PETS－2语法讲解(254)

　　I wasn't cut out for teaching.
　　对 话 　　Betty: Hello Joe, I haven't seen you for years. What are you doing now?
　　Joe: I'm running my own marketing consultancy.
　　Betty: What? I thought you went into teaching.
　　Joe: Well I did originally, but I soon found out I wasn't cut out for teaching. I couldn't keep discipline.
　　Betty: Sorry to hear that. But anyway, how's business?
　　Joe: Pretty good. I've had a really good couple of years.
　　蓓蒂:喂，乔，多年没见了，你现在做什么？
　　乔:我经营自己的销售顾问公司。 　　蓓蒂:什么？我以为你做了教师。
　　乔:最初是，但我不久就发觉自己不是教书的料子。我没法维持秩序。
　　蓓蒂:真可惜。说起来，你现在的生意怎样？
　　乔:还好，过去几年实在很不错。
　　乔说: I wasn't cut out for teaching。 Cut out有 ‘裁剪’ 的意思，She is learning to cut out a dress.即‘她在学习裁剪衣服’。引申其意，to be cut out for(a job)或to be cut out to be (something)　等于说‘是从事．．．．．．的料子’，例如：(1)I think he is cut out for the legal profession --- he loves to debate.(我认为他最适宜从事法律这门专业—他喜欢辩论) 。(2)He was not cut out to be an accountant because he did not have a head for figures. (他不是做会计师的料子，因为他不擅长算术) 。
　　但假如你看见to have your work cut out (for you) to do something的说法，请不要以为‘那是最适宜你做的工作’。这成语是说‘面临困难的工作’，例如：Joe had his work cut out for him to keep discipline in his classes.（乔要维持班上学生的秩序，可不容易）。
　　以‘裁剪’比喻工作合宜的另一个说法是tailor-made。说某人最适合一份工作，或一份工作最适合某人，都可用这个字，例如：(1)The job seems tailor-made for you/for your skills and experience.（这份工作，似乎特别适合你/特别适合你的技能和经验。 (2)He is just tailor-made for the job.（他完全符合这份工作的需求）
　　说某人似乎是天生做某事的料，你还可用bear（诞生）的过去分词　(past participle) born 。 He is a born teacher/painter. (即‘他天生是个教师/画家’）