Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
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Today I will tell about expressions using numbers. Let us start with the number one. Numbers can be tricky. On the one hand, they are simply numbers. On the other hand, they have meanings. I for one use these expressions a lot.
Many people consider themselves number one, the most important person. They are always looking out for number one and taking care of number one. It is as if they are the one and only person on Earth. Some people however, are not so self-centered. My brother is such a person. It is true – no joke. I am not trying to pull a fast one on you.
First, you have to understand that my brother is one in a million. He is such a nice person. All his friends like him. They consider him one of the boys. Recently, my brother had a bad day at the office. It was just one of those days. Nothing went right. So he stopped at a local bar -- a drinking place -- after leaving work. My brother planned to have a glass of beer with his friends -- a quick one – before he went home. But a quick one turned into one or two, and soon those became one too many.
As my brother was leaving, he ordered a last drink -- one for the road. His friends became concerned. One by one, they asked him if he was able to drive home safely.
Now my brother is a wise and calm person. He is at one with himself. He recognizes when he has had too much alcohol to drink. So he accepted an offer for a ride home from a female friend. At one time in the past, my brother had been in love with this woman. She is a great person -- kind, thoughtful and intelligent -- all good qualities rolled up into one. But sadly their relationship did not work. He always used to say "One of these days, I am going to marry this girl." But that never happened. For one thing, she did not love him as much as he loved her. It was just one of those things. The situation was regrettable and my brother had to accept it. But even now, he considers her the one that got away.
However, they are still friends. And because my brother had been kind to her, she felt that one good turn deserves another. He was good to her and she wanted to help him in return. So she drove him home.
If my brother had driven home from the bar that night, his number would have been up. Something bad would have happened. Thankfully he made it home safely. And, he and the woman are back to square one. They are back to where they started – being friends.
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This VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, was written by Jill Moss. I'm Faith Lapidus.作者: beiju 时间: 2009-12-5 15:56
今天我们来讲述一下包含数字的表达方式。我们从数字“一”开始。数字是非常巧妙的。一方面(On the one hand)，它们仅仅是数字。另一方面，他们也有本身的意义。举个例子说(for one),这些短语经常使用到。
许多人认为他们自己是最好的(number one),最重要的人物。他们经常谋求自身的利益(looking out for number),为自己的利益打算(taking care of number one).似乎他们是地球上唯一的人(one and only)。然而，有些人就不是这么自我中心。我的弟弟就是这样的人。这是真的——不是开玩笑。我不会试图欺骗(pull a fast one)你。
首先，你必须明白，我的弟弟是百万中挑一的人(one in a million)。他是非常好的人。他所有的朋友都喜欢他。他们认为他是真正的玩友(one of the boys)。 最近，我弟弟在工作上不是很愉快，那是一段倒霉的日子(one of those days),事事不顺。所以下班之后就在一个当地酒吧——喝酒的地方逗留。我弟弟打算跟朋友喝完一杯啤酒就走——就干一杯(quick one)。但是干一杯(quick one)变成了一两杯(one or two)，一会儿就喝多了(one too many)。
当我弟弟准备离开的时候，他要了最后一杯(one for the road)。他的朋友有些担心了，一个个(One by one)都问他能否安全开车回家。
