1. 认识这个词(基础篇)
词:perfect
英英释义:to make something as good as you are able to
例句:Jiro Ono, arguably the best living Japanese sushi chef, has devoted his entire life to perfecting the art of sushi.
2. 体会这个词 (进阶篇)
“perfect”既可以作形容词也可以作动词,作动词的意思是“使......完美、提高”,可以和 improve 同义替换。略有不同的是,perfect 更能体现一个人的决心和持久力,有精益求精、匠人之心的意思。从 perfect 的动词意思也可以看得出,它后面经常会接 skill, technique 等词。
注意:perfect 作形容词的读音是/ˈpəːfɪkt/;作动词时,它的读音和重音都会发生变化,读成/pəˈfɛkt/。
下面来看几个例句。
日本寿司之神小野次郎穷尽一生精进寿司手艺,用英语可以这么表达:
Jiro Ono, arguably the best living Japanese sushi chef, has devoted his entire life to perfecting the art of sushi. (这句话中的 art 也有 skill 的意思,比如还有 the art of public speaking, the art of persuasion, the art of acting 等)
奥巴马是在大学时期不断提高自己的口才的,就可以说:
It was in college that Barack Obama perfected the art of oratory/public speaking.
Sherry 老师一直在找机会精进自己的咖啡拉花(latte art)技术,我们就可以这么写:
Sherry has taken every opportunity to perfect her latte art.
NBA 球星史蒂芬•库里以出色的运球技能闻名,可能没有谁比他在运球上更追求精益求精了:
When it comes to perfecting the dribbling technique, perhaps no other basketball player has worked harder than Stephen Curry, a six-time NBA All-Star.
3. 从认识到会用(作业)
1)翻译下面的句子:
他是在德国读本科期间提高了自己的德语能力。
It was during his undergraduate years in Germany that he perfected his German.
(参考翻译:It was during his undergraduate years in Germany that he perfected his German.)
2)结合自己的生活、学习、工作、兴趣等,想象在什么语境下会用到这个表达。先简要描述这个场景,再造句。
例子: 制鞋
场景:From the attic of his cramped old factory in the middle of Northampton, Stephen Etheridge, the head of Church’s, a shoemaker, gazes down on the deserted bus station next door. He explains how his company will soon be expanding to fill the four-acre (1.5-hectare)site, creating 100 or so jobs in the process. The move has caused a stir in Northampton, about 70 miles north of London, as it is the first time in living memory that a shoe company is growing rather than closing. The recent success of a venerable old firm like Church’s, founded in 1873, reflects a wider revival of Northampton’s luxury shoemakers, buoyed by the insatiable Asian appetite for a bit of old English craft and class. There was a time when the city of Northampton and its surrounding towns did little else but perfect the art of producing shoes.