英語日常口語 Unit27:The hungry cat

英語日常口語 Unit27:The hungry cat

本單元是關於飢餓貓的對話

Tim: I don't believe it! Kitty's just eaten my dinner. I was putting the kettle on and I turned round and there she was, eating my chicken. That cat's a pain in the neck.
Alice: Oh calm down.
Tim: It drives me mad! I'm starving, I've been slaving away in that dusty old stockroom all day. I hate work just now and then this happens! The cat's got to go or be put down.
Helen: Don't be horrible. You can buy something else to eat.
Tim: We're not all as rich as you, you know, daddy's girl!
Helen: How dare you Tim! I didn't eat your chicken. You drive me up the wall sometimes.
Alice: Hey guys, chill out.

Vocabulary:

to fly off the handle (v, informal):
to be very angry 發脾氣

It's a pain in the neck (idiom):
It's very annoying 惹人嫌，讓人很受不了的麻煩

I'm starving (informal):
I'm very hungry 餓極了

To put an animal down:
To kill an animal, usually because it is old or ill 把（老弱病殘的）動物殺掉

A daddy's girl:
A woman who isn't independent but is spoilt and looked after by her father (or other father-like figure) 乖乖女

本單元的語言點是與憤怒有關的習語，習慣用語得以隱喻的形式去理解，而非從字面上的意思去理解。如果有人説“see red”，意思是指某人發怒，冒火（這裏用的是隱喻），而不是指某人看到紅色（字面上的意思）。

Idioms of anger
與憤怒有關的習語

Idioms use language metaphorically rather than literally. If you 'see red', it means you are very angry (the metaphorical meaning) not that you look at something or someone and see the colour red (the literal meaning).

Idioms are also fixed groups of words so you can't change the wording of an idiom. For example, you can say 'I'm at the end of my tether' to say you have reached the limits of your tolerance but you can't say 'I'm at the end of my rope? 習慣用語通常是固定的一些詞語，人們不能隨意改變習慣用語的詞語組成。比如，可以説‘I’m at the end of my tether’來表示山窮水盡，或智窮力竭（tether是栓牛、馬等的繫繩，系鏈），但是卻不可以説‘I’m at the end of my rope’。

Idioms - losing your temper （發脾氣）:

I lost my rag when the traffic warden gave me a ticket.
I blew my top when the traffic warden gave me a ticket.

I lost my temper in a dramatic way when she gave me a ticket.(當她給我開出罰單時，我立刻火冒三丈。)

Idioms - getting angry （發怒，冒火）:

I saw red when he refused my request for a pay rise.
I got angry. (Red refers to the blood rising in your eyes!) （當他拒絕我的加薪要求時，我立刻火冒三丈。我非常氣憤。）

Noisy children make the teacher hot under the collar.
Noisy children make his blood boil.
He gets angry when children are noisy. (Both these idioms refer to the idea of being angry and getting hot.) （當孩子們吵鬧時，他變得很憤怒。在這裏，上述兩個習語指的都是憤怒和火冒三丈的意思。）

I'm at the end of my tether. If those children don't shut up, I'll ...
I have reached my limit, I am about to lose my temper. （我已忍無可忍，快要發脾氣了。如果他們還不住嘴，我就要......）

Right! That's the last straw. Be quiet now!
Something has happened to finally push me over my limit. I won't tolerate this noise anymore. （The last straw是指一系列重壓、打擊中，終於使人不能忍受的最後一擊；終於使人不支而垮下的小事。）

Idioms - being annoyed or irritated （惱火或煩躁）:

He is such a pain in the neck （惹人嫌，讓人很受不了的麻煩）. He's always asking for money.
He really winds me up （讓人煩）. He's always asking for money.
He drives me up the wall （把人搞得心煩意亂）. He's always asking for money.
He irritates or annoys me, usually because he does something repeatedly. （他不斷地做某事，讓人感覺很煩惱）