VOA英语教学：美语训练班 007

　　A: 欢迎大家来到美语训练班！我是王怡茹。

　　B: And I'm Donny. 怡茹，今天我们都教些什么啊？

　　A: 今天这节课，我们要去公司里，把一个不称职的高管赶下台，还要和朋友聚聚，聊聊自己的感情生活，要告诉大家用美语怎么说女孩子的“真命天子”， 还要去看棒球比赛，教大家怎么......

　　B: 加油？

　　A: 不对，是起哄!

　　A: 哈哈，听着不错吧？ 好，下面咱们还是按照老规矩，先花一分钟，学一个词!

　　Learn A Word: on the fence

　　今天我们要学的词是 on the fence, fence is spelled f-e-n-c-e, on the fence. On the fence 犹豫不决的。Many potential home buyers are still on the fence, waiting for the housing market to reach rock bottom. 很多想买房的人还在犹豫不决，等待房地产市场触底。Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is still on the fence about whether or not she wants to run for President. 阿拉斯加州前州长佩林在是否要参加总统大选的问题上依然犹豫不决。Meanwhile, many Republican voters are still on the fence in terms of which candidate to support. 与此同时，很多共和党选民在支持哪位候选人的问题上还是拿不到主意。好的，今天我们学习的词是 on the fence, on the fence, on the fence.

　　A: Donny, 刚才咱们听的这个on the fence 是犹豫不决的意思。可是，"fence"不是粉丝嘛？就是追星族？

　　B: No, Yiru, that's another word. "On the fence"里面的fence，是f-e-n-c-e, 意思是围墙，栅栏。

　　A: 难怪on the fence 表示骑墙，犹豫不决。

　　B: 没错。你说的歌迷影迷在英文里是fan, f-a-n, fan. 复数加s，变成fans. 也就是中国人常说的“粉丝”。

　　A: 这下我明白了!

　　B: 明白就好! Now let's move on to our next program--words and idioms.

　　Word and Idioms: Bear the brunt

　　各位听众，现在播送<美国习惯用语>第 935讲。我是杨琳。

　　我是 Douglas Johnson.

　　昨天，我和一个朋友聊天。她向我诉苦说，三年前，她父亲去世了，而几个哥哥都不想照顾年迈体弱的母亲，所以她这个家里最小的女儿这三年就一直担负着照料母亲的责任，感觉压力很大，特别累。我觉得她那几个哥哥实在很不应该，很自私。同时，我也想到了一个习惯用语，那就是：

　　Bear the brunt. Bear is spelled b-e-a-r, and brunt; b-r-u-n-t. Bear the brunt.

　　Brunt 的意思是“冲击力，压力”，bear the brunt 就是指承受最大的压力，应对最糟糕的局面。我朋友就是这样，哥哥们不愿意让体弱的妈妈搬来同住，She has little choice but to bear the brunt. 她别无选择，只得硬着头皮接过这个责任。

　　在下面这段话中，邮递员们要承担很大压力，我们来听一听是怎么回事：

　　"The postal workers were fed up with low wages and increased hours. That's what led to the strike. Their protest didn't get much sympathy from citizens. Every day that they chose not to deliver the mail, they heard more and louder complaints. They had to BEAR THE BRUNT of the public's anger."

　　这段话是说：邮局职工受够了低工资和长工时，于是他们决定罢工。可是他们的抗议行为并没有得到公众的同情。邮局一天不送信，公众对它的抱怨就更强烈。邮递员们不得不承受公众愤怒所带来的压力。

　　我倒觉得，公众压力可能对邮局有利。邮政瘫痪，时间一长，真正要bear the brunt--承受压力的人就不是邮局，而是政府了。政府顶不住压力就可能妥协，邮局工作人员的要求也就能达成啦! 好了，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

　　"The postal workers were fed up with low wages and increased hours. That's what led to the strike. Their protest didn't get much sympathy from citizens. Every day that they chose not to deliver the mail, they heard more and louder complaints. They had to BEAR THE BRUNT of the public's anger."

