Economic basket case là gì

Đối thoại

Susan: What's up, Nicole?
Nicole: I pulled an all-nighter working on my election speech.
Susan: No wonder you look like a basket case! Did you finish your speech?

Nicole: Yes, at 6 a.m.
Susan: That must be a load off your mind!

Nicole: It's not. I've got to give the speech tomorrow in front of 1,500 people. I'm a nervous wreck!
Susan: Just remember the old rule of thumb: Imagine your audience naked.

Nicole: That's gross. Why would I want to do that?
Susan: According to conventional wisdom, it'll make you less nervous.

Nicole: Only practice will do the trick.
Susan: Okay, let's hear the speech.

Nicole: Good afternoon, everyone. There are four candidates running for president. You think you have several choices. In reality, you have just one choice: me!

Susan: You can't say that. You'll turn off your audience immediately.
Nicole: It sounds like I have a big head?

Susan: I'll say!

IDIOMS - Thành ngữ

basket case [slang] - someone or something in a useless or hopeless condition.
[một ai đó hoặc một cái gì đó trong một tình trạng vô ích hay vô vọng.]

Ví dụ I: After working a 12-hour day and then coming home and cooking dinner for her family, Tanya felt like a basket case.
Ví dụ 2: After running the marathon, Brian felt like a basket case.

Lưu ý : You may also see the expression "economic basket case" to describe an economy that is doing very poorly.
Ví dụ : After years of dictatorship, North Korea is an economic basket case.

[to have a] big head - arrogant; too proud of oneself.
[kiêu ngạo, quá tự hào về bản thân]

Ví dụ I: Stop bragging so much about the award you got at work! People will think you've got a big head.
Ví dụ 2: Jenny has such a big head. No wonder nobody wants to be friends with her!

Đồng nghĩa : to be full of oneself.
Ví dụ : Joan is really full of herself. She's always talking about how smart she is.

conventional wisdom - a widely held belief; a term used to describe ideas or explanations that are generally accepted as true by the public or by experts in a field

[Niềm tin đại chúng - Những ý tưởng hay giải thích mà thường được chấp nhận là đúng của công chúng hoặc của các chuyên gia trong một lĩnh vực]

Ví dụ 1: According to conventional wisdom, a diet high in salt can cause high blood pressure.
Ví dụ 2: Challenging conventional wisdom, the psychologist said that sometimes it's healthy to be in a bad mood.

[to] do the trick - to achieve the desired results.
[đạt được kết quả mong muốn.]

Ví dụ 1: Juan changed the light bulb and said, "That should do the trick!"
Ví dụ 2: My house is difficult to find, so I'll put 10 large balloons on my mailbox on the day of the party. That should do the trick.

I'll say! - yes, definitely!
[Vâng, nhất định!; đương nhiên rồi!]

Ví dụ 1: "Did you enjoy the Madonna concert?"- "I'll say!"
Ví dụ 2: "Your sister must've been very happy after winning $50,000 in the lottery."- "I'll say!"

in reality - in fact; actually.
I Trong thực tế, thực sự]

Ví dụ 1: Ted thinks it'll be easy to become a rock star. In reality, it will take years of hard work.
Ví dụ 2: I know you think it'll be easy to get cheap tickets to a Broadway play. In reality, we'll have to wait in line for hours!

load off one's mind - a relief.
[một nhẹ nhõm]

Ví dụ 1: When Amber called Ted to tell him that she arrived home safely, it was a big load off his mind.
Ví dụ 2: Finishing her English essay was a load off Nicole's mind.

look like - have the appearance of.
[Giống như thế nào đó ... đẹp, xấu, buồn, vui, giàu , nghèo, tốt, xấu ...]

Ví dụ 1: Before agreeing to go out on a date with her, Keith wanted to know what my cousin Maria looked like.
Ví dụ 2: Please tell me what the cover of that new book looks like so it will be easier for me to find it in the bookstore.

Lưu ý : The expression "it looks like" can mean "it is likely that. .." Ví dụ : It's snowing, so it looks like the schools will be closed today.

nervous wreck - a person feeling very worried.
[một cảm giác hết sức rất căng thẳng và lo lắng.]

Ví dụ 1: Ted was a nervous wreck before his chemistry test.
Ví dụ 2: Whenever Nicole rides on the back of her friend's motorcycle, Susan is a nervous wreck.

no wonder - it's not surprising.
[không đáng ngạc nhiên chút nào]

Ví dụ 1: Brian's entire body is in pain. It's no wonder since he ran a marathon yesterday!
Ví dụ 2: No wonder you're cold- it's January and you're walking around outside without a coat!

Đồng nghĩa : small wonder.

[to] pull an all-nighter - to stay up all night to do work.
[Thức trắng cả đêm để làm việc gì đó]

Ví dụ I: Ted pulled an all-nighter to study for his chemistry test and ended up falling asleep in class the next day.
Ví dụ 2: I've got a 20-page paper due tomorrow morning, and I haven't even started writing it yet. I guess I'll be pulling an all-nighter!

rule of thumb - a useful principle.
[một nguyên tắc hữu ích]

Ví dụ I: When cooking fish, a good rule of thumb is 10 minutes in the oven for each inch of thickness.
Ví dụ 2: "Ted, as a rule of thumb, you should always plan to study for your chemistry tests for at least two hours."

[to] turn off - to cause to feel dislike or revulsion.
[Mất cảm hứng; gây ra cảm nhận khó ưa hoặc ghê tởm.]

Ví dụ I: I used to be friends with Monica, but she gossiped all the time and it really turned me off.
Ví dụ 2: At first, Sara really liked Jacob. But when he started talking about all his ex-girlfriends, she was really turned off.

Lưu ý : The noun form, tum-off, is also common and usually describes something that causes the opposite sex to respond negatively. Ví dụ : When Jake started talking about all his ex-girlfriends, it was a real turnoff for Sara.

what's up? - see Lesson 10