shortcoming 缺點 缺失a failure, defect, or deficiency in conduct, condition, thought, ability, etc 

1) Despite all his shortcomings, he makes a good friend. 儘管他有那些缺點,他還是可以做好朋友.

2) The police commander in the Philippine capital of Manila, Leocadio Santiago, has admitted that mistakes were made. "We saw some obvious shortcomings in terms of capability and tactics used, or the procedure employed and we are now going to investigate this," he told a local television station. 菲律賓首都馬尼拉警察首長桑提亞哥承認他們確實有犯錯.他告訴電視新聞台說:[我們在能力跟戰術運用上,以及整個過程方面都看到明顯的缺失,並且正在展開調查.] 

3) A recent column in the New York Times' Technology section highlights the shortcomings of Google Voice's voicemail transcription service.最近紐約時報的科技專欄特別指出 [Google留言] 裡面,語音信箱轉成文字這項服務的缺點.

ride on somebody’s coattail 搭順風車

To succeed in a certain endeavor by attaching oneself to the greater weight of another person or corporate body.

on someone's coattails, aided by association with another person:

(例句)The senator rode into office on the President's coattails. 參議員撘著總統的順風車進入了國會.

They’re exerting a lot of influence on the global economy and becoming dominant in Asia,” said Eswar S. Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell and former head of the International Monetary Fund’s China division. “A lot of other economies in the region are essentially riding on China’s coat tails, and this is remarkable for an economy with a low per capita income.”

前國際貨幣基金會中國部門首腦,同時也是康乃爾大學貿易學教授的普拉薩德說, 中國對全球經濟有極大影響力,同時也在亞洲也逐漸主導亞洲.亞洲區域內的許多經濟體基本上都搭著中國經濟的順風車,以中國低落的平均國民所得來說,這是很了不起的

untapped market 未開發的市場 

1) FIFA's policy of taking the World Cup to previously untapped markets, such as the U.S. in 1994, South Korea and Japan in 2002 and South Africa in 2010 -- the first time the tournament has been staged in Africa -- has extended its reach beyond its traditional heartlands in Europe and South America. 國際足球總會努力把世界盃帶到原先未開發的市場去舉行,比方說1994年在美國,2002年在日本和南韓,2010年到南非,這是史上第一次在非洲舉行,都讓足球熱延伸到歐洲和南美洲這些傳統足球重鎮以外的地方. 

2) Fashion that adheres to Islamic rules is a largely untapped market and Malaysia is trying to position itself as the fashion capital for the Muslim world, says the BBC's Jennifer Pak in Kuala Lumpur.根據英國廣播公司來自吉隆坡的報導,遵守回教律法的時裝[例如長袍,面紗]是一塊尚未開發的市場,而馬來西亞正努力成為回教世界的時尚首都.

bend over backwards  盡最大力量,盡力

Example:  Dad bent over backwards so as not to embarrass Tracy's new boyfriend .

1) The Obama Administration spent its first year in office bending over backward to please China on everything from human rights to Beijing's support for rogue regimes in North Korea and Burma. 

美國歐巴馬政府執政的第一年努力想討好中國,從人權到中國支持北韓跟緬甸等議題上皆如此. 

2) Bohrman said he had no problem using questioners who have voiced support for other candidates as long as they are not donors or formally affiliated with any campaign. "We bent over backwards to be fair," he said. "We're not perfect. But we tried extremely hard." 

波爾曼(美國有線電視新聞網政治辯論節目製作人)說他可以接受提問人之前支持過別的候選人,只要他們不曾做過政治捐獻,或者跟競選有正式牽連.他說:[我們力求公平,雖然不是到完美程度,但是極力做到.]

at loggerheads 爭論,不和

engaged in a disagreement or dispute; quarrelingloggerhead大頭海龜,或有個圓頭的鐵棒  

Eg.: He and his wife are always at loggerheads.  

1) With labor unions and business leaders at loggerheads, Mr. Zepatero, is also expected to present a plan for loosening labor rules this week.

由於工會跟企業領袖之間爭論不休,西班牙總理薩巴德洛這星期應會提出一項放寬勞工規則的計畫. 

2) Macedonia has been at loggerheads over its name for 17 years with Greece, which blocked its entry to NATO in 2008 over the dispute. Greece claims that the name "Macedonia" implies territorial ambitions on the Greek province of the same name. Macedonia denies it. The two countries have taken their dispute to the International Court of Justice.

馬其頓為了國名問題,已經跟希臘爭執了十七年,希臘2008年因為這個爭論而阻擋馬其頓加入北約.希臘聲稱[馬其頓]這個名字,暗示馬其頓有兼併希臘一個省份的野心,這個省也叫做馬其頓. 馬其頓國則否認這一點.兩國已經向國際法庭提出對這項爭議的仲裁.