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內閣部會精簡不得影響行政效率（2004/08/23）
Premier: Cabinet level fat trimming must not affect efficiency |
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逮捕逃犯須支付大陸公安獎金？ 警方三緘其口（2004/08/23）
Police tight lipped on fugitives' arrest |
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民進黨：319「真調會」條例「得寸進尺」（2004/08/26）
'Truth committee' statute crosses the line, DPP says |
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新耐久型半導體已問世 極端環境之應用現曙光（2004/08/26）
New durable semiconductors pave the way for extreme applications |
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三重淹水誰之過？ 北縣市官員互「踢皮球」 （2004/08/27）
City, county officials pass the blame over Sanchung flood |
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首位女性出掌麻省裡工學院校長一職（2004/08/27）
First female president takes the reins at MIT |
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| fat trimming
精簡（人事）；縮減（經費） |
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| fat 為常見用字，表「肥胖的；多餘的」， 當名詞用時為「（多餘的）脂肪或肥肉」，可引申為「多餘的經費；冗員」。trimming 為 trim 之動名詞， 有「削減；降低」之意。因此，fat trimming 原是指減少（身上）多餘的脂肪，之後引申作「縮減（經費）；精簡（人事）」。 |
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Mark's budget will have to undergo some fat trimming.
馬克的預算將必須作部份刪減。 |
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| tight-lipped on/about 三緘其口；絕口不提 |
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| tight 在此當副詞用，相當於 tightly， 意即「緊緊地；堅固地」，而 tight-lipped 照字面翻即是嘴巴緊閉，引申作某人的口風很緊，不隨便對事情多作解釋或評論，即「三緘其口；絕口不提」之意。 |
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Julie has been tight-lipped about her marital problems.
茱莉一向絕口不提她的婚姻問題。 |
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| statute
法令；條例 |
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| statute 乍看之下與 statue（雕像）極為相似，發音也略同，提醒讀者勿將兩者混淆。statute 相當於 law，為「法令；條例」之意。 |
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The city passed a statute forbidding skateboarding in parks.
該市通過「公園禁止溜冰」的法令。 |
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| pave the way for 為……鋪路；為……作好準備 |
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| pave 為「鋪（路）」之意，pave the way for 照字面翻就是「為……鋪路」，引申作「為……作好準備」，為極常見之片語。相似用法為 clear the way for。 |
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The Hubble Space Telescope paved the way for new advances in astronomy.
哈伯太空望遠鏡為天文學的新進展帶來契機。 |
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| pass the blame over 轉嫁過失於……；推卸責任…… |
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| pass over 有「轉交；轉移」之意，而 pass the blame over 照字面翻就是將責難或過失轉移給他人，意即「轉嫁過失於……；推卸責任……」。此種情形有一個貼切的中文說法：「互踢皮球」，實為傳神。 |
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The politicians tried to pass the blame over the weakening economy.
那些政客試圖推卸有關經濟下滑之責。 |
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| take the reins
掌權；接管 |
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| rein 原是指一種一端套在馬（脖子）或幼兒（身上），另一端由另一人拉住的繩子，而 take the reins（常用複數）即是指操作或控制這條繩子，引申為「操控；駕馭；掌管」之意。 |
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Ron had to take the reins of the family business after his father died.
