VOA英语教学：美语训练班 049

 　　A: 大家好! 欢迎来到American English Mosaic! 我是杨琳！

　　B: 我是Kat! 杨琳，赶快来介绍一下今天的节目内容吧！
　　A: 没问题! 今天，咱们要继续聊聊写简历找工作，，要看看如何给客服打电话，还要告诉大家怎么用美语说“摆臭脸”和“卖萌”。
　　B: 卖萌？什么是萌？是吃的吗？
　　A: 哈哈，这可是个时髦词儿，等会儿听了节目你就明白啦！
　　B: 那好吧！ 咱们先赶快进入第一个单元，Learn a word!
　　Learn A Word #1470 SHORT OF
　　今天我们要学的词是 short of. Short is spelled s-h-o-r-t, short; and of, o-f, of. Short of 指达不到的，缺少的。The project was set aside because we are short of funding. 这个项目下马了，因为我们资金不足。麦当劳三月上旬表示，由于欧洲部分地区的恶劣天气和中国农历新年的原因，For February, global revenue for restaurants opened at least 13 months fell short of expectations. 二月份全球开业13个月以上的所有分店总收入低于预期水平。在今年的NCAA美国大学生篮球联赛中，Saint Louis has fallen short of upsetting number one seed Michigan State. 圣路易斯大学没能爆出冷门，输给了头号种子密歇根州立大学队。 好的，今天我们学习的词是 short of, short of, short of.
　　A: 让我也来造个句。Whenever I'm in the mall seeing tons of nice clothes, I always feel I'm short of money. 每次看到商场里头的那些漂亮衣服，我就觉得我缺钱。
　　B: Haha, I feel the same way! And whenever I’m in front of my closet, I always feel like the clothes I have fall short of my expectations─I feel like I dress like an old woman!
　　A: 我也是我也是！不如咱们今天下了班就去逛街！
　　B: Today....today might be a bit hard for me..
　　A： 嗯？你怎么这么犹犹豫豫的？What's going on, Kat? You sound shady. Are you hiding something from me?
　　B： Well, let's discuss this later! 你刚才提到了shady这个词儿，在下面的流行美语里，我们就来看看Larry和李华碰到了什么shady的情况！
　　Popular American
　　各位听众，现在播送《流行美语》。 最近李华看到朋友Kevin经常向大家要用过的吸管，觉得奇怪，便决定和Larry一起探个究竟。李华会学到两个常用语：shady 和 to stock up。
　　LH: Larry, Kevin 在做什么啊?
　　LL: Hmmm...that's a good question.
　　LH: 他最近总是在收集大家不要的吸管。啊！他们家是不是破产了。所以要收集吸管，再拿去卖啊？
　　LL: I don't think so, Li Hua. If they really went broke, he would just sell his Mercedes or iPhone.
　　LH: 说的也是。他看起来还是特有钱的。
　　LL: But it's a bit shady what he's doing. Why would someone collect straws?
　　LH: 你说shady 是什么意思啊？
　　LL: Shady means suspicious or questionable. Kevin collecting a bunch of straws is definitely suspicious.
　　LH: Shady 是可疑的意思。嗯， 我也这么觉得。那我们要不要问他看看？
　　LL: Rather than asking him, why don't we sit back and observe him for a couple of days, and see what he's up to.
　　LH: 你说要观察几天？ 好啊！我们就做一回侦探！
　　第二天李华看到Larry.
　　LH: Larry! Kevin 今天没有再要吸管了耶。他好像完成了他的任务。那我们要怎么找出真相呢？
　　LL: He's not collecting straws anymore? Is he doing anything else that's shady?
　　LH: 你说他有没有做其他可疑的事。。。啊！有了！他最近一直到美术教室的储藏室去。会是在做什么呢？
　　LL: The art classroom? Maybe that's where he stocks up all the straws! He wants to use those to create some artwork!
　　LH: 你说 stock up... 是储藏的意思吗？
　　LL: Yes. To stock up means to store. He probably already put all the straws he's collected in the storage room, and is now trying to create an artwork.
