美国习惯用语讲解：人生要见机行事
[b] Sweeten the pot[/b][b] The cards are stacked against you[/b]
[b] [/b]美国人最普遍的纸牌游戏就是扑克,扑克牌游戏就像牛仔裤一样具有美国特色.那末,扑克牌游戏是怎么玩的呢?很简单,每次游戏开始,在发牌前,每个参加玩扑克的人都在牌桌中间放同等数目的钱.发牌以后,每个人再下赌注.发牌前每个人拿出来的钱和发牌后下的赌注都归游戏的获胜者.由于扑克牌游戏在美国人当中十分普遍,因此有许多牌桌上的语言逐渐就成了日常用语.例如:Sweeten the pot.Sweeten the pot在牌桌上的意思是把赌注的总数加得高一些,这样可以对玩游戏的人更有吸引力.可是,这个词汇已经变成一个日常用语了.它的意思是:为了使一个提议更有吸引力而在原有的条件基础上再增加一些对对方有利的条件.我们来举个例子看看:
例句-1: "Miss Smith didn't want the job until the company sweentened the pot by offering her a higher salary and the use of a company car."
这句话的意思是:"施密斯小姐本来不想要那份工作的.后来,那家公司提高了给她的工资,还给她一辆公司的汽车用.这样,她才接受了那个工作."
下面一个例子是关于房地产生意的:
例句-2: "They've built so many new office buildings here that they have trouble renting out all the space. So some landlords sweeten the pot; they offer a company six months free rent if it signs a three-year lease."
这句话翻译到中文的意思就是:"他们在这儿盖了那末多的办公楼,现在都租不出去.所以,有的房产主就设法增加一些吸引人的条件.他们对一个公司说,要是这个公司和他们签订一个三年的租房合同,他们就可以免交半年房租."
另外一个来自玩扑克牌游戏的词汇是:The cards are stacked against you.The cards are stacked against you.这句话是说,你处于很不利的情况下,成功的机会很少.下面的例子是说一个人受了骗:
例句-3: "Last night I got into a poker game with these men I met in the hotel bar. And I lost a thousand dollars before I realized the cards were stacked against me. All I could do was pick up the money I had left and walk away."
这人说:"昨晚上,我和几个在旅馆酒吧间里碰到的人一起玩扑克游戏.直到我输了一千多美元后,我才忽然省悟到我想要赢他们恐怕是不可能的.我只好拿起剩下的钱就走了."
下面我们要举的一个例子是说,有的时候形势就是对你不利,但是毫无办法.
例句-4: "I really wanted to try out for the basketball team when I was in college. But the cards were stacked against me: I'm only five feet six inches tall and everybody else was six-two or even taller."
这个人说:"当我上大学的时候,我真想参加篮球队.可是,那不可能,因为我身高只有一米六多,而其他人都至少有一米八."
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