舌尖上的美国(53):地道口语(1)

1.情人眼里出西施。

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder表示“情人眼里出西施”，其中beholder意为“目睹者”。

eg:It's beyond me that Mary would like to marry James. There is an ugly scar on his face.我真想不到玛丽竟然会想嫁给詹姆斯。他脸上有道难看的疤。

Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Don't be so shallow.情人眼里出西施。你不要这么肤浅。

2.这是有史以来最好的事情。

大家是不是想到了This is the best thing in the history呢？更地道的表达其实是This is the best thing since sliced bread，这里的sliced bread指“切片面包”

1928年，美国开始销售切片面包机，极大地方便了人们的生活。面包是西方人的大爱，他们常会闭上眼睛，一边咽口水一边想：世界上还有比刚出炉的切片面包更好的东西吗？the best thing since sliced bread就引申为“有史以来最好的事情”。

3.天下没有免费的午餐。

当别人在为一点儿小便宜而高兴时，你就可以告诉他：There is no such thing as a free lunch.

eg：I hear bread is free now in that supermarket. Let's go and get some!我听说那个超市的面包现在免费，咱们快去拿点儿！

There is no such thing as a free lunch. It's just a trick.天下没有免费的午餐。这只是一个伎俩罢了。

4.你真走运！

大家一定想到了You are very lucky，然而更地道的说法则是：God is shining on you.

eg：You know what, I just won a lottery prize.你知道吗？我刚买彩票中奖了。

Oh，God is shining on you!天哪，你太幸运了！

5.熟能生巧。

这句话可以说成Practice makes perfect.

eg：My oral English is so poor that I'm nervous when talking with foreigners.我英语口语太差了，所以跟外国人谈话时会紧张。

鼓励别人要不断地尝试和努力时，美国人也常说If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.