JoyChris每日习语

很多事过多的干预是不好的，比如学习英语应该是一个很自然的过程，首先要像婴儿一样聆听和咿呀学语，而不应是机械性的用词汇和语法来干预学习过程，生活中要顺其自然的事情更多，那我们应该怎么用英语去表达呢？来听听Joy and Chris的讲解吧！

C: Hi guys. I’m Chris.
 
J: And I’m Joy. Our idiom for today is: take its course. It means something develops in the natural or usual way without being changed or stopped. You can use this idiom when you want something to happen on its own with no interference from other people or other things.
 
C: Sometimes, not doing anything is the best solution. Like when you have a minor illness, sometimes it’s better to give your body a chance to fight it off. Taking the medicine right away will just lower your immune system. So you can say: I’m gonna let the sickness take its course. Or maybe your company is pushing out a new product. Your team has done everything to promote this product. All you can do now is to sit back and wait for the market to take its course. Now we are gonna use this idiom in a conversation:

 

 
J: What are you watching, Josh?
 
C: Oh I just stumbled upon a video of a group of lions attacking a little elephant. Wow, It’s brutal.
 
J: Geez. The people shooting the video couldn’t help the elephant a little bit?
 
C: Well I think it’s better to let nature take its course and not interfere. Survival of the fittest you know.
 

 

J: Are you letting your English practice take its course? Sometimes it’s better to just do it and not think about it too much.
 
C: Exactly. And if you enjoy our content, remember to share it with people you know! Talk to you next time! Bye!

immune system： 免疫系统

stumble upon： 偶然发现

survival of the fittest： 适者生存

清明节是我们中国的传统节日，是每年春暖花开最适合踏青的时节，你可能会有机会和你的外国朋友聊到一些关于清明节的习俗和传统，这也是一个闲聊中可以用的好话题，那么我们怎么用英语聊这个传统节日呢？

J: Hi guys. I’m Joy.
C: And I’m Chris.
J: So Chris, most people in China are having a 3 day holiday right now. Do you know about the festival?
C: Oh yeah that’s right. Isn’t it the Tomb Sweeping Festival?
J: Yep, it is.
C: So what is this festival about?
J: Well, it’s essentially a festival to commemorate the dead, especially our passed family members. Since this is once a year, every time you go there, the tomb will be covered with dust and stuff. People have to sweep the dust off of the tombs. So we also call it sweeping the tomb when we go and visit the dead.
C: Sounds interesting. So is there any rituals or customs that you have to do when you visit the tombs?
J: I think most people will burn some paper money for their passed family members. Because people here believe that the dead will receive the money you burn on the other side and they’ll be able to use it over there, like buying houses, cars, clothes, things like that.
C: Oh. That’s very interesting. I heard that some people bring food to the tomb as well right?
J: Yeah, some people bring some bread, fruits and some snacks. I think my family would bring some of the favorite food and drinks of the passed family members.
C: So do you leave the food there?
J: Well, some do and some don’t. I heard that many believe that the dead will come back as animals like cats and birds and eat the food that we leave them. And some people will ask the children to eat all of the food when they are there.
C: Wait, you mean they will eat the food they bring for the dead? Why?
J: Yeah, I don’t know the specific reason for it. But it’s supposed to bring good luck for the people in the family. So I guess by eating the food, the passed family members can protect them.
C: Oh wow. That’s a lot of things you need to do.
J: Yup. So do people in America do anything when they are visiting the tombs?

C: Well, the tradition is to visit the family member the first year after they have passed on the day of the funeral. After that it is more of an individual thing. So if you want to visit your ancestors on your own you can but most families do not have a tradition to do it as a group. Most people just bring some flowers if they want instead of food. But it’s not mandatory. Often times the one who was closest to the family member will make sure it is cleaned and has new flowers regularly. The culture is different so how people view it is different as well. This can also be different depending on what part of the country you live in too.
J: Oh it makes sense. You know, the Tomb Sweeping Festival is also a good chance for us to get outside and enjoy the warm weather. Because the festival is in Spring, it’s always the perfect time to go hiking and do some outdoor activities. I think it’s a great way to celebrate life!
C: That’s pretty cool. I hope everyone has a good time during this holiday.
J: I hope so too. So If you like our channel, don’t forget to share it with your friends and family! Bye guys!

