1117.I’d have jumped at the chance – surely the opportunity of a lifetime. 我立即就抓住了这个机会—这可是一生难得的机会。也可以说This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.这是千载难逢的机会。难得的机会也可以说，the last slender chance。
　　1118.We"re hoping that this is a long-term opportunity, and not just a flash in the pan. 我们希望这是一个长远的机会，而不会只是昙花一现。a flash in the pan, 昙花一现。
　　1119.Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises. 微不足道的机会往往是宏伟事业的开始。
　　1120.On the off chance that the window is still open. on the off chance, 万一。

日期：2008-12-16　10:27:36

　　1121.Clock finally strikes midnight for him. Cinderrella story comes to an exciting end. 午夜钟声终于到来，他的灰姑娘故事就要达到令人快意的结局了。
　　1122.与human相关的几个词：human 作形容词时意为“人的”，Human rights 人权；human welfare人类福祉。humane，“人道的，人文的”，humane killing, 人道屠宰；the Humane Society of the United States，美国保护动物协会。humane learning 人文学习。We need to foster humane treatment of animals. 我们对动物要采取人道的方法。The higher education, by its nature, is concerned with abstractions — both in the sciences and in humane studies. 高等教育，本质上来说，就是研究抽象的概念：在自然科学和人文科学上都是如此。humanism，人本主义。humanitarian aid，人道援助；humanitarian relief, 人道救助；humanity；

　　1123.There is meat to this magazine, not just fluff and puff. 这本杂志还有些内容，不尽是那些言而不实的东西。fluff, 肤浅，华而不实，puff, 烟、夸张，其反义词是stuff。It is all huff and puff but lacking real stuff. 都是些胡里花俏的东西，没有任何真正有用的东西。
　　1124.The company is subjected to class-action litigation over its abuse of workers’ right. 因为侵犯工人利益，这家公司正面临一桩集体诉讼。class action 集体行动。
　　1125.class 最常用的意思之一就是“阶级”，middle class, 中产阶级。按马克思的说法，现代社会有两个主要的阶级，一是the proletariat，二是the bourgeoisie，前者为“无产阶级”，后者为“资产阶级”。但是bourgeoisie的确切含义却是“中产阶级”。中国人搞无产阶级专政搞了六十年，连最基本的对象都不知道。中产阶级，你去专他的政干嘛？当然，bourgeoisie是个学术名词，没有人用，大家只用middle class.A strong middle class is vital to democracy. 一个强有力的中产阶级对于民主乃至关重要。

　　1126.McDonald’s puts its full weight behind promoting the homosexual agenda. 麦当劳在全力以赴地支持同性恋的目标。put one’s full weight behind 全力支持。也可以说stand behind.
　　1127.He spent the weekend in boxers. boxers 内短裤。他一个周末都懒懒散散。（他一个周末都穿着内短裤，就是说，他哪里都没有去。）
　　1128.He is absolutely enjoyable to be with. He is cheerful, upbeat. You will feel good around him. 与他相处最为令人快乐。他乐观、向上。在他身边你会感到舒畅。
　　1129.Men are afraid of coming in second to women. 男人很害怕会比不上女人。
　　1130.They won the National Champion for the second year in a row. 他们连续两年获得全国冠军。in a row 连续。They made two strong victories in a row.他们取得了两连胜的好成绩。

日期：2008-12-18　11:37:51

　　1131.He is the boss and he calls the shots. 他是老板，由他做主。call the shots, 做决定（shot要复数）Since Tom has been calling the shots, the work has doubled.汤姆当上了主管后，工作量加大了一倍。比较第485句。
　　1132.bring down the house （声音大得把房子都震垮），演出赢得一片喝彩。The clown sang a duet with the talking horse, which brought the house down every night. 小丑与会说话的马表演合唱，每晚都把观众笑得人仰马翻。The children"s performances brought down the house. 孩子们的演出博得了满堂喝彩。
　　1133. That is a powerful action-packed movie that takes you into a never-seen-before world. 这部影片从头打到尾，非常刺激，把你带进了一个全新的世界。
　　1134. The play received raves. 这个剧获得了好评如潮。He is earning raves for his quirky show. 他的表演很幽默，经久不衰。quirky 奇奇怪怪的
　　1135.This movie is loaded with twists and turns. 这部影片情节错综复杂，充满悬念。

　　1136.This movie is a box smash.或者It is a box hit. 这部电影创造了不俗的票房成绩。
　　1137.Liu Xiaobo is out front carrying a bullhorn for the political reform. 刘晓波冲锋陷阵，是呼吁政治改革的领军人物。bullhorn 手提式扩音器。拿扩音器的人一般都走在队伍的前面。Beijing University is no longer a bastion of democracy. 北京大学已经不再是捍卫民主的堡垒。
　　1138.08 Charter, like Charter 77 declaration of the Czechoslovak, is a beacon of humanism. 08宪章，如同捷克的77宪章一样，是人道主义的烽火台。
　　1139.You must be the change you want to see in the world. 你想如何改变世界就先如何改变自己—甘地
　　1140.Misery loves company. Happiness is contagious. 悲哀喜欢结伴，快乐传递众人。People who are happy are likely to live longer, even if they have a chronic illness. 快乐的人总会长寿，就算常年患者也会如此。

日期：2008-12-19　21:42:23

　　1141.The Communist Party is just another human organization, with all the scope for laziness, inefficiency, and even corruption. It is not divine at all.Don’t have any illusions for it.共产党不过是另一个由人组成的组织，完全可能懒惰、效率低下、甚至腐化。不要觉得有什么神奇，不要抱有幻想。scope 程度，范围；to scope out, 发现，By the time we"d scoped out the problem, it was too late. 当我们发现问题时，却为时已晚。写研究报告的人可能会遇到一组词：scope and limitation, 报告范围及限制，（就是你研究报告中要谈到内容以及不会涉及到的内容。）

　　1142.These two countries are now in a full scale war with each other. 这两个国家已全面交战。scale 也有“程度”的意思，另一个主要的意思是“鱼鳞、秤”；动词：打水漂。He tips the scales at 190 lbs. 他体重已达190磅。 It would take a miracle to turn the scales for us now. 只有神迹才会使天平倾向我们一边。

　　1143.The end justifies the means. 只要目的正确，看使用任何手段。（目的使手段合法。）The Communist Party believes that the end justifies the means. 共党的信仰是，只要目的对，可使用任何手段。
　　1144.An investigation could take years, will be completely out of the public eye, and may result in nothing more than fines for Sanlu. 这个案子查起来得费数年的功夫，很快就完全脱离了公众的视线，最后也就最多是给三鹿一点罚款罢了。out of the public eye, 脱离公众监督。