对于许多人来说，看电视是获取信息以及娱乐生活的主要方式之一。那么，你知道与看电视相关的一些词汇以及表达方式吗？相信下面的四个场景对话能让你获益不少。

 1. I was here first

场景：12岁的Stuart正在家里看电视，他的姐姐Julie凑了过来。

Julie: Turn it up a sec（一会）.

Stuart: Shh（嘘，安静一点）! I'm trying to watch.

Julie: Give me the thing. I'll do it.

Stuart: Shh!

Julie: Chill out, will you?

Stuart: Hey, not so loud! I'm not deaf, you know. Anyway, I was here first.

Julie: What's this about exactly?

Stuart: Just watch, will you? It's a series（连续剧）. I can't tell you the whole thing.

提示：
1 动词turn在看电视用语中非常有用。turn on 开电视，turn off关电视，turn up把电视声音调大，turn down 把电视声音调小，turn over换频道。

2 当Julie说"thing"这个词的时候，她是在指the remote control遥控器。人们也管遥控器叫"remote"或者"zapper"。

3 "chill out"这个表达方式大多出于年轻人之口，意为calm down冷静。

2 Blue murder

场景：Jackie和Cathy正在一起讨论他们看过的节目内容。

Jackie: Did you see that documentary（纪录片） last night?

Cathy: You mean about that little girl who wouldn't eat anything except chocolate?

Jackie: Yeah. It was incredible, wasn't it?

Cathy: And there was that bit where her parents tried to force spinach（菠菜） down her.

Jackie: God! She screamed blue murder.

Cathy: I felt a bit sorry for her, actually.

Jackie: So did I. She'd been totally spoilt(尤指小孩）惯坏的.

Cathy: It's awful, really. Why do we watch these things?

提示：

1 Jachie说"wasn't it?"其实并不是想提问，而是想让Cathy就自己的观点（it was incredible)发表评论。

2 "bit"这个词在英式英语中经常意为"part"，例如：The best bit of the holiday was lying on the beach.

3 "to scream blue murder"(US:"to scream bloody murder")意为to shout or protest about something loudly for a long time.

4 "spoilt"也可以写为"spoiled"。

3 No sugar for me!

场景：Fiona和Alan在家里一起看电影。

Fiona: She's great, isn't she?

Alan: Maggie Smith? Yeah, but the plot's a bit thin.

Fiona: Come on, Alan! It's a girl's film. We don't need everything action-packed（情节复杂的）.

Alan: I see. That's why it's sending me to sleep.

Fiona: Go and put the kettle on（用水壶烧水）, then!

Alan: Okey-dokey.

Fiona: And don't expect me to fill you in afterwards.

Alan: I won't. Shall I bring you a Kleenex in case you need to cry later?

Fiona: Ha,Ha!

提示：

1 Maggie Smith玛吉-史密斯是著名的英国女星。

 2 We say "the plot is a bit thin" to mean that there isn't much of a story情节单薄。

 3 Fiona说"Come on!"就是为了显示她不赞同Alan的观点。

 4 "go and"+verb，这种搭配只用于非正式场合，意为to tell someone to do something. 

 5 "Okey-dokey"是"OK"的另一种形式。

 6 "To fill someone in" means to bring him or her up to date on something.

 7 A "Kleenex" is a paper tissue卫生纸.

 
4 Unplug（拔去......的电源插头） everything

场景：Tony和他的兄弟Mike在看一场足球比赛。

Mike: I'm going to hit the hay. You?

Tony: I'll probably stay up and watch the rest.

Mike: We can record it if you want.

Tony: It's not worth it. There's only half an hour to go.

Mike: What about all the chat afterwards?

Tony: Oh, I can't be bothered with that. Shall I unplug everything?

Mike: Yeah. That'd be great. I'll clear up（收拾） tomorrow. G'night.

提示：

1 "hit the hay"意为"go to bed"。

2 "to go"意为"remaining"剩下，例句：I've got one exam to go, and then I've finished.

