VOA英语教学：美语训练班 059

 　　A: 美语训练班上课啦! 大家好，我是杨琳!

　　B: 我是Kat! 杨琳，快说说咱们今天都要学什么?
　　A: 好! 今天，咱们要去party上吃个大餐，看看接受媒体采访要注意些什么，看看怎么说船到桥头自然直，还要告诉大家怎么用这个流行的BFF!
　　B: Yanglin, you are totally my BFF!!....the kind of real BFF that would get me a new Macbook Pro 3 for my birthday...
　　A: 大家瞧Kat的梦做得多美呀! 好了好了，言归正传，我们赶快先来进入第一个单元，Learn a Word!
　　Learn A Word mandatory
　　今天我们要学的词是mandatory. Mandatory is spelled m-a-n-d-a-t-o-r-y, mandatory. Mandatory指“强制性的，必须的”。比如，mandatory retirement age 强制退休年龄。Bulgaria's Minister of Regional Development is calling for the introduction of mandatory insurance for private residencies and all privately-owned buildings. 保加利亚地区发展部部长提出，应要求该国的私人住宅和全部私有建筑一律购买保险。The New York City Council is considering a new bill that will make it mandatory for all bikers to wear helmets.纽约市市议员正在考惮7b一项新议案，硬性要求纽约市每个骑自行车的人都必须佩戴头盔。好，今天我们学习的词是mandatory, mandatory, mandatory.....
　　B: Ugh- mandatory things stress me out! I hate mandatory classes in school, I'd rather be more flexible and do what I want when I want!
　　A: 我也不喜欢上有些必修课，就像什么毛泽东思想邓小平理论的....太无聊了!!不过我倒是觉得，像数学啊，物理阿什么的，虽然我都不喜欢，可是毕竟对以后还是有用的嘛!
　　B: Well, as I always say, all the hard questions are for FUTURE KAT! I just don't think it's worth it to worry about things- if there's a problem, I will just cross that bridge when I come to it....
　　A: 你真是个随性的人呀! 不过你刚才提到了一个很好的词儿，cross that bridge when one comes to it, 咱们一起来听听这个习惯用语的用法!
　　Words and Idioms cross that bridge when one comes to it
　　现在播送<美国习惯用语>第968讲。我是杨琳。
　　M：我是 Steve Baragona.
　　我的小侄女很喜爱动物，而且做事很认真。最近她宣布，长大后要当兽医! 我们都觉得这个职业蛮适合她的，不过她父母并不打算现在就开始为她成为兽医做任何投资和计划，因为孩子毕竟还小，很可能以后改主意! 她父母的这种做法让我想到一个习惯用语，那就是:
　　M: Cross that bridge when one comes to it. Cross is spelled c-r-o-s-s, and bridge;b-r-i-d-g-e. Cross that bridge when one comes to it.
　　Cross that bridge when one comes to it 字面的意思是“到了桥边再过桥”，其实就是指“等事情发生了再应对”，“船到桥头自然直”。我侄女的父母就是这个态度，They don't want to start thinking about how to finance their daughter's veterinarian training yet. They prefer to cross that bridge when they come to it. 他们不要现在就开始为孩子上兽医学校准备学费，而是打算等孩子真上了再说。在下面的例子中，有个女孩为自己的未来做打算，嗯，其实也可以说是没做什么打算。我们来听一听:
　　M: "Carrie is determined to move to New York City next fall. At the moment, she doesn't know what she's going to do for a job once she gets there. Still, she's not worried. She says that she will CROSS THAT BRIDGE WHEN SHE COMES TO IT. The way she figures it, she'll be able to find work after she gets settled."
