LL: No, "go with the flow" means to accept things as they happen and participate in the current activity.
LH: 可是Larry, 去哪里一定要有计划才行啊！不然会迷路的。
LL: That’s the point of the phrase, Lihua. "Go with the flow" means to go in one direction without any prior planning.
LH: 那你刚才说"go with the flow"意思是往Eastern Market的方向走，随便找个地方吃东西喽？
LL: That’s exactly what I mean. It’s spontaneous to "go with the flow." There are so many places to eat brunch in the Eastern Market area, so we can just "go with the flow" and choose a place that looks good when we get there.
LH: "Go with the flow"可不是我的习惯。我去一个没去过的地方，出发前一定要把路线图查好，否则绝对不敢出门。
LL: Well, "going with the flow" today will be an exciting experience for you, Lihua.
LH: 你说的有道理，我太依赖互联网了。如果漫无目的地随便走走，没准能找到不少有趣的地方呢！
LL: You know, Lihua, you can also shorten the phrase "go with the flow" by saying "go with it."
LH: 所以说"go with the flow"和"go with it."两种说法可以通用喽？
LL: That’s right Lihua. If I tell you to "go with the flow" or to "go with it" both sayings mean to be spontaneous and accept things as they happen.
LL: 在中文里这叫顺其自然。好，我肚子开始叫了。Let’s go with the flow and eat brunch!
今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是in the mood, 意思是有心情做某件事。另一个是go with the flow，意思是顺其自然。
礼节美语056讲
陈豪在北京的ABC美国公司工作。他在上班路上遇到了美国同事Amy。
(Office ambience)
A：How was dinner last night? Didn’t you go out with upper management to entertain some new clients?
C：没错，我跟老板一起请新客户到街对面新开的餐馆去吃饭，饭菜很棒，但是安排上出了一些小问题。
A：What happened?
C：老板Mr. Brown让我去安排。我通知了所有人，但是没跟餐馆预约，结果等了很久。
A：I’m sure that didn’t go over well.
C：能看出来，Mr. Brown很不高兴。
A：Anytime you invite people to a business meal, whether the group is large or small, call the restaurant and make reservations.
C：其实我打电话了，但是他们因为新开张，还没有订座的服务。
A：Did they know how many people you were bringing?
C：我说了，一共有12个人。
A：You should have asked Mr. Brown if he wanted to choose another restaurant.
C：我就是没想到要换餐馆。等大家到齐了，所有人都已经饥肠辘辘了。
A：When that happens, you end up with a group of cranky people. That’s not good for business.
C：是啊，下次你得好好给我讲讲请客吃饭时需要注意些什么。
******
当天下班后，陈豪和Amy有见面了。
A：What did you do while you waited for your table last night?
C：开始的时候，服务员让我们在门口的大厅里等。
A：Did you ask if you could wait in the bar and order everyone a drink and some hors d’oeuvres?
C： Mr. Brown很懂行，他提议先到酒吧去，还问服务员能不能给我们每人一杯免费的酒水。
A：That was the thing to do since the restaurant made a mistake in not taking a reservation for the large group. Even with reservations, if your group has to wait long time, you should politely ask for some sort of compensation.
C：最后我们可以上桌的时候，酒还没喝完，大多数人都自己把酒拿到了桌上。
A：You should have requested the bartender or his staff to carry the drinks, considering the kind of restaurant it was. At a casual place, you are expected to take your own.
C：除了免费的酒水以外，不少人还点了第二杯第三杯，大家走后，我只好留在吧台结帐。
A：Next time ask the bartender to add the bar bill to your dinner tab.
C：Amy, 你能不能最后总结一下，请客户吃饭有哪些注意事项呢？
A：Whenever you entertain people over meals, insist on reservations. If your table is not ready, offer your guests a drink at the bar. Ask the bar staff to carry your unfinished drinks to the table and to add the bar bill to your final tab.
