"布朗尼加分"口语课堂:都是压力惹的祸

Hi，可可网友们大家好。现在说起压力来，每个人都能倒出半盆苦水来。特别是给一个本身就倍感压力，无时无刻精神紧绷的老板打工，这日子，恐怕就更难过了。

Some people get angry easily. You have to be careful and handle them with kid gloves. My boss is always angry. He's always hot under the collar about something. If sales are bad, he gets very nervous. He's afraid that he's going to lose everything. He thinks he's about to lose his shirt. But the business never makes very much money. We always run on a shoestring. In business, you have to be calm and keep your temper. You have to keep your shirt on. Our business might be better if my boss could stay calm. Still, I prefer to be me than to have my boss's job. I don't want to be in his shoes. He's under too much pressure.

和易怒的人，特别是易怒的老板相处一定不容易，需要handle them with kid gloves，“小心处理，谨慎对待”。因为他总是hot under the collar about something。Collar，领子。领子下头总是烫的。其实这个短语就相当于angry about something，因为某事生气。比如：Mike had an important meeting in another city. He got hot under the collar because the plane was late taking off. 麦克在另一个城市有个一个重要的会议要参加。他因为飞机不能按时起飞而大光其火。

这个老板如此易怒的原因就是因为过于担心生意，总觉得自己about to lose his shirt. 这里lose one's shirt意思是lose a lot of money，损失很多钱。可是，生意不是光担心就能做好的，患得患失反而导致了公司never makes very much money, 并且always run on a shoestring。Shoestring鞋带的意思，在像鞋带那么细长的路上走，用来形容“零星的资本；小额经营”。

事情就是这样，越迈不开手脚越得不到想要的结果。如文中所说，经商的人更应该保持冷静，控制情绪，必须keep your shirt on。又遇到了一个和shirt相关的短语。不过，它不再表示money，短语表达的是not to get angry, to be patient，制怒，有耐心。再比如：I'll finish using the computer in a minute. Just keep your shirt on, and you'll get your turn. 我马上就用完电脑了。耐心等一下，马上就轮到你。

像文中的老板这样的生活如履薄冰，真是谈不到有乐趣可言了，所以我宁愿作个普通的我自己，也不想to be in his shoes，这个短语的引申意思也比较明显，be in one's shoes means be in the place of someone else. “处于某人的位置”。

好了。回答一下Rose的小问题：If you get hot under the collar, how do you feel? What makes you get hot under the collar?