　　这段话意思是说：[Carrie下决心秋天到了就搬到纽约去住。现在，她还不知道搬过去之后要做什么工作。不过，她也不担心。她说，船到桥头自然直。等她到了纽约，一切都安顿好了，再找工作也不迟。]
　　这种随遇而安的心态真不错，不过，很多人都没Carrie这么大松心，不愿意走一步算一步。很多人都是尽量避免可能出现的问题，这样的话， They don't have to cross that bridge when they come to it. 他们就不用等问题发生了，再急切着想法子应对了。好的，言归正传，我们再来听听刚才那段话:
　　M: "Carrie's determined to move to New York City next fall. At the moment, she doesn't know what she's going to do for a job once she gets there. Still, she's not worried. She says that she will CROSS THAT BRIDGE WHEN SHE COMES TO IT. The way she figures it, she'll be able to find work after she gets settled."
　　企业家常被人们认为是务实、有远见、有计划的人，可实际上真是这样么？咱们来听听下面这段话：
　　M: "So far, the company presidents have agreed that they'll sign the contract with Mexico. Beyond that, they haven't really decided what they'll do next. The reality is that they'll deal with the situation when it happens. They're CROSSING THAT BRIDGE WHEN THEY COME TO IT."
　　这段话是说：[到目前为止，公司总裁已经同意和墨西哥方面签合同，可除此之外，公司决策层并没有决定下一步的工作。事实上，他们打算走一步算一步。他们的态度就是等问题出来了再去想怎么办。]
　　Cross the bridge when one comes to it 在口语里的另外一个说法是Wing it. Wing is spelled w-i-n-g; and it, i-t. Wing it，也是“到时候再说”、“随机应变”的意思。 好的，让我们再来听听刚才那段话:
　　M: "So far, the company presidents have agreed that they'll sign the contract with Mexico. Beyond that, they haven't really decided what they'll do next. The reality is that they'll deal with the situation when it happens. They're CROSSING THAT BRIDGE WHEN THEY COME TO IT."
　　今天我们学习的习惯用语是 Cross that bridge when one comes to it，意思是“走一步算一步，船到桥头自然直”。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: Well, I'm the exact opposite. I need to plan things to a T! 什么事儿我都得详细计划好，不然我就特别紧张!
　　B: HE-LLO. Talk about a control freak! But Yanglin, things always change- it's hard to plan ahead!
　　A: 也是! 今天早晨就是! 本来上班只要15分钟，我足足走了一个小时! 就是因为路上出了起事故，大家都看热闹，结果路上堵的不行!
　　B: See, that's my point! You just need to go with the flow! 不过你刚才提到看热闹，咱们今天来看看这个词儿用美语怎么说!
　　How to say it in American English
　　Donny 在北京学汉语，他的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词，就会来请教他。今天是吴琼要问的：看热闹。
　　Donny: Wuqiong, I heard you got your driver's license !
　　WQ: 是啊，昨天我已经开车上路啦!
　　Donny: So how did it go?
　　WQ: 唉，别提了! 我开的那条路上出车祸，结果，开车的、骑车的、走路的，都想看热闹，最后，整条街都堵住了! 对了Donny，这些看热闹的人，用英文怎么说呢？
　　Donny: 英文叫 rubberneck.
　　WQ: rubberneck? 我知道 rubber 是橡胶，neck 是脖子。那rubberneck不就是橡胶脖子么？
　　Donny: 你想啊，那些看热闹，围观的人，they stretch their necks to watch what's happening, right?
　　WQ: 哦……我明白了，伸长脖子看热闹的人好像长了橡胶脖子，所以叫他们rubberneck! 哈哈，真形象!
　　Donny: Right! rubberneck 也可以当动词。你刚才说，大家看热闹，整条街大堵车，在英文里就是 The traffic was bumper-to-bumper because of rubbernecking.
　　WQ: bumper-to-bumper? b-u-m-p-e-r， bumper, 不是汽车保险杠么？
　　Donny: Exactly! So bumper-to-bumper means cars are moving so slowly that their bumpers are almost touching.
　　WQ: 我明白了，bumper-to-bumper， 汽车一辆紧挨着一辆，慢慢往前拱。这□ '5c说，I was stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic，郁闷死了!
　　Donny: Wuqiong, 那车祸到底严不严重？
　　WQ: 特严重! 六辆车撞在一起了!
　　Donny: Ouch... a six-car pileup!
