PS:粗體標出的表達都挺好滴！快用小本本記下吧！

發(fā)祥地：cradle

*from the cradle to the grave

*from cradle to cradle

cradle本義為“搖籃”。我們出生后第一個地方就待在搖籃所以cradle也有發(fā)源地的意思啦。

A place that is referred to as the?cradle?of something is the place where it began.?發(fā)源地; 發(fā)祥地

Mali is?the cradle of?some of Africa's richest civilizations.

馬里是非洲一些最悠久的文明的發(fā)祥地。

...New York,?the cradle of?capitalism.

…紐約，資本主義的發(fā)源地。

下面介紹兩個表達：

from the cradle to the grave 從生到死
from cradle to cradle 環(huán)保循環(huán)（？）

If something affects you?from the cradle to the grave, it affects you throughout your life.?一生; 一世; 從生到死

The bond of brotherhood was one to last?from the cradle to the grave.

兄弟之情會延續(xù)一輩子。

“from cradle to cradle”是我無意間查到的一本書，但其實這是一個產(chǎn)品設(shè)計理念、一種新的環(huán)保思維：

Cradle-to-cradle (C2C) is a way of designing products or processes that work more like natural systems. This design method is intended to replace a make-take-dispose approach which begins with new raw materials mined from the earth and ends with piles of garbage.This approach is modeled after nature's long-evolved, low-waste, energy-conserving processes.

最開始我們以經(jīng)濟增長為首要目標，產(chǎn)品設(shè)計制造以“從搖籃到墳墓”(Cradle to Grave)的思維為準則，也就是單向的：加工、制造、使用、拋棄、污染。

而“從搖籃到搖籃”（Cradle to Cradle）則是環(huán)形循環(huán)：加工、生產(chǎn)、使用、降解、再提取、加工...

畫蛇添足：gilding the lily

直譯是“給百合鍍金”，但百合是自然美已經(jīng)很美啦，鍍金就純屬多此一舉。

If you say that someone is?gilding the lily, you mean that they are spoiling something that is already beautiful or perfect by trying to improve it or by praising it too highly.?畫蛇添足; 多此一舉

Gilding the lily?of what is basically a romantic comedy, the director falls a little short of his best mark.

這基本上是一出浪漫喜劇，這位導演卻畫蛇添足，沒有發(fā)揮出他的最佳水平。

或者可以說：add sth to to avail?加上這個也徒勞無功。

洗白：whitewash

disapproval If you say that people?whitewash?something, you are accusing them of hiding the unpleasant facts or truth about it in order to make it acceptable.?粉飾; 掩飾

The administration is?whitewashing?the regime's actions.

政府在粉飾該政權(quán)的行為。

'The whole incident was?whitewashed,' he claimed yesterday.

“整個事件都已經(jīng)被粉飾過了，”他昨日聲稱。

這里我無意聯(lián)想到喬治奧威爾的《1984》.Government 有時是“掩蓋”、“粉飾”真相，但“洗腦”這個方法更有效。私認為《1984》里提到的“Double Think”雙重思想就是（高級）brainwash的基石。有興趣的友友可以自行再查閱。

人性泯滅：dehumanize

humanize “使...更人性化” de-否定前綴

If you say that something?dehumanizes?people, you mean it takes away from them good human qualities such as kindness, generosity, and independence.?使失去人性; 使無人性

The years of civil war have?dehumanized?all of us.

連年內(nèi)戰(zhàn)剝奪了我們所有人的人性。

派生詞：dehumanizing ADJ 無人性的；剝奪人性的

...the brutal,?dehumanising?experience of slavery.

野蠻的、剝奪人性的奴隸制生活

dehumanization?N-UNCOUNT 非人化

She was horrified at the?dehumanisation?involved in much of the imagery.

這些意象在很大程度上表現(xiàn)出的人性泯滅讓她深感驚駭。

繭房：cocoon

*in a cocoon

*cocoon sb from sth

*cocoon oneself

cocoon本義指“蟲繭”“昆蟲的卵袋”。引申為“保護層”or "comfort zone".我們常說的“信息繭房”則可以用“information cocoons”.

If you are?living in a cocoon, you are in an environment in which you feel protected and safe, and sometimes isolated from everyday life.?給人安全感的環(huán)境; 保護層

...her innocent desire to envelop her beloved in?a cocoon of love.

…她想要把心上人包裹在愛中的天真想法。

Even though we're living together we?walk around in this cocoon of silence.

盡管我們生活在一起，但卻形同路人。（這個句子就比較形象。）

You cannot live in a cocoon and overlook these facts.

你不能自己縮在套子里而忽略這些事實。

If something?cocoons you from something, it protects you or isolates you from it.?把…保護起來; 把…隔絕開來

There is nowhere to hide when things go wrong, no organisation to?cocoon you from blame.

如果出了問題，根本無處可躲，沒有哪個機構(gòu)會庇護你，讓你免受指責。

The playwright?cocooned himself?in a world of pretence.

這個劇作家與世隔絕，生活在一個虛幻的世界里。

熟詞生義：flowering、quarrel

flowering本義指花花盛開的模樣。引申指某種風格的盛行。

The flowering of?something such as an idea or artistic style is the development of its popularity and success.?(想法或藝術(shù)風格) 成熟, 風行, 盛行

He may be happy with?the flowering of new thinking, but he has yet to contribute much to it himself.

他也許會對新思想的盛行感到高興，但他本人并沒有為此作出多大貢獻。

...the flowering of?creative genius.

…創(chuàng)造型天才的涌現(xiàn)。

quarrel

quarrel本義指“爭吵”，而且是吵的比較兇的那種。在報紙媒體用語中指“爭端”。

*quarrel with sb over sth quarrel between A and B

journalism?Quarrels?between countries or groups of people are disagreements, which may be diplomatic or include fighting.?不和; 爭端; 爭執(zhí)

...New Zealand's?quarrel with?France?over?the Rainbow Warrior incident.

…新西蘭和法國關(guān)于“彩虹勇士號”事件的爭端。

The?quarrel between?the Serbs and the Croats is old and bitter.

塞爾維亞人和克羅地亞人之間的爭斗由來已久，而且非常激烈。

這里分享一個有趣的Quarrel Quote：

A lover's quarrel is always about every quarrel you ever had. 看到了嗎哈哈哈。

情侶之間吵架總喜歡翻舊賬。

OK 今天的內(nèi)容就到這里！我們明天再見！

（圖源來自網(wǎng)絡(luò)再搬自我的知乎。知乎N·A小妙詞596就是我。）