俗话说：“浪子回头金不换”。看看英语中怎么表达“改过自新”？

1. mend your ways: to change the way you behave, and start being obedient, hard-working etc., after behaving badly for a long time 好好表现，听话

例：

It's possible the college might take you back, but first you'll have to convince them you've mended your ways. （首先你要让校方相信你已经改过自新了，他们才可能让你重回校园。）

If he doesn't mend his ways he'll be in jail by the time he's eighteen. （如果他还是这样屡教不改的话，18岁时就得坐牢。）

It's time for you to mend your ways. （你该好好表现了。）

She told her teenage son to start mending his ways. （她让她那个十几岁的儿子表现好点儿。）

2. turn over a new leaf: to decide that you will change the way you behave and become a better person, because you really want to stop behaving badly, breaking the law etc. 改过自新

例：

I know I've done some bad things in the past, but now I'm turning over a new leaf. （我知道我以前做过一些坏事，但现在我已经改过自新了。）

After being released from jail, Tony decided to turn over a new leaf. （从牢里出来以后，托尼决定改过自新重新做人。）

I see fatherhood as a chance to turn over a new leaf. （我刚做爸爸，正好借此机会改过自新重新做人。）

I decided to turn over a new leaf and stop worrying so much. （我决定改过自新重新做人了，别这么担心我。）

The program helps drug addicts to turn over a new leaf when they get out of jail. （瘾君子们出狱以后，这个计划可以帮助他们改过自新重新做人。）

3. clean up your act: to start behaving better after a situation in which people did not trust you because you were behaving illegally or dishonestly 矫正不良行为

例：

She told her son to clean up his act or move out. （她跟儿子说，要么学好，要么搬出去住。）

Tina has really cleaned up her act—she doesn't drink or smoke pot any more. （缇娜改过自新了，她不再喝酒，也不再吸大麻了。）

After years of drug abuse, she finally got treatment and cleaned up her act. （她吸毒吸了很多年，终于戒了毒，改过自新。）

4. a reformed character: someone who has changed completely and no longer behaves badly or does things they should not do - often used humorously 洗心革面，彻底改过

备注：''a reformed character''常用于英式英语中。

例：

"Does Alex still drink as much as he used to?" "No, he's a reformed character now."（-艾利克斯还喝那么多酒吗？ -他现在洗心革面了。）

5. go straight: to stop being a criminal and decide to obey the law and live an honest life （有前科的人）不再犯法，遵纪守法

例：

He's been going straight for about six months now. （他已经改过自新，大约半年没干犯法的事了。）

You can't expect these people to go straight when no one's ever going to give them a job. （没人给这些人提供工作机会，怎么能要求他们重新做人、不再做犯法的事？）

6. straighten up: to start to behave well after you had been behaving badly 表现得好一点

备注：''straighten up''常用于美式英语中。

例：

You'd better straighten up or you'll never make it out of high school. （你最好表现好点，要不中学都没法毕业。）

You need to straighten up, young man. （年轻人，你得表现好点儿。）