最后一根稻草
The last/final straw
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English.
大家好，欢迎收听BBC英语教学的地道英语。
I'm Neil.
我是尼尔。
Hello, I'm Helen.
大家好，我是海伦。
Neil, can I ask you about something?
尼尔，我能问你一些事情吗？
Yeah, sure.
嗯，当然。
What’s on your mind?
你心里在想什么呢？
Well, Theodora and Alma are my best friends,
嗯，西奥多拉和阿尔玛是我最好的朋友，
but they are not talking to each other because of a straw.
但却因为一根稻草不跟彼此说话了。
They are not getting on because of a straw?
她们因为一根稻草不相处了？
Are you sure you heard it right?
你确定你听的对吗？
Yes, Alma said to me when Theodora didn't come to her party,
是的，阿尔玛对我说，当西奥多拉没有来她的聚会时，
it was the last straw.
这就是最后一根稻草了。
I don't understand.
我不理解。
What could a straw do?
一根稻草能做什么呢？
Oh, Alma was just using an expression.
噢，阿尔玛只是用了一个短语。
What she really meant was,
她真正的意思是，
things were not going well between them because of things that had happened in the past.
她们两人之间的事情进展得不顺利是因为过去已经发生的事情。
Well Theodora did miss quite a few of our gatherings.
西奥多拉确实错过了我们的不少聚会。
When Theodora didn't come to Alma's party,
西奥多拉不来阿尔玛聚会的时候，
that was the final thing that made Alma really angry,
是使阿尔玛真正生气的最后一件事情，
giving up on their friendship.
放弃了她们之间的友谊。
Oh, I see, so the last straw means the last thing or event that caused the total melt down.
噢，我懂了，因此最后一根稻草的意思是说使得彻底垮台的最后一件事情或事件。
That's right,
对，
we often hear the phrase 'the last straw',
我们经常听到“最后一根稻草”这个短语，
when people are talking about repeated problems or issues that aren't getting better,
当人们再三谈论一些没有好转的问题和事情时，
then the smallest thing happens,
发生了一件微不足道的事情，
people finally lose their composure and explode.
人们最终也会不再沉着冷静，而是爆发了。
I see.
我明白了。
Let’s hear how it's used.
让我们来听听这个短语是怎么用的吧。
I've never seen you so angry.
我从没见过你这么生气。
I have had such a bad day.
我这一天过得太不顺利了。
I woke up late and rushed out of the house,
我起晚了，从家里冲出去，
then missed my bus by seconds,
却晚了几秒错过了公交车，
got in to work and was told there would be no pay rise this year.
工作的时候被告知今年不会有任何加薪。
When the dinner lady said I put too much salad on my plate,
当餐厅女服务员说我往碟子里放了太多沙拉的时候，
it was the last straw.
这就是使我无法忍受的最后一击了。
The paper factory has struggled to stay open in the last few years;
在过去几年里，造纸厂努力开门营业，
the new tax charge was the last straw,
但新税费是最终导致其失败的原因，
forcing it to shut down after 30 years in business.
使得造纸厂在营业30年后被迫关闭。
Just so you know.
只是想要你知道。
Some people also say 'the final straw',
一些人也会说“最终的一根稻草”，
and it means the same as 'the last straw'.
意思和“最后一根稻草”是一样的。
Thanks for the clarification.
谢谢说明。
I do hope my friends can resolve their differences.
我确实很希望我朋友能解决她们之间的分歧。
Friendship is worth saving.
友谊值得挽回。
Absolutely.
没错。
Bye.
再见。