VOA英语教学：美语训练班133

美语训练班133

 　　B: Welcome to American English Mosaic, I'm Mike Bond!

　　A: And I'm Lin Yang.

　　B: Do you have pteromerhanophobia? That is, are you afraid of flying? We will give you some tips about how to enjoy your flight in today's business etiquette.

　　A: 飞机上也能打电话? 我们在下面的节目中为你介绍。

　　B: And in words and idioms, we will learn what "out in the open" and "open the door to" means!

　　A: All coming up on this edition of American English Mosaic!

　　B: Now let's go into our first segment, Learn a word!

　　Learn A Word 1891 electronics

　　今天我们要学的词是 electronics. Electronics is spelled e-l-e-c-t-r-o-n-i-c-s, electronics.

　　Electronics 电子产品。The FAA is officially allowing the use of some electronics during takeoffs and landings. 美国联邦航空局正式宣布，乘客在起飞和降落过程中可以使用某些种类的电子产品。用过的旧手机，或是旧电脑该如何处理呢?If you have electronics that still work and are not completely obsolete, a local school or nonprofit organization might be interested in them. 如果你的电子产品还能用，而且也没有彻底过时的话，当地学校或是非盈利机构可能会感兴趣。好的，今天我们学习的词是 electronics, electronics, electronics.

　　A: I don’t think I’m a fan of being able to use cell-phones during a flight. Imagine being surrounded by people while crammed into a small metal tube, the last thing you need is some guy talking loud on his phone!

　　B: I agree. The noise level will add another layer of crankiness to long flights. I’m all for electronics, watching Netflix on a long flight sounds amazing, but phone calls are a no-no.

　　A: Yep, apparently most airlines realize this as well. They are saying that even if FAA does finally allow cell-phone use in flight, they won’t make it a company policy.

　　B: That’s probably smart, especially for those who are afraid of flying. Listening to people yelling at the top of their lungs isn’t gonna help them much.

　　A: True. We will talk about that subject later in the show. 现在咱们赶快来继续我们的课程吧!

　　B: Let’s listen to today’s words and idioms!

　　Words and Idioms 889 out in the open

　　美国习惯用语第 889 讲

　　唉，我昨天晚上没睡好，现在还觉得困! 这都要怪我的邻居，他们家经常大半夜听音乐，以前就老吵到我。可是，这家人平时待人很nice， 所以我每次看到他们都不好意思抱怨这件事。不过好了，昨天晚上，他们家开party，闹到很晚，把其他邻居也惊动了。于是，大家一块儿去敲门，告诉这家人他们太吵。这下，大家把话说开了，我觉得挺好。这还让我想到了一个习惯用语，那就是：

　　M: Out in the open. Out is spelled o-u-t. Out. Open is spelled o-p-e-n. Open. Out in the open.

　　OUT IN THE OPEN 是“公开”的意思。如果我们说something is "out in the open", 就表示这是大家都知道的事，不再是秘密了。我邻居家夜里音乐声太大的问题，以前可能只有我知道，而我又不好意思抱怨，不过现在说开了，大家都知道了，我倒觉得这样一来，事情能更圆满的解决。不过，把所有事情都公开并不一定是好事，因为这样一来，你就没有隐私了。比如下面这段话中的情况：

　　M: “The hardest thing about an election campaign is that you lose your privacy. Everything, from your business transactions to your relationships, is brought OUT IN THE OPEN.”

　　这段话意思是：政治竞选中最难过的一关就是失去个人隐私。从你的每一笔商业交易到你所有的社会关系，一切都被暴露在公众的眼皮底下。

　　选举时难受?要我说，当选了之后更可怕! 如今的媒体会把公众人物所有的隐私披露公开，特别是在电视和网络盛行的今天，媒体简直是无孔不入! 我们再来听听刚才那段话：

　　M: “The hardest thing about an election campaign is that you lose your privacy. Everything, from your business transactions to your relationships, is brought OUT IN THE OPEN.”