美国习惯用语第449讲
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今天我们来讲几个由clock这个词发展而来的习惯用语。大家一定熟悉clock这个词，它是钟。我们要学的第一个习惯用语已经流传了很久了。它是: like clockwork。 Clockwork是钟表的机件装置。钟表能精确无误地运转，分秒不差，靠的就是clockwork。
人们用like clockwork来比喻什么样的人呢？我们听个例子来体会。说话的人每天一早上班顺道去一家咖啡店吃早点。这时他就会看到每天都在同一时刻来咖啡店的一位老人。我们听听这老先生有什么特点。
例句-1：He comes in at 7:30 like clockwork. He always gets coffee and a jelly doughnut, then sits and reads his paper. Right at 8:30, he leaves - you can set your watch by him!
他说：他七点三十分准时进来，老是买咖啡和一个果冻面饼圈吃，然后坐着看报，到准八点三十分一定离开。你可以根据他的行动来对表。
这位老人的生活规律一板一眼，精确无误，所以说他like clockwork，是形容他的生活有精确无误的规律。
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Like clockwork说人生活一板一眼地有规律，含义还是好的，但是下一个习惯用语就不同了: clean someone’s clock。 Clean someone’s clock意思是狠狠地揍某人或者把某人打得落花流水。
这个习惯用语五十来年前首先出现在军队内，意思是狠狠揍打某人，或者是用拳头击败某人。有些语言学家认为clean someone’s clock来自意思是打垮某人的一个俚语clean up on someone，而在clean someone’s clock这个习惯用语里clock是指人的脸，因为在英文里钟面就是face。要是你碰巧在街上看到打群架，你很可能会听到这种恐吓的话: Watch out or I’ll clean your clock! 这句话里的clean your clock当然是“把你揍扁了！”
但是如今这个习惯用语却多半用在运动比赛方面。我们听个例子，说话的人在跟他的好朋友Phil争论哈佛大学和耶鲁大学每年一度的橄榄球大赛。他是哈佛学生，而他的朋友却在耶鲁求学。
例句-2：Sure, Phil, I know Yale has won six years in a row. But we have a great team at Harvard this year. I tell you, we’re going to clean your clock Saturday afternoon!
他说：当然，Phil，我知道耶鲁已经一连赢了六年了，但是今年我们哈佛有个了不起的球队。告诉你吧，星期六下午我们会把你们打得一败涂地的。
这里的clean your clock，意思是彻底打垮你们。
******
最后再学个带有clock这个词的习惯用语: biological clock。 Biological解释为“生物的，” biological clock这个说法是五十年代产生的。原先用来指人体内的某种系统，专门调节像入睡、苏醒这些基本活动的节奏和时间。这也是习惯用语biological clock在一般字典上的解释。
然而如今要是在日常交谈中说biological clock，通常是指妇女一生中育龄期的始末。 Biological clock对急于要孩子的夫妇说来至关重要，当代妇女出外工作的人数比以往任何时代都多，所以你很可能会在办公室听到诸如此类的交谈。我们来听一位急与当爸爸的怎么跟同事商谈。
例句-3：Mollie and I have been married over 25 years and her biological clock is ticking fast. We’re not getting younger, so she’ll take some time off her job so we can have a baby.
他说：Mollie和我结婚有二十五年多了。她的育龄期正在飞快流逝。我们可不会返老还童，所以她准备请一段时间的假。这样我们就可能有个孩子。
这里的biological clock指妇女的育龄期。
流行美语第296课
Larry准备跟李华一起出去吃饭。今天我们要学两个常用语：at my wit’s end和give somebody a piece of your mind.
LH: Larry, 你最好快点。我们预约的时间是七点半，现在已经七点一刻了。如果再不走的话，肯定要迟到了。
LL: I know, but I can’t find my wallet! Oh, and I forgot that I have to feed my neighbor’s dog tonight!
LH: 你今天这是怎么了，钱包找不到，又忘记帮邻居喂狗，这样下去，以后鞋带也要别人给你系了！
LL: No, I just had a really busy and stressful day today. I’m telling you, I’m really at my wit’s end.
LH: The end of what? 我知道你今天很忙，可也不至于语无伦次啊。