There's been a shake-up.
我们俗称公司内/机构内一些重大的人事变更或大改革为地震,英文也有类似的说法:There's been a shake-up. (公司里有大改革/大变动),或者可以说:The company has restructured. (公司改组),人事变动有涉及升职或降职:I got promoted/demoted. (我被升职/降职)。
对 话
Rita: What's wrong? Everyone looks like they are shook up.
Shawn: The new manager has made some drastic changes.There's been a shake-up.
Rita: So lots of people have lost their jobs? That's just awful.
Shawn: No, it's much worse than that. Everyone still has a job but he's cut the morning coffee break out. We're all going through caffeine withdrawal. I can't keep my hand still at all.
莉达:为什么人人看来都心绪不宁?
尚伟:新来的经理作了重大的改革,公司里有大变动。
莉达:那么很多人被辞退吗?真的很糟糕。
尚伟:不,比这个更糟。没有人被辞退,只是他取消了早上的咖啡时间,人人在捱戒咖啡因之苦,我不能让手不抖动。
尚伟的公司取消喝咖啡时间,尚伟诉苦说:There's been a shake-up. We're all going through caffeine withdrawal(有大变动,人人在捱戒咖啡因之苦)。难怪莉达说:Everyone looks like they are shook up(人人看来都心绪不宁)。
Shake-up或shakeup是名词,指机构、制度等的改组或整顿,例如:(1) There was a company shakeup, and many lost their jobs.(公司改组,不少人失业了)。(2) The civil service needs a major shakeup.(公务员编制应大大整顿一下)。Shake up 也可以作动词,例如:The new board of directors has shaken up the company. (新的董事会把公司改组了)。留意shake的过去式是shook,过去分词(past participle)是shaken。
读者也许会问:Everyone looks like they are shook up一语,are之后为什么不用分词shaken而用Shook?原来shake up假如解作 ‘使心烦意乱’,那shake字的过去分词作shook或shaken都可以,例如:She was badly shook/shaken up by her mother's death.(母亲去世,令她心情十分恶劣)。此外shook就不可作分词用。
以shakeup说 ‘改组’,是俗语用法;严谨的说法是reorganization,例如:The civil service needs a major reorganization、The new board of directors has reorganized the company。
最后说withdrawal。‘停服(兴奋剂等)’英文叫withdraw,名词是withdrawal,例如:It is difficult to withdraw from nicotine/withdrawal from nicotine is difficult(要戒掉尼古丁瘾可不容易)