迷你对话：

A: What did you say when she told you the news?

当她告诉你这个消息时，你说什么？

B: I clammed up. And finally, I asked her to chew the cud for such an important decision. I could not have the heart to disappoint her with a blunt refusal.

我没说话，最后，我叫她仔细考虑这个重要的决定。我不忍心直接拒绝她，让她失望。

A: But I put my foot down and insisted on her forgetting that.

但是我坚决反对她，坚持要她忘了那件事情。

B: How could have the heart to do that? She needs warmth and help.

你怎么忍心这样做呢？她需要关心和帮助。

地道表达：

have the heart to do something

解词释义：

not have the heart to do something的本义是“没有勇气去做某事”，现在多用来表示“不忍心去做某事”。此语的肯定式是have the heart to do something（忍心做某事）。

支持范例：

She didn't have the heart to break the bad news to her daughter.

她不忍心把这个坏消息告诉她的女儿。

I didn't have the heart to tell my daughter we couldn't keep the puppy.

我不忍心告诉女儿我们不能收留那只小狗。

I did not have the heart to refuse the child's request.

我不忍心拒绝孩子的要求。

I'm serious. How can you have the heart to laugh at me?

我跟你说正经话，你倒笑我，真没有良心。

词海拾贝：

1. clam up

讲解：If someone clams up, they stop talking, often because they are shy or to avoid giving away secrets. 翻译成中文为： (常因害羞或避免说漏嘴)不再开口，闭口不言。

例句：As soon as I told her my name, she clammed up.

我告诉她我的名字后，她就什么也不说了。

You should not clam up on him.

你不应该拒绝跟他谈话。

Whenever John walked by, Mary got so nervous she would just clam up.

每当约翰走过时，玛丽总是紧张得说不出话来。

The secret for successful marriage is to clam up during a disagreement.

成功婚姻的秘诀,就是当双方意见不合时，闭上嘴巴。

2. chew the cud：反刍，深思

Eg. After retirement, he has enough time to chew the cud of his past.

退休以后, 他有足够的时间来回想回想过去。

Eg. We needed a few more meetings to chew the cud on some tough decisions.

我们需要再召开一些会议，深思一些艰难的决定。

Eg. I will no longer chew the cud of misfortune that fate ekes out to us.

我将不再反复地思考命运给我们的不幸。

Eg. I chewed the cud for a couple of days before deciding to refuse your offer.

我反复思考了二三天后才决定拒绝你的提议。

3. with a refusal：以拒绝的方式

Eg. My plan met with a refusal.

我的计划遭到拒绝。

4. put one’s foot down：坚决反对

Eg. The boy wanted to quit school, but his father put his foot down.

男孩想退学但他的父亲坚决反对。

Eg. John didn't want to practice his piano lesson, but Mother put her foot down.

约翰不想练钢琴，但母亲坚持要他练。

Eg. The father didn't like his son staying out at night, so he put his foot down and forbade him to do it again.

父亲不喜欢儿子在外夜宿不归，所以他斩钉截铁地禁止他再那样做。

4. insist on：坚持，坚决要求

Eg. If you insist on leaving now , please go ahead.

你一定要走, 那就请便吧。

Eg. The tourists insist on keeping to their plan.

旅行者坚持按旅行计划行事。

Eg. I must insist on your giving me a straightforward answer.

我一定要你给我一个直截了当的回答。

Eg. We must insist on strict compliance with the regulations.

我们必须坚持不违反规定。