VOA英语教学：美语训练班 083

 　　A: 欢迎大家来到这期的美语训练班! 我是杨琳!

　　B: 我是Mike! 杨琳，来告诉大家今天都要学什么?
　　A: 没问题! 今天，我们要聊聊怎么及时行乐，看看在美国打官司的繁琐流程，还要告诉你怎么说自以为是!
　　B: Eat, drink and be merry! That's my motto in life!
　　A: Exactly. That's why I end up doing all the work for you!
　　B: Yeah, as if that's true....
　　A: 哈哈，不过确实，我觉得好多中国人活得太累了，看欧洲小镇的人民，多潇洒! 好了，我们现在先言归正传，来进入第一个单元，Learn a word!
　　Learn A Word 1615 much-needed
　　今天我们要学的词是 much-needed. much is spelled m-u-c-h, much, needed is spelled n-e-e-d-e-d, needed, much-needed. much-needed 急需的。The school received a much-need grant to keep its band. 学校得到了一笔急需的补助金，保住了学校的乐队。It was a much-needed win for our team. 我们球队太需要这场胜利了。The students can finally get some much-needed sleep after the final exams. 期终考试结束后，学生们终于可以补补觉了。The first presidential debate delivered a much-needed boost for Romney. 总统候选人之间的第一场辩论，对罗姆尼的选战是一次非常及时的推动。好的，今天我们学习的词是 much-needed, much-needed, much-needed....
　　A: 说起much-needed, 我也来造个句。After this long thanksgiving road trip, I definitely will enjoy a much-needed break.
　　B: I agree. Well I mean, on top of that, I plan to start a much-needed diet so I can get rid of these love handles.
　　A: You look ok! Just keep going to the gym; I'm sure these holiday weight will be gone in a jiffy.
　　B: I don't know 杨琳. I think my body has this magic power to hold on to fat. And I have really low self-control over gourmet 1 food, especially with all the Christmas and new year family get-together 2 coming up!
　　A: 哎呀，节日期间，别这么悲观嘛!  In my opinion, all the holiday calories will convert into happy mood! Eat, drink and be merry! 及时行乐，回头的事儿回头再说嘛!
　　B: Haha, I like your attitude!
　　A: 刚才我说到了及时行乐，在今天的美语怎么说里，咱们就来听听看这个词儿要怎么用!
　　How to say it in American English
　　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。今天是方方要问的：及时行乐
　　Jessica: Fangfang, how was your date last night? I heard he was quite a looker!
　　FF: 唉，怎么说呢...这男生长得是不错，可是话不投机! 我说我爱游泳，他说小心被淹，我说我爱旅游，他说旅游就是花钱买罪受!
　　Jessica: Really? He's a Debbie downer!
　　FF: Debbie? 他不叫Debbie.
　　Jessica: No, Debbie downer refers to those who are so negative and always bring down the mood of other people.
　　FF: 我明白了，说一个人特消极，老说丧气话打击别人，就可以用Debbie downer. My date from last night was such a Debbie downer that I went home with a heavy heart!
　　Jessica: That was no fun! We shouldn't let a Debbie downer ruin our high spirits.
　　FF: 就是的! 我还是喜欢积极向上，阳光型的! 这种人用美语又怎么说呢？
　　Jessica: You can say he has a sunny personality.
　　FF: 嗯! I want to go out with a man who has a sunny personality. He can cheer me up when I'm moody 3.
　　Jessica: I used to date a guy like that! He is the most positive person I've ever known and he always seems so contend.
　　FF: 可以想像。对人生要求不多，只要及时行乐，这就是我的理想男友的标准! 那及时行乐又怎么说呢？
　　Jessica: We say "eat, drink and be merry."
　　FF: Eat, drink and be merry. 吃，喝，快快乐乐。Gosh! This is my motto in life!
　　Jessica: It is mine, too!
　　FF:今天我们学了：阴沉丧气的人是Debbie downer, 阳光向上的性格是sunny personality, 及时行乐则是to eat, drink and be merry.
　　A: 嗯，这里说的真对! 我就特别喜欢有sunny personality 的人，跟这种人在一起，整个人也会变得阳光起来!
