生活中常常说到的英语谚语.doc

生活中常常说到的英语谚语
(1)You can not teach an old dog new tricks
你不能教老狗学新的把戏。也就是说:年老守旧的人,不易改变旧的作风,或接受新的事物和新思想。(Some people find it impossible to change their ways; or older people can not accept the changes or new ideas.) 虽然这句成语可以独立使用,但只要能维持原文的完整性,也可「动些手脚」。例如:
Stop trying to teach an old dog new tricks; you are just wasting time.(别想教老狗新花样,你只是白花时间。)
Are you trying to teach an old dog new tricks?
He is impossible. Don‘t try to teach an old dog new tricks.(impossible 是指顽固成性、墨守成规的人。)
I have tried teaching an old dog new tricks, but it doesn‘t work.(注:教狗不直接用 teach,要用 try to teach。)
(2) All that glitters is not gold.
所有能闪闪发光的东西,未必都是黄金。换言之,就是许多外表漂亮的物品,未必都是真正的宝贝。因为也许是金玉其外,败絮其中,或是中看不中用。(not every beautiful thing is valuable. 也有人说成:All is not gold that glitters. (glitter 是动词,意思是闪闪发光或光彩夺目。) 也可用在句子里:
I told my students that all that glitters is not gold.
还有一句相似的成语:
Don‘t judge a book by its cover. (意思是:不能以书皮的美丑,去判断书的内容好坏。)
(3) Pepole (或 Those) who live in glass houses should not throw stones (或 rocks) ──照字面的意思是:住在玻璃屋里的人不可丢石头。也就是说,世间没有十全十美的人,每个人都有缺点,所以不要批评别人。即所谓「自身有短,勿批他人」。(Nobody is perfect, so we should not criticize others.) 类似的,还有:
Don‘t judge a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes. (除非你充分了解人家的立场,不可轻易作出评估。)
(judge = criticize; have walked a mile in his shoes = have understood his situation well enough)
另一句是:
Judge not lest ye be judged. (来自圣经)(意思是:不要批评别人,