計劃做什麼事、應該做什麼事、註定要做什麼事。不一定要用"will"或"be going to"，你聽到老外說"you are to..."、"I am to...."不要以為他用錯了！be to在句子裡，常用來表安排、命令、目的、用途、可能性、命中注定。必要時，"be to"中間還可加still、never、nowhere等副詞。
表示『將』、『計劃』、『安排』。(意思接近be going to)
Who is to question him?
These cars are to rent. (這些車要出租，"to be rent"可以直接用"rent"主動表示)
表示『義務』、『應該』 。(意思接近should, must)
You are to be back by 10 o'clock.
What is to be done next? (下一步該怎麼做?)
表示可能性 。
She was nowhere to be found.
Such books are to be found in the library.
表示『命運』、『注定』
The worst is still to come.
They said goodbye, little knowing they were never to meet again.
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文/Jessie湯
“It’s just me, and people will see that what’s underneath everything is still me.” -- Lady Gaga
因為女神卡卡（Lady Gaga，本名Stefani Germanotta），全球許多年輕人吃飯夾起肉片時，心中不禁會想，把許多肉片編起來套在身上，不知道是什麼感覺？為什麼呢？以下摘錄自《今日美國》（USA Today）：
Lady Gaga, who came under fire recently for wearing a meat bikini on the cover of Vogue Hommes Japan, wore a raw meat dress at last night's VMAs (the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards). It was one of many outfits she wore throughout the night.
Gaga said, "It is certainly no disrespect to anyone that is vegan or vegetarian. As you know, I am the most judgment-free human being on the earth. However, it has many interpretations but for me this evening. If we don't stand up for what we believe in and if we don't fight for our rights, pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our own bones. And, I am not a piece of meat."
女神卡卡在近期一場紐約演唱會快結尾時，出現在舞台上，胸部和胯部佈滿「sparkler-like contraptions」（像仙女棒的奇異小玩意兒），噴出悶燒的小火花。她大聲喊道：「You tell them I burned the place!（你們告訴他們，我把這地方給燒了！）」It was a straightforward repudiation of hypersexualized imagery. There was nowhere to touch without getting hurt.
沒錯，「驚世駭俗」這四個字，女神卡卡絶對當之無愧。環顧當今流行樂壇，女神卡卡讓流行音樂界探索新美感認同的空間變得更寬廣。她的衣著、想法或許荒謬，卻讓她獨領風騷；她的創意、表演或許激昂，卻令人印象深刻。不管你喜不喜歡，女神卡卡的作風已經讓傳統的界線為之鬆動。
《紐約時報》（The New York Times）分析了女神卡卡在流行樂壇所掀起的狂潮：
Lady Gaga’s fingerprints are all over the revised images of Christina Aguilera（克莉絲汀）, Rihanna（蕾哈娜）, Katy Perry（凱蒂．佩芮） and Beyoncé（碧昂絲）…These performers might not cite Lady Gaga as a direct influence, but her work has nudged loose conventional boundaries. The space for women in pop to try out new aesthetic identities hasn’t been this vast in some time.
And it’s freeing（解放）, this expansion of musical liberation into spaces visual as well as sonic, instinctual as well as intellectual, performed as well as lived.
Purists（純粹主義者）complained that she was fabricated（加工品） – a dull gripe（無聊的牢騷）. More important was that she helped restore a sense of theater to pop.（流行音樂的劇場感）
卡卡賣弄肢體與雙峰的煽情表演，意象何在，隨人解釋，難以斷言，但創造這類荒謬主義式、後情色劇場感覺的執照就是卡卡風格。What it means is anyone’s guess, but the license to create such absurdist, post-sexual theater feels particularly Gaga-esque.
但卡卡也不會總是一個勁兒的搞怪，At times, the singer, almost never seen without an outfit that suggests the creation of a mad inventor, appears only in flesh-tone bra and panties. She said, “It’s just me, and people will see that what’s underneath everything is still me.”（這就是我，人們會看到，在所有包裝下的仍然是我。）
這種赤裸，這種新的自信，是朝感性跨出的一大步，亦或，皮膚只不過是另一種表演服裝？
有趣的是，你透過卡卡語不驚人死不休的表演，理解到的不是一個瘋子腦中光怪陸離的世界，相反的，你會得到對周遭世界的答案。例如，you go to a club and wonder who all these kids are. They don't seem to have jobs. How can they afford to be here? Her song "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" explains that scene. It's about the New York prep-school party kids she grew up with. It's where she came from.