　　"Out in the open"这个短语据说是1940年左右，在罗斯福当美国总统的时候出现的。当时第二次世界大战刚开打不久，在战争期间，很多令人惊讶的事被公开了，可有一件事，却是当时的大部分美国人都不知道的。那就是，带领美国打二战的罗斯福总统居然是一个生活在轮椅中的残疾人。刚才我们还说到公众人物的一切隐私都是 out in the open 的，可是，在电视出现之前，美国媒体中几乎没有出现过罗斯福坐轮椅的画面，这简直难以想像! 好了，媒体报道的变迁我们先不多说了，来听听一位公司主管在会上的发言：

　　M: “I know that we have had a lot of problems recently, but the only way to deal with them is to bring them OUT IN THE OPEN. So, I am encouraging everyone to speak out. Who would like to begin?”

　　这段话的意思说：我知道，公司最近有很多问题，不过，解决问题唯一的办法就是把它们摆到桌面上来说清楚。所以，我希望每个人都能直言不讳，谁愿意先发言?

　　公司同事中难免有这样那样的问题和意见，可是大家碍于面子，或是因为害怕，可能会把问题闷在心里。这样时间长了，只会让问题越来越多，还可能会谣言四起，误会不断。就好像我隔壁邻居家太吵的事，其实没什么大不了，可是我却不好意思告诉他这件事带给我的困扰，这样其实并不好。倒不如bring them out in the open, 把事情说开。好，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

　　M: “I know that we have had a lot of problems recently, but the only way to deal with them is to bring them OUT IN THE OPEN. So, I am encouraging everyone to speak out. Who would like to begin?”

　　今天我们学的习惯用语是out in the open。 open就是没有隐瞒，公开的状态。 所以，out in the open就是指公之于众。

　　好的，这次美国习惯用语就到此结束。

　　M: Until next time.

　　M: This has been Words and Idioms.

　　A: Today with the Internet and social media, everything seems to be out in the open. From my personal experience, I could easily find out a person’s birthday, where he works, or what he likes solely by checking his Facebook.

　　B: That’s why you have to be extra careful about what you post online these days. For example, once you post a picture on your Facebook, you can never really take it down. It’s always backed up on their server. Who knows when it would come back to bite you?

　　A: So true.

　　B: And I probably need to be extra careful because I’m famous, you know.

　　A; Ugh…yeah…right, says the guy who screams like a little girl when he’s in a haunted house.

　　B: Hey, everyone has their own phobias, alright?

　　A: Haha, yes.... Speaking of phobia, do you know what is pteromerhanophobia, Mike?

　　B: That’s the fear of flying! In today’s business etiquette, we will see the reasons behind this phobia, and what you can do to deal with them.

　　A: Let’s check it out!

　　Business Etiquette 261

　　Fear of Flying Part I

　　Sean 在走廊上遇到同事 Mimi, 他一副忧心忡忡的样子。我们听听为什么。

　　Sean: Oh, man....I am not looking forward to this upcoming trip to Europe.

　　Mimi: But Europe is amazing! You're going to Frankfurt, right? I've been there twice.... it's a delightful city! You'll love it!

　　S: Oh I'm sure I'll like it when I get there.....that is, if I get there.

　　M: I'm not following you.

　　S: I'm terrified of flying!

　　M: Ah! You have "pteromerhanophobia!"

　　S: What?

　　M: That's the technical term for the fear of flying.

　　Sean准备去欧洲出差。Upcoming is spelled u-p-c-o-m-i-n-g, upcoming 即将到来的。比如，the upcoming vacation 快要来的假期，the upcoming test 马上要来的考试。Sean 对去欧洲似乎并不开心，Mimi说 I'm not following. 意思是我听不太懂你的意思。原来，Sean 有飞行恐惧症，害怕坐飞机。Mimi 说，飞行恐惧症的术语 technical term 是 pteromerhanophobia. Phobia 是一个很有用的词根，比如，acrophobia, 就是 a-c-r-o 后边加上 phobia, acrophobia 恐高症。我们听听 Sean 飞行恐惧症有哪些症状。

　　S: Well whatever it's called....I've got it - bad! Every time I get on a plane my heart starts beating faster, I sweat and every creak and squeak from the airplane makes me sure we are going to crash. It's so exhausting that I arrive at my destination completely unnerved.

