日常生活中，人一般不能与动物相提并论，但语言中却有不少借动物的特性来形容人的特性的词语。值得注意的是，这种比喻性表达法往往因语言、文化的不同而具有不同的含义。

    下面，我们比较一下英汉语言中同一动物名词的不同喻意。

    1．cat（猫）

    俗话说“猫有九命”，这是汉语的说法。此外，中国人常戏称嘴馋的人为“馋猫”。
cat在西方是人们宠爱之物（pet），但令人奇怪的是，在英语俚语中，cat的含义为a spiteful or unpleasant woman（心地恶毒或令人讨厌的女人）。照此看来，似乎是中国的猫可亲，西方的猫可恶了。

    2．dog（狗）

    在英语中dog的形象一般不差，常可泛指“个人”。如谚语：Every dog has his day．（人人皆有得意日。）又如：a gay dog（快活的人、好玩的人）。
    但dog也有形象不佳之时。如：dog eat dog（注意eat为原形），意指“人们自相残害”；同样，a dog in the manger喻“占着茅坑不拉屎的人”。
    在汉语里，尽管狗在某些地方也为宠物，但“狗”的形象总是不雅，因而用来指人时多含贬义。如“狗咬狗”、“哈巴狗”、“走狗”、“狗仗人势”、“癞皮狗”等等。

    3．pig（猪）

    pig所受待遇可谓最糟，人们总是一边吃猪肉（pork），一边又对猪恶语相加。汉语里，猪集“懒、笨、馋”于一身，借此喻人具有刻毒之意，其用语不胜枚举。英国人也给pig以丑恶的形象。a pig意为a greedy，dirty or bad-mannered person（贪婪、肮脏或无礼貌的人）。注意，最后一喻意似乎未进入汉语。

    4．rat（鼠）

    汉语中的“胆小如鼠、鼠目寸光、鼠肚鸡肠”及“鼠辈”等词语，皆有“畏琐、卑微”及“心胸狭窄”等含义，可见鼠在汉语中简直一无是处。作为俚语，英语的rat指人时喻意与汉语稍有出入，但也含贬义：a rat即a person who behaves selfishly（自私的人）或a person who is disloyal（不忠的人）。

    5．ass（驴）

    汉语有“笨驴”之说，用来指人，则表达“愚、笨”之意。
    英语同汉语在这一点上有相通之处：an ass意为a foolish person（傻瓜），同义语还有donkey，但常用来指小孩。

    6．bear（熊）

    在中国人的心目中，熊的形象一般是“行为缓慢”，因而具有“呆傻”之态；指人时常有“熊样”之说；目前形容股市不景气乃称“熊市”。
    但英语用bear指人时，则为a bad-tempered or bad-mannered person（粗鄙之人、鲁莽之人）；另一习惯用语be like a bear with a sore head则表示“脾气暴躁”。

    7．lion（狮）

    百兽之王狮子在中西方文化中有一点是相通的，即“勇猛”，借此喻人时，汉语有“勇猛如狮”之说；英语也有习语as brave as a lion。
    在英语中，a lion亦用来指“名流、社交场合的宠儿”。

    8．rabbit（兔）

    “兔”在中国人心中可谓形象复杂，有好的一面，如“形如脱兔”（喻快捷）；也有差的一面，如“狡兔三窟、兔子尾巴长不了”。后者用来形容人时则分别暗示“狡猾”与“难以持久”之意。
    对英国人来说，rabbit的形象亦不美。不过用来指人时，所取喻意同汉语大相径庭：a rabbit意为a person who plays a game badly（蹩脚的运动员———尤指网球运动员）；与中国兔子不同的是，西方rabbit一出场就显得“窝囊”。

---

Joke of Today

  What is an Idiot?

    Son: Dad, what is an idiot?

    Dad: An idiot is a person who tries to explain his ideas in such a strange and long way that another person who is listening to him can't understand him. Do you understand me?

    Son: No.