女神卡卡成名後，很多人拿她跟過去流行文化搞怪女王比較，也有不少言論指責卡卡是一個抄襲者（copy cat），抄襲美國歌手瑪丹娜（Madonna）和雪兒（Cher）。
報紙評論員說：「In many ways, Lady Gaga’s is a bastardization（粗俗化）of the Madonna model. From the start of her career Madonna was a savvy pop trickster, using outrageous imagery as a distraction while smuggling ideas about religion and social politics into her music. Most of the Gaga generation, however, is interested in distraction as an end in itself.」
也有網友說：「I wouldn’t say Lady Gaga copied Cher, but sometime Gaga would "remind" me of something Cher had done.」
面對指責，卡卡的回應輕鬆而簡短：
“I think what Madonna and I share is that we’re both fearless, we both have a lot of nerve.”
"I never thought I'd be asking Cher to hold my meat purse."（註：卡卡在頒獎典禮上請雪兒幫忙拿一下真肉做的皮包，言下之意充滿對前輩的尊敬）
你喜歡卡卡嗎？還是覺得她簡直是一個瘋子？《時代雜誌》（Time Magazine）一名記者曾如此描繪他對女神卡卡的想法：
“I first heard the name Lady Gaga through a mutual friend. He couldn't stop talking about her. Then I heard her music, and I thought, Wow, I love this kid.”
“People forget how young she is. She is barely 24 — much younger than I was when I became famous. It's very tough being where she is right now. People are pulling her in all different directions. It's hard to navigate that. Try to imagine what you were like at her age, if you still can. I can't wait to see how she grows and what she decides her next act will be. She only has two albums out, but already she is inspiring other artists to go further in their own work.”
“When I see somebody like Gaga, I sit back in admiration. I'm inspired to pick up the torch again myself. I did an interview with her once, and she showed up with a sculpture on her head. I thought, How awesome. Being around her, I felt like the dust was shaken off of me. I find it very comforting to sit next to somebody and not have to worry that I look like the freak. She isn't a pop act, she is a performance artist. She herself is the art. She is the sculpture.”
(本文同步刊於99/10/9工商時報”世界公民weekly”)
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假如你只是模模糊糊覺得英文很重要，
也不太曉得自己的英文哪裡出了問題，
只知道不夠好；
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請你先登記在這裡。
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網路上選出30句中國人最常犯的英語錯誤 ，這裡摘選其中9句，你也檢查一下，自己有沒有犯了一樣的錯？英文只要說出來，即便是錯了，都是進步的機會，關鍵是：要有人能提醒你！
1. 這個價格對我挺合適的。
(X)The price is very suitable for me.
(O)The price is right.
2. 你是做什麼工作的呢？
(X)What’s your job?
(O)What company are you with?
談工作時不要說My job is an engineer，直接說"I am an engineer"即可。 因為"engineer"，"manager"，"sales person"都是"人"，my job不可能是"人"。
3. 用英語怎麼說？
(X)How to say in English?
(O)How do you say this in English?
How to say是錯誤英文，沒主詞，也沒有動詞，不是句子！
4. 明天我有事情要忙。
(X)I have something to do tomorrow.
(O)Sorry but I am tied up all day tomorrow.
這是中文表達。吃飯、睡覺也是事，誰沒有事做？不合理。忙得無法脫身，可以說：I’m tied up.還有其他的說法：I’m afraid I can’t make it at that time.
5. 我想我不會。
(X)I think I can’t do.
(O)I don’t think I can do it.
這是語法問題，英文稱之為"否定前置"。中文說“我想我不會”，英語裡面總是說“我不認為我會”。
6. 現在幾點鐘了？
(X)What time is it now?
(O)What time is it?
沒有必要用now。"it"己經是指時間，又用現在式"is"就一定是問現在時間。
7. 我的英語很糟糕。
(X)My English is poor.
(O)I am not 100% fluent, but at least I am improving.
