昨天我们学到的习语"busy beaver"，可以说"busy beaver"们的时间一定经常很紧张，有人可能觉得“时间紧张”也可以用“Time is tight”，这是比较简单的一种用法，那还有其他地道的表达方式吗？ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. The idiom we’ll be covering today is: pressed for time. It means that someone is in a hurry and has limited amount of time. You can use it like this: I’m pressed for time. / She was pressed for time. / They are gonna be pressed for time. C: So being pressed means that something is pushing on you, giving you pressure. We can...

你的生活是不是开始忙碌起来了呢？很多人的工作上现在可能忙着开始新的项目，也有人可能忙着计划接下来该去哪里玩一玩，那在形容自己或者别人超级忙碌的时候，除了用”I’m so busy.”或者”You are so busy.”还有没有其他地道的表达方式呢？ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. We’ll be talking about another idiom today that is: busy beaver or busy as a beaver. It means that someone is very busy, hardworking or really good at tackling many things at once. You can use it like this: I’ve been a busy beaver. / You really are busy as a beaver. / They are gonna be busy beavers. C: Well we all...

今天的习语”put your heads together”，字面的意思看起来好像真的是“把头放在一起”，但是我们想一下如果几个人把头放在一起能产生什么效果呢？你们能猜到这个习语的意思吗？ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. The idiom we are covering today is: put our heads together. It means to work together in order to come up with an idea or solution. It’s usually used for when you need to discuss or plan something with someone. You can use it like this: Let’s put our heads together. / You need to put your heads together. / They are gonna have to put their heads...

在生活和工作中，我们可能会经常被问到自己的想法，尤其在西方文化中”opinions”尤其重要，英语里有很多方式可以表达一些特别强烈或者坚定的看法，我们看一下Joy and Chris是怎么在口语中运用的！ C: Hi guys I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. Today we are gonna talk about some useful business expressions: I’m absolutely certain that... / I’m convinced that... / I’m 100%(a hundred percent) positive that.... These expressions are usually used to give strong opinions. C: Yup and this is essential for business meetings. Having an independent opinion about something is very important...

你有没有过想要沉下心来，开始认真地做一件事呢？可能你想开始抛开一切，每天认真地听一听英语；或者全心投入去读完一本书；再或者全力以赴地学一项技能……我们听一听Joy and Chris是怎样用英语表达的吧！ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. The idiom we are covering today is: buckle down. It means to put in a lot of effort toward something and begin to work very seriously at this thing. You can use it like this: I’m buckling down. / She has buckled down. / They are gonna have to buckle down. C: Well, buckling down can be used to express fastening a seat belt. So we can imagine...

你曾经有没有错过好的机会呢？很多人买东西的时候可能错过了超低价，或者错过了某个明星演唱会的票，又或者错过了某个绝佳的工作机会，你是不是很懊恼呢？我们来听一下Joy and Chris用的是哪个习语吧！ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. The idiom we are talking about today is: miss the boat. It means missing a chance or being too slow to take advantage of an opportunity. Sometimes it can also be: miss the bus. You can use it like this: I missed the boat. / She has missed the bus. / They are gonna miss the boat. C: Well, if you missed the boat, you would have to wait for the...

生活中我们热爱的东西太多了，有人热爱美食，有人热爱健身，还有人热爱学英语，每次一说“热爱啥啥啥”就开始“I love to....”，还有没有更地道的表达方式呢？我们听一下Joy and Chris的对话吧！ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. Today we’ll be talking about the idiom: eat, sleep and breathe something. It’s used when someone is incredibly enthusiastic about something and they focus all of their energy on that one thing. You can use it like this: I eat, sleep and breathe it. / She eats, sleeps and breathes it. / They ate, slept and breathed it. C: Yup, so if you...

很多景点已经在5月1日陆续开放了，这个五一节很多人都憋了好久，北京疫情也降级了，终于可以出去玩一玩，据说降级当天机票预定暴涨了15倍，你有没有心仪的旅行目的地呢？我们来听听Joy and Chris的对话来学习一下怎么用英语聊五一吧！ J: Hi guys. I’m Joy. C: And I’m Chris. J: Today is the May Day holiday. Did you know that Chris? C: Oh yeah. What is this holiday all about? J: Well, I think it’s celebrated as an international holiday because many countries in the world have the same holiday. You know, to celebrate for the labor people have done. C: Yeah, there’s a Labor Day in America too. But...

