have/keep your ear to the ground

我们都知道耳朵是用来听声音的，那如果我们把耳朵放到地上，能听到什么呢?

一位作家推测，这里把耳朵放在地上的表达是来自于美国拓荒时期，西部牛仔和印第安人共存的地方，人们把耳朵贴在地上，以便感知远距离外人类或动物的声音。所以，have/keep your ear to the ground也就表示人们在时刻注意周围的情况，一直在关注某个事情的状态。

to pay attention to everything that is happening around you and to what people are saying

耳听八方;注意周围情况;保持关注

A: "I'm not sure what's going to happen with this meeting, so I'm keeping an ear to the ground."

我不确定这次会议会发生什么，所以我一直在留意事态的发展。

B: "Please let me know if you hear anything."

如果你有什么消息，请告诉我。

If Lisa had kept her ear to the ground, she wouldn’t have missed the opportunity for a promotion.

如果丽莎事先多留心的话，她就不会错过晋升的机会。