VOA英语教学：美语训练班 016

　　A: 又到了“美语训练班”的时间了! 我是杨琳.

　　B: 我是Donny！杨琳, 给大家介绍一下今天要学什么吧。

　　A: 没问题! 今天，我们要聊聊一边工作一边上学是不是可行, 要看看被朋友硬拉进一个不靠谱的乐队会有多惨，要去打真正的高尔夫球, 还要告诉大家怎么用美语说“纠结”和“宁当鸡头，不当凤尾”。

　　B: 啊？什么鸡头和凤爪？好吃么？

　　A: 什么啊，不是吃的！待会儿你一听节目就明白了。

　　B: 好吧！不过现在，咱们还是先花一分钟，学一个词！

　　Learn A Word Severe

　　今天我们要学的词是severe. Severe is spelled s-e-v-e-r-e, severe. Severe 严重的，严峻的。最近美国大部分地区陷入酷暑之中。The elderly and the young are the most vulnerable to severe heat and humidity. 老年人和小孩子是最难以承受高温和湿热天气的人群。It's estimated that nearly four million people in Somalia are in danger of severe malnutrition. 据估计，索马里有将近400万人面临严重的营养不良。The weather service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for our area. 气象预报发出警告，说我们这个地区会有暴风雨。 好的，今天我们学习的词是severe, severe, severe.

　　A: Severe, 严重，严峻。Donny，要是我说，现在就业市场竞争激烈，是不是可以用severe competition?

　　B: That's right. You can say "recent graduates have a hard time landing a high-paying job because of the severe competition in the job market."

　　A: 这句话的意思就是，由于就业市场竞争激烈，新毕业的学生很难抢到高薪工作。对么？

　　B: 对。其实，就业市场也有竞争不那么激烈的，比如去中小城市。

　　A: 可是大家都愿意往大城市去，一来那里工作机会多，二来，在大城市开阔眼界，打拼，也比较有成就感吧！

　　B: It depends. In some cases, being the big fish in a small pond can result in an equally successful career.

　　A: 你说的big fish in a small pond， 小池塘里的大鱼？有些听众可能不明白了，咱们赶紧在下面的Words and Idioms中给大家解释一下！

　　Words and Idioms: Big fish in a small pond

　　各位听众，现在播送<美国习惯用语>第 939讲。我是晓北。

　　我是 Douglas Johnson.

　　记得大学毕业时，我们班同学纷纷找机会留在大城市或者出国，可是有个男生却毅然决然回到自己的家乡就业。我们问他为什么，他说自己的学历和能力回家乡肯定能受到重用，可是留在大城市里就显不出来了，因为这里人才扎堆，竞争太激烈。他的这种心态，让我想到一个习惯用语：

　　Big fish in a small pond. Pond is spelled p-o-n-d. Big fish in a small pond.

　　Big fish是大鱼， small pond 则是小池塘。Big fish in a small pond 小池塘里的大鱼， 其实就是形容小地方的大人物，小圈子里的杰出者。我同学就是这样，He has no interest in living in large, competitive cities. He'd rather be a big fish in a small pond. 他不愿意住在竞争激烈的大城市，他宁当鸡头，不作凤尾。

　　我尊重这位同学的选择，我想，他选择去小地方发展应该就是不想经历下面这段话所描述的情景。我们来听一听：

　　Of the 60 students in her graduating class, Tania ranked number one. She received many honors, including a scholarship to one of the top universities in the country. Once there, Tania found it difficult adjusting to classmates who were all as talented as she was. That's because she had been used to being a BIG FISH IN A SMALL POND.

　　这段话是说：[在毕业班的六十名学生里，塔尼亚的成绩是全班第一。她得到了很多荣誉，包括一所全国顶尖大学的奖学金。可是到了那所大学后，塔尼亚发现，其他同学都和她一样出色，她觉得自己很难适应这样的情况，因为她已经习惯在小圈子里当佼佼者。]

　　人到了新的圈子里难免要渡过一段不太舒服的适应期，尤其是对当惯了尖子的人。有人觉得宁当鸡头不当凤尾，但也有人到哪里都要力争出类拔萃，全看个人心态。好，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

　　Of the 60 students in her graduating class, Tania ranked number one. She received many honors, including a scholarship to one of the top universities in the country. Once there, Tania found it difficult adjusting to classmates who were all as talented as she was. That's because she had been used to being a BIG FISH IN A SMALL POND.

　　要提醒大家，Fish这个词的复数形式还是fish，所以我们形容一个人是小地方的大人物，说 He's a fish in a small pond。那要是几个人呢？就是They are fish in a small pond。下面这个例句就讲到这样的两个人，我们来听一听：

　　Everyone at our real estate office knows the Kims. They've been successful sellers at the firm for several years. They could easily join a much larger staff at a more prestigious office. But then they'd no longer be BIG FISH IN A SMALL POND. And that wouldn't interest them.

