to throw a curve
to throw for a loop
美國(guó)人在打棒球時(shí)經(jīng)常喜歡發(fā)曲線球,使球的方向會(huì)發(fā)生突變,這樣給對(duì)方造成錯(cuò)覺,不能回?fù)裟莻€(gè)球。這和其他球類運(yùn)動(dòng),如排球、乒乓球或網(wǎng)球,在發(fā)球時(shí)發(fā)轉(zhuǎn)求的作用也很相似。逐漸地,這種讓對(duì)方產(chǎn)生錯(cuò)覺,因而無(wú)法應(yīng)付的球藝變成了日常用語(yǔ):to throw a curve。
Curve就是曲線的意思。To throw a curve就是在打棒球時(shí)發(fā)曲線球。但是作為俗語(yǔ),它的意思是給別人造成錯(cuò)覺,讓他難以應(yīng)付。請(qǐng)聽一個(gè)剛剛考完歷史的學(xué)生在埋怨他的教授:
例句-1: Professor Green certainly threw us a curve today. Half the questions were from parts of the book he told us to read but he never covered them in class. Of course, most of us didn't bother to read the stuff, so we really got caught.
這個(gè)學(xué)生說(shuō):格林教授今天可真是把我們難住了。考題的一半是他要我們看的那本書里的內(nèi)容,可是他從來(lái)也沒有在課堂上講過(guò)。我們大多數(shù)人也都沒有化時(shí)間去看那玩意兒,所以今天我們突然發(fā)現(xiàn)無(wú)法應(yīng)付考題了。
To throw a curve還可以解釋為"欺騙"。下面就是一個(gè)例子:
例句-2: My supervisor threw me a curve when he told me he would recommend me for the promotion. He didn't tell me he was also recommending three other people for the same job. So I didn't get it.
這個(gè)人說(shuō):我的上司欺騙了我,他告訴我他要建議給我提升。可是,他沒有告訴我他同時(shí)還推薦了另外三個(gè)人擔(dān)任同一個(gè)職位。結(jié)果我沒有被提升。
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今天我們要講的第二個(gè)俗語(yǔ)是:to throw for a loop。Loop是圓圈的意思。To throw for a loop是指"感到非常震驚"或者是"情緒很波動(dòng)"。下面的例子是一個(gè)男朋友使得他的女朋友非常不高興。這個(gè)女孩子說(shuō):
例句-3: Bill told me he couldn't take me out last night because he had to study for a big exam. So it threw me for a loop when I saw him walking into the movie theater with that stupid girl who sits next to him in biology class. (Recording defects: no audio for this part)
她說(shuō):比爾告訴我,他昨天晚上不能帶我去玩,因?yàn)樗獪?zhǔn)備大考。所以,當(dāng)我看到他和那個(gè)生物課坐在他旁邊的傻姑娘一起走進(jìn)電影院的時(shí)候我真是大吃一驚。
考試分?jǐn)?shù)有時(shí)侯也會(huì)令人出乎意料的,請(qǐng)聽下面的例子:
例句-4: When I saw my semester grade for the chemistry course, it really threw me for a loop! I was sure I'd get at least a "B"--but there it was in black and white: a "D". So I barely managed to pass.
這個(gè)學(xué)生說(shuō):"當(dāng)我看到我的化學(xué)課學(xué)期成績(jī)的時(shí)候,我真是嚇了一跳。我滿以為我至少能夠得一個(gè)"B",可是白紙上寫的黑字是一個(gè)"D"。所以我剛剛及格。"