　　LH: 你说他已经把收集到的吸管通通放到储藏室了，现在要用那些吸管来做美术作品？
　　LL: Yup. That has to be it.
　　LH: 不可能啦！他没有选修美术呀。我跟他上的课几乎一模一样，我很清楚的。
　　LL: Hmmm..really? That's even more shady then.
　　LH: 但Larry, 我很好奇。为什么shady 是可疑的意思呢？跟 suspicious 这个字也没什么关系啊。
　　LL: A shade is a place that is dark. Usually, things that are suspicious are done in the dark. Therefore, we say someone or something is shady when that thing or person is very suspicious.
　　LH: 哇，原来是这样，因为shade 是指阴暗处，而做坏事的人通常都是在暗地里做事，所以很引人怀疑。
　　LL: That's right.
　　LH: 不过 Kevin 的事还是要弄个水落石出，我实在很好奇。
　　LL: Let's wait another day and see. Maybe we'll know tomorrow!
　　LH: 好吧！明天见。
　　第三天，李华提早来到学校，远远看到Larry刚跟Kevin讲完话。
　　LH: Larry!
　　LL: Li Hua! You're here so early today.
　　LH: 是啊。咦，你在做什么呢？Why do you look all shady?
　　LL: I look shady?? What are you talking about?
　　LH: 我刚才明明看到你和Kevin在悄悄说话，Does it have anything to do with the straws that Kevin stocked up?
　　LL: Ohh that?! Shhhhh. I was just talking to Kevin to see what he was up to.
　　LH: 你趁我不在的时候去问 Kevin?! 干嘛不叫上我一起，真不够意思。
　　LL: But guess what I found out?
　　LH: 快说说看！
　　LL: Here, follow me! Let's go into the classroom where we can sit down and talk.
　　李华跟Larry一起走进教室, 等在教室里的很多一起喊"Happy Birthday 李华!"
　　LH: 啊？！天啊！Larry, 你们原来是用吸管做了这条船给我当生日礼物！我还以为....
　　LL: Well, we had to give you a surprise, but you realized Kevin was stocking up on straws. I had to pretend not to know.
　　LH: 谢谢啦！ 现在终于知道 Kevin 为什么鬼鬼祟祟得在收集吸管了！
　　各位听众，今天李华从Larry那儿学到两个常用语，一个是shady,ǒ可疑ō的意思；另一个是to stock up, 也就是ǒ储藏ō。这次《流行美语》播送完了，谢谢收听，下次节目再见。
　　A: 好了，节目听完了。现在你能告诉我你为什么不跟我一起去逛街了吧！
　　B: Actually, I have a date tonight.
　　A: You've got a date tonight?!!! Congrats! Why don't you tell me in the first place!?
　　B: Well I don't know where this is going, so I want to keep it a secret for now. 厄。。别摆臭脸了。。。
　　A: 我以为你会第一个告诉我呢！
　　B: I'm sorry, 杨琳！
　　A: 别理我，我生气呢！
　　B：What about a nice strawberry banana shake?
　　A: 哈哈哈， I will think about it! 不过现在，咱们先来看看这个“摆臭脸”用美语怎么说！
　　How to say it in American English： mean mug
　　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。今天是小北要问的：摆臭脸。
　　XB: Jessica, 今天我可是太丢人了!
　　Jessica: What happened?
　　XB: 我在图书馆里戴着耳机听电脑里的音乐，结果发现大家都在皱着眉头看我，最后图书管理员过来说，请你把音乐关掉! 原来我的耳机没插牢，音乐声都跑出来了!
　　Jessica: Oh! That's why people were mean mugging you!
　　XB: 啊？什么意思？
　　Jessica: To mean mug someone means to give someone an angry look.
　　XB: 啊，mean mug someone就是冲某人摆臭脸. I was wondering why everyone in the library was mean mugging me!
　　Jessica: You can also use the phrase "to give someone an evil eye." It also means to glare at someone with a lot of anger and hatred.
　　XB: I see. Give someone an evil eye就是恨恨地瞪着别人。那天我在银行， someone cut in line. Oh, you should have seen the evil eye everybody gave him!
