Learning new phrases from reading stories

[annieyu]

William C.Reilly always thought that he was a big shot! When Marcus Trubody came in for a bite to eat,however,everyone felt that it was like a breath of fresh air.
William pretended it was no big deal,but then he saw things that were a bit of a shock.First a couple of kids who usually ran when they saw him,walked right past him.Then, when he was waiting in a blind alley for townfolk to greet him,no one appeared.William just stood there in the dark,where no beam of light could enter.Finally,when the local clock watcher failed to tell the time as William walked by,William knew that he had to fight this break with tradition.
Five minutes later, William burst into the cafe like a blast of wind.Marcus did not even flinch.Instead he picked up the bundle of papers and prepared to leave.
"I sense a cloud of frustration," he said to the town clerk."I need a change of pace.I heard there was a big sale next door.I'll be over there if anyone needs me."
"There won't be anyone needing you any more."William said.
"That was when a sudden column of water flew on to William.He fell to the ground,knocking down a cluster of grapes.Stunned,he looked up to see Marcus Trubody over him.
"I got a bunch more where that comes from!" Marcus said."I don't take
kindly to threats.But I'm building a crew of roughnecks to work with me.You're welcome to join."
Still surprised and wet,William realized that he was a babe in arms compared to Marcus Trubody.He stood up,extended his hand and said.
"Welcome to town.Let,s hear about that offer!"

[annieyu]

a babe in arms= a babe in the woods 天真幼稚的人,涉世未深的人,没有经验人

a beam of (light) 一束光

a big deal 至关重要的大事,了不得的事情;要人,名人

a big shot 大人物

a bit (of) 有点,些许

a big sale 大减价

a bite to eat 一口食物,少量食物

a blast of (wind) 一阵风

a blind alley 死胡同

a break with 对(传统)的背离(the tradition)

a breath of fresh air 使人耳目一新的人,带来新鲜感的东西
a bunch of 一束,一串,一群

a bundle of 一包

a change of pace 节奏的改变

a clock watcher 看钟等下班的人

a cloud of 一大群,一大片

a cluster of 一束

a column of water 一个水注

a couple of 一对,一双

a crew of 一组(或一班,一对)工作人员

[harvey66]

Too many phrases to remember, let along using them.

[annieyu]

A great many women would never have lasted as long as Sarah Wilding did.She had been widowed twice,left at the altar once,and even abandoned in a crowd of aborigines.Now she lived alone on the north end of a barren island in Ireland.And perhaps it was because she was no longer waiting for a knight in shining armor that she truly had a heart of gold.She was a far cry from women in town,but only one child knew this.That was Emily,the daughter of Mrs.Wilding's maid.

Emily had had spent a good deal of time at the home on the island before she first met Mrs.Wilding.She kept to herself mostly and even Emily's mother had only really talked to her a handful of times.There was a heap of tales about Mrs.Wilding.So when Emily first met her,she was a bit scared.When a gust of wind blew Mrs.Wilding's dress,Emily even screamed.Thw wind made Mrs.Wilding look like a terrible witch.

"Aye now,come there lass.You know there isn't a grain of truth to the tales theytell about me in town!" said Mrs.Wilding as she comforted Emily."But I can tell you a host of stories about them that are true!"


And with that,Emily was won over.Her fit of fear passed and Mrs.Wilding became like a grandmother to her.Soon she spent many hours with Mrs.Winding.Minutes became like drops in the ocean,as their relationship grew deeper and deeper.

When Emily was older and Mrs.Winding became sick,Emily returned to take care of Mrs.Winding.

"Ah,so you aren't a fair-weather friend then!"said Mrs.Winding when Emily returned.

"No,ma'am,I'm an all-weather friend!"

[annieyu]

a drop in the ocean-----沧海一粟
a fair-weather friend-----酒肉朋友
an all-weather friend-----患难之交
a far cry from ------和.....大相径庭
a fit of ------ 突发一阵
a grain of truth -----一点可信的东西
a heart of gold -----金子般的心
a knight in shining armar -----(讽)身披闪亮铠甲的骑士,白马王子之流

[annieyu]

aborigines----土著人.
witch----女巫
lass-----小姑娘
a gust of wing----一阵狂风
And with that , Emily was won over-----听到这话,爱米莉被说服了

[happytom]

i like it! thanks!

[annieyu]

Welcome happytom,I will continue to post it,please be patient.