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Do you have a bunch of tee shirts that you can't part with? Are your dresser drawers overflowing with race commemoratives, favorite team tee's and the like? Here's a clever way to keep those tees in circulation.... make them into a quilt! Here's how. Common blanket sizes are: Crib - 42" x 72" (3x4 or 3x5 shirt grid = 12 to 15 shirts) Twin - 66" x 96" (5x8 or 6x9 grid = 40 to 54 shirts) Double - 81" x 96" (6x8 or 7x9 grid = 48 to 63 shirts) Queen - 90" x 102" (8x9 or 9x10 grid = 72 to 90 shirts) Standard King - 108" x 102" (10x10 or 10x11 grid = 100 to 110 shirts) California King - 102" x 110" (10x11 or 11x11 grid = 110 to 121 shirts) Note: you can use "sashing" or strips of cloth between the teeshirt panels to reduce the number of shirts needed... these numbers are approximate, and are for a quilt top made of nothing but tees, with no sashing. Evaluate your collection. Is there a common color scheme? A theme that runs through them? Any patterns or messages that you would like to emphasize? Choose a pattern. A simple grid pattern is the easiest, but you can get as creative as you like. (See links below to some pictures of finished quilts online.) Launder all of the shirts. Do not use fabric softeners or anti-static sheets. Lay it flat.Lay the tee shirt out flat. Block orientation. Traced Block (in yellow)Determine what part of the tee shirt you want in the quilt and trace the perimeter of your template. Cut block (with a half inch extra for seam allowance)Cut your square panels from the shirts using a template. A square Plexiglas template can make rotary cutting of these panels a breeze. Note: Remember to allow a half inch (1.25 cm) of seam allowance all around. Place a square of pellon on the back of the block and iron it.Stabilize the tee shirt panels by ironing a non-woven fusible interfacing or lightweight, fusible tricot interfacing to the back sides. This prevents the teeshirts from stretching or sagging during construction. Checking...Check to be certain that the interfacing has adhered properly. Once you've stabilized the knit tee shirt fabric, you are ready to sew as you would with "normal" fabrics. Sew the blocks together as you would in a "normal" quilt.Decide how you'll sew the panels together. Sewing the panels in columns or rows and then joining those together for the complete panel is the most common method of constructing a quilt top. Here are some alternate block patterns that could work well: 45 degree block turn45 degree block turn 22.5 degree turn22.5 degree turn Window blockWindow block Follow the directions in Make a Quilt to finish off the quilt when you're done with the panels.

"Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) Option 1: Alarm rings – hit snooze. Alarm rings – groan. Get up, throw on some clothes. Fight traffic, complain, get to work, hate the day – watch the clock and count the minutes. Go home, eat, watch TV, go to bed. Alarm rings – hit snooze. It's only Wednesday - two more days to go. Oh will this week ever end? I just want to sleep until Saturday. Please let me win the lottery. I hate this job. Did I do something bad? Every day feels like I'm in prison. Option 2: Alarm rings but the shower drowns out the noise. Pick out sharp clothes for the day. Music on the way to work – smiling while stuck in traffic; planning the day. Say "good morning" to everybody… smile some more. Go through list of things to do, add new things that come to mind. Become excited when the output looks great – oh my, time to go already… Where did the day go? Have a great dinner, talk about the day, asleep almost instantly. Alarm rings but the shower drowns out the noise. I love what I do! Which would you rather feel? The question isn’t what do you feel, but what do you want? Honestly, don’t you envy, just a little, the people that actually love what they do and look forward to each day? For them, work isn’t drudgery – it’s fun! Why? Because they decide it’s going to be that way. Before you can enjoy your job, you have to figure out what "enjoyment" means to you. Doing that will not only help you enjoy your job, but it will help you more fully enjoy life in general. Here are some ways you can improve your satisfaction – job related and otherwise. This is not a quick fix; it will take some time, but the effort will be incredibly rewarding.

      外贸谈判中经常涉及到报价的问题，列出几种情况，仅供大家参考：

　　(1)  
　　A: We can offer you this in different levels of quality.  
　　B: Is there much of a difference in price ?  
　　A: Yes ,the economy model is about 30% less.  
　　B: We‘ll take that one .  
　　A:这产品我们有三种不同等级的品质。  
　　B:价钱也有很大的分别吧？  
　　A:是的，经济型的大约便宜30%。  
　　B:我们就买那种。 
　　  
　　(2) 　　  
　　A: Is this going to satisfy your requirements ?  
　　B: Actually , it is more than we need .  
　　A: We can give you a little cheaper model .  
　　B: Let me see the specifications for that .  
　　A:这种的合你的要求吗？  
　　B:事实上，已超出我们所需要的。  
　　A:我们可以提供你便宜一点的型式。  
　　B:让我看看它的规格说明书吧。
　　  
　　(3)　　  
　　A: You‘re asking too much for this part .  
　　B: we have some cheaper ones .  
　　A: What is the price difference ?  
　　B: The basic model will cost about 10% less .  
　　A:这零件你们要价太高了。  
　　B:我们有便宜一点的。  
　　A:价钱差多少？  
　　B:基本型的便宜约10%左右。

