小故事

Tit for Tat
针锋相对
An American lady traveling in England some years ago, got into an compartment of a smoking carriage where an Englishman was smoking a pipe. For a short time she sat quietly expecting that the Englishman would stop smoking. But then she began to cough and sneeze, trying to show him that she objected to the smoke. At last, seeing that the man took no notice of her and did not put out his pipe, she said:
几年前，一位美国女子在英国旅行，她上了一节吸烟车厢。车厢内有位男士抽着烟斗。她坐了一会儿并未出声，指望那英国男人会停止抽烟，但没见有反应，于是她就开始装咳嗽和打喷嚏，示意她对在车厢内吸烟很反感。最后，看到那男人毫不理睬，仍然继续抽他的烟，她就只好开腔了。
"If you were a gentleman you would stop smonking when a lady got into the carriage."
“如果您是位绅士，见到一位女士进入车厢，您就应该停止吸烟。”
"If you were a lady," replied the Englishman, "you wouldn't get into a smoking-carriage."
那英国男人答道：“如果您是淑女，那就不该到吸烟车厢里来。”
"If you were my husband," said the American lady angrily, "I'll give you poison."
“如果你是我的丈夫，”美国女士生气了，“我就给你毒药吃。”
The Englishman looked at her for a minute or two, "Well," he said at last, "if I were your husband, I would take it."
那英国男人盯着她看了一会儿，最后说：“如果我是你的丈夫，我就把毒药吃下去。”

重点讲解

重点讲解：
1. tit for tat
针锋相对；以牙还牙，一报还一报；
eg. I told her if she did me any harm I would return tit for tat.
我告诉她，如果她伤害我，我会对她以牙还牙。
eg. And this behavior is likely to trigger a series of tit for tat expulsions with each other.
而这一行为很可能会引发一系列针锋相对的互相驱逐行为。
2. object to
不喜欢；不赞成；反对；
eg. I do object to their claim, which I find totally unsubstantiated.
我强烈反对他们的说法，那是毫无根据的。
eg. I object to letting the matter stand over any longer.
我反对再把这事拖延下去。
3. take no notice of
不关注；不理会；
eg. They took no notice of him, he did not stand out, he was in no way remarkable.
他们没在意他，他并不突出，一点也不引人注目。
eg. Take no notice of his threats they're sheer bravado.
别理会他的威胁--完全是虚张声势。
4. at last
终于；最后；到底；
eg. The big moment has come at last!
重要的时刻终于到来了！
eg. The two sides come to reconciliation at last.
这两方最后讲和了。
5. put out
熄灭；
eg. She was rushing around madly trying to put out the fire.
她疯了似地跑来跑去，试图把火扑灭。
eg. Would passengers please put out cigarettes before the commencement of the flight.
请乘客在飞机起飞前熄灭香烟。