The english we speak(BBC教學)第293期:The last/final straw 忍無可忍，使人最終崩潰的一擊

Something as light and harmless as a single straw could break something as solid as friendship? Well, it can happen. Listen to the programme to find out what the phrase mean.

又輕又無害的一根稻草可以破壞堅固的友誼？這的確可能發生。請收聽本期節目，理解這個短語的含義。

Neil: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.

尼爾：大家好，歡迎收聽BBC英語教學頻道的地道英語節目。我是尼爾。

Helen: Hello, I'm Helen. Neil, can I ask you about something?

海倫：大家好，我是海倫。尼爾，我能問你個問題嗎？

Neil: Yeah, sure. What's on your mind?

尼爾：當然可以。你想問什麼？

Helen: Well, Theodora and Alma are my best friends, but they are not talking to each other because of a straw.

海倫：西奧多拉和阿爾瑪是我最好的朋友，但是她們兩人因爲一根稻草，現在誰也不理誰了。

Neil: They are not getting on because of a straw? Are you sure you heard it right?

尼爾：她們因爲一根稻草鬧彆扭？你確定你沒有聽錯嗎？

Helen: Yes, Alma said to me when Theodora didn't come to her party, it was the last straw. I don't understand. What could a straw do?

海倫：沒有，阿爾瑪跟我說，西奧多拉沒有參加她的派對，這是最後一根稻草。我不明白。一根稻草能做什麼？

Neil: Oh, Alma was just using an expression. What she really meant was, things were not going well between them because of things that had happened in the past.

尼爾：哦，阿爾瑪用了一個表達方式。她真正的意思是，她們兩人之間出現問題是因爲過去發生過的事情。

Helen: Well, Theodora did miss quite a few of our gatherings.

海倫：嗯，西奧多拉的確有很多次都沒有參加我們的聚會。

Neil: When Theodora didn't come to Alma's party, that was the final thing that made Alma really angry, giving up on their friendship.

尼爾：西奧多拉沒有去阿爾瑪的派對，這點燃了阿爾瑪的怒火，對她們的友誼感到絕望。

Helen: Oh, I see, so the last straw means the last thing or event that caused the total melt down.

海倫：哦，我明白了，the last straw的意思是搞砸一切的致命一擊。

Neil: That's right, we often hear the phrase 'the last straw', when people are talking about repeated problems or issues that aren't getting better, then the smallest thing happens, people finally lose their composure and explode.

尼爾：沒錯，這個短語用來形容，重複出現的問題沒有好轉，然後發生了一件最微不足道的事時，人們終於不再冷靜，大爆發。

Helen: I see.

海倫：我明白了。

Neil: Let's hear how it's used.

尼爾：我們來看看這個短語如何使用。

Examples

例句

A: I've never seen you so angry.

A：我從來沒見你這麼生氣過。

B: I have had such a bad day. I woke up late and rushed out of the house, then missed my bus by seconds, got in to work and was told there would be no pay rise this year. When the dinner lady said I put too much salad on my plate, it was the last straw.

B：我今天太倒黴了。我起晚了，衝出房子後就差幾秒鐘沒趕上車，到公司後得知今年不會漲工資。那名女服務員說我拿了太多沙拉時，我真的是忍無可忍了。

The paper factory has struggled to stay open in the last few years; the new tax charge was the last straw, forcing it to shut down after 30 years in business.

過去幾年，這家紙廠艱難地保持營業；新稅收政策對這家紙廠來說是致命一擊，導致其在營業30年後不得不關閉。

Neil: Just so you know. Some people also say 'the final straw', and it means the same as 'the last straw'.

尼爾：我想讓你知道，有些人也會說“the final straw”，意思和“the last straw”一樣。

Helen: Thanks for the clarification. I do hope my friends can resolve their differences. Friendship is worth saving.

海倫：謝謝你的說明。我真希望我的朋友們可以解決她們的分歧。友誼是值得挽救的。

Neil: Absolutely. Goodbye.

尼爾：完全正確。再見。

Helen: Bye.

海倫：再見。

譯文屬僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載

重點講解：
1. get on （同…）和睦相處；
例句：The host fears the guests won't get on.
主人擔心客人們會相處得不愉快。
2. give up on 對…絕望;對…不抱希望；
例句：Never give up on anyone. Miracles happen everyday.
不要對任何人失望，奇蹟每天都有發生。
3. the last straw 壓垮駱駝的最後一根稻草；最終使人不堪忍受的事；
例句：I've put up with a lot of crap from him, but that's the last straw.
我對他的胡說八道忍耐得夠多了，但這回我可無法再忍受下去。
4. shut down (使)(工廠、公司等)關閉,歇業，停業；
例句：The shop has shut down because of lack of trade.
那商店因生意蕭條而停業。
5. the same as 與…相似；與…一樣；
例句：Jenney looks the same as before.
珍妮看上去同過去一樣。