　　这段话是说：[我们房地产办公室的人都知道金姆夫妻俩，多年来，他们一直是公司里相当成功的房地产销售员。他们如果想跳槽到更有名气的公司，加入更大的销售团队，绝对不是问题。不过那样一来，他们就没法再像现在一样当办公室里的风云人物了。所以他们对跳槽没兴趣。]

　　big fish in a small pond 里的 fish 也可以用 frog--青蛙--这个词来代替。所以，我同学去家乡发展，愿意当 a big frog in a small pond，小地方的杰出人才，金姆夫妇愿意留在现在的地产公司，当 big frogs in a small pond, 小公司里的红人。好，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

　　Everyone at our real estate office knows the Kims. They've been successful sellers at the firm for several years. They could easily join a much larger staff at a more prestigious office. But then they'd no longer be BIG FISH IN A SMALL POND. And that wouldn't interest them.

　　各位听众，今天我们学习的习惯用语是big fish in a small pond，意思是“小地方的大人物，小圈子里的杰出者”。好的，这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束，我是晓北，我是 Douglas Johnson。谢谢各位的收听。

　　A: Donny, 这些宁愿在小地方当大人物的人，就是我在节目开头时提到的那种心态──宁当鸡头，不当凤尾。

　　B: 哦，这下我明白了。不过我看，最好是当凤凰的头，当big fish in a big pond!

　　A: 哪那么容易啊。不过，If you're not in a big pond in the first place, you will never know whether you can survive in one，let alone become a big fish. 如果连试都不试，那就肯定没机会了！所以说，到底应该在什么环境里发展，真是让人纠结！

　　B: 说到“纠结”，咱们来听听 How to say it in American English, 今天就教这个词！

　　How to say it: on the fence

　　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。今天是吴琼要问的：纠结。

　　Donny: Hey 吴琼, congratulations! I heard you got a job offer.

　　吴琼: 没错，我昨天刚接到的通知！ 这可是我梦寐以求的工作。

　　Donny: That's great! You must be very excited.

　　吴琼: 不过啊，我还真有点犹豫。公司要我去美国待两年，我舍不得离开这的朋友，可又不愿意放弃这个难得的机会， 实在很纠结。Donny, 纠结英文怎么说?

　　Donny: 你可以说，I am torn, t-o-r-n, torn.

　　吴琼: Torn? 那不是被撕裂的意思?

　　Donny: Well, 一边是熟悉的生活，另一边是难得的机会，两个你都不想放弃，it's like your heart is being torn in two different directions, right? 你也可以说 I'm on the fence.

　　吴琼: Fence? 篱笆?

　　Donny: 对，中文里说举棋不定，英语里说 on the fence 就好像骑在一堵围墙上，不知道该向哪边倒。

　　吴琼: 我明白了。那你觉得我该怎么做呢?

　　Donny: Maybe you should ask yourself which is the lesser of two evils. Is it worse to give up your dream job or be away from your family and friends?

　　吴琼: The lesser of two evils? 两害相权取其轻?

　　Donny: That's right. Maybe when you think about it that way the answer will dawn on you.

　　吴琼: Dawn on me? D-a-w-n，不是“黎明”的意思么？

　　Donny: dawn on me 好象黎明驱走黑夜，让你把问题看清楚。

　　吴琼: 啊，所以我可以说 it suddenly dawned on me. 恍然大悟。

　　Donny: Bingo. Now let's see what you've learned today.

　　吴琼: 第一：纠结，拿不定主意可以说 I'm torn. 或是 I'm on the fence;

　　第二， 两害相权取其轻是 the lesser of two evils.

　　第三：恍然大悟是 It suddenly dawned on me.

　　B: 杨琳，Do you have any experience choosing the lesser of two evils?

　　A: 我想想啊....啊，对了！我过生日的时候，有个朋友送了我一大盒巧克力，还有个朋友送了我一个大芝士蛋糕，两个都会让我发胖，于是我只能先吃了热量比较小的那个.....

　　B: Er....I'm not sure if that's choosing the lesser of two evils. I think it's more like you doubled your fun.

　　A: 这个嘛.....不说我了，咱们还是来听“美语三级跳”，这集里的Eric才是真的要choose the lesser of two evils!

　　GoEnglish: Music─advanced

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

　　P: Ernie and Beth are two students at college and they are starting a musical group together. Today Beth and Ernie are talking to Eric, who is a DJ, to ask him if he wants to join their group.

　　Winnie: 如果我是 Eric，一定拒绝。Beth 跟 Ernie的音乐品味可不怎么样。

　　P: Let's see what Eric says about this.

　　Eric: Hey guys, thanks for inviting me to join your group. I'm pretty interested, but first I just want to know a little bit more about what you're going to play.

