中国学习者英语口语中习语的使用研_省略_CL和COLSEC的证据_英文_雷蕾
2008年12月第31卷第6期
中国英语教学(双月刊)
CEL EA Journa l(Bimo nthly)
D ec.2008
V o l.31No.6
USE OF IDIOMS IN CHINESE EFL LEARNERS p SPOKEN ENGLISH:EVIDENCE FROM SECCL AND COLSEC
Lei Lei
Huazhong U niversity o f Science and Techno logy
Shanghai Jiao To ng U niversity
A b stract
This paper investigates the use of idioms in Chinese EFL learners p spoke n English by virtue of two corpora, SECCL and COLSEC.The results indicate that the re is no dif ference in the use of idioms be tween English-major and non-English-major learners.The learners are compe tent at using most of the idioms of high and high-medium fre que ncy.However,they use nearly none of the idioms of medium and below f requency.Based on the f indings, we conclude that the learners do not have a good command of the most f requently used idioms in spoken English. Suggestions on syllabus designing and classroom teaching are brought about at the e nd of the paper.
Key w or ds
use of idioms;spoken English;Chinese learners;corpus
1.Introdu ction
Idioms are the conventionalized multiword expressions which are oft en but not always non-literal (Fernando2000:1).Because of the unpredict ability of it s metaphorical meaning,the acquisit ion of idioms is challenging not only native and bilingual speakers,and also second language learners(Cooper 1999).Nevertheless,idioms are so f requently used that an English native speaker will produce around twenty million idioms in his/her lif etime,or seven thousand per week(Pollio,Barlow,Fine&Pollio 1977:14,cited in Cooper1999).T heref ore,language learners are f aced with the problem of comprehending and producing idioms.In pract ice,mast ery of t he second language relies largely on how well learners comprehend and produce idioms in t he everyday language(Cooper1999).
Current studies most ly focus on the comprehension and processing of idioms of L1and L2learners. (e1g1Cronk&Schweigert1992;A bel2003;Y u,Wang&Z hang1998;Wu,Chen&Huang2006;see W ang&Z hang2004for a review on ESL idioms acquisition).However,use of idioms in spoken L2is neglected,to t he best of our knowledge.
T his research,based on t he list of most frequent ly used idioms in American spoken English(Liu 2003),aims to investigat e the use of idioms in Chinese EFL learners p spoken English by virt ue of two corpora,SECCL and COL SEC and answer the f ollowing research questions:
1)How well do t he Chinese English-major and non-English-major learners use the idioms listed in Liu
(2003)?
2)Are there any dif f erences in the use of t he idioms list ed in L iu(2003)bet ween the Chinese
English-major and non-English-major learners?If any,what are t hey?
2.Literature review
2.1De finitio n o f idio ms
Idiom is so vague a term t hat it s meaning is sometimes cont radict ory to each other in dif f erent
CELEA Journal p82
cont exts(Moon1998:3).Some researchers hold that t he concept of idioms covers set phrases,proverbs, formulaic phrases and even polysemes(Cooper1998;Katz&Postal1963).However,others argue t hat idioms only ref er t o f ixed and opaque or met aphorical expressions(M oon1998:4),such as kick the bucket,spill the beans,etc.(L iu2003).
Fernando(2000:1)def ines idioms as conventionaliz ed mult iword expressions which are of ten but not always non-literal.According t o the definition,t hree f eatures of idioms are suggested:1) Composit eness:idioms are expressions combined wit h more than one word,i1e1single words cannot be taken as idioms;2)Institutionaliz at ion:idioms are convent ionalized expressions and inst it utionalization is the end product of the initially ad hoc creat ed expressions;and3)Opaque:we cannot conjecture its meaning f rom its components,i1e1the meaning of idioms is non-literal.In other words,only t hose expressions which become conventionally fixed in a specif ic order and lexical f orm,or have only a restricted set of variant s,acquire t he st atus of idioms(Fernando2000:3,31).
Wei(2001)presents a similar definition of idioms:idioms refer to the combination of words which are syntactically and lexically equivalent to one single word,structurally f ixed with its meaning independent of the literal meaning of the components.Thus,W ei(2001:63-65)suggests f our f eatures of idioms,i1e11)opaque in meaning;2)integrated in semantics;3)f rozen in syntax;and4)weak in collocation.
Fernando(2000:32)classif ies idioms into three cat egories based on its opaqueness in meaning:1)pure/ non-lit eral idioms,e1g1re d herring,spick and span,seize/grasp the ne ttle;2)sem-i literal idioms,e1g1c atc h fire,foot the bill,blue movie/story;3)literal idioms,e1g1in sum,arm in arm,for example/instanc e. 2.2M ost fre que ntl y use d idioms in Ame rican spoke n English
L iu(2003)finds that most t eaching and ref erence materials relat ed to English idioms are compiled based on the compilers p intuition,which has brought about problems like many entries are infrequently used idioms and descriptions of its meaning and use of some idioms are incorrect.To solve the above-ment ioned problems,Liu(2003)works out a list of most f requently used idioms in American spoken English based on the concordance result s of t hree modern American spoken English corpora.
T he list in Liu(2003)consists of302most frequent ly used idioms in American spoken English,which are cat egoriz ed int o three bands,according to its f requency:idioms in Band1occur50times and above per million tokens,t hose in Band2occur11-49t imes per million tokens,and those in Band3occur2-10 times per million tokens.T he three bands correspond respectively to high f requency,high medium frequency and medium frequency proposed by M oon(1998)(See T able1).
Tab le1.M ost f requently used idioms in American spoken English(Liu2003:681)
N umber of idioms Frequency per million words Comparable frequency band
in M oon(1998)
Band14750or more V III(high)
Band210711-49V II(high medium)
Band31482-10V and V I(medium) According t o it s grammatical function,the idioms in Liu(2003)are most ly phrasal verb idioms, conjunct ion idioms,preposition idioms,and adjective/adverb idioms.Except f or t he170phrasal verb idioms,w e cat egoriz ed t he remaining132idioms into two classes:the conjunct ion and preposition idioms are f unct ional idioms because they are of close class and play f unctional roles grammatically;the adjective/adverb idioms are modifier idioms for they f unction as grammat ical modifiers.Of t he132 functional and modif ier idioms,21belong t o Band1,16to Band2and95to Band3.Because t he space is limited,this research aims to investigate t he Chinese EFL learners p use of t he af orementioned132most frequent ly used functional and modif ier idioms in SECCL and COLSEC.
3.Research design
3.1Corpo ra
T he corpora we used in t he study are SECCL(Wen,W ang&Liang2005)and COL SEC(Yang&W ei
2005).SECCL is composed of the transcript ions of Oral Test,N at ional English T est f or English Majors, 1996-2002,wit h a t otal of1,460,042tokens.It represent s the int ermediate level of oral English of Chinese English majors.COL SEC consists of the transcriptions of Oral T est,Band4&6,CET(College English T est,a nat ional t est f or non-English majors),2000-2004,with a tot al of723,299tokens.It represents the int ermediate level of oral English of Chinese non-English majors.
3.2M ethods
3.2.1Concor da nce and calculatio n o f fre quency
In order to calculat e the frequency of every idiom in the two corpora,we concordanced the above-mentioned132idioms respectively in SECCL and COLSEL by means of the concordance sof tware,AntConc3.
