1. whopping 巨大;庞大

　　e.g. In 2009, when global GDP fell by 0.1% in the final year of the financial crisis, trade plunged by a whopping 13%. This year the IMF forecasts that global GDP could fall by 4.9%, i.e., 50 times more than in 2009. So why will the hit to trade probably be smaller?

　　2009年，全球GDP在金融危机的最后一年下跌0.1%，而贸易则大幅下降了13%。今年，IMF预计全球GDP可能下跌4.9%，即是2009年的50倍。所以，为什么对贸易的冲击更小了呢?

　　2. cool one's heels 坐冷板凳;空等

　　e.g. Drugmakers tell Donald Trump to cool his heels. The world’s 7.5bn people want a vaccine for covid-19 as soon as possible. One person needs it by November 3rd. As President Donald Trump limps towards election day, he wants to report real medical progress against the disease.

　　制药商让唐纳德·特朗普坐冷板凳。全世界的75亿人迫切希望能尽快研制出新冠肺炎的疫苗。还有一个人在11月3日之前就需要这个疫苗。临近选举日，唐纳德·特朗普步履维艰，他希望对抗新冠肺炎能取得真正地医疗进展。

　　3. at loggerheads 争论，有冲突

　　e.g. Tenant advocates and landlord-lobby associations, usually at loggerheads, agree on one thing – they would rather the federal government footed the bill.

　　租户律师和房东游说协会争执不下，但他们对一件事统一了意见：他们宁愿政府来买单。

　　4. come to grief 失败;遭难

　　e.g. More than once they nearly came to grief on rocky, unlit coasts. Passing Tasmania, in the worst weather of the trip, he had to haul down wet sails with a dislocated shoulder.

　　他们曾不止一次几乎在岩石嶙峋、没有灯光的海岸上遭遇不幸。经过塔斯马尼亚时，天气非常恶劣，即便肩膀脱臼，他也不得不拉下湿帆。

　　5. toll on lives 扼杀生命 (对……造成严重影响)

　　e.g. Earlier this year it seemed possible that one or two pharmaceutical firms might be able to obtain some sort of limited approval by the time Americans cast their ballots. That may still be possible. It is certainly desirable, given the pandemic’s toll on lives and livelihoods.

　　今年早些时候，(特朗普的谋算)是有可能实现的，到美国民众投票时，可能给予一两家制药公司有限的批准。特朗普现在依旧可能得偿所愿。鉴于新冠肺炎扼杀生命、损害民生，这当然可取。

　　6. par for the course 意料之中

　　e.g. More evidence of this came the same day, when AstraZeneca halted clinical trials around the world after one participant showed an adverse reaction. This may slow down vaccine development. But it is also par for the course.

　　同一天，又出现更多的证据证实声明的可信度，当天，阿斯利康停止了在世界各地开展的临床试验，此前，一名受试者出现了不良反应。这一事件可能会减缓疫苗的研发。但也在意料之中。

　　7. deus ex machina 解围的人/事件;意外介入而扭转局面的人

　　e.g. A deus ex machina of sorts has come from the Centres for Disease Control (CDC), the federal public-health agency that is occasionally the target of the president’s scorn. Arguing that evictions hasten the spread of the virus, it issued a sweeping moratorium starting on September 4th that applies to most renters nationwide.

　　美国疾病控制中心是一家联邦公共卫生机构，偶尔会受到特朗普总统的轻蔑，该机构已经有了某种扭转乾坤的力量。疾控中心认为驱逐加速了病毒传播，并为此颁布了一项全面禁止驱逐令，该法令于9月4日生效，且适用于全国大部分租客。

　　A moratorium on a particular activity or process is the stopping of it for a fixed period of time, usually as a result of an official agreement. 暂停。

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