1、动物词语动物和我们的生活息息相关,总结和学习与动物有关的一些表达将有助于增加外语学习者对目标语的兴趣,从而提高学习外语的效率和表达能力。以下就动物的外部特征、行为动作、生活习性、性情以及与动物有关的故事和传说等五个方面展开简要的说明。一、基于动物外部特征的表达一些动物外表上的特点使我们容易联想起日常生活中的一些事物、人的某些特点、举止、动作等。goose flesh/pimples(鸡皮疙瘩)鸡、鹅等动物的皮肤表面粗糙,有一些小疙瘩状的突起。因此,就用goose flesh/pimples来指人们由于寒冷、害怕等而引起的皮肤粗糙的情形。例句:Whenever I see a horrible
2、film, I immediately get goose flesh.(我一看恐怖片,马上就浑身不自在。)hedgehog (刺猬、难以应付的人)刺猬的身体表面布满尖刺,可以起到保护的作用,而对于对手来说,刺猬就成了不好对付的动物。由此,hedgehog转义指那些难以对付的人,这与汉语的方言刺头儿有着异曲同工之妙。例句:He is a hedgehog guy. Dont bother him when he is in bad mood. (他是个难对付的人,他心情不好时,最好不要招惹他。)crane(鹤)名词动用时可引申为伸长(脖子)。例句:The audiences are crani
3、ng their necks to see the hero coming down from the spaceship. (观众正伸长着脖子去看从飞船里下来的英雄。)eel(鳝鱼)由于鳝鱼形体如蛇,表面光滑,不易被捉。因此,往往可拿鳝鱼来比喻滑头滑脑的人。例句:He is one of the most slippery businessmen in the local business community, just like an eel.(他是当地商界最滑头的商人之一。)sheep (羊、绵羊)black sheep意为有辱门楣的人或败家子。原因如下:第一,黑绵羊的毛不值钱;第二,它
4、的黑颜色使其他白色绵羊害怕。因此自古以来,人们就认为黑绵羊是给羊群带来麻烦的东西。这一表达法在使用时多半表示贬义。例句:He used to be considered the black sheep in the class. (他过去在班里常被认为是害群之马。)ostrich(鸵鸟)据说鸵鸟一感到有危险,就把头部插到沙堆中,它认为这样就算完全隐蔽起来了,不会被发现。playostrich或buryonesheadinthesand意思就是:尽管从客观上看,事态非常严重,但是却不去正视,亦即所谓的采取鸵鸟政策或逃避现实。例句:He is likely to be playingostrich
5、 while the divorce seems unavoid-able between hiswife and him.(他很有可能逃避现实,不去正视他和他的妻子之间即将发生的不可避免的离婚。)snail(蜗牛,喻指行动迟缓的人)由于蜗牛的动作缓慢,因此英语中就有了atasnailspace,snail-paced或snail-slow来表示蜗牛般的慢行、慢吞吞的之意。例句:Whyonearthareyouwalkingatthissnailspace?(你到底为什么走得怎这么慢?)chicken(小鸡)run around like a chick with its head cut o
6、ff表示慌里慌张急得来回转。我们可以想象被割掉头的鸡乱蹦乱跳的样子,这正如汉语中的东一头西一头像无头苍蝇一样。例句:When she got to know that her baby son was lost, she began to look for him like a chick with its head cut off.(当她得知她年幼的儿子走丢时,她就像没头苍蝇到处乱找。)三、基于动物生活习性的表达bird(鸟)小鸟大都天刚亮就起来唱歌、觅食了,但因它们体形小,吃得并不多;同时它们自由自在、一身轻松。基于小鸟的这些生活习性,英语中就有如下的表达:an early bird(早起
7、、早来或早干活的人)例句:He is always the early bird to come to the office in the morning.(他总在早上最早来到办公室。)eat like a bird(饭量少)例句:Her parents are worried about her because she has been eating like a bird recently.(她的父母对她有点担心,因为她最近饭量很少。)fish(鱼)正如瓜儿离不开秧一样,鱼儿离不开水,如果鱼儿离开了水,它就会显得很无助。因此,be like a fish out of water常用于表示
8、不合时宜、格格不入、局促不安、手足无措等意思。例句:I felt like a fish out of water at Toms birthday party last week.(我觉得自己上周在汤姆家举行的生日晚会上很别扭。)owl(猫头鹰)猫头鹰昼伏夜出,a night owl直译为夜里活动的猫头鹰,专作比喻使用,意为夜游神,汉语俗语又称夜猫子。例句:I simply cant stand you owls coming back home mid night everyday.(我简直难以容忍你们这些夜猫子每天半夜才回家。)四、基于动物性情的表达lion(狮子)狮子勇猛无比,乃百兽之
