 我感到灰心丧气。I’m downhearted。
　　A: I’m downhearted. 我感到灰心丧气。 Section
　　B: Don’t worry. It will work out. 别担心。会好起来的。 05
　　downhearted [aun5:ti] a. 垂头丧气的，闷闷不乐的
　　43. 我提不起精神做任何事。I don’t feel like doing anything. = I don’t have enthusiasm for anything。
　　44. 我们注定会失败 。We are doomed to lose the game。
　　= We are doomed to fail。
　　= We are bound to lose the game. ● be doomed to“注定”
　　45. 我真是山穷水尽了。I’m on my last legs。
　　A: God help me! I’m on my last legs. I lost all my money in gambling and my wife left me。
　　我的天！我真是山穷水尽了。我赌博把钱输光了，老婆也离开了我。
　　B: You deserve it!
　　你活该！
　　● on one’s last legs“垂死，濒于垮台”
　　46. 这是命中注定的。It’s fate。
　　= It’s doomed。
　　○ It was my destiny. 这就是我的命。
　　destiny n. 命运，定数
　　47. 干嘛这么沮丧呢？Why are you feeling so depressed? A: Why are you feeling so depressed, David?
　　大卫，干嘛这么沮丧呢？
　　B: I’ve just parted with my girlfriend。
　　我刚刚和女朋友分手了。
　　depressed a. 沮丧的，情绪低落的

 

[故乡的云]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

不同场景的“让步”

逛街的时候，很多人都喜欢跟商家讨价还价。一来一去，最终多以双方各让一步而结束。我们的生活中，需要我们做出让步的事情可能还有很多。今天，我们就来看一看英文里对于“让步、妥协”的表达。

　　1. You say 15 pounds and I say 25 pounds, so let's split the difference and call it 20 pounds。
　　你出15英镑而我要25英镑，这样吧， 我们各让一点，20英镑成交。
　　2. He forced his opponent to back down。
　　他迫使对手让步。
　　3. I am prepared to make certain concessions on this issue。
　　我准备在这个问题上做某些让步。
　　4. How about meeting each other halfway?
　　我们双方都各让一步，怎么样？
　　5. He refused to give way and admit he was wrong。
　　他拒不让步，不肯认错。
　　6. No matter how they slander us, we will never give in。
　　不管他们怎样诽谤我们，我们决不让步。
　　7. We will yield nothing to unreasonable demands。
　　对于不合理的要求，我们决不让步。

 

[故乡的云]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

知道“DIY”不稀奇 你知道“BIY”吗？

DIY”一词从N多年前开始就为人们所熟知，全称是“do it yourself”，也就是自己动手做的意思，所谓自给自足，乐趣不穷啊。如今，有个新词叫“BIY”，虽然长得像是“DIY”的哥们儿，但大家知道是什么意思吗？

　　BIY：buy-it-yourself

　　大家可能会说“当然自己买啦整天让别人付账这还像话么！”其实，BIY的意思并不是完全如大家所想的那么笼统，我们先来看一下它的英文意思和具体解释吧：

　　BIY：Purchasing the materials required for a repair or renovation that one has hired a tradesperson or other professional to perform。
　　China's new middle class tend to buy their new apartments as shells, and then kit them out themselves. It is less DIY, however, than BIY: Buy-it-Yourself. New homes need fitting out from floor to ceiling, a job that only professionals can do。

　　从上面的内容中，我们可以知道，“BIY”所谓的“buy-it-yourself”是专门指装修(decorate)房屋时用的。这个新词看来就是来自于中国呢，就比如现在的一些80后的年轻人，比较倾向于自己购买装潢材料，自己动手装修房屋一样。

 

[故乡的云]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

去朋友家做客如何打招呼

Greetings in a Friend's Home
　　When you go into a friend's home, it is polite to greet other people (relatives/roommates) in the house. Say hello and introduce yourself. A conversation may or may not follow。
　　来到朋友家中，向其他在场的人(比如朋友的亲戚或室友)打招呼是有礼貌的体现。说声你好并做自我介绍，你们可能继续交谈下去，也可能到此为止。
　　Tips
　　Introduce yourself to people you don't know。
　　向不认识的人做自我介绍。
　　Express happiness to meet the other person。
　　表现出你见到他人很高兴。
　　Make small talk。
　　做简短的交谈。
　　Useful Phrases
　　You can call me.。.
　　你可以叫我……
　　Thanks for having me。
　　谢谢你们邀请我来。
　　I've heard so much about you。
　　久仰大名。
　　It's nice to put a face to a name。
　　能把面孔和名字对应起来真是太好了。
　　You have a beautiful home。
　　你们家真美。
　　Pair Practice
　　A: Hi Mike. I've heard all about you. Jesse says you love to play guitar。
　　A: 你好，Mike。久仰你的大名。听Jesse说你爱弹吉他。
　　B: Yes I do, Mrs. Simpson. Nice to meet you。
　　B: 没错，我爱弹吉他。Simpson女士，很高兴见到你。
　　A: We're glad to finally be able to meet you. Dinner will be ready in about twenty minutes。
　　A: 终于能够见到你，我们很高兴。再过二十分钟左右就开饭。
　　B: Is there anything I can do to help?
　　B: 有什么我可以帮忙的吗？
　　A: No, everything is pretty much ready. We're just waiting on the roast. I hope you like roast beef。
　　A: 谢谢不用，基本都已经准备完毕了。我们只是在等烧烤，希望你喜欢烤牛肉。
　　B: Yes, of course. Jesse tells me you are a fabulous cook。
　　B: 当然喜欢。Jesse跟我说过你是一个超棒的厨师。

 

[tyhjh栀子花开]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

继续学习

 