　　WQ: pileup? p-i-l-e, pile, 再加上 up, pileup 就是连环车祸么？
　　Donny: That's Right!
　　WQ: 我跟你说，这个pileup里，有两辆奥迪，一辆奔驰，一辆宝马，好像还有...
　　Donny: Wuqiong, 你看得这么清楚，真不愧是 a good rubberneck! Okay, new driver, tell me what you've learned today!
　　WQ: 第一，看热闹的人叫rubberneck；
　　第二，堵车可以说bumper-to-bumper；
　　第三，连环车祸是pileup, p-i-l-e-u-p!
　　这次的美语怎么说 就到这里。如果你也有不会说的词，请写信给 Donny, 电邮请寄meiyu@voanews.com
　　A: Bumper to bumper, 太形象了! 北京三环上的那个堵绝对可以称得上是bumper to bumper! 保险杠贴着保险杠!
　　B: Yeah...this is one of the biggest reasons why I don't want to live in big cities forever...I hate being stuck in traffic! I feel like a caged animal!
　　A: That's true! 不过我已经习惯了，现在呢，我就会买各种好吃的早餐，被堵的时候可以吃个好吃的嘛....
　　B: 哈哈，Yanglin, if the world was ending but I gave you a cupcake, I don't think you would care. Sometimes I forget how much you love to eat.So, this should interest you: in today's Go English, we are going to check out all the delicious food served at a potluck!
　　A: Mhmm yummy- Let's listen!
　　GoEnglish Food (Advanced)
　　今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“食物”单元的高级课程。
　　Professor: Today Robert is going over to Liz and Doug's apartment for dinner party, but he is about to find out that his tastes in food are very different from theirs.
　　Robert: Hey Doug! Hey Liz! Thank you so much for inviting me over for dinner.
　　Liz: Oh, it's our pleasure! We haven't had company in a long time so we're really excited you could make it. Hey, what's that dish you brought?
　　Robert: Well, Doug told me we were going to have a potluck dinner, so I cooked up some of my famous steak and brought it over. I hope you like it.
　　Liz: Oh my gosh Doug! He brought a dead animal into our house! What are we going to do?
　　Robert: Uh .... Doug? What's the problem? Doesn't Liz like steak?
　　Doug: Jeez.... I totally forgot to tell you. Liz is a vegetarian because she thinks eating meat is like murdering animals. Don't worry honey, tomorrow I'll take the steak outside and bury it.
　　原来Liz是个vegetarian--素食主义者，觉得吃肉就是谋杀动物。难怪她看到Robert带牛排来那么生气。
　　Professor: Exactly, Winnie. And did you hear Liz talk about "having company"? When you have company, that means you invite guests over to your house. For example, "I can't go to the movies on Friday night because I'm having company."
　　哦，have company 就是“有客人在”的意思。对了，professor, potluck dinner 是什么意思？
　　Professor: At some dinner parties the host prepares all the food for the guests. But at a potluck dinner, all the guests each bring a dish to share with the other guests.
　　我明白了，potluck dinner就是客人都自己带菜，大家一起吃的聚餐。
　　Doug: Don't worry Robert! Even though we can't eat the steak, we've got lots of other good stuff to eat. Come and sit down at the table.
　　Robert: Great! I'm starving. What are we having?
　　Liz: I really hope you like it! I've prepared a three-course meal for you. For our appetizer we're having carrots, for the entree we're having chicken, and for the desert we're having chocolate cake.
　　Robert: Well that sounds great .... but did you say we're having chicken for the main course? I thought you didn't eat meat!
　　Liz: Oh don't be ridiculous! It's not real chicken. It's fake chicken, made from tofu.
　　Robert: Doug, did she say we're having fake chicken made from tofu?
　　Doug: That's right. Trust me, it sounds pretty weird, but I'm sure you're going to love it.
　　Professor Bowman, 什么叫 three-course meal?
　　Professor: When you go to dinner in America, each dish is served one after another. Each dish is called a "course," so if there is a three-course meal, that means three dishes are being served and they are "appetizer", "entree", and "desert".
