an arm and a leg

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an arm and a leg（俚语）一大笔钱，昂贵的代价，经常与charge/cost/spend/pay等动词连用，表示收费贵/花费很多钱。

1. He’s a very good plastic surgeon. Plus, he’s fresh out of medical school, so he won’t charge you an arm and a leg like others usually do.
他是个非常出色的整形医生。而且他刚从医学院毕业，不会像其他老资格的同行那样收过高的费用。

2. You must have spent an arm and a leg!
你肯定是付出了昂贵的代价！

3. I’m sick of paying rent in this town because it costs an arm and a leg!
我讨厌在这个镇上付房租，因为太贵了!

4. These resort hotels charge an arm and a leg for a decent meal.
这些度假酒店吃顿像样的饭都要花很多钱。

5. This ring cost me an arm and a leg. I’m gonna pop the question to Mary. Wish me luck!
这个戒指花费了我很多钱。我要向玛丽求婚！ 祝我好运！

6. Fixing the car is going to cost an arm and a leg. Why don’t you buy a used car?
修车是要很多钱的。你为什么不买一辆二手车呢？

7. Hey, your new car is really worth an arm and a leg！
嘿，你的新车真的很值钱呐！

Climate change impacts nomadic life in Kenya

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Kenya’s Masai are nomads. They move through the countryside with their cattle herds. But climate change is changing that.

The first thing they do in the morning is to dance. It’s an old tradition among the Masai. But their work is changing, these former cattle herders have now become farmers cultivating fields. Climate change is to blame and how it affects the weather.

In the recent past we experienced unpredictable rain patterns. We used to depend on nomadic pastoralism, but we went to a village once where we were chased away because there wasn’t enough grazing land. When we came back to our village we decided to have our Chief consult farming experts to help us start crop farming. We now farm maize and sorghum.

In the past they spent their days herding animals. They were nomads used to wandering, the nomadic lifestyle defined their life and culture. Now they have to tend to the grain fields. The harvest is coming. For the Masai it’s an enormous change. The weather even makes their new life as farmers a challenge.

With climate change, I think this could be the beginning of the end of African pastoralism as we have known it over the years. Because we could no longer rely on the traditional rainfall systems, we can, we can no longer rely on the traditional weather forecasts, and the more erratic the rainfall is, the more fragile the system becomes. The more production that is getting less both either livestock or land.

Maiyani Melonye is also Masai, but he still holds onto his herd and covers long distances to find enough food for them. He feels like one of the last of his kind.

The weather has become unpredictable. Our children will never be like us the way we were brought up to locate grazing lands. They will only know the language but never understand the Masai traditions.

Whether as farmers or herders, it will become increasingly difficult for the Masai to earn a living in the future. They depend on the climate and that is changing fast.

Is It Really Necessary to Get 8 Consecutive Hours of Sleep? 真的有必要连续睡8个小时吗？

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  1. Is it necessary to… 有必要…吗？
  2. consecutive [kənˈsekjətɪv] adj.连续不断的

You know you should be getting 7-9 hours of sleep every day — but who says it has to happen during one marathon snoozing session? 你知道你应该每天睡7到9个小时，但谁说这必须发生在一次马拉松式的睡眠过程中？

  1. You know… 你知道; 你知道的; 你知道吗
  2. marathon 英 [ˈmærəθən] 美 [ˈmærəθɑːn] n.马拉松赛跑(距离约42公里，合26英里);马拉松式的活动(或工作) adj.需要极大持久力的
  3. snooze [snuːz] n.小睡 v.(尤指在白天)小睡，打盹
  4. session [ˈseʃn] n.一场,一节,一段时间;(法庭的)开庭，开庭期;(议会等的)会议，会期;学年

