點滴英語天天學第268期:雅思詞彙(108)

1. beat the air

釋義：To keep doing something despite its apparent pointlessness or futility. （儘管沒有意義，是徒勞還是不停地做某事，白費勁地做事）

例句：There's no way he'll get his progressive agenda through—he's just beating the air.

他的進步議程是不可能通過的——他只是白費力氣。

Tom is so infirm of purpose and you beat the air by going to ask him for advice.

湯姆這人優柔寡斷，向他徵求意見是徒勞無益的。

You're beating the air by asking him to lend you Money.

你向他借錢是白費力氣。

2. hot air

釋義：lies, exaggerated talk , or nonsense. （胡說，謊言，吹牛）

例句：Oh, you can't believe a word that guy says—he's full of hot air.

噢，那傢伙說的話你一個字也不能相信——他滿口空話。

That station broadcasts nothing but a bunch of hot air.

那電臺播放的是一堆謊言。

That man at the party yesterday didn't have any idea what he was talking about. He blew a lot of hot air about health and nutrition. He didn't know that both of us have been practicing medicine for more than thirty years.

昨天聚會上那個人真不知道他在說什麼。他誇誇其談地說了好多關於健康和營養的事。他可不知道我們兩行醫已經三十多年了。

Most candidates make promises during a campaign to win voters' support. But many promises are nothing but hot air. After the candidates get elected, they tend to forget most of the things they promised to achieve.

大多數候選人在競選過程中都做出各種保證以贏得選民的支持。但是，他們說的好多都是謊言。等到當選後，他們往往把自己的保證忘了。

3. into thin air

釋義：Completely gone or disappeared. （完全消失，無影無蹤）

用法：它是介詞短語，和動詞diappear，vanish連用作謂語。

例句：I have no idea where my keys have gone. They seem to have disappeared into thin air!

我不知道我的鑰匙哪兒去了，它們好像憑空消失了!

I couldn't find her anywhere, she seems to vanish into thin air.

我到處找不到她，她好像是消失得無影無蹤了。

The brutal dictatorship was so mercilessly efficient that anyone who stood up against it soon vanished into thin air.

這個殘酷的獨裁政權是如此的有效力，任何反抗它的人都很快消失得無影無蹤。