　　Beth: Eric, it's going to be really great! We want to be a Vanilla Ice cover band!

　　Eric: Umm ... did you say you want to start a Vanilla Ice cover band? You're kidding, right?

　　Ernie: What? Of course not! And we want you to be our DJ.

　　Winnie: Professor Bowman, 什么叫cover band?

　　P: Winnie, a cover band is a musical group that only plays the songs from one really famous band.

　　Winnie: 噢，cover band 专门翻唱某个著名乐队的歌。所以Beth和Ernie的Vanilla Ice cover band就只唱Vanilla Ice的歌喽！这多没创意啊。看来Eric对这个想法也不是很感兴趣。

　　Eric: Umm ... you know guys, Vanilla Ice hasn't been popular since the early 1990s. And even then he was pretty terrible. What about playing something more up-to-date?

　　Beth: You know, I like to think of him as classic. His music never really goes out of style.

　　Eric: Right ... well what are you going to name the group?

　　Ernie: We're going to call it Chocolate Ice. Get the joke? Chocolate Ice instead of Vanilla Ice?

　　Eric: Don't worry, I get the joke. And if there's one thing that's certain, it's that everyone will be laughing at you.

　　Winnie: 哎呀，Beth还说Vanilla Ice的歌从不过时-- "never goes out of style"! 我觉得，他的歌就从来没有时髦过，he was never "in style" to begin with!

　　P: Very funny, Winnie. So, what does Eric think of the cover band's name--Chocolate Ice?

　　Winnie: 他觉得这个名字太俗了，肯定会被人笑话。

　　Eric: You know guys, I'm not sure I can play in your group. The problem is that ... rap music is violent and demeaning to women. I wouldn't feel comfortable playing it.

　　Beth: That's not true! Some rappers talk about violence, but a lot of them just talk about money.

　　Eric: I know... and that's bad too! Who wants to listen to someone rap about how much money he has?

　　Beth: Well, if it were about nothing but guns and money, why does it appeal to so many young people?

　　Ernie: I agree with Beth. Besides, hip hop goes way beyond music. It's a whole culture.

　　Winnie: Eric说他不喜欢嘻哈音乐，因为这种歌的内容充满暴力，而且侮辱女性。Professor Bowman, Eric不是DJ么？他怎么会不喜欢时下流行的嘻哈音乐呢？

　　P: Well, it sounds like he may be pretending not to like hip hop music so he doesn't have to be in the group.

　　Beth: Well you know Eric, our group isn't just going to be about music. Ernie is an amazing hip hop dancer. Ernie, show him your dance moves!

　　Ernie: Sure!

　　[Music]

　　Eric: Wow Ernie, your dance moves are so ... um ... unique. I've definitely never seen dancing like that before.

　　Ernie: Thanks. Want me to teach you how to dance like me?

　　Eric: Uh, maybe another time. Ok guys, I'll join your group on one condition.

　　Beth: Great, what's that?

　　Eric: Can I play at gigs with a bag over my head?

　　Winnie: 看来，Eric对Ernie的热舞不敢恭维。不过Eric说他可以加入乐队，不过有个条件，他说的gig是什么意思啊？

　　P: A gig is a performance, usually a small and informal one. You can also call any small or informal job a gig. Eric wants to wear a bag over his head when he plays gigs because he is embarrassed to be seen with this band.

　　Winnie: 哈，原来如此。我明白了，gig在这里就是演出。Eric说演出时要把头遮住，以免丢人，我现在倒真想看看他们的表演呢！

　　A: 哈哈！我明白你的意思了，Eric如果拒绝加入这个傻乎乎的Vanilla Ice cover band，就会得罪朋友，可如果加入的话，everyone will be laughing at him, 大家肯定都会笑他！所以他是怎么着，都不划算！

　　B: So he decided to join the band---but he's not willing to show his face at the gigs!

　　A：对！ 我想，Ernie and Beth听他这么一说，可能也就明白了──他根本不喜欢他们的乐队。这么说来，Eric还是选择了得罪朋友。

　　B: I guess so. Every now and then, you have to make some hard decisions that will make some people unhappy.

　　A: 可不是，这世上没有十全十美的事儿。比如在下面的“礼节美语”中，Lisa 又想上班，有收入，又想上学，实现自己的梦想。能有这么两全其美么？

　　B: 听听就知道了！

　　Business Etiquette: Continuing education II

　　Lisa请Shirley吃饭，说自己想回学校去读个硕士或是博士学位，征求Shirley的意见。Shirley说，

　　Shirley: I got my Master's in Business Management. It's helped my career, but it took several years of hard studying. If I didn't have a supportive family and a husband with a good job, I don't think I could have done it.

　　L: So you're counseling me against this idea?

　　S: Not necessarily, but I do recommend taking a slow approach. Can you take some night classes or find some way to keep working while you go back to school?

