VOA英语教学：美语训练班 035

　　A: Happy New Year! 欢迎大家来到2012年第一期的美语训练班! 我是杨琳！

　　B: 我是 Kat! Happy New year everyone! First, Let's see what we're going to learn today!

　　A：好！今天，咱们要挥动大斧子砍木头，要被老师请家长，要看看如何处理办公室里的流言蜚语，还要告诉大家怎么用美语说“必备单品”，和“瞎指挥”。

　　B: Sounds interesting！

　　A: 不过咱们还是先来学个词儿！

　　Learn A Word: thorny

　　今天我们要学的词是thorny. Thorny is spelled t-h-o-r-n-y, thorny. Thorn 本身是刺的意思，而 thorny 变成形容词，意思是棘手的，富有争议的。最近美国联邦贸易委员会宣布要对Facebook 脸谱网站是否侵犯用户个人隐私进行调查。Facebook's privacy problem has always been a thorny issue. 脸谱网站的隐私设置一直是一个有争议的议题。In the post Cold War era, missile defense is still a thorny question in Russia-US relations. 后冷战时期，导弹防御仍然是美俄关系中的棘手议题。 The super-committee failed to

　　reach an agreement on the thorny deficit problem. 美国超级委员会没能就棘手的赤字问题达成一致。好的，今天我们学习的词是thorny, thorny, thorny.

　　A: 明年是美国总统大选年，现在，参选人经常辩论，There are a lot of thorny issues in their debates.

　　B: Yes, and their campaign teams spend a lot of time preparing them for those debates so that they know what to say when those thorny questions come up.

　　A: Wow, 所以真正厉害的人不是那些政客，而是他们身后的campaign managers？

　　B: Well, to some extent, that's true.

　　A：不过，不知道这些Politicians能不能忍受别人指导他的一举一动。

　　B：Well, these campaign managers or consultants know what they're doing. They're professionals, not backseat drivers.

　　A：backseat drivers?

　　B: 听下面的popular American, and you'll know what I mean!

　　Popular American: All ears; Back seat driver

　　各位听众，现在播送《流行美语》。今天 Larry 开车带李华去购物中心。 李华会学到两个常用语：all ears 和 back seat driver。

　　LH: LARRY! 音乐关小声一点！！

　　LL: What was that?

　　LH: 你音乐不要开那么大声啦，我有件事想问你。

　　LL: Oh? What is it? I'm all ears.

　　LH: I'm all ears...你在说什么啊？

　　LL: I'm all ears means I'm listening attentively. I have all my attention on you now.

　　LH: 是吗？ 你终于肯听我说啦。不过 all ears 是专注地听别人说话的意思。 那我让大家注意听我讲话，就可以说 please be all ears. 对吗？

　　LL: Well, to be all ears is rarely used as a request. You can either say, I am all ears, to indicate you are paying attention, or he or she is all ears to say that another person is paying a lot of attention.

　　LH: 所以 all ears 通常是用来形容一个人在仔细听。 比较少当做要求是吗？

　　LL: Yes, that's right. So what was it that you wanted to say?

　　LH: 啊！对喔， 差点都忘了。就是啊....今天做实验的时候， 跟我同组一个女生， 一直指挥我们做这个做那个的， 真讨人厌。

　　LL: Oh. You have a backseat driver in your group?

　　LH: Backseat driver...后座上的司机，那是什么呢？

　　LL: A backseat driver is a person who gives unwanted advice; someone who tries to run things even though they don't have the power or authority to do so.

　　LH: 对对对！ 她就是这种人！ 也没有让她做组长，她就对我们指手划脚的，哎怎么办呢？

　　LL: Well, you should let her know that you don't like it when she orders you around.

　　LH: 我应该清楚地告诉她，不喜欢被她指使来指使去的，对，说的也是。 咦？不是应该在这里左转吗？！ Larry!

