VOA流行美语|all ears和back seat driver

今天Larry开车带李华去购物中心。 李华会学到两个常用语：all ears和back seat driver。

LL: (Singing "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars) "Oh, her eyes, her eyes. Make the stars look like they're not shining. Oh her..."

LH: LARRY! 音乐关小声一点！！

(Larry turns the music down)

LL: What was that?

LH: 你音乐不要开那么大声啦，我有件事想问你。

LL: Oh? What is it? I'm all ears.

LH: I'm all ears...你在说什么啊？

LL: I'm all ears means I'm listening attentively. I have all my attention on you now.

LH: 是吗？ 你终于肯听我说啦。不过all ears是专注地听别人说话的意思。 那我让大家注意听我讲话，就可以说please be all ears. 对吗？

LL: Well, to be all ears is rarely used as a request. You can either say, I am all ears, to indicate you are paying attention, or he or she is all ears to say that another person is paying a lot of attention.

LH: 所以all ears通常是用来形容一个人在仔细听。 比较少当做要求是吗？

LL: Yes, that's right. So what was it that you wanted to say?

LH: 啊！对喔， 差点都忘了。就是啊....今天做实验的时候， 跟我同组一个女生， 一直指挥我们做这个做那个的， 真讨人厌。

LL: Ohh. You have a back seat driver in your group?

LH: Back seat driver...后座上的司机，那是什么呢？

LL: A back seat driver is a person who gives unwanted advice; someone who tries to run things even though they don't have the power or authority to do so.

LH: 对对对！ 她就是这种人！ 也没有让她做组长，她就对我们指手划脚的，哎怎么办呢？

LL: Well, you should let her know that you don't like it when she orders you around.

LH: 我应该清楚地告诉她，不喜欢被她指使来指使去的，对，说的也是。 不是应该在这里左转吗？！ Larry!

LL: Whoa! You scared me!! I know where I'm going, Li Hua. You're becoming a back seat driver yourself.

LH: 喔？ 原来back seat driver是这样来的啊？ 坐在汽车后座的人常常喜欢指挥驾驶开车， 所以 back seat driver, “后座驾驶”，这个词就被用来形容喜欢指挥别人的人了，真有趣。How do you like me as a back seat driver, Larry?

LL: I do not like it Li Hua. And don't do it again. You scared me.

LH: 啊...不好意思。不过Larry, 你也满厉害的，一边开车还能一边听我说话，you have all ears.

LL: Li Hua, you cannot say someone "has all ears". You have to say someone "is all ears". So instead of saying "Larry, you have all ears." you should say, "Larry, you are all ears."

LH: 喔？ 不能说专心在听的人has all ears, 而要说那个人 is all ears吗？

LL: Yup. Try giving me an example using "all ears!"

LH: 好啊。When my mom said she wanted to talk to me about something important, I was all ears. 这样用对吗？

LL: Yes, that's correct. Can you give me an example of back seat driver now?

LH: 等等。我想先确认一下。 Back seat driver可以这样用吗： My boss is a back seat driver, he always orders us around.

LL: Not really. A back seat driver describes someone who tries to run things even though they don't have the power or authority to do so, or someone whose advice is not wanted. However, your boss would be someone who is authorized to give orders and probably gives out good advice too.

LH: 喔。这么说，back seat driver是形容爱指挥别人但又没有权力的人，所以用在老板身上不适合。

LL: That's right. Hey, you've been all ears!

LH: 哈哈对呀。 啊！我们到购物中心了！

LL: Yup. Let's go shopping! We can practice these phrases another time.

今天李华从Larry那儿学到两个常用语。一个是all ears, 表示“洗耳恭听”。另一个是back seat driver, 也就是“喜欢指挥别人的人”。