VOA英语教学：美语训练班 023
A: 大家好，又到了学美语的时间了！欢迎收听美语训练班！我是杨琳！
B: 我是Jessica！杨琳,今天我们教什么呢？
A: 今天，咱们要去跳芭蕾舞, 聊聊电视节目，了解一下各种各样的保险产品, 还要告诉大家怎么用美语说“软柿子”和“别烦我”。
B: Sounds good! 不过，我要先考考你，上期节目咱们在Learn a word中教的什么词你还记得么？
A: 啊？这个....让我想一下....好像是"plummet" 对不对？就是暴跌的意思。
B: That's right! 今天咱们要教的这个词和plummet是相反的意思。
A: 快来听听！
Learn A Word Hike
今天我们要学的词是hike. Hike is spelled h-i-k-e; hike. Hike 意思是猛增，大幅度提高。加州政府预算不足，导致加州州立大学学费猛增。 The University of California system is looking at possible tuition hikes of up to 16% in the fall of 2012. 加州大学系统正在考虑2012年秋季大幅度上调学费，最多可能会增加16％。Netflix shares plummeted as subscribers left the service after its 60% price hike. 影视租赁公司Netflix大幅提高收费价格60％后，很多订户退订，造成该公司股价暴跌。President Obama announced a tax hike proposal for the wealthy。美国总统奥巴马宣布了一项给富人大幅度加税的提案。好的，今天我们学习的词是hike, hike, hike.
A: Hike - 大幅升高，猛增。我用这个词儿造个句子 - I want a salary hike.我想要工资猛涨！
B：Everyone wants that! Probably you should talk with your supervisor and ask for it.
A: 跟领导提涨工资？这个.....我该怎么说呢？
B: Don't worry. I'm an expert in asking for a pay raise. 我可以教你。
A: 太好了！那你可得详详细细地告诉我，开始时要说什么，根据领导的反应，再说什么，最后说什么。就跟下面我们要教的这个短语一样，You need to tell me everything, blow by blow!
B: 好吧！不过，咱们先来听“美国习惯用语”，了解一下blow by blow的用法。
Words and idioms: blow by blow
女：各位听众，现在播送<美国习惯用语>第 943讲。我是杨琳。
M：我是 Doug Johnson.
女：话说昨天我接到了我妹妹的电话，她跟男朋友吵架了，特别伤心。她把他们吵架的内容一句一句转述给我，足足讲了两个多小时! 这让我想到了一个习惯用语：
M: Blow by blow. Blow is spelled b-l-o-w. Blow-by-blow. Blow by blow.
女：Blow 这个词本身的意思是“敲击”，而Blow by blow作为一个习惯用语的意思是 “详细地描述事情经过”。My sister told me the fight BLOW BY BLOW. 我妹妹把她跟男朋友吵架的事原原本本告诉了我。下面这个句子谈到一对好莱坞夫妇，Debbie and Charles。我们来听一听：
M: "What's Happened to one of Hollywood's hottest couples? First, Debbie learned that Charles had a serious gambling problem. There was a huge fight. A couple months later, Debbie threw all of his belongings into the street. He moved out, and then asked for a divorce. That's the BLOW BY BLOW so far. "
这段话是说：[好莱坞最红的夫妇，Debbie 和 Charles之间到底怎么了? 原来啊，Debbie 得知Charles特别好赌，他们俩大吵了一架。几个月之后，Debbie把Charles 的所有东西都扔到了大街上。Charles搬了出去，还提出跟Debbie离婚。目前知道的就是这些。]
女：当个明星真不容易。现在社会，各种录音设备齐全，狗仔队很容易就能give a blow-to-blow description of their private life。他们很容易就能详细披露明星的私生活。好，让我们再来听一遍刚才那段话：
M: "What's Happened to one of Hollywood's hottest couples? First, Debbie learned that Charles had a serious gambling problem. There was a huge fight. A couple months later, Debbie threw all of this belongings into the street. He moved out, and then asked for a divorce. That's the BLOW BY BLOW so far. "
女: 我有个朋友前几天在银行外面等人的时候，目睹了一次银行抢劫的经过! 他向警方详细描述了他所看到的情况。让我们来听一听:
M: "I was waiting outside of the bank. And, through the window, I saw the robber approach the teller, pull out a gun, and demand that she hand over all the money from her drawer. Then he shot at a guard before running out the side door. Since I saw it all happen, it was easy for me to give the police a BLOW-BY-BLOW description."
