Under the knife in China

Under the knife in China

Job hunting in China? You'd better not be ugly. CNN's Emily Chang reports on the pressure to get a "well-aligned" face.

'Ugly' job hunters go under knife in China

Under the knife----Undergoing a surgical procedure; Into surgery

a distant third

Ramazan Bashardost is , a distant third with 108,156 votes.

any hints of possible violence are ginned up by what he calls left-wing groups and the liberal media.

flare up----to suddenly begin to burn, or to burn more brightly for a short time

Girl gorillas go ape for French pinup hunk

Finally there's 10-year-old Mjukuu, or "Jookie." Dan Simmonds, a keeper at the zoo's Gorilla Kingdom, says she "has this 'butter wouldn't melt look' to her, and she gets away with murder."

pinup---A picture, especially of a sexually attractive person, that is displayed on a wall. A person considered a suitable model for such a picture.
Something intended to be affixed to a wall.
get away with murder informal
to do anything you want, even things that are wrong, without being punished

clock off

inadvertently ---without realizing what you are doing

He inadvertently left behind the violin and a credit card.

Ryan Abood, owner of New Hampshire-based Gourmetgiftbaskets.com who made the cupcake, told the Detroit Free Press that it clocked in at an estimated 2 million calories.

clock off phr v 下班
informal to leave work at the end of the day
What time do you clock off?

stagger--to arrange people's working hours, holidays etc so that they do not all begin and end at the same time

Because of a staggered schedule to permit him extra rest as the Yankees advance down the stretch in view of October, Chamberlain is not expected to pitch for eight days, next starting on Aug. 25 against the Rangers at Yankee Stadium.

spoilt ballot papers

studious--spending a lot of time studying and reading
a quiet, studious young man

Biggs' son, Michael Biggs, said his father was "over the moon" that he had been released on the eve of his 80th birthday.
over the moon---BrE informal very happy

Most of the gang, including Biggs, were soon picked up in a massive manhunt after police discovered fingerprints at a farmhouse hideout where the robbers had holed up to split their spoils.
spoils n stolen goods
The thieves divided up the spoils.

If someone spoils their vote, they write something illegal on their voting paper, usually as a protest about the election, and their vote is not accepted. (BRIT)
They had broadcast calls for voters to spoil their ballot papers...
= deface
spoiled ballot papers

deface v [Tn] spoil the appearance or legibility of (sth) by marking or damaging the surface
Don't deface library books.

Don't spoil your appetite by eating sweets between meals.



spoils system (esp US) system by which important public positions are given to supporters of the political party that wins power

a fixture

If you describe someone or something as a fixture in a particular place or occasion, you mean that they always seem to be there.


He was a fixture," said Daniel Cook, general manager of Donegal's Pub, next door to the liquor store. "Singh was always there.

可以翻成---常客。

a Good Samaritan

Hours after a Good Samaritan reportedly confronted a man for attempting to steal a bottle of vodka from a liquor store in Surrey, B.C., he was found dead.

good Samaritan
someone, especially a stranger, who helps you when you have problems or need something

可以說是--好心人，善心人士

無薪假

無薪假我查到的答案有兩種
unpaid furlough
unpaid leave

furlough

/ ˋfəlo/ n [C, U] (permission for) absence from duty, esp that granted to civil servants, soldiers, etc working abroad

Back in 2003, Gulfstream's Savannah facility furloughed 1,000 employees over the summer.

AmE a period of time when workers are told not to work, especially because there is not enough money to pay them

workers forced to take a long, unpaid furlough (無薪假)

revel in

up·tick (ptĭk)
An increase, especially a small or incremental one

Martinez still goes to work every day. She still picks up her son at school, and makes sure he keeps his grades up. It wouldn't dawn on any passerby outside that she is homeless -- and she sees a powerful lesson in that.

