Lesson48

9. He’s the Right Man for the Job
他是最佳人选

BACKGROUND 背景

Two people are discussing the mayor’s speech.
两个人在谈论市长的演讲。


A: Hi, Janice.
嗨，珍妮丝。

B: Hi, Steve. What’s new?
嗨，史蒂夫。有什么好消息吗？

A: I’ve just heard a speech by the mayor. He’s an excellent speaker. His speech today was very powerful.
我刚才听了市长的演讲。他是一位优秀的演讲家，演讲很有号召力。

B: Yes, he’s a good man. I like him. Although I don’t always see eye to eye with him. I still respect him very much.
是的，还不错。我喜欢他。尽管我的观点与他的不尽相同，我还是非常敬佩他。

A: There’s one good thing about him: he isn’t behind the times. He knows this is the 21st century
他其中的一个好处是：他不落伍。他知道这是21世纪了。

B: I like the way he got right down to business. He’s a man of action. Right from the start. He doesn’t waste time talking about problems. He likes to solve them.
我喜欢他做事果断。从一开始，他就是一个实干家。他不会把时间浪费在谈论问题上。他喜欢解决问题。

A: That’s true. He made a point of going to work immediately. The city has made a lot of progress since he’s been the mayor.
的确。他目的一明确，即刻就工作。自从他上任以来，这个城市已经有了很大的改观。

B: He’s very independent. He doesn’t rely on others. He finds out everything first hand. Then he takes steps to improve the situation. That’s what I admire in a leader.
他非常独立，不依赖别人，只要取得第一手资料，就马上采取行动改善状况。这才是我所敬慕的领导。

A: He’s the right man for the job.
他是这一工作的最好人选。

B: I couldn’t agree with you more.
你说得太对了。

A: Next time he gives speech I’ll ask you to come along.
下一次他做演讲的时候，我会邀你同去。

B: That would be great. Thanks a lot.
太好了。多谢。

额外成就感

be behind the times: not be up-to-date, modern in one’s thinking
不合时宜的；落伍的☆☆☆☆
* He’s not a good teacher. He’s behind the times in his methods.
他不是个好老师。他的方法太落后了。
* We can’t afford to be behind the times. The competition will destroy us.
我们落后不起，竞争会把我们打垮的。
* He’s so behind the times, he doesn’t understand anything we say.
他可真是个老古董，我们说的什么他都不明白。

get right down to something: begin working without hesitation
不犹豫地、迅速地做某事☆☆☆
* After the supervisor declared the start of the test, all the students got right down to writing.
监考老师一声令下，同学们马上开始做卷子。
* Enough of this talk, let’s get right down to business!
谈到这儿就够了，我们马上去干活吧！
* I was so hungry, I couldn’t wait to get right down to eating.
我饿死了，恨不得马上就吃饭。

make a point of something: do or say something with a definite intention 认为做某事重要；有必要☆☆☆☆
* I always make a point of introducing myself to everyone I meet.
我总是认为有必要把自己介绍给我遇到的每一个人。
* Make a point of seeing the Great Wall when you are in Beijing.
你去北京的话，长城值得一看。
* I made a point of checking the door to make sure it was locked.
我觉得有必要检查一下门是否锁好了。

firsthand: without assistance from an intermediary; direct
第一手的☆☆☆☆
* What I’m telling you is firsthand information; I didn’t hear it from someone else.
我所告诉你的都是第一手的信息，我还没听到别人提及过。
* I want to experience city life firsthand. I don’t want to just watch it on TV.
我想亲身体验一下城市生活，不愿只是从电视上看。

take steps: prepare for something and put it into action
采取措施☆☆☆☆
* The crime in that city became a serious problem. The police had to take steps to correct it.
那个城市的犯罪问题已日趋严重。警方不得不采取措施予以制止。
* We’re taking steps to solve the problem right now.
我们马上采取措施解决问题。
* We must take steps to prevent this tragedy from happening again.
我们必须采取措施阻止这类悲剧再次发生。