[annieyu]

When Jack's car run out of gas in the desert, a myriad of thoughts ran
许多,大量,一大批
through his head.First,he didn't even have a loaf of bread.Second, nor did
一个(或一片)面包
he have any water.Third,he was a long way off from anything.And without
还有好长一段距离,还早着呢
his cellphone,it didn't matter that he could have been just a phone call away from help.It was only a matter of time before he would die.
时间问题
And so he began walking down the road.After only a quarter of an hour wolking under the hot desert sun,he began dreaming of large amounts of water.And when a million other things could have been on his mind as

well,he thought back to his wife.They had just separated over a number of irreconcilable differences.And she had always been too much of a live
不可协调的问题,矛盾的 火线,载电线;活跃分子,富有进取心的人
wire for him.It had always been only a question of time before their
早晚的问题
marriage would fail.But now,about to die,he began to think that he had been a lucky dog to have such an interesting wife.
幸运儿
She had told him a million times that she was good for him.Now he knew
很多次
that she had been so.If only they were still together!

As he continued walking,Jack noticed an odd pile of stones.He
一堆,一叠,
stopped.They could be covering a multitude of things,but Jack knew that
许多,大量
it was a must for him to see if it was water.In a matter of minutes he
...问题,(表示数量)近似量
removed the rocks from what looked like an old bag.As he opened it, Jack shouted in relief.It was water:enough to last the rest of the day.Now he could safely get back to town.

Back in town,Jack called his wife.

[annieyu]

As Elizabeth walked to the stage to accept her prize, swarms of people
许多,大量
stoop up to shake her hands.Many even stood up to give her a standing
起立欢呼,起立鼓掌
ovation.She was overwhelmed and looked for a shoulder to cry on.She
可以依靠的肩榜
knew this wasn't the time,however,and reached the final stretch of
一 段
walkway.

On stage she was given the microphone for her acceptance speech.The announcer gave her a strip of tissue to wipe her eyes.Elizabeth replied
一条
that she needed a stack of tissue boxes to do that---she was so happy! Finally calming down,Elizabeth smiled and pulled out a sheet of
一张
paper.Camera flashes were constant and she wondered how many rolls of
多卷胶卷
film the photographers were going through.No matter.She needed to say something.

She first commented that she had a wealth of other people to
丰富的,大量的
thank.Instead,however,she said that her parents hab always thought acting was a waste of time.She even had a special bank account from
浪费时间
them in case of a rainy day!But now,after a series of plush roles and a
一系列

good slice of luck,she had already earned a set of prestigious awards.All of
一组
her acting classes had not been a waste of money.The crowd
浪费金钱
laughed.Elizabeth's silvery tongue had won them over
好口才
In conclusion,Elizabeth encouraged young actresses to persevere ,work hard in the beginning, and make the most of even the smallest parts."A stitch in time saves nine!"She said to another laugh from the crowd.And
小洞不补,大洞受苦
then she walked off the stage to be interviewed in the rear of the stage.

[annieyu]

When Mike McGee acceded to the throne of Palador,he had no idea that
同意,就任
it would soon be a white elephant!He quickly learned that while he had a
累赘的东西,无价值的东西
great range of power,there was no way to use it.He could rule the
广泛的,许多的
country above all others,for example,but he could no longer
abandon himself to any of his former pleasures,especially publicly.There
放纵,沉溺于
were simply a great variety of things he could no longer do.
种种,各种
When Mike was absent from several key meetings,his staff called him
缺席,不在
absent-minded.When he refused to partake wholeheartedly in the hot
心不在焉的
discussions of the moment,they told him to stop being a wet blanket.
扫兴的人或事

But he was just not happy!He had to abstain from sex,not take part in the
戒,避开
abuse of any alcoholic beverages,listen to boring classical music and
滥用
always be abounding in grace and dignity.It just didn't suit him.
富于,充满
It didn't suit the country either.


In fact,he was quickly becoming abhorrent to all of its citizens.They had
与......相抵触,与......不相符
liked him a while back,but now they just wanted him to leave..When he
不久以前,一段时间以前
finally told a white lie that he needed to return to America to visit his sick
善意的谎言
grandmother,they were happy to let him leave.

When he never returned,no one missed him.They just elected a new president more suited to the role of a puppet and moved on.And Mike McGee happily spent the rest of his life in Las Vegas on the pension plan
they gave to him.

[annieyu]

"I would like to act as your guide!" a strange young man said to
充当

me"According to the word on the street,you want to visit an
根据
active volcano,is that true?"
活火山
"Yes,it is."
"I am well acquainted with both the terrain and the language of the people
熟悉的
you will need to travel through to do this.I can therefore help you
across the board.And I only need access to the standard amount of
全面地
pay."
有机会
"Wonderful.But you seem a little bit young."
"I will not act my age.Nor will I be your Achilles' heel on this journey. No
举止和年龄相称 致命弱点
one has ever accused me of not delivering what I promise. No,you will be
指责
impressed with my abilities to help you adapt to the surroudings as we travel together." 使适赢

"You're hired.What should we do first?"
"First we must account for all of the proper provisions.Have you
作出解释
acquired a taste for local food yet?"
开始喜欢

"No,unfortunately not.we just arrived."

