这几天我在看一个企业家的自传。他提到自己创业初期的窘迫。那时,他身无分文,学历不高,也没有后台关系,几次和朋友作小本买卖都以失败告终。
在很多人眼里,他这辈子是不会有什么出息了。他的处境,可以用一个习惯用语来形容:write off. Write off 有许多意思,今天我们讲的是“认为某人或某事是失败的”,“小看”。
这位企业家当时就被人们看扁,觉得他翻不了身了。当然,人家最后还是创业成功了。当初看不起他的人一定会觉得自己看走眼吧! 在下面这段话中,有个游客在抱怨自己的夏威夷之旅,咱们来听听发生了什么:
例句-1: I expected Hawaii to be sunny, perfect for surfing, snorkeling and other outdoor activities. Nothing prepared me for the constant rain I faced after arriving there. I ended up sitting in my hotel room until after the skies finally cleared. What a waste of time! All I could do was to write off those first couple days of my vacation.
这段话是说:我本以为夏威夷会晴空万里,是冲浪、潜水和其它户外运动的天堂。可是我到了夏威夷之后却天天下雨,让我不知如何是好。结果,我每天只能坐在酒店里,一直等到最后天气放晴才出来。真是太浪费时间了! 我只能说,这次旅行的头几天毫无乐趣,算是白费了!
这位游客也真是,难道夏威夷就没有博物馆、画廊什么的?就算不能做户外运动,总可以在室内找点有意思的事情吧?碰上不理想的状况,全要看你怎么处理。
话说我有个朋友,和男友第一次约会的时候一不小心跌进了喷泉池子里,成了落汤鸡,别提多丢脸。但,her date wasnt ready to write off the evening. 她的男友可不打算让约会就这么以失败收场。他居然也跳进了池子,陪她一起当落汤鸡。结果俩人笑成一团,可浪漫了!
******
刚才我们说过企业家创业的故事,现在我们来听听一个电影明星是怎么走出事业低谷,重新获得辉煌的:
例句-2:Back in the 1970s, Cher had co-starred with her husband on a popular TV variety show. Both her marriage and television career, however, soon ended. Thats when many in the entertainment industry wrote Cher off. Eventually, she proved to her critics that she wasnt a failure at all. In 1988, she accepted the Oscar for Best Actress.
这段话的意思是:1970年代时,美国女演员雪儿和她的丈夫合演了一档广受欢迎的电视节目。可是没过多久,她的婚姻和电视生涯就双双终结。当时,娱乐圈的许多人都觉得雪儿完蛋了。但最终,她向这些人证明,她不是个失败者。1988年,她获得了奥斯卡最佳女演员奖。
英文里有个词叫has-been, 意思是过气的人或事。可是,就跟雪儿一样,别人说你过气,write you off, 看不起你,可你反而要把这作为动力,重新力争上游。
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