2.1.Four rules guided the f requency calculating process:1)if an idiom had only one f orm and one meaning, the f requency AntConc calculated was accepted as the f requency of the idiom;2)if an idiom had more than one form,e1g1in a/some way,we f irst concordanced every f orm respectively,and then added the frequency of every form;3)if an idiom had more than one meaning but only one meaning was listed in Liu(2003),e1g1 only the meaning/somewhat0of the idiom kind of was listed,we first concordanced the idiom in the two corpora,and then judged its meaning of every occurrence based on its context,and finally calculated the frequency of the listed meaning;4)if the forms of several idioms were similar and might repeatedly appear in the AntConc concordances,f or example,as we ll and as well as might overlap in t he concordance,we verified and calculated every concordance respectively.Moreover,we removed the int erlocutor p s words and its concordanced f requency,if any,in the process of concordancing and calculating.
T he list of L iu(2003)does not present the specif ic frequency of every idiom.N evert heless,the band of f requency the idioms belong t o provides us the rough inf ormat ion of the st andard f requency per million tokens of the idioms(See Section2.2).T heref ore,in order t o make a comparison with t he standard frequency in Liu(2003),we standardized the absolute frequency of t he idioms in SECCL and COLSEC, i1e1the absolute f requency in SECCL t imes0.685(1/1.460=0.685)and the absolut e frequency in COL SEC times1.383(1/0.723=1.383).
3.2.2Categ orization
We categorized the use of the idioms of Chinese EFL learners into four types based on the comparison with the f requency in Liu(2003):appropriate use,overuse,underuse and zero use.Appropriate use ref ers to the comparable frequency with it in Liu(2003),overuse means that the f requency is higher than it in Liu(2003), underuse signifies lower frequency than it in Liu(2003),and zero use indicates no use of the idioms in SECCL and COLSEC.Obviously,zero use is the extreme example of underuse.As af orementioned,Liu(2003)does not provide the specific f requency of the idioms,thus we could not make any inferential statistical analysis between the use of the idioms in SECCL and COLSEC and it in Liu(2003).M eanwhile,the categorization of the use of idioms of Chinese EFL learners was thus post hoc.
M oreover,according t o M oon p s(1998)categorization on the f requency of idiom use,occurrence less than2per million t okens belongs to low frequency or insignif icant frequency.In conf ormit y wit h it,w e categorized the idioms with it s standard f requency per million tokens less t han2into zero use.
4.Results
The idioms with its standard f requency more than2in SECCL and COLSEC are presented in Table2. Tab le2.Idioms with st andard frequency more than2in SECCL and COL SEC
Idioms Band
in Liu
(2003)Standard
f requency
in SECCL
Idioms Band
in Liu
(2003)
Standard
f requency
in COLSEC
of course1502.79of course1456.39 according to1208.24as for3207.45
in f act1191.115as/so f ar as1136.917 in order to/that1160.975in order to/that1134.151 Use of Idi oms i n Chi nese EFL Learners p Sp oken Engl i sh:Evi dence from SECCL and COLSEC Lei Lei
Idioms Band
in Liu
(2003)Standard
f requency
in SECCL
Idioms Band
in Liu
(2003)
Standard
f requency
in COLSEC
at all1143.85f irst of all1107.874 as soon as269.185in f act196.81 on t he other hand256.855according t o178.831 as usual352.745on the other hand266.384 f irst of all150.69to the/some extent(of/that)256.703 aft er all241.1as t o(+wh-clause/noun
phrase)
138.724 as well as137.675no mat ter(+any w h-
clause)
238.724
by the way134.935as w ell135.958 as f or333.565at all133.192 as if229.455as w ell as127.66 no matter
(+any w h-clause)
228.085af ter all226.277
as/so far as126.715as long as/so long as120.745 as well116.44in common319.362 as long as/so long as116.44in public316.596 in public314.385in t he long/short run/term313.83 all of a sudden213.7as soon as212.447 to the/some extent(of/
that)
211.645as if212.447 on t ime311.645in t ime212.447 as a matter of f act310.96in a/some way111.064 in advance38.22by the w ay111.064 in a/some w ay1 6.85in someone p s view311.064 in order(in need,get/put
house in order)
3 6.85in t he(somebody p s)eyes of311.06
4 in someone p s view3 6.165on the whole39.681 in time2 5.48in t erms of18.298 in case3 5.48in a/some sense(of/that)18.298 as t o(+wh-clause/noun
phrase)
1 4.795so f ar1 6.915 once again
2 4.795in f avor of2 6.915 in common
3 4.795in detail3 6.915 above all3 4.795f or sure/cert ain2 5.532 right away2 4.11as a matter of f act3 5.532 (be)in charge(of)2 4.11in ot her w ords1 4.149 in terms of1 3.425in general1 4.149 in a/some sense(of/that)1 3.425(be)in charge(of)2 4.149 so far1 3.425in advance3 4.149 more or less3 3.425with regard to3 4.149 f or someone p s/the sake(of)3 3.425in case3 4.149 in general1 2.74on time3 4.149 in detail3 2.74kind of(meaning
somewhat)
1 2.766 up to dat e3 2.74in ef f ect
2 2.766 on t he whole
3 2.74f or someone p s/the sake(of)3 2.766
CELEA Journal p82
Idioms Band
in Liu
(2003)Standard
f requency
in SECCL
Idioms Band
in Liu
(2003)
Standard
f requency
in COLSEC
in other words1 2.055(get)in the/someone p s way3 2.766
on behalf of2 2.055up t o dat e3 2.766
f or sure/certain2 2.055above all3 2.766
f or good3 2.766
in order(in need)3 2.766
A t otal of nine idioms used by English majors occur with its standard f requency more t han50,i1e1of course,according to,in fact,in order to/that,at all,as soon as,on the other hand,as usual,f irst of all. M eanwhile,t here are also nine idioms used by non-English major whose st andard f requency are more than50:of course,as for,as/so far as,in order to/that,f irst of all,in fact,according to,on the other hand,to the/some extent(of/that).
Based on the comparison betw een the idiom used by English majors and non-English majors wit h its standard f requency more than2,we f ound t hat most of the idioms are used by both English majors and non-English majors.Nevertheless,the f ollowing are used only by English majors:all of a sudden,as usual,more or less,on behalf of,once again,right away;and the f ollowing are used only by non-English majors:(get)in the/someone p s way,for good,in ef fect,in favor of,in the(somebody p s)eyes of,in the long/short run/t erm,kind of(meaning somewhat),with regard to.
Furthermore,we compared t he number of idioms in the three bands used in SECCL and COLSEC. 18idioms out of Band1are used in SECCL and3out of Band1are of z ero use in SECCL;meanwhile,19 idioms out of Band1are used in COLSEC and2are of z ero use.Nonetheless,13idioms out of Band2are used in SECCL and3are of z ero use;meanwhile,11out of Band2are used in COLSEC and5are of z ero use.As for t he idioms out of Band3,16and19are respectively used in SECCL and COLSEC,and most of the idioms are of z ero use(See Table3).
Table3.Number of idioms in the three bands
Band1Band2Band3Tot al SECCL18(85.71%)13(81.25%)16(16.84%)47(35.61%)
COLSEC19(90.48%)11(68.75%)19(20.00%)49(37.12%)
L iu(2003)211695132
W e conducted Ch-i square analysis of t he proportion of idioms out of Band1,Band2and Band3as described in Table3.Result s show that t he dif f erence in the f requency of idioms out o f the three bands in SECCL and in COL SEC is not st at istically signif icant(Pearson Ch-i square=1.226,Asymp.Sig.=0.542). The results indicat e t hat both the English majors and non-English majors are capable of using the high-(Band1)and high-medium-(Band2)f requency idioms used by native speakers.How ever,they do not use most of the medium-(Band3)and below frequency idioms.In addit ion,English majors and non-English majors do not hold any signif icant dif f erence in t he quant it y of use of idioms out of all t hree bands.O ne case which is interesting but beyond our int uition is t hat,except t hat English majors use a bit more idioms(2more idioms,to be specific)out of Band2than non-English majors,English majors use less idioms than non-English majors in Band1,Band3and the t otal amount.
