英语口语练习小对话 第765期:保持高度警觉

Subject: I have to keep an ear to the ground.

迷你对话

A: Baby, what about having some beef or dinner?

宝贝儿，晚上吃牛肉，如何？

B: Oh, no. Mon, I am on a diet now. I have to keep my ears to the ground.

哦，不。我现在在减肥。我要时刻提醒自己啊。

地道表达

keep an ear to the ground

1. 解释

Keep an ear to the ground的字面意思是“把耳朵保持贴在地上”， 比喻“保持高度警觉，及早发现那些即将会发生的事情的预兆”的意思。其英文解释为：to devote attention to watching or listening for clues as to what is going to happen。也可以用作have one’s ear to the ground或者是keep one’s ear to the ground。

2. 例句

e.g. John had his ear to the ground, hoping to find out about new ideas in computers.

John密切留意着，因为他希望能发现关于计算机的新动态。

e.g. His boss told him to keep his ear to the ground so that he'd be the first to know of a new idea.

他的老板叫他留意着，以便于他最先了解新动态。

e.g. Every two weeks while the Congress is in session, I try to get back home to California to talk to people. This doesn't give me much time to relax with my family, but I have to keep an ear to the ground and hear what voters are thinking about.

当国会举行会议的时候我每两个星期设法抽空回加州一次去和当地的人进行交谈。我没有多少时间可以和家人在一起，但是我得及时了解选民的想法。

e.g. I try to keep an ear to the ground and what I hear these days is that most people think we spend too much money on building roads and not enough on our schools.

我总是设法注意人们的想法。最近我听说，大多数人认为我们在筑路方面花钱太多，而用在学校方面的钱却不足。

咬文嚼字

1. have something for dinner的意思是“晚餐吃……”。“表示早餐吃……”可以套用这个短语为：have something for breakfast，“表示中餐吃……，也可套用这个短语为：have something on lunch。

2. on a diet是个介词短语，意思是“在节食减肥”。这是一个介词短语，使用时可以和系动词be或者实意动词go搭配使用做谓语。例如：

I'm forever on a diet, since I put on weight easily. 我永远都在减肥，因为我很容易长胖。

No sugar for me , please. I went on a diet. 请别给我加糖, 我现在正按照规定节食。