[故乡的云]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

英文自我介绍荟萃

Sample1:
My name is ________. I am graduate from ________ senior high school and major in ________. There are ________ people in my family. My father works in a computer company. And my mother is a housewife. I am the youngest one in my family.
In my spare time, I like to read novels. I think reading could enlarge my knowledge. As for novels, I could imagine whatever I like such as a well-known scientist or a kung-fu master. In addition to reading, I also like to play PC games. A lot of grownups think playing PC games hinders the students from learning. But I think PC games could motivate me to learn something such as English or Japanese.My favorite course is English because I think it is interesting to say one thing via different sounds. I wish my English could be improved in the next four years and be able to speak fluent English in the future.
Sample1:
I am . I was born in . I graduate from senior high school and major in English. I started learning English since I was 12 years old. My parents have a lot of American friends. That’s why I have no problem communicating with Americans or others by speaking English.
In my spare time, I like to do anything relating to English such as listening to English songs, watching English movies or TV programs, or even attending the activities held by some English clubs or institutes. I used to go abroad for a short- term English study. During that time, I learned a lot of daily life English and saw a lot of different things.
I think language is very interesting. I could express one substance by using different sounds. So I wish I could study and read more English literatures and enlarge my knowledge.
Sample3:
My name is . There are 4 people in my family. My father is a Chemistry teacher. He teaches chemistry in senior high school. My mother is an English teacher. She teaches English in the university. I have a younger brother, he is a junior high school student and is preparing for the entrance exam.
I like to read English story books in my free time. Sometimes I surf the Internet and download the E- books to read. Reading E- books is fun. In addition, it also enlarges my vocabulary words because of the advanced technology and the vivid animations.
I hope to study both English and computer technology because I am interested in both of the subjects. Maybe one day I could combine both of them and apply to my research in the future.



Sample4:
My name is . I am from . There are people in my family. My father works in a computer company. He is a computer engineer. My mother works in a international trade company. She is also a busy woman. I have a older sister and a younger brother. My sister is a junior in National Taiwan University. She majors in English. My brother is an elementary school student. He is 8 years old.
Because of my father, I love surfing the Internet very much. I play the on-line game for about 2 hours every day. I wish I could be a computer program designer in the future. And that is why I am applying for the electronics program in your school.

 

[故乡的云]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

Sample5:
From a middle class family, I was born in Hsin Ying, Tainan on October 10th, 1965. My father is a civil official at Tainan City Government. My mother is a house wife good at cooking. Although I am the only child of my parents, I am by no mans a spoiled one. On the contrary, I have been expected to be a successful man with advanced education. I study hard at school. Besides texts knowledge, journalism is my favorite; whenever reading, my heart is filled with great joy and interesting.
“Being good is must; successful, however, is plus.” Father adopts the idea of his father. Especially in military service, I realized it more precisely. People said: Military service makes a boy to man, I agree that.
I realized the importance of English and began to study diligently when I was eighteen. I did not start in my early age, but I hope that I could pass the test of General English Proficiency Test. And this is my best wish at the moment.
Sample6:
After completing my military service, I have been looking for a challenging goal for me to achieve. And I found that the Intermediate of General English Proficiency Test fits my new achievement properly.
I graduated from Taipei Commercial Junior College, majored in business administration. Instead of spending much time in playing, I devoted myself to my studies and paid attention to all meaningful things happened in daily life. By the way, I learned a lot from Mr. Wang, the professor of my business class. He is my good friend till now an often gives some appropriate suggestions toward my problem confusion.
My father is, in the same way, a good consultant to me. As he said: I am in poor education, little for you; to clarify, what he have given is far beyond his words, I do think so. I was born in a country of Ping Tung Country, farming is our career of generations. There are four people in my family, Mother is housewife and my brother is a student of an Agriculture College.
I am optimistic and active, and I am confident that I can pass the test. Thank you for your precious to read my autobiography.
Sample7：

1、Good morning/afternoon/evening, my name is . It is really a great honor to have this opportunity/chance to introduce myself. I would like to answer whatever you may raise, and I hope I can make a good performance today.
上午好/下午好/晚上好！我的名字叫……。今天有机会进行自我介绍深感荣幸。我乐意回答你们所提出来的任何问题。我希望我今天能表现的非常出色。
2、I am -years old, born in province/Beijing, northeast/southeast/southwest…… of china, and I am currently a freshman（大一新生）/sophomore（大二学生）/junior（大三学生）/senior（大四学生） student at Capital Institute of Physical Education.
我今年……岁，出生在……省/北京，它λ于中国的东北/东南/西南……等部。我目前是首都体育学院大一/大二/大三/大四的学生。
3、 My major is sports training of basketball/voellyball/football/badminton/pingbang/tennis/
我主修篮球/排球/足球/羽球/乒乓球/网球/田径/游泳/跆拳道等运动训练专业。在我毕业以后，我将会获得学士学λ。
4、In the past 1/2/3 years, I spend most of my time on study. I have passed CET3/4/6 and I have acquired basic knowledge of sports training both in theory and in practice.
在过去的1/2/3年中，我把大量的时间用在学习上。我已经通过了大学英语2/3/4/6级。而且，我已经从理论和实践二方面对运动训练专业的基础知识有了一个大致的了解。
5、Besides, I have attended several sports meetings held in Beijing. I am also the volunteers of China Tennis Open, Chinese Badminton Masters…… . Through these I have a deeply understanding of my majorsports training.
除此以外，我还参加了在北京举行的许多运动会。我还是中国网球公开赛，羽球大师赛……的志愿者。通过这些，我对运动训练专业有了一个更深刻的了解。
6、I have lots of interest, such as singing, dancing, drawing and so on.
我有很多兴趣爱好，如唱歌、跳舞、画画等。
7、Thank you!
谢谢大家！

 

