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turn back the clock

v.把钟拨慢,开倒车

难易程度:

turn back the clock为短语/超纲词汇

近义词, 同义词

turn back the clock





 

今天我们要学的习惯用语跟我们日常生活中一件少不了的东西有关,就是我们既爱又恨的时钟。大家一定知道钟的英文是: clock。 我们的日常活动都得受钟的管束,什么时候起床、什么时候上班、什么时候吃饭、什么时候睡觉都由它说了算。有时我们恨不能让时光倒转,回到往昔令人留恋的岁月。这就产生了今天要学的第一个习惯用语: turn back the clock. 光阴一去不复返,这让任何人都无可奈何。也许正是因为这样人们才非常喜欢用倒拨时钟的比喻来表达自己留恋过去的心态。这位老人跟几个小伙子说了这样一段话:

例句-1:You know life was simpler then. I was young and healthy -- the whole world was waiting for me. I sure wish there was some time machine I could use to turn back the clock to the 1940's.

他说:你知道,当年的生活比较简单。那时我也年轻力壮、前程无量。我真希望能使用一种时间机器回到四十年代去。

这里turn back the clock直译是倒拨时钟,意思显然是回返从前的日子。

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然而老先生在这番感慨之后再仔细想想又觉得刚才的念头不尽合理。我们来听听他接着说了些什么:

例句-2:I don't know. Back then we didn't have jet planes, computers, modern medicine, a lot of things that make life better. Maybe it's just as well that we can't turn back the clock after all.

他说:我也吃不准。在那个时候我们可没有喷气式飞机、电脑、现代化医药现在这么多让我们的生活更舒适的东西,也许我们还是根本不可能重返过去更好。

这段话里的turn back the clock意思也是让时光倒转、回复过去的情况。

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我们再学个也是由clock这个词发展而来的习惯用语: kill the clock。 Kill the clock听了这个习惯用语你要是以为它的意思就是把时钟砸烂摔坏,那你就大错特错了。虽然有时我们也确实恨不得砸烂那把你从甜蜜的睡梦中叫醒的闹钟,但是kill the clock表示的却绝对不是这种意思。

Kill the clock常用在球赛中。当一个球队在一场球赛即将结束前得分处于领先地位,那他们就会尽量拖延时间,不紧不慢地发球、不紧不慢地传球,以减少对方得球进球的机会,保住他们的领先地位并取得最后胜利。

这种磨蹭时间保住领先地位的战术就叫做kill the clock。这种战术有时奏效,有时却造成适得其反的结果。例如在下面的例子里,说话的人要告诉我们他们刚结束的一场美式足球赛。

例句-3:Our team was two points ahead with only three minutes to go. We tried to kill the clock, but we fumbled the ball. And the other team got lucky; they kicked a field goal and won by one point.

他说:在比赛只剩三分钟时间的时候我们球队领先两分。我们试图采取拖延战术,但是不幸失球。对方球队可交了好运;他们一脚踢进定位球得分,结果领先一分赢得胜利。

这里的kill the clock是指在球赛将结束时领先球队采取拖延战术以保住胜利。刚才说的是美式足球赛。我们再说一场篮球赛。那也是一次比分接近的比赛。

例句-4:We only had a one point lead in the last 30 seconds. Then after the other team missed a shot, our center grabbed the ball so we could pass it around to kill the clock until all the time was gone.

他说:在赛到最后三十秒的时候我们仅领先一分。这时对方球队投篮不中,我们的中锋随即抢下球来,于是我们就传球直到拖完全部时间。

这里的kill the clock意思也是在球赛最后阶段领先球队采取拖延战术。

1. Everyone knows that if he shouts in the vicinity of a wall or a mountainside, an echo will come back.
    大家都知道,在墙壁或山腰附近发出的喊声,就会听到回声。

2. Easton gave his name and address and began repeating the story about the clock.
    伊斯顿说出了名字和住址。又讲了一遍有关钟的事。

3. But scientists are working hard to turn them into realities.
    但是, 科学家们正在努力工作, 以便把想法变成现实.

4. Before returning home at night, he took a shower and changed back into his suit.
    晚上回家前,他洗个淋浴,又换上他那套西装.

5. Because of this, we kept looking back, wondering if we were leaving a trail of oil and petrol behind us.
    因此,我们不时地掉过头,怀疑车后是否留下了机油和汽油的痕迹。

6. Before we had time to worry about what might happen, we were back on the plain again.
    我们还未来得及担心后果,车已重新开上了平地。

7. Before returning home at night, he took a shower and changed back into his suit.
    晚上回家前,他洗个淋浴,重新换上那身黑色西服。

8. By January 10th, I was back to where I had started from.
    到了1月10日,我恢复了原来的作息时间。

9. Big Ben takes its name from Sir Benjamin Hall who was responsible for the making of the clock when the new Houses of Parliament were being built.
    "大本"钟得名于本杰明.霍尔爵士,因为当建造新的国会大厦时,他负责建造大钟。

10. Back in the train, we told each other what a wonderful time we had had that day.
    回去的火车上,大家都说,这一天过得真愉快。

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