VOA英语教学：美语训练班 022

　　A: 美语训练班上课啦！我是杨琳！

　　B: 我是Jessica！杨琳,今天我们教什么呢？

　　A: 是啊，教什么呢？我还没想好....

　　B: You're kidding me, aren't you?

　　A: (好吧，被你看出来了。其实今天的节目很精彩──咱们要学学在长跑比赛中怎么才能得第一, 听一个十分倒霉的坐飞机的故事，了解一下美国公司员工享受的医疗保险福利, 还要告诉大家怎么用美语说“直觉”和“外行指导外行”。

　　B: Sounds good! 不过，咱们还是先花一分钟，学一个词。

　　Learn A Word plummet

　　今天我们要学的词是plummet. Plummet is spelled p-l-u-m-m-e-t, plummet. Plummet, 暴跌，直线下降。Apple's share plummeted after Steve Jobs resigned as CEO of the company. 乔布斯辞去苹果电脑首席执行官一职后，苹果公司股价暴跌。President Obama's approval ratings plummeted to the lowest point of his presidency with 51% of Americans disapproving of his job performance. 奥巴马总统的支持率跌至他任期内的最低点，现在有51％的美国人不满意他的工作表现。Tropical Storm Lee brought rain and wind, causing temperatures to plummet. 热带风暴"李"带来强风暴雨，导致气温骤降。好的，今天我们学习的词是plummet, plummet, plummet.

　　B: 杨林，Did you know that the stock market plummeted again today? What a bummer!

　　A: Jessica, 你不会是被套牢了吧？

　　B：我是啊！ Hey! I heard you studied finance in college. Can you give me a few pointers on investment? 推荐几支好股票吧！

　　A: 就我？那你可是找错人了！ 我虽然学过一些金融课程，可是没有真正的股市投资经验啊。

　　B: That's too bad.

　　A: You should hire a professional investment advisor to help you manage your money.

　　B: I agree. Otherwise it'll be the blind leading the blind.

　　A: The blind leading the blind? 咱们给听众讲讲这个说法的意思吧！

　　B: 好！请听“美国习惯用语”。

　　Words and idioms: The blind leading the blind

　　女：各位听众，现在播送<美国习惯用语>第 942讲。我是杨琳。

　　M：我是 Doug Johnson.

　　女：前几天我生病了，从没下过厨房的女儿很贴心地给我做了一顿饭，我感动得不行，可实话实说，那饭菜的味道实在是不怎么样。我一问才知道，是老公教女儿做的。怪不得! 我老公的做饭技术就非常初级，在他的指导下，女儿哪能做出什么美味呢？这个事情让我想到了一个习惯用语：

　　M: The blind leading the blind. Blind is spelled b-l-i-n-d, and leading; l-e-a-d-i-n-g. The blind leading the blind.

　　女：The blind leading the blind 字面的意思是盲人指引盲人，其实就是指“外行指导外行”。我老公做饭水平很低，结果还去教别人. It was the blind leading the blind. 这完全是外行教外行。下面这个句子谈到了一位很有自知之明的家长。我们来听一听：

　　M: "When my son's coach called me about substituting for him at this weekend's soccer practice, I had to turn him down. Sure, I had watched him a few times work with the kids. But I didn't know enough about the game to train or teach them the skills they needed. That would have been THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND!"

　　这段话是说：[我儿子的足球教练给我打电话，让我周末替他带孩子们练球，可我不得不拒绝了他。没错，我确实看过几次他教孩子们踢球。可我的足球赛知识有限，不够训练或者教孩子的。如果我真成了教练，那可就是盲人导盲了。]

　　女：这真是个负责任的好爸爸。顺便说一下，像他这种每个礼拜带孩子去练足球的爸爸在美国有个特定称呼，叫soccer Dad, 当然，妈妈就是Soccer Mom。这种“足球父母”一般都开着大面包车，把自己的孩子和孩子的朋友同学一块儿带上，接送他们练球。好，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

　　M: "When my son's coach called me about substituting for him at this weekend's soccer practice, I had to turn him down. Sure, I had watched him a few times work with the kids. But I didn't know enough about the game to train or teach them the skills they needed. That would have been THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND!"