當您告訴外國人，您的英語很poor，然後呢？有人開玩笑，全中國人最擅長的一句英文是：My English is poor. 但很少聽到老美說：My Chinese is poor. 無論他們中文好壞，他們會說: I am still having a few problem, but I'm getting better.
8. 價錢很貴。
(X)The price is too expensive.
(O)The price is too high.
東西便宜，可以用"cheap"和"expensive"形容，但價格、成本像 cost, payment, rent, wage, salary, income, expense, tax, fee, tuition 等本身已經和"錢"相關的名目，用 low/high 來形容高低。同類型的錯誤是：車開太快了The speed of the car is fast. 正確是The car is going too fast.
9. 這個長假你回家嗎？
Will you be going back home for the long weekend?
(X)是的，我回去。Of course!
(O)當然。Sure. / Certainly.
以英語為母語的人使用of course的頻率沒有那麼高，只在回答一些理所當然問題時才說of course。因為of course後面隱含的意思是“還用說嗎”。
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英文的動詞verb是句子的靈魂，動詞好，英文就準；「片語動詞」好，英文就活！
「片語動詞」，英文叫做phrasal verbs，像"go on"、"get up"、"come with"等都是。用中文邏輯講英文的人，多半不太會用片語用。因為人腦運作機制是在記憶資料庫裡直接找對應的單字。例如：想到「說服」，一定先想到"persuade"，而不是"talk into"。想到「責駡」，是想到reprimand或"reproach"而非"tell off"，想到「弄熄」，是"extinguish"，不是"put out"。
活用「片語動詞」，其實也沒有那麼難，入門只有一個原則：感覺它。怎麼感覺呢？「片語動詞」怎麼用？簡單地說，它代表一種瞬間發生的動作（不是狀態）：開燈(turn on)、關燈(turn off)、起飛(take off)、想起(think of).....都是「片語動詞」。
比較這兩句，就可以發現，動作和狀態有何不同：
He shows the ability to adjust quickly to new situations. (show展現，是延續狀態)
I hope he shows up soon.（show up出現，是瞬間動作）
「片語動詞」當然不少，但請不要死背；切入「片語動詞」最好的方法是感覺它的節奏、聲音、動線：習慣它、說它、寫它、感覺它，最後才是分析它。
這〸句是你的「片語動詞」啟蒙，唸到連作夢都會說出它為止吧！1. We look forward to hearing from you soon. ( 我們期待很快聽到你的回覆。) 2. Please, carry on talking. I didn't mean to interrupt you.(請繼續談話，我不是故意打擾的) 3. I hope you two can work out your problems.(兩位好好解決你們的問題吧!) 4. She came up with a great proposal for the new advertising campaign. (她提出很棒的廣告計劃案) 5. Who is going to fill in while you're gone? (你請假時誰會是你的職務代理人?) 6. It's difficult to get humor across in a second language. (用第二語言還能幽默溝通，是件難事。) 7. I think we should go on with the meeting and stop wasting time. (我覺得我們應讓繼續開會，別再浪費時間) 8. We're sorry that we'll have to turn down your offer. (很抱歉我們必須拒絕貴方的報價) 9. Hurry up or you will fall behind! (快一點，否則要落後了。) 10. Would you mind running off 10 copies of this document for me? (你可不可以幫將這份文件影印10份?)熟到老外都覺得你英文好，加入量身訂做的1on1 program 世界公民文中心 發表在 痞客邦 留言(0) 人氣(9,055)
