前些日子我在电视购物频道上看到一种面霜，号称美白效果特别好。我赶紧买value了一瓶。结果用value了快3个月了，一点效果也没有。而且看起来挺大一瓶，实际上里面的面霜就那么一点点! 唉，我对这个产品失望透顶，不过这也让我想到一个习惯用语value：at face value.
01
● At face value的意思是“根据外表，从表面上看”。
电视购物频道播广告卖面霜，I accepted all those claims about its effectiveness at face value, 我把面霜功效的广告词当真了。
02
下面这段话就谈到了一个很多人喜欢的消遣--打电玩，到底这是不是一个健康的活动呢value？我们来听一听：
●At face value, playing video games seems like harmless fun. Yet psychologists recognize that it can be a real problem. About 8.5% of boys play for more than two hours a day. They often lose interest in other activities and people, gain weight and lose sleep. Their overuse of video games might require professional help.
这段话是说：从表面上看，打电玩似乎是一种完全无害的娱乐活动。不过，心理学家们发现，打电玩可以带来真正的问题。大约百分之8点5的男孩子每天打电玩超过两小时，他们经常会对其它的活动和人失去兴趣，还会长胖，缺少睡眠。他们过分沉溺在电玩中，可能需要专业人士帮助才能脱瘾。
听说现在有专门的治疗中心，帮助这些打电玩成瘾的人。
03
英语里有个谚语，叫looks can be deceiving, 意思是“外表可能会骗人”。这让我想到2008年美国总统大选共和党的副总统候选人佩林。她现在虽然不当州长了，但写书、上电视，忙得很。从表面上看，她人气很旺，可是最近一个民调结果却显示，美国人对她并不怎么喜欢，就连她老家阿拉斯加的民众对她也并不热情。这也许又证明了，凡事不能看表面。我们来听一听下面这个句子：
● We were shocked when Ms. Rogers suddenly retired. The new CEO claimed that she had decided to spend more time with her family. But I didn't take that explanation at face value. Before long, we discovered the truth: Ms. Rogers had been forced out of her position by her successor.
这段话意思是：罗杰斯女士突然宣布退休时，我们都吃了一惊。新的行政总裁说，罗杰斯女士退休是想花更多的时间陪家里人。不过，我可没把这种说法当真。不久，我们就发现了真相，罗杰斯女士是被她的继任者挤兑走的。
办公室里常有这样的争斗和勾心斗角，还好，我和我老板关系很不。
温
故
知
新
Despite my pain, the doctors put me ____.
A. in the back burner
B. of the back burner
C. at the back burner
D. on the back burner
It proved to be much more demanding than she anticipated. That was her __A__.
A. baptism by fire刚做某事时受到的严峻考验
B. baptism on fire
C. baptism in fire
D. baptism to fire
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