第一,迷你对话
A: Ben canceled his trip.
Ben取消了本次旅行。
B: How come?
怎么会这样呢?
A: Because General, his dog, got sick.
因为将军——他的狗生病了。
B: He's such a mother hen.
他真是个婆婆妈妈的人。
第二,地道表达
a mother hen
1. 解词释义
A mother hen是指“关心他人冷暖的人”或者“婆婆妈妈地担心他人遭遇意外的人”。Hen在这里是指“嘴碎的或爱管闲事的中年妇女”。其英文解释为:A person who fusses over others in an overprotective manner。
2. 拓展范例
E.g. Look at the way she's watering those seedlings! She fusses over them like a mother hen.
瞧她给那些幼苗浇水的样子!她常常手脚忙乱,大惊小怪的。
E.g. Li is like a mother hen, catering to the students' every need.
Li就像个妈妈一样,满足学生们的各种需求。
第三, 视野拓展
get sick:生病
E.g. Take this medicine with you in case you get sick.
如果你病了,吃这种药。
E.g. It would be good to know if you're going to get sick with something.
我们能事先知道自己会不会生什么病真好。