The english we speak(BBC教学)第82期:Sheepish 窘迫

Neil: Hi, I'm Neil and this is Helen!

尼尔：大家好，我是尼尔，这是海伦！

Helen: Hello.

海伦：大家好。

Neil: What's wrong Helen? You're looking rather sheepish.

尼尔：海伦，出什么事了？你看起来非常窘迫。

Helen: Sheepish? Like a sheep? I know my jumper is quite woolly.

海伦：Sheepish？像羊一样？我知道我的毛衣是毛绒绒的。

Neil: I don't mean you look like a sheep. I mean you look sheepish, which is quite different!

尼尔：我并不是说你看起来像只羊。我的意思是，你看上去很窘迫，意思完全不同！

Helen: Of course, looking like a sheep and looking sheepish are two totally different things, obviously!

海伦：当然，看上去像只羊，和像羊一样是完全不同的意思！

Neil: Yes. If I say you look like a sheep, it means, well, you look like a sheep. But if I say you look sheepish, it means you look embarrassed or ashamed about something.

尼尔：是的。如果我说你看上去像只羊，意思就是你看起来像羊。但是如果我说你看上去很窘迫，意思是你看上去对某件事感到尴尬或是难为情。

Helen: To look sheepish means you look embarrassed or ashamed–like you've done something wrong or silly?

海伦：看上去sheepish的意思是看起来很尴尬或难为情，就像你做了某件错事或傻事？

Neil: Yes!

尼尔：对！

Helen: Ah, yes.

海伦：好。

Neil: Listen to some examples:

尼尔：来看看这些例句：

Tom walked into the room looking sheepish.

汤姆尴尬地走进房间。

Emily grinned sheepishly as she closed the door behind her.

艾米莉在关上身后的门时不好意思地咧嘴笑了。

James gave her a sheepish look.

詹姆斯难为情地看着她。

Neil: So, come on Helen, why are you looking sheepish today?

尼尔：好了，海伦，你今天为什么看上去这么不安？

Helen: Ah, well...

海伦：嗯……

Neil: Yes?

尼尔：怎么了？

Helen: Well, you know that book you lent me?

海伦：嗯，就是那本你借给我的书，你记得吧？

Neil: My favourite book of all time–the original edition of The Private lives of the Greatest Cats in History?

尼尔：我最喜欢的书，那本原版《历史上最伟大的猫的私生活》？

Helen: Yes.

海伦：对。

Neil: OK Helen, now you're looking very sheepish indeed, so you'd better hurry up and tell me what happened to it.

尼尔：海伦，现在你看起来真的非常不安，你最好快点告诉我那本书到底怎么了。

Helen: I dropped it.

海伦：我弄掉了。

Neil: You dropped it? Well I hope it's not damaged, otherwise I'll have to -

尼尔：弄掉了？希望并没有破损，要不然我就要……

Helen: the river.

海伦：掉在了河里。

Neil: In the river! You dropped it in the river!

尼尔：掉进了河里！你把书掉进了河里！

Helen: It was carried away, I couldn't get it out.

海伦：它被河水冲走了，我没能捞出来。

Neil: Oh no!

尼尔：哦不！

Helen: I'm so sorry. That's why I am looking sheepish.

海伦：很抱歉。这就是我看上去窘迫的原因。

Neil: You should be looking even More sheepish than that. In fact, I expect you to look sheepish for several days. It was the best book in the world! 'Sheepish' doesn't do it justice...

尼尔：你应该看上去更不安才对。实际上，我希望你能不安几天的时间。那是世界上最棒的书！“不安”也不能挽回那本书了……

重点讲解：
1. had better do sth.
（用于建议、警告、威胁、发表意见等）最好做某事；
eg. He'd better not try to fool me.
他最好不要愚弄我。
eg. Even a worm will turn. You had better give her a way out.
弱者被逼太甚，也会进行抗争，你最好还是给她一条出路。
2. hurry up
赶紧；赶快；
eg. Franklin told Howe to hurry up and take his bath; otherwise, they'd miss their train.
富兰克林告诉豪赶快去洗澡；否则他们会赶不上火车。
eg. Hurry up with that coffee, will you.
请你快点把咖啡端上来。
3. do justice
准确地再现；逼真地重现；
eg. The photograph I had seen didn't do her justice.
我看到的那张照片把她拍得走样了。
eg. Most TV sets don't have the sound quality to do justice to the music.
大多数电视机的音质不好，无法播出原来的音乐效果。