[故乡的云]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

Sample8：英语自我介绍演讲稿
General Introduction
I am a third year master major in automation at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, P. R. China. With tremendous interest in Industrial Engineering, I am writing to apply for acceptance into your Ph.D. graduate program.
Education background
In 1995, I entered the Nanjing University of Science & Technology (NUST) -- widely considered one of the China’s best engineering schools. During the following undergraduate study, my academic records kept distinguished among the whole department. I was granted First Class Prize every semester,In 1999, I got the privilege to enter the graduate program waived of the admission test.
At the period of my graduate study, my overall GPA(3.77/4.0) ranked top 5% in the department. In the second semester, I became teacher assistant that is given to talented and matured students only. This year, I won the Acer Scholarship as the one and only candidate in my department, which is the ultimate accolade for distinguished students endowed by my university. Presently, I am preparing my graduation thesis and trying for the honor of Excellent Graduation Thesis.
Research experience and academic activity
When a sophomore, I joined the Association of AI Enthusiast and began to narrow down my interest for my future research. With the tool of OpenGL and Matlab, I designed a simulation program for transportation scheduling system. It is now widely used by different research groups in NUST. I assumed and fulfilled a sewage analysis & dispose project for Nanjing sewage treatment plant. This was my first practice to convert a laboratory idea to a commercial product.
In retrospect, I find myself standing on a solid basis in both theory and experience, which has prepared me for the Ph.D. program. My future research interests include: Network Scheduling Problem, Heuristic Algorithm research (especially in GA and Neural network), Supply chain network research, Hybrid system performance analysis with Petri nets and Data Mining.
Sample 9: MBA口语复试自我介绍
一、第一句话（first word）见到考官的第一句话，很关键，不用说的很复杂。可以是一个简单句，但一定要铿锵有力。展示出自信和实力。千万不要来一句“sorry, my English is poor”.常见的开头有:1. Good morning! may I introduce myself ..2. I am glad to be here for this interview. First let me introduce myself. I’m peter white, my NO is …(北大清华等学校参加面试的考生很多，可能对考生有一个编号，说一下自己的编号显得很职业，也很正式。)
二、作自我介绍成长经历（making a self-introduction developing history）有很多学校要求做一个自我介绍，这一问题并非在请你大谈你的个人历史。考官是要在你的介绍中寻找有关你性格、资历、志向和生活动力的线索。来判断你是否适合读MBA。你可以先介绍一下成长的经历，出生地和毕业学校等内容。在这一部分要介绍的有些特色，让老师在听几十个人流水帐式的介绍中增加一点乐趣，就权且当作MBA人际关系管理的第一个挑战吧！I come from ******,the capital of *******Province. I graduated from the ******* department of *****University in July ,1997. （很简单的一句话，一定要发音准确！要把毕业学校的英文准确名字搞清楚了。） 你可以借光一下家乡的名人，可以用这句高水平的话，展示高超你高超的口语。You know, there is a saying that “The greatness of a man lends a glory to a place”. I think the city really deserves it.另外在介绍性格和爱好的时候，适合把家庭介绍结合在一起，可以说父母给了你哪些方面良好的影响。不要流水帐似的介绍家庭成员。可以这说:Just like my father, I am open-minded ,quick in thought and very fond of history. Frequently I exchange ideas with my family during super. In addition , during my college years, I was once the chairman of the Student Union. These work have urged me develop active and responsible characters.
在这里给出描述个人品质常用词汇的中英文对照，可以参考。able 有才干的，能干的 adaptable 适应性强的 active 主动的，活跃的aggressive 有进取心的 ambitious 有雄心壮志的 amiable 和蔼可亲的 amicable 友好的 analytical 善于分析的 apprehensive 有理解力的aspiring 有志气的，有抱负的 audacious 有险精神的 capable 有能力的，有才能careful 办理仔细的 candid 正直的 competent 能胜任的constructive 建设性的 cooperative 有合作精神的 creative 富创造力的dedicated 有奉献精神的 dependable 可靠的 diplomatic 老练的，有策disciplined 守纪律的 dutiful尽职的 well-educated 受过良好教育的efficient 有效率的 energetic 精力充沛的 expressivity 善于表达faithful 守信的，忠诚的 frank 直率的，真诚的 generous 宽宏大量的genteel 有教养的 gentle 有礼ò的 humorous 有幽默 impartial 公正的 independent 有主见的 industrious 勤奋的ingenious 有独创性的 motivated 目的明确的 intelligent 理解力强的learned 精通某门学问的 logical 条理分明的 methodical 有方法的modest 谦虚的 objective 客观的 precise 一丝不苟的 punctual 严守时刻的 elastic 实事求是的 responsible 负责的sensible 明白事理的 sporting 光明正大的 steady 踏实的 systematic有系统的 purposeful 意志坚强的 sweet-tempered性情温和的temperate 稳健的 tireless 孜孜不倦的

 

