疯狂英语脱口而出：成语的挑战
成语的挑战 —— 体现地道英语真功夫！
疯狂短评
本节为大家提供了许多具有挑战性的、有趣的、地道的美国成语。无疑，学会熟练使用成语总是会令人感到震惊并留下深刻的印象。
Kim’s Note Everyday language really is filled with idioms. People use idioms because they are an effective way to communicate an idea so that everyone understands it easily. Of course, if English is your second language, idioms make a conversation more difficult to understand. The best way to master idioms, is to practice speaking them in useful sentences. The following dialogues show you how they occur in everyday conversations.
Kill Two Birds With One Stone
一举两得 / 一箭双雕
A: Is there anything I can do for you, Stone? I’d like to help you in some way if I can.
有什么需要我帮忙的吗，石头? 我希望能尽点力，帮你点什么。
B: I can’t think of anything at the moment, but I know there is something important I have to do
today. It just slipped my mind!
一下子我也想不起来，我只知道今天确实有要事要办，我都给忘得一干二净了！
A: Well, it will come to you eventually. Maybe I could run some errands for you or something.
别急，你到底会想起来的。也许我能帮你跑跑腿什么的。
B: Ah! I remember! I need to cash a check because I’m going on a trip to New York next week.
Actually, I want to buy some traveler’s checks. You can drive me to the bank if you have time.
啊！我想起来了！我得兑换支票，因为我下星期要到纽约去旅游。事实上，我想买些
旅行支票。如果你有时间不妨载我到银行去。
A: You remembered just in the nick of time. The bank will be closed tomorrow for a holiday!
还好你在这时候想起来了，明天是节假日，银行要关门的。
B: Do you think it’s a good idea to buy some traveler’s checks?
你觉得买旅行支票合适吗？
A: Definitely! Don’t carry large amounts of cash with you when you’re traveling. We have a rule of thumb: “Never carry around any more cash than you can afford to have stolen.” To be on the safe side, you’d better ask for smaller denominations: $20 or $50.
那是肯定的！旅行时不要随身带太多的现金。我们的经验之谈是：“随身带钱要适量，丢了也不会太心疼。”为了安全起见，你要些面额较小的货币，如二十元或五十元。
B: Thanks for your advice. I have some questions to ask you concerning health insurance, too. And maybe you could clue me in on American tax laws too. It’s so hard to learn all the differences between America and China in such a short time. You really are a big help.
谢谢你的建议。我还想问你一些关于医疗保险方面的问题，或许你还可以给我介绍一下美国的税法。你知道要在这么短的时间里就搞清楚美国和中国所有的差异有多难，你真是帮了大忙。
A: No problem. Actually the insurance business is also done at the bank. Let’s go. We can kill two birds with one stone.
没问题。其实银行也做医疗保险方面的业务。走吧，我们可以一举两得。
B: Thanks a million, if you ever have any questions about doing business in China, I hope I can help you as much as you’ve helped me.
太感谢了。如果你对在中国做生意有任何问题，我希望我可以帮助你就像你现在帮助我一样。
财富大检阅
第一笔财富：
slip one’s mind: escape one’s memory; someone forgets something 使某人一时想不起来；忘记某事
Kim’s Note This is a softer way of saying, “I forgot”. For some reason, people are more accepting of this excuse than they are of simply saying “I forgot.”
* I meant to call you when I got to Beijing but I was so busy it slipped my mind.
（我本来是打算到北京就给你打电话的，但是我太忙了，所以就忘了。）
* Sometimes his own telephone number would slip his mind.
（有时候他会把自己的电话号码给忘记。）
* My aunt asked me to take care of her dog today while she’s out. But it totally slipped my mind.
（阿姨叫我在她外出时照看一下她的狗，可我把它给忘得一干二净了。）
* It had slipped my mind that you were arriving today.
（我把你今天抵达的事忘记了。）
第二笔财富：
(something) come to someone: (something) occur to someone / strike someone 某人想起某事；（思想意识等）到某人脑子里
* Her name finally came to him.
