7.drop in the bucket：滄海一粟，九牛一毛，杯水車薪

　　Paraphrase: something is so small that it won't make any noticeable difference.

　　TPO: T12L4 – Environmental Science

　　It can generate 194 megawatts of electric power, but that’s just a drop in the bucket.

　　它能產生194兆瓦的電量，但是也是杯水車薪。

　　8.for the birds：毫無意義的

　　Paraphrase: worthless or ridiculous

　　TPO: T8L1 – Animal Behavior

　　Studies have been done on the reproductive success rates for the birds in both areas, and the result showed surprisingly that the reproductive success was essentially the same in both areas – the preferred and the second choice habitat.

　　關于繁殖的成功率的研究結論是毫無價值的，結果令人震驚地表明，繁殖的成功率在首選和第二選擇的棲息地中本質上是一樣的

　　9.from scratch：白手起家，從頭做起

　　Paraphrase: from the beginning

　　TPO: T4C2 – Student & Professor

　　But we've got all the sources and its due next week. We don’t have time to start from scratch.

　　但是我們已經找好各種資料了，截止日期是下周，我們已經沒有時間重新來過了。

　　10.get a handle on：控制，掌握，駕馭，左右

　　Paraphrase: get something under control

　　TPO: T25L4 – Animal Behavior

　　Apparently,it also contributes to the development of a brain that's flexible, a brain that's quickly able to get a handle on unfamiliar situations.

　　很顯然，它對大腦靈活、快速的適應陌生環(huán)境有著重要幫助。

　　11.heavenly body：天體

　　Paraphrase: planet

　　TPO: T18L1 – Astronomy

　　That's because of their belief at the time that the heavenly bodies, the Sun,Moon,Stars and Planets, were perfect, without any flaws or blemishes.

　　這是因為他們堅信所有的行星，太陽，月亮等等，都是完美無瑕的。

　　12.high and low：到處

　　Paraphrase:everywhere

　　TPO: T5C1 – Student & Counselor at the University Counseling Center

　　And it so happened that the cellist graduated last year. They’ve been searching high and low for a replacement, someone with experience.

　　大提琴手去年畢業(yè)了，他們到處尋找有經驗的接班人。

　　13.how come：為什么，怎么會

　　Paraphrase: disbelief or surprise

　　TPO:T26L3 – Astronomy

　　I mean, how come Halley’s is still there? After four and a half billion years. How could it be?

　　我意思是，經過了45億年哈雷彗星怎么還在那，怎么可能?

　　14.let alone：更不必說;不打擾

　　Paraphrase: to say nothing of…

　　TPO: T22L2 – Astronomy

　　we know the Sun’s current rate of mass loss, but if we assume that this rate has been steady over the last four billion years, the young Sun wouldn’t have been massive enough to have warmed Earth, let alone Mars, not enough to have caused liquid water.

　　我們知道太陽現(xiàn)在質量在衰減，如果我們假設太陽質量衰減的速度是恒定的，那么經過40億年，太陽將不再有足夠的質量給地球提供熱量，更不用說火星了，這些熱量都不夠形成液態(tài)水。

　　15.off the hook：擺脫困境;脫身

　　Paraphrase: avoid sth.

　　TPO: T15C2 – Student & Biology Professor

　　And that's supposed to be a quiet environment? Not exactly. My brother and parents try to keep it down when I am studying, but the phone pretty much rings off the hook, so ...

　　本該是一個很安靜的環(huán)境吧?事實卻不是這樣，在我學習的時候都爸爸和哥哥放低聲音，但是電話卻響個不停。

　　16.pros and cons：利弊

　　Paraphrase: advantages & disadvantages

　　TPO: The question is how. I mean no one really thinks that, say a bee goes through weighing the pros and cons of pollinating this flower or that flower.

　　問題在于怎樣做到的。沒有人會認為蜜蜂給花朵授粉的時候會去權衡一下這朵花和那朵花的利弊。

　　17.put two and two together：根據(jù)事實推理

　　Paraphrase: reach acorrect conclusion from the evidence; making inference

　　TPO: T3L4 – Astronomy

　　Sohe put two and two together, and decided there was an element in the sun that hadn’t been discovered here on the earth yet.

　　所以他根據(jù)現(xiàn)有情況推斷，太陽里有一種元素是我們至今都沒有發(fā)現(xiàn)的。

　　18.rule of thumb：經驗法則

　　Paraphrase: approximately

　　TPO: T2C1 – Student & Professor

　　.. like your parents. That’s usually my rule of thumb: would my parents understand this?

　　例如你的父母。按我的經驗我會問一句，我的父母能理解嗎?

　　19.spot on：完全正確

　　Paraphrase: exactly right

　　TPO:T29L4 – Structural Engineering

　　There’sa reason I mentioned that figure of 36,000 kilometers. That’s about how high an object would have to be orbiting straight up from the equator to constantly remain directly above the exact same spot on the rotating planet Earth.

　　就像我剛提到的，36000公里是近地同步衛(wèi)星的最低軌道高度。

　　20.take for granted：認為…理所當然

　　Paraphrase: assume sth.Is real for sure

　　TPO: T24L3 – Archeology

　　Today we take for granted that there horizontal bands of plant communities.

　　今天我們認為植物帶的水平分布是理所當然的。

　　21.tall order：離譜的要求，苛求

　　Paraphrase: hard to achieve or fulfill

　　TPO: T5C2 – Student & Professor

　　It's still a pretty tall order, and we will be moving right along, so you will really need to stay on top of it.

　　這始終是個苛刻的要求，我們要一直保持前進，你就必須保持在巔峰狀態(tài)。

　　22.tongue in cheek：不是認真的，虛情假意的

　　Paraphrase:not seriously

　　TPO:T12L1 – Biology

　　That's the so-called JUNK DNA. Though the word junk is used sort of tongue in cheek.

　　這就是所謂的“無用DNA”，不過junk一詞在這里有點嘲弄的意思。