 　　(4) 　　  
　　A: How many different models of this do you offer?  
　　B: We have five different ones .  
　　A: Is there much of a price difference .  
　　B: Yes, so we had better look over your specifications.  
　　A:这个你们有多少种不同的型式。  
　　B:五种  
　　A:价钱有很大的差别吗？  
　　B:是的，所以我们最好先把您的规格说明细看一遍。
　　  
　　(5) 　　  
　　A: The last order didn‘t work out too well for us  
　　B: What was wrong?  
　　A: We were developing too much waste .  
　　B: I suggest you go up to our next higher price level.  
　　A:上回订的货用起来不怎么顺。  
　　B:有什么问题吗？  
　　A:生产出来的废品太多了。  
　　B:我建议您采用我们价格再高一级的货
 　　  
　　(6) 　　  
　　A: Did the material work out well for you ?  
　　B: Not really .  
　　A: What was wrong?  
　　B: We felt that the price was too high for the quality .  
　　A:那些材料进行的顺利吗？ 　  
　　B:不怎么好。  
　　A:怎么啦？  
　　B:我们觉得以这样的品质价钱太高了。
  
　　 (7) 　　  
　　A: Has our material been all right ?  
　　B: I‘m afraid not .  
　　A: Maybe you should order a little better quality  
　　B: Yes, we might have to do that .  
　　A:我们的原材料没问题吧？  
　　B:有问题呢。  
　　A:也许您应该买品质好一点的  
　　B:是呀，恐怕只有这么做了。
 　　  
　　(8) 　　  
　　A: I think you had better come out to the factory .  
　　B: Is there something wrong .  
　　A: Yes ,your last shipment wasn‘t up to par .  
　　B: Let ‘s go out and have a look at it .  
　　A:我看你最好走一趟工厂，  
　　B:出了什么事吗。  
　　A:嗯，你上次送去的货没有达到标准。  
　　B:走，我们去看看?  　
　  
　　(9) 　　  
　　A: I want you to look at this material .  
　　B: Is this from our last shipment ?  
　　A: Yes ,it is .  
　　B: I can see why you are having some problems with it .  
　　A:我要你看看这材料！  
　　B:这是上次叫的货吗？  
　　A:是啊。  
　　B:我明白为什么你用起来会有问题了。　
　  
　　(10) 　　  
　　A: I would suggest that you use this material instead of that .
　　B: But that costs more .  
　　A: But you will get less waste from this .  
　　B: We‘ll try it once .  
　　A:我建议你改用这种替代那种。  
　　B:可是那样成本较高。  
　　A:但可以减少浪费。  
　　B:那么就试一次看看吧。

 

---

Joke of Today

A man is almost about to die

    As he lay on his deathbed, the man confided to his wife, "I cannot die without telling you the truth. I cheated on you throughout our whole marriage. All those nights when I told you I was working late, I was with other women. And not just one woman either, but I've slept with dozens of them."

    His wife looked at him calmly and said, "Why do you think I gave you the poison?"

作者: 每日英语       下载每日英语       每日英语 QQ 群： 53469079

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Depending on the purpose that you are measuring the room for, there are different measurements that need to be taken. For example, if you're putting in flooring, you need to know the area of the floor. If you are painting, you need to know the area of the walls and ceiling. And if you're putting in a border of some sort, you need the perimeter measurement of the room. This can be difficult if you've never done it before, and can be complicated by built-in features like sloping ceilings, fireplaces, recesses, and bay windows. Find out how to do it here!

Siphons (or gravel vacuums) are a great way to get rid of debris in an aquarium. A 'gentle' siphon, while slower than a normal siphon, is great for small tanks, quarantine or hospital tanks and tanks with fry, small fish or sick fish. As an added bonus, they are very cheap and easy to make.

