Crusade, 改革运动。美国儿童存在严重的肥胖问题。"First Lady Michelle Obama is on a crusade for healthy eating," 美国第一夫人米歇尔.奥巴马大力推动健康的饮食习惯。
很多经受鲨鱼袭击,九死一生的幸存者最终反而成了鲨鱼利益的代言人。"These shark survivors are on a crusade to save their predators," 这些鲨鱼袭击的幸存者正大力展开一场挽救他们袭击者的运动。倍具争议的美国电影制片人迈克尔.摩尔的新片《资本主义》上映了。影评说,"Michael Moore is on an anti-capitalist crusade," 迈克尔.摩尔展开了一场反资本主义的运动。
Speak out, 公开发表意见。美国总统奥巴马荣获诺贝尔和平奖让很多人感到意外。"In a rare move, four of the Nobel jury’s five judges spoke out to defend their selection," 诺贝尔和平奖评奖委员会五个评委中有四个人罕见地公开发表意见,为他们选择奥巴马提出辩护。
美国著名保守派广播脱口秀主持人拉什.林博考虑收购圣路易斯公羊橄榄球队。消息传出后,"Many NFL players have spoken out against Rush Limbaugh’s attempt," 很多美式足球大联盟的选手都公开反对林博的收购计划。
Enlist, 有入伍的意思。美国全面完成了今年的征兵目标,这是35年来的第一次。"Hundreds of thousands of young people have enlisted despite the possibility of going to war," 虽然知道可能要上战场,但还是有数十万年轻人应征入伍。"Even the military leaders are surprised by the willingness of young people to enlist," 就连军方领导人都对年轻人入伍的积极性感到惊讶。
Enlist还可以引伸为寻求支持。"President Obama tried to enlist the support of doctors in his efforts to reform the health care system," 美国总统奥巴马为推动医疗保健系统改革,寻求医务人员的支持。
Double standard, 双重标准。美国国会众议院议长佩洛西指责共和党人在医疗保健改革的辩论中使用双重标准, "House Speaker Nancy Pelosi accused Republicans of having a double standard in the health care reform debate."
某些国家在婚前性行为的问题上,对男性和女性依然存在着双重标准, "In some countries, there is still a double standard when it comes to premarital sex."
Anyone’s guess, 意思是谁也说不准。"How long will he stay in the current position is anyone’s guess," 他要在这个位置上待多久谁也说不清。
两支球队势均力敌。"Which team will win is anyone’s guess," 哪个球队会赢谁也说不好。"The airline suffered significant losses in the last six months, whether it will find a way to come back is anyone’s guess," 这家航空公司过去六个月严重亏损,他们是否能够想办法重整旗鼓,谁也说不准。
Damage control, 意思是尽量减少破坏的程度。美国晚间脱口秀主持人莱特曼因为卷入性丑闻不断道歉。"David Letterman is in damage control mode," 莱特曼努力减小不良影响。
美国副总统拜登本月底计划出访捷克和波兰。有分析认为,这跟不久前美国决定搁置原定在这两个国家内建立导弹防御系统的计划有关。"The White House denied that Biden's trip to eastern Europe is a damage control mission," 但是白宫否认拜登的东欧之行是为了减少负面影响。
Rock bottom, 最低水平。"His acting career has hit rock bottom," 他的演艺事业陷入了谷底。纽约棒球扬基队明星选手A-Rod承认,"I hit rock bottom this spring," 今年春天是我的低谷。"She was at rock bottom when she filed for divorce," 她提出离婚时,生活陷入了最低潮。
"The prices of real estate markets had nearly hit rock bottom," 房地产市场的价格已经几乎触底。然而,"House sales volumes are still at rock bottom," 房屋销量依旧处于最低点。
Mismatch, 是不协调、实力悬殊的意思。"The game is a huge mismatch," 比赛双方实力相差甚远。"There is a mismatch between supply and demand in the housing market," 房地产市场上存在供需失衡的状态。
美国九月份的失业率接近百分之十,但是与此同时,护士和工程师等领域又有很多空缺职位没有人填补。"Experts say the mismatch between job openings and qualified job seekers is likely to persist even as the economy revives," 专家预计,即使经济开始复苏,这种工作空缺和合格人选之间的不平衡状态也会继续下去。
Text messaging发短信。"Text messaging continues to grow in popularity," 发短信现在越来越流行了。最新研究显示,"Text messaging while driving greatly increases the risk of crashes," 开车发短信会严重加大交通事故的风险。
研究发现,"When it came to text messaging, drivers kept their eyes off the road for up to six seconds," 发短信的时候,开车人眼睛不再看路,最长大约会持续六秒钟。"The study calls for text messaging to be banned for all drivers," 研究呼吁全面禁止开车时发短信的做法。
Tone down是降低的意思。法国总统萨科齐星期天慢跑锻炼时突然头晕摔倒,送往医院接受治疗。"Friends and doctors urged him to tone down his hyperactive lifestyle," 朋友和医生都要求他放慢高度紧张的生活节奏。
美国总统奥巴马上星期三就哈佛大学非洲裔教授盖茨在自己家里被捕一事的表态引起了强烈反响。"President Obama toned down his remarks on Friday and admitted that his comments earlier had inflamed tensions," 奥巴马星期五缓和了态度,并承认自己先前的讲话进一步加剧了紧张的情绪。