HSK 词汇二

40、be on one’s back 卧病；卧床不起
A：Where’s Eric? I haven’t seen him for quite a few days.
B：He’s on his back now.
A：I’m sorry to hear that. But he was all right last week.
B：Yeah, he was caught in the rain the other days. He has got a very bad cold.
A：艾力克在哪儿呢？我好几天没见着他了。
B：他卧床不起了。
A：真不愿听到这个。上周他还好好的呢。
B：是啊，那天让雨淋了，他感冒得严重。

41、make somebody’s blood boil 使……极度愤怒
A：I want to sue the teachers for their physical punishments at school.
B：It’s all right as long as it doesn’t harm the children, or they won’t behave themselves.
A： Why do you also have the stupid idea? That’s brutal! It makes my blood boil to see our daughter standing in class for a long time.
A：我想起诉老师在学校对学生的体罚。
B：如果不伤到孩子的话，我想体罚一下也未尝不可，否则孩子们是不会守规矩的。
A：你怎么也有这样愚蠢的想法呢？那种行为简直太野蛮了！看到我们的女儿长时间地在课堂上罚站，把我的肺都气炸了。

42、 to the backbone 彻底
A：Helen is going out with Tom.
B：I hope not. Tom is a liar to the backbone.
A：How come?
B：He never tells anything true.
A：海伦正和汤姆交往。
B：我可不希望这样。汤姆是个十足的骗子。
A：何以见得？
B：他从来就没讲过真话。

43、sad dog 粗野的家伙
A：Ouch, you hurt me!
B：You’re no better. You knocked off my glasses.
A：You deserve it!
B：You, such a sad dog!
A：哎呦！你弄疼我了！
B：你也不怎么样。把我的眼镜都打掉了。
A：你活该！
B：你这粗野的家伙！

44、would give one’s right arm 要是……该多好
A：Listen! Someone is singing in the classroom.
B：Oh, it’s Billy. The song is beautiful!
A：I would give right arm to be able to sing like Billy.
A：听！有人在教室里唱歌。
B：噢，是比利。唱得多美！
A：我要是能唱得像比利那样就好了。

45、back out
A：Excuse me, sir.
B：Yes?
A：If the truck parks there, it will block the driveway. I have to back out soon.
B：I’ll ask the driver to park in the street.
A：Thank you.
A：对不起，先生。
B：怎么了？
A：如果把卡车听在这儿，会妨碍交通的。我的车一会儿就要退出来。
B：我会告诉司机，让他把车停在街上。
A：谢谢。

46、be up in arms 满腔怒火
A：What do you think of the plan for the new airport near here?
B：Perhaps they should give it a second thought. The residents here are getting up in arms about it.
A：I think they will.
A：你觉得在这儿附近建机场的计划怎么样？
B：也许他们该慎重考虑一下，这儿的居民对此非常气愤。
A：我想他们会的。

47、no fool 决不是傻瓜；聪明人
A：He thought he could take George in, but you know, George’s no fool.
B：So?
A：So. George just took him in instead and it cost him an arm and a leg.
B：You mean finally Mark bought the broken car himself?
A：Exactly. Mark’s almost broken now.
A：他想骗乔治上当，可是你要只乔治可不是傻瓜。
B：结果呢？
A：结果乔治反而把他给骗了，他可赔死了。
B：你是说马克最后把那破车买了？
A：正是，马克现在都快破产了。

48、in cold blood 冷血
A：The murderer was sentenced to life imprisonment.
B：It’s a severe punishment, I think.
A：Yeah, because he just killed a man in cold blood.
B：No wonder.
A：那个杀人犯被判处了无期徒刑。
B：我想这刑罚相当重。
A：是啊，因为他残忍地杀了一个人。
B：那就不足为奇了。

49、back down on 放弃
A：You finally backed down on your plan.
B：Yeah, I wouldn’t stick to it since most of you have opposite opinion.
A：You should give it a second thought.
A：你最后还是放弃了你的计划。
B：是的，既然你们大都反对这个计划，我也不想坚持了。
A：你再想一想吧。

