VOA英语教学：美语训练班 010

　　A: 美语训练班，无须报名，不收学费，全年无休, 保证提高......

　　B: 行啦杨琳, 广告作起来没完啦？

　　A: Donny, 你别小看广告的作用哦。前几天我在微薄上给咱们节目发了一个小广告，结果节目网页的点击量就呼呼地涨上去了!

　　B: That's fantastic! 对了，你刚才说“呼呼地涨上去”，待会儿我们要教一个词，就是这个意思。

　　A: 太好了!

　　B: 不过，let's first have a preview of today's show, shall we?

　　A：好! 今天，我们要去赌马场试试手气, 和朋友聊聊大学生活，讨论公司上市的时机, 还要告诉大家怎么用美语说“躲过一劫”和“火爆脾气”。Donny, 现在咱们是不是要学你刚说的那个词啦？

　　B: 没错。Let's listen to "learn a word".

　　Learn A Word Soaring

　　今天我们要学的词是soaring, soaring is spelled s-o-a-r-i-n-g, soaring. Soaring 意思是剧增的，飞速上涨的。The austerity measure is designed to reduce the soaring Greek deficit in the next few years. 希腊实行银根紧缩措施，目的是在未来几年里削减飞涨的政府赤字。Many American families are facing the challenge of soaring college tuition fees. 飙涨的大学学费给很多美国家庭带来了挑战。The expanding of Asia-Pacific markets contributed to Apple's soaring profits in the past five years. 过去五年亚太地区的市场开发使苹果公司利润猛增。好的，今天我们学习的词是soaring, soaring, soaring.

　　A: 这么说，由于我的广告攻势，咱们节目人气暴增，也可以用soaring 喽？

　　B:Yes. You could say "this show enjoys soaring popularity" or "this show's popularity is soaring".

　　A: 明白了。对了，和soaring 相对的应该是declining 吧？ 以前我曾在一个电视台的栏目里实习，but the show's popularity had been declining, 看节目的人越来越少， 我实习结束后不久节目就停啦!

　　B:So... was the show terminated because of your bad performance as an intern?

　　A: 因为我差劲搞到人家节目停播？! 才不是呢! 不过，我觉得自己挺幸运的，如果实习还没结束节目就停了，我还得另找地方实习，说不定就会耽误毕业。

　　B: Sounds like you dodged a bullet.

　　A: 什么？bullet? 子弹？

　　B: 对。听下面的节目你就明白了! Let's listen to Popular American.

　　Popular American: dodge a bullet; cheapskate

　　各位听众，现在播送「流行美语」。Larry和李华开车去多伦多渡假，结果在路上遇到了一些问题。他们会用到两个常用语：Dodge a bullet 和 cheapskate。

　　LH: Larry, 还要开多长时间才到多伦多啊?

　　Larry: If we don't make any more stops, we should get there by nightfall.

　　LH: 啊，天黑的时候才能到？可我已经快饿死了! 咱们停下来找点东西吃吧？

　　Larry: Actually, we have a free dinner waiting for us at the hotel in Toronto.

　　LH: 我知道酒店有免费晚餐，可是还要几个小时才能吃到，我坚持不住啦!

　　Larry: You know me, Lihua, I'm a cheapskate. Sorry.

　　LH: Cheesecake? 你带了芝士蛋糕? 快给我吃！

　　Larry: No, not cheesecake... cheapskate. A cheapskate is someone who is very cheap, or doesn't like to spend money.

　　LH: cheapskate 就是小气鬼。没错，你就是个cheapskate! 要不是你舍不得花钱，我们才不会选多伦多渡假呢，早买张飞机票飞去泰国了!

　　Larry: Thailand? Don't be ridiculous! Even if I wasn't a cheapskate, you know we can't afford to go that far away for vacation!

　　LH: 那，就算去不起泰国，咱们停下车吃顿饭总可以吧？

　　Larry: If we stop for food, we'll waste time, gas, and money. I think we should just wait until we get to Toronto.

　　LH: Why are you being such a cheapskate?? 咱们刚开始约会的时候，你可是特别喜欢给我买吃的呢!