　　B: Oh, I get it now! It is my sunny personality that attracts all the people around me! No wonder I'm so popular!
　　A: OMG....自以为是大王! 您的自信都流出来了吧....
　　B: Haha, I'm kidding I'm kidding. But seriously, laugh, and the world laughs with you; weep, and you weep alone. (if you think this is too cheesy change it....)
　　A: 没错! 刚才我说Mike自以为是，在今天的words and idioms里，咱们就来学学这个词儿用美语怎么说!
　　Words and Idioms 993
　　现在播送美国习惯用语第 993讲。我是杨琳。
　　M: 我是Steve Baragona.
　　最近我们这正在招聘新的制片人。来面试的人很多，其中有个女的，她的简历特别好，但是面试过程不太顺利。她不停吹嘘自己得了多少多少奖，做过多少独家访谈，有多少新奇的创意什么的。所有面试官都认为她的性格不合适这份工作，这也让我想到了一句习惯用语，那就是:
　　M: Full of oneself. Full is spelled F-U-L-L.Full of oneself.
　　如果我们说一个人full of oneself, 意思就是他特别自以为是。就像上面我提到的这个来面试的人: All the boasting she did led the interviewers to conclude that she was FULL OF HERSELF. 她不停吹嘘自己，让面试官都觉得她特别自大。太自以为是的人确实很难成为团队的一员。下面的例子里就要谈到这样一个人，我们来听听看:
　　M: "It can't be denied that Donald Trump 4 is extremely successful in the business world. Through his many investments and ownership of luxurious 5 properties, he's worth about $2.9 billion. Still, his critics think he's incredibly FULL OF HIMSELF. Maybe he wouldn't be so great if he weren't conceited 6?!"
　　[这段话是说: 无可否认的是，特朗普在商业界确实非常成功。通过各种投资和他所拥有的众多豪华地产，他的身价已经达到了近29亿美元。不过，批评人士仍然认为他过于高傲自大。或许如果不是这样的话，他也不会有今天的成功吧？ ]
　　对啊! 我想很多人都看过特朗普的真人电视秀"学徒"。在节目中，20名年轻男女争夺为他工作的机会。如果他们失败了，他就会告诉他们:"你被解雇了!" 在我看来，这并不是真正的娱乐节目。简直就是他自我炫耀的机器! 好了，让我们再来听听刚才那段话:
　　M: "It can't be denied that Donald Trump is extremely successful in the business world. Through his many investments and ownership of luxurious properties, he's worth about $2.9 billion. Still, his critics think he's incredibly FULL OF HIMSELF. Maybe he wouldn't be so great if he weren't conceited?!"
　　自大的人当然很让人讨厌，可是世界上也有很多与此相反的人，让我们来听听下面这个例子：
　　M: "Cheryl and I almost didn't go on a first date. That's because my ex-girlfriend lied about me to her and said that I was FULL OF MYSELF. Luckily, Cheryl didn't listen to her. After meeting me, she decided 7 that I was actually not self-important at all. So we started going out and now are thinking about getting married."
　　[这段话是说：谢丽儿和我几乎没见面，就错过了彼此。这是因为我的前女友告诉她说我特别自大。幸好谢丽儿没有听她的话。与我见面之后，她觉得我其实并不是那种自我膨胀的人，然后我们开始约会，现在已经开始考虑结婚了。]
　　幸好这个谢丽儿是个思想开放的人。有些人人云亦云，听到别人怎么说就会怎么做，也就导致了无法改变的刻板印象。幸好上面这对情侣没有就此错过! 好的，我们再来听听刚才那段话:
　　M: "Cheryl and I almost didn't go on a first date. That's because my ex-girlfriend lied about me to her and said that I was FULL OF MYSELF. Luckily, Cheryl didn't listen to her. After meeting me, she decided that I was actually not self-important at all. So we started going out and now are thinking about getting married."
　　今天我们学习的习惯用语是full of oneself, 意思是自以为是。好的，这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束，我是杨琳，我是Steve Baragona。谢谢各位的收听。
　　A: I really don't want to deal with those people who're full of themselves. I remember I used to have a co-worker who's always bragging 8 about how he is the best at doing everything, it's so annoying!