　　哦，原来这就是由“头台”“主菜”和“甜点”这三道菜组成的大餐。对了， Liz还说，主菜是豆腐做的素鸡，这个菜可不好做!
　　Professor: Well now they have finished eating, so let's see what Robert thought.
　　Liz: So Robert, how did you enjoy your meal? It looks like you barely touched any of your chicken.
　　Robert: It was ... umm .... interesting. It's just that I'm not feeling so well. I think tofu chicken might be an acquired taste.
　　Doug: Believe me buddy, that's what I said when I first had it. But I'm telling you, once you get used to it you'll never go back to eating real chicken.
　　Liz: You know Doug, if tofu chicken really is an acquired taste, we should just put the leftovers in a doggie bag to give to
　　Robert to take home. Then he can keep eating it all week!
　　Professor, 什么叫acquired taste?
　　Prof: It means a preference that is only acquired after considerable experience.
　　我明白了，acquired taste 就是慢慢培养出来的爱好。
　　哈，Robert 客气地说，吃素鸡是 acquired taste，其实就是表示自己不爱吃这道菜。
　　Prof: That's right! But Liz offers to let him take the leftovers home so he would fall in love with it someday!
　　A: 其实说到吃，my dream is to open a bakery one day! I LOVE baking cakes just as much as I love eating them! 我就不爱老坐在办公室前面对着电脑，特别无聊!
　　B: I'm the same! Luckily, I'm horrible with interviews, I always panic- so no office jobs for me. Instead, I'll have a fulfilling career as your professional cupcake taster! eh? eh?
　　A: 我看可以! 不过面试呀，接受采访呀，都是挺让人紧张的事。这不，在下面的business etiquette里，这个公司主管就特地为接受媒体采访搞培训呢!
　　B: 咱们赶快来听听吧!
　　礼节美语 Preparing for a Media Interview II
　　公司主管 Lenny 要接受媒体采访，请媒体咨询公司的Carl帮他准备。Carl告诉Lenny, 记者一上来会问几个简单问题，但不能因此而放松警惕。Carl说：
　　C: Remember to keep your game face on. It's really important not to seem surprised when they ask the first difficult question. You don't want to have a moment where it seems you're on the defensive.
　　L: All right...I'll be expecting tough questions. What kind of controversial topics do you think they might cover?
　　C: I'd be ready to answer questions about anything. Your company's stock price has recently taken a dip, your CFO left your company and joined a rival firm, there was a product recall last year and sales for your latest gadget have been disappointing.
　　L: Wow...I see what you mean. So overall, what do you think my response strategy should be?
　　Carl告诉Lenny要 keep your game face on. 保持战斗姿态。game face 原指球员场上比赛时的面容表情，引伸为志在必得的样子。 这样做是因为，软问题过后，记者出其不意，提出第一个刁难性问题时，you don't want to seem on the defensive. 你不想让人看出你处于被动防守的状态。记者什么样的问题都可能问，比如：公司股票最近下跌，take a dip; 公司首席财务长官跳槽到对手的公司；跳槽在英语里可以用 jump ship. 如，Your CFO jumped ship to join a rival firm. 另外，公司最近有产品因为质量问题被召回，而且最新推出的产品销量也不尽人意。遇到这样的问题，Lenny该怎样回答呢？
　　C: The main thing is to focus on the positive. Yes, our stock price has been a little volatile... but we are on course for a third quarter rebound. Yes, it was unfortunate that our CFO chose to join our rivals, but the opening has given us a chance to hire fresh blood and incorporate new ideas.
　　L: I see your point: don't evade the question, but try to twist it towards the positive.
　　C: Exactly! And you need to appear confident and strong.
　　L: What kind of tone would you recommend I take with the interviewer? Friendly? A little distant?
　　Carl说，被问到这种难堪问题时，关键是要 focus on the positive. 强调积极的一面。比如，公司股票价格最近是有些波动，但是 we are on course for a third quarter rebound. 第三季度预计会出现反弹；虽然高管跳槽，但这样我们才有机会 hire fresh blood 雇佣新人。归根结底一句话，不能回避问题，但要从积极的一面来回答问题。接受采访时采取什么样的态度最合适呢？Carl回答说：
　　C: Stay friendly but remember: they're not on your side.