　　女: 旅行大家都喜欢。为了行程轻松和获得更多知识，人们通常会找个熟悉当地环境的导游来一起旅行。可如果导游不给力，会怎么样呢？我们来听一听：

　　M: "My friends and I were promised an experienced guide on our trip to Alaska. Instead, we ended up with someone who didn't know the area any more than we did. She even got us lost. It was THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND. Now we want our money back from the tour company."

　　这段话是说：[旅行社本来说好要给我和朋友们派个有经验的导游，带着我们在阿拉斯加玩儿。结果，我们的导游对当地情况的了解和我们一样少。她甚至带着我们走迷路了。这可真是瞎子给盲人引路。现在，我们要求旅行社退款。]

　　女: 这样的导游根本不能让旅行轻松愉快，反而会成为你的累赘，而且让你心情变糟。所以现在的游客在出发前都会去网上找些游记，攻略什么的，自己多储备一些知识。好，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

　　M: "My friends and I were promised an experienced guide on our trip to Alaska. Instead, we ended up with someone who didn't know the area any more than we did. She even got us lost. It was THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND. Now we want our money back from the tour company."

　　女：各位听众，今天我们学习的习惯用语是the blind leading the blind，意思是“外行指导外行”。

　　A: Jessica, 其实我认识一个朋友，他特会炒股。

　　B: 是么？介绍给我啊！

　　A: But he's not a real financial advisor, I mean, he doesn't have any credentials. 他就是业余股民。

　　B: 也许他是股市天才？

　　A: 有可能！我问过他选股票时依据什么数据....

　　B: What did he say?

　　A: 两个字──直觉。

　　B: 啊？I don't believe him. 他那是唬你的！

　　A: 有可能！人家也许就是在打发我。不过说到“直觉”，今天的“美语怎么说”节目就教大家用美语说这个词！

　　How to say it: hunch

　　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。今天是于苗要问的：直觉。

　　YM: DONNY, 你知道么？我要去参加“价格猜猜猜”节目啦!

　　DONNY: “价格猜猜猜”?! I know that show! You guess the price of a product, and if you get it right, you take the product home. Right?

　　YM: 没错！我直觉一向很准，我去一定会赢! 对了，直觉用美语怎么说啊？

　　DONNY: You can say hunch. h-u-n-c-h, hunch.

　　YM: 那"我直觉一向很准"，就是"My hunch is always right." 对吗？

　　DONNY: That's correct. Or you can use the phrase "gut feeling". It also means hunch.

　　YM: Gut feeling? Gut 肠子，Gut feeling 肠子的感觉，就是直觉喽!

　　DONNY: 没错! For example, I have a gut feeling that I'm gonna fail my mid-term exam.

　　YM: Haha, but I have a hunch that you're gonna pass!

　　DONNY: Then I hope your hunch is right! 对了，于苗，Before you go on the show, we should practice. How much do you think my glasses cost?

　　YM: 啊？你的眼镜啊......你冷不妨叫我猜，我还真有些紧张。

　　DONNY: Don't worry. Take a wild guess!

　　YM: 什么叫 wild guess? 狂野的猜测？

　　DONNY: A wild guess means you have little evidence to support your guess.

　　YM: 哦，take a wild guess 就是随便瞎猜! 那可不行，瞎猜赢不了比赛! 我的猜测一定要有根据，靠点谱儿，那又该怎么说呢？

　　DONNY: That would be an educated guess. “Educated” is spelled e-d-u-c-a-t-e-d.

　　YM: educate 是教育，an educated guess 就是根据经验、常识作出的猜测。

　　DONNY: That's Right!

