Down-to-earth

    Down-to-earth means being honest, open, and easy to deal with. It is a pleasure to find someone who is down-to-earth. A person who is down-to-earth is easy to talk to. He or she accepts others as equals. A down-to-earth person is just the opposite of someone who acts important or proud. Down-to-earth people may be important members of society, of course, but they do not let their importance go to their heads, they do not consider themselves to be better than others who are less important. Someone who is filled with his own importance and pride, often without cause, is said to have his nose in the air. There is no way a person with his nose in the air can be down-to-earth.

     Americans use another expression that is similar in some ways to down-to-earth. The expression is both feet on the ground. Someone with both feet on the ground is a person with a good understanding of reality. He has what is called common sense. He may have dreams but he does not allow them to block his knowledge of what is real. The opposite kind of person is one who has his head in the clouds. A man with his head in the clouds is a dreamer whose mind is not in the real world. Sometimes such a dreamer can be brought back to reality, sharp words from the teacher, for example, can usually get a daydreaming student to put both feet back on the ground.

     The person who is down-to-earth usually has both feet on the ground. But the opposite is not always true. Someone with both feet on the ground may not be as open and easy to deal with as someone down-to-earth. When we have both our feet firmly on the ground, when we are down-to-earth, we are realistic and we act honestly and openly toward others, our lives are like the ground below us, solid and strong.

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* down-to-earth  平易近人              * proud   骄傲的；自豪的         

* both feet on the ground  实事求是   * with one's head in the clouds   幻想的   

* realistic  现实主义的               * go to sb's head冲昏某人头脑