美国习惯用语|has had its day

我先要考考大家。你们都知道，一美元等于一百美分。谁能说出一美分one cent的另外一个名字？(Tickers, and Buzzer Sound) 时间到！如果你说的是penny, 那就对了。Penny以前还挺值钱的，可如今，早就没人想要了，很多美国人甚至主张让美分退休。这倒提醒了我。今天我们学习的习惯用语就是：has had its day.

如果说什么东西has had its day, 意思就是这种东西已经没什么用，不再受欢迎，不象以前那么成功了。换句话说，就是过时了。什么是你最喜欢的交通工具？让我们听听下面这个记者的报导。

例句-1：Until very recently, travelers in the U.S. have chosen to get on an airplane for quick and affordable transportation. So has the train had its day? Maybe not. Because of increased security at airports and higher airfares, many passengers have shown a renewed interest in rail service. It may become popular once again.

这个记者说：直到最近一段时间，很多美国人出门旅游，还喜欢坐飞机，因为飞机速度快，价钱又不贵。那是不是说火车已经过时了？这可不一定。由于机场加强安检，机票又不断涨价，很多游客又开始转向火车了。没准火车会重新受到欢迎呢！

没错，我就喜欢坐火车。虽然火车不如飞机快，但是坐火车很舒服，而且现在飞机的燃料价格不断上升，都转嫁到了乘客的身上，机票越来越贵。

还有什么东西是has had its day，过时的呢？比如说，电报，肯定大家都同意。 Telegram has had its day . 再比如说，报纸。估计有一部分人同意。那Internet因特网呢？因特网如日中天，正火呢，肯定不能说it has had its day. 还有啊，现在大家都上网购物，Shopping mall，购物中心是不是过时了呢？那恐怕也不尽然。

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Has had its day这个习惯用语也可以用在人身上，比如说早已没人提起的老电影明星，我们就可以说，She has had her day. 下面让我们听听一名消防队员是怎么说他的老队长的。

例句-2：I have the greatest respect for the fire chief. Over the last thirty years, he's been a courageous leader. But, frankly, he has had its day. Firefighting has changed and it's time we appoint a successor who can take on new challenges.

这个消防队员说：我对我们队长有着无限的敬意。过去三十年来，他一直是我们的领导，勇气过人。但是坦率地讲，他那一套已就过时了。消防工作日新月异，他需要一个能够接受新挑战的接班人。

既然有过辉煌的事业，那么急流勇退也没有什么不好。我昨天晚上看电视，是两个喜剧表演的老搭档。我从小就是看他们的节目长大的，可是40年过去的，同样的笑话他们今天还在讲。I really believe they have had their day.

大家可能会问，这种说法是从哪里来的？ Has had its day，这个习惯用语最早可以追溯到16世纪。Every dog has its day. 意思是所有人都会有得意的日子，也就是我们常说的风水轮流转。