例句-1:So you went to Michigan, did you! Well, so did I; it's my old stomping ground too; I spent four of the best years of my life there. It's a beautiful campus with those lakes, and I really enjoyed the town of Ann Arbor - people are nice there.
例句-2:When I was in college, our most popular hangout was the tavern in the Student Union. The food was cheap and not too bad, drinks were cheap and it was a great place to hang out with women students without spending much money.
今天要学的第三个习惯用语是:neck of the woods。Neck of the woods是个相当古老的习惯用语,约莫出现在两百来年前。当时的美国人正往美洲大陆的西部迁移,开辟更美好的新生活。他们到了中意的地点就砍伐树木,在森林里开出农场来。
当时他们把在森林里开辟出来的安家落户的小小地带称为neck of the woods。Neck of the woods沿用至今意义有了转变,如今它指什么呢?我们听个例子来领会吧。说话的人要描绘自己的故乡。
例句-3:My neck of the woods is a little town in Kansas, out in the middle of wheat fields. I was born and grew up there, and didn't know anywhere else until I went away to college. I still go back once a year just to see my mother and dad.
显然这里的习惯用语neck of the woods指某人出生和成长的老家或者故乡。Neck of the woods也能泛指面积不大的邻近地区或者地段,例如在这句话里:We were down in your neck of the woods last weekend, 这句话的意思是上周末我们到你那一带去了。