听播客学英语 259 休息

 　　The expression “to take time off” means to have a break from work, or school, or whatever you are doing.

　　We can say, for example, “I have a day off”, or “I am taking a day off”, or “I need a day off”. Sometimes we say what we are having a day off from – for example “a day off school” or “a day off work”. But often we just say ” a day off”, because the person we are talking to knows from the context¹ whether the day off is a day off from work, or from school, or from looking after our children, or whatever. Here are some more examples.

　　Today, May 1, is a public holiday in England. My children have the day off school. My wife does not have to go to work either. She has the day off.

　　Joanne has a painful tooth. She makes an appointment with the dentist. But the dentist can only see her in the afternoon, not in the evening after Joanne has finished work. So Joanne asks her boss for some time off to go to the dentist. Her boss agrees – Joanne can have the afternoon off.

　　In the summer, Joanne and Kevin want to travel to Italy. They have both arranged to have two weeks off so that they can go.

　　Now they need to book their holiday. Kevin gets an hour off for lunch, so he goes to the travel agent to buy the tickets.

　　Because we are talking about holidays and because it is a holiday today, I think we need some music. Here are the Brobdingnagian Bards² with Maids in the Meadow³.

1 context   

n.背景，环境，上下文，语境

参考例句：

• You can always tell the meaning of a word from its context.你常可以从上下文中猜出词义来。
• This sentence does not seem to connect with the context.这个句子似乎与上下文脱节。

2 bards   

n.诗人( bard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were feasts and drinking and singing by the bards. 他们欢宴狂饮，还有吟游诗人的歌唱作伴助兴。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史
• Round many western islands have I been Which Bards in fealty to Apollo hold. 还有多少西方的海岛，歌都已使它们向阿波罗臣服。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学

3 meadow   

n.草地，牧草地

参考例句：

• The children ran free across the meadow.孩子们在草地里自由地奔跑。
• The meadow is peopled with wild flowers.草地长满了野花。