T he idioms out of Band1and Band2that are not used in SECCL and COLSEC are listed in Table4.
Table4.Idioms of zero use out of Band1and2
Band1Band2
SECCL kind of;sort of;w it h respect to/in
respect t o
in ef f ect;back and f ort h;in f avor of COL SE Csort of;with respect to/in respect to once again;on behalf of;back and
forth right away;all of a sudden
Use of Idi oms i n Chi nese EFL Learners p Sp oken Engl i sh:Evi dence from SECCL and COLSEC Lei Lei
In order to f urther investigate the use o f idioms in SECCL and COLSEC,we analyz ed the overuse, proper use and underuse of the idioms(See T able5).
Tab le5.Overuse,proper use and underuse of the idioms in SECCL and COLSEC
SECCL COLSEC
Proper use Band1of course,according to,in f act,
in order t o/t hat,at all,first of all Band1of course,as/so f ar as,in order to/t hat,f irst of all,in f act,
according t o
Band2af ter all,as if,no matter(+any wh-clause),all of a sudden,to
t he/some extent(of/that)Band2no mat ter(+any wh-clause), af ter all,as soon as,as if,in t ime
Band3in advance,in order(in need, get/put house in order),in
someone p s view,in case,in
common,above all,more or less,
f or someone p s/the sake(of),in
detail,up t o date,on the whole Band3on the whole,in detail,as a matter of fact,in advance,with
regard to,in case,on t ime,f or
someone p s/the sake(o f),(get)in
the/someone p s way,up to date,
above all,for good,in order(in
need,get/put house in order)
Overuse Band2as soon as,on the ot her hand Band2on the other hand,to the/some
ext ent(of/t hat)
Band3as usual,as f or,in public,on t ime,as a mat ter of fact Band3as f or,in common,in public,in the long/short run/term,in
someone p s view,in the
(somebody p s)eyes of
Underuse Band1as w ell as,by the way,as/so far
as,as well,as long as/so long as,
in a/some way,as to(+wh-
clause/noun phrase),in terms
of,in a/some sense(of/that),so
f ar,in general,in ot her w ords Band1as to(+wh-clause/noun phrase), as w ell,at all,as well as,as long
as/so long as,in a/some way,by
the way,in terms of,in a/some
sense(of/that),so f ar,in other
words,in general,kind of
(meaning somewhat)
Band2in time,once again,right aw ay, (be)in charge(of),on behalf
of,f or sure/cert ain Band2in favor o f,f or sure/certain, (be)in charge(of),in ef fect
We conduct ed Ch-i square analysis of the proport ion of proper use,overuse and underuse o f the idioms in SECCL and COLSEC(See Table6).Results showed that t here is no signif icant diff erence in proper use(Ch-i square=.029,p=.866),overuse(Ch-i square=.067,p=.796)and underuse(Ch-i square =.026,p=.872),which indicat es t hat English majors and non-English majors are similar in the use of idioms in their oral English.
Tab le6.Statistics of overuse,proper use and underuse of the idioms in SECCL and COL SEC
Band1Band2Band3T otal
Liu(2003)211695132
SECCL Proper use651122(16.67%) Overuse0257(5.30%)
Underuse(st andard f requency 32+<2+zero use)12+0+36+0+30+63+16103(78.03%)
CELEA Journal p82
Use of Idi oms i n Chi nese EFL Learners p Sp oken Engl i sh:Evi dence from SECCL and COLSEC Lei Lei
Band1Band2Band3T otal COLSEC Proper use651324(18.18%) Overuse0268(6.06%)
13+0+24+0+50+57+19100(75.76%) Underuse(st andard f requency
32+<2+zero use)
M oreover,statistics in Table6suggest that the proportion o f proper use of the idioms of bot h English majors and non-English majors is not high(16.67%and18.18%respectively).M eanwhile,t hey seldom overuse the idioms.T heref ore,the major problem lies in the underuse or zero use of t he idioms.Put it in other words,t he diff iculty the Chinese EFL learners are f aced with in the use of idioms is t hat t hey do not mast er well the idioms of medium-and below frequency,thus they underuse or z ero use most of t hose idioms w hich are most frequent ly used by native speakers.
One case in point is the underuse or z ero use of t he two idioms,kind/sort of.The idioms are of the highest f requency in Liu p s(2003)list wit h its meaning/somewhat0,which implies that t he idioms kind/ sort of with the meaning/somewhat0are the most f requently used idioms by American nat ive speakers of English.L et p s see the use of the idioms by t he Chinese learners.The idiom,kind of,occurs741and445 times respectively in SECCL and COLSEC.However,only one and t wo occurrences in SECCL and COL SEC respectively ref er to/somewhat0.The idiom,sort of,occurs15and6t imes respectively in SECCL and COL SEC.However,none of those occurrences means/somewhat0.
5.Discussion
T he study investigat es t he use of idioms in Chinese EFL learners p spoken English by virt ue of two corpora,SECCL and COLSEC.The results show ed t hat both English-major and non-English major learners are capable of using most of the idioms of high-and high-medium-f requency that are frequently used by native speakers.How ever,they seldom use t he idioms of medium-and below f requency. Moreover,there is no significant dif f erence in their use of the idioms of the t hree bands of f requency (high,high-medium,medium and below)as well as the proper use,overuse and underuse o f t he idioms. Based on t he analysis,the major problem is t hat they do not mast er well the most f requently used idioms in spoken English,especially those of medium-and below f requency.Theref ore,they f ail to use most of the idioms that are most f requently used by nat ive speakers in oral English.
T he situation in which t he Chinese learners learn English may account for t he phenomenon.The social environment is not good enough f or the st udent s to learn English in China.Though the societ y puts much emphasis on the learning of English,the students rarely have the opport unit y to use or practice English in the social act ivities or in the daily lif e.T he input t hey receive of the English language basically comes f rom the classroom act ivities.Furthermore,their dependence on the classroom,the t eachers and text books might be explained by their inst rumental motivat ion of English learning.According to an invest igation by Gao,Z hao,Cheng&Z hou(2003),the Chinese learners p motivations of English learning,besides the int ernal int erest in English language,are composed of1)expectations to be enrolled by a university or passing the exams,2)sit uational motivat ions such as interest in t he English t eacher, class,t extbooks,etc.,or3)going abroad.The st rong instrumental motivation may not only make the learners put much ef f ort in English learning,but also cause t heir overdependence on the classroom and text books.Once the class or the t extbooks fail to provide t hem enough or proper language input,t here will be less chance f or them to succeed in English learning.
Nevertheless,t he English teaching at present appears unsatisfact ory t hat may be responsible f or the case f ound in the present st udy.On one hand,the courses f or both English major and non-English major learners are f or most part reading courses.Obviously,the language used in the reading text books is of formal writ ten style,which f ails to provide to t he learners enough oral language input.On t he other hand,though there are oral English courses for most English majors and some of the non-English majors, they st ill cannot ensure enough or proper oral language input and output,either f or the reason t hat the time is not enough,or for that the oral English of t he t eachers is also not t hat satisfact ory.In summary, the not enough or proper input of oral English may be the main reason f or the learners p f ailure in the use of idioms in their oral English.
