VOA英语教学：美语训练班 055

 　　A: 欢迎大家来到这期的美语训练班! 我是杨琳！

　　B: 我是Kat! 杨琳，赶快告诉大家咱们今天要学些什么!
　　A: 好! 今天，咱们要接着去看看电子产品的发展走势，听听人们都有怎样的固有观念，学学怎么面对棘手的问题，还要告诉大家怎么用美语说"人气"!
　　B: 人气!? 提到这个我就想到了那个Mike隋，现在他好火呀!
　　A: 哈哈，回头咱们也录一集，说不定也火了! 不过现在，咱们先赶快来进入第一个单元，Learn a Word!
　　Learn A Word: bearing
　　今天我们要学的词是bearing. Bearing is spelled b-e-a-r-i-n-g, bearing. Bearing 意思是关系，意义。我们常用 to have bearing on something 意思就是同某事有关系，对某事有影响。The decision had much bearing on the way the company was run. 这个决定对公司的管理运营有很大影响。His private life has no bearing on his competence as a manager. 他的私生活同他作为经理的工作能力无关。美国总统奥巴马最近公开支持同性婚姻，一项民调发现，Sixty percent of Americans say Obama's new position on same-sex marriage will have no bearing on how they vote in the November election.百分之六十的美国人表示，奥巴马在同性婚姻问题上的新立场并不会影响他们在11月总统大选中把票投给谁。好的，今天我们学习的词是bearing, bearing, bearing.
　　B: 杨琳，look at my new bag! Isn't it awesome?
　　A: OMG!!! LV???!!!我的天啊，好看是好看，可是你怎么买得起这么贵的包包呢？
　　B: Well, my salary has no bearing on what I'm gonna buy. That's what credit cards were made for, right?? 女生嘛，就得自己疼自己!
　　A: 这也对....可是一个LV包包都能顶上我一个月的房租了!!! Kat, I think you are going to have to come to grips with how much you can actually afford to spend on stuff like that...
　　B: Hmm... I will leave that question to future Kat, ha! But more importantly, you just mentioned a really good phrase: come to grips with, 咱们一起来听听这个短语的用法!
　　Words and Idioms
　　现在播送<美国习惯用语>第 964讲。我是杨琳。
　　M：我是 Steve Baragona.
　　昨天我姐姐给我打电话，抱怨他们家的家庭战争。我姐夫自己开了一家进出口公司，本想让子承父业，可我外甥偏要当个软件工程师，让我姐夫备受打击，过了好长时间，他才慢慢接受现实。这让我想到了一句习惯用语，那就是:
　　M: Come to grips with. Come is spelled c-o-m-e, and grips; g-r-i-p-s. Come-to-grips-with.
　　女：Grip 本身是抓，掌握的意思; come to grips with, 意思就是去面对，着手处理。就像上面的例子里，我外甥不愿意继承父业，一心要当软件工程师，我姐夫虽然失望，但最后还是肯于面对事实。He has come to grips with my nephew's decision not to take over the family business. 2001年9月11号的恐怖袭击是美国历史上的一件大事，下面我们来听听历史学家对这起事件的看法:
　　M: "On September 11, 2001, four U.S. planes were overtaken by terrorists. Their dramatic crashes resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people. In some ways, Americans have COME TO GRIPS with how that day changed the country forever. But it remains a difficult experience for many to deal with."
　　这段话意思是说：[2011年9月11日，三架美国飞机遭到恐怖份子的劫持。这次袭击造成近3千人死亡。从某些方面看，美国人已经开始面对那天发生的一切彻底改变了国家这一事实。但对很多人来说，这段经历还是很难承受的。 ]
　　是啊！尤其是对那些在911恐怖袭击事件中失去亲人的人来说，这段经历一定不堪回首。我记得上高中时，养了十几年的猫死了，I had a hard time coming to grips with the loss of my cat. 我难过了好长时间，才能面对这个事实。好了，我们再来听听刚才那段话：
　　M: "On September 11, 2001, four U.S. planes were overtaken by terrorists. Their dramatic crashes resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people. In some ways, Americans have COME TO GRIPS with how that day changed the country forever. But it remains a difficult experience for many to deal with."
　　女: 我朋友Amy最近刚离婚。She still hasn't come to grips with the fact that her ex would leave her for a younger woman. 她到现在还无法接受前夫为了一个比她年轻的女人而离她而去的现实。美国是个大熔炉，如何面对种族歧视是一个重要问题。下面的这个例子里讲到了一个叫George的人，我们来听听他的想法发生了怎么样的转变：
　　M: "George had always held a low opinion of immigrants. One day he was driving to work when a truck hit his car and knocked him unconscious. He awoke to find that he'd been rescued by a woman who'd grown up in Mexico. That's when he CAME TO GRIPS WITH his prejudice. It was time to face his dislike of people he didn't really know."