David K. Randall, author of Dreamland: Adventures in the Strange Science of Sleep, points to a growing body of evidence suggesting that getting enough “deep” sleep during the course of the day — rather than in one eight-hour chunk — might be just as beneficial from a performance point of view. For example, taking a “power nap” at work (if it’s OK with your boss!) might be just as restorative as sleeping peacefully all night long. 大卫·K·兰德尔，《梦境：睡眠的奇异科学历险记》一书的作者指出，越来越多的证据表明，在一天中获得足够的“深度”睡眠——而不是一个八小时的睡眠——从工作表现的角度来看可能同样有益。例如，在工作中打个“强力盹”（如果你老板同意的话！）可能和整夜安睡一样有恢复力。

  1. dreamland [ˈdriːmlænd] n.梦境;幻想世界;理想世界
  2. adventure 英 [ədˈventʃə(r)] 美 [ədˈventʃər] n.冒险,冒险经历,奇遇；冒险的刺激，大胆开拓
  3. point to 指出，提出，指向
  4. body of evidence 大量证据 （a growing…正在增长的）
  5. in/during the course of 在…过程中
  6. rather than 英 [ˈrɑːðə(r) ðæn] 美 [ˈræðər ðæn] 而不是；(prefer to…rather than…宁可 … 也不愿…；与其 … 倒不如…)
  7. chunk [tʃʌŋk] 大块，厚片，厚（肉）块，矮而厚的木块，片
  8. just as 正如，就好像； 同样地
  9. performance 英 [pəˈfɔːməns] 美 [pərˈfɔːrməns] n. 表演;演出;艺术上的表现;演技;表现;性能;业绩;工作情况
  10. point of view 观点, 看法,见解；考虑角度，判断方法
  11. restorative [rɪˈstɔːrətɪv] adj.恢复健康/体力的;促使康复的;整容的;整形的（restorative dentistry/surgery 整形牙科 / 外科） n.有助恢复健康的事物;滋补品
  12. all night long 一整夜

Here’s something else to sleep on: In today’s 24-7 work environment, with phones and various other gadgets beeping at all hours, this advice might be more realistic for many of us. In fact, according to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 41 million people in the United States get six hours or fewer of sleep a night. 还有一点值得我们深思：在现在的24-7小时工作环境中，手机和其他各种各样的小玩意会一直响个不停，这个建议对我们中的许多人来说可能更现实。事实上，根据疾病控制和预防中心最近的一份报告，美国约有4100万人每晚睡眠时间不超过6小时。

  1. here is…有…
  2. sleep on 延期解决, 推延到第二天解决
  3. in…environment 在…环境下
  4. various 英 [ˈveəriəs] 美 [ˈveriəs] adj.各种不同的;各种各样的;具有多种特征的;多姿多彩的
  5. gadget [ˈɡædʒɪt] n.小器具;小装置,小玩意
  6. beep [biːp] v.发出哔哔声;发出嘟嘟声;(使汽车喇叭等)发出嘟嘟声 n.(汽车喇叭或电子设备发出的)嘟嘟声，哔哔声
  7. at all hours 始终不间断地,在任何时候

Do you ever break up your sleep into smaller chunks? Or do you need 7-9 consecutive hours to feel like a human being in the morning (as opposed to a cranky $#^$%)? 你把睡眠分成小块过吗？或者你需要连续睡7-9个小时，在早上才会感觉自己是个人（而不是一个暴躁的$#^$%）？

  1. Do you ever…你曾经…
  2. break up （使）分裂;（被）拆分;（使）破碎;（恋人）分手;（夫妻）结束关系;（婚姻关系）破裂;结束（婚姻关系）;散（会）;（使）解散;（学校或学生）放假;（因信号受到干扰）声音断断续续
  3. feel like 摸起来像是……；有……的感觉;想要……
  4. human being 人,人类
  5. as opposed to [əˈpəʊzd] 而不是,与 … 形成对照

Ivanka Trump on $2 trillion coronavirus relief: Our mandate is to ‘swing for the fences’

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伊万卡·特朗普谈2万亿美元新型冠状病毒救济：我们的任务是“ 奋力搏一把”