这段话是说：[我当时在银行外面等人。透过窗户我看到那个抢劫犯走向出纳员，拔出一把枪，逼她把抽屉里的所有现金拿出来。之后他向警卫开枪，从侧门逃了出去。因为我一直在那，所以我能够向警察详细描述事情的全部过程。]
女: 有了这么详尽的描述，警察寻找起嫌疑犯来一定容易多了。请大家注意，blow by blow也可以当作形容词来用，意思是“详尽的”，比如说，a blow-by-blow description, 详尽的描述；a blow-by-blow analysis, 详尽的分析； a blow-by-blow review，详尽的审查。做形容词的时候，我们一般要在这个短语之间加上hyphen, 连字符。好，我们再来听听刚才那段话：
M: "I was waiting outside of the bank. And, through the window, I saw the robber approach the teller, pull out a gun, and demand that she hand over all the money from her drawer. Then he shot at a guard before running out the side door. Since I saw it all happen, it was easy for me to give the police a BLOW-BY-BLOW description."
女：各位听众，今天我们学习的习惯用语是blow by blow，意思是“详尽描述”。
A: Jessica, 你知道咱们的“美语怎么说“节目被做成有声电子书放在网上了吧？
B: Of course! People love it and we have tens of thousands of downloads!
A: 没错！不过，有声电子书还是比较新的东西，好多读者还不太明白下载后要怎么做才能听到课程的声音。
B: Maybe we should add a blow-by-blow guide at the beginning of the book and teach everyone how to listen to the audio.
A: That's a great idea!
B: 好！那咱们就来听今天的“美语怎么说”！
How to say it: pushover
Donny 在北京学中文，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。今天是方方要问的：软柿子
Donny: 方方，Why do you look so tired?
FF: 别提了，我今天又被同事叫去跑腿儿。。。好累啊！我真不想再当软柿子被人使唤了！我要告诉他们，I don't want to be a...a....
Donny：你不是昨天才帮他们买咖啡吗? 你应该让他们 run their own errands! You should stop being a push-over!
FF: 你上次教我 run errands 是跑腿儿。那 a push-over 被人推来搡去，就是好欺负对不对?
Donny: 没错。a push-over 就是好欺负的人，你刚刚说什么"软狮子" 来着?
FF: 不是软狮子，是软柿子，吃的那种柿子。
Donny: Oh, "soft persimmon"? Sounds delicious! In English, you can also call a push-over a cowardly lion. A cowardly lion is someone who is supposed to be brave but lacks courage and acts cowardly.
FF: cowardly lion? 懦弱的狮子? 一个狮子，一个柿子。太有趣了。
Donny: 美国经典电影 "The Wizard of Oz" 里的狮子就叫Cowardly Lion.
FF: 原来是这样，那我绝对不要当 cowardly lion.
Donny: Yes, you should really stop being a cowardly lion and don't let people push you over.
FF: 是啊！ 我要告诉他们，不许再欺负我！不要来烦我！你快告诉我，这两句话英语怎么说？
Donny: You can say "stop bullying me." Bully, B-u-l-l-y意思是欺负。“别烦我”更容易，我一说你准会，叫 Leave me alone.
FF: 我明天就去告诉他们，Stop bullying me! Leave me alone.
Donny: That's right! Let's see what you've learned today.
FF: 第一，软柿子可以说 push-over，也可以叫 cowardly lion.
第二，欺负人是 bully.
第三，别烦我是 leave me alone.
B: Leave me alone! 别烦我！
A: I'm not a pushover! 我可不是软柿子！
B: 哈哈，学的不错！
A: 说起来，我最近在看一个电视剧，那里面的女主角就是个pushover，人人都欺负她，我都替她着急，怎么不奋起反抗啊！
B: 别着急，I'm sure she'll grow stronger later. That's usually how they tell stories on TV.
A：对！就算她自己继续当受气包，那后面也一定会出现一个强大的白马王子来保护她！电视剧都是这么编的。
B: 就是的，咱们都能写电视剧了。
A: 那不是因为咱们老看电视，有经验嘛！说到这个，咱们来听今天的“美语三级跳”，讲的就是电视节目。
GoEnglish: TV-beginner
各位听众，大家好！今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“电视节目”单元的初级课程。
Winnie: Will 和Jane在约会，俩人聊起了各自爱看的电视节目。
Professor: That's right, Winnie. Today they are talking about reality TV.
Winnie: “Reality TV”--电视真人秀! 这种节目其实一点都不真实，我听说，很多情节和对话其实也是按照剧本，有安排的!
Professor: Maybe, but they are still entertaining.
