The english we speak(BBC教学)第109期:Easy tiger 放轻松
Rob: Hello, I'm Rob. And here comes Helen. Wow, she's changed her hair colour! It looks, well, different. Hi Helen I like your hair.
罗布:大家好,我是罗布。海伦来了。哇,她换了发色!看起来,有点儿不同。海伦,你好,我喜欢你的发型。Helen: Don't say a word!
海伦:什么都别说!Rob: Whoa!
罗布:哇!
Helen: I don't want to talk about it.
海伦:我不想谈这个。Rob: About what? The fact you dyed your hair?
罗布:谈什么?你染发了这件事?Helen: Enough!
海伦:够了!Rob: Whoa! Easy tiger!
罗布:哇!放轻松!Helen: I do not look like a tiger!
海伦:我看起来可不像老虎!Rob: I never said you did. It's just an expression. Though come to think of it, your hair is kind of stripy orange now.
罗布:我可没说过你像老虎。这只是个表达方式。虽然想一下的话,你现在的头发是有点儿像桔黄色条纹。(Helen starts sobbing)
(海伦开始抽泣)Rob: OK, you really don't look like a tiger though. I said "easy tiger!" which is just a way of saying "calm down".
罗布:好啦,实际上你并不像老虎。easy tiger的意思是冷静下来。Helen: It's all the hairdresser's fault. He told me I would look beautiful with copper highlights, then he did this to me. Now I have orange stripes, I look like a jungle animal.
海伦:这全是理发师的错。他告诉我要是把头发染成铜色我会看起来很漂亮,然后他就这么做了。可是现在我头发上是橙色的条纹,我看起来像是野生动物。Rob: No, you don't look like a jungle animal. Listen to me. We say "easy tiger" when we want someone to calm down, to not get over-emotional, or not to rush into something.
罗布:不,你看起来并不像野生动物。听我说,我们说easy tiger,意思是我们需要某个人冷静,不要情绪化,不要草率行动。Helen: Oh. You're talking about tigers because of the way I'm behaving, not because of my hair?
海伦:哦。你谈到老虎只是因为我的行为,而不是因为我的头发吗?Rob: That's right. It's an expression that's usually used in informal situations, between friends. Here are some more examples.
罗布:没错。这是通常用于非正式场合的表达方式,通常在朋友之间使用。这里有更多的例子。Girl 1: I've just met the perfect man–he is tall, handsome, kind... I'm going to marry him and have children-we'll live together in a house by the sea, we'll -
女孩1:我刚刚遇到了一个完美男人——他身材高大、英俊、善良……我要和他结婚并生儿育女,我们要一起生活在海边的房子里,我们要……Girl 2: Easy tiger! Do you even know his name?
女孩2:慢慢来!你知道他的名字吗?Man: Right, this food is disgusting, we're leaving the restaurant right now!
男:这个食物真令人恶心,我们现在就要离开这个餐厅!Woman: Easy tiger! I quite like it here. Let's wait until the main course comes.
女:放轻松!我非常喜欢这里。我们等主菜上来吧。Helen: I understand. Maybe my hair is not so bad after all.
海伦:我明白了。也许我的头发还不是那么糟。Rob: No, it's just unusual. It doesn't make you look like a tiger... I'd say more of an orangutan than a tiger...
罗布:对,只是有点特别。你的头发看上去并不像老虎……我觉得比起老虎,更像猩猩……Helen: What! An orangutan!
海伦:什么?猩猩!Rob: Orangutans are very handsome creatures; they're a kind of rich auburn-copper colour.
罗布:猩猩是非常帅气的生物;猩猩是红褐色的。Helen: How dare you!
海伦:你怎么敢!Rob: Don't bare your teeth like that, that's scary. Please…
罗布:别像那样呲牙,那很可怕。请……(Sound of a real growling tiger!)
(听起来像真的老虎在咆哮)Rob: Easy tiger, easy!
罗布:放轻松,轻松点!(Tiger growling and huge roar).
(老虎咆哮发出巨大的吼声)重点讲解:
1. think of
想到;想起;想出;
eg. Let's think of some questions about life.
让我们对生活设想一些问题吧。
eg. I couldn't think of the name of that man anyhow.
我怎么也想不出那人的名字来了。
2. calm down
(使)平静下来;(使)镇定下来;
eg. I told myself to calm down.
我告诫自己要冷静下来。
eg. In truth, everyone should take a deep breath and calm down.
实际上,所有人都应该深呼吸。让自己冷静下来。
3. rush into sth.
(未经充分考虑而)匆忙做,仓促做,草率地做;
eg. He will not rush into any decisions.
他不会草率作出任何决定的。
eg. Ministers won't be rushed into a response.
部长们不会急于回应的。
4. ...
更像(前者)地;与其说(是)…,倒不如说(是);
eg. Sue screamed, not loudly, more in surprise than terror.
休尖叫起来,声音不大,吃惊多于恐惧。
eg. He's more like a film star than a lifeguard, really.
真的,与其说他像救生员,不如说他更像电影明星。