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学习“Fire On All Cylinders”:表达巅峰表现的英语习语

你准备好学习让你的英语更加生动的表达方式了吗?今天,我们要探讨“Fire On All Cylinders”这个习语。这个充满活力的短语非常适合形容某人或某物处于最佳状态。理解并掌握“Fire On All Cylinders”能显著提升你的流利度,让你听起来更像地道的英语使用者。在本篇文章中,你会了解它的含义、用法、适用时机、常见错误、同义表达以及实用例句,帮助你掌握像这样富有活力的英语习语。

Illustration representing 'Fire On All Cylinders' with dynamic gears and sparks to show peak performance

目录

“Fire On All Cylinders”是什么意思?

习语“Fire On All Cylinders”表示以最高效率、精力或效果运作或工作。当某人或某物“firing on all cylinders”时,意味着他们工作或表现得非常出色,达到最佳产出。这个有力的短语源自发动机所有缸体都运转良好的形象,常用来形容人、团队,甚至机器展现巅峰表现。想要学习富有活力与成功含义的英语表达,理解该短语非常关键。

它暗示所有部分都协调有力地协同运作,就像发动机的每个缸体共同输出最大动力。使用这个习语可以为你的英语习语库添加生动而有冲击力的表达。

什么时候应该使用“Fire On All Cylinders”?

知道何时使用“Fire On All Cylinders”能让你的表达听起来自然且精准。适合在你想形容某人能发挥巅峰水平,或者某个项目以最高效率推进的场景。这一习语通常用于正面语境,既适合非正式也适合半正式对话。用来夸奖优秀表现或形容某事帮助你高效工作的绝佳方式。

常见的适用情景:

  • 描述个人: 当某人极具效率、精力充沛、专注时。例如,"After her morning coffee, Sarah was firing on all cylinders and finished the report in record time."
  • 谈论团队: 当团队协作有效,取得卓越成果。例如,"The development team is firing on all cylinders to meet the project deadline."
  • 指企业或项目: 当公司或项目运作顺畅、成功且满负荷进行。例如,"With the new marketing strategy, the company is finally firing on all cylinders."
  • 形容机器或系统: 虽然现在用于字面意思较少,但仍可以描述系统运作完美无瑕。例如,"The new server is firing on all cylinders, handling all the web traffic without a glitch."

避免使用的场合:

  • 极为正式场合: 在非常正式的学术论文或官方文件中,除非特别讨论习语,否则建议用更直白表达。
  • 消极语境: 该习语本意传播巅峰表现,用来形容失败可能令人生疑或带有讽刺意味(而讽刺对学习者而言有难度)。
  • 字面发动机讨论(大多数情况下): 虽然起源是机械,但如今多为比喻用法。如果你是机械师谈论实际引擎,更常用技术术语,除非有意幽默地引用习语。

常见错误

以下是英语学习者在使用“Fire On All Cylinders”时常见的错误及其纠正方法:

常见错误错误原因/说明正确用法/如何纠正
介词用错:如 "He is firing in all cylinders."该习语必须用介词 "on"。"He is firing on all cylinders."
用于消极情境:如 "The project is failing; it's firing on all cylinders."这前后矛盾。习语本意是表现极其优秀。对于失败,应该用如 "falling apart" 或 "grinding to a halt" 这样的表达。
错误理解强度:如 "My old car is firing on all cylinders just to start."该习语表达巅峰表现,而不仅仅是艰难运转。如果表达尽管年久但表现出色也成立,需注意语境。如果艰难:"My old car is struggling to start." 如意外表现好:"Amazingly, my old car is still firing on all cylinders after all these years."
过于字面理解:如仅理解为与汽车引擎相关。虽然源于机械,但现多用于比喻——泛指巅峰状态或最高效率。把握其引申义:指以最大能力或效率表现。

“Fire On All Cylinders”怎么用?

从语法看,“Fire On All Cylinders”是一种动词短语。通常位于主语之后,并可根据时态变化(如"is firing"、"was firing"、"will fire")。核心短语“fire on all cylinders”保持不变。正确使用它可以让你的表达更生动,并提升沟通中“高效工作”的描述能力。

以下是几个常见例句:

  1. "After a slow start to the season, the team is now firing on all cylinders and winning every game."
  2. "She really needs to be firing on all cylinders tomorrow for her big presentation."

最常用的句式和结构

理解如何将“Fire On All Cylinders”灵活应用到句子中,会让你用习语更加自然。以下为常见句型:

结构/句式使用"Fire On All Cylinders"的例句简要说明
主语 + be动词 + firing on all cylinders"The marketing department is firing on all cylinders this quarter."最常见形式,经常用进行时描述持续的巅峰表现。
主语 + start/begin + to fire on all cylinders"Once the new software was installed, the whole system started to fire on all cylinders."表示巅峰表现的开始。
主语 + 情态动词 + fire on all cylinders"With a clear plan and enough resources, we can fire on all cylinders."与 can/will/should/must 等情态动词搭配,用于表达能力、意图、建议或必要性。
to fire on all cylinders(不定式短语)"Our main goal for this project is to fire on all cylinders from day one."不定式常用于目标、目的或意图。
When/If + 主语 + be动词 + firing on all cylinders"When the whole team is firing on all cylinders, there's no limit to what we can achieve."用于条件或时间状语从句。

