LECTURE 197 基本介词 ON 4

LECTURE 197 基本介词 ON 4

词组讲解

1. on the eve of sth. ** 在…前夜，在…前夕

解 习语；词义溯源：在某个日子的［前夜（eve）］

例 On the eve of their departure, my close friends came to my house and said goodbye to me. They said they would never come back. But it was in less than a month that they came back and decided to start their career in our hometown.

2. on the heels of sth. ** 紧跟着，紧随…之后

解 〈口〉习语；词义溯源：在［脚后跟（heels）］上

例 Huge tidal waves, sometimes called “tsunami”, usually come on the heels of an earthquake whose epicenter is in or near the ocean floor. They come without warning and can arrive anywhere from within a few minutes of the quake, or up to 24 hours later. Residents living in coastal villages know too well that when the ground shakes, it's time to evacuate to higher ground.

3. on the horns of a dilemma ** 进退两难

解 习语；词义溯源：在［困境（dilemma）］的［棱角（horns）］上

例 The United States once again finds itself on the horns of an immigration dilemma as it tries to balance its responsibilities to the political refugees of the world with its limited capacity to take them in. Since the end of the cold war, some 450, 000 refugees have sought political asylum in the US, most from Caribbean nations, including Cuba.

4. on the house ** 店家出钱，免费

解 〈口〉习语；词义溯源：算在［（店）家（house）］账上

例 Panda Pizza's Latest Offer is Hot！ Buy one large hot pepper pizza with at least four additional toppings for $12.99—and your Coca-Cola is on the house. Hurry though, this offer is only good until end of summer.

5. on the move ** 在活动中；（事情）在进行中；四处奔波

解 习语；词义溯源：处于［运动（move）］的状态

例 Tablet PCs are for the person who's on the move. If you lead a busy lifestyle, and need to keep abreast of what's happening, you can buy one！

巩固练习

(A) On the eve of

(B) on the heels of

(C) on the horns of a dilemma

(D) on the house

(E) on the move

1. A:______ the final round of GATT negotiations, it appeared the deal would not be completed by the December 15th deadline. B:And I predict it will be the same situation with the final WTO negotiations. Just before the event takes place , it'll look certain to fail.

2. A:My goodness, when do you eat lunch? You're always going somewhere. B:Well, like you said, I'm continually going from one place to another. Since I'm ______ all the time, I just eat while I'm travelling about.

3. A:Hey everybody, the owner's wife has just had a baby girl. The owner is giving all drinks for the next hour to you for free to celebrate his baby girl！ B:Hey, did you hear him? He said drinks are ______ for the next hour. Let's take him up on that offer. Let's drink！

4. A:I'm unable to decide which I should do: should I marry the man I love and make my life and his happy, or should I sacrifice myself and marry the man my parents have chosen for me and make my family happy? B:You're ______, aren't you? If I were in your shoes , I'd choose my own happiness. In the long run , you'd be glad you did.

5. A:Some countries complained that WTO came too soon after GATT. B:Yeah, it came closely ______ those laborious negotiations.

■ ANSWER:

1. (A)

2. (E)

3. (D)

4. (C)

5. (B)

参考译文

I. 1. 在离开的前夜，我的几个好朋友来我家里跟我道别。他们说不再回来了。但是不到一个月的时间，他们回来了，并且决定在家乡创业。

2. 巨大的浪潮，有时候被称做“海啸”，通常在地震之后来临，震中在海底或是接近海底的地方。海啸来临之前没有任何预兆，它可能在几分钟之内或者24小时后随着地震波及各个地方。居住在沿岸村庄里的居民非常清楚，在地面摇晃的时候，就该往高处转移了。

3. 因为想在有限的能力范围内，试图平衡对全球政治难民承担的责任，美国再一次在移民问题上进退两难。自冷战结束之后，大约有45万难民在美国寻求政治庇护，大部分来自加勒比海国家，包括古巴。

4. 熊猫比萨的最新产品非常火爆！买一份至少含4种馅料的大号辣椒比萨才花12.99美元，还免费赠送可口可乐。赶快行动吧，活动只持续到今年夏末。

5. 平板电脑适合四处奔波的人。如果你生活忙碌，而且需要及时了解最新发生的事情，那就买个平板电脑吧！

II. 1. A：关贸总协定谈判的最后一轮前夕，这项协议似乎在最后期限12月15号之前没法达成。 B：我预测这将与世贸组织的最终谈判情况一样。就在前一刻，已能看出谈判会无果而终。

2. A：我的天，你什么时候吃午饭？你总是到处跑。 B：嗯，就像你说的，我一直都是一会儿到这里一会儿到那里的。因为我一直到处奔波，我就边走边吃。

3. A：大家好，我们老板的太太刚刚生了一个女儿。老板说下一个小时之内请所有人免费喝酒，以庆祝他喜得千金！ B：嘿，你听到了吗？他说，下一个小时所有的酒水免费。那我们就接受他的请客，让我们开怀畅饮吧！

4. A：我没法决定我该怎么选择：我是嫁给我爱的人，和他过上快乐的生活？还是牺牲我的幸福，嫁给父母给我选的人，让我的父母开心？ B：你现在进退两难，是吗？ 如果我是你，我会选择自己的幸福。从长远来看，你会为自己的选择而开心。

5. A：一些国家抱怨，继关贸总协定之后，世贸组织形成得太早了。 B：是，经过艰难谈判，它马上就建立了。