　　B: I know. Winston Churchill once said "Attitude is little thing that makes a big difference."
　　A: Yeah, exactly. Now you know how hard my life is since I have to deal with you...maybe I can get some compensation out of this....
　　B: 杨琳，seriously, I'm so going to sue you based on these emotional damages!
　　A: Don't you know it's illegal to threat to sue someone if you don't mean to actually do it? 不过啊，在今天的business etiquette里，Barry的公司就真被人家起诉了! 咱们来听听他们要怎么应对吧!
　　礼节美语A Lawsuit 9 I
　　Barry 召集公司同事开会，有个坏消息要宣布。
　　Barry: Well, folks...I'm afraid I have some bad news. Our lawyers told me this morning that we are being sued.
　　Chris: Sued? Who's suing us?
　　Susan: And on what grounds?
　　B: An Australian man named John Smith alleged 10 that his microwave exploded while he was using it last year. Mr. Smith suffered injuries and he wants compensation.
　　C: How much compensation does he want?
　　B: His lawyers are asking for two million dollars.
　　S: Two million! That's insane!
　　Barry 说，公司被告了，We are being sued. sued is spelled s-u-e-d, sued, 是控告、起诉的意思。Susan问，起诉罪名是什么，on what grounds? grounds 在这里是理由、根据的意思。Barry说，原告是一个澳大利亚人，被微波炉炸伤，索赔两百万美元，Susan觉得 That's insane! 这简直是疯了!
　　C: This is how the game is played. They ask for millions but it's usually a negotiating tactic 11.
　　B: Yeah, Chris is probably right. The figure of two million dollars is a place to begin bargaining from. They are probably hoping to settle the case quickly.
　　S: But Barry, we don't manufacture microwave ovens! How in the world are we responsible for an accident like this?
　　B: We might not manufacture microwaves, but our company does make a heat-sensing component 12 that is part of many microwaves. Maybe Chris can shed some light on this, Chris?
　　Chris说，对方要价两百万只是一种谈判策略， a negotiating tactic。Barry也觉得对方希望 settle the case quickly，尽快了结案子。可是，公司不生产微波炉，为什么要为微波炉爆炸赔钱呢？Barry 请 Chris 给大家解释一下，shed some light on this. Chris 说，
　　C: If I'm not mistaken, you're referring to our company's sensor 13 chips. They are small chips that help control how heat is regulated.
　　S: So our chip made the microwave blow up?
　　C: Not exactly. The chip might have malfunctioned 14, but I doubt it. We test those products very rigorously and our quality control is strong. I don't think we are responsible for the explosion.
　　S: I don't believe the sensor could cause an explosion. We are innocent! This lawsuit is totally without merit!
　　原来，他们公司生产的 sensor chip 感应芯片是微波炉的感热部件。不过Chris说，公司质检很严格，所以芯片应该和微波炉爆炸无关。这么说，This lawsuit is totally without merit, 这桩诉讼完全就是无理取闹。那么，公司要如何应对这桩官司呢？我们下次继续听。
　　A: 公司被别人告了，要求赔偿200万美金，Barry说，这只是 a negotiating tactic 谈判策略，肯定不用陪这么多钱，但是他希望能settle the case quickly 尽快了结案子。 Chris说，This lawsuit is totally without merit 这桩诉讼完全就是无理取闹。无端端被人告，真是太郁闷了!
　　B: Yeah, it's never pleasant to get involve in a lawsuit. Not only you have to prepare tons of paperwork, the lawyer fee is also astronomical 15....plus, I always feel like lawyers are more interested in winning an argument then actually finding out the truth, so you never know what's going to happen.
　　A: 可不是嘛! 不过说起来，上次我停车拿到了罚单，还去法庭上诉了呢! 结果钱就拿回来啦! 还不错!
　　B: Yeah, but those cases are totally different. Let's continue to listen and find out how the company is going to deal with this lawsuit!
　　礼节美语A Lawsuit II
　　公司被人状告索赔，同事们在讨论如何应对。
　　S: So how does this work? What will we have to do?
　　B: A lawyer will stop by next week and take statements from each of us.