　　YM: Hmm, well, I am guessing your glasses are worth 25 dollars!

　　DONNY: Wow... Yumiao, you're really good at this! The correct answer is 26 dollars!

　　YM: Yeah! I won! I won!

　　DONNY: 别激动了! Tell me what you've learned today!

　　YM: 第一，直觉叫 hunch 或 gut feeling；

　　第二，瞎猜叫 take a wild guess；

　　第三，有根据的推测是 an educated guess!

　　A: 这么说，如果我那个股民朋友选股票的时候真的只靠直觉，他也是took an educated guess, not a wild guess. 怎么说也得有点根据。

　　B: I agree. Okay, enough with the stock market. I don't want to remind myself that I lost money. 杨林，Tell me something to get my mind off the stock market.

　　A: Jessica, 不要灰心嘛！这样吧，咱们来听听下面这个故事，有人坐飞机回家，结果一路上倒透了霉。跟他比比，或许你就不觉得自己最惨了！

　　B: Hmm, I like that idea! I could use other people's sad story to cheer myself up.

　　A: 好吧，那咱们就来听“美语三级跳”。

　　GoEnglish: Flight─advanced

　　Take a flight: Advanced

　　(取材于 goenglish.me)

　　各位听众，大家好！今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“坐飞机”单元的高级课程。

　　Professor: Todd just arrived at his parents' house in Alaska after flying there from California. He is telling his parents about what a disastrous flight he had.

　　Winnie: 我还担心Todd 因为去错了候机楼赶不上飞机呢。这么说他并没有误机，那有什么好倒霉的呢？

　　Professor: Well, let's listen and find out!

　　Todd: I can't tell you how glad I am to be home! I had a horrible flight.

　　Mom: What happened? And why do you have that big stain on your shirt?

　　Todd: The flight attendant was reaching to serve a drink to the man sitting next to me, and suddenly the plane hit some turbulence and she spilled it all over me.

　　Dad: Well, did the airline company offer to pay for a new shirt?

　　Todd: Are you kidding me? They're too cheap even to give you peanuts now, much less a new shirt. The flight attendant gave me some soap and showed me where the lavatory was.

　　Winnie: 哦，飞机遇到了turbulence，气流，结果飞机一颠簸，空姐就把给别人的饮料洒到Todd的衬衫上了。

　　Professor: That's exactly what happened, Winnie.

　　Winnie: 航空公司也没赔新衬衫，给Todd一块肥皂，把他打发到 lavatory去了？Professor Bowman, lavatory和bathroom是一回事么？

　　Professor: Yes, but when you're on an airplane you always call the bathroom the "lavatory."

　　Mom: The airline companies have gotten so cheap these days! When I was your age they gave really good service.

　　Dad: And can you believe that today they charge you to check your luggage? It's ridiculous!

　　Todd: Well that isn't even the worst part. When I got to the airport I accidentally went to the wrong terminal, so I had to run to make my flight.

　　Mom: Oh no! Did you make it on time?

　　Todd: Well, I got to the gate on time, but then the ticketing agent said that the flight had been overbooked!

　　Winnie: 这么说，Todd一路小跑总算赶上了飞机。可是飞机 overbooked，这是什么意思？

　　Professor: Sometimes the airline companies sell more tickets than there are seats on the plane because they expect some people won't show up. But if everyone shows up and there aren't enough seats, you can say the flight was "overbooked."

　　Winnie: 噢，就是航班订位超员了！这下可糟了。

　　Mom: So what happened? Did they let you get on the plane?

　　Todd: No, the plane was already full, so they bumped me to the next flight. But that flight wasn't until the next morning, so I had to stay the night in a lousy hotel.

　　Dad: Wow, that sounds terrible. Did they compensate you in some way?

　　Todd: Well, they gave me a voucher for a free flight.

　　Mom: Well that's not so bad! For one night of inconvenience, you can visit anywhere you want for free.

