1179.“For God so loved the world," said Jesus, "that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” 耶稣说，神爱世人，甚至将他的独生子赐给他们，叫凡信的人不致灭亡，反得永生。（约翰福音3：16）
　　1180.要是要选全世界都家喻户晓的一首歌，那一定非“平安夜”莫属：Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright ‘round yon virgin mother and child. Holy infant so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace. 平安夜，圣善夜！万暗中，光华射，照着圣母也照着圣婴，多少慈祥也多少天真，静享天赐安眠，静享天赐安眠。

　　Merry Christmas to all of you. God loves you all. I love you all.

日期：2008-12-25　19:32:31

　　1181.one thing at a time， 一件一件事做，一次一件，Focus. Concentrate. Do one thing at a time. 目不斜视，注意力集中，一次就做一件事。One thing at a time, you will get everything done. 一次完成一件事，每件事就都可以完成。
　　1182.与1181句类似的话有：Rome was not built in one day. 罗马不是一天建成的。 这几句都可以：Rome is not built over one night. Rome wasn’t built overnight. Rome was not built in a day. 有人接着说：But it was burnt down in one night. 但罗马是一夜之间烧毁的。（意思是，建成不易毁坏易。）Likewise, the Roman Empire did not fall in one night. 同样，罗马帝国也不是一夜间倒塌的。有个小孩子听了格言Rome was not built in one day. 他就说，Perhaps it was built in one night. (将前面的one day理解为一个白天。)

　　1183.Young people should avoid making decision on a whim. 年轻人不要凭凭心血来潮做决定。On a whim, he quitted his job. 他一时心血来潮就把工作给辞了。
　　1184.You have to take a snap decisions in a situation like this. 在这种场合，你只有当机立断地作出决定。a snap decision, 没有时间考虑所作出的决定。Over-confident individuals tend to make snap decisions. 特别自信的人往往会草率做决定。
　　1185.He made off-hand remarks. 他作了即席发言。
　　1186.You need to learn how to control your impulsive natures. Self-control is important.你要学会如何控制你冲动的情绪，自制力很重要。
　　1187.Now a lot of bright, young, newly-minted college graduate are looking for jobs.现在很多年轻有为、刚刚从大学毕业的学生都在找工作。newly-minted 刚刚出厂还没有使用过的钱币，形容刚刚出炉的，新的。the newly-minted apartments, 刚建好的公寓。a newly-minted governor 刚刚上任的省长。
　　1188.I have got into the groove of a nine-to-five job. I would like to have a change. 我陷入了这种朝九晚五枯燥的工作，我很想有个改变。groove 沟，生活习惯。get or be stuck in/into a groove; 日复一日；比较第七句。We never do anything exciting any more - we seem to be stuck in a groove. 我们在一起已不再有新鲜刺激，陷入了日复一日的枯燥生活。

　　1189.If you’re thinking about switching careers but can’t take the plunge, taking a part-time job could be a way to test the waters or boost your entrepreneurial skills. 如果你想要换一个职业，但是又一时无法立即抽身，那么先找份业余的活，试试水的深浅，这样也可以提高你的经营技能。
　　1190.I have to do something big. Time waits for no man. 我得干番大事业，时不待人呀。Robert Frost 说：Time and tide wait for no man, but always stand still for a woman of thirty. 时间与事势都不待男人，但女人却永远停留在三十。（讽刺过了三十的女人，她们总说自己才三十。）

日期：2008-12-26　12:42:19

　　1191.We all know that Mr. Wang is a big wheel in China. 我们都知道，王先生在中国是大腕级人物。big wheel大腕。The big wheels of industry are showing dissatisfaction with the President’s policy.工业界的大腕们对总统的政策均感不满。也有这类似的表达法：a big shot, top banana, top dog, a big thing, , big time等等。

　　1192.He is a longtime fixture on Wall Street. 他在华尔街一直是位炙手可热的人物。
　　1193.I am a small-time journalist on a small newspaper. 我是一份小报的微不足道的记者。
　　1194.When he was shopping in a store, he spied a wallet stuffed with cash on the floor. spy 作动词用意思是“发现”。他在商店买东西时，发现了一个装满了钱的钱包掉在了地上。
　　1195.It is rather difficult to spot him among so many people. 要在这么多人中找到他不容易。spot 的名词意思是“一个点”，作动词时有“找到”之意。He likes to take us to good spots around the city. 他喜欢带我们去城里那些好玩的地方。
　　1196.It’s unrealistic to expect everyone to agree on everything all the time. 期待人人在每件事上时刻保持一致意见这是很不现实的。You don’t have to see eye to eye to walk hand in hand. 你不一定得意见一致才能手牵手地同行。或者：意见不一致也能步调一致。

　　1197.It is always good to read the fine print in the contract. 一定要注意读合同中那些不显眼的细节。fine print 是与large print 相对应的概念。广告一般会用很大的字体（large print）来作宣传，然后用很小的字体（fine print）来作手脚。例如，广告大字体部分会说，“零利息”，下面的小字体说“限前四个月”。美容院就常常惯出此招。

　　1198.conservative and liberal: 要了解美国政治，有两个基本的词必须掌握，一个是保守派，一个是自由派。这两个概念与我们国内的保守派与自由派的含义几乎完全不一样。可以说，美国的保守派相当于中国的自由派，美国的自由派相当于中国的愤青。He is a conservative bucking the tide in liberal Washington. buck the tide, 反潮流

　　1199.Some Republican senators jumped ship and did not vote for the bill. 有些共和党参议员改变了立场，没有投这个议案的赞同票。jump ship跳船、临时改变立场。
　　1200.He is unearthing information to expose the scandal. 他正在收集资料要来揭露这件丑闻。

日期：2008-12-27　18:24:46

　　1201.He made a telling point when he visited the company. 在拜访这家公司时，他表达了一个十分重要的意见。There are ten telling points.the most telling witness, 这里的telling都是“十分重要”之意。
　　1202.I don’t want to raise your hopes, and I don’t want to dash them either, the chances are fifty-fifty. 我不想要燃起你的希望，也不想破灭你的希望。机会是各百分之五十。dash one’s hopes, 也可以用shatter来代替dash: to shatter one’s hopes
　　1203.She sprints up the stairs and disappears into her room. 她三步并作两步跑上了楼梯，在自己的房间里消失。100- meters sprint 百米短跑，又作100-meters dash。
　　1204.Too good to be true. 或者说Look too good to be true. 天下哪有这样的好事！如果有人许诺你，你投资壹万，明年你就可得五万，你就说这句话。