很多學生都說自己聽力有問題，但聽不懂的不是老美或英國人的標準英文，而是聽不懂印度人說英文。我們今天就來談談口音，國際化潮流下，熟悉不同的文化的說的各種不同口音，學英文的一大挑戰，其實也是趣味之一。我們把英美以外的國家的英語發音做了個分類，難易程度分為三大類： 第一類以澳洲、紐西蘭為代表，只要懂幾個不同的詞的口音就夠了，比如data在澳洲的發音“打他”，schedule發成”薛久”，其餘皆然。 第二類以馬來西亞新加坡為代表，對於新加坡英語發音，One，Two，Three，發音對應為標準的 One，True，Tree，走到哪裡都是這個發音。 而第三類以印度為代表的捲舌音派英語。據說有些英語還不錯的高科技工程師，有一次印度IT進行遠端技術支持，雙方在開始前先網路連線會議，一個IP位址，不超過12個數字，一講講了30分鐘始終對不上。 印度人英語口音重、速度快，停頓掌握不好，聽起來原本就吃力。再加上特殊發音效果，例如印度式英語發音的一個主要特點就是把標準英語中本應該把舌頭放在上下排牙齒間送氣的音th簡化為 t。而且印度人發的t的音，又接近d的音。所以印度人自己也拿這個發音特點開玩笑，當他們說“我30歲了”（I am thirty），聽上去就是“我有點髒”（I am dirty），因為 thirty（三〸）的發音和 dirty（骯髒）混淆了。印度英語已經是英語大家族最重要的成員。早在15世紀英語就隨著英國商人進入了印度，到現在保留了許多現代英語已經很少使用的詞彙。印度人的信裡常有讀起來很文言的句子：Please intimate…（請告知…），或者 You will be intimated shortly（不久你們就會被告知），同樣的意思，美國人就直截了當寫：Please let us know 和 You will be informed shortly。因為印度人口遠超過英國人口，以至於已故英國著名作家Malcolm Muggeridge曾經開玩笑：“世界上最後一個英國人說不定是印度人”（The last Englishman would be an Indian）。 印度英文還有一個特色，就是印度人最愛用現在進行時，比如 l I am understanding it （我明白）l She is knowing the answer（她知道答案）。印度朋友還喜歡極樂觀的說法： l Your good name please?（你叫什麼名字？）問人家歲數的時候可以用這樣委婉的說法：l What’s your good number? 甚至可以問：When is your happy birthday?（什麼時候生日快樂？） 印度英語對台灣來說也不盡是難題，有些文法很接近中文。比如說回答這樣的問句：He is a student, isn't he（他不是個學生吧）? 如果他是學生，中文的習慣是回答“不，他是”，但英語的回答卻要根據事實本身：Yes，he is。如果他不是學生，中文的回答是：“對，他不是”，而英語的回答則應該是：No, he isn’t。而印度英語在這種情況下的回答恰與中文相似，第一種情況回答：No，he is；第二種情況回答：Yes，he isn’t。更妙的是“開”和“關”的用法，在英語中說“開冷氣”、“關冷氣”很麻煩，要說Turn on the air conditioner, Switch off the air conditioner。而印度英語就像中文一樣可以用Open（開）、Close（關）。以下幫各位整理出印度英語發音規律，多唸兩遍，就抓住發音和聽力訣竅了。 WA DIM=What time I D LIG DO CHANGE DE GALA=I’d like to change the color 關鍵點： n P發B n T發D n K發Gn R發L n AI發成I (Client cli/ai/ent變成了cli/i/ent.)本文同步刊於99/7/3工商時報"世界公民weekly"。
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8O年代電影華爾街的主角戈登蓋柯──股市惡勢力的代表，現在有新口號，貪婪不只是美德，它合法，而且無所不在。
Gordon Gekko, the archetypal villain of iconic 1980s movie “Wall Street” has a new mantra: greed is not just good, it's legal and it's everywhere.
《Wall Street》是奧利佛史東1987年導的電影，經典台詞是"Greed is Good"（貪婪真好），這句話定義了80年代金融的黃金年代。《華爾街：金錢萬歲》捲土重來，二〸三年後，從"Greed is Good"變成"Greed is Legal"（貪婪是合法的）。
Oliver Stone’s 1987 film Wall Street helped define the go-go ‘80s; a time when corporate raiders made money hand over fist and the financial boys club members pushed hard to beat each other to make the biggest deals.
In Stone’s newest film, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, the director returns to the realm of high finance. In the past 13 years the world has changed. Gordon Gekko, who famously said “greed is good,” is just getting out of jail with a gigantic cell phone and no one to meet him. Shia LaBeouf plays Jake, an idealistic banker who plans to marry Gekko’s daughter and falls under the spell of the former financier.