　　LL: Whoa! You scared me!! I know where I'm going, Li Hua. You're becoming a backseat driver yourself.

　　LH: 喔？ 原来 backseat driver 是这样来的啊？ 坐在汽车后座的人常常喜欢指挥驾驶开车， 所以 backseat driver, “后座驾驶”，这个词就被用来形容喜欢指挥别人的人了，真有趣。How do you like me as a backseat driver, Larry?

　　LL: I do not like it Li Hua. And don't do it again. You scared me.

　　LH: 啊。。。不好意思。不过 Larry, 你也满厉害的，一边开车还能一边听我说话，you have all ears.

　　LL: Li Hua, you cannot say someone "has all ears". You have to say someone "is all ears". So instead of saying "Larry, you have all ears." you should say, "Larry, you are all ears."

　　LH: 喔？ 不能说专心在听的人 has all ears, 而要说那个人 is all ears 吗？

　　LL: Yup. Try giving me an example using "all ears!"

　　LH: 好啊。When my mom said she wanted to talk to me about something important, I was all ears. 这样用对吗？

　　LL: Yes, that's correct. Can you give me an example of backseat driver now?

　　LH: 等等。我想先确认一下。 Back seat driver 可以这样用吗： My boss is a backseat driver, he always orders us around.

　　LL: Not really. A backseat driver describes someone who tries to run things even though they don't have the power or authority to do so, or someone whose advice is not wanted. However, your boss would be someone who is authorized to give orders and probably gives out good advice too.

　　LH: 喔。这么说，back seat driver 是形容爱指挥别人但又没有权力的人，所以用在老板身上不适合。

　　LL: That's right. Hey, you've been all ears!

　　LH: 哈哈对呀。 啊！我们到购物中心了！

　　LL: Yup. Let's go shopping! We can practice these phrases another time.

　　今天李华从 Larry 那儿学到两个常用语，一个是 all ears, 表示“洗耳恭听”；另一个是 backseat driver, 也就是“喜欢指挥别人的人” 。这次《流行美语》播送完了，谢谢收听，下次节目再见。

　　A：backseat driver 就是喜欢瞎指挥，给别人乱出主意的人。想一想，生活中这样的人还真不少！

　　B: Ｉknow! No one is asking their opinions, but they just pester you with their advice! Like a friend of mine, she likes to be a backseat driver when it comes to fashion. She always tells me what to wear, but her taste is really bad.

　　A: Really? What style does she like?

　　B: She likes clothes that are tacky or trashy.

　　A: 哦，你是说她喜欢俗气，看着档次低的衣服。

　　Ｂ：That's right. I think she should buy clothes that are more classy in style, but again, I'm not a backseat driver. I don't tell her what to wear.

　　A: 是，每个人的品位不同吗。不过你刚才说她应该穿些经典款的衣服，这让我想到咱们在下面的“美语怎么说”里要教的词，那就是“必备单品”。

　　KAT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。今天是吴琼要问的：必备单品。

　　WQ: Hey KAT! Wow...wait, 我们穿的裤子一样耶！

　　KAT: OMG! Yeah! We ARE wearing the same thing! Where did you get it?

　　WQ: 在outlet啊！现在这种紧身裤最流行了！衣橱必备！对了，这种什么都能配，大家都需要的衣服用美语怎么说啊？

　　KAT: Hmm, we usually say that kind of clothing is a must-have item.

　　WQ: M-u-s-t, must, 是必须的意思，have, h-a-v-e, 拥有，must-have, 必须拥有，就是必备单品喽！

　　KAT: Exactly! Must-have items often go with many different styles. For example, skinny jeans are a must-have in today's fashion. 紧身牛仔裤是时尚潮人的必备单品。

　　WQ: That's why we are both wearing it! 对了，我这条裤子买的特值，买一送一呢！

　　KAT: What? Buy one get one free? That's such a great bargain!

