流行美语 (Popular American) 328

Larry和李华一起坐地铁回家。今天我们要学两个常用语：get the ball rolling和mull it over.

LH: Larry, 这两天天气真好，我看，过不了多久树就要发芽了。我真巴不得春天马上就到。

LL: Me too. I can't wait until we can walk outside comfortably and not have to wear a jacket. Spring is my favorite time of the year. It's a time for new beginnings!

LH: 说起new beginning新开端，我今天遇到Jeff了。他告诉我说，这个春天他计划多认识一些女孩子，找个固定的女朋友。

LL: Good for Jeff. It's always nice to have a steady¹ girlfriend. So what is he doing to get the ball rolling? Has he made plans for the weekend?

LH: 他说星期五约好了跟朋友一起去看电影，星期六要和好久不见的大学同学一起喝咖啡。

LL: Well, it sounds like Jeff has already gotten the ball rolling with a new social agenda². Now what about his goal of getting a steady girlfriend?

LH: Larry, 你刚才两次说到get the ball rolling, 是什么意思啊？我猜肯定不能按字面理解为让球滚起来吧？

LL: Oh, by get the ball rolling, I just mean what has Jeff done to start or to initiate³ his plan. When you get the ball rolling, you do something which starts an activity.

LH: 噢，get the ball rolling就是开始做一件事情，开始把计划付诸行动。

LL: Exactly, Lihua. It's like in a sport the game usually doesn't start until the ball starts rolling

LH: 我明白了。Jeff 找女朋友的计划，确实已经落实到了行动上。Jeff has gotten the ball rolling.

LL: Oh yeah, so tell me, if you don't mind, how has he gotten the ball rolling?

LH: 他已经加入了一个网上交友俱乐部，而且还问我认不认识什么合适的女孩子，可以帮他介绍呢！

******

Larry问李华晚上要不要一起去看电影。李华说自己没心情。李华有什么烦心事呢？我们一起听。

LH: 我前天接到一份聘书，就是我上个月申请的那份工作，那家公司希望雇佣我，可我却很犹豫，不知道是不是要接受。

LL: So how long do you have to make your decision?

LH: 我跟人家说下星期一给他们答复。

LL: Well that still gives you some time to mull it over.

LH: 你说mull it over是什么意思？

LL: Mull it over just means⁴ to think about something or to consider something deeply⁵. Like for this decision about your job, you still have the whole weekend to mull it over before making the decision.

LH: 哦，你说的mull it over就是仔细考虑的意思。

LL: Yeah, a lot of people suggest that the best way to make a decision is to mull it over. One expression often used is "Why don't you mull it over and decide in the morning."

LH: 啊？建议别人睡一觉，仔细琢磨琢磨，早上再做决定。那这一夜还睡得着吗？我也在想啊，可是越想越拿不定主意。

LL: It sounds like you're being really hard on yourself and taking the decision really seriously. Maybe you should try and loosen⁶ up and forget about it for a while.

LH: 好主意。我今天吃完饭就去打乒乓球，分散一下注意力。不过，Larry, 一味逃避也不是法子；我迟早还是要做决定啊。

LL: When you mull it over, it might help to go over the positives of the new position and compare it with the positives of the job you have now.

LH: 新工作不仅有福利，工资高，而且也比现在的工作更有意思，唯一不好的地方是上班太远，坐地铁单程就要花一个小时。

LL: Hmm... Sounds like there are both positives and negatives to the new job. I can see why you are having trouble deciding. But look at it this way, neither job is perfect and the decision isn't for life.

LH: 你说的一点没错，工作又不是一辈子的事，以后真觉得不适合还可以再换。

LL: So why don't you just forget about it tonight, and mull it over during the weekend?

LH: 好，就听你的，我们今天晚上什么都不想了，去看电影，周末再做决定。

今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是get the ball rolling, 意思是开始做一件事情。另一个是mull it over意思是仔细考虑。

 

1 steady   

adj.稳定的，不动摇的，沉着的，稳固的，坚定的，可靠的；vt.使稳定

参考例句：

• She has a steady income.她有固定的收入。
• He is a steady young man.他是一个稳重的年轻人。

2 agenda   

n.议事日程，记事册

参考例句：

• We now proceed to the next item on the agenda.我们现在着手讨论下一项议题。
• If there is no objection,the agenda is adopted.如果没有意见，议程就通过了。

3 initiate   

vt.开始，创始，发动；启蒙，使入门；引入

参考例句：

• A language teacher should initiate pupils into the elements of grammar.语言老师应该把基本语法教给学生。
• They wanted to initiate a discussion on economics.他们想启动一次经济学讨论。

4 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

5 deeply   

adv.深刻地，在深处，深沉地

参考例句：

• I do feel deeply the strength of the collective.我确实深深地感到了集体的力量。
• We're deeply honoured that you should agree to join us.您能同意加入我们，我们感到很荣幸。

6 loosen   

vt.放松，松开，解除（便秘等），放宽；vi.变松，松弛

参考例句：

• I must take some exercise and loosen up my muscles.我必须活动活动使肌肉放松些。
• The medicine may loosen your cough.这种药能减轻你的咳嗽。