CELEA Journal p82
One phenomenon t hat is beyond our intuit ion is that there is no diff erence in the use of idioms betw een t he English major and non-English major learners.It is generally accepted that the English majors exceed the non-English majors in t he perf ormance of English language f luency and accuracy. However,t he results obtained f rom t he study showed that the English majors do not show any superiority to the non-English majors in t he mast ery of idioms,at least t he functional and modifier idioms invest igated in the study.
Pawley&Syder(1983:191)dif f erentiated native-like fluency and nat ive-like selection.N ative-like fluency ref ers to/the native speaker p s ability t o produce f luent stretches of spontaneous connected discourse0,whereas native-like selection is/the abilit y of t he native speaker rout inely t o convey his meaning by an expression that is not only grammatical but also native like0,i1e1/how he selects a sentence that is natural and idiomatic f rom among the range of grammat ically correct paraphrases,many of which are non-nat ive-like or highly marked usages0.
L anguage is conventionalized by it s very nature,which makes language performance appear/nat ive-like0,or more idiomatic(Y orio1989:56).Thus,idiomaticity/becomes an excellent indicator of bilingual system proficiency0(Yorio1989:68).However,though the second language learners are capable of developing native-like grammatical accuracy,t hey do not select or use idiomat ic expressions like native speakers(Yorio1989:66).
T he af orementioned point of view seems t o account f or the use of idioms of Chinese EFL learners discovered in t he st udy.T he learners appear to be capable of using English quit e f luently,and some of them even reach the nat ive-like fluency.However,f rom the perspect ive of the use of idioms in the oral English at least,t hey are f ar f rom t he native-like selection def ined in Pawley&Syder(1983).In other words,the Chinese EFL learners are quite f luent,but not idiomatic,in their perf ormance or use of English.
In addition,one point needs our caution as well.T hough t he unsatisfact ory social environment and classroom t eaching seemed t o account for t he f act that the English major and non-English major learners did not mast er the most f requently used idioms in spoken English well,fact ors related t o t he corpora used in the st udy should not be neglected and might explain the above phenomenon.A ll materials in SECCL and COL SEC were collected from oral tests,thus t he perf ormances of the test ees were f ar dif ferent from the learners p spontaneous talking or communicat ion.M oreover,the t ime of corpora dat a collect ion,the size of t he corpora,t he t ask type and test topics might as w ell be responsible f or the f indings in the st udy.
Pedagogical implications are proposed based on the above analysis.
First,the select ion of words and idioms in the compilation of Teaching Syllabus/T eaching Requirement1is supposed to ref er to statist ical analysis of word/idiom frequency of related corpora.The word list and the idiom list(designed for non-English majors)as att achment s to the N at ional College English Teaching Syllabus(Revised version)and the f ollow-up National College English T eaching Requirement have ref erred t o several dict ionaries and word f requency lists published at home and abroad as well as frequency analysis of JDEST(a corpus of science and t echnology designed by Shanghai Jiao Tong U niversit y).T heref ore,the selection of words and idioms in the word/idiom lists seems to be scientif ic(Huang1999).However,t he word list att ached to English T eaching Syllabus f or English Majors(Element ary L evel)does not ment ion it s/rules o f word selection0and does not/ref er to corpora word f requency analysis0.A s a result,some o f the words of high f requency have not been selected(Xi 1998).From the above analysis,t he word list compilat ion f or non-English majors seems more scientif ic for English majors,which seems to explain in part the results obt ained in the study that English majors seem not to perf orm any bett er in t he use of idioms than non-English majors.
T he Teaching Syllabus/T eaching R equirement is inf luential in China that it serves as the guidance to text book compilat ion,t eaching,t est development,students learning,et c.M ore importantly,the students would regard t he word/idiom lists at tached to the T eaching Syllabus/Teaching R equirement as the/Bible0t hat/nearly every st udent holds one copy of the word/idiom lists and t ries his/her best to rote-memoriz e t he words/idioms in it0(Xi1998).Therefore,w het her t he select ion of the words/idioms is scient ific and whether the entries in the word/idiom lists are in conf ormity with the realistic use of the
Use of Idi oms i n Chi nese EFL Learners p Sp oken Engl i sh:Evi dence from SECCL and COLSEC Lei Lei native speakers will directly or indirect ly influence the English language teaching and learning.As a result,it is suggested that t he selection of words and idioms in t he revision of Teaching Syllabus/T eaching Requirement ref er t o statistics of word/idiom f requency of related corpora.
M oreover,a distinction of oral and written English should be made for each entry in the word/idiom lists attached t o the Teaching Syllabus/T eaching R equirement.Oral and written languages are quit e diff erent in st yle,f ormalit y and wording.L et p s take kind of and sort of again as the example.The two idioms(meaning/somewhat0)are of the highest f requency in Liu p s(2003)most f requently used idiom list in American oral English.However,af ter concordancing FROW N,a writt en English corpus,w e f ind that kind of occur242times,among which only15occurrences mean/somewhat0;meanwhile,sort of occurs94times,among which only11occurrences mean/somewhat0.It is obvious f rom the comparison of the idioms p occurrences and meaning in dif ferent corpora t hat they are diff erent in its meaning in diff erent genres(in oral English,they primarily mean/somewhat0,and in writ ten English,they basically mean/t ype0or/sort0).T he problem Chinese learners are f aced with is t hat they are not clear of the dif f erent usage of the idioms,t hough t hey seem t o be capable of using the idioms quite frequent ly. Therefore,it is proposed that,in t he f uture revision o f the T eaching Syllabus/Teaching Requirement, separate word/idiom lists f or oral and written English be developed wit h the entries p dist inctive f requency and meaning in dif ferent genres taken int o account,or details of every entry p s frequency and meaning f or diff erent genres explained within one word/idiom list.
L ast,speaking and listening should be f urt her reinf orced in English teaching.A t present,reading is still the core of English teaching in China.The speaking and listening courses or the speaking and listening practices in the Comprehensive/College English cannot meet the need of t he st udent s. Therefore,it is quite urgent t o put more emphasis on t he teaching of speaking and listening by investing more time on speaking and listening practices as w ell as diversifying t he course designing in order to provide or tailor more choices for the students.M oreover,t he oral English course should aim at not only developing t he fluency but also the idiomaticity of the learners p English.One easy but ef f ect ive approach to this goal is to help the learners acquire the f requently used idioms such as t hose in L iu p s(2003)list.
L imitations o f t he st udy have yet to be addressed.First,t his article has only been able to touch on the f unct ional and modifier idioms used by Chinese EFL learners because of the space limitat ion.Further studies are needed to invest igate t he use of phrasal verb idioms used by Chinese EFL learners.Second, the study is basically quant it at ive,i1e1it empirically investigat es and compares the use of idioms of Chinese English-major and non-English major learners.Case studies are suggest ed on the qualitative comparison of the use of idioms Chinese English-major and non-English major learners.Finally,careful comparison between Liu p s(2003)list and the word/idiom lists attached to t he Teaching Syllabus/ Teaching Requirement is needed to provide ref erence f or the f uture revision of the w ord/idiom lists at tached to the Teaching Syllabus/Teaching Requirement.
Note
1.Teaching Syllabus/Teaching Requirement refers to both or either the National College English Teaching
Syllabus(Revised version),the f ollow-up National College English Teaching Requirement and/or English Teaching Syllabus f or English Majors(Elementary Level),depending on dif ferent contexts in this paper.
Re ferenc es
Abel, B.2003.English idioms in the f irst language and second language lexicon:A dual representation approach.Second Lang uag e Resear ch19/4:329-358.
