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內容簡介

有時候，人們在決定面前猶豫不決；面對自己不想做的工作時更是一拖再拖。遇到這種情況應該如何應對？也許你應該 “kick it into the long grass” 把它踢到長長的草叢中去。聽 Rob 和菲菲的對話，學習這個表達的意思。Rob 把什么事情踢到長長的草叢中去了？

文字稿

（關于臺詞的備注: 請注意這不是廣播節目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能沒有體現錄制、編輯過程中對節目做出的改變。）

Feifei
Hello and welcome to Authentic Real English with me, Feifei…

Rob
…and me, Rob. So, Feifei, what are you doing tonight?

Feifei
今天晚上我干什么？Oh, erm, I’m busy. I’m washing my hair tonight.

Rob
Oh, right – so you’re not going to that new bar for a drink? I overheard someone saying that you and some of the team were going.

Feifei
Oh, yes! The new bar. We’re going for a drink – just one, on the way home. Erm… Would you like to join us?

Rob
Oh, yes. That would be great!

Feifei
不過，那個大項目你完成了嗎？就是那個老板說非常重要的項目？

Rob
Oh, that! No, no. That’s not important. I’ll leave it for a few days and he’ll forget about it.

Feifei
Hmm. So, you’re going to ‘kick it into the long grass’?

Rob
‘Kick it into the long grass’? You mean delay a plan or decision about something because it will only cause problems for me – and that by delaying it, it might get forgotten altogether?

Feifei
That’s exactly what I meant. Let’s hear some examples of this phrase in action.

Examples
The decision to kick the plans for a new railway line into the long grass means that we’ll have to continue to face overcrowding and slow journey times.

He hoped by kicking a decision on her marriage proposal into the long grass she'd soon forget – but she didn’t!

I’ve decided to kick this plan to redecorate the house into the long grass – we’ve got more urgent things to do, like fixing the hole in the roof!

Feifei
這里是 BBC英語教學的 “地道英語” 節目。在這期節目里，我們給大家介紹的表達是 “kick something into the long grass”。它很形象地把人們因一個計劃或決定困難繁瑣，而將其拖延、擱置的行為比喻成 “kick into the long grass” 踢到長長的草叢中去。Rob 就在拖延老板讓他做的一個項目，他說原因是他需要付出大量的辛勤工作。

Rob
Hard work? This project is perfect for someone with my skills, but I need time to think about it… maybe a few weeks.

Feifei
But if you kick it into the long grass, you won’t be able to find it!

Rob
Of course not. Now, what time are we going for that drink?

Boss
Rob, could I have a word about that urgent project I asked you to do – as soon as possible?

Feifei
Oh dear, Rob. It looks like you’re going to have to kick that drink into the long grass. I think you’d better go and see the boss. Good luck!

Rob
OK. See you later.

Feifei
Bye!