The Democratic president poked fun at the Republican Party, saying it "does not qualify for a bailout" and conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh "doesn't count as a troubled asset."

revel in [revel in sth] phr v
to enjoy something very much

President Barack Obama isn't afraid to laugh at himself. In fact, he appears to revel in it.

miscreant----formal a bad person who causes trouble, hurts people etc
Indiscriminate mortar firing and planting of IEDs [improvised explosive devices] in the streets and roads by the miscreants in the populated areas of village Thana, Malakand and Mingora, resulted into civilian casualties
an indiscriminate action is done without thinking about what harm it might cause

The doctor put her on an intravenous drip Friday

A hospice is a special hospital for people who are dying, where their practical and emotional needs are dealt with as well as their medical needs.

flirt with [flirt with sth] phr v
to consider doing something, but not be very serious about it
He had flirted with the idea of emigrating.
to do something that is dangerous or could cause problems for you
Climbers enjoy flirting with danger .

movies for a wall

Artist uses optical tricks to create 'moving' murals

會跟你走的壁畫
這篇蠻有意思，臺灣海生館就有這樣的一面牆。
Rufus B. Seder是全世界唯一的藝術家擁有這樣特別的技巧。
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/03/20/lifetiles.optical.illusion.murals/index.html
Artist Rufus B. Seder calls these "movies for a wall" Lifetiles. The Massachusetts artist invented the Lifetiles medium and is the only artist in the world using it. He has more than 30 Lifetiles installations around the globe.
At the Taiwan Aquarium, dolphins swim on the wall alongside awestruck children.
Lifetiles don't use electricity, moving parts or tricky lighting -- just an elaborate and painstaking process done out of Seder's Eye Think Inc. studio near Boston.
"I love to watch people react to the work. They don't expect a wall to move," he said. "They'll be walking down the hallway in a museum and walking outdoors through a zoo ... and suddenly they realize, 'Those dolphins are starting to move next to me! How is that possible?' "

sort out

這是一篇有關a close hoop game(basketball game)，引發了觀眾打架的新聞。
真好笑，五、六年級的小朋友比賽，有那麼重要嗎?
Police said they are still sorting out what happened, but it appears a group of parents, relatives and friends of the Jefferson team got in an altercation with a similar group from the Sutton team.

sort out [sort sth/sb⇔out]
to arrange or organize something that is mixed up or untidy, so that it is ready to be used

to separate one type of thing from another

If you sort out a problem or the details of something, you do what is necessary to solve the problem or organize the details.

own up

這篇cnn報導，是有關警方開槍射錯人，把屋主當成歹徒。
不過，這位先生的命也真硬，中了六槍還活得好好的。
The city doesn't want to own up to fault. They keep covering it up and covering it up," said Lesley Arambula, Tony's wife.

own up phr v
to admit that you have done something wrong, especially something that is not serious
Come on, own up. Who broke it?

burn pits

Burn pits 講白一點，就是從前那種不環保燒垃圾的地方。
在伊拉克，垃圾處理是一大問題，所以啦，將就一點，就全都給它燒了。
這個燒垃圾的地方，就叫做Burn pits。

"burn pit" is about the size of a football field. Sound nasty? The people who work in the pits have no protection from the ash or toxic fumes.
The pits at Balad were at one point open and burning everything from plastics and food to medical waste, sometimes with jet fuel used as an accelerant.
In later years, incinerators were installed at Balad, but other bases in Iraq and Afghanistan still use the pits without incinerators to burn garbage.have been a concern for troops, especially those who served at Balad Air Force Base in Iraq. Many soldiers who went through Balad became used to "Iraqi crud," as they dubbed the symptom of excessive coughing and black phlegm.

NBA Rockets player shot in drive-by
Team spokesman Nelson Luis said Landry, 25, suffered a flesh wound during a random shooting while getting fast food in the 3000 of Leeland Street in downtown Houston at about 1:30 a.m.Houston police said two men in a vehicle behind Landry's opened fire. Landry exited his vehicle to see what was happening and was wounded in the lower leg.Team officials said Landry was treated at and released from a Memorial Hermann Hospital.Police said the shooters got away.

drive-by shooting/killing
an occasion when someone is shot by someone in a moving car

a booty call

在讀一篇有關Facebook、Myspace網站文章, 有人就用 booty call 來形容
Myspace is for idiots! Its a place for a "booty call"

There are plenty of serious people on MySpace. Facebook is the hang out now.

