英语听力汇总   |   the million dollar question不是指价值百万

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更新日期:2022-05-01浏览次数:494次所属教程:常用英语口语

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听力原文

the million dollar question不是指价值百万

公司是否该合并、是否该涉足新产业,这种让回答“Yes /No”都格外困难的抉择其实不少。如果你是公司决策者,要向员工宣布一个“重要而难解”的问题,该怎么用英文描述?

1  the million dollar question 重要却很难回答的问题

英国广播公司(BBC)曾以“Being better or worse off in an independent Scotland is the million dollar question…”为引言,探讨苏格兰独立后会更好还是更差。the million dollar question直译是“百万元的问题”,引申为“重要却难回答的问题”。

例:

The million dollar question is: should we give up what we have and explore the new market?(是否该放弃现有的一切投入新市场?这是我们都想知道却难以回答的问题。)

2  in a quandary 面临一项困难的抉择

美国《华尔街日报》(The Wall Street Journal )针对苏格兰独立报道,有一句话:“Scottish nationalists are in a quandary: how to dissolve the three-century bond with the United Kingdom while preserving their monetary link with the British pound.”quandary是可数名词,指“困惑、窘境”,当你“处于不易做决定的情况”时,就可以说I'm in a quandary。

例:

Redundancy is an effective but painful way to solve the company's financial problem. The chairman is in a quandary.(解决公司的财务问题,裁员是有效但痛苦的方式。董事长面临着艰难的抉择。)

3  hang in the balance 难以预料

加拿大《环球邮报》(The Globe and Mail )曾有一则标题“Britain's‘family of nations’ hangs in the balance”,点出苏格兰是否从英国独立出来处于未定之天。如果一件事的未来发展混沌不明,让人无法预知,就可以用hang in the balance。

例:

The US tech slowdown began and clobbered our clients. The future for the company hangs in the balance.(美国科技产业开始衰退,重创了我们的客户,公司的未来难以预料。)