今天我们要讲的美国习惯用语是:an albatross around one's neck。Albatross是一种名字叫信天游的海鸟, neck 是脖子。An albatross around one's neck, 按字面来理解,它的意思是:挂在脖子上的信天游。但是,作为一个习惯用语,an albatross around one's neck是指令人忧虑的事。
比如说,你的汽车接二连三地出毛病,常常要修理,这辆车就是让你头痛的问题 - an albatross around your neck。
再比如说, 有对夫妇一直盼望住上大房子。他们的梦想实现了,他们满意吗?我们来听听男主人是怎么说的。
例句-1:My wife and I always dreamed of having a big house, but now that we own one, we find it's an albatross around our necks. We have so much more to furnish, clean and maintain that it's a strain on our time and budget. Frankly, we wish we were back in our old home.
这位男主人说:我和我太太一直梦想有一栋大房子。现在我们买了大房子, 但是却发现它是个很大的负担。 房子大需要很多家具, 还要做许多清洁和维修工作。 这对我们的时间和预算来说都是压力,我们宁可住在老房子里。
美国人的住房最近几十来越建越大,越建越豪华。很多房子的面积都在3000平方英尺以上, 可谓豪宅。
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An albatross around one's neck这个习惯用语来自18世纪英国诗人Coleridge的著名诗篇, "The Ancient Mariner" 也就是《老渔夫》。
这诗篇讲的是一个水手误杀了一只信天游,这是被认为不吉利的。后来渔船搁浅,水手们强迫他把死鸟挂在脖子上,作为对他的惩罚。
下面我们再来举一个例子。一个公司的老板雇用了一个名叫Carl的雇员。一开始,Carl在工作中出了很多问题, 让老板很头痛。可是,后来呢?
例句-2:My boss used to wonder why she ever hired Carl. He made so many mistakes early on that he had become a considerable burden. After two months, however, he started to make dramatic improvement and is no longer an albatross around her neck. In fact, he's a real asset.
这个人说:我的老板以前总是弄不懂她怎么会雇用Carl的。一开始,Carl犯了很多错误,成了公司一大负担。可是两个月后,他开始作出很大的改进,不再是个问题了。事实上,他现在成了公司的骨干。
这个例子说明事情都不是一成不变的, 有时坏事也会变成好事。
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747 an albatross around one's neck
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