50、work addict 工作狂
A：Who left the office with the light on?
B：Oh, Henry is still there working.
A：I see, the work addict.
B：Yes, he is. He’s never conscious of his health until he’s ill.
A：谁离开办公室没关灯。
B：噢，亨利还在那工作呢。
A：我知道了，是那个工作狂。
B：是的。不病倒了，他是不会意识到自己的身体重要。

51、give it to somebody straight 直截了当告诉某人
A：I’m very sorry. You see, I’m not in the position to tell you all this but I’m certainly very worried.
B：Don’t make a big speech about how sorry you are. Just give it to me straight.
A：We have to lay off some workers and you’re one of them.
A：我非常抱歉。你看，本不该由我来告诉你这一切，但我的确很担心。
B：你就别没完没了地抱歉了，你就直说吧。
A：我们不得不让一些工人下岗，而你就是其中一个。

52、square up to 对……摩拳擦掌
A：Being Chinese, the little boy bravely squared up to the tall Japanese solider.
B：And then?
A：And then with a whistle of bullet, the solider was killed.
B：By whom?
A：By the little boy’s father, appearing right behind the Jap!
A：身为中国人，那个小男孩英勇地与那个高个日本兵搏斗。
B：然后呢？
A：然后一声枪响，那个日本兵死了。
B：谁开的枪？
A：小男孩的父亲。他正好出现在日本兵背后。

53、have a thing about 对…….反应强烈（喜欢或不喜欢）
A：My grandfather has a thing about men with long hair.
B：Why?
A：He says it’s something like a rascal.
B：Well, tell him not to judge people by their looks.
A：我爷爷非常反对男人留长发。
B：为什么？
A：他说那有点儿像流氓。
B：嗯，告诉他不要以貌取人。

54、harp on 责骂；批评；申斥
A：My mother always harp on me.
B：So does my mother. They’re just like that, I’m already used to it.
A：But I can’t bear it.
B：What they do is just for our good.
A：我妈总是责骂我。
B：我妈也是。她们就是那样。我已经习惯了。
A：但我不能忍受了。
B：她们那样做也是为我们好。

55、to one’s face 当着某人的面
A：It’s hard to tell someone she’s wrong to her face.
B：Why are you so sad?
A：It’s my friend, Joan. She was very rude to her boyfriend yesterday. I told her she was wrong and she started to hate me.
B：No, that won’t do! How could she be so narrow-minded? I’ll do something for you.
A：当着一个人的面告诉她说“她错了”是很难的。
B：你为什么这么不开心？
A：是我的朋友琼，昨天她对男友非常粗鲁无礼。我告诉她说这样不对，她却开始恨起我来。
B：哦，怎么能这样！她怎么能这么小心眼儿？我会帮你的。

56、bind someone hand and foot 使动弹不得
A：Keep watch on him so that he won’t be able to escape.
B：We’ve already bound him hand and foot.
A：Just in case he escapes?
B：That’s impossible.
A：看好他，别让他跑了。
B：我们把他手脚绑上了，让他动弹不了。
A：万一他已经跑了呢？
B：不可能的。

57、have head like a sieve 健忘
A：What’s that man’s name?
B：I thought you’d been introduced to him twice.
A：Yeah. But I still cannot remember his name. I’ve got a head like a sieve
A：那位先生叫什么来着？
B：我想已经给你介绍了两次了。
A：不错。但我还是没有记住 他的名字，我很健忘。

58、in one’s heart of hearts 在心里
A：Are you really dating with Tom?
B：Yeah. But in my heart of hearts, I find he’s not very to my liking.
A：Then why not keep away from him?
B：The problem is that I just have no one to turn right now.
A：That’s stupid.
A：你真的在和汤姆约会吗？
B：是的，可是，我并不是从心眼里喜欢他。
A：那你干吗不离开他呢？
B：问题是我还没有找到更好的人。
A：这样做真愚蠢。