　　在下面这段话中，整个城市，不，差不多半个国家都处在压力之下，咱们来听听是怎么回事：

　　"The winter of 2010 will be remembered for terrible weather. A February blizzard buried several states in the mid-Atlantic region under 2-3 feet of snow. Three days later, a second massive snowstorm dumped another 1-2 feet. Washington, D.C. was among the cities that BORE THE BRUNT. It was paralyzed, suffering the snowiest winter in its history."

　　这段话是说：2010年冬天最大的特点就是天气特别糟糕。二月份一场大风暴把美国东部的几个州埋在了两三英尺厚的大雪下。就在三天后，第二场大雪又带来了一到两英尺的降雪。首都华盛顿就是受大雪影响最严重的城市之一。整个城市瘫痪，在其历史上降雪量最大的寒冬中瑟瑟发抖。

　　这个大雪不断的冬天我是亲身经历了。交通不便，水电被中断，还有人员死亡和财产损失。恐怕除了不用上学，可以痛快玩雪的孩子，没人欣赏这个白茫茫的冬天。好了，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

　　"The winter of 2010 will be remembered for terrible weather. A February blizzard buried several states in the mid-Atlantic region under 2-3 feet of snow. Three days later, a second massive snowstorm dumped another 1-2 feet. Washington, D.C. was among the cities that BORE THE BRUNT. It was paralyzed, suffering the snowiest winter in its history."

　　各位听众，今天我们学习的习惯用语是bear the brunt，意思是“应对最糟糕的局面，顶住最大的压力”。好的，这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束，我是晓北，我是 Douglas Johnson。

　　A: Bear the brunt，承受最大的压力。说起这个，当年我刚来美国留学的时候，一个人孤孤单单，举目无亲，精神压力特大。

　　B: I feel you, Yiru. When I was studying Chinese in Beijing, the first several months were very stressful.

　　A: 咱们真是同病相怜! 好在我后来遇到了我老公，他对我特别好，给我家的温暖，He changed my life!

　　B: Hmm, that's a story of meeting the right person at the right time.

　　A: 是哦! 我在恰当的时候遇到了合适的人。

　　B: 正好，咱们今天的“美语怎么说”就要教大家说这个“合适的人”。

　　How to say it in American English: Mr. Right

　　Jessica 在北京学汉语，她的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词，就会来请教她。今天是杨林要问的：真命天子

　　YL: Jessica! 跟你说件事儿。

　　Jessica: Go ahead.

　　YL: 我不久前碰到高中时同桌的男生，和他聊得特投机! 我们一起看电影，吃饭，跳舞......太开心了! 我好象喜欢上他了!

　　Jessica: You mean you "developed a crush on him?" Crush is spelled c-r-u-s-h, crush. It means a temporary love.

　　YL: 哦，crush 就是一时迷恋，动心。Jessica, I think I developed a major crush on him.

　　Jessica: 杨林，你不是有男朋友么？

　　YL: 呃......我也为这事儿发愁呢，不知道谁是我的真命天子。

　　Jessica: 真命天子？那不是皇帝么？

　　YL: 哈哈，是皇帝没错。可一个女生的真命天子就是她真正的伴侣。这用英文怎么说呢？

　　Jessica: Oh, you're talking about "Mr. Right"! Mr. Right refers to the perfect man for you.

　　YL: Mr. Right? right是“对，正确”，所以 Mr. Right 就是各方面都跟我特别合适的男人， 我的真命天子!

　　Jessica: Exactly! So who looks like your Mr. Right, your boyfriend or this high school classmate?

　　YL: 我也不知道! 你说我该选择哪个呢？

　　Jessica: Well, I think you should choose the one who is your soul mate.

　　YL: soul mate? s-o-u-l, soul是灵魂的意思，mate 是伴侣，所以soul mate 就是灵魂伴侣喽？

　　Jessica: 没错! Your soul mate is the person with whom you have deep and natural love. It's very spiritual.

