时间:2018-12-25 作者:英语课 分类:美语怎么说


英语课

  Donny在北京学汉语,他的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词,就会来请教他。今天是吴琼要问的:看热闹。

Donny: Wuqiong, I heard you got your driver's license 1 !

WQ: 是啊,昨天我已经开车上路啦!

Donny: So how did it go?

WQ: 唉,别提了! 我开的那条路上出车祸,结果,开车的、骑车的、走路的,都想看热闹,最后,整条街都堵住了! 对了Donny,这些看热闹的人,用英文怎么说呢?

Donny: 英文叫 rubberneck.

WQ: rubberneck? 我知道 rubber 是橡胶,neck是脖子。那rubberneck不就是橡胶脖子么?

Donny: 你想啊,那些看热闹,围观的人,they stretch their necks to watch what's happening, right?

WQ: 哦……我明白了,伸长脖子看热闹的人好像长了橡胶脖子,所以叫他们rubberneck! 哈哈,真形象!

Donny: Right! rubberneck也可以当动词。你刚才说,大家看热闹,整条街大堵车,在英文里就是 The traffic was bumper 2-to-bumper because of rubbernecking.

WQ: bumper-to-bumper? b-u-m-p-e-r, bumper, 不是汽车保险杠么?

Donny: Exactly! So bumper-to-bumper means cars are moving so slowly that their bumpers 3 are almost touching 4.

WQ: 我明白了,bumper-to-bumper, 汽车一辆紧挨着一辆,慢慢往前拱。这么说,I was stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic,郁闷死了!

Donny: Wuqiong, 那车祸到底严不严重?

WQ: 特严重! 六辆车撞在一起了!

Donny: Ouch... a six-car pileup!

WQ: pileup? p-i-l-e, pile, 再加上 up, pileup 就是连环车祸么?

Donny: That's Right!

WQ: 我跟你说,这个pileup里,有两辆奥迪,一辆奔驰,一辆宝马,好像还有...

Donny: (interrupt wuqiong) Wuqiong, 你看得这么清楚,真不愧是 a good rubberneck! Okay, new driver, tell me what you've learned today!

WQ: 第一,看热闹的人叫rubberneck;

第二,堵车可以说bumper-to-bumper;

第三,连环车祸是pileup, p-i-l-e-u-p!



1 license
n.执照,许可证,特许;v.许可,特许
  • The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
  • The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。
2 bumper
n.(汽车上的)保险杠;adj.特大的,丰盛的
  • The painting represents the scene of a bumper harvest.这幅画描绘了丰收的景象。
  • This year we have a bumper harvest in grain.今年我们谷物丰收。
3 bumpers
(汽车上的)保险杠,缓冲器( bumper的名词复数 )
  • Our bumpers just grazed (ie touched each other) as we passed. 我们错车时保险互相蹭了一下。
  • Car stickers can be attached to the bumpers or windows. 汽车贴纸可以贴在防撞杆上或车窗上。
4 touching
adj.动人的,使人感伤的
  • It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
  • His letter was touching.他的信很感人。