　　WQ: Buy one get one free? 我猜这就是买一送一的意思吧？

　　KAT: That's correct! Sometimes you can buy one and get one 50% off Guess what that means?

　　WQ: Hmmm, 我想，这就是买一件，第二件打5折，对不对？

　　KAT: Good job! Besides, many stores are having end of season sales!

　　WQ: 这个我知道，就是换季大甩卖！Actually, I got these pants from the end of season sale! 我这条裤子就是换季大甩卖的时候买的！

　　KAT: There you go! I think we should pay a visit to the mall together this weekend, shall we? We can not and must not miss the end of season sale!

　　WQ: Sounds good!

　　KAT: It's a date!! Now let's see what you've learned today!

　　WQ: 第一：必备单品叫做：must-have;

　　第二，买一送一，可以说: buy one get one free;

　　第三，换季大甩卖，叫做end of season sale.

　　B：A little black dress is a must-have for every girl. Do you have one, yanglin?

　　A： Hmm, 我倒是觉得，什么是 a must-have item? 这还不都是时尚杂志说的？我看也是在忽悠消费者，为什么别人穿我就得穿啊？我非要和大家不一样，难道不行？

　　B: That's an interesting point! Why should we follow the trend? We should be unique, or better yet, a trend setter!

　　A：就是！要是大家都穿某一季的所谓必备单品，那满街都是一样的衣服，多没意思！好了，一提起穿衣打扮咱们就没完了，还是继续听节目吧。

　　B: Okay! Let's listen to Go English

　　GoEnglish: Play Date(Advanced)

　　大家好！今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“带孩子”单元的高级课程。

　　Professor: Hannah has a young daughter named Amber who is in second grade. Today Hannah is going in to talk to Amber's teacher to find out how her daughter has been doing at school.

　　MC: Amber是个让人头疼的孩子，我估计她老师肯定有一大堆苦水要倒。

　　Teacher: Thanks so much for coming in to talk to me about Amber. There are some things about Amber's behavior I want to discuss with you.

　　Hannah: Of course. Isn't my Amber just a little angel?

　　Teacher: Your daughter is certainly very... special. However, there are a few issues that I'd like to talk to you about.

　　Hannah: What is it? Do you want to put her on the honor roll?

　　MC: Hannah还以为Amber在学校是乖乖的小天使呢！不过，Pofessor Bowman, 什么叫“honor roll”?

　　Professor: The honor roll is a list of the best students in class. If your child is on the honor roll, you can also say that he or she is an "honor roll student."

　　MC: 哦，honor roll 就是优等生名单。

　　Teacher: The honor roll? Uh ... no. Even though Amber is very bright, she has some serious behavioral problems we need to deal with.

　　Hannah: Behavioral problems? What are you talking about? My little Amber would never misbehave.

　　Teacher: Actually, Amber throws a temper tantrum whenever I tell her to do her work.

　　Hannah: A temper tantrum? What does she do?

　　Teacher: She throws all her books on the floor and screams. It's really disruptive for all the other students in class.

　　瞧，真相大白了吧。老师说，Amber虽然很聪明，但是不听话，老师让她做功课，她就 “throw a temper tantrum”，这是什么意思呢？

　　Professor: The word "tantrum" means an outburst of bad temper. If a child "throws a temper tantrum", he or she is expressing anger through kicking, screaming or other immature ways.

　　我知道了，就是耍赖，发小孩子脾气。

　　Professor: Exactly. "Throwing a temper tantrum" is the same thing as "throwing a fit". For example, I could say, "My son always throws a fit when I try to put him to bed."

　　Hannah: Oh my goodness! Well... I'll give you a piece of advice: If Amber throws a fit, just give her whatever she wants. It always works for me.

　　Teacher: Well you see, that's the problem. If you don't set rules for her to follow, she will never learn discipline. That would be a shame because she really has a gift for learning.

　　Hannah: You think I need to discipline her more? How should I do that?

