VOA英语教学：美语训练班 034

　　A: 美语训练班上课啦! 我是杨琳！

　　B: 我是 Kat! 杨琳，今天咱们都教些什么呢？

　　A：今天，咱们要设计一个不容易被人破解的密码，要聊聊管教孩子的问题，要去看冰球比赛，还要告诉大家怎么用美语说“酒后驾车”。

　　B: Sounds good!

　　A: 不过咱们还是先来learn a word！

　　Learn A Word #1386 up someone's alley

　　今天我们要学的词是 up someone's alley. Up is spelled u-p, up; and alley, a-l-l-e-y, alley; up someone's alley. Alley是小径的意思，而 up someone's alley 意思是正合某人胃口。今天是美国感恩节后的第一个星期一，店家在网上大打折扣，叫做网络星期一。If you hate walking endlessly on Black Friday, then Cyber Monday may be right up your alley. 如果你不想在黑色星期五那天去实地抢购，那么网络星期一可能正合你的胃口。If you love funny sitcoms, then the new show Modern Family might be right up your alley. 如果你爱看幽默的情景喜剧，那么摩登家庭可能正合你的胃口。 好的，今天我们学习的词是up someone's alley, up someone's alley, up someone's alley.

　　A: Christmas is just around the corner. 这就意味着，It' shopping season now!

　　B: I know shopping is right up your alley!

　　A: 没错，过节了，要给亲朋好友挑选适合每个人的礼物，要让大家喜欢，价格又得是自己承受得起的，其实选礼物也是一门学问啊！

　　B: Exactly! That's why some Americans start their Christmas shopping way ahead of time.

　　A：对，早点开始采购年货，这样就有足够的时间挑选合适的礼物。

　　B：But there are always those who hit the mall at the last minute to do holiday shopping, right before the mall closes.

　　A：啊？商场临关门前才冲进去开始挑选礼物？那得多赶啊！正好，在今天的美国习惯用语里，我们要教 burning question，是十万火急的意思，一起来听吧。

　　B: Let's listen!

　　Words and Idioms #949

　　各位听众，现在播送美国习惯用语第949讲。我是杨琳。

　　我是Douglas Johnson.

　　最近我们家决定买房子，但是看了三个月，一直没看到什么让我满意的。恰恰好现在租的房子租约就要满了，需要决定要不要继续租下去，情况可真够紧急的! 这也让我想到一个习惯用语，那就是：

　　Burning question. Burning is spelled b-u-r-n-i-n-g, and question, q-u-e-s-t-i-o-n. Burning question.

　　Burning 字面上的意思是正在燃烧的。那么burning question 都烧起来了的问题! 引伸下来就是“十万火急的问题”，通常也指人们热烈讨论的问题。比如我现在就面临着一个这样的问题。It's a burning question for me to decide weather or not to continue the current lease. 决定是否要续租目前的房子对我来说就是一个十万火急的问题。下面的例子里，种植柑橘的农民面临什么棘手问题? 我们来听听看:

　　"Last year freezing temperatures ruined Florida's citrus industry. Millions of dollars worth of produce were lost. Now weather forecasters are calling for severe cold. Industry analysts and farmers desperately want to know what they should do if another catastrophe occurs. That's the BURNING QUESTION."

　　[这段话是说：去年严冬低温重创佛罗里达的柑橘业，损失高达数百万美元。现在天气预报又预报可能出现严冬。业内分析人士和农民都迫切地想要知道，如果再次发生气候灾难，他们该怎么做。这是目前人们都在讨论的紧迫问题。]

　　是啊，农民们可真不容易! 他们得担心像天气这种自己根本无法控制的问题。最近美国龙卷风频繁，像灾后密苏里州乔普林市就遭受了一次这样的袭击，而如何重建也成为十万火急的问题。The reconstruction of the city of Joplin, Missouri has become a burning question. 乔普林市的重建现在是人们热烈讨论的重要话题。好，让我们再来听听刚才那段话。

　　"Last year freezing temperatures ruined Florida's citrus industry. Millions of dollars worth of produce were lost. Now weather forecasters are calling for severe cold. Industry analysts and farmers desperately want to know what they should do if another catastrophe occurs. That's the BURNING QUESTION."