　　这段话的意思是说：[乔治一直对移民没什么好印象。有一天他开车去上班的路上，一辆卡车撞到了他，把他撞昏了过去。醒来时，他发现，是一名墨西哥裔的妇女救了他。这件事让乔治开始正视自己的种族歧视心态，不能对不熟悉的人存在任何偏见。]
　　种族歧视是一个很严肃的问题。通常情况下，存在偏见的人往往很难改变他们固有的想法，因为他们会避免去接触那些自己本来就看不上的人。好了，我们再来听听刚才那段话：
　　M: "George had always held a low opinion of immigrants. One day he was driving to work when a truck hit his car and knocked him unconscious. He awoke to find that he'd been rescued by a woman who'd grown up in Mexico. That's when he CAME TO GRIPS WITH his prejudice. It was time to face his dislike of people he didn't really know."
　　今天我们学习的习惯用语是come to grips with ，意思是“正视面对”。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: That's exactly my point Kat. 我看你老买这些高级货，I think you need to watch your spending habits girl! 你说要是每个月都月光，到时候万一有个急用的时候你怎么办呀?
　　B: 杨琳，冷静，冷静点!! I will be fine! Anyways, you've got this backward. I just need to find a high-paying job to match my spending habits! There's no way I'm willing to give up the love of my life...LV....
　　A: 哎哟，那我可真无语了....算了，刚才你提到冷静，下面咱们就来学学这个词用美语怎么说!
　　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Jimmy要问的：别慌。
　　Jimmy: Donny, 大事不好了!
　　Donny: What happened, Jimmy? You look terrible!
　　Jimmy: 两小时后....我要和女朋友约会，她刚提醒我，今天是我们认识一周年纪念日，还给我准备了礼物。But I totally forgot! 怎么办？她肯定会生气，会骂我，会分手，还会......
　　Donny: Hey! Hey! Don't have a cow!
　　Jimmy: 啊？你说什么？cow? cow 不是奶牛么？
　　Donny: What I meant is-- you need to calm down. "Don't have a cow" 也就是中文里说的不要慌张。
　　Jimmy: 哦，让别人冷静，别慌，就说 Don't have a cow! 哎？还有别的说法么？我记得有个词叫 chill, c-h-i-l-l?
　　Donny: Yes! You can say chill out. It means calm down, or "don't panic".
　　Jimmy: 啊! 要是我今晚跟女朋友坦白讲：我就是忘了咱俩认识一周年这回事了，你能把我怎么样？她肯定会抓狂。然后我就说：Honey! Chill out!
　　Donny: 呃....I think you better say "Honey, I'm really sorry. How can I make up to you?"
　　Jimmy: 呵呵，我开玩笑的。
　　Donny: Oh, speaking of the word "chill", you can also say "take a chill
　　pill". It's another way of saying "calm down".
　　Jimmy: Take a chill pill. Pill, p-i-l-l, pill是“药丸”的意思，所以, take a chill pill字面意思就是“吃个冷静药丸”，就是叫人别激动，别慌。
　　Donny: You got it. So what are you going to do for tonight's date?
　　Jimmy: 还能怎么办，抓紧这两小时，赶紧去买礼物呗! 走啦!
　　Donny: Before you go, tell me what you've learned today!
　　Jimmy: 今天学了让人别慌的三种说法。第一，Don't have a cow;
　　第二，Chill out;
　　第三：Take a chill pill.
　　这次的"美语怎么说"就到这里结束了。如果你也有不会说的词，请写信给 Donny, 电邮请寄meiyu@voanews.com
　　B: See 杨琳，you really just need to take a chill pill. It's obvious that with skills like mine, it won't be long before I will be so famous that I will be able to afford all the luxury goods I want!
　　A: 你可真不像一般的美国人。There's a stereotype that Americans don't really care about luxury brands. 你说大街上大家不都穿T-shirt和牛仔裤么!
　　B: You forget- I'm not "everyone." I'm a unique and beautiful flower! 哈哈哈，开个玩笑! 我个人可不喜欢这些刻板印象，不过in today's Go English, we'll take a look at different stereotypes from around the world!
　　A: Let's listen!
　　Culture: Intermediate
　　各位听众，大家好！今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“社会文化”单元的中级课程。
　　Jane 和Will初次约会，聊到彼此的家庭背景。我知道Jane 的父母来自中国，所以我很想听听，作为一个亚裔美国人，Jane的成长经历是什么样的。
　　Professor: That's right, Winnie, let's listen to what they have to say.
　　Will: So Jane, you said that both your parents are from China. How do they like living in America?
　　Jane: They really like it, but of course they miss their friends and family back home sometimes.
　　Will: Yeah, I can imagine. So do you consider yourself Chinese or American?