　　Winnie: 航空公司"bumped" Todd to the next flight，是不是安排他坐下一班飞机？

　　Professor: Exactly. The word "bump" is a casual way to say "move or "transfer." For example, "I was originally sitting in the economy cabin, but since I had lots of frequent flier miles the airline bumped me up to first class."

　　Winnie: 哦，这么说Todd因祸得福，虽然被迫在一个破酒店过夜，但却得到了一张voucher， 机票代金券!

　　Dad: So where are you going to go with your free ticket? What about Hawaii?

　　Todd: No, the airline says I can only use it in the continental United States.

　　Mom: Well what about Florida? It's warm and sunny there too.

　　Todd: Actually, after this experience, I don't think I want to fly anywhere ever again.

　　Winnie: Professor, 机票代金券只能飞the continental United States是什么意思呢？

　　Professor: The continental United States are all the US states except for Alaska and Hawaii. Sometimes they are called the contiguous United States.

　　Winnie: 哦，所以continental United States指美国大陆，是除了阿拉斯加和夏威夷以外的美国各州。那也不错啦！

　　Professor: Well, apparently Todd is not interested in flying ever Winnie: 可他几天后还要坐飞机回洛杉矶啊？看来我们只能祝他下次旅途比这次顺利喽!

　　B: That really was a disastrous flight! I feel much better now.

　　A：我们不要再幸灾乐祸了。要是我遇到 overbooked plane─飞机定位超员，spend the night in a lousy hotel─不得不在一个破旅馆等上一夜，然后the plane hit turbulence─飞机又遇上气流，And someone spilled a drink all over me─别人把饮料洒我一身....天啊！我可能就要疯了！

　　B: Don't be! It's not the end of the world. At least you made it home okay.

　　A: 对，就算好事多磨吧。其实说起倒霉事儿，我觉得最糟糕的就是得病，特别是得大病。

　　B: That's true. Health care is expensive, so getting sick can hurt you both physically and financially.

　　A: 对，这时候医疗保险就重要了，保什么，不保什么，直接关系到你的荷包。下面的“礼节美语”就讲这个话题，我们来听一听！

　　Business Etiquette: Insurance I

　　ANDY向同事Jane咨询公司医疗保险的事。

　　ANDY: Hey, Jane...are you familiar with our company's insurance policies?

　　Jane: Umm....I think so. What's up?

　　A: I've never really paid attention to the fine print of our insurance policies...but it looks like I'm going to need to make a claim.

　　J: Really? Are you OK?

　　A: I have a slipped disc in my lower back and the doctor says surgery is probably the best option. Does our worker insurance cover this kind of thing?

　　ANDY问Jane熟不熟悉公司的医疗保险条款，insurance是保险，policies是条款，医生说他腰椎肩盘突出，可能要做手术，需要向保险公司make a claim，提出医疗赔偿。ANDY说，自己从没仔细研究过公司医疗保险的fine print，fine print小号字，意思是规定细则，不知道做腰椎肩盘手术，保险公司是不是出钱，这里动词用cover, to cover this kind of thing 意思是保险涵盖这类治疗。

　　J: If the injury is workplace related I'm sure it's completely covered.

　　A: Hummm...I think I'll have to talk to the doctor again about that. Anyway...now that I'm going to have to make some claims, I think I'd better try and understand how the system works. Would you mind breaking it down for me?

　　J: Sure. Basically we have two insurance policies for employees...workman's compensation and medical insurance. The company pays the premiums for workman's compensation, and for a significant part of the medical coverage, but you pay part of that premium, too.

　　Jane说，如果病情起因跟工作有关，那保险肯定是管的，她还给ANDY做了进一步解释，这里用的 break something down意思是把一件事情分成几部分，详细说明。Jane说，公司有两种保险，一种是workman's compensation, 工人抚恤金保险，保费由公司出；另一种是medical coverage医疗保险，公司出一大部分保费，其余由员工出，在医疗保险中，保费是premium, p-r-e-m-i-u-m, premium保费。

　　A: That's the charge for insurance I see on my pay slip each month, right?

