【一起听英语】抱怨

抱怨是种坏情绪。解决不了问题，还会影响别人的情绪，我们应该如何应对抱怨呢？

Dan: Hello, I'm Dan.

Alice: And I'm Alice.

Dan: And this is 6 Minute English! Hmm, I'll just have some coffee. Ugh, this

coffee is disgusting! That cafe over the road serves the worst coffee!

Alice: Oh, you should complain! Tell them you're not satisfied.

Dan: Hmm, you're right; I should complain. But I don't want to make a fuss 1.

Alice: Ah, you don't want to make a fuss – very British!

Dan: Maybe I should though! Traditionally, British people have been very bad at

complaining. We don't want to cause unnecessary problems for anyone; we

don't want to make a fuss or make a scene. But apparently 2 we're getting better

at complaining about problems. And that's the topic of this week's 6 Minute

English – complaining. Are you a good complainer Alice?

Alice: Oh I'm a very good complainer – I'll let you know when I don't like something.

Dan: Right, I'll watch out for that. But first, this week's question for you Alice, is:

According to the Wall Street Journal 3, what was the cause of most airline

complaints in the US in 2010? Was it: 

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a) Delayed or cancelled flights

b) Rude staff

c) Lost luggage

Alice: Mmm, I'm not sure: I'll go for c) lost luggage.

Dan: OK, well, we’ll see if you're right at the end of the programme. Now let's hear

now from Ben Page, from the surveying company Ipsos MORI. Here he is

talking about some of the reasons British people don't complain and why it

might be changing. He uses the phrases 'formal complaint' and 'annoy' here

Alice, so I wondered if you could explain those?

Alice: Sure. A formal complaint is a written document of your complaint. It's usually

a letter or email, and can sometimes be used as a legal document. And to

annoy is another term for 'to irritate 4'. Both mean 'to make you a bit angry'.

Dan: Also listen out for the phrase 'riled up'; what do you think it means here?

Ben Page, Ipsos MORI

Most Brits still won't complain unless it's something that's really important,

and that's because they just don't think it would make any difference. I think it

is changing, slowly; there are more channels; it's easier to whack 5 off an email

or a tweet to an organisation 6 that's annoyed you. But overall 7 it's still… a formal

complaint still takes somebody to feel pretty riled up. 

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Dan: So British people need to feel pretty riled up if they're going to make a formal

complaint.

Alice: To get riled up means to become angry or annoyed. So if an organisation has

annoyed you and you're riled up, you can now complain using new technology,

such as email or Twitter, so it's much easier to complain now than it used to be.

Why else are British people complaining more now, Dan?

Dan: Ah, well some people say we've developed more a culture of complaining, and

that's in part because of television programmes that encourage people to take

action when things aren't right. A television programme called 'That's Life!'

was regularly broadcast in the UK from the early 1970s right up to the 1990s.

It made sure that people weren't ripped 8 off, and encouraged people to complain

if they were.

Alice: To be ripped off means to pay too much for something.

Dan: So here's the programme's host, Esther Rantzen, who says that being able to

complain is a fundamental 9 democratic 10 right. What phrase does she use to

encourage people to complain?

Esther Rantzen

I think being able to complain is a fundamental democratic right. There are

people around who will be on your side, but it's really up to you to grasp the

nettle 11 and complain. Keep going!

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Alice: She said we should 'grasp the nettle and complain'. A nettle is a plant that

stings 12 you when you touch it. But if you grab 13 it quickly it doesn't hurt so much.

So as a phrase, if you grasp the nettle, it means you do an unpleasant task

quickly, and then it won't hurt as much.

Dan: So British people should grasp the nettle and complain when something's not

right.

Alice: As long as they're polite about it!

Dan: Quite right! OK Alice, back to today's question: According to the Wall Street

Journal, what was the cause of most airline complaints in 2010? Was it:

a) Delayed or cancelled flights

b) Rude staff

c) Lost luggage

Alice: And I guessed c) lost luggage?

Dan: Well actually, the answer was delayed or cancelled flights. Often, lost luggage

is the main cause of complaints throughout the year, but you'll remember that

in 2010, with the ash cloud and some very extreme weather, there were lots

and lots of cancelled flights, so it's not very surprising that was the major cause

for complaint. So before we go, let's hear some of the words and phrases we've

used in today's programme:

Alice: OK, we had: 

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To make a fuss

To make a scene

To annoy

To irritate

Formal complaint

Riled up

Nettle

To grasp the nettle

Dan: Thanks, Alice. I hope you've enjoyed today's programme and you'll join us

again for more 6 Minute English next time. I'm off to complain about this

coffee!

Alice: Oh, I hope you get a good result!

Both: Bye!