語言小點(diǎn)心 At a Loose End 閑來無事
Exercise 練一練
1. If you are at a loose end, are you:
a) busy, with lots to do?
b) free, and looking for something to do?
c) lost?
2. This expression was originally used on:
a) ships
b) trains
c) aeroplanes
Script 文本閱讀
You’re listening to British Council’s English Online podcast and I’m Nina. Today on Language Snacks we take a look at the expression at a loose end. Let’s listen to the dialogue.
您現(xiàn)在收聽的是英國領(lǐng)事館英語在線欄目，我是尼娜。今天的語言小點(diǎn)心節(jié)目我們來學(xué)一下at a loose end這個(gè)短語，一起來聽下面的對話。
A: Hi! Do you want to have lunch?
A：嗨，想去吃晚餐了嗎？
B: Sure, but I thought you had a meeting with John.
B：當(dāng)然好，不過我以為你要和約翰開會(huì)呢。
A: Oh, he had to cancel, so I'm at a loose end.
A：噢，他有事取消了，所以現(xiàn)在我沒事做了。
B: Great, I'll just get my coat.
B：太好了，我去拿外套。
Most of us lead very busy lives these days, but do you ever finish everything you have to do and find that you have a bit of spare time to fill? In these situations, when we have free time, but we don't know what to do with it, we say we are at a loose end.
近段時(shí)間很多人都過著忙忙碌碌的生活，不過你有沒有過完成手頭上所有事情后有那么一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)的空閑時(shí)間呢？當(dāng)我們有空卻不知道做些什么打發(fā)的時(shí)候，我們就可以稱這種情況為at a loose end，無事可做，閑著。
This expression was originally about sailors' ropes which had become untied, or 'loose', and therefore were not being used properly.
這個(gè)短語最開始形容水手沒有綁緊繩子，松掉了，繩子就派不上用場了。
And that’s it for now – join us again for some more Language Snacks.
好了，今天的節(jié)目就到這里，歡迎大家繼續(xù)關(guān)注下期語言小點(diǎn)心。
You’ve been listening to English Online – the podcast for English learners in China.
您正在收聽的是英語在線，中國英語學(xué)習(xí)者的英語學(xué)習(xí)播客。
Key 參考答案
1. b
2. a
