be taken aback 大吃一惊

　　The Manager was taken aback at the news that some company had already launched the product into the market. （当经理得知某公司已经把该产品投放市场时，他不禁大吃一惊。）

　　Dialogue:

　　Mary: Do you know what Jack has done to John’s daughter?

　　Sandy: Yeah. But I was completely taken aback at the news that he had killed Jenny.

　　Mary: That has taken many people by surprise. Nobody could believe that Jack would kill Jenny with whom he had been getting on like a house on fire.(交往得火热）

　　Sandy: No! And I can’t imagine how terrible John would feel.

　　Mary: He can’t be more saddened. Jenny was the apple of his eye,（他的掌上明珠） you know.

　　Sandy: Sure. The news is too much to bear. And Jenny’s mum must have been knocked into the middle of next week （被打得不省人事）by the news.

　　Mary: Well, better talk about something else. I can’t put up with this sort of violence.