　　J: Yep. Every country in the world has a different system, but here we buy insurance from a private provider.

　　A: So workman's compensation is if I slip and break my arm while working in the office or on the job, right?

　　J: That's right. The company pays for all your medical bills and there is also some financial compensation if you have to take days off to see doctors or spend time recuperating.

　　ANDY说，自己每月工资单上都会有一栏扣的就是医疗保险的保费，工资单在英语里叫 pay slip. ANDY又问，workman's compensation是不是只管在工作场所或是工作期间受的伤，Jane回答说，没错，在这种情况下，不仅一切医疗费用都由公司出，而且如果员工需要take days off请假去看医生，或是休养 recuperate, recuperate is spelled r-e-c-u-p-e-r-a-t-e, recuperate, 还能得到某些经济补贴。

　　B：Read the fine print before signing on the dotted line!

　　A: 看来，Andy 在同意买公司的医疗保险时就没把细则看清楚。真希望公司保险能负担她手术的费用！

　　B: I hope so too. Sometimes the insurance companies make very complicated rules about plan coverage, and few consumers can understand them.

　　A: 没错。到了生病手术的关键时刻，才发现保险公司根本不负担这些花销，那可真是要抓瞎了！

　　B: One way to avoid getting yourself into that situation is to exercise and stay healthy!

　　A: 说得对！咱们下面就来听“体育美语”，一起锻炼身体！

　　American sports English: Distance Events

　　P: Yang Chen, You are totally out of breath. What's wrong? Are you running away from the police? What did you do THIS time?

　　Y: Hey! NOT funny! 警察才不会追我呢。我是在练长跑。I'm training for the 1500m.

　　P: So you want to be the fastest in the world?

　　Y: No. I don't want to be the fastest, I just want to be faster than you.

　　P: That's not so easy. You know I'm very good at distance events.

　　Y 你擅长distance events，那我们要比试比试才知道谁更快。

　　P: Well, speed isn't the only important thing to win a distance race, Yang Chen.

　　Y: Yeah yeah, I know - 长跑除了speed速度，还要有patience - 耐心 - right?

　　P: Well, patience is good, and so is endurance. E-N-D-U-R-A-N-C-E

　　Y: Ohhhhhh. Endurance. - 耐力 -

　　P: Right. That is the ability to sustain physical activity for a long period of time without stopping.

　　In the Olympics, distance events are among the most difficult because they involve speed, endurance, patience, and - tactics.

　　Y: Tactics - 策略? 你不是让我把前面那个人绊倒吧？

　　P: No, please don't trip the person in front of you!

　　By tactics , I mean planning ahead how to make your moves.

　　For example, some of the world's greatest distance runners do not take the lead until the very end of the race, so they can conserve energy.

　　Y: 没错，好像最后得冠军的都不是一开始跑在最前面的人，而是到了最后才take the lead 。

　　P: Right. And they have to maintain the lead until they make a final kick K-I-C-K.

　　Y: Make a final kick 不是踢别人一下，而是最后冲刺 。

　　P: The runner's sprint in the end of the race.

　　So, Yang Chen, have you been working on YOUR kick? OW!

　　Y: You mean, THAT kind of kick?

　　P: Ouch, that hurts.

　　Y: That's my tactics to beat you!

　　A: 原来长跑也讲究tactics─策略！

　　B: Tactics are important in all kinds of competitions, including when you buy and sell stocks. Oh no, I'm back to the stock market again!

　　A: 就是啊，怎么又说回来了。好了，等下了节目，我陪你去逛街吧，省得你老想着股票的事儿。

　　B: That's sweet of you. But remember to stop me when I want to buy things, 'cos I don't have much more money left! 钱都被套牢了！

　　A: 又来了！ 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!