  1. trillion 万亿; 兆; 大量; 无数; 百万兆
  2. relief 救济，救援
  3. mandate 接到的干某个任务的命令，授权令
  4. swing for the fence（s）这是一个习惯用语，swing是挥舞球棒的意思，fence是球场围栏，将球击到界内围栏外就完成了全垒打。这个短语本意是努力挥舞球棒争取打出一个全垒打，引申意思为孤注一掷，全力去追求最好的效果，但是失败的风险会相当高（因为全垒打是很难打出来的）

The $2 trillion fiscal stimulus package recently signed into law by President Trump includes over $350 billion in loans to small businesses currently facing financially devastating losses due to the coronavirus pandemic. 特朗普总统最近签署了2万亿美元的财政经济刺激计划法案，其中包括向目前因冠状病毒流行病导致财务方面出现严重亏损的小企业提供超过3500亿美元的贷款。

  1. fiscal 财政的，国库的
  2. fiscal stimulus package 一揽子财政刺激计划
  3. sign into law 签署成为法律
  4. devastating 破坏性极大的;毁灭性的;令人震惊的;骇人的;给人印象深刻的;令人钦佩的;强有力的
  5. loss 亏损

Ivanka Trump, President Trump’s daughter and senior advisor, has played a key role in advocating for small businesses during this pandemic. She joined Yahoo Finance from her office at the White House via Skype for an exclusive interview to talk about how the administration is working to keep small businesses afloat. 特朗普总统的女儿、高级顾问伊万卡·特朗普在这场大流行病期间，在支持小企业方面发挥了关键作用。她通过Skype从白宫办公室加入雅虎金融（Yahoo Finance），接受专访，谈论政府如何努力维持小企业的运转。

  1. senior advisor 高级顾问
  2. play a key role in 在…起关键作用，在…发挥重要作用
  3. advocate 支持，拥护，提倡
  4. an exclusive interview 独家采访，专访
  5. administration （尤指美国）政府
  6. afloat 能维持下去的，漂浮在水面上的

“Small businesses employ close to 50% of the American workforce, and obviously are the most vulnerable from a cash flow situation,” she said. 她说：“小企业雇佣了近50%的美国劳动力，显然他们是最容易受到现金流状况的影响。”

  1. close to 接近，在近处，凑近
  2. workforce (国家或行业等的)劳动力，劳动大军，劳动人口；全体员工
  3. vulnerable 容易受到影响的
  4. cash flow 现金流动，资金流动
  5. situation 情况，状况，形势，局面

The $2 trillion fiscal stimulus sets aside over $350 billion in loans for small businesses. “We want to just bridge people until the world reopens,” she said.  2万亿美元的财政刺激计划为小企业预留了3500多亿美元的贷款。她说：“我们只想为人们架桥渡过艰难时期，直到世界恢复正常运转。”

  1. set aside 预留，留…用于…，（矛盾、意见、分歧等）搁置放一边
  2. reopen 恢复；再次开始；重新开业；重新开放(商店、剧场等)；重新处理

“The president had a mandate, which was to think big and swing for the fences,” Trump told Yahoo Finance. “And with these unprecedented times and with a forced closure of what was the healthiest economy ever, we thought big and this is $2.2 trillion of relief that’s going directly to workers, frontline responders and small businesses.” 特朗普对雅虎财经说：“总统有一项任务，那就是要把目光放长远，并奋力拼搏。”。“在这史无前例的时期，曾经最健康的经济体已经被迫关闭了，我们目光放得长远，将2.2万亿美元的救济直接发放给工人、一线救援人员和小企业。”

Before the coronavirus pandemic hit the U.S., the economy was on a strong footing. Wages were growing fast for low-income workers, and the unemployment rate was near record lows. “We want to get people through this horrible health crisis that was no fault of their own,” said Trump. 在冠状病毒大流行袭击美国之前，美国经济已经站稳了脚跟。低收入工作者的工资增长很快，失业率接近历史最低水平。特朗普说：“我们希望让人们度过这场并非自身过错的可怕健康危机。”。