Cooper,T. C.1998.Teaching idioms.For eig n Lang uag e Annals31/2:255-266.
Cooper,T. C.1999.Processing of idioms by L2Learners of English.TESOL Quarterly33/2:233-262. Cronk, B. C.&A.Schweigert.1992.The comprehension of idioms:The eff ects of f amiliarity,literalness, and usage.Applied Psycholinguistics13/2:131-146.
Fernando, C.2000.Idioms and Idiomaticity.Shanghai:S hanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
Katz,J.J.&P.M.Postal.1963.Semantic interpretations of idioms and sentences containing them.MIT Resear ch Laboratory of Electronics Quar terly Progress Report70:275-282.
(Cont inued on p.43...)
Level of directness St rategy English Examples Chinese Examples
5W ant statement I would like you to shut
up.希望(论文)能够推迟几天再交。
Convent ionally
indirect
6Suggest ory formula Let p s play a game.我们一起去看演唱会吧!
7Preparatory I was wondering if you
would give me a lift.可不可以送两条浴巾上来?
Non-conventionally indirect(hints)8Hint s This game is boring.我希望回来后看到一个干
净的房间。
我们的房间有点乱!
Combination9Combinat ion I want to borrow your
comput er.Can you lend
it to me?电脑给我用一会,,能否用你的电脑?
(...continued f rom p.90)
Liu, D.2003.The most f requently used spoken American English idioms:A corpus analysis and its implications.TESOL Quar terly37/4:671-700.
Moon,R.1998.Fixed Expr essions and Idioms in English.Oxf ord:Clarendon Press.
Pawley, A.&F.Syder.1983.Two puzzles f or linguistic theory:Native-like selection and native-like
f luency.In J.Richards&R.S chmidt(eds.).Language and Communication,pp.191-226.London:
Longman.
Pollio,H.R.,J.M.Barlow,H.K.Fine&M.R.Pollio.1977.Psycholog y and the Poetics of Growth.
Hillsdale,NJ:Erlbaum.
Yorio, C.1989.Idiomaticity as an indicator of second language prof iciency.In K.Hyltenstam&L.K.Obler (eds.).Bilingualism across a Lifespan:Aspects of Acquisition,Matur ity and Loss,pp.55-72.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
高一虹、赵媛、程英、周燕,2003,中国大学本科生英语学习动机类型,5现代外语6第1期。
黄建滨,1999,关于5大学英语教学大纲(修订本)6词汇表的说明,5外语界6第4期。
王晓旻、张文忠,2004,ESL/EFL习语习得国外研究概述,5国外外语教学6第4期。
卫乃兴,2001,5词语搭配的界定与研究体系6。上海:上海交通大学出版社。
文秋芳、王立非、梁茂成,2005,5中国学生英语口笔语语料库6。北京:外语教学与研究出版社。
吴旭东、陈斌、黄丽辉,2006,中国学生对英语习语的理解:习语类型与二语水平的作用,5外语教学与研究6第3期。
席仲恩,1998,关于英语专业基础阶段英语教学大纲词汇附表的思考,5陕西师范大学学报6(哲学社会科学版)增刊。
杨惠中、卫乃兴,2005,5中国学习者英语口语语料库建设与研究6。上海:上海外语教育出版社。
余贤君、王莉、刘伟、张必隐,1998,惯用语的理解:构造还是提取,5心理科学6第4期。
CELEA Journal p82
控制实验,假设更高强度的意识能够有效地帮助学生掌握英语的介词结构。结果证明,在学习和应用目标结构的过程中,意识起到了重要的作用。本研究因此认为,在设计复杂语法结构学习时,有必要采取更加外显的教学手段。
关键词:意识;英语介词结构;控制实验
二语习得领域内的搭配实证研究十五年:回顾与展望
南京师范大学外国语学院曹佩72
………
搭配是外语学习中的一个重要方面,在二语习得领域,研究者对外语学习者的搭配知识和搭配能力给予了相当的关注,开展了多项实证研究,主要涉及五个方面:测试学习者的搭配知识、考察搭配知识发展路径、分析搭配错误、探讨搭配与语言水平的关系以及探寻搭配教学方式。本文回顾了过去十五年国内外在二语习得领域的各项搭配实证研究,总结研究结果,试图发现已有研究的局限,并指出后续研究的方向。
关键词:综述;搭配知识;发展路径;搭配错误;搭配教学
中国学习者英语口语中习语的使用研究)))来自SECCL和COLSEC的证据
华中科技大学外国语学院/上海交通大学外国语学院雷蕾82
……………………………
本文借助SECCL和COLSEC两个语料库,对中国学习者英语口语中使用习语的情况进行了研究。结果表明,英语专业学习者使用习语的情形与非英语专业学习者大致相同,他们能够使用大部分高频和中高频习语,但几乎不使用中频及以下的常用习语,因此,他们没有很好地掌握口语中常用的习语。本文最后对大纲修订和课堂教学提出了建议。
关键词:习语使用;英语口语;中国学习者;语料库
英语词汇附带习得中三种学习策略的对比研究中原工学院外语系石志亮91
………………
本研究比较了阅读中三种词汇学习策略(利用上下文猜测词义,使用电子词典,两种学习策略的结合使用)对词汇附带习得效果的影响。通过研究发现:使用电子词典的学习策略比利用上下文猜测词义的学习策略对词汇附带习得的效果更加显著;两种学习策略的结合比仅使用一种学习策略更有利于词汇的附带习得;英语成绩好的学习者比英语成绩差的学习者附带习得了更多词汇。
关键词:词汇附带习得;学习策略;电子词典;阅读
一项针对中国教师实施任务型教学的案例研究深圳大学外国语学院英语系陈锫102
……
本文采用案例研究的方法对中国教师实施任务型教学的情况予以调查。四位中学资深教师被列入课堂观察的对象参与了为期一年的研究。该项研究采用COLT(Co mm unicative Orientatio n o f Language Teaching)观察体系对教师的课堂行为进行分析。数据主要由课堂观察和一系列采访提供。研究结果表明,教师的素质以及他们对任务型教学的理解和认识是决定任务型教学成功实施的关键。基于这一重要发现,本文对中学一线教师实施任务型教学提出了一些可行性建议。
关键词:任务型教学法;实践;案例研究
TESOL教师教育硕士课程和多样化教学语境新疆师范大学外国语学院陈华英113
………
本研究通过问卷调查对国外一所大学的TESOL教师教育硕士课程与其毕业生的多样化教学语境之间的关联进行了调查和分析,试图发现这些关联之间的与文化和社会的多样性有关的任何潜在的共同现象和模式。根据结果和讨论,本研究建立了一个铸造上述各种联系的过程模型。并建议教师教育课程侧重于融合语境化意识和社会文化现实,促进个人实践理论的生成,提供实施教学创新的知识和技能,还要考虑其毕业生将所领悟的知识应用于教学语境的过程。
关键词:TESOL课程;教学语境;多样化关联
中文摘要
中国经典谚语的英文表达
中国经典谚语的英文表达 A 爱情是盲目的 Love is blind. B 被打得青一块紫一块 be beaten black and blue 不劳则无获 No pains ,no gains. 不怕迟只怕不做 Better late than never. C 此路不通 Blocks！ D 当断不断，必受其患 He who hesitates is lost. F 发光的并不都是金子 All is not gold that glitters. G 过着吵吵闹闹的生活（夫妻） lead a cat and dog life J 金窝，银窝，不如自己的草窝。 East,west，home is best． 酒好不必挂幌子 Good wine needs no bush. L 良好的开端是成功的一半 Well begun is half done. N 牛饮 drink like a fish Q 情人眼里出西施 Love blinds a man to imperfections. R 认识从实践开始 Knowledge begins with practice. S 上气不接下气 out of breath T 天亮了 Day breaks;Day dawns. X 信不信由你 Believe it or not. 行动胜于空谈 Actions speak louder than words. 需要是发明之母 Necessity is the mother of invention. Y 一只耳朵进，一只耳朵出 go in at one ear and out at the other 有其父必有其子 Like father,like son. Z 这怪不着谁 No one is to blame for it. 真是活一天学一天 Live and learn. 拙匠常怪工具差 Bad workmen often blame their tools.