59、cool one’s heels 久候
A：You finally come. I had to cool my heels for you.
B：Sorry. Something unexpected tied me up.
A：Hurry up, or we’ll miss the last performance.
B：OK. Let’s go in.
A：你终于来了，我等了你好久了。
B：对不起，以外事情把我给缠住了。
A：快点，否则我们将错过最后一场表演。
B：好吧，我们进去吧。

60、have a big nose 爱打听
A：Frank said I have a big nose. I wonder what the means.
B：You’re interested in other people’s business, aren’t you?
A：Does he mean I’m inquisitive or I’m nosy?
B：That’s right.
A：弗兰克说我是“包打听”。我想知道这是什么意思？
B：你对别人的事情很感兴趣，不是吗？
A：他的意思是我很好奇或是我爱打听别人的事情吗？
B：是的。

61、have a sweet tooth 喜爱甜食
A：Alana is getting fatter and fatter. Why doesn’t she try to lose some weight?
B：She has a sweet tooth and loves meat more than anything else.
A：No wonder she’s getting weight so fast.
B：But now she’s come to realize the consequences and decided to cut down on candies and desserts.
A：阿兰娜越来越胖了，她为什么不试着减肥呢？
B：她偏好甜食而且最喜欢吃肉。
A：怪不得她胖的这么快。
B：但现在她已渐渐意识到后果严重了，并决心少吃糖果和甜点。

62、have an itching palm 贪财
A：Don’t trust Ben.
B：Why?
A：He has an itching palm and is sure to cheat you out of your share of the profits.
B：Then I must be careful about him.
A：别信任本。
B：为什么？
A：他很贪财，肯定会从你身上骗得好处。
B：那我必须小心了。

63、the shot in the arm 激励；鼓舞
A：Good news!
B：What is it?
A：The state of economy is starting to go up in our country.
B：That’s just the shot in the arm we need.
A：好消息！
B：什么消息？
A：我们国家的经济状况开始好转了。
B：那正是我们所需要的鼓舞人心的消息。

64、twist one’s arm 采取强制手段
A：It’s not easy to be a dean of a department.
B：I agree.
A：The new dean in our department is twisting the arms of some of the faculty members in order to get his way.
A：做系主任可真不容易。
B：可不是嘛。
A：我们系新上任的主任正在对一些教师采取强制手段，以到达他自己的目的。

65、rude awakening 如梦初醒
A：I heard that Daniel, not Donald has been promoted.
B：Yes, Donald had thought that he was the boss’s favorite employee. This time he had a rude awakening.
A：Poor Donald!
A：我听说丹尼尔升值了，而不是唐纳德。
B：是这样。唐纳德总以为自己是老板最得意的雇员。这次他才如梦初醒。
A：可怜的唐纳德。

66、poor apology for something 有名无实
A：Did you have a good time during your holidays.
B：Generally speaking yes. The restaurant I stayed in has a nice atmosphere, but they serve a poor apology for a meal.
A：How long did you stay there?
B：10 days.
A：假期过的好吗？
B：总的来说还可以。我住的酒店氛围还不错，只是饭菜有名无实。
A：你在那儿住了多久？
B：10天

67、what(ever) next 还有比这更荒唐的（或更料想不到的）吗
A：Lily’s the First Lady? Whatever next?
B：Why are you so surprised? Lily’s the prettiest among us.
A：But do you think beauty alone can make a First Lady?
B：I’m afraid I’ve no say here.
A：莉莉当上了第一夫人？还有比这更荒唐的吗？
B：你为什么如此吃惊呢？莉莉是我们当中最漂亮的呀！
A：但你认为漂亮就能当上第一夫人？
B：恐怕对此我没有发言权。

68、well up in 精通；擅长
A：It’s said you’re well up in literature.
B：You’re partial. I just like it.
A：Can you show me how to learn literature?
B：That’s a hard question. I’ve been reading and trying to write out my ideas.
A：据说你很擅长文学。
B：你说的不完全对，我只不过是爱好文学。
A：你能告诉我怎样学习文学吗？
B：这个问题很难回答。我一直在读书，并努力写出自己的感想。

