BEC商务英语大家了解多少呢?对于专业学习这项知识的人来说可能更为熟悉一些,商务英语考试中也有一些常用的实用性短语,大家都知道多少呢?下面就是BEC商务英语实用短语及情景对话练习,正在备战这项考试的人们赶快练起来吧!

  1、at one’s wits end 智穷计尽

  wit的意思是“颖悟力,智力,理解力”。该习语的意思是“处在智力的末端”,意即“智穷计尽”了。例如:I’m at my wit’s end with this problem. 我对这个问题真是束手无策。

  A: I am at my wits’ end.

  我已经智穷计尽了

  B: What’s the matter?

  怎么啦?

  A: If the bank won’t lend us the money, we’ll be stuck.

  如果银行不肯给我们贷款,我们就寸步难行了。

  B: Don’t worry. You can ask Mary for help.

  别着急。你可以请玛丽帮帮忙。

   sixes and sevens 乱七八糟;意见不一

  该习语一般认为源于掷色子,原为赌博行话。据说在中世纪时,色子面上的最高点数是7,如想求得13点,即一个色子6点,一个色子7点,这谈何容易,只有那些心烦意乱或处于思想混乱状态下的人才会下此赌注,一试赌赢。该习语最初表示“漫不经心地下赌注”,后来转而表示“心烦意乱”,最后又引申出“乱七八糟”、“意见不一”等意思。

  A: You have loused up the whole business; it’s at sixes and sevens.

  整个买卖让你弄得乱七八糟。

  B: The dice is cast. It’s incurable.

  一切都成了定局,没救了。

  A: I feel so terrible.

  糟透了。

  B: Me too. We just went to a lot of trouble for nothing.

  我也这么想,一切都白忙了。

   to square one 退回起点;从头再来

  该习语源自掷色子游戏。当掷出某个特定的号码时要受罚,于是还要重新再掷。该习语即指“无所进展,退回起点”,进而“从头再来”。例如:I’m back to square one with the work.(我的工作又得从头做起。)

  A: Have you finished designing that office building?

  那座办公楼设计好了吗?

  B: We are back to square one now.

  我们正在重新设计。

  A: Back to square one? What’s the matter?

  重新设计?怎么回事?

  B: We’ve worked out the plan, but it’s been decided that we must use cheaper material. So we have to redesign it.

  本来我们都已经设计好了,但现在决定使用便宜点的材料,所以只得从头再来。

   to the drawing board 从头开始,失败后另起炉灶

  drawing board指“画板”。该习语直议为“(退)回到画板前”,引申为“从头开始。失败后另起炉灶”。

  A: How is Jim recently?

  吉姆近况如何?

  B: Very well. Since he was back to the drawing board, he’s been very successful.

  非常好。自从他失败以后另起炉灶,就一直很成功。

  A: I know he will get back on his feet sooner or later.

  我知道他迟早会东山再起的。

  rk figure 近似数,大致正确的估计

  ballpark一词本指“棒球场”,引申为“活动领域”,在此为形容词,表示“大致正确的,八九不离十的”。此类常用短语还有in the right ballpark“大致正确,差不多”。Ballpark figure 指大致不错的近似数。

  A: What price is this building?

  这栋楼的成本是多少?

  B: It’s $1,00,000, just a ballpark figure.

  一百万美元,这只是个大概数。

  A: So much? It must have been in excess of our budget.

  这么多!肯定超出了预算了。

  B: So. We go on or stop it now?

  那现在是干下去还是停下来?

  A: Of course build it. Let’s think of some ways to raise money.

  当然要干下去,我们想法去筹些钱。

   for the buck 货真价实

  buck在美国俚语中是“美元”的意思。有这样一个短语,bigger bang for a buck,它的意思是“花钱取得更大效果”。Bang原是表示巨大声响的拟声词,这里引申为“效果”。

  A: Listen! It’s mid-summer now. What do we need them for?

  嘿,现在已经是仲夏了,我们要这些东西干什么?

  B: They may come in handy. Besides, these items can be true bang for the buck.

  会有用得着它们的时候,再说这些东西是货真价实的呀。

  A: True bang for the buck? They’re enough for ten years’ use.

  货真价实?都够用10年的了。

  B: Stop getting on my nerves! I’m not doing something for nothing!

  别烦我了,我可不是没事找事。

   brassed off doing 厌烦于… ,对 … 满腹牢骚

  brass作名词指“黄铜”,作动词指“镀黄铜于 … ”,而brassed off是俚语,意思是“厌烦,不满,牢骚满腹”。

  A: I am awfully sorry that I have kept you waiting.

  真是很抱歉让您久等了。

  B: To tell you the truth, I am really brassed off waiting.

  说实话,我最讨厌等人。

  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。

   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。

   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。

   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。

   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。

   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。

   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。

  这些内容大家学会多少了呢?切记不要觉得自己学得够多了,学无止境,哪有够多这一说法。备考BEC是商务英语考试的朋友们,大家觉得自己准备得如何了呢?千万不要掉以轻心哦!还想了解哪些知识,不妨来这里和我们一起学习吧。