　　L: Might be difficult.

　　Shirley念的商业管理硕士学位，她觉得，自己之所以能读下来，靠的是家人的支持，和老公的高收入。Lisa问Shirley是不是劝她放弃这种想法，so you're counseling me against it? to counsel someone against something意思是劝说某人不要做某事。Shirley说，not necessarily那也不一定。她建议Lisa慢慢来，take a slow approach, 看能不能边工作边选课。Lisa觉得不太实际。

　　S: Maybe you could get an MBA or something more marketable.

　　L: That's worth considering.

　　S: I got my BA from Brown University. My major was Environmental Studies but that hasn't been as useful as the business courses I took.

　　L: Or maybe I should just take some courses that I'm interested in, but skip the Master's.

　　S: That's another idea, but if you really have a dream, don't let anything stop you from going for it! Going back to school is hard, but it's not impossible.

　　Shirley劝Lisa考虑其他更容易找高薪工作的专业。不过，她同时也鼓励Lisa说，if you really have a dream, don't let anything stop you from going for it! 如果这真是你的梦想的话，那就不要让任何事情阻挡你。

　　L: You're right! I need to decide if this is truly what I want.

　　S: And take your time. You're still young. Maybe there's even a correspondence course you can take during your free time.

　　L: Yeah! Then I could slowly build up credits and maybe later transfer into a university program.

　　S: There you go! That's some clear thinking.

　　L: I guess I just love learning! I remember the day my SAT test scores came back....I was so excited!

　　S: I don't remember loving school quite so much....most of the time I was either bored or totally stressed out. But like I said earlier, if you have a dream, don't let anything hold you back!

　　Shirley说，Lisa甚至可以抽空先选几门correspondence course函授课程，这样可以慢慢积攒一些学分credits, 以后如果真想读学位，也可以用得上。她再次强调说，If you have a dream, don't let anything hold you back. 意思是有梦想，就不要让任何事情拉你的后腿。

　　A: Shirley的建议不错，工作为主，同时take a slow approach, 慢慢积攒学分，等条件成熟了，再考虑全职读书。

　　B: I'm always amazed by people like Lisa who truly enjoy learning!

　　A：哈哈，我看你和Shirley差不多，提起上学就头疼，不是觉得没劲，就是觉得太累！

　　B：I'd rather spend more time relaxing and having fun. 比如，打高尔夫球！

　　A: 上次咱们不是去打了么，play putt putt!

　　B: 那是mini golf, Today, let's play some real golf.

　　American sports English: golf

　　Y: 大家好。我是杨晨。

　　M: 我是Mark.

　　Y: Mark是个真正的高尔夫球好手。不像Partrick, 只会带我去打put-put golf，迷你高尔夫。Mark,

　　I'm really excited to play regular golf today.

　　M: I enjoy play regular golf too. Any sport that let's you drive around in little cars and smoke cigars while you're playing has got to be awesome.

　　Y: I know! No physical exercise required at all! 可是还要smoke cigars抽雪茄?

　　M: You don't have to if you don't smoke. Are you ready to tee-off (T-E-E O-F-F)?

　　Y: Let's tee-off..

　　M: You could say that your boss teed-off a meeting by making an opening speech.

　　Y:能不能不提我的老板。It's the weekend and I want to forget about work.

　　M: OK your're right, let's just play. This course is a par 72.

　　Y: A what 72?

　　M: A par 72. The par P-A-R of a golf course is the number of strokes it should take to complete it.

　　Y: Par72就是高尔夫球术语里的标准72杆。

　　M: Right. If you are 5 under par, that means you used five shots less than the average to finish the course.

　　Y: 那 under par 在高尔夫球里是好事，对不对?

　　M: Exactly! But in everyday usage, being under par is not a good thing. If something is not as good as it should be, you can say that it is sub-par (S-U-B P-A-R). For example, my Chinese skills are sub par.我的中文说得不好。

　　Y: Don't be so hard on yourself. 大多数老美还不会说中文呢。

　　M: That's true. Actually, you could say that in America, not speaking Chinese is par for the course. When something is par for the course, that means that it is normal, or average.

　　Y: I see. "Par for the course" 就是正常的， 理所当然的。我可不可以说 being lazy is par for the course for Patrick.

　　M: Ha, well I guess you're right. But we shouldn't talk behind his back.

　　A: 看来，从体育中起源的日常用语还真不少，今天又学了两个，一个是 sub-par 差劲，另一个是 par for the course 常有的，普遍的。

　　B: Let me teach you another one. On a par with 相同的，不相上下的。

　　A: 那我要说，我和Donny高尔夫打得都很臭，糟糕程度不相上下，是不是可以说 I'm on a par with Donny in my lack of golfing skills?

　　B: 句子对，可不符合事实！

　　A：对！事实是你比我更差！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!