"Then we will need to purchase more here in town before we leave.We must act upon that immediately.If you give me money to serve as a food
照此行事,影响,作用于
budget I can act for you to purchase suppies."
代理
"Here you go.Do we need to rent a vehicle and driver?"

"Oh no.The drivers in this town act up too much.We will rent our own
捣蛋,运转不正常
animals and travel straight up the mountain.It is the best way to go anyway."

"Okay.you're the expert!"

[annieyu]

"It just didn't add up!"Bill thought to himself as he flipped through his
把......加起来
address book looking for the next person to call."Why was there no one in
通讯本
the administration building?" He had to have this advanced course to be
行政大楼 高级课程
able to graduate at the end of the semester and no one was answering the registration phone.

"Hello,registration."

Bill explained his problem once again.To add insult to injury,however,the
雪上加霜
person yelled at him for not calling sooner!Bill had to admit to himself that they had a point.He had been FIVE MINUTES LATE at first!And when he tried to adjust his schedule from A to B it hadn't worked either.So he had
调节
maybe lost a half hour before he tried calling the registration help desk.But that was just adhering to policy:"First try alternatives before asking for
坚持
help!"Then he had wasted over an hour trying to reach them.

His admiration for the university he was about to graduate from fell a couple notches.How could they be treating a student like this?

When he finally reached his advisor,she also began to add fuel to the flames before she added everything up to see that Bill was doing his best.
火上浇油
Then she added his name to a special list that would allow Bill to register an add on.This was the exception that he had been looking for and Bill
附加物
finally breathed a sigh of relef.He wanted to adorn his advisor with a wreath of roses,but the flower store adjacent to his home was closed.
毗临,邻近
He made sure to add in her name t o his list of people to thank when he graduated.
She had literally saved his life.

[annieyu]

Getting people to sign up for an aerobics class was actually hard
有氧健身班
work.Marcy discovered this when she started her own after hours
办公(营业)时间后
program.Everyone had been so supportive at first,but then no one signed up.

Maybe they didn't want to be affiliated with an independent instructor?In
使成为会员
response to this possibility,Marcy made sure to point out how her program had specific advantages over the competition when she was

比......有优势
advertising for participants.She would be available to advise participants
做广告

on


their own routines,waive fees if they were afflicted by sickness,and even

受......折磨
accept credit if people could not afford to pay right away.
付得起
When all was said and done,it was a great offer! Against all the
说到底
尽管非常困难
odds,Marcy had every confidence of success.

When a few people signed up after all,Marcy affixed her poster to the
终于 贴上
window outside the room she had rented and began her program.It was slow going at first,but she decided from then on not to try to get any of her friends to come against their will.If they wanted to agree on
违背某人意愿 商定
coming,let them come of their own accord.And she forbid her participants to agitate for her. They agreed and they focused instead on just doing
鼓动
aerobics.

Several weeks later,when they had all forgotten about their rough start,more people started coming to classes.The numbers were soon too great and Marcy had to start several classes in various locations.And everyone was excited about her program.Marcy decided that it was because she hadn't been pushy;she had let the results speak for themselves.

[annieyu]

"Good! I arrived ahead of time!"said Dr.Williams to the usher as he
提前
escorted him to his aisle seat in the theater."But,my!it is warm in
靠过道的座位
here.Isn't the theater supposed to be air-conditioned?"
有空调的

"Yes sir,it is."replied the usher, agreeing with the Doctor."But our air
同意
conditioner has been acting up lately.I will have our staff check on it right
空调 出毛病
away."

"Please do! I really cannot tolerate a stuffy room!There needs to be some sort of air current!"replied Dr.Williams .The usher walked away and sighed
气流
to himself;he was so tired of rich people and their airs and graces.It was
装腔做势
sometimes akin to walking on pins and needles.
像是 如坐针毡
But the Doctor was right and he aimed for the back room to talk to the
走向,力求
technician.Arriving just ahead of him was another usher.Both sighed when
在......前面,领先
the technician replied that his alarm clock was broken and that was why

闹钟
hw was late to turn on the air conditioner.

The two ushers agreed to give the technician a reminder before the next
同意
performance.

Back in his seat, Dr.Williams was conversing with a person next to him.

"I think Matrioiani's performance was much better than Antonini's.But we can agree to differ on this issue.Let's just aim at enjoying the evening.It is

同意各自保持不同意见
for a good cause,you know.Proceeds will give aid to local artists."
收入 对......帮助


"Excuse me,"said the usher as he returned."The air conditioning has now been turned on."