　　Jane: Well, that's a complicated question. Of course I'm American, but I'm ethnically Chinese as well.
　　Will: I see. So you consider yourself both?
　　Jane: That's right.
　　Will总是问一些严肃的问题! 他问Jane，觉得自己是中国人还是美国人。Jane回答说，自己既是中国人，也是美国人。
　　Professor: Right. Jane is an American citizen, but she is also ethnically Chinese.
　　Ethnically？ 我明白了，ethnic是民族的意思.
　　Professor: Exactly. For example, I could say that Hispanics are one of the largest ethnic groups in America.
　　所以，从民族上讲，Jane认为自己是华人。
　　Professor, 拉美裔人，是美国人口最多的少数族裔之一？那么，亚裔人口又怎么样呢？
　　Professor: Asians make up about 4.5 percent of the American population.
　　Will: Did you face a lot of stereotypes growing up?
　　Jane: Of course, all minorities face some stereotypes. For me, lots of people assume that because I'm Asian, I'm smart and good at math.
　　Will: That doesn't sound like a bad stereotype to have!
　　Jane: No, it's not a very offensive stereotype. But it's still wrong for people to assume things about me because of how I look. I hate math!
　　Will: Me too! I guess that's one thing we have in common.
　　stereotype, s-t-e-r-e-o-t-y-p-e, stereotype，是“刻板印象”、“先入为主的看法”。Jane说，因为她是亚裔，所以很多美国人对她持有stereotype，一看她的亚洲脸，就认定她的数学一定很好!
　　Professor: But Jane thinks that stereotypes are wrong, doesn't she?
　　当然啦! Jane说，以貌取人是不对的。她其实很讨厌学数学。
　　Professor: That's right. She and Will both hate math, so that's one thing they have in common.
　　Will: Did people tease you when you were growing up because you're Asian?
　　Jane: My school was very politically correct, so people tried really hard not to say things that would offend me.
　　Will: Right. Race can be a sensitive subject in America. People like to talk about it, but only in a polite way.
　　Jane: That's true. People these days try hard to be tolerant, and are careful not to say things that other people may think are racist.
　　看来Jane 是在比较 tolerant--“宽容”的环境下 长大的。人们没有因为她是亚裔而嘲弄她。不过，Professor, 什么叫“politically correct”？
　　Professor: Being politically correct is making sure that the things that you say won't offend people in minority groups and disadvantaged groups.
　　哦，politically correct，在政治上保持正确，也就是言行上避免有歧视少数族裔或弱势群体之嫌。
　　Professor: Right. People don't want to say anything racist, so they make sure all their words are very polite.
　　没错，racist--“种族歧视性”言行，肯定不能让你做到 politically correct.
　　Jane: It's pretty easy for me living in the US because it is such a diverse country. There are many other minorities, so I don't feel different.
　　Will: That's true. The US is a country of immigrants, so it is very diverse.
　　Jane: Yup. My university is especially diverse. It tries to find students from all over the world.
　　Will: Oh yeah, my university has lots of minority students too. I've really enjoyed learning about lots of different cultures from them.
　　Professor: Winnie, do you know what "diverse" means?
　　Diverse就是“多样化”。Jane和Will的大学都很diverse, 不仅有来自各族裔的学生，还有来自世界各地的留学生! Professor, Jane和Will初次约会就谈了宗教、种族这些严肃话题，而且聊得挺高兴。我看他们真是天生一对儿!
　　A: 我觉得上面说得很对，我来美国最大的文化冲击就是这种多元化! Learning about all these different cultures is definitely fun, but sometimes it's challenging not to offend anybody!
　　B: 那你干嘛还说我买LV包包嘛!
　　A: 我这不是为你好吗?!
　　B: 哈哈，yeah yeah I get your point. Actually everybody has some kind of hobby that they end up pouring cash into! Let's follow up with our friend the tech-head in Business Etiquette and see what he ends up buying!
　　礼节美语 EARLY ADOPTERS II
　　Henry买了最新的超小电脑Orange SuperCom 4，拿给同事Sara和Mark看。Sara问他：
　　Sara: So did you already own an Orange SuperCom 3?
　　Henry: Yeah, I sold it on eBay last week.
　　M: I used to rush out and buy the latest gadgets as well, but I discovered that first generation products often have a lot of bugs in them.
　　H: Actually, Mark is right. Even this Orange SuperCom 4 is not quite up to snuff. The connection to the Internet is a bit slow, and it seems like the computer has a little trouble multitasking.
　　Mark说，他原来也是科技潮人，一出什么新玩艺儿，the latest gadgets, 马上跑去买。gadget is spelled g-a-d-g-e-t, gadget 是小玩艺的意思，常指科技类产品。不过，Mark发现，很多第一代，第二代产品都有很多 bugs, bugs在这里指技术方面的漏洞。Henry承认，他新买的SuperCom4 is not quite up to snuff. 也不是样样都好， up to snuff 意思是符合标准，相当于 up to standard.