　　Teacher: One thing you can do is to give her a time-out. If she misbehaves or is acting up, make her sit in one spot and don't let her leave until she behaves.

　　Professor Bowman, 老师说Amber has a gift for learning 是什么意思？

　　Professor: Winnie, if you say that someone has a gift, that means he or she has an extraordinary talent.

　　所以老师意思是，Amber有学习天份，但需要严格管教。她告诉Hannah，如果Amber再act up--捣蛋、耍脾气，就 give her a time-out--罚她反省。

　　Teacher: I think this is really a textbook case of lack of discipline. If you set boundaries for her behavior, she will quickly learn what is acceptable and what isn't.

　　Hannah: Alright, I will set boundaries. From now on when she throws food at her babysitter when I go out, she will have to take a time-out.

　　Teacher: That's exactly right. I think your babysitter will appreciate it, too.

　　Hannah: That reminds me: I have to find a new babysitter for my sweet little Amber. Can you believe all the other ones have quit?

　　Teacher: Yeah .... I'm completely shocked .....

　　Professor, 老师说Amber是 “textbook case of lack of discipline”，这是什么意思？.

　　Professor: Here the word "textbook" is an adjective, meaning "typical" or "a perfect example." For example, "John sleeps until noon every day. He is the textbook example of a lazy teenager."

　　哦，就是“典型的例子”。希望Hannah真能接受老师的建议，set boundaries--给Amber立点规矩。

　　Ａ：老师说Amber是个聪明的小孩。Kat，你发觉了么，聪明的小孩往往在学校里都比较闹, They don't follow the rules and throw tantrum all the time. 要我说，这也不能怪孩子，也许是学校的东西对这些聪明小孩儿还说太简单了，So they got bored!

　　B: So you don't think parents and teachers should set boundaries for these kids?

　　A: 我觉得没必要，小孩子嘛，玩闹是天性，在学校不守纪律并不代表长大就没出息！

　　Ｂ：Wow, Yanglin, you sound like Hannah! I'm sure you'll spoil your child once you become a mother.

　　A: 真的吗？呵呵! 可能是我小时太乖了，觉得很没意思！所以想让我的孩子反叛点。

　　B: Wow, good luck raising a rebellious kid! 好了，Now let's listen to Business Etiquette!

　　礼节美语 - Office Gossip I

　　Sally 早上遇到同事 Lisa, 马上凑上前去，很神秘地说：

　　Sally: Did you hear the news about Tom and his wife?

　　Lisa: No....what happened?

　　S: Well, Jane told me that Tom has been having an affair! I heard his wife caught him at a hotel with another woman!

　　L: Really? That's a shocker! I always thought Tom was a loyal, devoted family man.

　　S: Hey Mary, did you hear about Tom?

　　Mary: No, what happened? Is he okay?

　　S: Well, keep this under your hat, but it seems Tom has been having an affair! Everyone's talking about it!

　　Sally 告诉 Lisa，她听说 Tom 搞婚外情，被他太太在旅馆里捉奸。Lisa听后很吃惊，说 That's a shocker! 意思是这件事太出人意料了，因为她一直觉得Tom是个很忠实的居家男人 family man. 这时另外一位同事 Mary也加入讨论。Sally 又把这个小道消息告诉 Mary, 还让她 keep this under your hat 意思是保密。

　　Mary: You know, to be perfectly honest, I'm not really keen on office gossip. For one thing, how do we even know the rumor is true? Did you hear it straight from the horse's mouth?

　　S: Not exactly. Jane said that Phyllis told her that they overheard a conversation between Katy and her friend Samantha about Tom's affair.

　　M: Well, that doesn't sound like a very accurate source. I really think you should take this rumor with a grain of salt.

