友达英语》英语习惯用于》 beat one's head against the wall

我想去买辆新车，为了获得最*好的价格，我带了一个朋友陪我同去。这位朋友很懂车，同时又很会砍价。结果，在我挑好车后，这位朋友上阵杀价了。她把自己肚子里和汽车有关的知识都用上了，可是，卖车的这位销售员也相当厉害，愣是不松口。我朋友说得嘴都干了，也没把价砍下来。这让我想到了一个习惯用语。那就是：beat one's head against the wall.

To beat one's head against the wall, 意思是白费力气，徒劳无功。因为汽车销售员不愿意降价，我这个朋友花了好长时间讲价，可是，all she managed to do was to beat her head against the wall. 她完全是白费唇舌。

在下面这段话中，一个遇到感情问题的女孩很希望挽回男友的心，但她这么做是不是有用呢？我们来听一听：

例句-1：My sister hasn't had much luck with relationships lately. She dated a guy for a couple of months, but he broke up with her and got back together with his old girlfriend. My sister couldn't get over it. She spent weeks thinking about what she could have done differently. Why bother? I hated seeing her beat her head against the wall.

这段话是说：我妹妹最近感情生活颇为不顺。她和一个男人交往了几个月，但是这个人却提出分手，和他的前女友复合了。我妹妹怎么也放不下，几个星期以来，她总是在想自己当初是否做错了什么，导致男友离开她。其实何必这样呢？她完全是在浪费感情，我不想看到她这个样子。

在感情问题上，最忌讳拖泥带水，苦苦不放手。男友的心不能挽回，就当是俩人有缘无份吧! 继续浪费时间，只可能错过真正适合自己的人。

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小时候，家长老师常常教育我们说，要不怕失败，百折不挠，还总用科学家的事例来鼓励我们。虽然最后我们很多人都无法成为科学家，但是相信大家在追求自己梦想的过程中都会有一些意外的收获，就好像下面这个人：

例句-2：History is filled with examples of inventors who were beating their heads against the wall. Like the pharmacist in Atlanta, Georgia who was frustrated when he couldn't find a cure for a headache. Then he created something accidentally that made him world-famous: Coca-Cola.

这段话是说：历史*上有很多在开始时白费力气，走进死胡同的发明家。比如美国乔治亚州亚特兰大的一个药剂师，他一心想发明一种专治头痛的药，可是怎么也不能成功，就在他为此感到沮丧的时候，却意外地发明了一种饮料，并为此变得世界闻名。这个饮料就是可口可乐。

不光是可口可乐，橡胶、青霉素、不沾锅等都是人们在无意中发现或者创造出来的。所以，有时候当你一再失败的时候，you're not necessarily beating your heads against the wall. 你并不一定是在做无用功。

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友达英语》礼节美语》 You Are What You Wear

Cathy 早上上班见到同事 Adam.

Cathy: Hi, Adam, nice tie.

Adam: Thanks.

C: By the way, can I ask you a personal question?

A: Ask away!

C: How come you're the only one at the office who wears a tie to work every day? I'm not criticizing your fashion choices, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to.

A: No. I'm happy to answer that question! I assume you're like most people: you prefer to wear comfortable clothing whenever possible, right?

Cathy 问了 Adam 个personal question 私人问题，问Adam 为什么每天上班都西装领带的，而公司的着装标准并不严格，所以其他人一般都是怎么舒服怎么穿。Cathy 还补充说，I'm not criticizing your fashion choices. 意思是说我不是想对你的穿着指手划脚，而是好奇。Cathy 承认，平时如果没事，他就会穿得很随便。

C: Absolutely! If it's a special event or a business meeting or something, then sure, I'll put on a suit or a nice business dress. But I much prefer to dress more casually.

A: I understand that logic. But of course you've heard about 'power-dressing,' no?

C: Yeah....if you wear nicer looking clothes, people take you more seriously, right?

A: That's the idea. I think everybody knows that the clothing we wear affects how others perceive us. But I've also discovered that what I wear affects how I think.

C: Really? That's an interesting idea. What exactly do you mean?

Cathy 说，如果有什么特别活动或是要开会，She'll put on a suit or a nice business dress. 穿西装或套装，否则的话，她还是喜欢穿得随便些，to dress more casually. Adam 问 Cathy 有没有听过 power-dressing 的说法，也就是说，如果穿得正式，别人就会更把你当回事。Adam 说，他发现，power-dressing 不仅会影响别人对自己的看法，同时也会对他自己的精神状态产生影响。<