到底是什麼意思呢?
a booty call is made when the prospect of a traditional romantic date is highly unlikely (e.g., late in the evening, after midnight or in the pre-dawn hours), thus making it obvious that the intent of the call is for the sole purpose of obtaining and engaging in sexual intercourse.
就是一通目的只是要做愛的電話。

lashes with a wet noodle

這一句是來自cbc的讀者留言
"For proponents of capital punishment, this is probably the most compelling reason to not have it. There are, of course, other valid reasons, including that it has not been proven to reduce the number of killings in the U.S. Maybe corporal punishment would work better, possibly 20 lashes with a wet noodle, or, worse still 10 minutes listening to some damn Tory carry on about capital punishment."
How could you say capital punishment does not reduce the number of killings, last time I checked there were no repeat offenders....

lashes with a wet noodle---
Its supposed to be a harmless reprimand; a punishment without any violence or consequences.

用麵條來鞭打你，虧美國人想得出來。
這句片語讓我想到了
a slap on wrist
a punishment that you think is not severe enough

push up daisies

這則是上星期有關加拿大護士在非洲被綁架的新聞回文。
One thing I will say however, is if we wait for the UN to do anything, we will all be pushing up daisies by the time a solution is reached, best to leave that bunch of morons out of it.....

push up daisies Slang-----To be dead and buried: a cemetery of heroes pushing up daisies.

另外，我在字典看到這個片語，忍不住又把它記錄下來

push your luck/push it informal
to do something or ask for something, especially something you have done or asked for before, when this is likely to annoy someone or involves a risk
If she doesn't want to go, don't push it.
It's 26 miles, so you're pushing your luck if you try to hike it in a day.

這個是來自大聯盟官網(有關美國以1比11輸波多黎各的報導)
Maybe it is a moot point.
Said Dunn, "The word that comes to mind is embarrassing. It's inexcusable and uncalled for. It's embarrassing."
Dunn表示，我腦子裡只想到丟臉。這是沒有理由的，而且也不應該，真的是很丟臉。

a moot point----something that has not yet been decided or agreed, and about which people have different opinions
這個片語，第一次是在 friends學到的，那時候，joey講錯了，把它講成 a moo point.
用來諷刺他的無知、不學無術。
uncalled for----
If you describe a remark or criticism as uncalled for, you mean that it should not have been made, because it was unkind or unfair.
I'm sorry. That was uncalled for.

on the take

With low wages comes low morale and an invitation to corruption -- Afghanistan's police are regularly accused of being on the take.

on the take----- illegally paid for favors

hard/hot on sb's heels
following someone very closely:
She ran down the steps with a group of journalists hard on her heels.

come/follow hard/hot on the heels of sth
to happen very soon after something:
For Walter, disaster followed hard on the heels of his initial success.

下面這一則新聞是三月16日cnn報導，
( Iran’s foreign minister made an unannounced visit to Saudi Arabia on Sunday )
Mottaki’s surprise visit comes on the heels of a summit Wednesday in Riyadh to improve relations and overcome contentious issues among Arab countries.

如果只是在一個事件後的話，in the wake of 也是一個很好的選擇。
Earlier Monday, a leading congressional player on financial issues called for a shakeup at AIG in the wake of the bonus disclosures.

chalk it up to the state of the world

tooth and nail with great vigour and determination:

這條新聞則是震驚全世界的德國的killing rampage。
同一天，連續兩件(美國和德國，真是太恐佈了),
據說，兇手曾經在前一天上網，預告這件事，下面是有關的報導。

Earlier, Heribert Rech, interior minister of the state of Baden-Wurttemberg, quoted the postings attributed to Kretschmer as saying, "Everyone laughs at me. No one recognizes my potential. I mean this seriously."
"I have got a weapon here and tomorrow I am going to go to my former school and give them hell. Maybe I would escape, keep your ear to the ground. You'll hear from me tomorrow morning. Just notice the name of the place, Winnenden. Don't say anything to the police," Rech quoted.