（他终于记起了她的姓名。）
* The idea just came to me.
（我刚刚想出这主意。）
* I’m trying to remember the address of the hotel, but it just won’t come to me.
（我努力回想宾馆地址，但就是想不起来。）
第三笔财富：
go on / run errands: go on a short trip in order to do something for someone or deliver a message 跑腿；为某人办事；出差
* I have a lot of errands to run this morning for my boss.
（今天早上老板交给我好多跑腿的事。）
* It’s the children’s job to run errands for the parents.
（为父母跑跑腿是孩子们应该做的事情。）
* He was tired of running errands for his sister.
（他已厌烦给姐姐当跑脚了。）
第四笔财富：
in the nick of time: just in time; at the necessary moment 恰好；正是时候
* The fight was getting out of control. It was lucky the police arrived in the nick of time.
（斗殴失去了控制，幸好这时候警察来了。）
* They arrived in the nick of time to save us.
（在紧要关头他们正好赶到来救我们。）
* You got here in the nick of time – the train’s just leaving.
（你来得真是时候 —— 火车正要开。）
第五笔财富：
rule of thumb: a way learned by practical experience; a quick and not very exact way of doing
something 单靠经验或实践得来的方法；粗略而简便的方法
* I never measure rice and water when I’m cooking – I just do it by rule of thumb.
（我做饭时，从不量米量水，只凭经验。）
* We don’t have a written policy on dating in the office but I’ve learned from rule of thumb that it’s a bad idea.
（对于办公室恋情我们没有明文规定，但是我凭经验就知道那不是什么好事。）
* As a rule of thumb, you should cook a chicken for 20 minutes for each pound that it weighs.
（凭经验估计，每磅鸡肉应烹调20分钟。）
第六笔财富：
on the safe side: take a precaution in order to avoid a risk or loss; just to be sure 为了稳妥起见；以防万一；安全地
* Take some extra money with you just to be on the safe side.
（以防万一，你还是多带点钱在身上。）
* I always carry some medicine with me whenever I’m traveling, just to be on the safe side.
（旅行时，我总是随身带着药，以防万一。）
* You’d better make a copy of your Identity Card, just to be on the safe side.
（你把身份证复印一份，以防万一。）
* Although the sun was shining the other day, my father took the umbrella with him to be on the safe side.
（虽然那天阳光明媚，我父亲还是带上了雨伞以防不测。）
第七笔财富：
clue someone in: give someone necessary infomp3ation for understanding something or finding an answer 向某人提供必要的情况；使他对此情况有所了解
* I just don’t understand what’s going on and I don’t want to just wait around for someone to clue me in!
（我不明白出现了什么情况，我不想就这样傻等着谁来告诉我。）
* I’m a newcomer here. I would really appreciate it if you could clue me in on the library of the school.
（我新来乍到，如果你能给我介绍一下学校的图书馆，我将不胜感激。）
* Since I missed the last meeting, I would like to have you clue me in on what happened.
（我错过了上次的会议，请你给我介绍一下上次谈判的情况。）
* He will clue you in about this.
（关于这件事，他会给你提供情况的。）
第八笔财富：
kill two birds with one stone: do two things at the same time 一箭双雕；一举两得
* If you are going to America on a business trip next week, you could kill two birds with one stone and
do your Christmas shopping at the same time.
（如果你下星期去伦敦出差，你可以一举两得，同时在那儿购买圣诞礼物。）
* I always get my nails manicured while I get my hair cut, that way I can kill two birds with one stone.
（每次我去剪头发的时候都会修指甲，这样我可以一举两得。）
疯狂实战
A: Since you’re going to pick up Nancy from the fitness class, why don’t you kill two birds with one stone and pick up Jane after her ballet class?
（你既然去健身班接南茜，那你顺便把上完芭蕾舞课的珍尼接回来好吗？）
B: OK, no problem.
（可以，没问题。）