　　L: I guess that's the same as when I'm at any business negotiation.
　　C: Yes. Use the interviewer's first name...especially at the beginning of the interview. But don't overdo it, because that sounds insincere.
　　L: These are all really good points, Carl. Maybe we could meet again next week. I think I need a little bit more practice.
　　C: Sure. I'll have your secretary set up the appointment. See you next week, Mr. Lee.
　　L: Goodbye, Carl.
　　Carl说，态度必须友好，但是要记住，they're not on your side. 采访你的人不是站在你这边的。Carl还建议Lenny从采访一开始就用记者的first name名字称呼对方，这样显得亲切，但 don't overdo it. 也不要显得过份热络。Lenny跟Carl约定，下星期再演练一次。
　　A: 你看看你看看，接受个采访，还得准备这准备那的，真麻烦! 要是以后我真有一个蛋糕店，就能天天吃自己烤的蛋糕，多棒呀!
　　B: I'd give up boys for cupcakes in a heartbeat! and I'm not afraid to admit it!
　　A: That's why we are BFFs!
　　B: Hahaha, exactly. Alrighty guys, let's learn how American youth use this term: BFF!
　　How to say it in American English
　　Jessica 在北京学中文，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。今天是于苗要问的：闺蜜。
　　Jessica: Wow, 于苗! What are you doing all dolled up!
　　YM: 我今天要去见我最最好的朋友! 她是我大学同学，我们都两年没见了!
　　Jessica: Oh wow, sounds like you guys go way back!
　　YM: 可不! 她可是我的标准闺蜜! My best friend!
　　Jessica: Actually in English, you can call her your BFF. BFF stands for Best Friend Forever. People use this term to refer to their best friends.
　　YM: 原来BFF就是永远的好朋友! Yes, she's definitely my BFF! We were college classmates and lived in the same dorm for four years. 我们特别铁，无话不谈。咦，这个"铁"用英文要怎么说呢?
　　Jessica: You can say: we are tight! Tight是关系紧密的意思，也就是说你们特别铁!
　　YM: 可不! 话说来跟我们一块吃饭的还有另外一个人! 我们吧，也挺好的, 不过吧， She's super competitive. She always wants what I have! 你说这种人该怎么说? Partial BFF? Partial tight?
　　Jessica: 哈哈.... that sounds like a frenemy of yours. Frenemy consists of friend and enemy, it is basically half friend and half enemy!
　　YM: 原来如此! This girl is a frenemy. 我们俩表面不错，但是暗地里好象老是在明争暗斗的。
　　Jessica: Sounds like a love-hate relationship to me!
　　YM: That's so true, 我对她绝对是又爱又恨，你看，今天我跟我闺蜜见面，她又跟来了! 哎。。。
　　Jessica: 哈哈，开心点！Before you go, tell me what you've learned today!
　　YM: 今天我们学到的内容包括:
　　第一，闺蜜是best friend forever, 也就是BFF,
　　第二，关系很铁可以用 tight;
　　第三，亦敌亦友，叫做frenemy;
　　第四，爱恨交加是 a love-hate relationship!
　　这次的"美语怎么说"就到这里了。如果你也有不会说的词，请写信给Jessica, 电邮请寄meiyu@voanews.com
　　B: A love-hate relationship? I think that describes my relationship with that three layer chocolate cake I ate last night....
　　A:哈哈我也一样! 不过说归说，吃还是要吃的嘛! Alright! 同学们，
　　这次节目时间就到这里。 如果你对我们的节目有什么建议，或者想提什么问题，请发电子邮件到meiyu@voanews.com.
　　B: And in your email, tell us with whom or what you have a love-hate relationship! Cupcakes? Dinosaurs? Troublesome co-hosts??
　　A: 您还可以关注新浪微薄@ Moo爱说英语的牛，收听更多课程!
　　B: And don't forget to tune in next time for American English Mosaic!
　　A: Bye bye!