　　Larry: Oh, yeah, I remember that... Actually, now that I think about it, I think I might have some of that candy you like in my backpack...something like a white rabbit, right?

　　LH: 大白兔奶糖？哪里？！还真有诶! 可这包已经过期了。不过我太饿，将就吃了!

　　Larry: Phew! Looks like I dodged a bullet there.

　　LH: Dodge a bullet? 躲避子弹？你又在说什么我听不懂的话了？

　　Larry: To dodge a bullet means to narrowly escape a very bad situation. For example, a second ago you were about to get really angry because I wouldn't stop for food, but luckily, I had that bag of Chinese candy to keep you happy!

　　LH: 哦, to dodge a bullet 意思就是 “逃过一劫”，躲过了非常糟糕的事情。你说，要不是因为你包里正好有糖，我肯定会因为饿肚子而大发脾气，所以你算是躲过了我的一顿数落。

　　Larry: That's right.

　　LH: 可是吃糖吃不饱啊!

　　Larry: We have a perfectly wonderful─and free─ dinner waiting for us in Toronto. Sorry, Lihua, we're not stopping.

　　Larry: Uh-oh.

　　LH: Larry， 什么声音？是不是没油啦？你看看!几个小时前我不是让你把油箱加满么!

　　Larry: I heard the gas is a lot cheaper in Toronto, so I didn't want to buy more gas than I needed to... I thought this would be enough for us to reach Toronto!

　　LH: 啊？你因为觉得加拿大的汽油便宜，就不舍得在美国加油，打算坚持到多伦多再说？你怎么这么小气! Cheapskate!

　　Larry: I hope we can find a gas station in time... I haven't seen any signs for a gas station for awhile...

　　LH: 我的老天! 附近没有加油站？那我们岂不是要身陷荒野!

　　Larry: Don't worry, we always have my cell phone if we need to call for help.

　　LH: 打电话求救？呃，我刚才一直拿你的手机玩游戏，已经没电了。

　　Larry: Oh good grief. Luckily, I think I have an extra battery in my backpack. Check the outside pocket.

　　LH: 啊! 真的，这里有块备用电池! We dodged a bullet! 我们逃过了一劫!

　　Larry: Speaking of dodging a bullet, it looks like there's a gas station a few miles ahead. We should be able to get there without a problem.

　　LH: 太好了! 前面有加油站，咱们快去把油箱加满!

　　Larry: OK, I won't be such a cheapskate this time.

　　LH: 对!这次别再小气了! 还有，在加油站给我买点吃的来!

　　Larry: OK, fine. You got it.

　　各位听众，今天李华学了两个常用语，一个是dodge a bullet，意思是“逃过一劫”；另一个是cheapskate，意思是“小气鬼”。好的，这次《流行美语》播送完了，谢谢各位收听，下次节目再见。

　　B: Speaking of dodging a bullet, I used to work at a small company where the boss had a terrible temper and yelled at people all day long. 所有人都小心翼翼，生怕挨骂. It felt like I was dodging bullets everyday!

　　A: 理解理解! 给坏脾气的老板干活随时要作好挨骂的准备，他们就像地雷，一碰就炸!

　　B: No kidding! 好了，Let's move on to our next program: 美语怎么说，讲的就是这个“火爆脾气”。

　　How to say it in American English: short fuse

　　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Jimmy要问的：火爆脾气。

　　Donny: Jimmy, 瞧瞧你的熊猫眼!

　　JIMMY: 哼!这都要怪对门宿舍的一个疯子。夜里不睡觉，在楼道里唱歌! 害得我一宿没法睡!

　　Donny: Dude, that sucks!

　　Jimmy: Donny, 你今天可别惹我，我这一肚子火恐怕得点火就着! I'm easy to burn!

　　Donny: Easy to burn? Jimmy, I have to say, you've got a talent for making up English phrases.

　　JIMMY: 好，那你说，“火爆脾气”在美语里怎么说？

　　Donny: You say I have a short fuse. fuse is spelled f-u-s-e. To say someone has a short fuse is to say he or she has a bad temper.