3 Tony说"I can't be bothered with that"意为he's not going to waste his time watching the interviews after the game.

通过对已入学学生数据进行分析，高职（高专）毕业生最初选择毕业3-5年后再升本，但随着社会对人才素质要求的提高同时英语被广泛应用，越来越多的学生选择早升学甚至希望在专科毕业前就开始学习本科课程。

今年5月以来，应各高职高专院校邀请，在各校外语系、就业办等部门的积极组织下，我院闫建峰主任亲自带队，直接进入院校为各年级英语专业学生详细介绍“专升本”的升学渠道和北外网院英语专业专升本学习体系，受到同学们的热烈欢迎。学生通过此次活动，受到已经成功学生案例的鼓舞，完全消除了对网络教育的错误认识，彻底改变了“上北外毕业较难”的错误印象，纷纷表示一定充分抓住今年秋季报名的机会，在奥运年获得北外录取通知书。不少院校大二年级的学生也纷纷咨询关于专升本的报名细节问题，想尽快进入“专升本”学习.参加活动的学生均获赠一本精美的北外网院助学院历。

由于教育部已经下发通知，从今年起重点高校、独立学院和民办院校原则上不再举办普通专升本教育，各地普通专升本教育的招生规模也要严格控制在当年省属高校高职（专科）应届毕业生的5％以内。多数高职学生在毕业又后面临升本的困惑，大多数学生不愿通过成人高考获取本科学历，认为成人高考学历“含金量”低。至于参加高自考，许多学生表示不想为了考试而学习，更不想“半途而废”。在这种情况下，名校网络教育无疑成了一种最合适的选择。而北外作为中国外语教育第一院校，八年来专注办好自身最具优势的英语专业，成为广大高职学生“系统提高英语、获得本科学历学位”的最佳选择。

四年前的今天，我写下了第一篇求学日记，从此一发不可收拾，几乎每晚十点钟，都成了总结和反思的时刻。古人讲“一日三省吾身”，我没有时间“三省”，哪怕只有“一省”，也还是不错的。

我就这么“省”着写着，一直到毕业，一直到写完论文，一直到拿到学位证书，它还远远没有结束。生命不息，学习不止；学习不止，求学日记便能长命百岁。

因为日记，我在北外网院结识了那么多的同学，那么多的朋友，有了那么多的翻译实践机会，甚至就连现在的工作，也是因为人事部的人看见了我写的东西，而主动找到的我。可以说，这个日记带给我的东西非常多，值得回忆值得纪念的时刻也非常多，每一笔都值得珍惜。

今天它过四岁生日了，希望它能“长青”。我毕业了，但仍然希望在北外网院的旗帜不倒。几乎每一天，我都有新的感受，有了新的感受，便会换来求学日记的生命延续。

附：四年前的第一篇求学日记：

我是北外的学生
我深深地爱着这片美丽的校园

――孙盈

也许是机缘凑巧，看报纸时从不看广告的我偶然地瞥了一眼广告栏，就正巧看到了北外网院的招生广告。于是眼前的一切景象都幻化了，那张刊登着招生广告的报纸成了哆啦A梦的“时空机器”，带着我穿过漫长的时空隧道，回到了充满幻想的学生时代。

我看到十几年前的北外校园里有一个梳着两把刷子的小怯丫头，带着艳羡与好奇的目光看着北外的花花草草，看着北外的蓝天与白云，看着身边匆匆而过的哥哥姐姐。她是来北外参加迎奥运英语演讲比赛的。她没有拿上名次，却在心里种下了一棵名字为“北外”的希望之树。我看到两年之后那个女孩剪短了头发，拿着一份薄薄的成绩单望着窗外八月的天空发呆，眼神里满是迷茫。我看到她的心里有一扇门永远地关上了，那扇叫做“北外”的门。

月光柔和地照着我的小屋，在地板上洒下斑驳的黑影；夜风轻拂着淡绿色的窗帘，耳边是草虫的轻鸣。多美好的夜晚啊！多么值得纪念的夜晚。今夜我将拥抱着甜美的梦想入梦，而且是近在咫尺的梦想。

英语中有许多精彩有趣的成语，比如说今天要讲的这个：to kill two birds with one stone。一个石头砸死两只鸟，

当我们可以同时做两件事情而不只是一件事的时候，我们就可以说 I killed two birds with one stone，汉语里也有一石二鸟的对应说法，或者译成一箭双雕也可以。

例句：

1. I went to Beijing on a business trip but a lot of my family live there too, so I killed two birds with one stone--I worked hard but saw my family as well.