　　S: What kind of statement are they looking for?
　　B: It will probably be just a basic statement about what you know about our company's heat sensors 16. They will want to know if you had any knowledge of a cover-up of defective 17 products.
　　Barry说，下周律师会来提取证词，看看 if you had any knowledge of a cover-up of defective products. 员工是否知道公司有掩盖问题产品的行为。cover-up 意思是掩盖。defective 意思是有缺陷。
　　S: I don't know anything about sensors! I'm an accountant!
　　B: Then that's exactly what you tell them. Just stick to the truth.
　　C: I'll start preparing our test records and compiling data about our products.
　　S: Why do you need to do that?
　　B: We need to prove that we are not liable. Let's give Mr. Smith's lawyers access to our internal memos 18 and quality control data. We have nothing to hide.
　　跟律师谈话，要据实以告, stick to the truth, 因为 we have nothing to hide. 我们没什么好隐瞒的。 Barry还说，公司会允许原告律师查看公司内部备忘录和质检数据。To give someone access to something 意思是允许某人接触某物。
　　S: Does this mean I will have to testify in court?
　　B: That's very possible. We might all be called as witnesses.
　　S: What should I tell them?
　　B: Just answer all the questions truthfully. We stand by our products and we're proud of our company.
　　C: They will probably question me more because I'm the engineer. I'm going to have to do some homework and brush up on my knowledge.
　　Barry 说，大家都有可能要出庭作证。 Chris 是工程师，说自己要 do some homework， 准备一下，and brush up on my knowledge，温习一下相关的业务知识。
　　S: But what if we lose? If we have to make such a big payout, we might go bankrupt!
　　B: Hold your horses! First, we won't lose...but if we do, our lawyers will appeal the verdict.
　　S: But the other side can appeal too!
　　B: Yes, that's true. But eventually this case will come to a conclusion and no more appeals are allowed. Who knows? We might even counter-sue them for making false allegations.
　　C: Sounds like a plan.
　　Susan 担心，如果官司打输，就要make a big payout，赔很多钱，导致公司破产。Barry劝她说： Hold your horses! 别着急! 就算输了也可以appeal the verdict, 上诉。公司甚至可以counter-sue， 反诉原告，罪名是making false allegations 诬告。
　　A: 律师下周会来取证，Barry说，我们要stick to the truth, 据实相告，因为we have nothing to hide, 没什么可隐瞒的。Chris是公司的工程师，他准备brush up on his knowledge, 温习一下相关的业务知识。Barry说，即使第一次打输了，也可以appeal the verdict上诉。看来，身正不怕影子歪! 公司没做什么错事，所以也不怕来个诉讼!
　　aLarry
　　B: Yeah, normally big companies will have lawyers to deal with such things. It happens on a daily basis. Maybe I can ask my friend to represent me when I decide to sue you....
　　A: Well...yeah...as if you have such a friend...好了，节目快结束了，我们最后再来学个词儿！
　　Learn A Word 1619 disposable
　　今天我们要学的词是disposable. Disposable is spelled d-i-s-p-o-s-a-b-l-e, disposable.  Disposable意思是可以任意处理的。The Boulder 19 City Council approved a proposal that would charge a 20-cent fee on all disposable grocery bags. 博德尔市政委员会批准了一项对所有一次性购物袋收缴20美分的提案。日本一家化学场发生爆炸停产，这家工厂的产品是一次性尿布的重要元素。The shutdown of production triggered widespread fear about a global disposable diapers shortage. 工厂停产让外界担心，一次性尿布可能会出现全球范围内的短缺。最新报告说，A double-income family has to save all its disposable income for about 29 years to buy a new home in Taipei. 一个有两份收入的家庭，要把可支配收入全部攒下来，29年后才能在台北买一栋新房子。今天我们学习的词是disposable, disposable, disposable....
　　A: I know exactly the word that I can use to describe you: disposable, very disposable.
　　B: (say something....)
　　A: 哈哈， 好了同学们，这次节目时间就到这里了。 如果你有什么建议，或者想提什么问题，请发电子邮件到meiyu@voanews.com.
　　B: Tune 20 in next time for American English Mosaic 21!
　　A: See you next time!