奧利佛史東1987年的電影《華爾街》呈現當時野心企業家賺錢又快又多；爾虞我詐總想做最大的。最近上映的《華爾街：金錢萬歲》史東重返金融界。〸三年來世界已經變了。上一集《華爾街》裡大喊“貪婪是美德”（greed is good）這句名言的戈登蓋柯出獄了，他手上拿著笨重手機，沒人理會。年輕的理想主義銀行家傑克想與蓋柯的女兒結婚，不小心落入蓋柯陷阱。
Forbes talked to Stone about how the first Wall Street movie changed the way people think about finance, understanding the recent meltdown and how Gekko still fits in.
二〸年前電影《華爾街》是如何改變人們對於金融市場印象，在新一波金融金融風暴中，蓋柯如何還找得到他的角色，以下是富比士雜誌採訪節錄：
l Forbes: How do you think the first Wall Street movie influenced the way people think about Wall Street? 你覺得《華爾街》電影如何改變了人們對於華爾街金融市場的認識？
Stone: I don’t think Wall Street was on people’s radar screens as much as it is now. In 1987 there wasn’t much business coverage. It was the last thing people paid attention to. The movie gave birth to a culture where millionaires are celebrated on magazine covers and the 24-hour news cycle includes CNBC.
我不認為當時候人們像現在這樣瞭解華爾街。那個年代沒那麼多商業報導，金融是人們最不關心的東西。《華爾街》孕育了這樣一種文化氛圍——富豪出現在雜誌封面，CNBC開始24小時輪播新聞。
l Do the changes in Gordon Gekko reflect the changes that have taken place on Wall Street? 在戈登蓋柯身上發生的變化，是否反映了華爾街的變化？
I don’t think so. He was an inside trader in 1987 and he violated the law. Most people on Wall Street don’t break the law. He was a raider, he was willing to invest huge amounts of money and take risks. Now he’s on the other side of the tracks which is more interesting. He’s on the outside looking in.
The banks are now what Gekko was in the first movie. He was playing a bold game with a lot of leverage. That went out of style and was replaced by hedge funds taking big risks. But in 2000 the banks became like the hedge funds and started taking far bigger risks and using far more leverage.
Gekko was running a small-time scam. Now in 2008 the Gekko world is central to the economy because the bank gangsters took over. The most descriptive line Gekko says is that now, ‘greed is legal.’
不是。第一集他是個內幕交易者，犯了法，坐了牢。華爾街多數人不犯法。蓋柯是個掠奪者，他大胆下注也承擔風險。在新片裡，他的身份變了，是一個窺視這一切的局外人。銀行變成蓋柯當時的角色，那時蓋柯靠融資操作股市。時代變了，取而代之的高風險的對沖基金；到了2000年，銀行業就跟對沖基金一樣，承受更大的風險並使用更誇張的債務槓桿。
蓋柯以前搞的是小打小鬧的騙局。而到了2008年，蓋柯的華爾街變成經濟市場主角，因為銀行“黑幫”接管了這一切。現在蓋柯最貼切的台詞是，“貪婪是合法的”（greed is legal）。
關鍵1: the go go 80s:
go-go的意思很多，有活力充沛、搖擺、時髦的意思，也有買空賣空、投機性的等意思。
Go-go Years的釋義在很多字典上都有，牛津字典上的解釋是——(AmE, informal) of a period of time when businesses are growing and people are making money fast: the go-go years of the 1980s。意思是企業成長快、人們賺錢多，經濟繁榮的時代。
關鍵2: Hand over fist
非常快速地。Fist是握緊的拳頭。Hand over fist來自帆船航運的年代。當年水手得學會攀援繩索去擺弄高高掛在桅杆上的船帆。他們兩手交替，一手放在另一隻緊抓繩索的拳頭上方一把一把往上攀援，像猿猴一般迅速俐落。The corner shop is open fifteen hours a day. The owner must be making money hand over fist. 轉角那家店一天營業〸五小時，業主賺錢一定賺很多錢。
關鍵3: Financial meltdown
金融風暴。這個詞是2009年最流行的詞彙，它是2009年美國新聞10大熱詞中的第二名，僅次於"ObamaVision"（歐巴馬遠見）。當然了，用financial crisis也可以，但如果提08年全球性金融風暴時用financial meltdown更有感受到一種時代感。
關鍵 4:The last thing