2. I killed two birds with one stone and saw some old friends while I was in Leeds visiting my parents.

3. I'm making a birthday cake for my sister tonight--but it's my flatmate's birthday on Tuesday so I think I'll add just a few extra ingredients and make two cakes--kill two birds with one stone.

借出差的机会探亲，借探亲的机会访友，或者一次做好两份蛋糕，真是一石二鸟，省时又省心。

身边可以 kill two birds with one stone的事情其实很多。比如，你又想喝咖啡又想上网查邮件，那么you can just go to the internet cafe and check your emails。

虽然to kill two birds with one stone很有用，但它多少有点不够文雅，不够环保。So let's come up with a substitute! 开动脑筋，表达“一石二鸟”的含义也许还可以这么说呢。想想看，你的创意会让世界变得更美好！

让我们瞧瞧其他朋友的好创意：
1 Feed two birds with one scone!
2 Bless two birds with one lotus.
3 Light two candles with one flame.
4 Free two birds with one key.
5 Brighten two hearts with one smile.
6 Love two birds with one heart.
7 Make two wishes upon one star.
8 Take two pills with one gulp.
9 Lift two spirits with one kind word.
10 Cross two hurdles with one leap.
11 Heal two wounds with one kiss.
12 Smell two flowers with one nose.
13 Unite two people with one hope.

Would you go to the supermarket, darling," my wife asks, "and get some butter? Nothing special; just for baking." A short time later, I'm standing at the butter section and am reminded of the story of the hungry donkey standing in front of two piles of hay. It looks from one to the other, but cannot decide which pile to eat first. The donkey finds it so hard to choose that it drops dead from hunger before touching the food.

Time is money, and I'm spending my valuable time deciding between the cheap, low-fat kind and the best quality, fresh organic butter for three times the price. I finally decide to get the low-price, low-fat butter--which, my wife later explains, is not the best for baking a cake.
时间就是金钱，而我却把自己宝贵的时间用来决定是买便宜的低脂黄油还是买质量最好但价格却高出两倍的新鲜有机黄油。我最后决定买便宜的低脂黄油，而这种黄油，据我妻子后来说，并不太适合用来烤蛋糕。

The last time I bought butter was sometime in the early 1980s. Shopping was certainly simpler back then. You could buy what you wanted from a small selection. Today, consumers are faced with dozens of products that look more or less the same.
我上一次买黄油是在20世纪80年代初。那时候购物要简单得多。商品种类有限，但你想要什么，就能买到什么。今天，消费者们却要面对数十种看起来大同小异的商品。

In his provocative book The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, Barry Schwartz describes some of the offerings in a mid-sized American supermarket. He counts 95 different kinds of snacks; 61 varieties of suntan oil and sunblock; and 80 different painkillers. There are 40 kinds of toothpaste, 150 lipsticks and 90 colours of nail polish, as well as 116 kinds of skin cream, and 360 types of shampoo and other hair-care products.
巴里·斯瓦茨在他颇具煽动性的著作《选择的悖论：多即是少》中描述了一家美国中型超市提供的部分商品。据他计算，这家店有95种不同的小吃，61种防晒油和防晒霜以及80种不同的止痛药。另外还有40种牙膏、150种唇膏、90种颜色的指甲油以及116种护肤霜、360种洗发水极其护发产品。

At the electronics store, the situation is no different. Dozens of TVs, DVDs, laptops and phones fill the shelves. Want to buy an iPod? Apple offers nearly 30 models, from 512MB to 60GB, before you've even decided on a colour. Then, of coure, there's the cost-benefit analysis. For more confusion, ask a shop assistant.
电子用品商店里的情形也差不多。数十种电视机、DVD机、笔记本电脑和电话机把货柜塞得满满的。想买个iPod播放器吗？苹果电脑公司为你提供了近30种型号，容量从512MB到60GB，就这样你还没挑颜色呢。当然，接下去还有性价比分析。如果想把自己弄得更糊涂的话，就再找个售货员咨询咨询。