  1. hit 打击，袭击，碰撞
  2. footing 站稳;立足点;基础;地位;人际关系
  3. wage (通常指按周领的)工资，工钱
  4. low-income 低收入，低收入的
  5. unemployment rate 失业率
  6. lows 低水平;低点;低数目;(一生或事业中的)艰难时期，低谷;低气压区（record lows历史最低点 常用形式： at/near/hit/touch/drop to record lows）
  7. get through 度过，熬过（困难或不快的时期）
  8. health crisis 健康危机
  9. is no fault of sb’s own/through no fault of sb’s own 不是某人自己的错（So, through no fault of my own, I was at a loose end quite a bit. 所以，不是我自己的错，我有点不知所措。）

The loans will work as grants as long as small businesses retain their workers as they deal with keeping up with their rent payments, utility and other bills. “Every state’s a little bit different in terms of what they’re deciding to do in terms of mandatory shutdown, but [we’re] making sure that they can keep their workforce employed, and don’t create vulnerabilities on the other end.”

Helping small businesses

While the federal government is stepping up its support for small businesses, individuals and the private sector also have a key role to play, Ivanka Trump says. She encourages people who have the means to think of creative ways of supporting local businesses: for example, pre-paying for services they know they’ll use in 6 to 12 months.

“I did it on a personal level with my local dry cleaner and my local florist, just to sort of assist in a small way during this time. So it’s really heartening to see…people, you know, buying local produce …to support farms…and then freezing it,” Trump said.

The Trump administration has been trying to get money into the hands of small businesses as quickly as possible. Trump said that as soon as April 3, business owners will be able to go to their banks and apply for the loans made available by the stimulus. (The Small Business Administration’s website includes a link to the application form for borrowers and information about the program for both lenders and borrowers.)

hot on the heels of

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hot on the heels of 紧跟…之后，紧接着（同义：come hot on sb’s heels 紧接某人而来）

Hot on the heels of passing an $8.5 billion coronavirus bill, the White House and congressional lawmakers have proposed yet more pork-laden coronavirus “rescue” packages with a running price tag of more than $1.3 trillion. 紧随着一项85亿美元的冠状病毒法案的通过，白宫和国会议员们已经提出了花费更多政府资金的冠状病毒“拯救”计划，目前的价格超过了1.3万亿美元。

  1. bill 法案
  2. congressional lawmakers 国会议员
  3. pork-laden这里不是装满猪肉的意思哦，pork这里指政府资金
  4. running 运行，运转，操作，管理
  5. price tag 价格标签

hot on the heels of用法例句：

  1. The visit follows hot on the heels of their season at the Edinburgh International Festival. 他们在爱丁堡国际艺术节上的表演季一结束，紧接着又要出访。
  2. TV camera teams arrived hot on the heels of the police. 几个电视摄像组紧跟在警方之后到了。
  3. But now, hot on the heels of acceptance, comes cheer. 但现在，在接受之后，接踵而至的是快乐的情绪
  4. Hot on the heels of Chinese art comes another must-have investment: domestic mutual funds. 继中国艺术品之后，中国国内共同基金成为又一种人人必备的投资。
  5. The injury came hot on the heels of some of Aurelio’s finest moments in a Liverpool shirt, most notably two assists against Arsenal last weekend. 伤病在奥雷里奥到利物浦之后表现最出色的时候袭击了他，上个周末他在对阿森纳的比赛中有两个助攻。
  6. Hot on the heels of that speculation comes new purported details about the new console, the existence of which has not been confirmed by Nintendo. 此传闻同时揭露了一些新主机的特性，但这消息的可靠度还没有被任天堂证实。
  7. Hot on the heels of the news, Dorsey took some time out to appear at Columbia University earlier this morning. 这条消息刚刚传出后不久，多西就抽空现身哥伦比亚大学。

historic VS historical

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historic和historical这两个词都是形容词，但是要注意两者的意思是有区别的：