　　YL: 和那人心有灵犀一点通，这感觉太美好了!

　　Jessica: 好了，Let's see what you've learned today!

　　YL: 第一：对某人产生好感，to develop a crush on someone；

　　第二：女孩子的真命天子， Mr. Right;

　　第三：灵魂伴侣，soul mate

　　A: soul mate, 灵魂伴侣，My husband and I are soul mates.

　　B:Yeah yeah yeah, he's totally your Mr. right.

　　A: Donny, 你不要嫉妒我们这种爱情甜蜜的人嘛! Have you found your soul mate yet?

　　B: Ar...I'm still looking.

　　A: 我看，你是选择太多，所以，You're on the fence, aren't you?

　　B: Thanks for your understanding, Yiru. Sometimes I wish I weren't this popular.

　　A: 嘿!说你胖你就喘! 好了，我们还是来听听下面的美语三级跳吧，看看怎么向朋友介绍你的感情生活！

　　GoEnglish: Relationship -- Beginner

　　各位听众，大家好！今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“恋爱”单元的初级课程。

　　Professor: Kevin and Emily are friends. They have come home from college for the holiday, and are talking about their relationships at school.

　　Winnie: 两个好朋友放假时聚在一起，当然得聊聊各自的感情生活了，快听听吧!

　　Emily: Hi Kevin, how was your year at college?

　　Kevin: It was great! How was your year?

　　Emily: It was good. Do you have a girlfriend at school?

　　Kevin: Yes, I'm dating someone. Her name is Amanda.

　　Winnie: 怪不得Kevin在大学里过得这么高兴，原来是交了女朋友!

　　Professor: That's right, Winnie. If you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, you can say that you're dating someone.

　　Winnie: 哦， 如果我有男朋友，就可以说 "I have a boyfriend"或者说"I'm dating someone"。那我现在没有男朋友，该怎么说呢？

　　Professor: Then you can say that "I'm single."

　　Winnie: 哦，"I'm single"就是说我没恋爱，还是只身一人。

　　Professor: That's right, Winnie. Now let's hear how Kevin met his girlfriend.

　　Emily: How did you meet your girlfriend?

　　Kevin: I met Amanda through a friend.

　　Emily: That's great. Did you start dating right after you met, or did you become friends first?

　　Kevin: We started dating right away.

　　Professor: Winnie, did you hear where Kevin met his girlfriend?

　　Winnie: 他们是通过朋友介绍认识的，而且立刻开始约会! 不知道他们交往多久了。

　　Professor: Well, let's listen and find out!

　　Emily: When did you and Amanda meet each other?

　　Kevin: I met her about one year ago.

　　Emily: So you met her right after you got to school?

　　Kevin: That's right. We've been dating since last September.

　　Winnie: 他们俩人从去年九月开始约会，这么说他们在一起一年了! 看起来他们对这份感情还挺认真的。

　　Professor: That's right, Winnie. They sound like a serious couple.

　　Winnie: 像Kevin这样专一的男生现在可不多了，不知道怎样才能找到这么好的男生。

　　Emily: So you said you and Amanda met through a mutual friend. How did it happen?

　　Kevin: Well, my roommate was friends with Amanda, so he introduced us.

　　Emily: Did he tell you what she was like first?

　　Kevin: Yes, he described her to me, and she sounded like my type.

　　Winnie: Professor Bowman, Kevin说 Amanda 听起来是他的"type," 这是什么意思?

　　Professor: Your "type" is the kind of person that you like to date.

　　Winnie: 哦，原来 your type 就是你喜欢的那种人。Kevin 的室友一跟Kevin描述Amanda, Kevin就觉得，这个女孩正是他心目中的理想女友!

　　Emily: So Kevin, what is your type?

　　Kevin: I like girls who like to have fun, and aren't too serious.

　　Emily: I agree. I like guys that can make me laugh.