"Thank you ,my good man."replied the Doctor."Just in time for the opening act!"

[annieyu]

All kinds of creatures had gathered to listen to what the wise Owl had
各种
discovered on his search.They were all eyes when Owl flew in and alighted
目不转睛 飘落
on the most prominent branch on the large tree in the middle of the field.He had been out flying all night long and the weariness was evident
整夜
to all but the youngest animals.

"Whoo,whoo!"Owl said as he looked to all and sundry.They were all ears
所有的人 喜耳恭听
now."Who might it be,who has entered our forest? We have asked ourselves.It is man:He who is most alien to our ways.He has been here
格格不入
all day and night long."
整天整夜

A collective gasp was heard all over the forest.For all of the animal's lives
到处 一辈子
they had heard of man anf hie terrible ways.Several families had even heard from extended family members living in other forests of the deeds that man committed.

"I have all along feared the coming of man,"Owl sighed."And now we must
一直
make the all inclusive decision to leave the forest!"
全面的

"Noooo!"said a number of voices."We must fight!" Numerous other voices agreed.
"Impossible",said Owl."Man is alike to no other creature here.He
相似的
wields thunder and flame.We must flee!"
呼风唤雨


After several hours of tense arguring the creatures decided that,
all in all.Owl was right.They had to leave or perish.
总之
When a crew of hunters walked further into the forest the next day they were astounded by the silence.Not an animal or bird was in sight.Frightened themselves,they quickly left.

The animals slowly returned over the next few days.

The forest was theirs again.

Thanks to Owl.

[annieyu]

"I've been all over the place since we broke up and ,all things being
到处;乱七八糟 在其它各点都相同的条件下
equal,you're still the best woman for me!"Butch said."I thought it was

all right with Srah.But then I saw all sorts of things that reminded me of
挺适合 各种各样的
you and how wonderful you are.Please,Jane,let me come back!"

"Butch.You low down scum of the earth.What do you think ,that I'm going
社会渣滓
to go through it all over again with you? You're crazy!I could allow for
重新 考虑
some of your excuses,but alluding to your time with Sarah confirms that
提及,暗指
you are still not all right! You need your own break from women!"
对的,正确的

"But Jane,I wrote that poem for you!"Butch pleaded.

"And it was nice all told.But that poem allows of several
总之
interpretations.You could have written it for anyone!And I don't even know if you even wrote it for sure! No sir! I'm over you!"

"But I came all the way home for you,Jane!I promise I'll never leave
完全地
again.And,and,I'll get rid of the cat that you're allegic to.Really,I'll stay
过敏
with you all year round!Sarah meant nothing! You're my true love!"
一年到头

"That sentiment is all well and good.But I have already wasted all the time
好的 所有的时间
I am going to waste on you.Please leave before I call police!"

"But,but.."Butch pleaded as he dropped to his knees.

And then Jane slammed the door!
砰地关上

[annieyu]

I had just parked my antique car at the antique show when I saw
古董车 古玩展

an old flame of mine.She was just standing there ,more beautiful than
旧情人
ever.Hoping that she would be amenable to me,I quickly brushed my
有反应的,有感情的
hair,answered the call of nature and then looked for her again.She was
上洗手间
walking away,so I chased after her.

As I pretended to walk along with her as if I hadn't noticed her,she saw
一道,一起
me.

I didn't know how to react when she was suddenly antagonistic to
敌对的
me.Apparently she had just had her annual checkup,and the doctor had
年度体检

told her she was pregnant,I answered back that the child couldn't be
回嘴
mine! we hadn't been together for more than 4 months!

That's how pregnatnshe was!She replied among other things.She also said I wouldn't amount to any kind of man if I didn't accept my responsibility
等同,算是
and help her raise the child.

It was quiet a shock .I was terrified,and yet,somehow excited.I
可是
experienced an array of emotions.Here was the woman that I still
一系列的
loved.She and her like had always run from me before.Now she was telling
一类的
me that we were going to have a child together.

And that was how we got back together.I could tell you about all the struggles we later went through and so forth(and so on).But we're happy!
等等
I'M happy.Being a father is the best thing that's ever happened to me.

[annieyu]

Hi,Harvey,I knew you had an old flame and recently did you notice someone experienced a bad time with her old flame so I would like to say it is becoming a thorny issue among young people .How to deal with the relatinship with old flame ,give us some ideas from your perspective.It will be better to give us some examples.Ha ha,for you are in nowondering age you have the responsibility to give us instructions.Don't you?

[harvey66]

your sixth sense is right.
but I dont think it a tough issue.
I almost have nothing to do with my old flame.she is far away from me.