生活往往不是完美的，我们身边坚强的人往往是拒绝放弃的，我们说一个人很坚强，可能是这个人几乎从不抱怨，或者选择不去担心，会选择尽力而为，那我们用英语怎样形容这样的人呢？ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. Today we’ll be covering the idiom: a tough cookie. It’s referring to a strong, confident person who is not easily influenced by other people. Sometimes it can also be: one tough cookie. You can use it like this: I’m a tough cookie. / She was one tough cookie. / They have been tough cookies. C: So when a cookie is very strong and difficult to break, it really...

我们中文里如果说别人是狗的话，是很难听的，别人听到会觉得受到侮辱，但是在英文中如果听到别人说你是“top dog”可千万不要骂回去，人家这其实是在夸你，那我们怎么用这个习语来称赞别人呢？让Joy and Chris来解释一下吧！ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. Our idiom for today is: top dog. It’s referring to a person or a group that is more powerful than others and has the most authority. You can use it like this: I was the top dog. / She is the top dog. / They are gonna be the top dog. C: From the literal meaning, we can see that it is the dog on top. So obviously, it’s talking...

面对困难时期，可能有很多公司倒闭了，也有很多人虽然可能与失败只有一步之遥，也还在继续坚持着，挺过难关，那我们如何用英语去表达这种岌岌可危的状态呢？ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. Today we are gonna talk about the idiom: hang on by your fingernails. It means doing something in a very difficult situation and you are almost gonna fail. You can use it like this: I’m hanging on by my fingernails. / She was hanging on by her fingernails. / They have been hanging on by their fingernails. C: Now, let’s imagine someone went over a cliff. And the only...

想象一下，你来到一个新公司，周围的人和事都是你不熟悉的，刚开始的几天可能会有些小尴尬，或者因为不习惯新环境所以你感到不舒服，那么我们要怎么更地道地表达这种感觉呢？ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. Today we are gonna talk about the idiom: like a fish out of water. It means feeling uncomfortable in a new environment or an unfamiliar situation. You can use it like this: I feel like a fish out of water. / She is like a fish out of water. / They were like fish out of water. C: So, when a fish is out of water, it cannot survive for very long. Since they can’t...

在英语中，”sink”是下沉的意思，那么把牙“下沉”到某件东西里，其实是相当于用牙狠狠的咬上去，但是这只是字面的意思，我们说过很多时候不能用中文直译英语中的意思，那这个习语到底是想表达什么意思呢？ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. Today we are gonna talk about the idiom: sink your teeth into. It means to do something that needs a lot of energy and enthusiasm. You can use it like this: I want to sink my teeth into this. / She really sank her teeth into it. / They are going to sink their teeth into it. C: Well, the literal meaning of this idiom is to bite something. So...

有很多事情是我们一心想要做的，比如想申请某所心仪的大学，或者一心想进入某家公司工作，又或者一直都想去某个国家旅行，我们特别想做的事太多太多了，那除了最老套的”I really want to do something”，还有没有其他表达方式呢？我们听听今天Joy and Chris介绍的习语吧！ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. The idiom we are showing you today is: have one’s heart set on something. It means to want something very much. It’s usually used to express when you desire something or expect something to happen. You can use it like this: I have my heart set on it. / She has had her heart set on it. C: Yup....

你有没有过等不及想要去旅游，或者等不及想要去吃某种美食呢？有时候你越是等不及，生活偏偏要让你继续等，那我们可以怎么用更地道的英语描述这种心情呢？我们看看今天的习语吧！ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. The idiom we are showing you today is: raring to go. It means being very eager, excited or anxious to go somewhere or do something. You can use it like this: I’m raring to go. / She was raring to go. / They have been raring to go. C: This idiom was first used to express a horse standing on its hind legs when it is anxious to get moving. So maybe you spoke in...

平时和你身边的外国人聊天的时候，必不可少的聊天话题一定是去餐厅，聊美食，你可能会被问到：你最喜欢去哪家餐厅吃饭？你准备好了怎么回答吗？ J: Hi guys. I’m Joy. C: And I’m Chris. So Joy, I think more restaurants have opened up recently. The lock down doesn’t seem as strict as before. J: Yeah, they still need to check your temperature though and you have to leave your phone number at least. Just in case if there was a problem, they would be able to get in touch with you. C: Right. Well, which restaurant do you like to go to the most Joy? J:...

