We had a devil of a job persuading her not to leave. 我們費了很大勁勸說她留下。

an ambitious strategy for managing health care 管理醫療保健的雄圖大略

He vowed to clean out the Augean stables of national politics.

The crates were much too heavy and awkward for one person to carry. 這些板條箱太重了，一個人很難扛動。

You'd be hard-pressed to meet a nicer person. 你很難碰到一個更好的人。

The traffic out there is murder. 外面的交通真是要命。

It's no joke bringing up two kids on your own. 獨自養大兩個孩子可不是鬧着玩的。

I'm trying to call everyone on the list, but it's been slow going. 我正試圖打電話給名單上的每個人，但進展緩慢。

We have to help her – we can't very well just leave her stranded out here in the middle of nowhere. 我們得幫助她，我們不能就讓她在那個前不着村後不着店的地方陷入困境。

a very delicate operation 難度很高的手術

Bony fish are so fiddly to eat. 刺多的魚吃起來很麻煩。

hard-earned money 辛辛苦苦掙來的錢

hard-won success 來之不易的成功

They did most of the heavy work in the morning. 他們大部分重體力活兒是在上午幹的。

I found his new book a bit heavy. 我發現他的新書有點兒晦澀。

It was heavy going keeping him interested. 要使他保持興趣是很困難的。

a herculean task 艱巨的任務

an intense stare 專注的凝視

three weeks of intensive negotiations 3個星期的集中談判

Getting money out of him is like getting blood from a stone. 從他那裏要錢簡直像從石頭裏榨血一樣難。

I got out of the truck and ran like hell. 我下了卡車拼命地跑。

a narrow victory/escape/defeat 險勝/死裏逃生/惜敗

All of our athletes follow a punishing exercise schedule. 我們所有的運動員都在執行一個極其艱苦的訓練計劃。

Replacing a car tyre isn't exactly rocket science. 更換汽車輪胎並不是什麽難事。

a rugged sport 對體力要求很高的運動

We're very aware of the sensitivity of the issue. 我們充分意識到了這個問題的敏感性。

They face a severe test of character against a vastly superior team. 他們面臨着一場對他們意志品質的嚴峻考驗，對手是比他們水平高出一大截的球隊。

The job involves strenuous work and long hours. 這項工作很艱苦，而且要花很長時間。

He told me not to worry, but that's easier said than done.

Finding the answer proved to be a little bit tricky. 找到答案費了些周折。

Try as he might, he could not forget. 盡管他努力想忘掉，但怎麽也忘不掉。

The conflict could reach unmanageable proportions. 沖突可能會達到難以控制的程度。

The Opposition face an uphill struggle to win back voters. 反對黨面臨着重新赢回選民的艱巨任務。