另外上星期，美國CNN有一關報導，有一名男子，他的老婆帶著他的小孩到巴西，然後訴請離婚，後來這位女子死後，這名老爸想要要回監護權。他也用了這句話。

King: How did you hear she died?
Goldman: I have friends who, kind of, have an ear to the ground in Brazil, and there were some articles that came out in some local Brazilian newspapers and they did some on the Internet and said she'd passed away.

keep an ear to the ground---to devote attention to watching or listening for clues as to what is going to happen.

這條新聞是這震驚全美阿拉巴馬州的killing rampage, 下面這句話，是居民的反應。
Area residents were shocked that such mayhem should occur in their area,
but they chalk it up to the state of the world.
將它歸究於目前世界動盪不安的局面。

chalk it up to experience informal
to accept a failure or disappointment calmly and regard it as an experience that you can learn something from
to say that something is caused by something else

下面這句話則是在講由非洲移民來的人，由於無法溶入美國生活，已經有些人被激進份子吸收。
所以，這是一項警訊。
The idea that Ahmed was radicalized in the United States raised red flags throughout the U.S. intelligence community.

If you refer to something as a red flag, you mean that it acts as a danger signal.
這個片語讓我想到wake up call都是警訊的意思。

with a grain of salt

今天小小的心得，雖然都很簡單，但是，我覺得都很實用，常常都可看到。

However, she told CNN, any saber-rattling by North Korea toward South Korea should be taken with a grain of salt, since "South Korea basically keeps the North Korean economy going with all of the subsidies of food and fuel and medical supplies."
無論如何，她告訴CNN，任何北韓對南韓的武力恫嚇都應該持保留懷疑的態度，因為，基本上，北韓是靠南韓提供食物、燃料、和醫療援助來支持他們自己國家的經濟。

But I knew we were riding our luck and we wouldn't be able to go on for much longer," Davison added.
但是我知道，我們只是運氣好，我們實在是再也支持不下去了。

But the early advance quickly petered out, as the worries of the last few weeks returned.
但是當最後幾週的對經濟的憂慮又回來時，早先上漲的點數，漸漸消失了。


必備片語
saber-rattling -----A flamboyant display of military power.
A threat or implied threat to use military force.(武力威脅恫嚇)

with a grain of salt-----With reservations; skeptically(持懷疑的態度)

riding our luck ------ To avoid failure only by good fortune.(運氣好才沒有失敗)

peter out ----to gradually become smaller, less, weaker etc and then come to an end

再補充一下。
ride one's luck僥幸，也可以有別的說法。
今天美國影星喬治克隆尼接受CNN專訪時表示：

Clooney: I could tell you a million stories about how it actually affects you personally. But I don't think people should be going there and coming back and saying how it affected them. I think somehow we should all know that these people are hanging on by the skin of their teeth.

by the skin of their teeth-----if you do something by the skin of your teeth, you only just succeed in doing it, and very nearly failed to do it(這個也可以翻作僥幸，或是很勉強)
在這裡，他是指Darfur region of Sudan的人生活很艱難，非常非常的勉強，簡直活不下去了。

另外關於Darfur region of Sudan的人民生活非常非常的勉強，他又說了一段話。

Clooney: It was rough. You know, it's always rough over there. You feel terrible for them. They're hanging on by a thread.


hanging on by a thread-----If you say that something is hanging by a thread, you mean that it is in a very uncertain state and is unlikely to survive or succeed.
(非常非常的勉強)

myannao

slippery slope

I have arrangements with my other half for help in shuffling off if I need it. I'll do the same for her. We have both seen the cruel endless pain of cancer taking a loved one.(death)

if we are aware of the slippery slope, we can plan arround it.

The Slippery Slope is a fallacy in which a person asserts that some event must inevitably follow from another without any argument for the inevitability of the event in question.

Rick somebody or other, quoting someone equally imbecilic, said:

loosey-goosey -----notably loose or relaxed

ride someone's coattails to use your connection with someone successful to achieve success yourself.

of their ilk ------of that type