很多人应该都很爱吃香蕉，但是banana这个词有时候不单单是香蕉的意思，英语的习语”go bananas”也不是香蕉去哪里了，更不是让香蕉走开，好吧不卖关子了，听听Joy and Chris的解释吧！ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. Today we are gonna talk about the idiom: go bananas. It means to become crazy about something. Usually this is to express that someone becomes very excited or angry. You can use it like this: I went bananas. / She’ll go bananas. / They have gone bananas. C: Ok, we all know monkeys love bananas. Now imagine a monkey sees some bananas in your...

有时候我们可以做一件事而达到两个目的，这样能够节省很多时间和精力，我们中文的成语中就有“一箭双雕”，形容一箭射中两只雕，英语中有一个习语有一模一样的意思，我们听听Joy and Chris说的是哪个习语吧！ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. Today we are gonna show you the idiom: kill two birds with one stone. It means to solve two problems with one action or solution. It’s usually used to express that someone can manage two things at the same time. You can use it like this: I’ll kill two birds with one stone. / We can kill two birds with one stone. / He was killing two birds with...

在西方家庭中，人们经常会做烤土豆作为配菜，我们想象一下，刚出炉的烤土豆，如果你马上拿在手里是不是很烫手呢？今天的习语”hot potato”其实不关土豆什么事，那么是什么意思呢？ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. The idiom we are talking about today is: a hot potato. It means that something is very difficult to handle. You can use it like this: It’s a hot potato. / That was a hot potato. / This is gonna be a hot potato. C: Hey Joy, have you ever played the game Hot Potato? J: Oh yeah, isn’t that the game that you have to keep a ball moving and out of your...

我们偶尔都会做些不理智的事，可能我们不想再继续下去了，那我们会想告诉自己：该清醒一点了，是时候做出改变了，那么用英语该怎么说“清醒一点”呢？ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. Today we are gonna talk about the idiom: wake up and smell the coffee. It means to pay attention to what is going on. If you say that someone should wake up and smell the coffee, you mean that they must start to be more realistic and aware of what is happening around them. C: Well, if you are telling someone to wake up, it obviously means that they are still sleeping. So...

我们之前说到过，在英语中很多时候是不能直接翻译成中文的，直译往往导致了中式英语Chenglish的出现，那这个冷火鸡cold turkey到底用来形容什么呢，我们来听听Joy and Chris的解读吧！ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. Today we are covering the idiom: cold turkey. It means to quit something suddenly. It’s often used for quitting or breaking a habit. You can use it like this: I went cold turkey. / He stopped cold turkey. / She quit cold turkey. C: I’ve always thought that this idiom is a funny one because I’d always picture a turkey that is really cold. We...

今天的习语里面虽然有shot这个单词，shot确实有开枪射击的意思，但是“a shot in the dark”在生活中却跟黑暗中射击没什么关系，而是用来表达另外一层意思的，那我们来听听这个习语到底是怎么用的呢？ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. Our idiom for today is: a shot in the dark. It means that you are taking a guess or making an estimate that could be wrong or an attempt with very little chance of success. You can use it like this: It was just a shot in the dark. / I’m gonna take a shot in the dark. C: No one can see in the dark. So if you are shooting in the dark,...

你有没有感觉市场上的很多新生产品有时候其实都差不多呢？或者某些你很爱吃的甜点你朋友觉得其实味道都差不多？这个习语其实和土豆有点关系，我们来看看为什么吧！ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. Our idiom for today is: potato potato and tomato tomato. It means that some things may seem different but they are actually the same thing. You can use it to express when you think the differences about something don’t matter. C: This is a pretty interesting idiom. So potato(potayto) and tomato(tomayto) is how Americans pronounce it. While potato(potahto) and...

英语中的礼貌用语也是非常多的，很多时候不注意用词，可能会让对方感到尴尬，我们在商务会议中，想要礼貌地结束闲聊开始进入正题，该怎么表达更尊重对方呢？ C: Hi guys. I’m Chris. J: And I’m Joy. We will be talking about some more commonly used business expressions today, like: We have a lot to get through today, so… We have to be out of here by 12, so… I have another meeting at 11, so… Just like Part 1 from yesterday, you can also use these when you want to end the small talk and get down to business. C: There are a lot of etiquette rules in English. And...