69、scarcely ever 很少；几乎
A：Would you do me a favor?
B：What’s it?
A：My daughter has no interest in studying at college. Could you provide some information on job?
B：Scarcely ever to people get a good job these days without a good education. Tell this to her.
A：帮我个忙好吗？
B：什么事？
A：我女儿不想上大学，你能提供些求职信息吗？
B：你告诉她吧，现在没受过好的教育的人找到好工作很难。

70、sure thing 当然可以
A：Would it be okay if I used your phone to make a local call?
B：Sure thing.
A：Do I have to dial “0” first?
B：No.
A：我能用你的电话打个市话吗？
B：当然可以。
A：我是否得先拨“0”。
B：不。

71、 to the effect that 大意是……，72、 含有….. 之意
A：What did Prof. Lindsay say in his speech?
B：He spoke to the effect that the same symbol carries different implication or association in different cultures.
A：Can you give me an example?
B： Ox in Chinese is the symbol of diligence, honesty and responsibility as well as selfless contribution, but in Japanese, it’s of backwardness and inefficiency.
A：林塞教授在他的演讲中讲了些什么？
B：他大意是说，“同样一个象征符号在不同的文化中却有着不同的含义，使人产生不同的联想”
A：能否为我举个例子？
B：在中国文化中牛是勤劳、诚实、有责任感和无私奉献的象征；但在日本文化中，它却是落后和无能的代表。

73、 Thin air 子虚乌有
A：Jim, can you write a report for me?
B：Yes, I can, but you’ll have to give me all the data. I can’t create something out of thin air, you know.
A：No, problem.
A：吉姆，你能为我写份报告吗？
B：可以，但你必须给我提供所有的数据，你知道，我不能凭空捏造。
A：没问题。

74、 Under warranty 在保修期内
A：Oh! Is this recorder still under warranty?
B：It should be. I bought it only one month ago. Now it refuses to work these days.
A：It must be poor quality.
A：噢！这台录音机还在保修期内？
B：应该是。我一个月前刚买了它，可这些天它就不好使了。
A：一定是质量太差了。

75、 Too (clever) by half 可太聪明啦（贬义）；聪明过了头
A：He thought he could get Mr. Green’s money in his pocket but he lost all, he was too clever by half.
B：The fact is he never realizes that. He always starts out tricking others and ends up being tricked.
A：That’s the point. He once lost his briefcase by asking a “blind man” to take care of it for him.
A：他以为自己能把格林先生的钱据为己有，但却一分也没得到，他可是聪明过头了。
B：事实是他从没有认识到这一点。他总是开始时骗别人，到最后却被别人骗。
A：对啦，这才是要害。他曾丢过一个公文包，原因是让一个“盲人”帮他看包。

76、 (not)a shirt to one’s back 一无所有
A：Mrs. Brown deserve everybody’s pity.
B：I heard she became a widow last summer.
A：And a fire left her without a shirt to her back.
B：Bad luck.
A：布朗夫人值得大家同情。
B：我听说去年夏天她丈夫死了。
A：并且一场大火使她一无所有。
B：真倒霉！

77、 Cut one’s coat according to one’s cloth 量力而78、 为
A：Can we buy a house of our own, dear?
B：Not now. We have to rent house for a few more years.
A：The price is reasonable at present. What if prices rise?
B：My salary isn’t very large at the moment and we have nowhere to borrow much. We must cut our coat according to our cloth.
A：亲爱的，我们能买自己的房子吗？
B：现在不行。我们必须再租几年房子。
A：现在的房价挺合理。如果房价上涨该怎么办呢？
B：我现在的工资不高而且我们也没有地方借钱。我们必须量力而为。

79、 Die in one’s boots 工作时死去
A：Has your father retired?
B：Not yet. He hates to stay at home.
A：He’s old enough, isn’t he?
B：Yes, he is. But he says he would rather die in his house.
A：你的父亲退休了吗？
B：还没有。他讨厌呆在家里。
A：他太老了，不是吗？
B：是的。但是他说他宁愿在工作中死去。