"Spoilt for choice" is the English expresstion that describes the dilemma facing today's consumers. Shopping has become an activity in which it is no longer possible to make intelligent informed decisions. This problem is not limited to fast-moving consumer products. It touches every aspect of our lives. Which university degree? Which job? Which holiday? Which investment or insurance? Which partner? Which name for the kids? Cosmetic surgery even offers: which face? And the internet: which identity?
"Spoilt for choice"（可供选择的好东西太多以至于无从下手）就是英语中对当今消费者所面临的窘境的描述。购物不再是一种能够在全面了解信息后作出明智决定的行为了。这一问题不只局限于那些迅速消耗的消费品。它触动了我们生活的方方面面。选择哪种大学学位？选哪份工作？选哪个假日？选哪项投资或保险？选哪个合作伙伴？给孩子取哪个名字？外科整形手术甚至可以让你选择做成哪张脸？因特网上你则需要决定：选择用哪个身份？

Choice is a key aspect of modern society, but too much choice is not necessarily a good thing. Take a study carried out several years ago in the United States. Shoppers in a mall were offered 24 different kinds of jam to try for free. Many people stopped to taste them, but hardly anyone bought any jam. Later, the number of products was reduced to six. This time, fewer people stopped, but ten times as much jam was sold. This result seems hard to believe: surely we are more likely to find something we like from a range four times as large. But practice shows that people are more comfortable if the number of choices is limited.
选择是现代社会的重要方面，但是选择太多未必是件好事。就拿美国数年前的一项研究来说吧。一个购物商场提供24种不同的果酱请顾客免费品尝。许多人停下来品尝，但是几乎没人购买。后来，果酱的总数被减为六种，这一次，停下来品尝的人要少些，但是卖出的果酱却是先前的十倍。这一结果看起来令人难以置信：可供挑选的商品种类多了三倍，按道理我们应该更有可能找到自己喜欢的东西。但实践证明，面对有限的选择，人们会感到更舒服些。

Remember that for many of the situations we face, the simplest and quickest choice if often the best. Life is too short for anyting else.
请记住，在我们所面临的许多情况中，最简单最迅速的选择通常也是最好的选择。生命太短暂，我们没有时间去反复地斟酌比对。

1 snowball

听到snowball这个字，我们脑子里就会出现孩子们冬天在雪地里扔雪球玩的情景。除了雪球的本意，snowball 也可以当动词用来形容某一样东西像滚雪球那样很快就变得越来越大。

下面的这个例句就是用snowball来形容一家餐馆的生意在最近几个月变得越来越好。

Sally's happy about how her new seafood restaurant is doing. Business was slow at first but it's really snowballed the last couple of months: now you have to wait in line to get a table.
莎莉对她新开的海鲜饭馆很满意。一开始，生意很清淡，但是最近两个月来生意越来越好。现在你要座位还得排队等。

又如：The latest polls show that public opinion is starting to snowball in favor of our opponent. We need to find some more good things to say about our candidate and find them quick.
最近民意调查显示，选民越来越倾向于我们的对手了。我们必须再找些有利于我们候选人的内容来加以宣扬，而且还要尽快地行动。

2 snow job

Snow job 就是用拍马屁、夸张等手法来欺骗或说服别人。在美国，人人都要买各种各样的保险，包括健康、房子、汽车保险等等。那些保险公司的推销员靠着他们的三寸不烂之舌向顾客推销，说得天花乱坠，你一不小心就会上当。 

例如：This guy kept telling me how much I'd save with his company. But when I read the policy he was selling, I realized he was giving me a snow job. So I told him thanks but no thanks.
这个人一再对我说，要是买他们公司的保险我会省多少钱。但是，当我看了他推销的保险政策后，我才明白他是在骗我。所以我告诉他，谢谢，我不要。

几乎在生活的各个方面，你都得十分小心不要上当。例如：
That new man who's running for Congress makes a lot of promises what he'll do for the people. But I keep having this uneasy feeling that he's only giving us a snow job.
那个刚参加竞选国会议员的人做了许多保证，说他以后要为公众做些什么事。但是，我总感到不安，觉得他只不过是在欺骗我们。

3 to break the ice

To break 就是打破的意思，ice 就是冰的意思。To break the ice 作为俗语是指：缓和紧张气氛，使在场的人放松一些。例如，一个公司举行会议，参加会议的人都互不相识。那么，会议主席怎么来缓和一下气氛呢？