　　JIMMY: fuse是导火线的意思，a short fuse，很短的导火线，那还真是“一点就着”， 所以have a short fuse就是形容脾气差。

　　Donny: That's correct. If I were you, I'd go give that guy who sings in the middle of the night a piece of my mind!

　　JIMMY: give him a piece of your mind?

　　Donny: Yes! You can also tell him off, 都是“骂他一顿”的意思。

　　JIMMY: Actually, I was about to rush out of the door and tell him off, but my dorm mates stopped me.

　　Donny: Why?

　　JIMMY: 我室友们说，这人平时挺好的，最近失恋了，要靠夜里唱歌来疗伤，让我别往心里去。

　　Donny: Your dorm mates are so nice not to take it personally.

　　JIMMY: take it personally? 就是往心里去，计较，对么？

　　Donny: Exactly. For example, your boss has a short fuse and often yells at people when they make minor mistakes......

　　JIMMY: 哎，我来猜猜! 你说，老板脾气火爆，人家犯个小错他就大嚷大叫。那...If he gives me a piece of his mind for something minor, 同事们就会说"don't take it personally. " 对不对？

　　Donny: Bingo! Let's see what you've learned today!

　　JIMMY: 第一，火爆脾气是have a short fuse;

　　第二，口头教训别人是 give someone a piece of my mind, 或者tell someone off

　　第三，别往心里去是Don't take it personally.

　　A：Donny, 我刚才就想跟你说，碰上不讲理的上司，你挨骂就挨骂，不用往心里去，Don't take it personally!

　　B: You're right. 就让他去骂，就让子弹飞吧。

　　A: 不过说起刚才教的那个short fuse, 火爆脾气，我十分不争气地想到了另外一个东西......

　　B: 什么？

　　A: 呵呵，你恐怕要笑话我。从火爆脾气，我想到了......火爆腰花!

　　B: 啊？

　　A: 我大学时最爱和同学们一起去校门口的小饭馆吃火爆腰花了! Oh, those were the days!

　　B: 我看你是饿了吧？ Anyway, let's listen to“美语三级跳”，让你再回忆回忆大学生活！

　　GoEnglish: College─Beginner

　　各位听众，大家好！今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“大学生活”单元的初级课程。

　　Winnie: Eric 和 Patty 是好朋友，也是大学同学。他们中午一起吃饭，聊起了校园生活。

　　Professor: In this first part, we will learn how to ask what classes someone is taking.

　　Patty: Hi Eric! Are you having fun at college?

　　Eric: Yes, it's great. How many classes are you taking?

　　Patty: I'm taking four classes. Are you taking a lot of classes?

　　Eric: I'm taking three classes.

　　Winnie: Professor Bowman, Eric怎么只选三门课？美国大学生的日子也太轻松了吧！

　　Professor: Well Winnie, maybe they are taking hard classes and have to study a lot.

　　Winnie: 这么说也有道理。可能正是因为课程难度大，所以他们才只选几门课。

　　Professor: Let's listen and find out what their classes are.

　　Patty: What classes are you taking?

　　Eric: Well, I'm taking English classes.

　　Patty: I see. Well I'm taking a lot of science classes, like chemistry.

　　Eric: Chemistry? Wow, that sounds hard. You must have a lot of work.

　　Winnie: Patty选修化学课，这门课可不好学。可是 Professor Bowman，Eric为什么要选英文课呢？英语不是他的母语么？这算不算投机取巧？

　　Professor: Well Winnie, some English classes are hard, even for Americans. Students have to read very hard books.

　　Winnie: 原来如此。那么，在美国大学里，学生们是不是每天都要上课呢？

　　Professor: Well, let's listen to Eric and Patty talking about when they have classes.

　　Patty: What's your schedule like?

　　Eric: It's great! I only have classes from Monday to Thursday!

　　Patty: You don't have any classes on Friday?

　　Eric: No, so I can have fun with my friends on Thursday night.