[故乡的云]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

三、作自我介绍职业发展（making a self-introduction career development）这是很关键的一部分，也是MBA考官会重点考察的一部分。要把工作经历和MBA的学习以及职业发展方向作为一个整体来谈，让老师感到你选择MBA是一个理性的选择而不是一时冲动，选择MBA是职业发展中的一个必然选择，而不是因为找不到工作。你可以用这些句型: 1、In the past years, I’ve worked at IBM as a software engineer. In my work, I found communication and management is very important. I always believe that one will easily lag behind unless he keeps on learning. So I choose MBA! if I am given a chance to study MBA in this famous University, I will stare no effort to master a good command of communication and management skill.（在过去的几年中，我作为一个软件工程师在IBM工作。在工作中，我发现交流和管理非常的重要。我一直认为一个人很容易落后，如果不持续学习的话，所以我选择了MBA！如果我有机会在这个著名的大学学习MBA，我会不遗余力的掌握沟通和管理的技能。）
Sample 10: 复试英文自我介绍
Good morning professors, First of all, please allow me to express my appreciation for the opportunity that you give me to join this interview.
My name is ***, English name Felix. I've got my undergraduate education in Beijing Foreign Studies University, Majoring in *** in School of English and International Studies. The major for further education that I pursue here in Peking university is ***.
During the four years in BFSU, I've been given the traditional education on both English Literacy and Diplomacy, which cultivated me to view the world in an international perspective.
I've been foreign teachers' assistant for about three years and learnt to communicate with them and understand their way to think and act. This experience gives me much deeper understanding of different cultures.
I served as volunteers for many events held by the government and other organizations, such as Fortune Globle Forum 2005 and Euro-Asian Conference organized by the Ministry of Communications. Thanks to those experience, I used my knowledge in real foreign affairs and increased my abilities in related aspects.
No matter how much the life in BFSU brought to me, I've been thinking for really a long time about studying something else after graduation as the life-long direction of study and profession. After analizing all the factors that intrigue me and inspire me, I've chosen a major which contains the factors of both passion and rationality. This major is Media Management.
I really appreciate it if you could consider my application. If I could have the honor to study here, I promise that I would never fail your expectation. I'll try my best to study and learn as much as I could, so as to make contribution to the society and our country.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Sample 11:简介版自我介绍
Hello, everyone!My name is Winnie. I'm a 15 years old girl. I live in the beautiful city of Rizhao.
I'm an active, lovely, and clever girl. In the school my favorite subject is math. Perhaps someone thinks it's difficult to study well. But I like it. I believe that if you try your best, everything can be done well.
I also like sports very much. Such as, running, volleyball and so on. I'm kind-hearted. If you need help, please come to me.I hope we can be good friends!
OK. This is me .A sunny girl.

 

[狗狗凡]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

英语中你没见过的新鲜词汇

中文里有“宅”“恐婚族”这样的城市流行语，英文中一样有这样想象力与构词法催生的新鲜词。这些新词的生命力有多久且不论，我们完全可以拿来让自己的语言更生动有趣，比如说中午太困了，可以说I got a mid-day crisis. 是不是很有腔调的感觉呢？

　　Good lenses, bad frames
　　人不可貌相

　　Describing someone who gives a bad first impression but is actually a good person. Someone who doesn't appear to be competent, yet is extremely capable at what he/she does。
　　形容一个给人的第一印象极差、但本质很好的人，或者指表面看不出来，实则深藏不露的高手。

　　例句：Dr. Bruce is a spaz, but he's one of the best doctors I know. You wouldn't know it by looking at him...good lenses, bad frames。

　　Mid-day crisis
　　午间危机

　　When one is in adesperate need for a siesta because they become extremely tired in the afternoon and coffee isn't cutting it any longer。
　　指急需午睡以补充体力的情况，这种时候通常咖啡已经不管用了。
　　例句：After that wild night of drinking, I had the worst mid-day crisis ever。

　　Clock Out With My Cock Out
　　下班high去喽

　　To "call it a day" at work so you can go party。
　　下班之后去派对狂欢(clock out即打卡下班，也可以说punch out)

　　例句：-Hey, dude, you coming to happy hour?
　　-Hells yeah! It's time to clock out with my cock out!

　　Nearsighted Date
　　“近视”相亲

　　As opposed to a blind date, where you have no idea what the other person looks like, a nearsighted date is one where you've seen a photo or chatted via web before meeting in person。
　　与blind date(事先一无所知的相亲)相对，指在相亲前看过对方的照片或者网聊过。
　　This can often lead to disappointment if one person or the other has supplied misleading documentation。
　　如果对方没有给你真实照片或提供了虚假信息，nearsighted date一样有见光死的可能。

　　例句：That's the last nearsighted date I ever go on...her profile picture must have been 5 years, 3 hair colors and 2 kids ago。(这个见光死死得彻底啊……)

　　Happy Late Year
　　拜个晚年

　　When people are still saying Happy New Year, even though it's already a week after the new year。
　　年后一个星期，拜年的时候就不是new year了，是late year。

　　例句：-Happy new year!!! whats up??
　　-More like happy late year... it was new years 5 days ago。

　　Work avalanche
　　工作压死人

　　When there is so much work piled on your desk, movement from under it is nearly impossible。
　　桌上一堆东西要处理，想脱身而出，不可能。

　　例句：Hey, pour me a drink! I worked up quite a thirstdigging out from my work avalanche to get to happy hour。

 

[狗狗凡]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

“觉得”不一定都是feel


今天我们一起看一看鲁迅先生的《螃蟹》，把螃蟹要脱壳的急急忙忙的样子描写的很到位呢。让小编我不禁想到了热锅上的蚂蚁之类的。
　　原文：老螃蟹觉得不安了，觉得全身太硬了，自己知道要脱壳了。
　　翻译：An old crab grew restless. Finding himself stiff all over, he knew it was time for him to moult his shell。

　　1、“觉得”的译法
　　一看到“觉得”，最直接的反应就是feel，其实某些情况下，有比feel更好的词。这里用grow表示“逐渐产生某种感觉”或“逐渐开始改变看法”。老螃蟹觉得不安不是突然发生的情况，是一个渐变的过程，用grow更合适。

　　EG：
　　After a while the kids grew to like Mr. Cox. 过了一会儿，孩子们开始喜欢上了考克斯先生。
　　the city he had grown to love 他渐渐开始喜欢的城市
　　Friendship grew between the two men. 这两人之间产生了友情。
　　总结：grow更强调感受的变化过程，而feel用法比较广泛。

　　另外，给出一些“觉得”的译法

　　举得浑身是劲 feel full of energy
　　觉得身体不舒服 not feel like oneself; feel a little under the weather
　　大家都觉得他会来。 Everyone thought he would show up。
　　我觉得不会有问题。 My feeling is that there would be no problem。
　　我觉得他挺讨人喜欢的。 In my opinion, he is a pleasant guy。

