时间:2019-03-14 作者:英语课 分类:美国习惯用语


英语课

 美国习惯用语第846:断断续续的(音频)


on again, off again
我昨天收到了大学室友寄来的一张生日贺卡,让我感慨万千。一眨眼,大学毕业已经好多年了,虽然我们一直保持联系,但是大家都在为生活奔波,所以每年也只有逢年过节才会互通信息。这倒让我想起了我们今天要学的习惯用语,叫:on again, off again.
On again, off again这个习惯用语的意思是断断续续的。就好象我毕业后跟大学室友的联络一样,on again, off again. 时断时续。下面例子里的这个远足爱好者打算退出自己的远足俱乐部。让我们听听他是怎么想的。
例句-1:I'm thinking of dropping out of my hiking club. It's not that I don't like getting out and exploring some of the great trails in the area. But one month there might be an outing every week, then the next there's only one. I'd prefer a schedule of hikes that's not so on again, off again.
这个人说:我正在考虑是不是要退出远足俱乐部,这样做并不是因为我不喜欢跟大家一起去远足,探索这附近很多有意思的山间小道,但是有时候一个月每星期都有活动,下个月却可能只有一次。我真希望,俱乐部的远足活动不要这么时断时续。
这倒让我想起了我妹妹的那些男朋友,也许是因为她住在加州,那里的男人更不愿意安定下来吧。她每次交男朋友,都是几个月的热度,然后男方就会失去兴趣,但又藕断丝连,过一段时间又回来给她打电话。让我妹妹十分苦恼。这种on again, off again时断时续的交往方式并不适合她。
******
显然,连续性对很多事情来说都很重要。我们一起来听听下面这位居民的看法:
例句-2:The last neighborhood committee never got much done. Perhaps it was because of all the on again, off again meetings they had. But now, the new leaders get together regularly. As a result, they've been able to improve public safety, organize civic 1 events and accomplished 2 a lot that's made our area a nicer place to live.
这个人说:上一届居民委员会什么都没干,也许是因为他们开会太少、太没准日子了吧。新一届负责人走马上任后,定期开会,结果有效地改善了小区的公共安全,组织了各种活动,还做了很多其它事情,结果显著改变了我们这片地区的居住环境。
这倒让我想起了原来用的那家手机公司,信号特别不稳定,我每次开车出去买东西、办事情,手机的信号总是时断时续,丝毫没有保障。这种情况持续了不到一个月,我就忍无可忍了,换成了现在的这家手机公司。
大家猜猜看,这个习惯用语是怎么来的?有些语言学家说, on again, off again这个习惯用语最早是指那些并不严重的火车事故,因为火车刚刚出现的时候,经常会脱离轨道,过一会儿又会自己重新回到轨道上去,因此就有了on again, off again的说法。

adj.城市的,都市的,市民的,公民的
  • I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
  • The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的
  • Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
  • Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
标签: 习惯用语
学英语单词
adhesion molecule
aerle
angle addendum
anomala inconcinna
arch-priest
audioguide
baldi
ballet workshop
be at cross - purposes
Beluga L.
bulbectomizes
campanellas
caseanic acid
cationic additive
catliker
central-air
chitonitis
circle of equal probability (cep)
close tolerance extrusion
computational procedure
counterindicating
daydream about
denticipitids
design quota of special tooling
diana ross
digital to analog transducer
distance measurement
dorsal chord
drafting scale
duklas
dynamic characteristic test
eco freak
Elsholtzia luteola
empirical generalizations
engine efficiency
epiotic
facilities comparison
fattening capacity
finger-lickin' good
flying up
ganglia trunci sympathici
graille
HIB-CoA
highest speed
impropersymbol
improvings
incomplexed
industrial materials
interior heating system
jeremejeffite (jeremejevite)
jet start
Johann Maier
Keuruu
loya
Lumber-job
main drift
make a train
marginal erysipelas
matrix of sum squares within classes
maximum external honing diameter
medullary foramina
messiest
mixer curing
Mlicrococcus osteomyelitidis
near-signt
nonprogradational reflection configuration
onnagata (japan)
photostat machines
polishing felt
port echo
principle of Archimedes
proplastids
Pseudosasa hindsii
psychology of the police
puncture-resistant
ram's-head lady's slipper
Randell
read printer
reisman
Santhià
shufflease
snocat
spectral purity of a colour
stall control
stipply
Sulcus sinus sagittalis superioris
surface demarcation
synchronized cycle
TBFB
tektin
the eye of typhoon
tondal
tweeds
type 2 error
uncorrelation
unmortised
Urra
us -enabled
Van Vleck equation
wage rigidity
wrestiling
zambesi ulcer