【美国习语】275 取得优先地位，把对方打得一败涂地，无形障碍，火冒百丈

英语自学网

【节目介绍】:本节目每天早上9点更新，介绍美国的习惯用语，让大家有更开阔的语言视角。适合各个阶层的人学习，难度中等。大家只要听写出音频中的例句就可以了，本期一共四段例句。听写不需要打引号，句子间也不用编序号。音频中听到的所有习语，提交后都均可在译文部分找到。
hints:
New York Giants
Washington Redskins
注：本期只读一遍。He got in on the ground floor when he bought a lot of stock in a new computer company. People thought he was crazy but the company was a big success and now the stock is worth many times more.
This afternoon the New York Giants mopped the floor with the Washington Redskins. The score was 41-7, the biggest loss the Redskins had suffered in many years.
I think these six women can certainly prove their firm has a glass ceiling, the firm has 19 senior partners and all of them are men. It's hard to believe that they've never had even one woman lawyer qualified for a top spot there.
When I got home and saw what my dog had done , I really hit the ceiling. The dog got up on my desk and chewed up the papers there, including a long report I was writing for my boss.今天要讲的习惯用语由floor或者ceiling组成。Floor是"地板"，而ceiling解释为"天花板"。好，让我们由下而上来学吧。一栋房子的底层常常叫作the ground floor。在生意场上你很可能会听到这样的说法：get in on the ground floor。Get in on the ground floor并不简单地解释为"从底层进来"。让我们听一个例子来琢磨它的意思。
例句-1: He got in on the ground floor when he bought a lot of stock in a new computer company. People thought he was crazy but the company was a big success and now the stock is worth many times more.
这段话说的是：他不失时机地及早买下一家新电脑公司的大量股票，当时人们认为他简直疯了，但是这家公司随即取得很大的成功。如今他买进的股票价值是原来的好多倍。
听了这段话我们能体会到get in on the ground floor在这句话中的含义是早期入股，取得优先地位。
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我们今天学的第二个带有floor这个词的习惯用语是：mop the floor with。听这个习惯用语你脑子里大约会出现这样的景象：用拖把擦去地板上的污迹。实际上mop the floor with描绘的却是对手间的胜负高低。在运动场上常常会用到它。
现在让我们来听之声广播员对一场美式足球赛结局的评论。这是纽约市和华盛顿市之间的美式足球赛。纽约足球队号称Giants。就是巨人队，而华盛顿队叫Redskins，就是红人队。好，我们来听这段体育新闻吧：
例句2: This afternoon the New York Giants mopped the floor with the Washington Redskins. The score was 41-7, the biggest loss the Redskins had suffered in many years.
这段话说：今天下午纽约巨人队把华盛顿红人队打得一败涂地。比分是41比7。这是红人队多年未有的一次惨败。
可见mop the floor with含义就是把对方打得一败涂地。
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接下来我们要转移方向，学和天花板ceiling有关的习惯用语。Glass ceiling，玻璃天花板，必然是粗看似乎没有，而实际上却挡在上方的一层障碍。好，我们来听一个例子，有个人在评论六名女律师控告她们所属的律师事务所的事情。
例句3: I think these six women can certainly prove their firm has a glass ceiling, the firm has 19 senior partners and all of them are men. It's hard to believe that they've never had even one woman lawyer qualified for a top spot there.
他说：我 认为这六名妇女一定能证实她们事务所，存在人为的升迁障碍。这个事务所有十九名高级主管，全是男性。令人难以置信的是那里的妇女谁也够不上高升的资格。
从这段话能体会到glass ceiling形像地表达了阻碍某些人升迁的无形障碍。
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我们还要学一个带有ceiling这个词的习惯用语：hit the ceiling。想象一下，如果一个人跳得百丈高，甚至碰到了天花板，那他一定是恼怒极了。好，我们来听个例子。
例句4: When I got home and saw what my dog had done , I really hit the ceiling. The dog got up on my desk and chewed up the papers there, including a long report I was writing for my boss.
他说：我回家一看到我的狗都干了些什么，简直气得发疯。它在我的书桌上把纸张都嚼烂了，其中包括我正写给上级的那份长篇报告。
你一定能想象说话人当时火冒百丈，hit the ceiling就是这个意思。