一、核心语义
“(be/get) called on the carpet”是英语中一个常用的口语短语，核心语义为“被上级、权威人士或重要人物叫去训斥、斥责、质问”，通常隐含被批评者因犯错、失职或行为不当而面临问责的语境。其本质是“因过错接受严厉指责”，强调上下级或权力关系中的批评行为。
二、起源
关于该短语的起源，普遍认为与19世纪西方官场或贵族文化相关。当时，有权势者的办公室、书房常铺设昂贵地毯，象征地位与权威。当下，下属若因失误被上司叫到铺有地毯的“权威空间”谈话，便隐含“接受训斥”的意味，短语由此衍生，逐渐成为固定表达。
三、经典例句解析（涵盖多领域）
I got called on the carpet for being late.
我因为迟到被叫去剋了一顿。
The manager was called on the carpet for losing the company’s biggest client.
经理因弄丢了公司最大的客户而被叫来训斥。
Teachers who arrive late regularly will be called on the carpet by the school board.
经常迟到的教师会被学校董事会叫来严厉批评。
The general was called on the carpet for failing to follow the military orders.
这位将军因未遵守军事命令而被叫来训斥。
The diplomat was called on the carpet after making inappropriate remarks about the host country.
这位外交官因对东道国发表不当言论而被叫来斥责。
The mayor was called on the carpet for misusing public funds.
市长因滥用公共资金而被叫来接受质问。
属于政治领域，体现公众或上级对政治人物失职的追责。
She got called on the carpet by her parents for lying about her whereabouts.
她因对自己的去向撒谎，被父母叫来严厉批评。
The editor was called on the carpet for publishing an article with false information.
编辑因发表含有虚假信息的文章而被叫来训斥。
He was called on the carpet by his girlfriend for forgetting their anniversary.
他因忘记了他们的纪念日，被女友叫来数落了一顿。
The club president was called on the carpet for mismanaging the organization’s funds.
俱乐部主席因管理组织资金不当而被叫来接受批评。
解析：属于社交领域（社团管理），体现组织内部对管理者失职的追责。
四、影视剧台词解析及翻译
在美剧《纸牌屋》（House of Cards）第三季第4集中，总统幕僚长对下属说：
If you mess up this negotiation, you’ll be called on the carpet by the president himself.
如果你搞砸了这场谈判，总统会亲自叫你去训话。
解析：台词中用该短语体现政治场景中高层对下属工作失误的严厉警告，强化了权力关系中的问责压力，翻译时保留“叫去训话”以贴合语境。
五、2021-2025年热门考试题目示例
1. 2023年全国硕士研究生入学统一考试英语（一）完形填空
题目：The CEO warned his team that anyone who violated the company rules would ______ on the carpet.
A. get called B. call C. be calling D. have called
答案：A
解析：考查短语被动形式“get called on the carpet”，意为“被叫来训斥”，符合语境中CEO对违反规则的员工的警告。
这位首席执行官警告他的团队，任何违反公司规定的人都会被叫来办公室训斥一顿。
2. 2024年大学英语六级阅读理解
原文提到：“Local officials were called on the carpet after the environmental scandal broke out.”
题目：What does “were called on the carpet” mean in the sentence?
A. Were promoted B. Were criticized C. Were ignored D. Were praised
答案：B
解析：结合“环境丑闻爆发”的语境，该短语意为“被批评”，对应选项B。
3. 2025年雅思口语话题拓展
话题：“Describe a time when someone was blamed for a mistake.”
参考表达：“My colleague was called on the carpet by our boss because he made a mistake in the financial report, which caused a lot of trouble.”
解析：用该短语描述同事因错误被老板训斥的场景，符合话题要求。
“(be/get) called on the carpet”通过“被叫到地毯上”的隐喻，生动表达“因过错被训斥”的含义，广泛应用于政治、经济、教育等多个领域。
