礼节美语122讲
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中国雇员Cathy忧心忡忡地去找美国同事Mark请教。
Kathy: Hey Mark...do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?
Mark: No problem, I`ve got time.
K: Great! Well, I`m going to Seattle for half a year. I`m attending a course at a university and I`ll be doing some research as well.
Mark: Sounds like fun!
K: Yes. But I`m really worried that I don`t understand American culture well enough. You know how here in China we have lots of little things that are considered impolite...what if I do something wrong in America? I`d be so embarrassed if that happened!
原来，Kathy要去西雅图进修半年，但是担心自己对美国文化和风土人情了解不够，会在小事情上闹笑话，让自己难堪，embarrassed。
Mark: Ah, I see! Actually, we have a great word in English that describes making a cultural mistake...it`s called a "faux pas" and it`s actually originally a French term.
K: So I should say I want to avoid any cultural "faux pas?"
Mark: That`s correct. You know, actually you shouldn`t worry too much. America is a pretty relaxed country, but there are a couple things you should be aware of.
K: Oh? Such as?
Mark说，这种文化上的失误叫faux pas。 Faux pas是从法语来的。前面可以用动词avoid避免或是commit犯下。Mark安慰Cathy说，美国是一个很随便的国家，American is a pretty relaxed country. 不过还是有些地方需要注意。Such as? 比如说呢？
Mark: Americans - and western people in general - can be very sensitive about smells.
K: Oh...so I should be careful after eating spicy foods, right?
Mark: Yep. Things like garlic or various Chinese dishes can have a strong smell. It`s best to chew gum or use a breath freshener.
K: That`s a good thing to remember. How about when I visit a friend`s home? What should I bring?
Mark说，西方人对气味非常敏感，中国人喜欢吃的大蒜等食物，都会留下十分浓重的味道，It`s best to chew gum or use a breath freshener. 所以最好嚼嚼口香糖，设法去去嘴里的味儿。去朋友家作客，带点儿什么呢？
Mark: If you and your guest drink alcohol, it`s always nice to bring a bottle of wine. If wine is a problem, you could try fruit or some kind of desert.
K: But should it be an expensive gift?
Mark: No, the price is not so important. Just bring something to show you care about your hosts and are grateful for their invitation.
如果宾主双方都喝酒的话，带瓶葡萄酒绝对没错，否则的话，可以考虑带点水果或是甜点。礼物不一定要非常贵重，能够表达对主人的关心和对邀请的感激就可以了。
美国习惯用语第512讲
今天要讲的习惯用语共有这样一个关键词 ：jump。 大家都熟悉jump这个词。它是跳跃的意思。你有没有看过马戏团里训练有素的小狗听到驯狗师一声令下立即跳跃穿过铁环呢？这就是今天要学的第一个习惯用语的出典。这个习惯用语是：jump through a hoop。
Hoop是铁环或者任何圆环状的东西。所以这个习惯用语要是直译就是跳跃穿过铁环。看过马戏团小狗表演的人一定知道乖巧机敏的小狗对驯狗师的命令反应快速而且百般服从，但是习惯用语jump through a hoop却不是用来说小狗而是说人了。说什么样的人呢？我们听个例子来领会吧。说话的人是在描述自己办公室的同事Bill:
例句-1：Bill has heard the rumors that we have to cut our staff. He has a wife and six kids and he`s scared to death, so he`ll jump through a hoop for the boss every chance he gets.
他说： Bill听到传闻说他们得裁员，这消息把他吓得半死，因为他有妻子和六个孩子，要是他失业这一大家子的人可怎么得了。
可想而知，眼下Bill对掌握生杀大权的上司一定是俯首帖耳、唯命是从，只要有机会为他赴汤蹈火也在所不辞。生怕老板一不乐意断了他全家的生计。所以这段话里的jump through a hoop这个习惯用语的意思是对能控制自己命运的人俯首帖耳、甘愿赴汤蹈火。
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处于Bill那样的境地是迫于无奈而不得不jump through a hoop有时jump through a hoop带有懦弱屈从的意思，但是人们也会由于其它原因，比方说出于爱情而jump through hoops。下面就有这样一个例子。注意：我们也可以说： jump through hoops，意思不变。
例句-2：You can tell that my brother Joe is crazy about Sally. She has the poor guy jumping through hoops for her - I never thought he`d ever fall that hard for anybody.
他说：你能看出我兄弟Joe对Sally可真是一往情深Sally使得这可怜的家伙团团转唯命是从；我从没料到Joe会这么深深地迷上一个人的。
这里的jumping through hoops意思也是俯首帖耳、百般讨好。
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Jump through hoops是一种滋味，而下面这个习惯用语则是另外一番味道： jump out of your skin。 Skin是皮肤，当然谁也不可能跳出自己的皮肤，只是美国人有时爱说这种夸张的话，以示幽默。当你说 一个人jump out of one`s skin, 那可能有两种意思：也许是表示他极度惊讶，也可能是说他给吓得魂不附体了。我们听两个例子想一想里面的jump out of one`s skin各表示什么意思。
例句-3：When I answered the door and saw my brother standing there, I almost jumped out of my skin. We hadn`t heard from him since he went off to war ten years ago and we thought he was dead.
他说：我开门看到我的兄弟就站在眼前，简直大吃一惊，自从他十年前上前线打仗以来，我们再也没有他的音讯。我以为他已经牺牲了。
他兄弟十年来音讯渺然，他们原以为他已经不在人世了，如今却突然出现在他门口，当然使他惊讶极了，所以这段话里的jumped out of my skin是让我大吃一惊的意思。
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我们再听个例子，里面也用上了jump out of one`s skin这个习惯用语。说话的人刚经受了一次巨大的惊吓。他打高尔夫球的时候突然下起雨来了，于是他急忙奔到一棵大树下躲雨，那可差点儿铸成致命的大错。我们听听是怎么回事：
例句-4：There was a flash and a loud bang and I jumped out of my skin - a bolt of lightning had hit the tree! It split the tree in two. but I was darn lucky - I was scared to death, but okay.
他说：猛然有一道闪光和一声巨响，把我吓得魂不附体。原来闪电击中了这棵树！把大树一劈为二，而我真是走运极了，尽管吓得要命，却安然无恙。
这段话里的习惯用语jumped out of my skin意思显然是吓得魂不附体。