　　Jessica: 在银行插队被人瞪？活该!
　　XB: I agree! 对了，话说今天我学习了一天，发觉我的电脑实在太慢了，我打算跟我爸张口，让他送我一台新的!
　　Jessica: Didn't your Dad just pay for your trip to Hong Kong?
　　XB:呵呵，那是没错啦! 不过，我爸特宠我，只要我对他撒撒娇，装装可怜，他什么都答应我!
　　Jessica: Haha! Daddy's little girl likes to use the puppy-dog eyes trick!
　　XB: Puppy-dog eyes? 小狗的眼睛？
　　Jessica: 对啊。When you give someone those puppy-dog eyes, you enlarge your eyes over dramatically with a sad face to get whatever you desire.
　　XB: 哦! 就是睁大眼睛，像小狗一样卖萌装可怜! Hey, my little nephew gives me those puppy-dog eyes every time he wants to play with my iPad!
　　Jessica: Did you give it to him?
　　XB: 我才不吃这一套!
　　Jessicaf: So what did he do?
　　XB: 那还用问，he starts mean mugging me!
　　XB: 今天我们学了，摆臭脸是mean mug someone; 恨恨瞪别人是give someone an evil eye; 睁大眼睛卖萌装可怜是give someone those puppy-dog eyes.
　　A: 不过说到这个mean mug, 我昨天听我一个朋友说，some bosses will mean mug their employees in order to test if they can handle high-pressure jobs, 太可怕了！
　　B: Actually, sometimes they start mean mugging right from the first interview. They will pretend to be harsh and see how the interviewee reacts.
　　A：要说找工作可真不容易！在今天的美语三级跳里，懒惰的Toby要继续去找工作！ 我们来看看他又遇到了什么困难。
　　B: Let's listen!
　　Job Application Dialogue: Intermediate
　　今天我们为您播出美语三级跳节目找工作单元的中级课程。
　　Toby正在找工作。他以前在大学书店的同事Erin现在在一家电脑公司上班，所以Toby希望能利用这个关系，看看Erin能不能帮自己也在这个公司找个差事。
　　Professor: Today Toby has brought his resum?to give to Erin. Do you think she will help him get a job at her company?
　　嗯,Toby可不是个勤快能干的人，我希望Erin不要把这种人介绍进自己的公司。
　　Toby: Hey Erin, it's great to see you again. How is your new job?
　　Erin: Hi Toby, it's really great. The work is really interesting, the salary is good, and the company has great benefits.
　　Toby: Wow! You know, I would really love to work at such a great company.
　　Erin: Well, I guess you can apply online if we have any positions open.
　　Toby: Actually, I was hoping you could recommend me directly. Here is my resum?
　　Toby 真狡猾！他假装问候Erin，但实际上是让Erin帮忙找工作! 不过，Professor, "benefits"是什么意思呢？
　　Professor: Benefits are all the things that a company gives its employees beside money. For example, companies may offer benefits like health insurance and vacation time.
　　哦，benefits 就是福利。Erin让Toby上网看看，公司有没有positions, 是空闲职位的意思么？
　　Professor: Exactly. For example, if you want to apply to a company, you could call and ask, ǒAre there any positions open right now?
　　Erin: Oh, you brought me your resume? Well Toby, I remember that you had a very ......how should I say ....... relaxed attitude toward work at the book store.
　　Toby: No way! I was a model worker! Maybe you just didn't notice.
　　Erin: Yes, because I was too busy helping customers.
　　Toby: Oh please, Erin. Isn't there any way you could help me with this? I really need a job.
　　Erin: Hmm .... well let me look at your resum?
　　看来，Erin知道Toby上班时的差劲表现。不过她说得很委婉，说Toby的工作态度很relaxed, 就是轻松，懈怠。
　　Professor: Yes, she doesn't seem very excited about hiring Toby. But what does Toby say?
　　Toby居然自称是model worker 模范雇员！
　　Erin: Alright Toby, your resume?says you have great computer skills. Is that true?
　　Toby: Of course! I have extensive experience surfing the Internet.
