★ 跨國企業家、政治人物、教授、TED Talk 講者、常用的 10 個英文片語 (上) ★

[準備留學英語考試 TOEFL, IELTS, GRE, GMAT學生必看]

[1] along the lines of (=on the lines of) 與～相似

e.g. They're campaigning for the electoral system to be reformed along the lines of the one in Germany.

[2] better off 情況會更好; 會比較有益處
e.g. He'd be better working for a big company.
e.g. We'd be better off taking the train instead of driving.

[3] boil down
用法 (1) boil down 簡化 (simplify)、總結 (summarize)
e.g. John finally managed to boil his thesis down to 200 pages.

用法 (2) boil down to 歸結起來
e.g. What this issue boils down to is that the council doesn't want to spend more money.
e.g. The problem boils down to one thing--lack of money.

[4] case in point 一個適切的例子 smile emoticon by way of illustration = one example of this)

e.g. Now, as a case in point, let's look at nineteen-century England.
e.g. Elliott is one of the best rappers around, and her new album is a case in point.

[5] the crux of the matter 事情最核心的部分

e.g. But, more than that, I was uncertain how I was to approach the crux of the matter on these visits.

[6] get a fix on (=have a fix on = have a handle on = have a grasp of) 獲得對～清楚的了解

e.g. I was able to get a fix on the specifics of this problem.
e.g. No one in the press room had a handle on Balkan history.

[7] get at 意味、嘗試去表達 (try to make understandable; hint at)

e.g. I think I see what you are getting at.
e.g. What are you getting at when you look at me like that?
e.g. You see what I'm getting at?

[8] home in on 專注於、集中於

e.g. Our closing argument should home in on the evidence found.
e.g. The report homed in on the faulty wiring that might have caused the fire.

[9] the jury is still out (+on) 對某事情還沒有定論

e.g. The jury's still out on the safety of irradiated food.
e.g. The jury is still out on the question of building a new parking lot.
e.g. The jury is still out on whether the scheme will be successful.

[10] keep tabs on 仔細觀察、仔細追蹤

e.g. I like to keep tabs on my bank balance so that I don't get overdrawn.
e.g. Once you buy a stock, you need to keep tabs on it.

......待續