　　Winnie: Eric 不光选修英文课，而且一个礼拜只上四天课，这怎么可能？

　　Professor: Yes, some students have easy schedules. Now let's listen to them talking about their professors.

　　Eric: Who is your chemistry professor?

　　Patty: I got Professor Franklin for chemistry. He's really great!

　　Eric: Who did you get for math?

　　Patty: I got Professor Martinez for math. He's good, but the TA is so boring.

　　Winnie: TA? TA是什么？

　　Professor: A TA is a "teaching assistant." They are older students who help professors teach the younger students.

　　Winnie: 哦，TA就是Teaching Assistant的缩写，也就是助教的意思。Patty说她很喜欢自己的数学教授，不过教授的那位助教却非常沉闷无聊。

　　Professor: Right. You know, if my students don't study hard enough, sometimes I'll get a mean TA to help me teach.

　　Winnie: 我们不认真，你就要找个厉害的 TA， 那我们如果特别认真，你就会找个特别帅的 TA 喽？

　　Professor: No. If I get a cute TA, everyone will have a crush on him and study less. Now Eric and Patty are going to talk about what clubs they are in.

　　Eric: What do you do outside of class?

　　Patty: I'm in some fun clubs.

　　Eric: What kind of clubs are you in?

　　Patty: I do all kinds of things. I do some academic clubs, but other clubs are just for fun.

　　Winnie: 哇, Patty 可真行，加入了这么多课外社团。

　　Professor, 美国大学中都有那些社团呢？

　　Professor: Some clubs are academic. Students study together for tests or discuss current events. Some clubs are just for fun. They do things like yoga and hip hop dancing.

　　Winnie: 瑜珈社和街舞社，听起来真不错! 不知道Eric加入了什么社团没有！

　　Eric: I'm only in a hip hop dancing club. It's really fun.

　　Patty: A dancing club? I love hip hop music, and I love dancing.

　　Eric: You should join. It's not full, and there are plenty of spaces left.

　　Patty: I think I will. It would be fun to do a club together.

　　Winnie: Eric只参加了街舞社？他这个人，课只选了三门，每周只上四天课，连跟学习有关的课外社团也不参加。唉，他过得也太轻松了吧!

　　Professor: Well, Eric may be busy for other reasons. Tune in next time and we'll learn more about student life.

　　A: 美国的大一新生真幸福! They have easy schedules, 他们功课轻松，They can join some fun clubs, 还能加入一些有趣的社团。真让人羡慕!

　　B: Didn't you enjoy your freshman year?

　　A: 别提了，我们英语系的学生从一进校门就是一大堆基础课，哪有时间去参加课外活动!

　　B: Well, I'm sure not all of your classmates spent their time studying as hard as you did, right? For some people, college is a place for learning; for others, college is just a big party.

　　A: 也对，有些同学根本不在乎成绩，打球、跳舞、组乐队，每天过得可高兴了!

　　B: You can play your way through college, or work your way through it. But after four years, everyone is pushed into the real world, and the party is over. 人总要长大嘛。

　　A: Donny, 你说得真让人伤感! 好啦，大学生活结束，咱们进入社会，来听“礼节美语”!

　　Business Etiquette: IPO III

　　公司老板Jerry召集手下 Lisa 和 Ken 开会，商量公司上市的问题。Lisa问Jerry，是不是真的下定决心了。

　　L: But Jerry, have you really thought this through? You would essentially be giving up the company that your great-grandfather built.

　　J: I intend to keep key family members on the Board of Directors and I intend to remain as CEO. This company is important to me. But if we really want to become the largest frozen food company in the country, it's time to move beyond mom-and-pop operations and play hardball.

　　针对Lisa提出的疑问，Jerry回答说，他并没打算将祖辈开办并经营至今的家族企业就这么拱手送给别人，他打算让重要家庭成员进董事会，然后亲自担任 CEO, Chief Executive officer, 首席执行官。Jerry 说，公司对他十分重要，但要想扩大规模，成为全国最大的冷冻食品公司，就要 move beyond mom-and-pop operations and play hardball. 这里所说的 mom-and-pop operations 是指家庭规模的小买卖，play hardball 意思是采取果断大胆的行动。

　　L: Well, it's an exciting idea...and also a bit terrifying. But....you know that old saying: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

　　K: At least the markets have been getting better recently; the Dow Jones Industrial Average topped 10,000 points the other day. This could be the beginning of an economic recovery.