　　M: Wow! That doesn't sound like fun. I assume this condition is quite common --- I know lots of people who don't like to fly.

　　S: Everyone should be afraid of flying! After all, it's completely unnatural! We are crammed into a metal tube that's flying through the air at hundreds of kilometers an hour!!

　　Sean 告诉 Mimi, 每次只要一上飞机，他就会心跳加速，直冒冷汗，飞机稍有风吹草动，他就觉得是要坠机了。Sean 在这里用的 every creak and squeak. Creak is spelled c-r-e-a-k, creak 是指咯吱咯吱的声音，and squeak is spelled s-q-u-e-a-k, squeak 是指刺耳的噪音。等到达终点的时候，He is completely unnerved. 他已经彻底崩溃了。其实，患有飞行恐惧症的人很多，Sean 觉得，这是因为坐飞机本来就是一个超自然的行为，那么多人 cram into 挤在一个金属做的管子里，在天上飞，时速高达几百公里。

　　M: Yeah sure, if you think about it that way it is scary....but driving isn't natural either. And as I'm sure you know, many more people die every year from car accidents than from plane crashes - in fact, your chances of being in a fatal accident is something like one in 5 million! Those are pretty good odds!

　　S: Yeah, I've read those stats....but I guess when I'm driving at least I feel in control. I feel completely helpless when I'm on an airplane.

　　Mimi 说，要说坐飞机超自然的话，那开车也是超自然的行为，而且每年死于车祸的人要比坐飞机掉下来的人多得多。有统计数字显示，致命事件发生在我们身上的机会只有500万分之一。Those are pretty good odds. 机率还是满不错的。Odds 是机率的意思。比如，Your odds of being struck by lightning is greater than winning the lottery. 一个人被雷电击中的机率都要高过中彩票。 Sean说，这些数据他也看过，stats is spelled s-t-a-t-s, 是 statistics 数据的简写，但是他总觉得，开车的时候，方向盘在自己手里，可是坐飞机，命运就完全不在自己的掌握之中了。

　　A: Sean说，对于upcoming trip to Europe, 即将来到的欧洲之行他一点也兴奋不起来，因为he’s terrified of flying,他特别害怕坐飞机。飞机一颠簸，他就心跳加速，每次到达终点的时候，He’s completely unnerved, 已经完全崩溃了。

　　B: That sounds terrible. I feel bad for people who are afraid of flying. If you are in America and you want to travel, planes and cars are basically the only two options. We don’t really have speed trains.

　　A: I know! Especially now, you can’t avoid air travel if you work for a global corporation!

　　B: Exactly. Let’s keep listening to Mini and see what tips she has for Sean!

　　Business Etiquette 262

　　Fear of Flying Part II

　　Sean 有飞行恐惧症，可他偏偏又是国际销售代表，需要经常旅行。同事 Mimi 开玩笑说，他可真是选错了职业。Mimi 说，

　　M: You certainly picked the wrong profession! You are an international sales representative - traveling is part of the job!

　　S: I know!! I thought my fear would lessen the more I did it - but it's been 10 years now and I'm still afraid of flying.

　　M: You know, the idea that you are more in control behind the wheel of a car than you are in an airplane might not be valid. Think about it: how much control do you have over road conditions or other drivers on the road? Very little, right?

　　S: That's true.

　　Mimi 觉得，Sean certainly picked the wrong profession. 选错了职业。Sean 说，他原来以为，坐飞机坐得多了，飞行恐惧症会慢慢好起来，谁知道，十年过去了，丝毫不见减弱。Mimi 说，Sean以为开车---behind the wheels的时候自己可以控制自己命运，这种想法 is not valid, 不能成立，因为开车的人对路况和自己周围的驾车人，是完全控制不了的。有什么办法能减轻飞行恐惧症患者的症状吗?我们继续听。

　　M: Have you ever tried pretending that you're on a bus? My uncle uses this trick when he's flying....whenever the plane runs into some turbulence he just closes his eyes and pretends he's sitting on a bumpy bus.