　　2、“脱壳”译为to moult his shell，其中to moult为专用语，意同to cast off。
　　moult既有“脱毛、蜕皮”的意思；也有“去除旧思想、就习惯”的意思
　　EG：moult one’s old notions 去掉旧观念
　　Mature Christmas Island red crabs probably moult only once a year, as their growth rate slows。
　　成年圣诞岛红蟹或许一年只蜕一次壳，因为它们生长缓慢。
　　原文：他跑来跑去的寻。他想寻一个窟穴，躲了身子，将石子堵了穴口，隐隐的蜕壳。
　　翻译：He dashed here and there in search of a cave to hide. He was going to block up the mouth of the cave so that he could moult in secret。

　　跑来跑去的寻
　　这句的“跑”没有用一般意义的run，而用了一个词dash。这个词含有“猛冲、急驰、飞奔”的意思，表现了老螃蟹在即将蜕壳之际找不到适合场所的“慌乱紧张，甚至六神无主”的状态，更形象。

　　EG：
　　The waves dashed against the shore. 浪潮冲击海岸。
　　dash into a shop 冲进商店
　　dash for cover 奔向掩蔽处

 

[狗狗凡]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

拟声词、流行话题与委婉语

译题一：Europe's eight best night trains

　　The midnight thump and clunk of railway carriages being uncoupled and shunted in a station somewhere in central Europe is not in itself romantic. But add in that this is the night train between Paris and Venice, and that you are tucked up in bed six feet off the floor, and everything is somehow more exciting。

　　The opposite of fast daytime services, night trains chug at a relaxed pace, aiming to deliver passengers refreshed and ready for the day rather than getting from A to B in the shortest possible time。

　　参考答案：

　　欧洲最佳夕发朝至8列车

　　在中欧某地的车站上，午夜列车“咣当、咯楞”，车厢分离和轨道转换的声音并无浪漫可言。然而，设若列车行驶于巴黎与威尼斯之间，卧铺悬离厢底6英尺高处，这样的旅程难道还不令人激动吗？

　　相较白天疾驰的列车，夕发朝至列车悠然前行，目的是让乘客夜间得到充分的休息，而不是疲于奔走在两地之间。

　　本期点评选择每一译题中最难处理的问题合成一个主题，那就是“拟声词、流行话题和委婉语”。因为话题是分散的，所以都放在具体的译题中去讨论。

　　首先，在译题一中，Europe night trains不是一般的夜班车，而是夕发朝至的列车，请看about.com的解释：A night train in Europe travels from well before midnight (usually after 7:00) until morning, which is generally understood to mean after 6:00 a.m. Passengers do plan to sleep on night trains, whether in sleeper compartments or seats. Trains specifically called "night trains" are meant to convey you across long distances while you sleep; trains traveling before and after midnight aren't always referred to as night trains。

　　这里比较难译的是几个拟声词(onomatopoeia)，比如thump, clunk, chug。首先，thump和clunk涉及两种声音，在汉语中并无固定的拟声词对译，意译又不够形象，总结各位网友的翻译，结合笔者对“车厢分离(uncoupled)”和“轨道转换(shunted)”两种声音的切身感受，翻译成了“咣当、咯楞”两个拟声词，虽然不尽满意，但这也正如拟声词本身不尽完美一样，所余的缺憾只能留给读者用自己的经验去弥补了。Chug跟at a relaxed pace结合，则是拟声与拟态相结合，考虑行文的顺畅，拟声部分可以不译出来，但有网友翻译成“夜班车伴着轧轧的响声缓缓前进”，是试图把拟声部分也译出来的一个例子。

　　In itself的意思是“本身、本质上”，在这里可直译，也可结合句子意译处理，但也有的网友翻译的不够恰当，比如“听起来就很不浪漫”、“破坏搭乘列车的浪漫”等翻译，都给下文的转折制造了障碍，一方面是对语境把握不准确，另一方面是对in itself的语义理解有所偏差。

　　Add in that…that…, and…用祈使句加and的方式表示假设，add in 本身表示“加进去、计算在内”的意思，由于上下文的顺接语义已包含这层意思，所以可以省去不译。

 

[狗狗凡]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

译题二：9 top ways we waste money

　　It's been a rough few years. Unemployment woes, foreclosure fears and economic uncertainty rule the headlines. It's a time where being frugal has become chic and "tightening our belts" de rigueur。

　　With this in mind, and inspired by reader submissions to our Biggest Money Wasters message board, we've compiled our list of 9 Top Ways We Waste Money in 2010.

　　Read through our round-up to see popular places we drop unnecessary dough and get tips on how to cut these costly wallet-drainers from your life. Some of these may seem like common sense, but if you are still making these money mistakes, a refresher may be in order。

　　参考译文：

　　9大烧钱生活方式

　　Version 1：这几年连着过苦日子。失业的悲痛、失去家产的恐惧、回升乏力的经济屡屡登上媒体的头条。在这样一个时代，奢侈生活非正途，“勒紧裤带”是王道。

　　带着这样的思想，在读者建言的鼓舞下，我们(编辑部)从“最吃钱的消费”留言板中，遴选出了2010年“9大烧钱生活方式”。

　　对照我们的9条列举，找出花了冤枉钱的地方，采纳我们消除昂贵生活开销的建议。虽然有些看来稀松平常，但你要是连这些都做不到，重温一下我们的建议不算多余。

　　Version 2：这年头苦日多多，失业痛、失家苦、经济顿，坏消息接踵登陆媒体头条。此时此刻，奢侈已成往日黄花，唯有“勒紧裤带”是王道。

　　读者踊跃建言“费钱罪”专栏，编辑感同身受，特遴选2010“最费钱之九宗罪”。

　　对照“九宗罪”，明白常花冤枉钱，确知省钱有良策。虽曰常识，几人做到，提请诸位，节约为上。

　　译题二涉及当下最流行的话题，“经济困难和应对良策”，在网友的译文中，出现了多种不同的风格，有的直接采用了汉语中最流行的“范式”说法，比如把标题翻译成“最费钱的九宗罪”，或“最浪费钱的九宗‘最’”，这样就奠定了整个文章的翻译基调。然而，问题也出在这里，比如sunariose的翻译，除了在标题中使用“九宗罪”这一流行说法之外，就不见了其他流行语的使用，使得整个翻译的风格跟不上来。当然，语言风格是一个复杂的问题，鉴于篇幅所限，笔者这里不作理论探讨。

