常春藤生活英語：In Hot Water 水深火熱

Dialogue A

Laura: How was work today?

Ben: It was awful. I was very stressed.

Laura: Why? What happened?

Ben: My boss was a bit hot under the collar.

Laura: Why?

Ben: He doesn't think the new product I designed will sell like hot cakes.

Laura: You're in hot water now.

Ben: I know. He wants me to come up with a new design as soon as possible.

Laura: Well, there goes our vacation plans.

蘿　拉：今天工作如何啊?

阿　班：很慘。我壓力超大的。

蘿　拉：怎么了?發(fā)生了什么事?

阿　班：我老板有點不爽。

蘿　拉：為什么?

阿　班：他認為我設計的新產品不會大賣。

蘿　拉：你現在麻煩大了。

阿　班：我知道。他要我盡快想出一個新的設計。

蘿　拉：唉，我們的度假計劃泡湯了。

Dialogue B

Ben: My boss really put me in the hot seat. I'm at a loss for ideas.

Laura: When does he want to see the new design?

Ben: Within the next couple of days.

Laura: Is that enough time?

Ben: No, probably not. I guess I will have to work all weekend.

Laura: What if you can't finish it?

Ben: Let's hope that won't happen. My boss is such a hot-tempered man.

Laura: You'd better get busy.

阿　班：我老板真是丟了個燙手山芋給我。我一點靈感都沒有。

蘿　拉：他什么時候要看到新的設計?

阿　班：這幾天之內吧。

蘿　拉：時間夠嗎?

阿　班：大概不夠吧。我猜我整個周末都得工作。

蘿　拉：如果你做不完會怎樣?

阿　班：希望這樣的狀況不會發(fā)生。我老板的脾氣可是火爆的很。

蘿　拉：你最好趕快動工。

Building Your Vocabulary

hot-tempered　a. 脾氣暴躁的

You'll often offend people by being hot-tempered.

你火爆的脾氣會常常冒犯到別人。

Phrases for Learning

1.be hot under the collar　　惱怒的，氣沖沖的

Charlie was rather hot under the collar when he found out that his car was towed.

查理發(fā)現他的車被拖吊時，簡直火冒三丈。

2.sell like hot cakes　　非常暢銷，非常搶手

Our new books are selling like hot cakes.

我們的新書正在熱賣中。

3.be in hot water　　(因做錯事而)陷入麻煩

Jason was in hot water because he got caught stealing from his mother.

杰森偷媽媽的錢被逮到，因此麻煩可大了。

4.in the hot seat　　處于需要解決棘手問題的位置上

Martha was in the hot seat because she had to lay off half of her employees.

馬莎的處境尷尬，因為她必須解雇半數的員工。

5.be at a loss for ideas/words　　想不出點子∕不知該說什么才好

I was at a loss for words when I heard the news.

我聽到這則消息時，不知道該說些什么好。

Tips In Use

Well, there goes our vacation plans.

(唉，我們的度假計劃泡湯了。)

本句中的 go 跟『走』或『去』沒有什么太大的關系。"there goes..."為一固定用法，表示『……沒指望了』。當一個人無法做到自己想做的事情而感到失望時，便可用此句來表達。

A:The forecast says that it's going to rain tomorrow.

B:There goes that picnic I've been looking forward to all week.

(甲：天氣預報說明天會下雨。)

(乙：我期待了整個星期的野餐行沒望啦。)