　　在美国，高中结束时的prom毕业舞会，是毕业班学生一直盼望的。下面例子里，这名男孩对于毕业舞会有什么心急如焚的问题呢? 我们来听听看:

　　"Sharon's among the most popular girls in my senior class. So it's no surprise that I'm not the only guy who asked her to go to the prom. She said she'd let me know by the weekend. Will she be my date? It's a BURNING QUESTION. I'm dying for her to give me her answer. "

　　[这段话是说：莎伦是我们高中最受欢迎的女生之一。所以我知道，我肯定不是唯一一个邀请她去参加毕业舞会的人。她说她会在周末给我答复。她会当我的女伴吗? 这真让我心急如焚，我迫切地希望她把最后决定告诉我。]

　　在美国，毕业舞会对高中毕业生是非常重要的，能请到自己喜欢的女孩子去参加毕业舞会，才不会留下遗憾。难怪这个男孩子迫不及待地想知道Sharon是否会接受他的邀请。It's a burning question. 好的，我们再来听听刚才那段话:

　　"Sharon's among the most popular girls in my senior class. So it's no surprise that I'm not the only guy who asked her to go to the prom. She said she'd let me know by the weekend. Will she be my date? It's a BURNING QUESTION. I'm dying for her to give me her answer. "

　　B: 杨林，Have you noticed there are a lot more cops on the road during holiday season?

　　A：Yes! 一到节假日，街上的警察就比平时多很多。Can you tell me why?

　　B: Well, one of the most obvious reasons is that there tend to be more car accidents on holidays because people go to holiday parties and they get DRUNK!

　　A: 哦！对！过年过节大家聚会，免不了喝酒助兴，这时候，酒后驾车的特别多，路上更容易出事故，所以警察自然也比平时多喽！

　　B: Exactly. 酒后驾车 is very dangerous.

　　A: Of course! 在下面的“美语怎么说”里，咱们就来看看就“酒驾”怎么说。

　　DAN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。今天是吴琼问的：酒后驾车。

　　DAN: 吴琼, 你怎么无精打采的？

　　WQ: 别提了！昨天晚上让警察给抓了！

　　DAN: What happened? Who did you kill?

　　WQ: 杀人？DAN你就别损我了，我哪会杀人，就是酒后驾车了，在美语里就是driving after drinking 对么？

　　DAN: Actually it's called drunk driving. WQ, drunk driving is no trivial matter. You really shouldn't do it.

　　WQ: 你就别教育我了，我知道错了！其实我也是第一次酒驾，以前我都很注意的！昨天实在没人开车了，我在一帮人里算喝得最少的了，就想....

　　DAN: You took a chance and thought you'd get lucky, right?

　　WQ: 是。我觉得就这一次，肯定出不了事，也肯定不会被抓到，谁知道....

　　DAN: You got pulled over by a cop?

　　WQ: Pull over?

　　DAN: Yea. When a cop asks you to stop the car on the side of the road, that's called getting pulled over.

　　WQ: 明白了，警察 pull someone over, 就是示意司机把车停靠在路边。Yes, I got pulled over by a traffic police. 我本来还想装作没事，结果人家警察叔叔一下就看出我喝了酒，一点情面也没留，罚了我1000块！

　　DAN: 1000块？酒驾罚款不是200么？

　　WQ: 上礼拜才改的新规定！都让我赶上了！

　　DAN: Sounds like you had a tough break!

　　WQ: To have a tough break 就是倒霉吧？我的确是够倒霉的！

　　DAN: WQ, I'm sorry you had a tough break, but it's no excuse for drunk driving. Next time you go out drinking with a bunch of friends, don't forget to have a designated driver!

　　WQ: Designate? D-E-S-I-G-N-A-T-E, designate是指定的意思，designated driver就是专门负责开车送朋友们回家的人喽！

　　DAN: 没错！

　　WQ: Next time we'll definitely have a designated driver!