  • historical表示与历史相关的，比如historical figure 历史人物，historical books 历史书籍等；
  • historic特别表示有历史重大意义的，更多强调重要性。

historic 英[hɪˈstɒrɪk] 美[hɪˈstɔːrɪk] important or likely to be important in history 历史上著名(或重要)的; 可名垂青史的; 有历史意义的。

  1. historic buildings 历史建筑
  2. a historic day/moment 历史性的一天/一刻
  3. In a historic vote, the Church of England decided to allow women to become priests. 在一次历史性的投票中，英国教会决定允许妇女成为牧师。
  4. It is also the case that historic preservation virtually never operates this way either. 历史保护实际上也从来没有这样做过。
  5. This battle is of historic meaning. 这一战具有历史意义。
  6. China’s takeover of Hong Kong was a historic event. 中国收回香港是一件具有历史意义的大事。
  7. The small symbols on this map denote historic places and museums. 这个地图上的小记号表示史迹兴博物馆。
  8. The historic strike gave an enormous impetus to the whole American labor movement. 这次历史性的罢工对整个美国的劳工运动起了很大的推动作用。
  9. a historic occasion/decision/day/visit/victory 历史性的时刻/决定/日子/访问/胜利

historical 英 [hɪˈstɒrɪkl] 美 [hɪˈstɔːrɪkl] connected with studying or representing things from the past 与历史有关的，有关历史研究的，历史学的，历史题材的

  1. You must place these events in their historical context. 必须把这些事件同它们的历史环境联系起来看。
  2. The building is of historical importance. 这栋建筑有重要的历史研究价值。
  3. I have been doing some historical research. 我一直在进行史学研究。
  4. Was Robin Hood a historical figure? 罗宾汉是历史人物吗？
  5. People wore historical costumes for the parade. 人们穿著古装参加游行。
  6. Historical people, situations, or things existed in the past and are considered to be a part of history. 历史上的人、情况或过去存在的事物，被认为是历史的一部分。
  7. Let’s look at this from a historical standpoint. 让我们从历史的观点来看待这一切。
  8. We will deal with events in historical sequence. 我们将按照历史上的先后顺序研究这些事件。
  9. The historical aspect formed the main theme of her essay. 她的论文的主题是由历史观点贯穿起来的。

entertainment VS recreation VS amusement VS pastime

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Entertainment is something that holds your attention. The word recreation is usually used to describe something you participate in. But if you just sit and watch (or listen), then it’s entertainment. Amusement is the feeling one gets from being entertained.

三个单词都有娱乐的意思，区别在于：entertainment指以娱悦别人为目的的娱乐节目，你没有参与其中，只是作为观众或者听众在观看或者收听节目（如：电影、电视剧、表演等）；recreation指工作之外的闲暇时间做的一些放松身心的休闲活动或体育运动，侧重点在于你主动参与其中；amusement多指游艺游玩项目，如游乐场、主题公园等娱乐场所，也能泛指entertainment相关的一些娱乐项目; pastime指用来“pass time 消磨时间”的娱乐活动或爱好，比如打扑克牌、钓鱼等等。

natural causes

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natural causes 自然因素, 自然原因，一般与die of/from连用，表示自然死亡，非人为原因死亡，老、病死亡都算自然死亡；自然死亡（ A natural cause of death is anything that isn’t a non-natural cause of death. When people kill themselves, are killed by someone else or die as the result of  an accident, that’s considered non-natural. Any other cause is “natural.” 除自杀，被人杀害，事故死亡等不属于自然死亡，其他都是自然死亡。）