中国谚语翻译总汇(已)
中国谚语翻译总汇 1．见机行事。Act according to circumstances. 2．兵不厌诈。All is fair in war. 3．留得青山在，不怕没柴烧。As long as the green hills last, there'll always be wood to burn. - 4．种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆。As you sow, so shall you reap. 5．不问就听不到假话。Ask no questions and be told no lies. 6．情人眼里出西施。Beauty lies in lover's eye 7．血浓于水。Blood is thicker than water. 8．海内存知己，天涯若比邻。A bosom friend afar brings a distant land near 9．简洁是智慧的灵魂。Brevity is the soul of wit. 10．公事公办。Business is business. 11．车到山前必有路。The cart will find its way round the hill ，when it gets there. 12．巧妇难为无米之炊。he cleverest housewife cannot cook a meal without rice. 13．笨鸟先飞。Clumsy birds have to start flying early. 14．精诚所至，金石为开。Complete sincerity can affect even metal and stone. 15．置之死地而后生。Confront a person with the danger of death and he will fight to live. 16．滴水穿石。Constant dripping wears away the stone. 17．习惯成自然。Custom is a second nature. 18．以其人之道，还治其人之身。Deal with a man as he deals with you. 19．血债要用血来还。Debts of blood must be paid in blood. 20．隔行如隔山。Different trades are separated as by mountains. 21．一回生，二回熟。Different the first time, easy the second. 22．早动手，早收获。Early sow, early mow. 23．者千虑，必有一失。Even the wise are not free from error. 24．吃一堑，长一智。Every failure one meets with adds to one's experience. 25．国家兴亡，匹夫有责。Every man has a share of responsibility for the fate of his country. 26．每一个人都有美中不足的地方。Every man has the defects of his own virtues. 27．人各有所好。Every man to his taste 28．行行出状元。Every profession produces its own leading authority. 29．仁者见仁，智者见智。Everyone thinks in his way. 30．切莫错过良机。Everything has its time and that time must be watched. 31．凡事总有一个开头。Everything must have a beginning. 32．身教胜于言教。Example is better than precept. 33．经验是智慧之母Experience is the mother of wisdom. 34．经验是愚者之师。Experience is the teacher of fools. 35．乐极生悲。Extreme joy begets sorrow. 36．以眼还眼，以牙还牙。An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. 37．心有余而力不足（贪多嚼不烂）。The eye is bigger than the belly. 38．吃一堑，长一智。A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit. 39．人怕出名猪怕壮。Fame portends trouble for men just as fattening does for pigs. 40．少说为佳。Few words are best. 41．寡不敌众。A few are no match for the many. 42．水火无情。Fire and water have no mercy.
商务英语口语情景对话大全
英语面试自我介绍 A类： B: May I come in我可以进来吗 A: Yes, please.请进。 B: How are you doing, Sir My name is xxxx. I am coming to your company for an interview as requested.你好，先生。我叫xxx，我是应邀来贵公司面试的。 A: Fine, thank you for coming. Please take a seat. I am xxxx, the assistant manager.好的，谢谢你过来。请坐，我叫xxxx，是经理助理。 B: Nice to see you, .非常高兴见到你，吴先生。 A: Nice to meet you, too. Tell me about yourself and your past experience. 我也很高兴见到你。说说你自己和你过去的经历吧。 B: I have worked as a secretary for six years. I get along well with peers, clients, administrators and bosses. I thrive on challenge and work well in high-stress environments. 我已经做执行秘书6年了。开始是为一家贸易公司工作.现在是一家信托公司。我和同事、客户、行政管理员以及老板相处得非常好。我能应付挑战，而且在高压力环境中也能工作很出色。 A: So why did you choose our company B:As far as I know, your company is one of several leading international consultant corporations which came to China after China entered WTO. I think working here would give me the best chance to use what I’ve learned. A: Sometimes we are very busy and need to work overtime. How do you feel about that 有时候我们工作很忙。需要加班。你觉得如何 B: That's all right. But could you tell me how often and how many hours I should work overtime 没关系。你能告诉我加班的频率和时间长度吗 A: It just depends. If we have important visiting delegations, you have to stay with us. It's not unusual. 这得看情况。如果我们有重要的访问代表团。你必须留在我们身边。这种情况很正常。 A: What are your salary expectations 你期望多少薪水 B: I really need more information about the job before we start to discuss salary. Maybe you could tell me what is budgeted for the position.
中国俗语的英文翻译)
无源之水,无本之木water without a source, and a tree wiithout roots 无中生有make/create something out of nothing 无风不起浪There are no waves without wind. There\\\'s no smoke without fire. 徇私枉法bend the law for the benefit of relatives or friends 新官上任三把火a new broom sweeps clean 虚心使人进步,骄傲使人落后Modesty helps one go forward, whereas conceit makes one lag behind. 蓄势而发accumulate strength for a take-off 心想事成May all your wish come true 心照不宣have a tacit understanding; give tacit consent; tacit understanding 先入为主First impressions are firmly entrenched. 先下手为强catch the ball before the bound 像热锅上的蚂蚁like an ant on a hot pan 现身说法warn people by taking oneself as an example 息事宁人pour oil on troubled waters 喜忧参半mingled hope and fear 循序渐进step by step 一路平安，一路顺风speed somebody on their way; speed the parting guest 严以律己,宽以待人be strict with oneself and lenient towards others 鱼米之乡a land of milk and honey 有情人终成眷属"Jack shall have Jill, all shall be well." 有钱能使鬼推磨Money makes the mare go. Money talks. 有识之士people of vision 有勇无谋use brawn rather than brain 有缘千里来相会Separated as we are thousands of miles apart, we come together as if by predestination. 与时俱进advance with times 以人为本people oriented; people foremost 因材施教teach students according to their aptitude 欲穷千里目，更上一层楼"to ascend another storey to see a thousand miles further; Ascend further, were you to look farther; Would eye embrace a thousand miles? Go up, one flight."
英语口语情景对话(有用的英语场景对话)
英语口语情景对话 一、祝愿、祝贺和应答（Good wishes, congratulations and responses） 1.- Well done and congratulations to you. - Thanks very much. 2.- I hope you‘ll succeed in everything. - So do I. 3.- I wish you success. - Thank you. 4.- We send you our best wishes. - Thank you very much. 5.- Happy new year ! - Happy new year! (The same to you.) 6.- A merry Christmas to you. - Thank you. 7.- I hope you‘ll have a good time. - Thank you. 8.- Happy birthday! - Thank you. 二、邀请和应答（Invitations and responses） 1.- Would you like to come to the party? - Oh yes, thank you. 2.- I hope you can come to the dance next Saturday. - I‘m sorry, but I can‘t. 3.- Will you go dancing with us? - Of course. I‘ll be glad to. 4.- Will you come to our English Evening? - Yes, thank you. 5.- Would you please give us a talk on English Learning? - OK. When? 6.- You and your friends must come over to my house and see mooncakes. - OK. Thank you very much. 三、表示同意和不同意（Expressing agreement and disagreement） 1.- I think the shop is closed at this time of day. - No, I think it‘s open. 2.- I think foreign languages are more interesting than science. - I really can‘t agree with you. I prefer science. 3.- I think I shall read a book instead. - Good idea. That‘s much better than watching a bad TV Programme. 4.- I don‘t think that it‘s true. He‘s always telling strange stories. - I know. But this time I can‘t decide if he is right or not.