　　DAN: Good idea! Now let's see what you've learned today.

　　WQ: 酒后驾车是drunk driving; 警察示意路边停车是pull someone over; 倒霉，运气差，是have a tough break; party结束后专门负责开车送大家回家的人是the designated driver.

　　B：Which friend of yours is the designated driver, 杨林？

　　A：Haha, I'm lucky. A friend of mine is allergic to alcohol, so she's the perfect candidate for designated driver!

　　B: Oh, poor her! She must be really busy driving around taking you guys home!

　　A：哈哈！没错！这个朋友因为对酒精过敏，所以滴酒不沾，当然是designated driver的最佳人选喽！大家只要在party上看到她在，就可以开怀畅饮了！

　　B: Gosh! She should start charging fees.

　　A: Hey! Don't give her ideas!

　　B: Haha!

　　A：好了，咱们来听下面的节目吧。

　　B: Okay! Let’s listen to ǒGo Englishō.

　　GoEnglish: Play Date: Intermediate

　　各位听众，大家好！今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“带孩子”单元的中级课程。

　　Hannah 晚上要和老公出去看电影，所以雇了临时保姆Elliot来家里照顾女儿Amber。

　　Professor: During the last episode at the playground Amber hit another child and stole the ball he was playing with. She sounds like a troublemaker, doesn't she?

　　可不是嘛! 看来Elliot今晚有得忙了!

　　Hannah: Hi there, Elliot. Thanks for being on time. We're just about to leave for the movie.

　　Elliot: Hi Hannah. You know, I love kids. I think I will have a lot of fun with Amber.

　　Hannah: That's great, but I should warn you: Amber can be a handful.

　　Elliot: Don't worry, I'm a very patient person. Even if Amber misbehaves I'm sure she won't get on my nerves.

　　Professor, Hannah 提醒 Elliot, 说 "Amber is a handful," 这是什么意思呢？

　　Professor: You can say someone is "a handful" if he or she gives you lots of trouble. For example, "Paul's girlfriend is really a handful. He has to call her 10 times per day or she complains he doesn't care about her."

　　原来，a handful 就是那些非常难伺候，总惹麻烦的家伙。不过，Elliot说，自己很有耐心，即便Amber不听话，也不会get on his nerves--惹他生气。

　　Hannah: First, let me give you some basic rules. Amber has to finish all her dinner. If she doesn't, she can't watch TV.

　　Elliot: What should I cook for her? Is she a picky eater?

　　Hannah: I left her dinner in the refrigerator. Make sure you stand on the other side of the room when she eats.

　　Elliot: Why do I have to do that?

　　Hannah: Sometimes if Amber doesn't like the food I make her, she screams and throws it at me.

　　天呀，Hannah说， 如果Amber不喜欢吃什么东西，就会大喊大叫，还会把吃的扔出去! 如果让我看这种孩子，我每小时得要100美金!

　　Professor: I agree. But Winnie, can you guess what a "picky eater" is?

　　Hmm...picky是 “挑剔”的意思，所以 "picky eater"应该是“挑食的人。”

　　Professor: Correct. And what does Hannah say will happen if Amber doesn't eat her dinner?

　　她说，如果Amber不把饭吃完，就不许看电视。

　　Elliot: She might throw her food at me? Alright ... what should I do with her before dinner?

　　Hannah: Before dinner you have to help her do her homework. But watch her very carefully when she is holding the pen.

　　Elliot: Why?

　　Hannah: If she doesn't know the answer she gets really mad and draws all over the wall.

　　Elliot: What? Well it's good she is so serious about doing her homework, I guess....

　　啊？Amber不会做作业，就会发脾气，在墙上乱画？! 这孩子太可怕了，我要是Elliot，现在就拍屁股走人!

　　Professor: I agree. She definitely doesn't sound like an angel.

　　An angel? 小天使？

　　Professor: Yes. Sometimes if a child is really well behaved and nice, you can say that he or she is "an angel."

