英语阅读.doc

Baseball is Americas national sport. So it is not unusual that many popular expressions come from baseball. But first, let me explain a little about the game.棒球是美国最流行的运动项目。所以有很多来自棒球的常用语也不足为奇。但首先让我稍微解释一下这项运动。Each baseball team has nine players. The pitcher of one team throws the ball to a batter from the other team. The batter attempts to hit the ball. If he misses, it is called a strike. If a batter gets three strikes, he loses his turn at bat and is called out. The batter also is out if he hits the ball in the air and an opposing player catches it. But if the batter hits the ball and it is not caught, the batter tries to run to one or more of the four bases on the field. The batter can run to all four bases if he hits the ball over the fence or out of the ballpark. Such a hit is called a home run.每个棒球队有9名球员，一队的投手将球投向另一队的击球员。击球员尝试击中来球。如果他没击中，这就被称为一个“好球”（好球是针对投手来说，对击球手来说，他就是一击不中）。如果一名击球员得到三次好球，他就失去击球机会，这被成为“出局”。如果击球员击出腾空球并被对方球员接住，这样他也会出局。但如果击球员击中球，并且球没被对方球员接住，击球员就会设法在四个垒中跑出一到多个垒。如果击球员将球击到篱笆以上或击出球场，他就能跑遍四垒，这样的一次击球就被称为一记本垒打。Now, here are some common expressions from baseball. Someone who is on the ball is intelligent and able to do a good job. But a person who threw a curve ball did something unexpected. Someone who steps up to the plate is ready to do his or her job. A pinch hitter takes the place of someone else at a job or activity.以下就是来自棒球的一些常用语。Someone who is on the ball是指他聪明，能做好工作。 a person who threw a curve ball是指他做出了让人意想不到的事情。Someone who steps up to the plate指他准备好了做他（她）的工作。pinch hitter是指某项工作或活动中的替代者。A person who strikes out or goes down swinging attempted something but failed. We also might tell the person that three strikes and you are out. But someone who hit a home run or hit it out of the park did something extremely well.A person who strikes out or goes down swinging是指他尝试做某事但未能成功。我们还可能会告诉这个人three strikes and you are out（三振出局）。但someone who hit a home run or hit it out of the park意味着他做得非常好。Sometimes I have to give information quickly, without time to think it over. Then I would say something right off the bat. If someone is doing an extremely good job and is very successful, you might say he or she is batting one thousand. 有时候我必须不经思考很快提供信息，这样I would say something right off the bat(立刻)。如果某人工作非常出色，你可能会说he or she is batting one thousand。If I say I want to touch base with you, I will talk to you from time to time about something we plan to do. I might say I touched all the bases if I did what is necessary to complete a job or activity. And if I covered my bases I was well prepared. However, someone who is way off base did something wrong or maybe even dishonest or immoral. A person with strange ideas might be described as out in left field.如果我说I want to touch base with you，意思是我会就我们计划做的一些事情不时和你交谈。如果我完成了某项工作或活动所必须完成的所有事情，我可能会说 I touched all the bases。如果I covered my bases，意思是指做好了准备。然而，someone who is way off base是指他做错了事，甚至做了不诚实或不正派的事。拥有奇怪想法的人被称为out in left field。