
本栏目由李福兵原创编写,Eyre绘图。
上一讲提到,许多人为了追求发展的机会(seek one’s fortune)而选择了跳槽(job-hopping)。从结果上看,有些人失败了,境况依旧,甚至雪上加霜,但有些人也成功了,他们的处境得到了好转。“处境得到好转”在英文中用片语turn something around来表达。像往常一样,还是先来看下面的例句:
In order to turn his life around, Hans decided to take part in graduate entrance examination. (译文:为了脱离困境,使自己的生活得到好转,汉斯决定参加研究生入学考试。)
在这个例句中,片语turn one’s life around的意思是“使某人的处境好转”。一个人生活不如意,只有改变自己的生活方式,才能有所改观,片语正是从这个意思而来。If a business, department etc that is not successful turns around, or if someone turns his or her life around, it starts to be successful. For example:
Bob has turned his life around. He doesn’t need to steal anymore.
(译文:Bob已经脱离了困境,他不需要再偷窃了。)
下面我们将向朋友们介绍今天的第二个片语:be in the nick of time.它的意思是Just at the critical moment; just in time, 即“正当紧要关头;在关键时刻;正及时,恰好”的意思。Nick 在英语里作为俚语,指监狱,一个人如果蹲在监狱里,那段时间当然就是自己改过自新的关键时刻了,也许这就是这个片语in the nick of time 意思的由来吧! 好了,还是先看下面的例句:
Janet almost missed her flight, but she made it in the nick of time.
(译文:Janet几乎错过了她的航班,但她还是在关键时刻赶上了。)
in the nick of time是一个介词片语。The idiom means that something is just before it is too late, or just before something bad happens,for another example:
Our culture places a high value on being punctual. My friend always complained when I attended his party not being in the nick of time.
(译文:我们的文化很重视准时。当我没有及时出席朋友的宴会时,他总是埋怨我。)
结束语:Mr.Jon 是一个很有才能的人,每当紧要关头(in the nick of time),他总是能出些到好的点子,让我们境况得到好转(turn one’s life around)。