　　Kevin: That's true. Having a very serious boyfriend or girlfriend can be boring.

　　Winnie: 其实Kevin和Emily听上去倒是挺班配的。

　　Professor: Yes, they both like people who like to have fun and make them laugh.

　　Winnie: Kevin跟Amanda交往那么久，两人一定很合得来，就是不知道是不是一见钟情。

　　Professor: Let's listen and find out.

　　Emily: How did you first meet?

　　Kevin: My roommate invited both of us to dinner.

　　Emily: Was it love at first sight? Did you fall in love with her the first time you met her?

　　Kevin: Yes! The first time I saw her I knew we would fall in love.

　　Winnie: 果然是一见钟情! 好浪漫哦! 不过，还多亏了Kevin室友这个月下佬帮忙!

　　Professor: That's true, Winnie! Match people are important! Do you know computers now can work as match makers?

　　Winnie: 哦， 您说的是专门替人找对象的网站吧! 的确，很多人现在用这种online dating来寻找伴侣，只要在电脑上输入your "type", 电脑就会帮你找到你的另一半。不过真交往起来并不一定合适。

　　Professor: That's true. Winnie, we've heard a lot about Kevin's relationship. Now let's find out about Emily.

　　Kevin: What about you, Emily? Have you dated anyone recently?

　　Emily: I started to date someone recently, but it didn't work out.

　　Kevin: That's too bad. What happened?

　　Emily: Well ... that's a long story.

　　Winnie: 唉， 可怜的Emily，最近交了个男朋友，可后来却分手了。怎么会这样呢？

　　Professor: Let's listen next time and find out!

　　A: 啊! 甜蜜的校园恋情。Kevin和Amanda是love at first sight--一见钟情。俩人都爱说爱笑，They're made for each other.-- 他们简直就是天造地设的一对。

　　B: But Emily isn't so lucky. Her relationship didn't work out.

　　A: 她还说，That's a long story--说来话长。

　　B: Yes. Sometimes you really can't pinpoint what went wrong in a relationship. You just know the person isn't right for you.

　　A: 可不是么! 谈恋爱要靠感觉，是很玄妙的。不过要是换到别的人际关系上，可就不能光凭感觉办事儿了。

　　B: That's true. For example, if your boss wants to fire you, he can't say "oh, it's not your fault. I just don't like you."

　　A: 对，公司里的人事变化是要有事实做理由的，否则就没有规矩了。下面咱们来听听“礼节美语”，说的就是这个。

　　Business Etiquette: Vote of No Confidence II

　　公司董事 David 和 Ken谈话，觉得公司CEO Vincent 不称职。David说，

　　David: One of Vincent's biggest problems is his tendency to micro-manage everything. He sticks his nose into everything instead of leaving the day-to-day decisions to the guys who know what they're doing.

　　K: That's true. He also seems rather uncertain and indecisive about many things.

　　D: Yeah...we need a leader who can inspire us. The CEO needs to be a coach, not a referee. You know...not everyone is cut out to be a leader.

　　K: I think one of the primary skills a leader needs is the ability to listen.

　　David 觉得, Vincent 最大的问题之一是喜欢 micro-manage 管得太细。He sticks his nose into everything. 不论什么事他都要插手，to stick one's nose into something 意思是插手某事。Ken 也说，Vincent 在很多问题上优柔寡断，而且不会听取意见。David 还说，not everyone is cut out to be a leader. 不是人人都能当领导的。to be cut out for something 意思是适合做某事。

　　D: Vincent is terrible at that. He frequently seems to completely misunderstand what we're trying to get across. Just between you and me, I've spoken to a few other board members and they say if there is a vote of no confidence, they'll vote "no."

　　K: But will Vincent be forced to resign if there is such a vote?

　　D: No...but it will do one of two things: one, it will serve as a wake-up call and he might change his style ---or two: he might step down if he realizes he's lost the support of the board.