　　Mary说，自己对办公室里的这些八卦不感兴趣。I'm not keen on office gossip. 她问Sally, Did you hear it straight from the horse's mouth? Mary在这里用到了一个习惯用语， straight from the horse's mouth. 意思是从当事人本人，或是可靠消息来源那里得到的消息。Sally承认，是辗转好几拨人，听到的小道消息。Mary说，you should take this rumor with a grain of salt. 意思是那就不能全信了。，To take something with a grain of salt 意思是带着怀疑的态度，有所保留。 Lisa 听后说：

　　L: But Mary, everyone gossips in the office. It's part of office culture.

　　M: That may be true, but sometimes gossip can be counterproductive and even dangerous. Did you ever play the "telephone game" when you were a kid?

　　L: Um....no. What's the "telephone game?"

　　M: Everyone sits in a circle and you start with a sentence of information. For example, "John hates chocolate cookies." Then each person whispers that sentence to the next person in turn.

　　Lisa 觉得，办公室里大家都喜欢传八卦，It's part of office culture. 是办公室文化的一个部分。Mary 却觉得，gossip can be counterproductive. 这样做只会有消极效应。Mary 问 Lisa 小时候玩没玩过 "telephone game"电话游戏，大家做成一圈，一个挨一个地把一句话用耳语的方式传给自己旁边的人，看传到最后会变成什么样子。

　　A：Gossip spreads fast, especially in the office!

　　B：That's true! It's part of office culture.

　　A：Not the desirable part! 办公室里的闲话和谣言可能会带来很不好的后果。

　　B: I know! But gossip is everywhere. 社会上，校园里，办公室里。

　　A:　唉，大家都喜欢传闲话。That's why we have tabloids and paparazzi, right?

　　B: Unfortunately, yes.

　　A：就算家庭成员之间也喜欢传闲话，比如，过年时家里人聚在一起，少不了东家常西家短地聊天。Ｉguess that's part of the holiday fun?

　　B: Maybe. But family members can do something else together besides gossiping, right?

　　A: 对啊，我们中国人过年喜欢吃吃喝喝啊，打麻将啊，看电视啊。

　　B：美国人也差不多，不过我们还可以 do logger sports!

　　A:　那是什么？

　　B：Listen to American Sports English and you'll know.

　　ASE: Logger Sports

　　Y: 谢谢你邀请我和你一起过圣诞节。

　　P: You know, Yang Chen, I think the best thing about Christmas is spending time with people you care about.

　　Y: That's true. 还有壁炉，太棒了。你点壁炉的木头是哪里来的?

　　P: I chopped down the trees and cut the wood myself. I really enjoy doing logger sports.

　　Y: Logger sports?

　　P: Yeah, in America people race to see who can cut down trees and chop wood the fastest.

　　Y: Oh, that's so stupid，比赛谁砍木头砍得快。

　　P: That's right. In college I was on a wood chopping team, but eventually I got the axe.

　　Y: Got the axe? 看来你真的很投入，还自己买一把斧头。

　　P: Actually, no. When you say you got the axe, it means you were kicked out of a group. For example, after I was late to work three days in a row, my boss finally gave me the axe.

　　Y: 你老板把你开除了?

　　P: I really have an axe to grind with him.

　　Y: 你可不要拿着斧头去威胁你的老板。

　　P: When you say you have an axe to grind with someone, it means that you are mad because he or she did something bad to you.

　　Y: For example?

　　P: If I generously invited someone to my house for Christmas and she didn't even bother to bring me a present, I would probably have an axe to grind with her.

　　Y: Of course I brought you a present!

　　P: What is it?

　　Y: Me! My wonderful company!

　　P: Can I exchange your wonderful company for something else at the store?

　　Y: Hohoho, Merry Christmas!

　　A: Hmm, 比赛砍木头，Kat, have you ever done logger sports?

　　B: Actually, my family just buy chopped wood from the store for Christmas. We'd rather spend more time on gossiping than on chopping wood.

　　A: haha! 原来是这样！好了，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! Happy New Year！