最不願意的事；最不適宜的事；最不可能的事；最意想不到的事。這用法不難，但它和我們口語習慣不同，大部份Chinese都不會這麼用。
例句：A strong dollar is the last thing the US economy needs right now.眼下美國經濟最不需要的就是強勢美元。 It's the last thing I would do in the world! 我絕對不會這樣做。
(本文同步刊於99/10/2工商時報”世界公民weekly”。歡迎訂閱”世界公民weekly”電子報：請點此訂閱。)
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這10個形容詞是美國人日常生活中最喜歡使用的，而且都是好話：
1. amazing: 使人〸分驚奇的；令人驚訝的
Your English is amazing. 你的英語太讓人吃驚了。
2. awesome: 極好的；很棒的
Wow! That's totally awesome！哇！那真是太棒了！
3. cool: 好；妙；酷
You look cool in your new suit. 你穿這套新衣服真酷。
4. cute: 漂亮的；可愛的；帥
He's really cute. 他真可愛。
5. excellent: 優秀的；傑出的
Our teacher speaks excellent English. 我們老師的英語說得好極了。
6. fabulous: 極好的；絕妙的
A: How do you like the show? 你覺得這場表演如何？ B: Fabulous! 好極了！
7. fantastic: 極好的；了不起的
You've got the job? Fantastic! 你得到那份工作了？太好了！
8. marvelous: 極好的；非凡的
That's a marvelous idea! 這主意真是棒極了。
9. special: 特別的；不尋常的
You know, you are really special! 你知道嗎，你真的很特別。
10. wonderful: 精彩的；絕妙的；令人驚奇的
She has a wonderful memory. 她的記憶力驚人
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大家都知道sell就是"賣、出售"的意思，人們可以出售貨物，也可以向別人兜售某種理念或者想法。今天看幾個和sell這個詞的習慣用語。熟悉字的第二個、第三個意思，你的英文聽起來就會很自然，一點也沒有中式英文的味道。
hard sell 強迫推銷
I wanted a cheap car without a lot of extras. But the salesman gave me a hard sell so I ended up with stuff I didn't need, like leather seats, a sun roof and a lot of other things.
我本來只想買一輛沒什麼額外設備的廉價車，可那個推銷員硬是讓我買下了皮座椅、天窗之類那些並不必需的設備。
sell a bill of goods 以花言巧語騙取信任
My opponent is selling you a bill of goods when he promises to spend more on schools and cut taxes too. You ask him how he can spend more money without raising taxes!
我的對手既保證要給學校多經費，又答應減稅，其實這兩者不可兼得。他怎麼可能做到既多花錢又不加稅呢?
A bill of goods意思是進貨單。注意，這只是開列貨品的單子，不是實物。如果有人要你出錢買的只是貨單，他很可能在行騙。
sell somebody short 小看某人
Don't sell that man short. He's one of the smartest lawyers in town. You'd be wise to hire him if you're in trouble - he seldom loses a case.
可別小看了這個人。他是城裏最能幹的律師之一。你要有麻煩找他才對，他從沒輸過一場官司。
意思很像中文"把人瞧扁了"，也就是沒看到某人的長處。所以sell someone short意思就是"小看某人。"
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Flight attendant a Hero
空服員發飆變成勞工英雄
文/Chris G
Slater, a flight attendant on JetBlue, instantly became a folk hero in many people’s eyes Monday after he grabbed a microphone and ranted at a passenger who had refused to apologize for hitting Slater with some luggage. Slater then grabbed a beer from the galley and fled the plane via the emergency exit.
一名乘客的行李箱打到JetBlue航空空服員的Slater，卻不肯道歉。Slater隨即拿起麥克風對那位乘客開罵，接著從走廊拿了一罐啤酒，從逃生口閃人。這舉動在眾人眼中立刻成了英雄。
“How many of us can honestly say we haven’t wanted to do the same thing? Slater is a working class hero!” one reader, Aaron Steele, commented on msnbc.com.
「多少人敢承認我們從來沒有想過做一模一樣的事？ Slater是我們勞工階級的英雄！」一位讀者Aaron Steele回應。
“Maybe not the best way to quit your job but hey, sometimes enough is enough,” said another, usa1967.