　　David 已经跟其他一些董事会成员打过招呼，他们都表示，如果有不信任案，他们会投不信任票。这样可能会有两种结果，it will either serve as a wake-up call. 要么会给Vincent 敲响警钟，让他自觉改变管理风格，要么会让 Vincent 意识到，自己已经失去董事会的支持，自觉下台。

　　K: Shouldn't we try to find a way to give him a chance to avoid embarrassment?

　　D: Yes we should. I'll be writing him a private letter next week and expressing our thoughts on the matter. I'd appreciate it if you would sign the letter as well.

　　K: Humm...well, I guess that's the best way. We'll give him a chance to either improve or resign.

　　D: And if he rejects those options, we'll try a vote of no confidence.

　　K: Ok, David....I'm on board. Let's give it a shot.

　　Ken 建议 give him a chance to avoid embarrassment 设法避免让 Vincent 难堪，David 表示赞同，决定先给 Vincent 写封私人信件，阐述他们的意见，希望 Ken 能在上面联署。Ken 承认，这可能是最好的方式，说，I'm on board. 算我一个，Let's give it a shot. 咱们试试看。

　　A: 我也觉得Vincent不是当CEO的料。他喜欢stick his nose into everything--什么都插手，同时呢，He's uncertain and indecisive--他又忧柔寡断，什么事都拿不定主意。

　　B: Right. He's not cut out to be a leader.

　　A: 所以公司董事会要给他一个wake-up call, 敲警钟。

　　B: But David will write to him first to let him know what other people are really thinking about his performance as CEO.

　　A: 是，这公司的人还是挺客气的，给Vincent留着面子。在我们下面的“体育美语”节目中，观众席里的人可就没有这么好的风度了。

　　B: Yeah. Let's listen.

　　American sports English: Heckling

　　Y: Patrick. 谢谢你带我来看棒球比赛。

　　P: Hey, be quiet! Batta, batta, batta. Swing, batta!

　　Y: You be quiet! What are you doing, Patrick?

　　P: I'm heckling the players. Heckling H-E-C-K-L-I-N-G is when you yell at a player of the team you are not rooting for.

　　Y: 你这样起哄会影响运动员发挥的。I think it's very distracting.

　　P: It is distracting and it really is not good to yell at athletes you aren't rooting for- but in baseball, Yang Chen, it is a tradition.

　　Y: A tradition? 这还是个传统啊？I don't believe you.

　　P: Well, you should. It's a common tradition and an easy one. All you say is: Batta, batta, batta. Swing, batta! I'm hoping that the batter, B-A-T-T-E-R, will miss the ball and get a strike, S-T-R-I-K-E.

　　Y: Oh, 你是在冲着那个batter 击球手，给他起哄。

　　P: Right. And if the batter swings three times and misses, it is three strikes. Three strikes and you are OUT!

　　Y: 三振出局。

　　P: Now this is what we want, Yang Chen. After three strikes, our team gets a chance to score.

　　Y: Hey, can you yell anything you want?

　　P: haha, good question but.... not really. You can't yell anything really mean or obscene.

　　Y: 我知道了，不可以骂人，不可以喊脏话，那这样行吗？─Hey, 大笨瓜，you are out!

　　P: Uh, no. or as they say in the movie, just a bit outside.

　　Y: Hey look! 你看那大笨瓜 struck out! 被三振出局了！This is fun!

　　A: 学了半天起哄，那叫好加油怎么说啊？

　　B: 加油可以用"cheer". For example, we all cheer for the home team.我们都为主场队伍加油。

　　A: I see. 对了Donny, 你周末不是常和朋友们打棒球嘛？这个周末打不打？

　　B: 打啊。Are you coming to cheer for me?

　　A:我只是想去练习一下今天学的heckling.

　　B: 啊？!

　　A: I'm kidding! 好，今天的节目时间差不多了。这次的撰稿人是晓北，编辑是蔚然。同学们，我们下次的美语训练班再见!

　　B：Bye!