実践ビジネス英語 Wednesday, December 19
1) Pearson and some of the H&B staff discuss a rewarding trip Pearson and his family just took to Bhutan, a country that emphasizes the concept of "gross national happiness" over gross domestic product. Pearson says the trip was far more valuable to him and his family than any material possessions they could have bought with the same money, and agrees with Collins that it was a life-changing experience.
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Money and Happiness (1)
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2) be dying to: We use this expression when we really, really want to do something, as in "'I'm dying to' see our new office building." Or "'I'm dying to' find out who our new supervisor is."
3) It's also common to "be dying for" something, in which case we put a noun
after the expression. For example, "'I'm dying for' a cup of coffee. I can barely keep my eyes open."
4) out of this world: Wonderful, extraordinary, as in, "My new smartphone is
'out of this world.' It's so easy to use and has all these incredible features."
5) Another common expression using "world" is "think the world of," which means we have great admiration and respect for someone or something. So you could say about a colleague, "John is dedicated, creative, generous. I really 'think the world of ' him."
6) in the equation of: Pearson is using "equation" to refer to the
mathematical calculation, Bhutan's national wealth. However, this word is
also used to refer to the different factors or elements involved in a certain
situation. For example, "Rent is only part of the equation when choosing an
apartment. We also have to consider the length of our commute. 'Are there
shopping facilities nearby?' 'Is it in a quiet neighborhood?' etc."
7) give someone a lot to think about: Pearson also could have said "the trip
gave him a lot of food for thought." In other words, provided things for him to seriously think about, consider. For example, This article about saving for retirement gave me a lot of "food for thought."
8) clutter up: Here, "clutter" is a verb, and "clutter up" means to fill some space in a messy way or with too many items. If I have a snack at my desk, for example, I try to throw away the wrapper or container as soon as I'm done. I don't want to "clutter up" my desk. There's also the adjective "cluttered." I don't like a "cluttered" desk. And "clutter" can be a noun. It's easy to misplace things if there's a lot of "clutter" on our desks.
9) tangible possession: "Tangible" has a number of meanings. Pearson uses it in the sense of having physical form, being something that can be touched. We also use "tangible" about emotions, interestingly. When they are so strong, it's like you can physically feel them. The striker's anger was "tangible," for example. Or the city's excitement over the Olympics was "tangible."
10) It can also mean actual or concrete. For example, you could say, "There are 'tangible' signs the economy is improving." That could refer to lower unemployment figures, more consumer spending, that sort of thing.
11) hop on: Collins uses this to mean get on something with an energetic sort of nuance, I think. For example, "I needed a break, so I 'hopped on' a plane to Okinawa for the weekend."
12) There's also the expression "hop to it," which means take action quickly, hurry to do something as in, "We better 'hop to it,' or we'll miss the last train."