Let us say I want to sell my car but I do not know exactly how much it is worth. If someone asks me the price, I might give a ballpark figure or a ballpark estimate. 假设我想要卖车但不知道它的确切价值。如果有人问我这车的售价，我就会给出一个大概的数字（a ballpark figure or a ballpark estimate）。If someone offers me an amount that is close to my selling price, I might say the amount is in the ballpark. However, if I say we are not in the same ballpark, I mean we cannot agree because my ideas are too different from yours.如果某人给出的报价，跟我的售价接近，我会说the amount is in the ballpark（差不多）。然而，如果我说we are not in the same ballpark，我的意思是说我们无法达成协议，因为我们的想法差得太远。Finally, when a situation changes completely, we say that is a whole new ballgame.最后，当局面完全改变时，我们会说that is a whole new ballgame（现在的情况与以前完全不一样）。51VOA注:on the ball：机灵，有见识这个词组源于20世纪早期的美国棒球运动。如果一名投手出手不凡，为对方的接球手制造了不少“麻烦”的话，我们称之为have a lot on the ball,后来逐渐演变为今天的含义：有能力应对即将出现的局面。在口语中，它常表示“机灵，有见识，在行”。The new publicity manager is really on the ball. 新任宣传部经理的确精明干练。threw a curve ball：戏弄或使人惊讶，提及出人意料的事curve 意为“曲线”，因此threw a curve ball意为“投出曲线球”。如果投手投出曲线球，球在空中方向会发生变化，击球手无法及时反应。因此“a curve ball”指“意外的难题”。The weather threw a curve ball at their outdoor picnic and they had to eat indoors. 天气忽然变得很糟糕，他们不得不中断室外的野餐，而到室内吃。step up to the plate：开始行动在棒球运动的大菱形内场上，人们注目的焦点在球场下端的角上。这是个14英寸见方的木块或者橡胶，称为本垒（home plate），也可以简称为垒（plate）。击球手就站在这块plate上面击球。当一名棒球运动员准备击球的时候，他就拿起球棒踏上本垒，英文的说法就是:step up to the plate。因此，该习语发展至今，就有了“开始行动，开始做某事”的意思了。Senator Smith will be the first to step up to the plate tomorrow to ask other senators to vote in favor of the Presidents Health Care Bill.参议员史密斯明天将最先发表意见，要求其他参议员对总统的医疗保险议案投赞成票。pinch hitter：替补击球员，代替者The coach burned his bridges in the ninth inning by putting in a pinch hitter for his best pitcher. 教练在第9局孤注一掷，以替补击球员换下他最好的投手。strike out /three strikes and you are out：三振出局，淘汰出局棒球比赛里有strike out这个说法（strike在棒球术语中指“未被击球手击中的球”）。如果一个击球手三次击球不中，他就strike out（三振出局）了。所以，strike out也可以引申为“一件事做了几次也不成功”的意思。“three strikes and you are out”也表达同样的含义。中国有句古话“事不过三”。在美国，有项法律名为“Three Strikes Law”，即“三振出局法”，力在严惩累犯，也是源于上述习语。go down swinging：光荣地失败，体面地下台He lost, but he went down swinging. 他输了，但他输得体面。hit a home run /hit it out of the park：（全垒打）全胜，漂亮一击在棒球运动中，homerun意为“本垒打”，即击球手将球击出后安全回到本垒。而hit it out of the park，根据字面意思，把球击出了球场，当然就是绝好的全垒打喽。因此，这两个短语就有“出色地完成某事”的意思了。right off the bat：立即棒球和球棒都十分坚硬，所以球棒一击中棒球，棒球就立即会以非常高的速度弹飞出去。据说球速是每小时100英里，right off the bat就出自棒球一接触球棒立即飞离而去。Sorry I dont know the address right off the bat.对不起，我不能马上记起你要的地址。batting one thousand：工作做得非常好,非常成功touch base：把某一件事的情况告诉有关的人Ill touch base with you all when I have these answers. 等到我有了答案我会跟你们大家联系的。touch all the bases：和所有有关的关键人物进行联系和沟通棒球运动员从一个base跑向另一个base的过程中，有一个关键就是，他的脚或者身体的任何一个部位必须触及每一个base，否则就会被判出局，得不到分。But before we go ahead, lets touch all the bases to make sure its okay. 但是在我们着手开展之前我们得和所有与业务有关的关键人物进行沟通cover my bases：准备好应付各种情况，面面俱到out in left field：意见不合理，莫名其妙如果你觉得他们很古怪或是莫名其妙，你可以说某人是out in left field。Look at that strange guy! Hes really out in left field!ballpark figure/ballpark figure：大概的数目Right now I can only give you a ballpark figure, about fifty dollars.（现在，我只能粗略估计一下，大约5