Session VIII： Do Your Best（尽最大的努力）

　　1.Toot One's Own Horn = boast

　　自吹自擂。

　　范例短文：

　　Michael's last novel was a best seller. He has no need to Toot his own horn about his literary accomplishments¹. His readers and critics alike will now become aware of his talent. He won't have to boast about his skill and success as a writer.

　　2. Stick to One's Guns = maintain one's position

　　坚持自己的立场。

　　范例短文：

　　In spite of the fact that it was inadvisable to have a controversial figure address the club， the chairman stuck to his guns and insisted that it would make good sense to hear the other side of the question before taking a vote on the issue. He maintained his opinion and position on the matter， even though a number of members tried to make him change his mind.

　　3. Get the Ball Rolling = initiate² action

　　开始做某事。

　　范例对话：

　　A： Look！ You've been talking about reparing the roof for weeks now. Don't you think it's about time to get the ball rolling？
　　B： I know， but I've been busy with other things. I promise I'll get to it this weekend.
　　A： The time to start doing it is right now！ According to the weather report it's supposed to rain tomorrow.

　　4. Hang On = persevere³

　　坚持。

　　范例短文：

　　During the depression years the Smiths had a great deal of trouble with their business， but somehow or other they were able to hang on. Although they almost lost their store， they managed to persevere until things got better.

　　5. Give It One's Best Shot = try hard

　　努力去做，尽最大的能力。

　　范例对话：

　　A： Can you do anything about repairing this TV set？
　　B： I'm not much of an electrician， but I'll give it my best shot.
　　A： Many thanks. I'd be most appreciative⁴.
　　B： OK. I'll try my hardest to fix it， but I'm not promising⁵ that I'll succeed.
　　A： At this point， I'll take all the help I can get.

　　6. Make Ends Meet = pay one's bills

　　收入能够支付支出，不至于捉襟见肘。

　　范例对话：

　　A： It's almost impossible trying to keep up with the high cost of living.
　　B： It's true. Things are so expensive nowadays that it's very difficult to make ends meet.
　　A： You know， even with Lucie's salary， our combined income is hardly enough to pay all the bills.

　　7. Pull String = exert influence

　　施展影响力。

　　范例短文：

　　Steven had been unsuccessful in getting tickets for the opening game of the season. However， he pulled some strings⁶ with the manager of the team and got excellent seats. There's no doubt that he got the tickets only by exerting his influence with a person important enough to help him get what he wanted.

　　8. Spread Oneself Too Thin = become involved in too many activities

　　参与太多活动了。

　　范例短文：

　　Although Teresa has always been an excellent student， her marks have been going down lately because she is spreading herself too thin. Besides spending a great deal of time in after-school sports， she got a part-time job as a clerk in a department store. It's only natural that her grades would suffer. She is becoming involved in so many activities that she cannot devote the time that it takes to excel in any one of them.

　　9. Go to Bat for Someone = help out and support someone

　　棒球是美国人喜欢的一种运动，去帮别人击棒球，表示去帮助别人。

　　范例对话：

　　A： Is it true that Don got into some trouble at work last week？
　　B： Yes， he did. He was reproached for not turning in his sales reports， but his secretary went to bat for him.
　　A： What was she able to do？
　　B： She helped him out a great deal by admitting that she had misplaced the reports that he gave her to be typed.
　　A： So， it was her fault， not his.
　　B： Right.

　　10. Duck Soup = easy， effortless

　　容易，不需付出什么努力，就像中国人说的小菜一碟。

　　范例对话：

　　A： Can you help me hook up my new stereo equipment？ I'm having quite a bit of trouble with all these connections.
　　B： Sure. That's duck soup for me.
　　A： Well， with all your experience in electronics， I have no doubt that it will be very easy for you to do.
　　B： No problem. Glad to help out.

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