　　S: Hmm....I'm not sure if that would work but it's worth a try.

　　M: Where do you usually sit on the plane?

　　S: As close as possible to an emergency exit!!

　　M: (Chuckles) My uncle says the best place to sit is as close to the wings as possible because in his experience, the center of the plane is more stable.

　　S: That makes sense. I'll try to find a seat near an emergency exit by the wings!

　　Mimi 建议Sean 尝试一下，假装自己是坐在一个颠簸的巴士上。Whenever the plane runs into some turbulence, turbulence is spelled t-u-r-b-u-l-e-n-c-e, turbulence 气流，意思是飞机遇到气流颠簸的时候，就假装自己是坐在一个 bumpy bus 上。Sean 觉得 it's worth a try. 可以试试看。Mimi 问 Sean 一般都选择什么地方的座位。Sean 说从来都是离 emergency exit 紧急出口越近越好。Mimi 说，飞机中央部位最稳，也就是机翼附近。可想而知，Sean 以后选择位子的条件又多了一个，不光要离紧急出口近，还最好是在飞机中间的机翼部位。

　　M: Of course, if nothing else works, you can always see a doctor and perhaps he can prescribe some antianxiety medication for you.

　　S: I'd rather not use medications, but it might come down to that.

　　M: There are also a lot of courses available that use mental strengthening exercises, or even hypnosis! You should look into one of those programs and see if it works for you!

　　S: That's a good idea!

　　M: Maybe understanding how an airplane works....some of the basic principles of flight....what turbulence actually is and some other specifics about flying could help you "know your enemy," so to speak.

　　S: I like that idea! If I understood what I was experiencing....perhaps I wouldn't fear it so much! Thanks for your suggestions, Mimi! You're a real pal!

　　Mimi 建议，实在不行，Sean 还可以去找医生，开点 antianxiety 抗紧张的药，Sean 虽然不想吃药，但也承认，it might come down to that. 最后没办法，可能也只能借助药物了。另外，想克服心理障碍，还可以去参加锻炼心志的课程，或者是了解飞机的飞行原理，所谓 know your enemy 知己知彼，百战不殆，这些可能对Sean都有帮助。

　　A: Mimi说Sean害怕坐飞机，但却是国际销售代表，he certainly picked the wrong profession, 真是入错了行。她给了Sean一些建议，比如sit as close to the wings are possible, 坐到机翼附近，还可以找医生开anti-anxiety medication，抗紧张的药，还可以试试mental strengthening exercises, 锻炼心志的课程。

　　B: Yeah, most of the time, a phobia is the result of something within. So try learning more about what you are afraid of will help you a great deal.

　　A: And I got a useful tip for my long flight back home: try to sit as close to the wings as possible!

　　B: Haha, right. Enough about flights though, let's go ahead with our class.

　　A: Let's listen to another learn a word!

　　Learn A Word 1892 overtime

　　今天我们要学的词是 overtime. Overtime is spelled o-v-e-r-t-i-m-e, overtime. Overtime 有加班的意思。有报道说，The Department of Homeland Security employees claimed $8.7 million of unearned overtime a year. 美国国土安全部雇员一年内在并未真正加班的情况下，共领取了870万美元的加班费。美国政府新推出的健保网站发现问题后，Information technology experts from both the government and outside firms are working overtime to fix the problems. 美国政府和私人公司的信息技术专家们加班加点地设法解决网站所存在的问题。好的，今天我们学习的词是 overtime, overtime, overtime.

　　A: I hope they can fix the Obama care website as soon as possible! I was hoping to sign up for it, but seems like there’s still some technical glitch.

　　B: That’s frustrating. I just hope I can understand how it works. It’s not transparent enough, so I have no idea what is going to happen to my own health insurance, or what kind of benefit I can get from the Affordable Care Act.

　　A: Fingers crossed it can open the door to a better health insurance system some day!

　　B: And you just mentioned an idiom: open the door to. Let’s check it out in today’s words and idioms!