中国的俗语翻译成英语怎么说
中国的俗语翻译成英语怎么说？ 1.爱屋及乌Love me, love my dog. 2.百闻不如一见Seeing is believing. 3.比上不足比下有余worse off than some, better off than many; to fall short of the best, but be better than the worst. 4.笨鸟先飞A slow sparrow should make an early start. 5.不眠之夜white night 6.不以物喜不以己悲not pleased by external gains, not saddened by personnal losses 7.不遗余力spare no effort; go all out; do one's best 8.不打不成交No discord, no concord. 9.拆东墙补西墙rob Peter to pay Paul 10.辞旧迎新bid farewell to the old and usher in the new; ring out the old year and ring in the new 11.大事化小小事化了try first to make their mistake sound less serious and then to reduce it to nothing at all 12.大开眼界open one's eyes; broaden one's horizon; be an eye-opener 13.国泰民安The country flourishes and people live in peace 14.过犹不及going too far is as bad as not going far enough; beyond is as wrong as falling short; too much is as bad as too little 15.功夫不负有心人Everything comes to him who waits. 16.好了伤疤忘了疼once on shore, one prays no more 17.好事不出门恶事传千里Good news never goes beyond the gate, while bad news spread far and wide. 18.和气生财Harmony brings wealth. 19.活到老学到老One is never too old to learn. 20.既往不咎let bygones be bygones 21.金无足赤人无完人Gold can't be pure and man can't be perfect. 22.金玉满堂Treasures fill the home. 23.脚踏实地be down-to-earth 24.脚踩两只船sit on the fence 25.君子之交淡如水the friendship between gentlemen is as pure as crystal; a hedge between keeps friendship green 26.老生常谈陈词滥调cut and dried, cliché 27.礼尚往来Courtesy calls for reciprocity. 28.留得青山在不怕没柴烧Where there is life, there is hope. 29.马到成功achieve immediate victory; win instant success 30.名利双收gain in both fame and wealth 31.茅塞顿开be suddenly enlightened 32.没有规矩不成方圆Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards. 33.每逢佳节倍思亲On festive occasions more than ever one thinks of one's dear ones far away.It is on the festival occasions when one misses his dear most. 34.谋事在人成事在天The planning lies with man, the outcome with Heaven. Man proposes, God disposes. 35.弄巧成拙be too smart by half; Cunning outwits itself 36.拿手好戏masterpiece 37.赔了夫人又折兵throw good money after bad 38.抛砖引玉a modest spur to induce others to come forward with valuable contributions; throw a sprat to catch a whale 39.破釜沉舟cut off all means of retreat；burn one‘s own way of
(完整版)中国谚语之英文版
中国谚语之英文版 English version of Chinese proverb 中国谚语A：惊弓之鸟/谈虎色变A burnt child dreads fire. 见微知著/一叶知秋A feather shows the way the wind blows. 无意之财/一笔横财a financial windfall急风知劲草A friend in need is a friend indeed.千里鹅毛A gift is cheap, but love is dear. 钱能通神A golden hammer breaks an iron door. 小不忍则乱大谋A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains. 忙中有错A hasty man drinks his tea with his fork. 新秀不努力,老大徒伤悲A lazy youth, a lousy age. 百无一用是书生A learned man is an idler who kills time by study. 星星之火可以燎原A little leak will sink a great ship. 量小非君子A little pot will soon be hot. 新官上任三把火A new broom sweeps clean. 滚石不生苔A rolling stone gathers no moss. 知耻近乎勇A sense of shame is the farthest thing from cowardice. 小洞不补,大洞遭罪A stitch in time saves nine. 虎父虎子A wise goose never laid a tame egg.能者多劳Able men are always busy.四海之内皆兄弟All men are brothers. 殊途同归/条条大路通罗马All roads lead to Rome. 一瓶不响,半瓶响叮当An empty wagon makes the most noise.
最全大学英语口语情景对话
口语对话 1 赶时髦(go after fashion) A: Fashion show is around the corner, I’m so excited! 时装表演即将来临，我很兴奋！ B: Are there any good!这有什么好的！ A: I didn't see anything wrong with the clothes; they looked pretty nice to me. I think you don’t like it! Why?我没看出衣服有任何问题；在我看来它们都很不错。我觉得你不喜欢！为什么？ B: It was dumb. I think it's stupid for women to wear clothes like that. 这是愚蠢的。我认为女人们穿成那样是很愚蠢的。 A: The benevolent see benevolence and the wise see wisdom. 仁者见仁，智者见智。B: Do you really think people can wear that stuff and walk around the streets? 你真的认为人们可以穿那种东西走在街上？ A: Yes, I do. At least, some people certainly can. They wear high-fashion clothes to show off their sense of style and wealth. 是的，我这样认为。至少，有人一定会。他们穿着时尚的衣服展示他们的时尚感和财富。 B: Well. I still think they're dumb. It makes more sense to spend the money on more practical purposes.我仍然认为他们是愚蠢的。把更多的钱花在更有意义的地方比较实际。 A: So you think it's bad if I wear it?所以你认为我穿成这样很不好吗？ B: If you wear it I must speak nice! 如果你穿成这样我一定说它很好看！ A: I know you will say that.我就知道你会这样说。 B: Only you know me!知我者非你莫属！
中国谚语警句中英文对照版
中国谚语警句中英文对照版 https://www.sodocs.net/doc/f41333469.html,2003-09-18 16:26大学英语四六级论坛作者：greentea 鹬蚌相争，渔翁得利: two dogs fight for a bone, and 玉不琢，不成器: C: A piece of jade unless cut forms no article of vertu. / E: An uncut gem goes not sparkle. / The finest diamond must be cut. / Unpolished pearls never shine. 十年树木，百年树人: C: It takes ten years to grow a tree and a hundred years to bring up a generation of good men. / E: It takes three generations to make a gentleman. 学无止境: C: knowledge is infinite / E: progress sometimes uses a comma, but never a full stop. 此地无银三百两: never try to prove what nobody doubts. 严师出高徒: C: Good pupils are to be brought up by strict teachers. / E: It is the bridle and spur that makes a good horse. 得不偿失: give a lark to catch a kite. 对症下药: a disease known is half the cure. 君子之交淡如水: a hedge between keeps friendship green. 化干戈为玉帛: bury the hatchet. 家和万事兴: he is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home. 江山易改，本性难移: the leopard cannot change its spots. 留得青山在，不怕没柴烧: where there is life, there is hope. 狡兔三窟: the mouse that has but one hole is quickly taken.