He started the meeting with a couple of jokes to get people to relax. Then he went around the table and asked everybody to stand up and tell a little about themselves and that broke the ice in a hurry.
他（指会议主席）一开始就讲了两个笑话，让大家放松一些。然后，他围着桌子让每个人站起来简单地自我介绍，这样很快就使气氛缓和了。

又如：It's hard to break the ice at a party for adults where everybody is a stranger. But you put a bunch of young kids together and the noise tells you they break the ice in five minutes.
一群互不相识的成人聚在一起，要缓和气氛可不容易。但是，要是一群孩子在一起，只要五分钟他们就很融洽了，从他们的吵闹声中你就可以知道这一点。

4 iceberg

Iceberg的原意是：在南北极附近海面上飘动的大冰山。但是，在当做俗语用的时候，iceberg是指一个冷漠无情，缺乏正常人热情的人，就像下面例子里说的这个人。

My boss is the smartest man I know. But he's a real iceberg: he acts like he has no feelings for other people. In fact you can almost feel the chill when he walks into the office.
我的老板是我所认识的人当中最聪敏的一个。但是，他真是个冷漠无情的人。他好像对别人毫无感情。当他走进办公室的时候，你几乎会感到一股冷气。

又如：We thought our neighbor next door was a real iceberg, cold and aloof to us all. But at his daughter's wedding he wore a big smile and was so friendly I couldn't believe he was the same man.

我们都认为隔壁的邻居是个很冷漠的人，对我们都很冷淡。但是，在他女儿的婚礼上，他笑容满面，非常友好。我真是难以相信看到的是同一个人。

It's time to go clothes shopping. Some people are shopping maniac (逛商店狂) while some others have shopping phobia (逛商店恐惧症)。而无论你是哪一类的人，掌握一些购物必备用语都可以帮助你更快、更好地购买衣服。再说了，谁不喜欢新衣服呢！

不同的是，逛商店狂更喜欢do window shopping，而逛商店恐惧症“患者们”更喜欢go shopping to make a specific purchase。现在商场的服务员通常都是十分热情的。她们见到来了顾客，通常都会殷勤地问一句"Can I help you?"或者"What can I do for you?"（她们可不会直白地问What do you want或者What do you want to buy哦）。售货员有时候也会凑近你问"What would you like?"或者"What would you like to have?"。这时候，如果你就想do window shopping，你就可以礼貌地说一句"I'm just browsing." 或是 "I'm just looking."，这样子售货员就不会继续纠缠下去，而你就可以在店里自由自在地逛逛了。如果你是go shopping to make a specific purchase，比方说你想找一件高领毛衣，你就可以说"I'm looking for a turtle neck sweater. Could you help me? " （我在找一件高领的毛衣能帮我一下吗？）或者 "Do you have any turtle neck sweaters? " （你们有卖高领的毛衣吗？）。

接下来，我们就跟随一位女顾客开始购物之旅吧。仔细看下面的flash对话，她买到了心仪的衣服了么？

注意喽， "trousers"通常都是以复数的形式出现，所以在" though they are good around the waist " 中，you use "they" instead of "it"。

When we choose clothes, we often like to ask for others' opinions before we make the decision. 似乎别人的眼光总是十分明智的。那么，在征询别人的意见的时候，记得用下面这些非常棒的句型哟：
"How does ... fit?" or "How do ... fit?"
"It's too..., isn't it? or "They are too..., aren't they?"

对话里的女顾客试了两件衣服之后还是不满意，看来挑选一件合适的衣服真是有难度哦。那么我们在试穿衣服的时候都可能碰到些什么问题呢？

Length/size	Quality	Color	Material
Too tight	Too trendy	Too bright	Too rough
Too loose	Too old-fashioned	Too dull	Too thin
Too baggy	Too fashionable	Doesn't match	Wrinkles easily

既然挑衣服可能遇到这么些问题，我们就更要试穿之后再购买喽。通常商场和专卖店都有试衣间，地摊和批发市场一般就没有了。要是不知道试衣间在哪儿的话，则可以问店员"Where is the fitting room?"（试衣间在哪？）。如果不太确定能不能试穿的话，特别像是在服装大拍卖的时候，最好还是问店员一声"May I try this on?"，免得做出一些愚蠢的事。