　　还天使呢，我看，Amber根本就是个小恶魔!

　　Elliot: What should I do if she misbehaves?

　　Hannah: Amber can be really stubborn, so it's probably best to just give her whatever she wants.

　　Elliot: You mean I shouldn't discipline her at all?

　　Hannah: No, don't try to discipline her. If things get out of hand, just call my cell phone.

　　Elliot: What time will you be home? Very soon, I hope?

　　Hannah: We will be back by midnight. Make yourself at home!

　　Elliot 有点打退堂鼓了。也是的，Amber听起来好象一点规矩都没有。

　　Professor: That's right, when parents don't discipline their children, they can get really "out of hand."

　　可不是么，对于这种不听话的孩子，家长更应该discipline---严格管教，否则，他们就会out of hand--管不了了。对了，Professor, Hannah 让Elliot “make himself at home”，这是什么意思？

　　Professor: When you have guests at your house and you want them to feel relaxed, you can tell them to make themselves at home. It means "to act as if you are in your own house."

　　哦，就是把这里当自己家，不用客气的意思。如果我家有个Amber这样的小魔王，我就。。。

　　Professor: What would you do?

　　赶快搬走！

　　B: Poor Elliot! It looks like he's got himself a really tough job!

　　A: 可不，连妈妈都承认自己的孩子是 a handful---难伺候的家伙。She's a picky eater─爱挑食，very stubborn-- 很拧，而且家长never tries to discipline her ━从来不怎么管教她。真是个令人头疼的小孩儿！

　　B: Indeed. Kids can be so annoying sometimes!

　　A：Yes! Parenting is not easy! 希望以后我的孩子是个听话乖巧的小天使，嘿嘿！

　　B：Did you tell me you were quite a handful when you were little? If that's the case, the chances of your kids being "an angel" would be slim.

　　A：嘿！你别打击我了！

　　B:Okay. I was just kidding! Now let's move on to our next show─business etiquette!

　　礼节美语---BE-220 Internet Security II

　　公司电脑系统遭到骇客入侵，Dylan跟同事Cory和Brenda一起讨论，Dylan说：

　　D: We may never be able to trace the origin of this attack. But what we can do is work harder to make our systems impenetrable.

　　B: Yes, a lot of people are quite lazy with computer security.

　　D: That's true. For example, many people almost never change their passwords.

　　B: Or they use ridiculously easy-to-guess passwords.

　　C: Um....I guess I'm guilty of that. I don't think I've ever changed my password.

　　Dylan说，他们可能永远都查不到这次骇客袭击是谁干的，但他们可以吃一堑长一智，加倍努力 to make our systems impenetrable. 让我们电脑系统的安全滴水不漏，impenetrable is spelled i-m-p-e-n-e-t-r-a-b-l-e, impenetrable 是无法进入的意思。Brenda说，很多人太大意，不重视电脑安全，从来不换密码，或是用的密码太简单。Cory说，I'm guilty of that. 我就是这种人，从不换密码。Dylan 说，

　　D: And let me guess.....your password is, "1234."

　　C: Well, it's not quite that simple....

　　B: Let me take a guess.... It's your wife's birthday.

　　C: That's incredible! How did you guess that? Have you been spying on me?

　　B: Nope. It's just that you selected one of the most common passwords on the planet. Are you a member of any social networking websites?

　　C: Yes, a couple.

　　B: Then your wife's birthday is probably public knowledge.

　　D: That's right! In the Internet age, very few things are private anymore. If I do a little research on you, I'll bet I can find out where you were born, what school you went to, your wife's maiden name....even the name of your dog!

　　Dylan和Brenda一下子就猜到了Cory的密码，原来他用的是太太的生日，one of the most common passwords on the planet 最常见的密码之一。由于Cory业余时间用社交网站，所以实际上，他太太的生日简直就是public knowledge 公开的信息。Dylan还说，在互联网和社交网站如此发达的今天，没有多少信息是真正保密的，稍微上网找一下，出生地，上过的学校，太太的名字等等都能找到。Cory说，

　　C: Wow, I hope I wasn't responsible for this recent attack. What's a good password then?