「或許這不是最好的辭職方式，不過有時候真的是夠了！」 另一位usa1967說。
Some may see Slater as a hero because they know they don’t have the luxury to speak out like that in their own lives. While Slater may have felt great after finally letting loose in such a public way, the fact is that most of us need our jobs more than we need that release. And most of us realize that such a dramatic move can carry heavy consequences, such as the felony charges that Slater is currently facing.
有些人視Slater為英雄，因為他們沒辦法那樣發洩。雖然他在公開場合放縱情緒很過癮，不過多數人不會這麼做，因為飯碗還是重要，而不是發洩完，工作也跟著沒了。而且人們也知道這樣的行為得付出代價，例如Slate之後將面臨重罪指控。
That’s especially true these days, with the unemployment rate hovering at 9.5 percent, nearly 15 million Americans looking for work, and many who are working being asked to do more work for the same or even less money.
尤其現在失業率達9.5%，近15萬美國人找不到工作，很多員工必須得做更多事，卻領相同甚至更少的錢。
“It’s about time workers start to flip out!” wrote one reader, Jimi-2167680.
「員工本來就該發飆了！」讀者Jimi2167680說。
It’s about time-
這句有兩個意思，第一個比較常見：「差不多時候了」。描述某件事情的過程或行程差不多該開始、結束、進行下個階段之類，用來表達個人判斷與想法。
例1：The meeting started at 10am. It’s already 2pm now, it’s about time we finish this meeting. 會議10點就開始了…現在已經兩點…我們差不多該結束這個會議了吧？
例2：I have been working here for over 10 years. I have contributed my time and energy to this company. I believe it’s about time the company considers me for a promotion. 我在這間公司超過10年了，付出了我所有的時間和精神，我相信公司該差不多考慮晉升這件事了吧。
第二個意思較無法直翻，不過要是能理解背景就簡單多了。會用到這句的情況是想表達「一件事應該早就該發生卻到現在才實現」，所以帶著一些「終於」、「這樣才對嘛」的感覺在裡面，有時還有一些諷刺味，不過要看情況再加上說者的語氣才能意會到。
例1：John: Hi Mary, about the money I borrowed from you, I will return it to you tonight. 嗨Mary，關於跟你借的那筆錢，我今晚會還給你。
Mary: It’s about time! I lent that to you two years ago! 終於！那筆可是我兩年前借給你的！
例2：Peter: I’ve had it with my colleague. I am going to confront him tomorrow and talk to him. 我受夠我同事了。我明天要好好的面對他，跟他談。 Vivian: It’s about time you confronted him. He’s been bullying you for a long time. 終於要面對他了！（這樣才對麻／早就該這麼做了）他已經欺負你很久了。
注意：在文字上，有一個很好分辨是第二個意思的方法，那就是，因為這是一種久違的語氣，所以通常會用驚嘆號，例如文章裡的那句：It’s about time workers start to flip out!
Seen it a million times –
英文裡，什麼事發生過很多次，不用「N次」或「幾百次」，反而用實際的數字來形容。不過，有趣的是，沒有規定一定要用a million這個數字，a thousand, a hundred, 也都很常用。不過要注意的是，雖然沒有規定用什麼數字，不過大部分還是用整數。另外，以one hundred為底限。”V+ amount + times”
例：John: Are you sure this is safe? I have never bungee jumped before. 你確定這個安全嗎？我從來沒有高空彈跳過耶。
Mike: Don’t worry! I’ve done this a thousand times. It’s very safe! 放心！我跳過N百次了。很安全的！
Let loose-
有兩個意思。第一個是「釋放、放縱」，不過大部分是描述發出的聲音，例如嘆氣。
例：After she was told she didn’t get the job position, she let loose a big sigh. 當被告知她應徵的工作沒被錄取，她嘆了一大口氣。
第二個意思跟「發洩」很相似，不過不一樣的是，在中文裡，發洩可以用來描述任何狀況，不只是語言上，也可以是行為上。但let loose特定描述一個人被逼到極限了，忍無可忍了，終於發飆，大罵一場，來當作發洩。請注意。
例：John’s wife constantly scolds him for every little thing he does wrong. After years of this, one night he finally had enough and let loose.
John的太太對他做錯的任何一件事不管大小都在嘮叨及挑剔。這種情況持續好幾年，某天晚上他終於受夠了，對他太太發飆。(本文同步刊於99/8/21工商時報”世界公民weekly”)
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