　　Words and Idioms 890 open the door to

　　美国习惯用语第 890 讲

　　我有个朋友，人到中年，事业稳定，家庭和睦。不过她昨天突然告诉我，她打算辞掉现在的工作，去商学院进修MBA! 说要重新给自己充电，建立更广泛的人脉，再拿到名校的MBA，可以为她的人生打开一扇新的大门。这件事让我想到了一个习惯用语，那就是：

　　M: Open the door to something. Door is spelled d-o-o-r. Door. Open the door to something.

　　Open the door to something就是为某人或某事开门，也可以译作“带来”，“引起”。就好象我刚才那位朋友要回去念书。很多人劝她打消这个念头，因为这个岁数回学校读书可没那么容易，不仅要兼顾家庭，还要重新适应作学生的生活。不过，我这个朋友非常坚决，因为她相信，这样做能 open the door to a lot more opportunities--给她带来更多的机会。不过，那些反对她继续读书的人则觉得，这个决定将 open the door to a ton of headaches! 会给她带来一堆头疼的问题。想想也是，高昂的学费，繁重的课业，家庭的负担，这些肯定够她烦的! 不过我相信，只要克服这些挑战，她就能实现自己的目标!

　　好的，让我们来听听下面这段话：

　　M: "A lot of developing countries welcome foreign investment when they can't afford to develop their countries as fast as they would like. I think this country's stability together with its recent tax breaks for international businesses will OPEN THE DOOR TO a lot more foreign investment."

　　这段话是说：许多发展中国家无法通过自己的力量实现快速发展，这时，它们都会欢迎外国投资。我觉得，这个国家局势稳定，最近还对国际企业实行税务优惠，一定能带来更多的外国投资。

　　说起来，welcome - “欢迎”和"open the door to something"意思很相近。欢迎客人来自己家，肯定就会给客人开门。好，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

　　M: "A lot of developing countries welcome foreign investment when they can't afford to develop their countries as fast as they would like. I think this country's stability together with its recent tax breaks for international businesses will OPEN THE DOOR TO a lot more foreign investment."

　　打开门，迎来的不一定都是好事儿。下面我们来听一段话，是关于将大麻合法化的意见，大家来听听，这个人是支持还是反对呢?

　　M: "I agree that we appear to be losing the fight against drugs. But despite the fact that marijuana may indeed have medicinal value, legalizing the drug would surely OPEN THE DOOR TO even wider usage."

　　这段话的意思说：我承认，我们在打击毒品方面似乎举步维艰。不过，虽然大麻可能真有一些医药上的疗效，但如果把大麻合法化，肯定会导致滥用大麻的情况。

　　看来，这个人是反对大麻合法化的。因为他说，这将导致更多人吸食大麻，这其中将包括没有生病，而只把大麻作为毒品的瘾君子。不过话说回来，把大麻合法化，那种植、销售和使用大麻就成为合法产业，反而更易于管理，政府也可以从中获得税收，似乎也有积极的一面。 所以，这些利弊上的争执肯定会 open the door to more debate on the marijuana issue--引发更多关于大麻问题的辩论! 好，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

　　M: “I agree that we appear to be losing the fight against drugs. But despite the fact that marijuana may indeed have medicinal value, legalizing the drug would surely OPEN THE DOOR TO even wider usage.”

　　今天我们学习的习惯用语是 open the door to something，意思是“引起”“带来”。坚持提高自己的英语能力绝对没错，日积月累，It will definitely open the door to a lot more opportunities for you. 一定会给你带来很多机会。

　　好的，这次美国习惯用语就到此结束，

　　M: Until next time.

　　M: This has been Words and Idioms.

　　A: Mike, I think working with you has opened the door to a lot of things for me.

　　B: Really? How so?

　　A: Well, I now know every gourmet food truck in the greater DC area for starters!

　　B: LOL, well I’m glad to hear it! Just don’t blame me when you step on the scale tonight ok?

　　A: WHAT????? You are so dead!!好了同学们，这次节目时间就到这里了。

　　B: Tune in next time for American English Mosaic!

　　A: See you next time!