　　Lisa 说，公司上市的想法既令人兴奋，又让人害怕。但是英语里老话说，nothing ventured, nothing gained. 意思是不承担风险，就不会取得成就。Ken 说，好在现在市场正在走高，道琼斯工业指数前几天突破了万点大关，topped 10,000 points. 这可能意味着经济复苏的开始，the beginning of an economic recovery. Lisa 接着说，

　　L: I think the smart thing is to use this down time to retool and reconfigure our operations. That way, if things do turn upwards we'll be in a stronger place than our competitors.

　　J: Exactly! So, I want you all to consider this idea... do the research and figure out if this is truly in our best interests. Let's meet again on Thursday to make a final decision.

　　Lisa 说，她认为明智之举是用现在市场不是特别活跃的时期调整公司的经营运作。这样的话，一旦市场开始上扬，We'll be in a stronger place than our competitors. 跟竞争对手相比，我们就会居于更加有利的地位。Jerry 表示赞成，让大家回去都好好想想，星期四再开会最后决定。

　　A: 大家认为，现在可能是the beginning of an economic recovery, 整体经济开始复苏的时候， 公司应该利用这个时机，Play hardball, 大胆采取行动，毕竟，nothing ventured, nothing gained, 不担风险，就不会有收获。

　　B: Exactly. All decisions come with risks. I can hardly think of a real "safe bet" in life.

　　A: 可不，人生哪儿有能百分之百打保票的事儿呢？ That's way they say life is an adventure! 我就有冒险精神，在人生的赌桌上，我不会轻易被吓倒!

　　B: 杨琳, I didn't know you had a gambler's appetite. 我想下面这个节目你准喜欢，讲的是赌马!

　　A: 太好了! 赶快来听“体育美语”!

　　American sports English: Betting on horse racing

　　P: Hey, Yang Chen, Can I borrow a few bucks?

　　Y: Borrow money? 当然没问题。But why?

　　P: I put all my money down on the horse race, but the horse I bet on didn't win.

　　Y: Betting on horse racing, 赌马? Hey, young man, you really shouldn't gamble.

　　P: You sound like my mother. Well, I usually don't bet on horse racing; but this time I figured if I made a bet on this horse, I'd have a very good shot at making some money, Yang Chen.

　　Y: 你为什么觉得自己have a very good shot赢钱的机率很大？

　　P: The horse I bet on has won two races, so I thought it would be a safe bet. I don't want to lose my money.

　　Y: A safe bet，保险的赌注？ Haha, 真好笑。If you gamble, you have to take chances. 敢于冒险。

　　P: I guess so.

　　Y: 你看我, I placed my money on the dark horse. 那匹本来不被人看好的黑马，结果我赢了一大笔。

　　P: Oh - wait a minute, you bet on horse racing too? I thought you were against any form of betting or gambling.

　　Y: 小声点。小心别人听见。

　　P: OK. I will tell people you didn't bet on horse racing.

　　And may I ask how much did you win?

　　Y: Two thousand dollars.

　　P: That's exactly how much I lost.

　　Y: 真的？看来得分给你一半儿才公平。Here is half.

　　P: That's very kind of you. Are you sure you want to share the money with me?

　　Y: You bet.

　　P: Don't even mention the word "bet". I'm done with betting!!!

　　I'm going to the library now to study for my exam.....

　　Y: Hey, Patrick, 下星期还有赛马。 Let's bet on it.

　　P: You scare me, Yang Chen, I think you are turning into a gambler.

　　B: 看吧，赌马有风险，掏钱需谨慎!

　　A: 没错! Actually, I don't like gambling, 我并不喜欢赌博，But I'm willing to take chances in life! 我作人是敢于冒险的!

　　B: Good luck, 冒险家!

　　A: Thanks! 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!