　　Erin: I see. But I'm not sure that is a real qualification.
　　Toby: Oh really? Well I have other important skills. For example, I'm really good at multi-tasking.
　　Erin: That's true. You're really good at surfing the Internet and eating your lunch at the same time.
　　Professor: So Winnie, what is the first skill that Toby says he has?
　　他说，他有上网冲浪的extensive experience---丰富经验，不过Erin说，这算不上是真正的 qualification--胜任工作的本事。本来么，会上网的人太多了!
　　Professor: That's right. When you apply for a job a company will often ask you about your qualifications, and you might tell them that you are very qualified for the position.
　　哦。不过Professor Bowman，什么是multi-tasking？
　　Professor: Multi-tasking is doing more than one job at once. For example, if you can work on the computer while you are talking on the phone, you can say you are multi-tasking.
　　所以说，multi-tasking就是能同时干几件事。Erin开Toby的玩笑，说他确实能一边上网一边吃饭，这也算本事？
　　Toby: Oh come on, Erin. I would really appreciate it if you could do this for me.
　　Erin: Hmm .... alright Toby. I'll give your resume?to our human resources department. If they want to hire you, it's their decision.
　　Toby: Thanks Erin, I really appreciate your help.
　　Erin: No problem. In fact, I will recommend you for a very important job.
　　Toby: Really, what's that?
　　Erin: My secretary. You can use your multi-tasking skills to do all my work while I surf the Internet.
　　Wow，看来Erin想收拾收拾Toby! 她说会把Toby的简历给人力资源部，但是推荐他做自己的秘书!
　　Professor: That's right. And what will Toby have to do as Erin's secretary?
　　她说，Toby当了自己的秘书后，要把自己的活儿都包下来! 这可真聪明!
　　A: 找到了工作之后也不容易，这不，下面的礼节美语里，就谈到了给客服打电话解决一个货单上的纠纷。咱们赶快来听听看！
　　礼节美语 - Calling Customer Service I
　　Bob给一家软件公司客户服务热线打电话，接电话的是 Gloria. 大家注意听客户服务一上来该怎样说。
　　Gloria: Good afternoon and thank you for calling GlobalCom's customer hotline. My name is Gloria...how can I be of assistance?
　　Bob: Hi Gloria. My name is Bob Johnson and I'm calling from New York. My company ordered six packs of Pro 7 design software from your firm, but it has now been a week past the date the items were expected to arrive!
　　G: Okay sir...do you have the tracking number we sent you by e-mail when you first made the order?
　　B: Yes I do, and I also have the order number. The tracking number is S-317 and the original order number was 81635K.
　　Gloria 接起电话先自我介绍，然后问 How can I be of assistance? 有什么可以为您效劳的。原来是Bob的公司订购了一批软件本来应该一个星期以前到，但是到现在还不见踪影。Gloria向Bob索取订货时收到的tracking number跟单号码。Bob把订货号码order number和跟单号码都告诉了Gloria.
　　G: Okay, please wait one second while I try to find your order. Alright, I found your order number. Let me confirm the items with you here again: your order was for six packs of Pro 7 design software, correct?
　　B: Yes, that's correct.
　　G: Well, it says here that the order was canceled. The items were scheduled to be shipped, but for some reason, a last-minute notation indicates the customer asked to cancel.
　　B: Well, I'm the customer and I certainly didn't ask to cancel. These software packets are very important to our company. We were scheduled to begin operations of a new design department, but because the items haven't arrived, I've got 10 designers sitting around with nothing to do!
　　Gloria查询后发现，The order was canceled. 订货取消了。Bob表示不可能，他向Gloria抱怨说，公司新的设计部就等着这批软件开工，如今可好，软件没按时到，害得十个设计师干待着没事干。Gloria 说：
　　G: I apologize for the mix-up, sir. Would you like me to reschedule a shipping date?
　　B: Yes, but I think there really should be some form of compensation for this error. I was reading the fine print in your customer contract and it says that if items don't arrive within the scheduled time compensation will be paid.
　　G: Yes, normally that would be the case, but because the items were canceled we can't be held liable.
