Michael Chugani 褚简宁 - to know something like the back of your hand｜又中又英

Manhattan in New York City is a lively place with many things to do. There are restaurants that serve American, Italian, Chinese, Greek, Mexican, Indian, Japanese, and even Afghan food. Pizza and burger restaurants are plentiful. Central Park is huge, with lakes and ponds where people can row boats, bicycle lanes, and playgrounds for children. I can walk to one of the many entrances from my apartment in 15 minutes. The four-mile long Riverside Park, which faces the Hudson River, is ten minutes away by walking. Mid-town Manhattan has many live Broadway shows. Harry Potter, The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, and MJ, which is the life story of Michael Jackson, are some of the live shows now on Broadway.

Even though there are so many things to do, Manhattan can be a lonely place if you are all by yourself. I live alone in my younger brother's apartment. He and his wife live in Delaware. Over the past few months I have become increasingly bored and lonely. I have just one friend in Manhattan but he is in poor health and seldom goes out. I have been to Central Park and Riverside Park so many times that I know them like the back of my hand. To know something like the back of your hand means to know it completely.

I know all the different parts of Central Park and Riverside Park because I go for long walks in one or the other daily. That's why both parks are getting a little boring for me. To escape boredom I watch Netflix every evening. In one movie about a court case someone used the expression “open and shut case”. An open and shut case is a court case that is very simple and likely to be decided very quickly. If you admit to punching someone in the face, the judge can quickly decide if you should go to jail or be fined. The expression can also be used to describe a problem that can be solved easily.
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　纽约市的曼哈顿是个充满活力的地方，有很多事情可以做。这里的餐厅有美国、意大利、中国、希腊、墨西哥、印度、日本甚至阿富汗的菜肴。卖薄饼和汉堡包的餐厅非常多。中央公园偌大，还有湖泊池塘供人划船，又有单车径和儿童游乐场。从我住的单位走到公园的其中一个入口，才不过十五分钟。走十分钟，就可到达那全长四英里的河滨公园，它面向哈德逊河。曼哈顿中城有许多百老汇音乐剧在上演。《哈利波特》、《狮子王》、《歌声魅影》，以及《MJ》，演的是米高‧积逊的生平事迹——这些都是现正于百老汇上演，芸芸音乐剧中的一些。

虽然曼哈顿有许多事情可做，但若你是独自一人，它仍可以是个寂寞的地方。我现在在我弟弟的单位里一个人住。他和他太太在特拉华州居住。过去几个月，我愈发感到沉闷和寂寞。在曼哈顿我只有一个朋友，但他健康欠佳，很少外出。中央公园和河滨公园我已到过无数遍，次数多得我know them like the back of my hand——to know something like the back of your hand是对某事物了如指掌。

我熟知中央公园与河滨公园的各个部份，因为我每天不是去这个就是去另一个，散长长的步。因此对我来说这两个公园亦开始变得有点乏味了。为了排遣无聊沉闷的心情，我每晚都会观看Netflix。在一套关于一单官司的电影里，有人用上习语“open and shut case”。An open and shut case是指一宗很单纯、看来亦很快可以裁决的案件。若你承认你拳打某人的脸，法官可以很快决定你要入狱还是判罚款。这个习语也可以用来形容一个问题很容易解决。
中译：七刻
Michael Chugani 褚简宁