披上试穿的衣服，美滋滋地在镜子跟前转上几圈，然后，你会跟朋友或者售货员说些什么呢？下面给你归纳出来的“挑选衣服对话步骤”便一目了然地指引你该说什么。牢牢记住，一定可以派上用场哦！

一番试穿后，你高高兴兴把新衣服穿回家。老公一通夸奖之后突然大叫：“这衣服袖口怎么有个洞！”你顿时火冒三丈，赶紧奔去商场换货。换货的步骤是怎样的呢？

The customer: Bring up the complaint. The assistant: Ask for the exact problem. The customer: Explain the exact problem. The assistant: Make an apology and ask for the receipt（购物凭证）. The customer: Give the receipt and ask for a refund. The assistant: Explain why a refund is impossible and make another suggestion. The customer: Accept.

当然，上面仅仅是提供了一个换货的简单对话流程。其实，这里面的门道还很多呢。作为assistant，就应该做到在说每句话之前，都make a kind of apology first。而身为customer，投诉时使用粗鲁的言语可能会把气氛弄僵，以致问题无法解决。A direct complaint often sounds very rude. To be polite, you can begin your complaint by using expressions such as "I hate to have to say this, but ..." or "I'm sorry to bother you, but ...". You can also use "seem" or "appear" to soften your complaint.

Another way to make your complaint less harsh is to use the passive voice or the word " someone" instead of the name of the person involved. 没错，不指名道姓的投诉总算是给人留了余地。除非你被气到七窍生烟的地步，千万不要轻易使用" I'm fed up with ..." ，" I wish you could ..." or " You can't possibly..."之类的激烈言辞。

补充三个购物常用句型：

1. We have a clearance sale today. 我们今天清仓大拍卖。

Clearance sale 是清仓大拍卖的固定用法。另外，我们去店里如果要找那些拍卖的商品，我们可以问店员"Where can I find the clearance items?"。
 

2. The price will go down. 这价钱将会降低。

go down 跟 go up 很好用，当你不知道用什么动词，如 increase 还是surge的时候，就用 goes up。比如作实验时化学药剂浓度上升，这个上升你可以用increase，但也可以说"The concentration goes up." 。再比如，想问明年的保费会不会降低的时候，这个降低如果想不起来要用 decrease 好还是 lower 好，就干脆可以说"The price will go down." 。 另外类似的口语讲法，你可以用 rise 跟 drop 来代表 go up 和 go down。例如 "The price will drop."
 

3. Let me ring that up for you! 让我帮你结帐吧！

买方结帐最标准的讲法是 check out，例如你衣服都买好了，就可以拿到收银台 (cash register)，跟店员说，"I want to check out."她就会帮你算钱。另外还有些店员喜欢用 ring it up 这个片语，同样也是结帐的意思，为什么呢？因为在开收银机的时候不是通常会听到 ring 的一声吗？所以这个 ring it up 就有了“结帐”的意思。比方说你看上了一件衣服但没有标示价钱，你拿着衣服去问收银员，结果她告诉你这件衣服只要 $9.99。这时候你就可以用 ring it up 这个片语来回答她：OK. Go ahead and ring it up for me. （好，那就帮我结帐吧！）有时候店员看到你拿着衣服走过来，她也会主动跟你说：Let me ring that up for you.

今天教了大家不少go shopping会用到的知识，可能有些朋友该发愁了：我成天工作、学习那么繁忙，哪有时间逛商场哪？这事要是放在过去，确实令人头疼。但是不要忘了，现在是IT era，我们完全可以shopping online啊。总之，愿大家都可以轻松、开心购物！

If winning is everything, British anthropologists have some advice: Wear red. Their survey of four sports at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens shows competitors were more likely to win their contests if they wore red uniforms or red body armor.