　　B: I don't mean to sound rude, Gloria, but the order was not canceled. Can you produce any evidence to indicate that we sent a message asking for a cancellation?
　　Gloria对订单出了误会表示抱歉，在这里，mix-up 是误会，混乱的意思。Bob觉得，订购的软件没按时到，商家应该赔偿，这在the fine print in the customer contract 购货合同上写得明明白白。Gloria辩解说，一般情况下是这样，Normally that would be the case. 但是订单被取消，就不是他们的责任了，We can't be held liable. be held liable 是被要求负责的意思。Bob据理力争，让Gloria拿出证据来，证明订单确实是Bob所在公司要求取消的。Gloria 能拿得出来证据吗？我们下次继续听。
　　B: Well, this really is a difficult situation. But I think the company should provide some evidence that the order was canceled. Let's keep listening and find out what happens!
　　礼节美语---BE-236 Calling Customer Service II
　　MC: Bob向一家软件公司订购的软件没按时到，Bob要求赔偿，但是对方热线客服Gloria却坚持说是Bob一方取消了订单。Bob生气地说：
　　B: Look...if you review our file you'll find that we are long-term loyal customers who have bought a significant amount of software from your company. Are you really telling me that you're just going to ignore a major mistake? I don't think your attitude is very professional.
　　G: I'm sorry, sir...but I am not authorized to offer any compensation at this time.
　　B: Then who would be authorized to do so?
　　G: You would have to speak with my supervisor.
　　B: Okay then, is your supervisor currently available?
　　Bob所在公司是GlobalCom的老客户了，这次订单出现差错，Bob觉得客户服务Gloria的态度很不专业 not very professional. Gloria表示道歉，告诉Bob说，她无权向客户承诺任何补偿，I'm not authorized to offer any compensation at this time. not authorized to do something 意思是没有权力做某事。Bob要求跟Gloria的上司说话，
　　G: I believe he is...please hold
　　J: Hello, this is supervisor JIM Bradley. Gloria told me your items did not arrive on time. We're very sorry for the inconvenience.
　　B: I appreciate your apology, but because we did not cancel the order I believe I'm within my rights to ask for some sort of compensation.
　　J: Let me look over your file one more time...do you mind holding again?
　　B: No, that's fine.
　　Gloria的上司JIM初步了解情况后，对订货没有按时抵达给Bob公司造成的不便感到抱歉，We're sorry for the inconvenience. Bob 解释说，订单不是他们取消的，做为客户，他们有权得到某种形式的赔偿。It's within our rights to do something... 意思是我们有权做某事。JIM听了以后，让Bob在电话上稍候，等她仔细查查是怎么回事。
　　J: Mr. Johnson, I believe I know what the problems is. It seems one of our staff confused your order with another client's canceled order. We deeply regret this error and I will have your items shipped out to you today by express mail at no added charge to you. You should receive your software within 24 hours.
　　B: Well, thank you. I appreciate your prompt service.
　　J: Also in accordance with our compensation policy, we will only charge you for half of the original order. I hope these measures are satisfactory.
　　B: Yes, absolutely. Thank you very much Ms. Bradley. you've been very helpful.
　　J: You're very welcome, and I hope you'll continue working with GlobalCom.
　　B: We definitely will. Thank you again.
　　J: Not at all. Goodbye, Mr. Johnson.
　　MC: 查询结果证明，确实是JIM公司员工的失误造成订单被取消，Bob的公司没有责任。做为补救，JIM表示，第一，马上把Bob订购的软件用特快转递寄出，by express mail，不收取任何额外费用 at no added cost. 保证货物24小时内送达，第二，根据公司的赔偿政策，这次订单费用只收取百分之五十。Bob对这种解决方式感到非常满意。
　　A: Hmm, 这个解决方式不错！不但明天就能收到订购的软件，而且还只花了一半的钱呢！
　　B: Yep, this is a great solution!!
　　A: 好了， 这次节目时间就到这里。这次的剪辑是小北，编辑是蔚然。
　　B: 同学们，我们下次的美语训练班再见！
　　A：你怎么抢我的词儿阿.再见！