例句：

  • They have found that most older people who lose spouses from natural causes recover much more quickly than we have come to expect.  他们发现大多数因为自然原因失去伴侣的老年人从悲痛中恢复过来要比我们所预期的更快。
  • It was not a time and place for coroners and newspapers, and I suppose it was agreed that he had died from natural causes or I should have been told, and should remember. 那个时候，没有验尸官，也没有报纸，我猜想当时人们一致同意是自然的原因导致了他的死亡，或者说，我应该这样被告知并且记住。
  • Speaking to The Economist in St Paul, Minnesota, he recently explained that the earth might be warming, but that it is unclear “to what extent that is the result of natural causes. 最近在明尼苏达圣保罗市接受经济学家杂志访问时他表示，地球可能是在变暖，但是其中的“自然因素所占比例”还尚不明确。

The Rogers family is sad to announce that Kenny Rogers passed away last night at 10:25PM at the age of 81. Rogers passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family.

其他一些词汇：

  1. sad 悲伤的，难过的
  2. pass away 去世
  3. at the age of 在…岁时
  4. peacefully  安详地，无痛苦地
  5. hospice 临终安养院
  6. surrounded 围绕;环绕;(使)包围，围住;与…紧密相关（文中指的是在家人的陪伴中去世）

at your service

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at your service 听候吩咐;乐意效劳；愿为您服务

酒店或餐厅服务员经常会说的一句话，当你在餐厅用餐，或住酒店有事找服务员时，他们通常都会先说这句话。

另外，古代的臣子、仆人接受国王、主人的任务时，理解成愿为您效劳（效力，效忠），剧本里常这样用的。

有时候，也表示对对象的尊敬，表示愿意帮忙。

You can use ‘at your service‘ after your name as a formal way of introducing yourself to someone and saying that you are willing to help them in any way you can. 当你在向别人介绍自己时，可以在名字后面加上这句话，来表示你愿意尽你所能帮助他们，是一种正式用法。例如： She bowed dramatically. ‘Anastasia Krupnik, at your service,’ she said. 她深鞠一躬，说道“阿纳斯塔西娅·克鲁普尼克，乐意为您效劳！”

下面是一些例句：

  1. I am glad to be at your service.
  2. I am honored to be at your service.
  3. We are at your service!
  4. I have to be at your service.
  5. If you need to know anything else, I’m at your service.
  6. Always at your service.
  7. Should you need any assistance, our cruise directors and tour managers are always at your service and ready to go the extra mile.

side hustle

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今天学习的短语是side hustle ，这个是什么意思呢？很多翻译软件和网站上面翻译成了“侧推”，这完全是在瞎扯淡！它真正的意思是“副业”。

We’ve all dreamed of handing in our notice, emptying the contents of our snack drawer, and striking out on our own with a celebratory fist pump — like Judd Nelson in the final scene of The Breakfast Club.

  • hand in one’s notice/give in one’s notice – If you hand in your notice or give in your notice, you tell your employer that you intend to leave your job soon within a set period of time. 提交离职申请/离职通知书
  • snack drawer – 装零食的抽屉
  • strike out – 自立谋生; 删去;划掉; 猛击;猛打;猛烈抨击;失败;不成功
  • fist pump – a gesture of triumph or affirmation in which the forearm is raised with fist clenched, then swung downward toward the body in a vigorous pumping motion一种庆祝胜利或肯定的姿势，前臂举起，握紧拳头，然后以有力的泵送动作朝身体向下摆动
  • the final scene – 最后一幕

If you’re one of the over 44 million Americans who have a side hustle, this distant dream can seem more attainable. But, between work, play, and seeing family and friends, it can be hard to imagine turning that extra pocket money into a steady income, let alone a flourishing business.

  • have a side hustle – 有副业干
  • distant dream – 遥远的梦想
  • attainable – 可达到的；可获得的
  • be hard to – 很难…
  • pocket money – 零用钱;小额私用款; (父母给孩子的)零花钱
  • a steady income – 一份稳定的收入
  • let alone – 更别提，不打扰，不惊动
  • a flourishing business – 生意兴隆