　　D: A good password uses a mixture of letters and numbers. For example, think of a simple sentence such as, "I like ice cream on Sundays." Take the first letter from each word in the sentence....and, because Sunday is the first day of the week, add the number 1 at the end.

　　C: So my password would be, "I-L-I-C-O-S-1?"

　　B: Yeah! That's a pretty difficult password to break....and it's easy to remember.

　　D: And....don't forget to change it every couple of months.

　　C: Good thinking. I'm going to go change my password right now!

　　Dylan说，密码最好是用字母和数字的组合。他举例说，可以想一句话，I like ice cream on Sundays. 用这句话每个单词的首写字母，最后面再加个1，因为星期天是一周的第一天。这样的密码又好记，又难破译。Cory 高兴地说，他现在就去改密码。

　　B: Tricky passwords are difficult to hack, but they're easy to forget!

　　A：Tell me about it! 我就给自己设置过特别难猜的密码，太难猜了，连我自己都想不起来了！

　　B：You should probably write it down.

　　A：那不行啊，写在纸上，万一别人发现了呢？

　　B: Hide the paper in a secrete place.

　　A: （sarcastically)对！放在秘密得连我自己都找不到的地方。。。

　　B: 哈哈！In that case, just use your birthday as your password and pray that it doesn't get hacked.

　　A：嗯？我听出来了，你损我呢！

　　B: 好了，不开玩笑了。Let's relax and watch hockey!

　　ASE: Hockey

　　Y: 今天我和Marc, Patrick一起看冰球比赛。

　　M: Thanks for inviting me to this hockey game Yang Chen.

　　P: Yeh. How did you ever get tickets to the Stanley Cup?

　　Y: Do you really want to know?

　　M & P:Of course

　　Y: Well, it's a secret, Marc and Patrick. I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you.

　　M: Never mind, I don't want to know that bad. But I'm surprised that you are a hockey fan.

　　Y: I'm not exactly a hockey fan. 我其实不太懂冰球。

　　M: Oh, I think you are just being modest.

　　P: Believe me. She is not being modest.

　　Look! Our team just scored!

　　Y: 为什么每个人都往冰场扔帽子?

　　M: Because that player just scored a hat-trick.

　　Y: Hat-trick? 有人变魔术?

　　M: There is no magician. It means one player scores three goals in a game. When that happens, everybody throws their hats on the ice.

　　Y: 噢，有一个队员进三个球，我们就说他 scored a hat-trick。Quick, give me your hat! I'm going to throw it.

　　P: No way! Throw your own.

　　Y: Don't be ridiculous. Mine is brand new. Just give me your hat!

　　M: OK. You can have mine.

　　Y: 还是 Marc 好。I have another question. 刚才一个队有五个队员，另一个队有四个。太不公平了。

　　M: That's because the first team was on a power play.

　　Y: what is a power play?

　　M: If a player breaks a rule, he has to sit in the penalty box

　　Y: 犯规的队员要坐到受罚席。

　　M: Right. the player who breaks a rule has to sit in the penalty box for a few minutes. So the other team has an extra player and is on a power play.

　　Y: On a power play, 就是比对方多一个人，所以实力更强。

　　I have another question.

　　M: Yang Chen, now I do realize you know very little about hockey.

　　P: She knows very little about any sport.

　　Y: Patrick, Penalty Box.

　　A: Wow! I've never been to a hockey game. Do people really throw their hats to the ice?

　　B: The Canadians probably do! Hockey is a big thing up there. But here in America, we love your hats and we want to wear them after the games.

　　A: Haha. 我倒挺想去看场冰球比赛。

　　B: Really? I can treat you to a hockey game--my New Year present to you!

　　A：Really? That gift is right up my alley! 正合我意！ 太谢谢啦！

　　B: You're welcome!

　　A：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! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

　　A：祝大家新年快乐！