"Across a range of sports, we find that wearing red is consistently associated with a higher probability of winning," report Russell A. Hill and Robert A. Barton of the University of Durham in England. Their findings are in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.
“通过对不同体育项目的研究，我们发现穿红色衣服通常意味着更高的获胜可能性。”英格兰杜伦大学的拉塞尔·A·希尔和罗伯特·A·巴顿说。他们的研究结果发表在本周四出版的《自然》杂志上。

Red coloration is associated with aggression in many animals. Often it is sexually selected so that scarlet markings signal male dominance.
对很多动物来说，红色象征着进攻。就两性而言，动物身上的红色斑纹象征着雄性的统治权。

Just think of the red stripes on the scowling face of the male Mandrill, Africa's largest monkey species. But red is not exclusively a male trait. It's the female black widow spider that is venomous and displays a menacing red dot on her abdomen.
只要想想雄性大狒狒愁眉不展的面孔上的红色条纹就很容易理解吧，它们可是非洲最大的猿类动物。但红色并不仅仅是雄性的特征，在雌性毒蜘蛛“黑寡妇”的腹部同样可以看到有威慑作用的红点。

Similarly, the color's effect also may subconsciously intimidate opponents in athletic contests, especially when the athletes are equal in skill and strength, the researchers suggest.
研究者们认为，同样，在体育比赛中，红色也能够在潜意识上对竞争对手产生威慑作用，尤其当竞争双方的技巧和力量都不相上下时。

In their survey, the anthropologists analyzed the results of four combat sports at the summer games: boxing, tae kwon do, Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling.
人类学家们还分析了雅典夏季奥运会中四项对抗性运动的比赛结果，它们分别是拳击、跆拳道、古典式摔跤和自由式摔跤。

In those events, the athletes were randomly assigned red protective gear and other sportwear.  Athletes wearing red gear won more often in 16 of 21 rounds of competition in all four events.
在这些赛事中，红色的护具和运动装束被随机分配给运动员们。在这四项赛事中，穿红色防护外套的运动员在21轮比赛中共获得16次胜利。

The effect was the same regardless of weight classes, too: 19 of 29 classes had more red winners, and only four rounds had more blue winners.
即使在不同重量级的比赛中，红色产生的效果也是相同的。在29个级别的比赛中，有19个级别的获胜者以穿红色居多，只有四轮比赛里穿蓝色的获胜者较多。

The red effect also might come into play in team sports.
红色还可能会在集体运动项目中发挥效力。

The anthropologists made a preliminary analysis of the Euro 2004 international soccer tournament, in which teams wore jerseys of different colors in different matches. They found that five teams scored more goals and won more often when they wore shirts that were predominantly red, as opposed to blue or white jerseys.
人类学家们还对2004年欧洲国际足球锦标赛做了初步分析，就各支球队在不同的比赛中所穿的不同颜色的队服进行比较。他们发现有五支球队在穿红色基调的球衣与穿蓝色或白色球衣的对手抗衡时，他们的进球和获胜次数都增加了。

Scientists don't precisely known how wearing red might give athletes an advantage. But the color delivers implicit messages of vigor and danger. When people get angry, their faces turn red. It's also a reason why stop signs are red. So are most Ferraris.
科学家们并不很确定穿红色衣服是如何使运动员获得优势的，但这种颜色暗含着活力和危险的信号。当人们愤怒时，他们的脸会涨得通红。这也是为什么停车标志被做成红色的一个原因，还有那么多红色的法拉利跑车。 

Whether it's curled up in the fetal position, flat on the stomach or stretched out across the bed, the way people sleep reveals their personality, a British sleep expert said.
英国睡眠研究专家说：无论你是像胎儿一样蜷缩着睡觉，或是趴在床上睡，还是四肢伸开平躺着睡，睡觉的姿势都可以揭示你的性格。

Professor Chris Idzikowski, director of the Sleep Assessment and Advisory Service and a visiting professor at the University of Surrey in southern England, has identified six common sleep positions and what they mean.
睡眠评估咨询服务中心主任克里斯·伊济科夫斯基教授归纳出六种常见的睡眠姿势和它们的含义。他还是英国南部萨里大学的客座教授。

"We are all aware of our body language when we are awake but this is the first time we have been able to see what our subconscious says about us," he said.
“当我们清醒的时候，我们都知道自己的肢体语言，而这回是我们第一次注意我们的潜意识在说些什么。”他说。

Crouched in the fetal position is the most popular sleep pattern and favored by 51 percent of women, according to the results of the study he conducted for a large hotel group.
根据他对一个大型饭店集团所做的研究结果显示：像胎儿一样蜷缩着睡觉是最流行的睡觉姿势，51%的妇女喜欢这种睡姿。