“Fire On All Cylinders”的同义词及相关表达

虽然“Fire On All Cylinders”是一个极佳的习语,但还有其他表达类似意思的方式。掌握这些表达能丰富你的词汇量、帮助你体会细微差别。以下是一些相关同义/近义习语:

同义/相关表达语气/适用场合说明例句
Be in top form泛用、积极,多用来指个人精神或身体状态极好。"The athlete is in top form for the upcoming championship."
Perform at one's peak略正式,着重于达到最高表现水平。"She performed at her peak during the critical presentation and impressed everyone."
Be on a roll非正式,表示持续成功、气势如虹、运气极好。"He's won five games in a row; he's really on a roll!"
Give it 110%非正式,突出全力以赴,常带有夸张成分。"The entire cast gave it 110% on opening night, and the show was a hit."
Work like a charm非正式,常指机器/计划/解决方案效果非常好、顺利无阻。"The new scheduling software works like a charm; our appointments are so organized now."
Go great guns非正式,英式英语常用,意指非常成功且迅速地完成某事。"The construction project is going great guns and should be finished ahead of schedule."
Be in the zone非正式,描述专注力或表现力极强,常用于创作、运动等领域。"The writer was in the zone, and the words just flowed onto the page."

英语对话示例

观察“Fire On All Cylinders”在真实对话中的运用,会极大帮助你的理解。下面是几个简短英语对话:

对话1:在办公室

  • Liam: "Morning, Chloe! You seem incredibly focused today."
  • Chloe: "I am! I had a really productive planning session yesterday, and now I feel like I'm firing on all cylinders with this new project."
  • Liam: "That's great to hear! I could use some of that energy. My tasks feel overwhelming."
  • Chloe: "Maybe a quick break and then a clear to-do list? Helps me get going!"

对话2:讨论运动队

  • Aisha: "Did you watch the game last night? Our team was unbelievable!"
  • Ben: "Absolutely! From the first minute, they were firing on all cylinders. Every pass was perfect, and the defense was solid."
  • Aisha: "I know! If they keep playing like that, they're definitely going to win the league."

对话3:谈论创意项目

  • Maria: "How's your band's new album coming along, Sam?"
  • Sam: "It's going brilliantly, thanks! We had a breakthrough in the studio last week, and now everyone is just firing on all cylinders. The music sounds amazing."
  • Maria: "That's fantastic news! I can't wait to hear it when it's released."
  • Sam: "We're hoping to perform at peak level for the launch concert too!"

练习时间!

准备好检测你对“Fire On All Cylinders”的理解和运用了吗?来试试这些有趣又实用的小练习吧!选择你觉得适合的练习进行尝试。

1. 快速小测验!

任务: 在下列句子/选项中选择“Fire On All Cylinders”的正确含义或用法。

  • Question 1: When a business is described as 'firing on all cylinders,' it means it is...

    • a) Experiencing many problems and likely to fail.
    • b) Operating at its maximum potential and very successfully.
    • c) Literally on fire due to an accident.
  • Question 2: "To ensure the new product launch is a success, the entire team needs to ______ ."

    • a) cut corners
    • b) fire on all cylinders
    • c) drag their feet
  • Question 3: The idiom 'Fire On All Cylinders' most closely relates to:

    • a) A state of confusion or chaos.
    • b) A literal engine problem involving cylinders.
    • c) A state of high efficiency and optimal performance.

(Scroll down for answers)

2. 习语配对小游戏

任务: 将A栏中的句子开头与B栏正确的结尾配对,组成逻辑完整的句子(均与“Fire On All Cylinders”相关)。

提示:请将A栏开头与B栏正确结尾配对:

A栏(句子开头)B栏(句子结尾)
1. After a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast,a) the project quickly moved towards successful completion.
2. With every department collaborating seamlessly andb) the star player was firing on all cylinders.
3. Throughout the championship game,c) she felt ready to fire on all cylinders at work.
4. The new manager inspired the team, and soon they were alld) firing on all cylinders to meet their targets.

(Scroll down for answers)


Quiz Answers:

  1. b) Operating at its maximum potential and very successfully.
  2. b) fire on all cylinders
  3. c) A state of high efficiency and optimal performance.

Idiom Match-Up Game Answers: 1-c, 2-a, 3-b, 4-d

结语:巧妙表达巅峰表现

掌握像“Fire On All Cylinders”这样的习语,是让英语变得更加生动、富有表现力与地道的绝佳方式。它让你用形象生动的语言表达巅峰表现与高效率,这也是英语母语者十分熟悉和欣赏的表达。将这样的习惯表达融入你的词汇中,既能让你表达更流利,也更能体会语言的文化内涵和描述力量。

坚持练习,多在对话、电影和文章中留心这些用法。很快你也能自信地使用这样的表达,让你的英语沟通真正高效!你觉得现在生活中哪方面最希望能“firing on all cylinders”?或者你最喜欢用哪个习语来形容巅峰表现?欢迎在评论区分享你的想法!