91EN 关注英语教育

}  It has never been explained why university students seem to enjoy practical jokes more than else. Students specialize in a particular type of practical joke: the hoax.

}  University:
University /College :

   university 大学，比较正规的；college 大专，院校这样的大学
I’ll always remember my college days.
我在毕业典礼的时候，跟校长握手时，校长问我：“你在劳伦森大学这种生活难忘吗？”我当时回答的就是这句话。老师说
“good for you”为你开心
Degree、diploma、certificate
degree最正规，然后依次排列。certificate就当于一种证书，像计算机二级那样的证书
MBA (master of business administration)

    商业的行政管理这样的证书
BBA (bachelor of business administration)
这个是把 master 换成 bachelor

}  Students:
Graduate students / undergraduate students

       研究生                  本科生

 

}  Inviting the fire brigade to put out a nonexistent fire is a crude form of deception which no self-respecting student would ever indulge in. Students often create amusing situations which are funny to everyone except the victims.

}  amusing:

   搞笑，让人觉得很可笑
Is my misery amusing to you?
你看我那么倒霉，你觉得很开心是吗？

}  Funny ：
What’s funny?

   中文常说的“你笑什么，有什么好笑的”就是这句话了
What are you laughing at?

     

}  When a student recently saw two workmen using a pneumatic drill outside his university, he immediately telephoned the police and informed them that two students dressed up as workmen were tearing up the road with a pneumatic drill.

}  Use:

   这里我要说的use是在口语里边，表达利用的意思——
How do you think that makes me feel? You used me!
你觉得我会怎么想呢？你利用了我。
She is not your friend, she is someone you use to feel better about yourself.
她不是你的朋友，她只是一个让你用来感觉自我良好的一个人。

 

}  As soon as he had hung up, he went over to the workmen and told them that if a policeman ordered them to go away, they were not take him seriously. He added that a student had dressed up as a policeman and was playing all sorts of silly jokes on people. Both the police and the workmen were grateful to the student for this piece of advance information.

}  Joke:

    有很多种joke——
silly joke/practical joke/stupid joke/little joke/ inappropriate joke /terrible joke/weird joke
practical joke 恶作剧，已经不是一个简单的joke 了；weird joke开了一个玩笑，但是这个玩笑给人感觉怪怪的，比如说冷笑话，这个玩笑给人感觉怪怪的； inappropriate joke 开了一个不合适的玩笑

}  That is a good one!
或者直接说”good one” 就是指别人开了一个玩笑，你说这个玩笑开得不错

}  Play a joke on/ make fun of
Maybe she’s playing a joke on you.
可能她是跟你开玩笑的
Are you making fun of me?
你是在取笑我吗/你是在开我玩笑嘛？

}  grateful / thankful

     grateful,把它当成thankful就行了
 

}  The student did in an archway nearby where he could watch and hear everything that went on. Sure enough, a policeman arrived on the scene and politely asked the workmen to go away. When he received a very rude reply from one of the workmen. He threatened to remove them by force. The workmen told him to do as he pleased and the policeman telephoned for help.

}  Told:
I was told you had a question.

  我听说你有问题要问我。如果说，我有问题要问你，就是“I have a question for you”
I’ll do what I’m told.

   让我怎么做我就怎么做。

}  Shortly afterwards, four more policemen arrived and remonstrated with the workmen. As the men refused to stop working, the police attempted to seize the pneumatic drill. The workmen struggled fiercely and one of them lost his temper. He threatened to call the police.

}  Fierce:
The competition is fierce.
竞争很激烈，这里competition 和 fierce 对应得很好

}  Threaten:
threatening letter

   恐吓信
life-threatening

   这个是个形容词，让生命受到威胁的

 

}  At this, the police pointed out ironically that this would hardly be necessary as the men were already under arrest. Pretending to speak seriously, one of the workmen asked if he might make a telephone call before being taken to the station.

}  Telephone:
Your phone!! Your phone!!! ×

   当朋友的电话的响了，而他又在旁边，你会跟他说“你的电话”，中文说这句话是表达你的电话响了，但是直接说“your phone”是错误的，英文里的your phone 是指你的电话机，不是表达电话响的意思。你可以说——
Someone’s on the phone for you.

   有人打电话给你了

  

}  She’ll be waiting for your call.

    她会等你的电话
It’s your ( judgment ) call./ It’s up to you.

    call 还有一种用法，就是上面的例子。意思是，那就要看你的决定了；相当于“it’s up to you”

 

}  Permission was granted and a policeman accompanied him to a pay phone. Only when he saw that the man was actually telephoning the police did he realize that they had all been the victims of a hoax.

}  Accompany:

   表示伴随，陪着的意思
There is a definite relation between these paintings and the markings that sometimes accompany them. (lesson38)

}  Pay phone：

   公用电话，付费电话
collect calls

   对方付费的电话。但是对方在接电话的你需要报一下姓名，因为对方要付费比较高，可能不会接电话。
toll free number

    八零零免费电话