　　A rough fewer years是指这几年世界饱受金融危机之苦的生活，有网友在翻译时把时态搞错了，说“未来几年将会很艰苦”是不对的。还有网友把rough理解成“大约”的意思也是错误的，可能是把rough看成了roughly。

　　Tightening our belts和汉语“勒紧裤带(过日子)”形成翻译对子，不需要变通，de rigueur是法语借词，本意是“礼节上需要的”，注意“tightening our belts”上有引号，且这里说礼节上，作者的潜台词是，在这个时代，就算你有钱，也要说“勒紧裤带”这样的话，否则是不合礼节的，是不能被时代潮流所接受的。这一层意思要翻译出来很难，在实际翻译时译者难免要采取意译的方法。

　　Round-up本意是“聚合在一起，综述”的意思，这里就是指上文说的对“九宗罪”的列举。而wallet-drainers，使人想起brain drain，但翻译起来颇为困难，有网友翻译成“钱包杀手”，感觉不是很合适，因为钱包本身并没有生命，也许我们可以翻译成“钱包抽水机”，大部分网友采取了意译的翻译方法。A refresher may be in order本意是“可能需要补习一下你学过的课程”，在这里就是指“可能需要重温我们的建议”。

　　最后顺便提一下，有网友把文中的we翻译成了“小编我”，这个词在当下汉语的网络环境中含有贬义，这里是编辑自称，这样不是贬低自己吗？

 

[狗狗凡]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

译题三：Girls want to talk about sex - with dad?

　　Mostly, the conversation that dare not speak its name, the most excruciating 25 minutes of either a parent or an offspring's life, The Talk, is left to Mom. Make lunch, do laundry, figure out where the thing is that goes on that other thing, tell kids about sex. But a new study from New York University suggests that young women could actually use a little more talk about intimate matters from their dads。

　　参考译文：

　　爸爸，我想和你谈谈“#$%”？

　　那场羞于启齿的谈话，父母或子女生活中最“难受”的25分钟，大多还是由母亲担纲。做饭、洗衣服、收拾东西、跟孩子谈那事。然而，纽约大学一项新的研究表明，女孩子或许更需要跟老爸谈点私密的事情。

　　我们通常认为西方人比较开放，然而从这篇文章我们也能看出，跟孩子谈“那件事”也是一件很痛苦的事情，父母在责任驱使下勇于担当确又十分忐忑的内心，在这篇文字中是有所体现的，其中用了一些委婉的说法，比如The Talk，could use a little more talk about等。虽然原文提到了sex一词，但考虑到文化的不同和该文以欲言又止的方式模拟父母内心情境的语言风格，这里的sex一词似乎成了一个不可译的词，因为在中国，父母即使和孩子谈这事，大概也不会提到“性”这样的字眼，所以我们就面对着一个问题，“不可译，怎么译”？笔者对标题进行了改动，实际上这并不表示这样的会话曾经开始过，正因为这样改动，sex一词成了禁忌语，根据Time周刊网页(2010年10月25日)这篇文章的全文来看，对青春期女孩子进行性教育主要是母亲的责任，虽然学界希望父亲能发挥更大作用，但作者也对由父亲谈论这件事本身提出了怀疑。

　　Dare not speak its name的逻辑主语是conversation，这里用了拟人的修辞格，把conversation比作人，“羞于说出自己的名字”。The Talk是英语中的委婉语，是指有关性的谈话，又叫做the birds and the bees，既然要委婉，那就委婉到底，所以笔者的译文中就没有出现“性”这个词，如果是整篇文章翻译的话，这样的处理可能无法坚持到底，毕竟从作者的角度来看，这并非是一个需要忌讳的词。

　　“Use a little more talk about intimate matters from their dads”的字面意思是“更多的利用和爸爸的谈话获得私密事情的指导”，也就说“需要和老爸谈谈性方面的事情”。Use的词义相当于do with的意思，产生这个意思与前面的情态动词could有关。

 

[故乡的云]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

10个提前离开饭局或聚会的英文借口

I’m not feeling too well。
　　我不太舒服。
　　I have to be up early for work tomorrow。
　　我明早要早起上班。
　　My wife said I have to be back by midnight。
　　我老婆让我必须在零点之前回家。
　　I have to catch the last bus home。
　　我要去赶最后一班车回家。
　　I have to catch the last bus home。
　　我要去赶最后一班车回家。
　　My son managed to lock himself out of the house。
　　我儿子把自己关门外面了。
　　I left the oven on。
　　我忘关烤箱了。
　　I forgot I needed to pick my aunt up at the airport。
　　我忘了要去机场接我阿姨。
　　I didn’t take my clothes out of the washing machine。
　　我的衣服还在洗衣机里忘拿出来了。
　　It’s starting to rain, and I left my window open。
　　开始下雨了，家里的窗户没关上。
　　I think my boyfriend is having an affair, so I want to go home and catch him red handed。
　　好像我男朋友有外遇了，我要回家抓他个正着！

 