自父親過世之後，朗恩就必須接管其家族事業。 |
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Hilton Glitters with Jewelry Line
希爾頓集團「掌上明珠」推出自創品牌珠寶 |
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Paris Hilton, the socialite and reality TV celebrity of debatable talents, recently released her own line of jewelry. |
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Glittery trinkets include affordable sterling silver and pink crystal earrings, bracelets, necklaces, belly chains, and belly bars. |
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兼具社交名媛、實境節目名人身分、但個人才藝頗受爭議的帕莉絲．希爾頓，日前推出一系列自創品牌珠寶，包括純銀及粉晶耳環、手鍊、項鍊、腰鍊和肚臍環等這類華麗卻還買得起的小裝飾品。 |
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Hilton, who benefits from the $3.8 billion-a-year Hilton hotel fortune, became a household name for all the wrong reasons when a revealing home video shot in secret by a former boyfriend made the rounds on the Internet a few years ago. |
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可分享希爾頓飯店這個年入卅八億美元「金庫」的帕莉絲．希爾頓，幾年前因前男友所偷拍畫面裸露的居家生活錄影帶在網路上廣為流傳之後而「臭」名大躁。 |
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"I thought my fans would want to have part of me, something I designed," she told the Associated Press regarding her jewelry. |
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"A young girl is able to afford it; it looks expensive but it's not." |
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「我想我的影迷會想擁有具有我個人特色的東西、我設計的產品；」帕莉絲就她的珠寶對美聯社作說明︰「年輕女孩買得起它；它看起來很貴但其實不然。」 |
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Hilton currently stars in her own reality show, "The Simple Life," which is in its second season. |
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The first season of the show has just been released on DVD and Hilton is now recording a pop CD. |
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Some critics suggest that her success has more to do with her socialite status than her acting or singing talents. |
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Hilton is quick to shoot back in her defense. |
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"I have a great line of jewelry and I have a great voice," she recently said. |
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"The product is there, so people can't say anything." |
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希爾頓目前正演出她第二季的實境節目「簡單生活」，第一季的節目內容剛發行 DVD 上市，而她正在錄製一張流行音樂專輯。某些評論家指稱她的成功主要歸功於其社會名流的地位，而非演戲或歌唱的才華。希爾頓也立即作出反擊，替自己辯護，最近她說︰「我推出了一系列很棒的珠寶飾品而且我的歌聲也很棒；產品擺在眼前，所以人們無話可說。」 |
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| of all people 某某傢伙 |
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I can't believe Jack of all people would cheat on his wife.
我真不敢相信，傑克那傢伙居然騙他太太。 |
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Two students in a high school classroom are talking about a classmate.
兩個學生在一間高中教室內談論一位同學。 |
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I can't believe Robert, of all people, ruined the curve! |
蒂娜： |
我真不敢相信羅伯那傢伙居然考得那麼棒。 |
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Yeah, I know. How did he do so well on the quiz? |
麥特： |
對啊，我曉得。為什麼他測驗考得那麼好呢？ |
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Beats me. He never gets an A. |
蒂娜： |
你問倒我了。他從來沒有拿過優等。 |
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Not till today. |
麥特： |
今天之前從來沒有。 |
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Sit next to him next period in biology. Ask him his secret. |
蒂娜： |
下一堂生物課你坐在他旁邊。問問他有什麼訣竅吧！ |
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Yeah, sure. What the heck? |
麥特： |
當然，我一定要知道這是怎麼回事。 |
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| ruin the curve 考試成績高出平均很多 |
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| 舉行考試時，考試的結果通常會以曲線圖來表示。曲線圖有高有低，高者即為成績好的，低者即為成績差的。而這個片語本意是「擾亂、毀壞了成績曲線」，後引申為 「原來的平均較低，但因有了高分者的加入而使平均升高，也使得成績不好的人成績更難看。」 這常常是出於一種酸葡萄心理，當大家都考得差時，批評考得好的人所說的話。 |
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I can't believe I got a hundred percent. That sure ruined the curve.
我真不敢相信我考滿分。這下子平均分數一定會提高了。 |
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| ask him his secret 問他的訣竅 |
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| 當某人做了讓人覺得不可思議或了不起的事，而我們很想知道他是怎麼辦到的，就可以這樣說。 |
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A: Wow. She looks like she's lost ten pounds.
A：她看起來好像瘦了十磅。 |
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B: Ask her her secret.
B：問問看她的訣竅是什麼。 |
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| what the heck 究竟……怎麼會 |
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| heck 與 hell 可以互相代換，what the heck 或 what the hell 可表「到底發生了什麼事；怎麼搞的；搞什麼鬼」；若用於感嘆句則指「有什麼關係；管他的；沒關係」。 |
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What the heck? What are they doing?
怎麼搞的？他們在搞什麼？ |
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| True
or False |
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Fat trimming means adding something that is unnecessary. |
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2.
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If you are tight-lipped about something, you don't talk about it. |
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When someone passes the blame, they are taking responsibility. |
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Paris Hilton is famous because she works in a hotel. |
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Critics don't think Paris Hilton is very talented. |
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| Choose
the best word or phrase to complete each sentence.
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statute b.
take the reins c. tight-lipped
d. of all people e.
passed the blame
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How could you __________ do such a thing? |
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A __________ in Singapore forbids public spitting. |
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When the boss criticized Matt for losing the account, he just __________ to his staff. |
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It looks like you will have to ________ of this project while I'm out of town. |
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Tina has been _________ about what she got me for my birthday. |
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