美国人怎么说：拍马屁

DN: 杨琳, what are you reading？

YL: 我在看一本畅销小说，讲的是白领们在公司里奋斗的事儿。

DN: But you're still a college student. Why are you interested in the life of office workers?

YL: 先学习啊! 我看了这书才知道，这小小的办公室里有那么多明争暗斗! 对了，Donny, 用美语怎么形容办公室里的勾心斗角啊？

DN: You can use the term "office politics."

YL: 哦! Office 是办公室，politics是政治，office politics办公室政治，就是指同事之间的勾心斗角喽。

DN: Yes. Office politics are very common at the workplace. Some people say the office is like a modern jungle, and only the fittest can survive.

YL: 啊？你说办公室是现代丛林，适者才能生存？可以想像......虽然我还没上过班，可即使在学校，处理同学间的关系也是门学问。

DN: For example?

YL: 比如，我们组长就特爱拍老师马屁，大家都不喜欢她。对了，这拍马屁美语怎么说？

DN: You can use the phrase "to suck up to somebody". For example, your team leader sucks up to the teachers, so other students don't like her.

YL: 大家都说，千穿万穿，马屁不穿，一点没错。老师对我们组长可好了，偏心!

DN: Hmm, teachers are not supposed to play favorites. That's unfair to other students.

YL: 哎？你说的play favorites就是偏心的意思嘛？

DN: That's right.

YL: 可是，上司，家长，老师都难免play favorites, 有偏心的时候。唉! 看来哪里都有politics啊!

DN: 别感慨了。说说你今天都学了什么吧!

YL: 第一，办公室里的权力斗争是 office politics；

第二，拍某人的马屁是 suck up to someone；

第三：偏心是play favorites.