9、王。a lion in the way/path。意为拦路虎。例句:He is a lion in the way for me to the promotion. (他是我升职路上的拦路虎。)lamb(羔羊)羔羊一向温顺、老实。如(as) gentle as a lamb(像羔羊一样温顺),主要用于平常不太温顺的动物,偶尔也用于指人。例句:To my surprise, the naughty boy is as gentle as a lamb today. (让我颇感惊讶的是,这位平常很淘气的小男孩,今天却显得很温顺。)mule(骡子)骡子是一种极端顽固的动物,它一旦不想动,你怎么驱使它
10、也没有用。如as stubborn as a mule就表示非常固执的(人)。例句:You are wasting your time to persuade him to give up smoking as he is as stubborn as a mule.(你劝他戒烟就是在浪费你的时间,因为他是个很固执的家伙。)duck(鸭子)take to something like a duck to water表示天生喜好,鸭子性本爱水,即使是第一次下水,小鸭子也马上会适应环境,不但毫无困难,而且对水非常喜欢。这一表达法表示对某一事物天生就喜好的意思。例句:Mary takes to he
11、r life in China like a duck to water. (玛丽马上就适应了她在中国的生活。)五、基于与动物有关的故事或传说的表达cat(猫)词语let the cat out of the bag表示漫不经心地泄露秘密。古时,在乡村市场上有把小猪装入布袋出售的习惯。为了欺骗买主,农民常把猫装入布袋冒充小猪。可是,这个重要的交易品却钻了出来,因此,买卖不得不告吹。本表达法即由这一故事而来。这里的猫转义为秘密,一般用于漫不经心泄露机密的场合。例句:Mary let the cat out of the bag to release her secret marriage wit
12、h John.(玛丽把她和约翰的秘密结婚一事公开了出来。)goat(山羊)词语get some ones goat表示使某人恼怒。古时,在赛马的头一天夜里,有把马与山羊放在一起的习俗。这样,马就可以安心休息,第二天会跑出好成绩。如果在赛马的前夜,把拴在竞争对手马厩中的山羊取走,就会刺激对方马的神经,而对自己的马有利,这就是本条习语的来源。例句:She is always getting my goat when she said she for got to bring any money with her to dineout.(她外出就餐时老说自己没带钱,这让我很生气。)goose(鹅)词
13、语cook ones goose表示使某人彻底完蛋。据传,在中世纪的时候,瑞典国王率兵出征,来到了某城。于是,该城人民就把象征着傻瓜的鹅高悬到一个显眼的地方,然后质问国王:你们干什么来啦?国王回答说:我们来烧你们的鹅。他后来派人放火把城烧了。在这一表达法中,goose除了指希望、计划外,还指人的存在本身以及存在价值等。例句:He is cooking his goose in public.(他正在公众面前毁掉自己的形象。)总之,上述与动物有关的一些表达只是浩瀚语言海洋中的点滴而已。即便如此,外语学习者们平时在学习过程中如果能做到有意识地对此类表达予以足够的分析、理解和记忆,那么快速地提高学习
14、外语的兴趣和口头及书面语的表达能力指日可待。用户: 形容自以为不正视危险便可避开危险的人: bury ones head in the sand like an ostrich(鸵鸟) 工作勤奋而认真的人: beaver(河狸) 姑娘、少女: bird(鸟)、canary(金丝雀)、chicken(小鸡)、 mouse(鼠)、pigeon(鸽子) a lucky dog 幸运儿 duck(鸭) 亲爱的人,宝贝儿 eagle(鹰) 战斗机老牌驾驶员 butterfly(蝴蝶) 追求享乐的人 parrot(鹦鹉) 应声虫、人云亦云者 peacock(孔雀) 爱炫耀自己的人、虚荣的人 walrus(
15、海象) 矮胖子 calf(小牛) 呆头呆脑的年轻人1. Fluffy (like a baby bird; a duckling) 毛茸茸的2. Amphibious (can live on land and in water; a frog) 两栖的3. Furry (covered with a thick coat of fur; a bear) 长毛的;毛绒的4. Ferocious (savagely fierce; a tiger) 凶猛的5. Tame (domesticated from a state of wildness; a horse) 温顺的6. Venomous
16、 (poisonous; some species of snake) 有毒的7. Agile (quick in movement; a monkey) 敏捷的8. Prehistoric (from a time before recorded history; a dinosaur) 古老的;史前的9. Cuddly (inviting hugging; a kitten) 令人想拥抱的10. Microscopic (very, very small; an amoeba) 很小的11. Cold-blooded (body temperature controlled by the
17、sun; a lizard) 冷血的12. Saltwater (lives in the sea or salty water; a shark) 生活在海中的13. Scaly (covered with thin protective plates; a fish) 有鳞的14. Carnivorous (feeding only on meat; a lion) 食肉的15. Herbivorous (feeding only on plants; a sheep) 食草的16. Cute (attractive and appealing; a koala) 可爱的17. Omniv
