Skip to main content

EPT 美語
目前網頁所在位置:
首頁 / 免費英文自學教材 / 美國之音 / 流行美語 / 第十三部 / 第01課

第十三部 第一課: a can of worms , cut one's losses

  • Larry 和李華正在商量如何幫助他們的朋友 Jane,因為 Jane 在工作上碰到了困難。今天李華會學到兩個常用語: a can of wormscut one's losses
  • ………………………………………………………………………………
  • I think that maybe we should just be supportive of Jane. It's been best not to open a can of worms by trying to give her advice.
  • 我們當然應該支援 Jane 啊。你說我們不要什麼啊? Open a can of worms? Worms 是蟲子,這支持 Jane,給她提建議和一罐蟲子有什麼關係啊?而且哪有什麼罐子裏裝蟲子的啊?
  • "To open a can of worms" means to do something that results in a complicated situation full of problems.
  • 我說呢,open a can of worms 是個比喻,不是真的開一罐蟲子。所以 To open a can of worms 就是指啊做了某件事會把問題弄得更複雜。可是,Larry, 我不懂耶!為什麼給 Jane 提些建議反而會造成更多問題呢?
  • Well, if she follows your advice and it doesn't solve her problem, then she might blame you.
  • 這倒也是耶!如果 Jane 聽了我們的建議,可是問題解決不了,她可能會反過來怪我們。還有啊,我們也可能因為不了解情況給了她錯誤的建議啊!
  • Right. There are so many things that could go wrong when you give people advice that I usually avoid opening that can of worms.
  • 這是沒錯,給人提建議啊是很可能會出問題的,因為你畢竟不了解他的情況。可是,你也不能因為這樣就避免給人提建議,不能因咽廢食啊。給朋友出主意也是應該的嘛。對了,Larry, 你還不知道,那天在課堂上啊,我才真的是 opened the can of worms.
  • What did you do?
  • 我啊問教授為什麼不討論第 13 章,結果你知道嗎,教授啊要全班回家讀第 13 章,而且星期一啊還要考試呢!
  • I bet that everyone in your class is unhappy with you right now.
  • 就是啊,現在啊全班同學呀一定在罵我。更慘的是,連教授也生我的氣,因為啊這本來是他的疏忽,可是啊給我指明了。所以囉,我啊真的是招惹了更多的麻煩。
  • Wow, that's a tough situation. You really did open a can of worms.
  • 就是啊,所以我現在很後悔,早知道啊什麼都別說就好了。
  • Unfortunately, sometimes keeping your mouth shut is the only way to avoid opening a can of worms.
  • ………………………………………………………………………………
  • Well, Jane decided to cut her losses and quit her job. She's going to start looking for a new job tomorrow.
  • 真的啊?Jane 決定要辭掉那個工作啦?Larry,什麼是 cut her losses?
  • To cut one's losses means to give up and withdraw from a losing situation.
  • Cut one's losses 就是看到形勢對自己不利,就決定改變方向,這樣呢可以減少損失。所以 Jane 決定寧可辭職,也不要再浪費時間去解決工作上的問題。是這個意思嗎?
  • Exactly. She didn't see any way to improve her relationship with her co-workers, so she decided to cut her losses and leave.
  • 嗯,要是啊根本就沒有希望改善她和同事的關係,那還不如趁早離開,免得啊再繼續受罪呢。
  • Sometimes, there's nothing you can do to improve a situation. All you can do is cut your losses and try to find a better situation.
  • 說的也是。人生啊有許多事情,真的是你再怎麼努力啊,也沒辦法改善的。像我啊有一位朋友,她呢是研究生化專業的博士生,可是啊她和她的指導教授啊關係很差喔。
  • What happened?
  • 她跟了那個教授三年以後啊,決定不能再浪費時間了。所以她就決定 cut her losses,拿了個碩士學位就走人。博士學位啊也不要了。
  • She gave up on her PhD?
  • 她啊實在沒別的選擇,就只能放棄囉!
  • ………………………………………………………………………………
  • 今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是: to open a can of worms,意思是做了某件事會造成更多的問題。另一個常用語是: to cut one's losses,這是指及時從對自己不利的局面裏面撤出來,以減少損失
EPT 美語
Top
Top
建議瀏覽模式:解析度 1024x768 或以上,瀏覽器建議使用 Chrome 4.0/Safari 4.0/FireFox 3.5/Edge 9.0 以上。