英语口语练习小对话 第564期:挖掘灵感

Subject：You have to pull some new ideas out of thin.

迷你对话

A: This is my paper. Please have a look at it.

这是我的论文，请您过目。

B: Ah, frankly speaking, your paper is not so good. You have to pull some new ideas out of the thin air.

啊，坦诚地说，你的论文写得不是很好，你得设法发掘出新创意。

1. 解释

Pull idea out of thin air是“空气”的意思，一般海拔高的地方空气稀薄，空气稀薄可以用thin这个词来形容。那么，pull idea out of thin air的字面意思是“从稀薄的东西里抽出什么东西”，空气本来就是看不着摸不着的东西，要从稀薄的东西里抽取类似“主意，点子”的东西，根本就是不可能的事情，也就是还不存在的东西，因为此语的比喻意为“挖掘灵感，挖掘新意”。

2. 例句

e.g. An author must have invention to pull out new ideas out of thin air for stories.

作家必须具有为故事构思新意的创造力。

e.g. The company is flat broke. Unless the boss can pull something out of thin air and borrow a lot of money by Friday, we'll have to go into bankruptcy and I'll have to look for other work.

这家公司现在已是财源枯竭，除非老板神通广大能在星期五之前筹措到大笔钱款摆脱困境，否则我们就只得陷入破产的境地，而我也必须另找工作了。

e.g. Susan is one of the best TV script writers. She'll take an absolutely hopeless script by somebody else, pull some new ideas out of thin air, and end up with a first-class show.

Susan是最优秀的电视剧作家之一。她会设法从别人写得一无是处的原稿中挖掘发展出新意，而拍成第一流的节目。