[故乡的云]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

在健身房常用的词汇和对话

A: hey, you look great! how's everything?
　　S: yeah, you know what?I've been going to the club regularly. The training really pays off. Now I am in a good shape and I know more about how to keep fit。
　　A: really? tell me about it. I haven't gone to the club for a long time. I am too busy with work。
　　S: it's important to do proper exercises。
　　A: you're right. Too much or too little won't do any good。
　　S: the trainer tells me, besides regular sports activities, I should also have a healthy and balanced diet。
　　A: sounds reasonable。
　　S: we should eat more vegetables instead of junk food to stay energetic。
　　A: and fruits!
　　S: surely it is. Getting enough sleep is also crucial for fitness。
　　A: I've heard that. Does your trainer tell you anything about keeping fit?
　　S: yeah, he advises me to stay in a good mood. That can help one to keep sound physical health。
　　A: I think if you follow your trainer's advice,you'll be on the right track。
　　S: you bet it!
　　pay off 得到好结果，取得成功
　　of a plan or an action, especially one that involves risk 尤指冒险的计划或行动 to be successful and bring good results 成功；奏效；达到目的
　　The gamble paid off. 赌博赢了。
　　be on track
　　to be doing the right thing in order to achieve a particular result 步入正轨；做法对头
　　Curtis is on track for the gold medal. 柯蒂斯正踏上夺取金牌之途。
　　You bet it! 没错，就是这样！
　　I'm going to the gym./我要去健身房。
　　A: I need to keep fit and get more exercise。
　　A: 我需要保持健康，我做运动。
　　B: I know what you mean. It can be difficult to find the time to keep fit。
　　B: 我明白你的意思。有时很难找到时间去锻炼身体。
　　A: I know. I never have enough time to do anything。
　　A: 我知道。我总是没有足够的时间。
　　B: Maybe you should try going to the Sports Club at the hotel. There's a good gym there。
　　B: 也许你应该试试饭店的健身俱乐部。那里有一个不错的健身房。
　　A: You're right. That's a good idea. I can go there easily。
　　A: 你说得对。这是个好主意。我去那里很容易。
　　B: It's a good way to keep fit. Go once a week if you can。
　　B: 这是强身健体的好方法。如果可以的话，一周去一次。
　　A: Right. I'm going to the gym, every week from now on。
　　A: 对。我要去健身房，从现在开始每周都去。
　　Notes 注释
　　1. If you want to talk about how much, or how little time you have, you can say various things, e.g. It can be difficult to find the time. I never have enough time to。。
　　如果你想说你时间很多或者很少，你可以用不同的表达法，例如：It can be difficult to find the time. (很难找到时间。) I never have enough time to.。。(我总是没有足够的时间.。。)
　　2. To suggest something to someone, you can say Maybe you should.. e. g. Maybe you should go to the gym。
　　要建议某人做某事，你可以说Maybe you should。。(也许你应该.。。)。例如，Maybe you should go to the gym. (也许你应该去健身房)
　　一些常用的健身房对话：
　　1. Do you like to do some work out? No, I want to play badminton。
　　你想不想去作运动啊？ 不， 我想打羽毛球。
　　2. Is a court available now? We want to book it now。
　　现在还有场地吗？ 我们想要预约一个场地。
　　3. You are set。
　　你完成了。
　　4. Wow! It's packed。
　　哇！ 好多人啊。
　　5. That's fine. Let's warm up first。
　　没关系， 让我们先暖身。
　　6. Good game. Man. You took me easily。
　　这是一场很棒的比赛， 你轻轻松松地击败我了。
　　7. You are better though. I am just lucky。
　　其实你比较好啦. 我只是幸运一点。
　　8. Do you want a rematch?
　　要不要再赛一盘？
　　9. No, I smell. I need to go home and take a shower。
　　不要了， 我身上有味道了， 我必须回家去洗个澡。
　　10. Don’t you look at yourself in the mirror too?
　　难道你自己不照镜子吗？
　　11. They must work out all the time。
　　他们一定得一直锻炼。
　　12. Why do you go to the gym so much?
　　你为什么经常去健身房？
　　13. It’s good for me to be healthy。
　　身体健康对我有好处。
　　14. It’s never good to put such a high value on appearances 。
　　如此重视外表是不好的。
　　15. My muscles feel numb 。
　　我感觉肌肉麻木。
　　16. I can’t move a muscle 。
　　我一动也动不了了。
　　17. I’m exhausted。
　　我累坏了。
　　18. I’m going to spend a few more minutes on the exercise bike。
　　我要在骑车器上再锻炼一会儿。
　　19. It’s too crowded in the gym at night。
　　晚上健身房里太拥挤了。
　　20. Someone needs to fix the leg press machine。
　　得有人来修理一下压腿机。
　　21. I’m going to relax in the sauna 。
　　我要去泡桑拿，放松一下。
　　22. How many more exercises do you have to do?
　　你还要再做多少锻炼？
　　23. How often do you work out?
　　你每隔多久锻炼一次？
　　24. He’s a firefighter , so he has to exercise often。
　　他是个消防队员，所以他必须经常锻炼。

 