    有句谚语说：“God could not be everywhere and therefore be made mothers”今天是母亲节，祝愿天下的母亲幸福安康、平安快乐！

    A poem done by Howard Johnson (1887–1941), an American song lyricist

    M - O - T - H - E - R

    "M" is for the million things she gave me,

    "O" means only that she's growing old,

    "T" is for the tears she shed to save me,

    "H" is for her heart of purest gold;

    "E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining,

    "R" means right, and right she'll always be,

    Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER,"

    A word that means the world to me.

    M-O-T-H-E-R意味着什么？有一首诗这么说，“M”代表她赐予了我整个世界，“O”意味着她正慢慢衰老，“T”是她为我留下的泪，“H”指她那颗 金子般的心，“E”是她盁溢着慈爱的双眼，“R”则意味着正确、她始终是正确的，把这些字母合在一起就拼成了“母亲——我的全部。

    Message to be sent on Mother's Day

    Today is Mother's day, the day to tell you how much you mean to me. But Mom…I don't need any special occasion to tell you how much I love you. That is because I love you each and every day!

    For your radiance, warmth and loving heart. For your guidance and support for everything I do…I just wanna say a great big thank you! Happy Mother's Day!

    Mom, U made each of my growing up days a bud of joy! So on Mother's Day I just wanna hug you and say love you

buches! Happy Mother's Day!

    为大家介绍几首很好听的母亲节歌曲，由于几首歌歌词太多，所以就放到最后的下载里了，当然大家也可以自行到网上搜索。

    a song for mama

     链接一    链接二    链接三    链接四

    草帽歌 Straw hat

    链接一    链接二    链接三    链接四

    This is to mother you

    链接一    链接二

    心甘情愿（这是一首中文歌曲，很让人感动的）

    链接一    链接二    链接三

    歌词下载地址

---

 

Joke of Today

Guests for dinner

    The following is a true story.

    There was this little kid who had a bad habit of sucking his thumb. His mother finally told him that if he didn't stop sucking his thumb, he'd get fat.

    Two weeks later, his mother had her friends over for a game of bridge. The boy points to an obviously pregnant woman and says, "Ah, ha! I know what you've been doing!"

作者: 每日英语       下载每日英语       每日英语 QQ 群： 53469079

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Time Machine is a very simple tool to use on your Mac. It backs up your whole hard drive onto an external hard drive. Once you set it up, it backs up your files as you work, saving you the hassle of remembering this task. Read on to find out how.

If you have angora fiber that you'd like to make use of, here is a quick demonstration of how to hand card it yourself.

    2008年5月8日下午两点，传来一个好消息，金山和谷歌两大公司合作发布了【谷歌金山词霸合作版】，各大媒体、博客都在争相报道这事，每日英语也不能落后，将这个英语方面的好工具向大家推荐一下。

    我一直都在用 Google 的东西：

    Gmail、Google Reader、Google Docs、

    Google Calendar、Google 书签、GTalk、

    谷歌拼音、Google Apps、Google Notebook

    当然还有最重要的 Google Search、Code Search 等，功能都非常简洁而且好用，所以从来都对 Google 的东西很有好感，同时也经常使用金山公司的词霸（不过较为惭愧的是之前所使用的都是破解版的），因此看到这两家公司在词霸这个产品上面进行合作，并且是免费的，还是蛮兴奋的。

    金山词霸在前一些日子进行了一个2008免费版的公测活动，该活动过去了好一阵子，一直都在等他们出正式版，结果没想到居然和谷歌合作发布，看来金山这次花了不少力气去对他的词霸进行造势，也没办法，都是灵格斯、有道、雅虎乐译等免费的桌面词典生生给逼成这样的，当然，呵呵，这里也有破解盗版的功劳。

    金山词霸2008个人免费版之前有过每日英语做过资源推荐，具体介绍请看这里：金山词霸2008个人免费版

    虽说是两家公司合作发布的词霸，但Google目前也只是客客串而已，没有使用到Google的什么技术，只是融入了Google的在线翻译等功能，这个合作版和之前金山的2008个人版区别还真是不大，还是看看以后他们是怎么合作的吧。

    给个软件介绍，喜欢就用用吧：《谷歌金山词霸合作版》是金山与谷歌面向互联网翻译市场联合开发，适用于个人用户的免费翻译软件。软件支持中、日、英三语查询，有取词、查词、查句、全文翻译、网页翻译等功能。

    下载地址：谷歌金山词霸合作版

   
 

作者: 每日英语       下载每日英语       每日英语 QQ 群： 53469079

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