小词大意：昆虫总动员

　　在西方,人们常常利用身边的细小东西来表达生活中的行为和状态,例如我们这期所讲到的“昆虫”。不过,与昆虫打交道的经历却并不总是让人愉快。你可能忙碌不堪(as busy as a bee),你可能像热锅上的蚂蚁一样坐立不安(ants in your pants),一个不小心还可能惹上麻烦(stir up a hornet’s nest)……

发音：美式发音 语速：110词/分钟 使用方法：精听+听写
　　
　　There are many American expressions about insects—like bees, for example. Bees are known as very hard workers. They always appear to be busy, moving around in their homes, or hives. So you might say you were as busy as a bee if you spent your weekend cleaning your house. In fact, you might say your house was a beehive of activity if your whole family was helping you clean. You also might say you made a beeline for something if you went there right away. When we go to see a movie, my friend always makes a beeline for the place where they sell popcorn.
　　● 我们都知道蜜蜂是勤劳的,因此短语“as busy as a bee”也就不难理解了,它表示总是跟蜜蜂一样勤勤勉勉、忙碌不停。如果一个人像只蜜蜂一样忙上忙下,也可以说他/她是“a busy bee”。
　　● “beehive”是指蜂房。“a beehive of activity”则用来形容某处如蜂房一样熙熙攘攘、场面热闹。例如:The campus becomes a beehive of activity after the exams.(考试过后,校园熙熙攘攘,场面好不热闹。)
　　● 据说蜜蜂的飞行习惯多数是直线飞行,因此“beeline”一词也喻指“直线”、“直路”、“最短距离”等,“make a beeline for sth./sb.”即有“直奔某物/某人”之意。
　　
　　Here is an expression about bees that is not used much any more, but we like it anyway. We think it was first used in the nineteen twenties. If something was the best of its kind, you might say it was the bee’s knees. Now, we admit that we do not know how this expression developed. In fact, we do not even know if bees have knees!
　　● 乍一看到“the bee’s knees”这个短语,大多数人都觉得莫名其妙,蜜蜂怎么会有膝盖呢?这个现今已不常用的短语解释为“最好的、至高无上的东西”。它的来由已经无从考究,最合理的一种说法就是,蜜蜂采花粉之后通常把花粉存放在大腿上的气袋里,借此带回蜂巢,于是便有了“the bee’s knees”这种说法。
　　
　　If your friend cannot stop talking about something because she thinks it is important, you might say she has a bee in her bonnet. If someone asks you a personal question, you might say “that is none of your beeswax.” This means none of your business.
　　● 你能想象一只蜜蜂始终萦绕在你的帽子里的情景吗?“a bee in one’s bonnet”就形象地描绘了这一情景。它由“to have bees in one’s head”这个词组发展而来,意思几乎一样,都用来喻指一种奇怪而挥之不去的想法。
　　● That is none of your beeswax. =That is none of your business.
　　
　　Speaking of personal questions, there is an expression people sometimes use when their children ask, “where do babies come from?” Parents who discuss sex and reproduction say this is talking about the birds and the bees.
　　● 想必天下所有父母都有应付“我是从哪儿来的?”这个问题的时候,是含糊带过还是明了直说?西方的父母多数选择通过用“the birds and the bees”这些自然界实际存在,但又具有隐喻作用的事物来说明,比如带着花粉的蜜蜂隐喻男性,而鸟则代表女性。
　　
　　Hornets are bee-like insects that sometimes attack people. If you are really angry, you might say you are mad as a hornet. And if you stir up a hornet’s nest, you create trouble or problems.
　　● 大黄蜂可不是好脾气的昆虫,所以当一个人“mad as a hornet”,便是指他/她非常生气、愤怒。
　　● “stir up a hornet’s nest”直译过来就是捅马蜂窝。如果一个人鲁莽地捅了马蜂窝的话,那必定要麻烦缠身了。
　　
　　Butterflies are beautiful insects, but you would not want to have butterflies in your stomach. That means to be nervous about having to do something, like speaking in front of a crowd. You would also not want to have ants in your pants. That is, to be restless and unable to sit still.
　　● 当表示紧张、恐惧或忧虑之类的心理活动时,汉语可用“七上八下、忐忑不安”,英文则可以说“have butterflies in the stomach”。大家试想想,胃里有一群蝴蝶在飞,该是何等难受啊!
　　● “ants in one’s pants”这个词组形象地表达了蚂蚁爬到裤子里之后“坐立不安、如热锅上的蚂蚁”的状态。