相信很多英语学习者从小就知道,“Talking about the weather is a great conversation starter.”,想要自然的打开话匣子或者搭讪,谈论weather是个最简单最合理的方法了(It’s one of the most basic topics of conversation.)!就像有人对“天气话题”的评价:It’s an easy way to start a conversation, even with strangers. Knowing some simple weather phrases in English will help you get through “small talk” much more easily. 想要在国外生活更加“如鱼得水”嘛,那我们现在就学起来:
我们询问天气的时候,最常用的就是:
How’s the weather?
What’s it like out there?
What’s the weather forecast? = What is the weather expected to be like?
还有在电影里最常见的搭讪语:
Beautiful day, isn’t it? (天儿挺好啊!)
描写天气的日常用语,大家可以记住下面的表达:
Today it is warm and sunny out.
It’s so cold out there!
The sun is very bright today, you might want to take sunglasses.
It’s not raining, but it’s cloudy.
It is! I’m so happy the sun is shining. (回答上面那句搭讪语)
They’re saying blue skies and hot! (有人问你天气预报咋说,就可以这么答)
再来学学其他的天气必备表达:
· below freezing: 零度以下,例如:
It’s supposed to be below freezing today. I should wear my gloves.
今天气温应该零度以下,我应该戴手套出门。
The temperatures remained below freezing all day.
气温一整天都在零度以下。
· boiling hot:热到马路能煮鸡蛋(an idiom used to describe a very hot day),例如:
It was boiling hot, so we decided to stay inside.
天气太热,我们决定屋里呆着不出去。
它也可以作为定语,例如it’s a boiling hot day.
· breeze: 微风(a very light wind),例如:
a sea breeze 海风
a light breeze was blowing. 微风轻轻吹
· breezy: 微风徐徐的(lightly windy),例如:
Maybe you shouldn’t wear a hat, it’s breezy out today.
外面有风,别戴帽子了吧。(不过还不至于是windy那种大风)
· chilly: 凉飕飕的(lightly cold),例如:
I always wear a scarf when it’s chilly.
天凉的时候我总爱带条围巾。
· drizzling: 毛毛雨(to be raining very lightly),情深深雨蒙蒙适合情侣出门散步的那种…… 例如:
I don’t think you’ll need an umbrella, it’s only drizzling.
没必要带伞吧,只是毛毛雨而已。
· overcast: 阴天的,用来替换cloudy不错(a gray sky with no sun visible),例如:
The sky is overcast this morning, but the sun is supposed to come out later.
早上天阴阴的,不过太阳一会儿应该能出来。
最后,再顺道学学常见的weather idioms,免得发生“单词都认识,但是放在一起是啥意思”的情况:
· be raining cats and dogs: 瓢泼大雨(to be raining heavily)
Do not forget your umbrella before you go outside. It is raining cats and dogs!
出门别忘带伞啊!雨下得老大了!
· face like thunder: 明显生气了(being clearly very angry up upset)
You could tell Maria was angry. She had a face like thunder!
你能看出来Maria生气了,看她的脸色就知道了!
还有常见的用法是:Her face is like thunder.
·a storm/tempest in a teacup: 小题大做,大惊小怪(a lot of anger or worry about something that is not important, exaggerate a problem)
I don’t think this flu scare is serious. It’s just a storm in a teacup.
我不觉得这场流感恐慌多严重,只是小题大做罢了。
· chase rainbows: 妄想,空想,做白日梦(try to achieve the impossible)
I know you want to become a famous footballer but don’t chase rainbows! It is very hard and you are just not good enough.
我知道你想成为足球明星,但是现实点儿吧!不是谁都能行的而且你也没那么出众哇。
· lightning fast: 动作快,迅速(being very fast)
Wow, did you see him win the race? He was lightning fast!
哇塞!你看到他咋赢的了么!他也太快了吧!
· have one’s head in the clouds: 不切实际,白日做梦(have unrealistic or impractical ideas)
Mike thinks he is going to pass his exams without studying. He has his head in the clouds!
Mike觉得他不用学就能过,简直是异想天开!
·be snowed under with something: 忙不过来了(to have more things, especially work, than you feel able to deal with)
I’d love to come but I’m completely snowed under at the moment.
我很想去但是现在忙得不可开交。
· Under the weather: 身体不适(feel slightly sick and not as well as usual)
Hazel did not come into work today. She was feeling under the weather.
Hazel今天没来上班,他不是很舒服。
·steal someone’s thunder: 抢风头,抢功劳(to do what someone else was going to do and receive all the praise; or take the attention away from someone else)
My classmate stole my thunder when he told the teacher that he did all the work on the presentation.
我同学抢走了所有的功劳,他说整个presentation都是他自己完成的!
· Every cloud has a silver lining: 黑暗中总有一丝光明的(every bad situation has a positive side to it)
I’m not going on holiday this year, but every cloud has a silver lining, as I’m able to spend more time with my family at home!
我今年没办法去度假了,不过没关系啊,总是有好的一面的,因为这样我就可以花更多时间陪家人了。
· the calm before the storm: 暴风雨前的宁静(a quiet time before a busy or difficult period)
It’s going to get very busy tomorrow. Today is the calm before the storm.
今天挺闲,不过这是暴风雨前的宁静,明天要“血雨腥风”了。
OK,搞定以上表达,相信大家无论是应对考试,还是到了国外的日常交流,在谈到“天气”有关话题时,都会游刃有余了!