The english we speak(BBC教學)第38期:on the up穩步上升
Jennifer: Jean, look at the time! It's 5 o'clock. Time to go home. Are you coming out for a drink after work?
珍妮佛:瓊,看看時間!已經5點了。該回家了。你下班以後要出來喝一杯嗎?Jean: Sure, shall we go to the bar on the ground floor?
瓊:好的,我們要去地下的那個酒吧嗎?Jennifer: Great idea, I love it there. It's very handy working six floors above one of the best bars in London!
珍妮佛:好主意,我很喜歡這裏。在倫敦最好的酒吧之一的上面工作很方便!
Jean: I know. Let's go. Shall we take the stairs? I know six floors is a long way down, but the lift is always broken.
瓊:我知道。我們走。我們應該走樓梯嗎?我知道六層是很長的一段路,但是電梯經常是壞的。Jennifer: I think it's been fixed now... let's see...
珍妮佛:我覺得現在應該已經修好了...我們看看...Jean: It has been fixed. Great!
瓊:它已經修好了。太棒了!Jennifer: Things are on the up in this place!
珍妮佛:這個地方一切都在穩步上升!Jean: Up? That's not right, we need to go down. The bar is on the ground floor, we are on the sixth, so we definitely shouldn't be going up...
瓊:上升?這不對,我們需要向下走。酒吧在地下,我們在六層,所以我們一定不能向上走。Jennifer: No, that's not what I mean. In English, the phrase 'on the up' is used to describe something that is improving, or getting better. Things are 'on the up' here – they are getting better because the lift has been fixed.
珍妮佛:不,這不是我的意思。在英語中,詞組“穩步上升”用來形容事情在進步,或變好。這裏事情在穩步上升--它們在變好是因為電梯修好了。Jean: I see!
瓊:我懂了!Jennifer: Let's hear some more examples of this phrase.
珍妮佛:讓我們來聽幾個關於這個短語的例子吧。My sister has just got a new job. The company has given her a house and a car as part of the deal – things are on the up for her!
我姐姐剛得到了一個新工作。公司給了她一套房子和一輛車作為交易--她的生活正在穩步上升!The economy is on the up now that the new government is in power. They've already helped to create thousands of new jobs!
新政府掌權後經濟穩步上升。他們協助創造了上千的新工作!Jean: On the up. Great phrase!
瓊:穩步上升。好詞組!Jennifer: Well, here we are, I'll get the drinks in. What would you like?
珍妮佛:好的,我們到了,我去拿喝的。你想要什麼?Jean: I think I'll go for a cocktail, please, a Cosmopolitan maybe?
瓊:我想要一個雞尾酒,或許一個大都市雞尾酒?Jennifer: No problem, I'll get one too. Two Cosmopolitans, please.
珍妮佛:沒問題,我也要一個。請來兩個大都市雞尾酒。Barman: It's your lucky day! All cocktails are half price today!
酒保:今天是你們的幸運日!所有的雞尾酒今天都是半價!Jean: Brilliant, things are on the up because the price has gone down!
瓊:太棒了,一切穩步上升因為標價下降了!Jennifer: Very good!
珍妮佛:太棒了!Jean: Cheers!
瓊:乾杯!