生活中的新事物越来越多，人们聪明的智商总能发明出一些好点子，这些发明都让我们的生活更加便捷，比如在1928年的美国，一个来自密歇根的人就发明了一个切面包片的机器，人们就被惊艳到，于是再也不用手切面包片了，那今天的习语跟面包片到底有啥关系？咱们听听Joy and Chris的对话吧！

C: Hi guys. I’m Chris.
 
J: And I’m Joy. Today we will be talking about the idiom: the best thing since sliced bread. It’s used when something is extremely good and interesting, usually describing a new product or a new invention. You can use it like this:

It’s the best thing since sliced bread. / It will be the best thing since sliced bread.

C: The literal meaning of this idiom is about the convenience of the invention of sliced bread. So a long time ago, people made bread by hand. Each time you wanted a sandwich or a piece of toast, you had to get out a knife and slice a piece of bread for yourself. And that all changed in 1928. Someone in America invented the world’s first bread-slicing machine. Then the companies began to use it to create prepackaged sliced bread, which was advertised as “the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped.” That advertising slogan led to the now-famous phrase “the best thing since sliced bread”. Now let’s use this idiom in a conversation:

 

 
J: Hey Josh. How’s your new car handling?
 
C: It’s pretty sweet. It’s got the auto park function. Man, it’s the best thing since sliced bread. I’ve never been good at parallel parking anyway.

 
 
J: So do you think our channel is the best thing since sliced bread? Haha just kidding.
 
C: And guys, if you enjoy our content, remember to share it with people you know! Talk to you next time! Bye!

我们经常会听到别人说，别过河拆桥，给自己留条后路，也就是说拆了桥也就回不去了，英语里面有一个习语和这个意思和用法一样，点击下面的音频来听听英语中怎么用“过河拆桥”吧！

C: Hi guys. I’m Chris.
 
J: And I’m Joy. Today the idiom we’ll be covering is: burn your bridges. If you burn your bridges, you do something that makes it impossible to go back to the earlier situation. Usually, we use it when someone ruins their relationship with others, making it very difficult to have a productive relationship with them in the future. You can use it like this:

I don’t want to burn my bridges. / He burned his bridges. / They will burn their bridges.

C: Right. From the meaning of the words, we can see that bridge is a pathway. When you burn it, you cut off the way back. A lot of people are quitting their old jobs and seeking new ones. Although, I’m sure most people still try to maintain a good relationship with their old employers even if they are leaving the company. You never know where life brings you sometimes. Maybe it’s better to keep these business connections. So you can say: I don’t want to burn my bridges. Now we are gonna use this idiom in a conversation:

 

 
J: So Alex. Are you still thinking of moving to Shanghai?
 
C: Well, I am but I’m having second thoughts about it. Because I’ve been in Beijing for so many years and everyone I know lives here. Moving to a new place is basically like burning all my bridges.
 

 
 
J: Guys, don’t burn your bridges with English. You are probably gonna need it some day in the future.
 
C: Yep. And guys. If you enjoy listening to our daily posts, remember to share it with people you know! Talk to you next time! Bye!

凡事都有两面性，每一个辩论赛都有正反方，我们今天的习语中虽然有“coin”一词，因为硬币都是有正反面的，和我们生活中遇到的事情一样，那我们来看看这个习语应该怎么正确的运用呢？

C: Hi guys. I’m Chris.
 
J: And I’m Joy. The idiom we are learning today is: the other side of the coin. It means the opposite side of the subject or situation. You can use it when you are discussing something with someone and you want to mention a different way of looking at it.
 
C: That’s right. Everything has two sides. Usually a good side and a bad side. So whenever we talk about something, there is always the other side of the coin. I know in China, a lot of people study English for exams to get a higher score. But the other side of the coin is that the exams didn’t help them with real communication in English. So most of the people can read English but can’t speak. Or maybe you are not happy that your boss only assigned you with a lot of work. But the other side of the coin is that you’ll have a chance to gain more experience. Now we are gonna use this idiom in a conversation:

 

 
J: Wow, James. This is your new car?
 
C: Yeah, I just bought it last week.
 
J: I think the color white is the best for this car. You made the right choice.
 
C: Yeah, but the other side of the coin is that it’ll get dirty faster.
 

 

J: You might need to put in a lot of hard work to practice your English and it usually gets boring and repetitive. But the other side of the coin is that one day you’ll be able to use English to work, make friends, travel or live in a different country.
 
