A: Sorry. I had something urgent to deal with just when I was to leave. 对不起，我正要来的时候又有急事要处理。
B: You should have told me earlier. 你应该早点告诉我。
A: It was too late to inform you. 通知你已经来不及了。
33.be catty 爱搬弄是非的；爱诽谤人的
英语中，cat给人的联想总是不太愉快，如cattish的意思是“狡猾的、恶意的、偷偷摸摸的”。cat在英语中可用来指“恶意伤人的女人，包藏祸心的女人”，因此catty就有了诽谤的含义。
A: I thought you would cooperate. 我原以为你会跟我合作呢。
B: Well, I’m too busy to be catty and poke my nose into things that do not matter much to me. 我可不愿意搬弄是非去管那些跟我没关系的闲事。
A: How do you know that he won’t do something against yourself? 你怎么知道他不会做出什么对你不利的事呢？
B: You do seem to have a glib tongue. 你真能胡搅蛮缠。
34.be down in the dumps 垂头丧气，神情沮丧
the dumps在非正规的口语表达方式中的意思是“忧郁”或“沮丧”。be down in the dumps常指“闷闷不乐”或“打不起精神”，也可引申为“垂头丧气，精神沮丧”。
A: You’re down in the dumps. What’s happened? 你看上去沮丧不堪。出什么事了？
B: I had a quarrel with our boss’s secretary. She’s been on her high horse these days. 我和老板的秘书吵了一架。这几天她总是盛气凌人。
A: Maybe she was only taking it out on you. Secretaries have a lot of pressure, too. 也许她仅仅是向你发泄。秘书的压力也很大。
B: But she jumped down my throat for no reason at all. I could not put up with her. 但她无理由地斥责我，我无法容忍。
35.be in a jam 陷入困境
jam指“拥挤，阻塞”。该习语的字母意思为“在拥挤之中”，引申为“陷入困难的处境”。例如：She is in a bit of jam about money. （她的手头有点拮据。）
A: Mike told me that his business was in a jam and he was in urgent need of money. He wanted to borrow some money from me. 迈克告诉我他的生意陷入困境，急需用钱。他想向我借钱。
B: Don’t lend money to him. He’s always lying. 别借钱给他。他总是说慌。
A: But I think he is really in difficulty this time. 但这一次我看他是真的遇上困难了。
36.be in full swing 正在全力进行，处于活跃阶段
in full swing的意思是“活跃”。该习语的意思即引申为“处于（工作的）全面展开、进行阶段”。例如：The building project is in full swing.（这个建筑工程正处在全力进行之中。）
A: I hear your company in expanding its business. 我听说你们公司正在扩展生意。
B: Yeah. We’re setting up a new factory now and the work on it is in full swing. The project will be completed in three months. 是的，我们正在新建一个工厂。工程正处于全面施工阶段，三个月内就可以完工了。
37.be in high gear 全力进行
gear指“齿轮，传动装置”，high gear的意思是汽车的“高速档”。该习语字面意思为“机器正处在高速档（快速运转）”，实际指“事物正处在全力进行当中”。
A: By the way, how is your business going? Is it proceeding smoothly? 哎，你的生意最近如何？进展还顺利吗？
B: Yes, it’s in high gear. 一切都在全力进行。
38.be itching for a chance to do 很想找个机会试一试
形容词itching的意思是“渴望的”，be itching to do意为“渴望做某事”；for a chance指“找机会”，因此整个习语的意思即为“渴望得到机会试做某事”。
A: I am itching for a chance to cooperate with Mike. I hear he’s a very competent person. 我很想找机会和迈克合作一次。听说他特别能干。
B: Everyone who has worked with him will have a deep impression on that point. 是的。每个和他一起工作的人都对此深有体会。
39.be of one mind 意见一致，看法相同
mind可指“头脑，心神”。该习语直译为“一个脑子想出的问题”，由此可以引申为“意见统一、看法相同”的意思。
A: What do the board think about this plan? 董事会对这项计划怎么看？
B: They are of one mind in passing it. 他们一致通过。
A: Good news. 太好啦。
40.be of two minds 拿不定主意
be of two minds和be in two minds的意思基本相同，均表示“左右摇摆”或“拿不定主意，下不了决心”。例如：Don’t depend on him to decide. He always seems to be of two minds on important matters.（别指望他能做出决定。在重要事情上他好像总拿不定主意。） |
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