　　M: The problem is that many times in the beginning they haven't quite ironed out all the wrinkles in the software. By the third or fourth generation the company's engineers have a better idea of what works and what doesn't.
　　S: I'm generally pretty content just to stay with the same system until it becomes obsolete. I still play my old cassette tapes at home.
　　M: That's one way to go. You know the old expression: "If it ain't broke...don't fix it."
　　S: Exactly, I use things until they literally fall apart.
　　H: I prefer the expression: "Out with the old and in with the new!"
　　Mark说，问题关键是，第一、二代产品时，很多软件中存在的小问题还都没有得到解决。They haven't ironed out all the wrinkles in the software. to iron out 意思是抹平，解决。Sara说，她在这方面从不赶时髦，家里的东西都得用到过时。英语里有一种说法叫：If it ain't broke...don't fix it. 没坏就不要去修它。Henry 崇尚的则是另一种境界：Out with the old and in with the new! 旧的不去，新的不来。
　　M: I guess the world needs both kinds of people. Early adopters of technology like Henry help pave the way into the future.
　　S: And people like me try to keep the pace of change down to a reasonable speed.
　　H: I have to tell you though...despite all its faults, the new Orange SuperCom 4 is really quite an amazing machine!
　　M: Maybe after work I can take a quick look at your new toy.
　　H: Sure! I love showing off my new gadgets! Sara, care to join us?
　　S: That's OK...I think I'll stay at home and play my cassette tapes. You guys have fun!
　　Mark说，Sara和Henry这两种人，都是不可缺少的。他问Henry下班能不能去摆弄一下他的新玩具。Henry欣然同意，说：I love showing off my new gadgets! 我就喜欢显摆我的新玩艺，to show off 是显摆的意思，他还问Sara, care to join us? 要不要一起来。Sara开玩笑说，她还是选择回家去听她的磁带录音机。
　　B: See, THOSE guys tend to spend every dollar they have on new gadgets! Compared to them, my enthusiasm for beautiful, elegant bags is nothing!
　　A: 嘿! 就你能找借口!
　　B: 嘿嘿，再说了，这也能为我增添人气啊。Today, for example, I'm carrying this brand new style of LV bag. A bunch of people on the street stopped to compliment me on my bag! I'm practically a local star.
　　A: Now that might be true. 这倒是个增添人气的方法哈! 说到这里，咱们去看看人气这个词儿用美语怎么说!
　　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。今天吴琼是要问的：人气。
　　Donny: Hi, Wuqiong, do you want to go to this concert with me?
　　WQ: 演唱会？让我看看是哪个歌星开的。哇! 这个人现在是人气天王! 我当然愿意跟你去啦。哎？人气在英文里怎么说？
　　Donny: 人气就是受欢迎的程度。So you can use the word "popularity", p-o-p-u-l-a-r-i-t-y, popularity.
　　WQ: popularity 就是人气。这个词就是 popular 的名词形式嘛。
　　Donny: Exactly. I've heard about this singer's rising popularity. That's why I want to go to his concert.
　　WQ: 演唱会的表演嘉宾，guest stars，都有谁？
　　Donny: Well, here's the guest star list. Most of them are popular too, but who's this person on the bottom of the list? 我怎么没听说过。
　　WQ: 让我看看，让我看看。哦，这个女明星几年前很红，可后来过气了。
　　Donny: No wonder I've never heard about her. She's a has-been. The word "has-been" means someone who is no longer popular.
　　WQ: has-been? has 和 been放一起就是过气的人，过时的东西。This guest star used to be famous and popular, but now she's just a has-been.
　　Donny: 对。
　　WQ:这么说，她可能想借着当嘉宾的机会重新走红喽？
　　Donny: That's possible. This concert will be a good opportunity for her to stage a comeback.
　　WQ: comeback, c-o-m-e-b-a-c-k, comeback 就是东山再起，咸鱼翻身的意思吧？If this singer makes a comeback, she will regain her popularity!
　　Donny: Exactly. Now let's see what you've learned today!
　　WQ: 第一：人气叫 popularity;
　　第二：过气、过时的人或物是 a has-been;
　　第三：东山再起是 a comeback.
　　这次的"美语怎么说"就到这里结束了。如果你也有不会说的词，请写信给 Donny, 电邮请寄meiyu@voanews.com
　　A: I hope my popularity will increase after all this serious hosting. I should get SOME kind of reward for dealing with YOU all day....
　　B:哈哈，赶快去查查你微博的粉丝人数涨没涨?
　　A: 哈哈，我这就去!(笑) 好了，这次节目时间就到这里。同学们，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: Tune in next time for American English Mosaic!
　　A: See you next time!