【Speak English Like An American】Lesson 15

Nicole Practices Her Election Speech

Nicole is running for student body president. She must give a speech next week. She discusses the speech with her mother.

Susan: What’s up, Nicole?

Nicole: I pulled an all-nighter working on my election speech.

Susan: No wonder you look like a basket case! Did you finish your speech?

Nicole: Yes, at 6 a.m.

Susan: That must be a load off your mind!

Nicole: It’s not. I’ve got to give the speech tomorrow in front of 1,500 people. I’m a nervous wreck!

Susan: Just remember the old rule of thumb:Imagine your audience naked.

Nicole:That's gross. Why would I want to do that?

Susan： According to conventional wisdom, it’ll make you less nervous.

Nicole： Only practice will do the trick. 

Susan: Okay, let’s hear the speech.

Nicole: Good afternoon, everyone. There are four candidates running for president. You think you have several choices. In reality, you have just one choice: me!

Susan: You can’t say that. You’ll turn off your audience immediately.

Nicole: It sounds like I have a big head?

Susan:I’ll say!

Idioms

basket case [slang] - someone or something in a useless or hopeless condition完全没有希望的人

Example1: After working a 12-hour day and then coming home and cooking dinner for her family, Tanya felt like a basket case.

EXAMPLE2: After running the marathon, Brian felt like a basket case.

Note:You may also see the expression “economic basket case” to describe an economy that is doing very poorly.

Example: After years of dictatorship, North Korea is an economic basket case.经济状况极差

(to have a) big head - arrogant; too proud of oneself 自负的人

EXAMPLE1: Stop bragging so much about the award you got at work! People will think you’ve got a big head.

Example2: Jenny has such a big head. No wonder nobody wants to be friends with her!

SYNONYM:to be full of oneself.

Example:Joan is really full of herself. She’s always talking about how smart she is.

conventional wisdom - a widely held belief 普遍看法

Example1: According to conventional wisdom, a diet high in salt can cause high blood pressure.

Example2: Challenging conventional wisdom, the psychologist said that sometimes it’s healthy to be in a bad mood.

(to) do the trick - to achieve the desired results获得成功

EXAMPLE1: Juan changed the light bulb and said, “That should do the trick!”

Example2: My house is difficult to find, so I’ll put 10 large balloons on my mailbox on the day of the party. That should do the trick.

I’ll say! — yes, definitely! 英雄所见略同; 我同意 ; 说得对 ; 当然可以

EXAMPLE1: “Did you enjoy the Madonna concert?” - “I’ll say!”

Example2: “Your sister must’ve been very happy after winning $50,000 in the lottery.”- ‘I’ll say!”

in reality - in fact; actually 其实

EXAMPLE1: Ted thinks it’ll be easy to become a rock star. In reality, it will take years of hard work.

EXAMPLE2: I know you think it’ll be easy to get cheap tickets to a Broadway play. Inreality, we’ll have to wait in line for hours!

load off one’s mind - a relief 放心

EXAMPLE1: When Amber called Ted to tell him that she arrived home safely, it was a big load off his mind.

EXAMPLE2: Finishing her English essay was a load off Nicole’s mind.

look like - have the appearance of 看起来像

Example1: Before agreeing to go out on a date with her, Keith wanted to know what my cousin Maria looked like.

EXAMPLE2: Please tell me what the cover of that new book looks like so it will be easier for me to find it in the bookstore.

Note:The expression “it looks like” can mean “it is likely that.

Example:It's snowing, so it looks like the schools will be closed today.

nervous wreck — a person feeling very worried神经兮兮的人，精神过敏者

EXAMPLE1: Ted was a nervous wreck before his chemistry test.

EXAMPLE2: Whenever Nicole rides on the back of her friend’s motorcycle, Susan is a nervous wreck.

no wonder — it’s not surprising 怪不得

EXAMPLE1: Brian’s entire body is in pain. It’s no wonder since he ran a marathon yesterday!

EXAMPLE2: No wonder you’re cold — it’s January and you’re walking around outside without a coat!

SYNONYM: small wonder

(to) pull an all-nighter - to stay up all night to do work 开夜车，熬夜通宵

EXAMPLE1: Ted pulled an all-nighter to study for his chemistry test and ended up falling asleep in class the next day.

Example 2: I’ve got a 20-page paper due tomorrow morning, and I haven't even started writing it yet. I guess I’ll be pulling an all-nighter!

rule of thumb - a useful principle 经验法则

EXAMPLE1: When cooking fish，a good rule of thumb is 10 minutes in the oven for each inch of thickness.

EXAMPLE2: “Ted, as a rule of thumb，you should always plan to study for your chemistry tests for at least two hours.”

(to) turn off - to cause to feel dislike or revulsion

Example1: I used to be friends with Monica, but she gossiped all the time and it really turned me off.

EXAMPLE2: At first, Sara really liked Jacob. But when he started talking about all his ex-girlfriends, she was really turned off.

Note: The noun form, turn-off, is also common and usually describes something thatcauses the opposite sex to respond negatively. 

Example: When Jake startedtalking about all his ex-girlfriends, it was a real turnoff for Sara.

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