C: Yep. And guys. If you like our channel, remember to share it with people you know! Talk to you next time! Bye!

你有没有遇到过比较挑三拣四的人呢？可能别人送的礼物自己并不喜欢，总会挑挑毛病，这可能不是个好习惯，所以就用到今天的习语啦，我们听听Joy and Chris是怎么解释的！

C: Hi guys. I’m Chris.
 
J: And I’m Joy. The idiom we are learning today is: Beggars can’t be choosers. It means that people can’t complain about something they get for free. You can usually use it when you must accept what is given to you, especially when you have no other choice.
 
C: Sometimes you might see beggars on the street. A lot of them go around begging for money. One time while I was back in America, I had just finished dinner with my friends in Chicago and I met a beggar on my way back to my hotel. He begged me for some change. It was really funny because I happened to have no more US cash but only some Chinese Renminbi. So I gave him 10RMB. He asked me if he can use it. I told him that he can go to the bank and exchange it into dollars.
 
J: Wow. That’s hilarious. So did he take the money?
 
C: Yeah. He took it and walked away. I’m guessing he would’ve preferred US dollars but since he was the one begging for money. He had no other choice but to take it.
 
J: Well, beggars can’t be choosers right?
 
C: Yup. We can also use this idiom for receiving gifts or getting job or school offers. Let’s look at an example of it:

 

J: Hey Jacob. How’s the apartment hunting going?
 
C: Yeah well so far I found one about 15min away from my work. I would have preferred a place of my own rather than sharing with someone else, but beggars can't be choosers, I suppose.
 

 
 
J: Have you ever gotten anything for free and it wasn’t good enough. Well beggars can’t be choosers.
 
C: Yeah, that sounds about right. Alright guys. If you like our channel, feel free to share it with people you know! Talk to you next time! Bye!

你家有表吗？我们的表里的发条装置就叫"clockwork"，这也是钟表为什么能准确的运行，但是我们今天的习语里的"clockwork"表达的意思和发条其实没有什么关系，那么这个习语是用来形容什么呢？你能猜到吗？

C: Hi guys. I’m Chris.
 
J: And I’m Joy. Today we’ll be learning the idiom: like clockwork. It means to do something very regularly, or at exactly the planned times. If someone does something like clockwork, that means you can expect them to do it always at the same time. You can use it like this:

He does it like clockwork. / They did it like clockwork. / It runs like clockwork.

C: Many people go to work everyday with the same morning routines. They usually wake up, wash up, have breakfast and then go to work at their companies. You can say that they do this everyday like clockwork. Maybe everyday at 10:00 o’clock in the morning, the delivery man comes to your building. He does this regularly and never misses a day. So he can be expected to show up again the next day. You can call that like clockwork. You can also say this about things and objects as well. For example, “Everything went like clockwork at the conference.” “The buses are running like clockwork.” Let’s try to use this idiom in a conversation:
 

J: Hey George. What are you watching?
 
C: Oh I’ve been watching the show “Better Call Saul”. Poor Jimmy always goes to his brother’s house and takes care of him like clockwork, but his brother never shows any gratitude.
 

J: Are you practicing your English like clockwork everyday? Remember to follow our daily posts!
 
C: And if you like our content, remember to share our account with your friends and family! Talk to you next time! Bye!

生活中新鲜事物源源不断，很多时候我们都要保持一个open mind，只有尝试过，才知道这是不是你想要的，不过你还在用”try it”来说服别人去尝试某事吗？今天这个习语大家可能常听到，那我们来看看这个习语在口语中怎么用出来吧！

C: Hi guys. I’m Chris.
 
J: And I’m Joy. Today we are gonna take a look at the idiom: give it a shot. It means to try something. Usually you use this when you or someone has something new to do. You can use it like this:

I’ll give it a shot. / You should give it a shot. / She gave it a shot.

C: Yup. We all have many opportunities to try something new in our lives. In the idiom, “give it a shot”, the word “shot” means the act of trying. There’s a quote from a hockey player: “You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.” Here it means if you don’t try, then you really won’t succeed. Also, because he was a hockey player, “shot” can also mean to hit the ball to score a point. So in sports, if you don’t take a shot, of course you will not get the point. If you want to tell your boss that you will try to do your job as hard as you can, you can also say: I’ll give it my best shot. Here’s an example in a conversation:

 

 
J: Hey Luke. I heard that you are gonna go and talk to Katelyn again?
 