Will: So Jane, what kind of TV shows do you like to watch?
Jane: I really love reality TV. Do you?
Will: Oh yeah, me too. And it's great that there are so
many shows now to choose from!
Jane: I know. There are so many reality TV programs I can't keep them straight!
Winnie: 原来这两人都喜欢看真人秀。 Will很高兴地说，电视上的这种节目很多，Jane说，节目太多了，所以she can't keep them straight! Professor, 这是不是说她已经看得眼花缭乱，弄不清哪个是哪个了？
Professor: Yes! Jane is saying that there are so many reality TV shows out there, she can hardly keep track of which is which.
Winnie: 对了，Professor, Will 管“节目”叫“show”, 而Jane用了“program”， 这两个词有什么区别么？
Professor: They mean exactly the same thing.
Will: You know what my favorite reality show is? Cops.
Jane: Cops? The show where they show what happens to the police? That show is so stupid.
Will: No way! Some people don't remember that Cops was the very first reality show.
Jane: I guess so ... but just because it was the first, doesn't mean it was the best.
Winnie: Will最喜欢的真人秀是“Cops”--“传奇警察”，他还说这是美国的第一个真人秀电视节目。我看过Cops，他们在警察的巡逻车里安上摄像机，跟拍警察出任务的情况。这个节目有什么意思啊，我不懂!
Professor: Well, Winnie, it's very successful. It has been on 22 seasons, and has made more than 750 episodes.
Winnie: 哇， Professor, 你记得好清楚啊! 我还真不知道这个节目这么受欢迎，已经拍了 22 seasons--二十二季，more than 750 episodes--七百五十多集啦？!
Professor: Yes, it's that popular! But what does Jane say?
Winnie: Jane说，虽然Cops是第一个真人秀，但并不代表它就是最好的。不知道Jane最爱看的是哪个节目。
Will: OK Jane, what reality TV shows do you like?
Jane: I like shows that have real people who are like me.
Will: You like to watch normal people doing regular things? That's not interesting at all!
Jane: Yes it is! If it isn't interesting, why are reality TV shows on all the channels?
Will: Jane, you don't need to watch TV to see normal people. They're all around you in your real life!
Winnie: 看来，Jane的品味和Will很不同，她喜欢看那些演普通人日常生活的真人秀。我同意Will的看法，如果你喜欢看普通人，那看看周围的人不就行了么，何必要看电视呢？
Professor: I agree. When I watch TV, I want to see amazing things I can't see every day.
Winnie: 就是嘛。对了，Professor, Jane 还说，真人秀节目 "are on all the channels"，这是不是说，每个台都在播这种节目？
Professor: That's right. For example, "I couldn't find a good show to watch on any channel, so I read a book."
Jane: Have you ever watched the show Survivor?
Will: Yeah. I haven't seen the whole series, but I've seen a few reruns.
Jane: It's a good show because it showed regular people, but in a strange place.
Will: Yeah, that's a really good show.
Winnie: Jane 喜欢看“Survivor”--“幸存者”。Will说，他没看过这个节目的whole series--整个系列，但是看了a few reruns--几集重播。
Professor: Right. Why does Jane like that show?
Winnie: Jane说，Survivor演的是普通人身处险境时的事儿，所以很好看。
Professor: That's right. So Winnie, do you think Will and Jane have other kinds of shows they like to watch?
Winnie: 我们继续收听下次的节目就知道啦!
B: Reality shows? Hmm, I'm not a big fan of those.
A: 我原来还觉得挺新鲜的，可后来，reality shows are on all the channels 所有台都是这种节目, that's when I got tired of it.
B: So what do you like to watch on TV now?
A: Sitcoms! 情景喜剧！又好玩儿，又能学到很多生活里的实用英语。
B: Yeah! I like Sitcoms too!
A: You should come to my house someday and we can watch it together!
B: 好主意！
A: 好了，不说电视了，咱们来听“礼节美语”，说说买保险。
Business Etiquette: Insurance II
Jane向同事ANDY介绍公司的医疗保险。ANDY好奇地问：
ANDY: It seems you really know a lot about insurance.
J: Well, I'm Chinese and in our country people are pretty serious about insurance. I have two life insurance policies as well as casualty and accident insurance.
A: Wow. I only buy insurance when I'm forced to. I have auto insurance, but that's required by law.
J: You should think about doing some research. Sometimes you can find policies that are actually a pretty good investment. Some policies allow you to pay for say, 20 years, and then you can collect a monthly check from the insurance company.