[故乡的云]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

你会写英文便笺吗

便笺(Short Note)属于英文信函的一种，实际是一种简短信函，形式比一般书信简单，大多使用非正式语体。便笺经常用于熟识的朋友、同事之间，因而临时性强，内容简短，格式简便。写便笺时需要写清以下内容：时间、人名及事由。
　　从格式上来讲，便笺的称呼和结尾谦称部分是比较随意的，可以直接写上对方以及自己的名字，省略类似于Mr., Dear, Sincerely yours等礼貌用语。时间的写法也相对较随意，写星期几或者月日都是可以接受的，同时还可以具体到几点钟。
　　便笺的内容一般是涉及请假、预约、通知、访友不遇留言、接电话留言等等，下面我们列举一些例子供大家参考。
　　1. 请假条
　　请假条可由别人代写，也可由请假人自己写。无论采取何种形式，其内容必须包括请假事由和期限，必要时还需附上医生的诊断或其他的可以证明请假事由的书面材料。
　　July 20, 2007
　　Dear Mr. Black:
　　I am terribly sorry to inform you that I am unable to go to school today owing to a severe headache. I enclose a certificate from the doctor who is attending on me, as she fears it will be two days before I shall be able to resume my study. Could you kindly excuse my absence on Monday and Tuesday? Thanks。
　　Peter
　　2. 约会条
　　约会条主要用于邀朋友相聚等，内容必须包含约会的事由，如果已经确定了时间和地点，则应将具体时间和地点写在便笺上。
　　Aug 8, 2007
　　Andy,
　　Fred is now with us. He is going to New York tomorrow morning to pursue his graduate study and we will not be able to see him for a long time. We are having a dinner party at 7 p.m. this evening at my home. It would be nice if you could come over and see him。
　　Michael
　　3. 电话留言条
　　电话留言(telephone message)便条是在给别人打来电话时，该人不在场，你替他或她接了电话后留给该人的字条。写这种便条时，首先要告诉对方谁打来的电话，再把电话内容转告清楚。
　　Wednesday, January 09, 2008
　　Ms Wang,
　　A friend of yours, Zhang Peng, made a long distance call from Shanghai this morning while you went out. He asked you to book an air ticket for Hebei at 2: 30 a.m., February 8, and make a reservation for hotel room tonight. I am sorry that I can’t pass on the message to you in your presence, because I was ordered to do something urgent。
　　Zhao Yang

 

[故乡的云]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

谈谈son of a bitch



1，很多情况下，son of a bitch用于对别人的侮辱，可以翻译为“狗娘养的”，经常说成You son of a bitch，这是句骂人话，慎用。
例句：You goddamn son of a bitch. 你他妈狗娘养的(你他妈是个狗逼)。
Bill called Bob a son of a bitch, and Bob punched Bill in the face. 比尔骂鲍勃是狗娘养的，然后鲍勃给了比尔一拳。
2，如果你很讨厌一个人，而且那个人很坏，可以说他是son of a bitch，带有侮辱性，慎用。
例句：This guy's a son of a bitch. He treats everybody rotten.
3，如果某人做了让你很生气的事，可以说son of a bitch，来表达你的生气。
4，用来表达不高兴和失望。例如你的女朋友把你甩了，你的朋友JACK来安慰你：
Jack;："...hey man...don't worry..millions of other bitches in the sea...that‘s life!" 嘿，老兄，女人多的是，生活就这样。
You：(crying your eyes out)...lifes a son of a bitch Jack" (哭的很伤心) 生活就是一坨屎。
5，形容事物很没用，是个废物。例句：This car is a son of a bitch. It won't ever start when it's cold. 破车！天冷就无法启动。
6，形容难做的工作。例句：This job is a son of a bitch. I can't do this kind of thing. 这种工作我做不来，太难！
其他情况尚待补充，欢迎大家留下评论，谢谢！

 

[故乡的云]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

老古板英文怎么说

a stick-in-the-mud老古板

Stick这个词在这儿显然是名词，名词stick最普通的意思是棍棒。
棍棒能牢牢地插在泥地里，没有松动的余地，当然a stick in the mud这个习惯用语是另有比喻意义的。它指某一种人。究竟是什么样的人呢？我们听个例子来体会吧。
这是个年轻人在描绘自己那位移民来美国的伯父。这位老先生过着刻板单调、一成不变的生活，但是他却乐在其中。我们听听是怎么回事，特别注意其中的习惯用语a stick-in- the-mud:
例句-1：My uncle's got two joys in life: faith in God and working all day in his dry cleaning shop for his children's future. He doesn't care if you call him a stick-in-the-mud: he knows what he's doing.
他说：他伯父的生活乐趣只有两个：对上帝的信仰以及为子女的前途整天在他的干洗店里操劳。
显然这位伯父是个谨小慎微、墨守成规的人，然而这位老先生明确自己的奋斗目标是什么，所以根本不在乎旁人管他叫老古板。
这段话里a stick-in-the-mud这个习惯用语的意思显然是老古板。这个习惯用语通常指守旧的人，而且组成 stick-in-the-mud这个习惯用语的各个单词之间往往用连词符号连接。

 

[故乡的云]

回复: 西方基本文化常识扫盲Hot

fat chance

fat chance：可能性极小

大家一定知道chance是机会，而且很可能在猜想fat chance必然是机会很大了。但是出乎意料的是，fat chance这个习惯用语的意思恰恰相反，它表示机会极小。
今天要讲的几个习惯用语其中的关键词是fat。 Fat这个词有不少不同的意思也可以用作不同的词性。在今天要学的第一个习惯用语里fat是名词： chew the fat。 Chew the fat这个习惯用语沿用至今已经一百多年了。
名词fat是肥肉，chew是咀嚼的意思。当然习惯用语chew the fat意思不会是嚼肥肉，然而它大概真的起源于嚼肥肉的习惯，在还没有口香糖的年代，乡下人闲来没事习惯在嘴里嚼一块肥咸肉，就象现代人嚼口香糖一样，只是无聊时想动动嘴巴。那么如今chew the fat表示什么呢？我们听个例子来体会吧。
这是一个大学生正跟室友在寝室里聊天的时候，又来了个老朋友。
例句-1：Hey, come on in! We're just taking it easy and chewing the fat. Pull up a chair and sit down - do you know any good, juicy gossip to pass along to us?
他招呼刚到的朋友进屋来，说他俩这会儿正悠闲着呢，他要那伙伴拉把椅子过来坐下加入他们，问他知不知道什么既生动又有趣的小道消息和闲话，讲给他们听听。
显然他是要后到的伙伴参加他们的闲聊，看来这里习惯用语chew the fat意思就是坐着闲聊消磨时光。