中国俗语有趣翻译
中国俗语超有趣的英文翻译 前些天学用新的电脑软件把我累得够呛，我便向办公室同事们抱怨说老狗学不了新招了，一位同事笑说我是用中文讲英语。 教老狗学新招(teach an old dog new tricks)这样的说法我觉得其实根本不 用解释，有想象力的人都能明白，用来解闷再自然不过。 况且，以狗喻人在中文里的俗语也不少，譬如狗改不了吃屎，寓意真需要人解释才明白吗？ 这个俗语至今倒还没有听过人以贴切的英语表述，我一下也捉摸不出恰如其分的办法来说它，欢迎你做尝试。 不过中国人发明的另一个借狗讽人的词倒已有前人引入英语。 走狗 用“走狗”来描绘有权势者的帮凶在中国至少可以追溯到清朝孔尚任的《桃花扇》：“正排着低品走狗奴才队，都做了高洁清风大英雄。” 蒲松龄在《聊斋志异》里也有一句“操杖隶皆绅家走狗”。 这个词有人考证在1937年首次介绍到英文里来，但转换过程中不知为何加快了狗的步伐，从走改作跑，叫running dog。 犹如男扮女装 想一想，这种语言的反串同男扮女装或女扮男装有点相似。功夫好，环境对，能让人感觉耳目一新，至少可以轻松笑笑，弄好了甚至能帮助人刷新眼界，刺激思考。 和男女反串一样，许多人心里对它或多或少还是不能完全接受，至少在英国如此，觉得这种行为不守道德规范，男不男，女不女，不太像话。 但对赞同者来说，这样做的一个刺激恐怕也就恰恰在于它是越轨行为。 纸老虎 纸老虎这个中国说法传到英语里来，现在即便不说人人皆知，流行也颇广泛。在我手边的《简明牛津字典》的老虎一栏的十几行注释里，它在第三行就已经出现了。 纸老虎用来比喻外表强大但实际上空虚无力，至少可以追溯到《水浒传》第25回：“急上场时，便没些用，见个纸虎，也吓一交。”
中国俗语的英语表达
良好的开端是成功的一半Well begun is half done 被打得青一块紫一块be beaten black and blue 不劳则无获No pains ,no gains. 不怕迟只怕不做Better late than never. 此路不通Blocks！ 爱情是盲目的Love is blind 当断不断，必受其患He who hesitates is lost. 发光的并不都是金子All is not gold that glitters. 过着吵吵闹闹的生活（夫妻）lead a cat and dog life 金窝，银窝，不如自己的草窝。East,west，home is best 酒好不必挂幌子Good wine needs no bush 牛饮drink like a fish 情人眼里出西施Love blinds a man to imperfections. 认识从实践开始Knowledge begins with practice 上气不接下气out of breath 天亮了Day breaks;Day dawns. 信不信由你Believe it or not. 行动胜于空谈Actions speak louder than words. 需要是发明之母Necessity is the mother of invention 一只耳朵进，一只耳朵出go in at one ear and out at the other 有其父必有其子Like father,like son.
这怪不着谁No one is to blame for it. 真是活一天学一天Live and learn. 拙匠常怪工具差Bad workmen often blame their tools. 爱不释手can’t bear to part with it / stand parting with it / putting it down (back, aside) / leaving it aside 笨鸟先飞the early bird catches the worn 彪炳史册make/create history 博览群书browse through/over some books be well/widely read 不尽人意be not all roses 不惜费用spare no expense 不遗余力to the best of one's power 不在话下let alone 不知所措to be at a loss/at sea 初出茅庐to be young and inexperienced/to be a green hand 出神深思be buried in thought 吹毛求疵find faults with/be particular about 纯属偶然purely by accident 从头到脚from head to foot 从头至尾from beginning to end 粗枝大叶to be crude and careless/to be careless 大智若愚still waters run deep 呆若木鸡to be dumbstruck/dumbfounded
中国谚语英文版
惊弓之鸟/ 谈虎色变 A burnt child dreads fire. 见微知着/ 一叶知秋 A feather shows the way the wind blows. 意外之财/ 一笔横财 a financial windfall 急风知劲草 A friend in need is a friend indeed. 千里鹅毛 A gift is cheap, but love is dear 钱能通神 A golden hammer breaks an iron door. 中国谚语B 九牛一毛be a drop in a bucket ~ 年高德邵be an statesman 花团锦簇be blanketed with flowers 琳朗满目be eye-catching ~ 淋漓尽致be in great detail; vividly and incisively 方兴未艾be in the ascendant (福星高照,有旭日东升之势) 纤毫之细be minute 行云流水be natural and spontaneous; like floating clouds and flowing water 喜优参半be/go through ups and downs 红颜薄命Beauty is a fading flower. 秀色可餐Beauty is a feast in itself. 色即是空Beauty is but skin-deep. 东施效颦Being butcher, don't imitate the piper. 杂而不精Better be master of one than Jack-of-all-trades. 宁为鸡口,不为牛后Better to reign in hell than serve in Heaven. 物以类聚Birds of a feather flock together. 血浓于水Blood is thicker than water. 恩将仇报Bring up a raven and it will peck out your eyes. 中国谚语C 盖棺论定 Call no man happy before he is dead. 老吾老以及人之老,幼吾幼以及人之幼 Charity begins at home. 以牙还牙,以眼还眼 Claw me and I'll claw thee. 平生不做亏心事,半夜敲门心不惊 Clear conscience never fears midnight knocking. 挂羊头卖狗肉 Cry out wine and sell vinegar.
100个中国成语俗语的英文翻译培训资料
100个中国成语俗语的英文翻译
1.爱屋及乌.Love me, love my dog. 2.百闻不如一One look is worth a thousand words./Seeing is believing. 3.比上不足，比下有余to fall short of the best, but be better than the worst 4.笨鸟先飞A slow sparrow should make an early start. 5.不遗余力spare no effort; go all out; do one's best 6不打不成交No discord, no concord. 7拆东墙补西墙rob Peter to pay Paul 8辞旧迎新bid farewell to the old and usher in the new 9大事化小,小事化了 try first to make their mistake sound less serious and then to reduce it to nothing at all 10.大开眼界broaden one's horizon; be an eye-opener 11国泰民安the country flourishes and people live in peace 12过犹不及going beyond the limit is as bad as falling short; excess is just as bad as deficiency; too much is as bad as too little 13好了伤疤忘了疼once on shore, one prays no more 14好事不出门，坏事传千里Bad news travels fast. 15和气生财harmony brings wealth;/friendliness is conducive to business success 16活到老学到老never too old to learn 17既往不咎let bygones be bygones 18金无足赤，人无完人There are spots even on the sun. 19金玉满堂Treasures fill the home. 20脚踏实地be down-to-earth 21脚踩两只船sit on the fence; be a fence-sitter; have a foot in either camp
英语口语情景对话40篇
英语口语情景对话40篇
Telephone Calls A: Hello, thank you for calling Bradford and Sons. This is Tracy speaking, How may I help you? B: Hello. I would like to speak to your director of human resources, Ms. Jenkins, Please. A: Just a moment. I'll check to see if she is at her desk. May I tell her who is calling? B: This is Bill Burton from Milford Insurance, I'm calling in regards to our meeting next Tuesday. A: Thank you, Mr. Burton. Can you please hold for a moment? I’ll check to see if she is available. B: No problem. A: I'm sorry. Ms. Jenkins is away from her desk. She has already left for lunch. Would you like to leave a message for her? B: Yes, please have her return my call when she returns to the office. It's best if she can get in touch with me before 3 pm today, she can reach me at my office number, 635-8799. A: I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch that, could you please repeat the number? B: No problem, my office number is 635-8799. Tell her to ask for extension 31. A: I'm sorry, Mr. Burton, just to confirm, your name is spelled B-U-R-T-O-N, is that correct? B: Yes, and I represent Milford Insurance. A: I will make sure Ms. Jenkins receives your message and returns your call before 3pm this afternoon. B: Thank you very much. Memos A: I have been waiting here in the conference room for ten minutes already, what