Jane说，自己不仅有医疗保险，还有两份人寿保险 life insurance policies 和意外伤害保险 casualty and accident insurance. 她建议ANDY不妨找找看，因为有时保险也是一种不错的投资，比如说，有些保险付满20年后，就可以每月从保险公司领取一张支票。
A: That's very interesting. I think you missed your calling! You should have been an insurance agent!
J: Actually, I worked for an insurance company when I was in my 20s.
A: Right...no wonder you're so knowledgeable. So what about things like braces for my crooked teeth? Can I claim that from my company policy?
J: This company only provides limited dental coverage. If you broke a tooth on the job, that would be covered, but things like braces or teeth-whitening are considered cosmetic procedures and you have to pay the lion's share.
ANDY开玩笑说，Jane应该去卖保险，她真是选错了职业，you missed your calling. calling 在这里是职业的意思。Jane说，自己20几岁时确实在保险公司干过，No wonder she is so knowledgeable. 难怪她知道这么多。ANDY又问，如果是牙齿整形，公司的医疗保险管不管，牙齿不整齐，可以说 crooked teeth, 牙齿矫形器是 braces. Jane说，公司的牙齿保健保险很有限，整形和漂白teeth-whitening都属于cosmetic procedures 美容，大部分钱要由个人出，you have to pay the lion's share. lion's share 意思是主要部分。
A: So how should I go about finding out if the medical procedure I need is covered?
J: You should probably speak to your doctor and get some paperwork describing what you need. Then you can talk to the insurance company. But remember, some of your medical expenses won't be covered and you'll have to pay them yourself.
A: I understand. Thanks a bunch. I think I understand the process better now.
Jane建议ANDY先去找医生开证明，然后拿着证明去找保险公司问，这样就知道哪些是保险公司负责的，哪些要自己掏钱了。
A: Life insurance, casualty and accident insurance, auto insurance, health insurance....天啊，保险的种类还真多！
B: You know 杨林，there's also travel insurance. If you have to cancel your flight or change your travel schedules at the last minute, travel insurance will refund your money.
A: That sounds good! 不过我想真理赔的时候肯定没有这么简单，保险产品的附加细则很多的。
B: 没错。好了，下面咱们轻松一下，去学芭蕾舞！
A: 来听“体育美语”!
American sports English: Ballet
P Yang Chen, I don't think we should go jogging today.
Y Why?
P Valentine's Day is coming up.
YC: Oh my gosh, 情人节要到了。 OK, 那你准备作什么?
P: To show my girlfriend my feminine and delicate side, I'm going to do a ballet dance for her.
Y To show your feminine and delicate side, 显示你温柔的一面，这我可以理解，可是你穿着小短裙子, that's just too much.
P: I know, but I think it's cool. And besides, I don't care if I look different, so long as I'm not out of step when I dance.
YC: Out of step? You mean 步子乱了， 跟不上节奏 ? 不过我倒是觉得 you're out of your mind.
P: That's just your opinion. My girlfriend finds my ballet dancing romantic. You know, Yang Chen, you can use "out of step" in your daily life too.
YC: For example?
P: For example, last year my girlfriend and I were really out of step when we were meeting for our date. She went to the restaurant, but I thought we were meeting at the movies.
Y: I see . 两个人去了不同的地方。Both of you where out of step. 步调不一致 。
哎，不知道你女朋友怎么想，反正我啊， Seeing you do ballet，破坏了我所有的浪漫情绪。
P: Well Yang Chen, at least you don't dance to other peoples' tunes.
Y: 这个我知道，就是"不用听别人指挥"的意思。
P: Right. For example I could say that my parents always wanted me to be a doctor, but I refused to dance to their tune.
Y: 你没做医生不是因为你不想dance to your parents' tune。
P: 那是为什么?
Y 因为你能力不够。
P: Thanks for the vote of confidence.
Y: You are welcome. Happy valentine's Day!
A: 我觉得芭蕾舞演员都特有气质，我也想学！
B: Er....It might be too late now for you to pick up ballet and become a professional.
A: 我也不想当专业的，能比划两下就行。
B: In that case, I have a coupon for an adult ballet class. It's specially designed for beginners. Do you want to go with me?
A: 成人芭蕾舞入门课？太好了！咱们一块儿去！没准以后我能跳天鹅湖呢，你可以跳黑天鹅。
B: I'd rather play the prince!
A: 那你就得把我举起来！你行么？
B: Okay, black swan then.
A: 哈哈！ 好了，今天的节目时间差不多了。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!