1293.While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions. 我们有选择行动的自由，但是没有选择行动后果的自由。这话的意思是你得为自己的行动负责。
　　1294.There is no business like show business.百业首推影视业。（有部电影，就是此名，翻为“难忘的舞台生涯”）。影视业是名、利、性集大成者，其他行业无可比拟。与这个句型相关的常用语有：There is no place like home. There is no one like you.
　　1295.Drug barons were greasing the palm of the chief of police. 毒枭正设法使丨警丨察头头为他推磨。grease the palm of 贿赂。You need to grease a few of the right palms to get you that job. 你如果想得到这个工作，看来得疏通几个关键性的人物。oil someone’s palm 也是同样的意思。

　　1296.The police chief tipped off the prime suspect and got him out of the country. 丨警丨察局长给主要嫌疑犯通风报信，让他逃到了国外。tip off 通风报信。The police had been tipped off about the robbery. 有线人给丨警丨察密告了这次打劫。
　　1297.Nowadays, every Chinese official wears many hats. 现在每个中国官员都有好些头衔。 They won’t do anything for you before you oil their palm.如果你不给他们好处，他们就不会为你办事。
　　1298.Gangland’s Mr. Big is guilty of kidnap and blackmail. 岗兰地的丨警丨察因绑架勒索获罪。
　　1299.He gets lots of money under the table. 他有很多的灰色收入。
　　1300.Be true to yourself. 坦荡做自己。（不跟风，不取悦他人）You need to have the freedom to be yourself.你得有发展自我的自由。It’s important for people in a relationship to retain a sense of self.在人际关系中，维持自我意识非常重要。(今天中国人最大的问题之一就是缺乏独立的人格，要不然依附国家机器，要不然跟着老板造假。)


日期：2009-01-14　22:25:59

　　1301.When I make up my mind to do something, I do it. 一旦我打定主意要做什么，我就会去做。
　　1302.What is done is done. 这是既定事实了。这个句子的否定表达法是：What is done cannot be undone. 可以套用中文：覆水难收。还有类似的成语：There’s no use crying over spilt milk. 覆奶难收。
　　1303.The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. 邪恶占上风只需要一个条件，那就是善良的人按兵不动。
　　1304.There is more than one way to skin a cat. 处理此事的方法不止一个。（直译：剥猫皮方法不止一个。）类似于All roads lead to Rome. (条条道路通罗马)与欧美人接触，迟早要遇到的一个话题是，你们中国人吃猫吃狗是不是？这个问题让我们中国人看起来好像很野蛮。我就跟他们说，其实，你们民族不久前也是吃猫吃狗的。他们说，不会吧？你怎么知道？我就说，你听说过这句谚语吗？英美人当然都知道这句话。我接着问，不久前你们还剥猫的皮，为什么要剥猫的皮？不就是要下酒吗？而且剥猫的皮方法还不止一种，而我们中国人大概只知道一种剥猫皮的方法。所以这说明你们英美人喜欢吃猫胜过中国人。说得英美人一愣一愣的。他们就回答说，I have never thought of that. (这我还从来没有想过呢。)如果你还想掉书袋，就说，Mark Twain 在1889年的小说 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court 就用过：“She was wise, subtle, and knew more than one way to skin a cat.”（她聪明、狡猾，总是能设法得到自己想要的东西。）

　　1305.All roads lead to Rome. 这句话虽类似1304句，但重点不一样，这话的意思是，做一件事的方法很多，无所谓你的方法最好。这句话有三个翻版：一是Not all roads lead to Rome. All roads do not lead to Rome. 不是每个方法都凑效。第二个版本是All roads lead home. 现在春运，铁路很紧张，你归家心切，就说这句话。第三个版本是，你邀请海外朋友来中国玩，可以说：All roads lead to China.

　　1306.This post has been removed by a blog administrator. 这个贴已经被斑竹给删了。开博客的人是blogger。博客就是blog。
　　1307.We needed her help but were fobbed off by promises. 我们很需要她的帮助，但她用空头支票忽悠了我们。This guy fobbed off a fake diamond on me. 这个人拿一个假钻石忽悠了我。He saw in my expression that I wasn’t going to be fobbed off. He finally told me the truth. 从我的脸色他知道他不可能忽悠我，最后告诉了我真相。

　　1308.He is a good boy, but he is with the wrong crowd now. 他是个好孩子，只是现在跟错了群。或者说，He is falling in with the wrong crowd. 他跟错了伴。He picked up the wrong crowd to be around. He is hanging out with trouble-makers. 他交了一些损友。You’ve fallen in with the wrong crowd. 你跟错了队。（在公司的勾心斗角中，你巴结错了人。）

　　1309.He put his life on the line to save the kids. 他冒着生命危险救了那些小孩。另一个说法：put life at stake。
　　1310.I think Jianli hit the nail on the head when he said that what’s lacking in China is democracy. 我觉得建利击中了问题的要害，那就是中国缺乏民主。hit the nail on the head, 击中问题要害。

日期：2009-01-19　16:57:59

　　冬天来了，这里我们一起聊聊寒冬
　　1311.Mr. Y: Teacher X, what do you think is happening? It is freaking cold every winter. I can hardly survive it. X: Well, don’t complain! Al Gore complained too much about Global Warming, so God turned down the temperature a little. If you complain too much, God will turned it up again. Then Al Gore will complain. When Al Gore complains, he wins the Nobel Peace Prize. When you complain, you get nothing. So just take it, Dude. 信老师，怎么回事呀，现在冬天怎么这么冷呀，都受不了啦！信：呃，别抱怨，好不好！高尔抱怨太多，说地球变暖，所以上帝就把温度调低了一点。如果你抱怨太多，上帝等下又调高点。结果，高尔又要喊了。高尔抱怨时，他得了诺贝尔和平奖，你抱怨呢，什么也得不到，所以还是忍着点吧，呆子。

　　1312.寒潮：A bone-chilling cold snap sweeps over northeast China. 刺骨的寒潮袭击了中国东北。寒潮又有cold spell, 或者cold wave。Freezing spell is believed to boost vegetable prices. 寒潮会引起蔬菜价格上涨。Of course, we were warned that a cold front is headed our way but this was beyond what I expected. 当然我们已经实现得到了警告说有股冷空气要到我们这里，但是我没有料到会这么糟。

　　1313.It is extremely cold.这句话有这样几种表达：It is freaking cold. It is freezing cold. It is a bone-chilling cold. 都可以译为“刺骨地冷，冷死人了”。
　　1314.It is not just cold, it is also windy. When you have a combination of a skin-freezing temperatures and a strong wind, you are dead!不仅冷，还风大。如果刺骨的气温加上狂风，你就死定了。