習慣用語:Jump Start & One Jump Ahead (音頻文字)

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習慣用語:Jump Start & One Jump Ahead (音頻文字) VOA (ZT)

Jump顯然是個忙碌勤懇的單詞,它發展成不少習慣用語,前兩次已經講了好幾個。今天還要學兩個。第一個習慣用語是: jump start。 這裏的start原是起動某種機械裝置的意思,而jump start原意是如果一輛汽車上的電池沒電汽車發動不了了,就可以用兩根電纜線把沒電的電池和另一輛汽車上的好電池相連,幫助這輛汽車起動這就叫jump start,也就是跨接起動而這兩根電線就稱為跨接電纜線,英文是jump cables。聽個例子吧,裏麵的 jump start 就是這個意思:

例句-1:Last night Bill drove his girlfriend to a movie and forgot to turn his headlights off. After the movie he found his battery was dead so he had to phone me to come and give him a jump start.

他說:昨晚Bill開車帶女朋友去看電影,下車時忘了關車頭燈。等到看完電影,發現他汽車的電池沒電了,於是他隻得打電話叫我開車去給他的車跨接起動。

這裏的give him a jump start意思是跨接起動他的車。

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近年來jump start常被借用作比喻意義,而跟汽車的起動無關了。我們聽個例子來體會習慣用語jump start究竟是什麽意思。這段話說的是一位市長怎樣解決市內道路年久失修、路麵坑坑窪窪的問題。

例句-2:The city didn't have enough money to fix the streets so the mayor borrowed money from the state highway fund to give a jump start to an emergency project to fill the potholes.

他說:市內沒有足夠的經費來整修路麵,於是市長借用州的高速公路經費來推動開展填補路麵凹坑的緊急方案。

這位市長臨時借用州內高速公路的經費以便立即動手開展整修市內路麵的規劃。所以這裏的give a jump start to something意思就是利用經費等資源,立即推動某一事情的開展。

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今天要學的第二個習慣用語是: one jump ahead。 Ahead意思是‘在前麵’,所以one jump ahead,從字麵意思來看就是向前跳一步,但是習慣用語one jump ahead表示什麽意思呢?我們聽個例子來體會吧。

紐約的一個不老實的生意人,貪汙了他公司的四百萬美元巨款後攜款潛逃。我們來聽聽他在遭到警方通緝追捕以後,起初一段時間為什麽老是漏網之魚。

例句-3:This man kept one jump ahead of the law for two years by moving to a new city every two months. But the FBI caught up with him in Chicago and took him back to New York to stand trial.

他說:這名逃犯有兩年時間老是比追捕他的司法人員領先一步,因為他每兩個月就遷往另一個城市。但是聯邦調查局終於在芝加哥追蹤捕獲這名逃犯,於是把他押解回紐約受審。

這人有兩年時間得以逍遙法外,是因為他不斷趕在警方追捕人員之前轉移潛伏地點,可見這段話裏的one jump ahead意思是趕在某人或者某組織之前搶先行動而占了上風。

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我們再聽個也用了one jump ahead這個習慣用語的例子這段話說的是汽車銷售業。在這個行業內競爭的激烈簡直達到了你死我活的程度。我們馬上要聽到一個汽車經銷商在對手下的推銷員講話。他的競爭對手搶走了他不少生意。他正告訴手下人自己打算怎樣吸引更多的顧客。

例句-4:Hey, we have to find some way to get one jump ahead of that Ford dealer down the street. Maybe we should offer free gas for a year to people who buy a car before the end of the month.

他說:嗨,我們必須想方設法先發製人,搶占這條街上那福特經銷商的上風。也許我們應該向在本月底前買車的顧客提供免費加油一整年的優惠。

這裏的to get one jump ahead of someone意思也是先發製人、搶占某人的上風。


Words and Phrases

1. jump start
原意是如果一輛汽車上的電池沒電汽車發動不了了,就可以用兩根電纜線把沒電的電池和另一輛汽車上的好電池相連,幫助這輛汽車起動這就叫jump start.

2. jump cable
跨接電纜線

例句:Last night Bill drove his girlfriend to a movie and forgot to turn his headlights off. After the movie he found his battery was dead so he had to phone me to come and give him a jump start.

3. give a jump start to something
推動某一事情的開展

例句
:The city didn't have enough money to fix the streets so the mayor borrowed money from the state highway fund to give a jump start to an emergency project to fill the potholes.

4. to get one jump ahead of someone
先發製人、搶占某人的上風

例句:Hey, we have to find some way to get one jump ahead of that Ford dealer down the street. Maybe we should offer free gas for a year to people who buy a car before the end of the month.

他說:嗨,我們必須想方設法先發製人,搶占這條街上那福特經銷商的上風。也許我們應該向在本月底前買車的顧客提供免費加油一整年的優惠。

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