18、orous (eats both plants and animals; a bear) 杂食的18. Nocturnal (active at night; an owl) 夜行的19. Feline (Belong to the cat family, catlike; a jaguar) 猫科的20. Canine (Belonging to the dog family, doglike; a wolf) 犬科的You are a rat.你这个鼠辈。Dont have a cow.不要生气。You are such a snake in the grass.你不值得信任。She is
19、 a social butterfly.她是个交际花。He eats like a bird.他吃得很少。He has ants in his pants.他坐立不安。The little boy always parrots what others say.用动物形象来表达的英语俚语俚语是英语世界中非常活跃,生动,非常具有语言魅力的一种形式。其中很多用动物形象来表达的俚语更是贴切自然,给人耳目一新的感觉。下面就让我们用实例来进入英语俚语中的动物世界:1 get ants :紧张,烦躁,焦虑此语来自于 have ants in ones pants(裤子里有蚂蚁,当然让人烦躁不安了,呵呵!)A
20、lex always gets ants when his wife starts complaining about a lack of money.亚历克斯的妻子一抱怨缺钱时,他就心里打鼓,焦虑不安。2 beat a dead horse :争论已经解决了的问题这个俚语字面意思就是打死马,指争论已经解决了的问题或再提起已经真相大白的事情.Look, Annie is beating the dead horse again!瞧瞧,安妮又提起我们都讲明白的事情了!3. to be a jelly fish: 做事无头脑字面意思像一只水母,指人没有头脑.Mark is a jelly fish
21、, never knowing which thing go first.马克是个没有头脑的人,做事从不知道轻重缓急.4. buy a pig in a poke: 草率同意或接收字面意思是买一头装在袋子里的猪,言外之意是在没看到猪的情况下就将其买下,比喻盲目接受或草率同意.Listen to me Susan, never buy a pig in the poke when it comes to signing a contract.苏珊请听我说,签合同时一定别草率!5. a can of worms: 复杂而麻烦的一大难题字面意思是一桶害虫,比喻一大堆的麻烦事或十分复杂的问题.The
22、anti-terrorism problem is always a can of worms.6. chicken-livered: 胆小的,胆怯的chicken-livered 和chicken-hearted都是指胆怯的,可能是因为小鸡胆小才得此意.Although Bob is big and strong, he is chicken-livered and dare not go out alone at night.7. a dumb bunny:马大哈,傻瓜字面意思不聪明的小兔子After their two-year relationship, Dick found his
23、girlfriend a dumb bunny.迪克和女友交往两年后,发现她是个傻姑娘.8. as poor as a church mouse:一贫如洗教堂里的了老鼠通常找不到吃的,所以用来形容人贫穷,一无所有.Even though John is as poor as a church mouse, he always does his best to help others.9. give someone the fish-eye:冷眼相待鱼眼在动物中可能被人认为是最冷酷无情的,所以用鱼眼来表达冷酷的眼神.I couldnt bear the way Lora gives me the
24、 fish-eye every time I greet her.我每次和劳拉打招呼她都冷眼相待的样子,这让我难以忍受.10. have a tiger by the tail:骑虎难下咱们中国人说骑虎难下,英语里边说抓着老虎的尾巴难办,其实表达的意思一样了,可谓是殊途同归,有异曲同工之妙.Peter started the whole thing, and he has a tiger by the tail now.这事儿都是彼得闹起来的,现在他骑虎难下了.11. play camels: 喝多了,醉醺醺的汉语中说牛饮形容人酒量大,而英语中则用骆驼来形容人喝得多.The young cou
25、ple have a quarrel whenever the husband plays the camels.不管什么时候丈夫喝醉了,这小两口总会大吵一架.12. like pulling hens teeth:艰难不堪去拔母鸡那满口的小细牙,当然很困难了,西方人也很会观察生活的!The new project Jean is working on is just like pulling hens teeth.简正做的这个项目真是举步维艰.13. night hawk:夜游神Jack wonders here and there just like a night hawk.14. social butterfly: 交际花As is known to all, Betty is a social butterfly on the campus.
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