C: Yeah I’m gonna give it another shot and see if she will agree to come work with us.
 
J: You already gave it a shot. She’s not gonna do it.
 
C: I know. But I think I have a way to convince her this time.
 

 

J: Have you tried our private English classes? Maybe you should give it a shot!
 
C: Definitely! And if you like our content, remember to share our account with your friends and family! Talk to you next time! Bye!

因为疫情，大家都在家憋了好久，很多人已经蠢蠢欲动，开始向附近的公园出发踏青了，也有好多人开始计划疫情后的旅行目的地，我们今天听Joy and Chris聊聊旅行吧！

J: Hello everyone. I’m Joy.
C: And I’m Chris.
J: You know, Chris, I heard that a lot of people are planning their next trip already for after the epidemic. I think there’s gonna be a lot of tourists everywhere when this is over.
C: Yeah it’s just like students studying for the whole semester waiting for summer break. And when it happens they all go traveling at the same time.
J: Totally, that was everyone’s favorite time of the year. So where do you wanna visit next after the epidemic is over?
C: I don’t really know yet but I have been thinking a lot about Guangzhou. I went there last year and had a lot of fun. I’d totally visit again.
J: Guangzhou is pretty nice. What did you do there?
C: Well, I went to all sorts of places. The weather was perfect when I was there and I really enjoyed getting to know the local culture. I got to see many historical buildings and I even went to watch a traditional Cantonese play in a park.
J: Wow, really? Sounds pretty cool. Did you go to the Guangzhou tower?
C: Yeah I did. I went to the top of the tower but it was not a very clear day so it was a little hard to see the city but it’s still really cool. The new part of town is well designed, I think because When I was walking around downtown, it almost made me feel like I was in New York or something.
J: Yeah, I agree. But I think the traditional part of town is more attractive to me. I liked seeing the super old buildings along the the streets and people are actually still living in them.
C: Those old buildings are very interesting. I think I took a lot of pictures of them. The style was really cool too. You can actually walk underneath the buildings. There are stores on the bottom of the building and the families live on the top floors.
J: Yup they have a lot of those. Did you try any of the local food there? Guangdong is pretty famous for its cuisine.
C: Absolutely, I enjoyed eating Dim sum every day and I got to experience a southern food market where I bought a Guangdong styled duck. It was one of the best ducks I’ve ever had. I loved it.
J: Mmm, Guangdong ducks are really scrumptious.
C: Yeah. And the locals like to eat at restaurants very late in the night and walk around in the night markets. They have amazing deserts like ginger milk pudding which is my favorite now! Overall it was a great experience and I would really like the chance to explore the city more.
J: Sounds amazing. Guangzhou can be pretty hot in the summer.
C: Yeah, I heard. And there is the monsoon season too. I saw some videos before that my friend sent me of the streets being flooded. It’s no joke.
J: Yup, definitely avoid those days. Anyways, do you guys have anything in mind for your next trip? If you like our channel, don’t forget to share it with your friends and family! Bye guys!

生活中的困境无处不在，有时候我们在学习中也会陷入困境，想告诉你的外国朋友你的困境，或者你听说的别人的困境，你是不是总在用”difficult position”呢？怎么用更地道方式表达呢？我们看Joy and Chris是怎么用的吧！

C: Hi guys. I’m Chris.
 
J: And I’m Joy. Today we are covering the idiom: in a tight corner. It means to be in a difficult situation that is not easy to escape from or deal with. You can say it like this:

I’m in a tight corner. / He’s going to be in a tight corner. / They’ve been in a tight corner.

C: We always see a similar scene in the movies. A guy being chased by some bad people and he runs into a dead end alley. Imagine that for a second. That is a very difficult situation to get out of. So we call that being in a tight corner. I know that especially during the epidemic a lot of people are in a tight corner. Maybe because they can’t get the full salary or they can’t find jobs. And sometimes, we hear about people who bought their houses on loans and couldn’t keep paying their debts. So the bank came and took their houses away. You can say that they were in a tight corner. Let’s take a look at a conversation:

 

 
J: Hey Jeremy. I heard your company got the bid.
 
C: Yeah our company’s been in a tight corner recently. We really need this project.
 

 

J: Are you in a tight corner with your English? We can help you out! Contact us for our private English classes!
 
C: Yup and remember to share our channel with your friends and family! Talk to you next time! Bye!