Fetal sleepers tend to be shy and sensitive while people who assume the soldier position, flat on their back with arms at their sides, are quiet and reserved.
胎儿式睡姿的人往往比较害羞、敏感，而仰卧在床上、双臂靠在身体两侧的士兵式睡姿的人则比较安静，保守。

Sleeping on one's side with legs outstretched and arms down in what Idzikowski refers to as the log, indicates a social, easy-going personality. But if the arms are outstretched in the yearner position, the person tends to be more suspicious.
伊济科夫斯基称侧卧、两腿伸直、双臂自然下垂的睡姿为圆木式。这种睡姿的人爱交际，容易相处。但是如果双臂伸出，呈渴望状，这样的人往往比较多疑。

The freefall, flat on the tummy with the hands at the sides of the head, is the most unusual position. Only 6.5 percent of people prefer it and they are usually brash and gregarious.
自由式，即俯卧，双手放在头的两侧，这是最特别的睡姿。只有6.5%的人喜欢这样睡，他们通常性情急躁，爱社交。

Unassuming, good listeners usually adopt the starfish position--on the back with outstretched arms and legs.
谦逊忠实的听众通常选择仰卧且四肢伸展的海星式睡姿。

Idzikowski, who identified the positions by comparing personality traits of people, their preferred way of sleeping and the most common positions, said once a sleeping style is adopted it is rarely changed.
伊济科夫斯基通过比较人物性格特征、他们喜欢的睡眠姿势和最常见的睡姿归纳出以上这些睡姿，他说人们一旦采取了某种睡姿就很少会改变。

Do you ever feel sick of your life? Then why not sell it?

你曾经厌倦过自己的生活吗？那么何不出售人生？

This is exactly what one man is attempting to do following the breakdown of his marriage.

Ian Usher, a 44-year-old British man living in Australia, is using the online auction site eBay to sell not only his belongings, but his entire life.

有个男人在婚姻破裂后，就正在尝试做这样的事情。这个叫伊恩·亚瑟，家住澳大利亚的44岁英国男人，不仅正在拍卖网站易趣上出售他的个人用品，还在出售他的人生。

Up for grabs are his house and everything that's in it: his car, his jetski, his parachuting gear, even his pots and pans.

可供选购的拍品包括他的房子以及涵盖其中的全部物品，比如他的车、喷气滑水艇、跳伞装备，甚至包括水壶和锅。

The lovelorn Mr Usher said he no longer wanted to be reminded of the life he shared with his ex-wife, and hopes the sale will raise funds for a life-changing adventure.

失恋的亚瑟说，他不想再回忆和前妻共渡的时光，他希望这次的出售可以为他想要改变生活的冒险尝试集资。

He said that once the sale has gone through, he plans to "walk out of his front door with his wallet in one pocket and his passport in the other," and see where the next plane takes him.

他说一旦商品售出，他便计划“一个口袋揣钱包，另一个口袋揣护照，从前门走出”，然后看看下一次航班会载他去往何地。

Bidding opened on Sunday, and by Monday morning had already reached the staggering figure of 13m yuan (2 million Australian dollars).

商品周日开始出价，截至周一早上，拍卖价已经达到一千三百万元（合200万澳元）的高额数字。

Unfortunately for Mr Usher most of the high bids turned out to be fake, as he had not activated a registration system that would have only let genuine bids through.

不幸的是，亚瑟出售的大多数高价商品出人意料的是伪造的，因为这些商品不能通过一个只接受真品通过的登记系统。

After removing the bogus bids the value of his "life" stood at 2m yuan, though he hopes the final figure will be over 3m yuan.

剔除了这些假冒商品，亚瑟的“人生”价值200万元，即便他期待最后的售出价格能够超过300万元。

Whatever the final price he receives, he is by no means the first person to try to sell something unusual online. A fighter jet, a piece of Britney Spears' chewing gum, and even some toenail clippings have all been sold on eBay.

无论最后的售出价格是多少，亚瑟都不是第一个想在网上出售与众不同东西的人。战斗机、一块布兰妮·斯皮尔斯嚼过的口香糖，甚至脚趾甲屑都曾经在易趣上出售。