4. It Doesn’t Make Sense 没道理

BACKGROUND 背景

An old friend goes to visit her college roommate in her new house.
一个老朋友去她的大学同宿舍好友的新居拜访。


A: Linda, it’s so great to see you again!
琳达，再次见到你真是太高兴了！

B: Well, thanks for inviting me to lunch. I never seem to leave my house these days!
谢谢你邀我吃午饭。我这些天几乎没有出过门！

A: Come in, please. Make yourself at home.
请进。随便点，别客气。

B: Thanks. You have a beautiful place.
谢谢，你这地方真漂亮。

A: I’m glad you like it. The furniture’s in pretty bad condition, though. We should get rid of it. It really looks bad in this new house.
很高兴你喜欢，尽管家具很糟糕。我们应该丢掉它，新房子里放旧家具实在有些难看。

B: Don’t do that. It’s very comfortable. You have children, don’t you?
别丢。家具挺舒适的。你有孩子吧？

A: Yes, we do. Two boys and a girl. Not to mention two dogs and a cat. So we have to make this furniture do. As long as the children are small, anyway. It doesn’t make sense to replace it.
是啊。两个男孩和一个女孩。而且还有两只狗和一只猫。就是因为孩子们太小了，所以我们不得不留着这些家具。丢掉了没有多大意义。

B: I know what you mean. Our children are hard on furniture, too. They are always jumping up and down on the sofa or spilling food on my chairs.
我懂你的意思。我家孩子也是不爱惜家具。他们总是在沙发上蹦来蹦去，要不就把饭撒在椅子上。

A: They sound just like my children.
他们跟我的孩子们差不了多少。

B: Maybe we should get them all together to play with each other some afternoon.
也许我们该找一个下午让他们聚在一起玩一玩。

A: That’s a great idea!
这个主意可真好！

额外成就感

make oneself at home: be comfortable, as if in one’s own home
使自己感到在家里一样，无拘无束☆☆
* When people come to our house, we like them to make themselves at home.
家里来客人的时候，我们就让他们感到像在自己家一样。
* Please make yourself at home. If there is anything I can get for you just let me know.
请随便，如果有需要我帮忙的，尽管说。
* My mother-in-law makes herself at home when she comes to visit us.
我岳母来看我们的时候就像在她自己家一样。

get rid of something: destroy; throw away; sell 摆脱；扔掉☆☆☆
* When I told her I didn’t like her new skirt, she got rid of it.
我告诉她我不喜欢她的新裙子，她就把它扔了。
* Get rid of all these empty bottles and cans. This place is a mess.
把这些瓶瓶罐罐的都拿走，这里一团糟。
* If your secretary is that much trouble why don’t you just get rid of her?
既然你的秘书那么烦人，为什么不把她炒掉？

not to mention: omitting to say anything about something
更不必说；除……外☆☆☆
* I’ve got too much work to do, I have to prepare a speech for tomorrow, and study for an exam, not to mention the daily book report.
我有很多作业要做，准备明天的发言，复习考试内容，更不用说每天的读书报告了。
* I’m not lending you any more money. You still owe me fifty dollars from last week, not to mention the twenty you borrowed the week before that.
我不会再借给你钱了。你上星期借的50元还没还，更甭说上上星期的那20元了。
* She’s got an MBA from Harvard, not to mention a law degree from Yale.
她除了完成哈佛的MBA外，还拿到了耶鲁的法律学位。

as long as: if, provided that, on condition that只要；如果☆☆
* As long as you’re going to the library anyway, return this book for me, please.
反正你也要去图书馆，就请帮我把这本书还了吧。
* As long as you’re here, you might as well stay for dinner.
你既然来了，倒不如留下来吃晚饭吧。
* There will be no gossip in this office as long as I am in charge.
只要让我管这个办公室，就不会再有任何谣言。

be hard on something: treat roughly 粗暴对待；苛刻☆☆☆☆☆
* My little brother is hard on shoes. Look at this pair, they were new a month ago.
我弟弟穿鞋很费。看这双，一个月前刚买的。
* This bad weather has been hard on my car.
这种糟糕的天气在毁我的车子。
* Her father has always been hard on her.
她爸爸总是对她很苛刻。