【大紀元2011年06月16日訊】B︰王老師好!
A︰哈哈，Donny你好！我們美語訓練班又上課啦！
B︰對，每節課25分鐘。So what are we gonna learn today？
A︰今天我們要去參加一個選秀比賽，去網球場大展身手，接著上次繼續找房子， 還要告訴大家怎麼用英文表示「挨宰」的意思。
B︰nteresting！But we’re going to open up with something short and simple, right？
A︰沒錯！咱們先花一分鐘，學一個詞！
Learn A Word︰trait
今天我們要學的詞是trait. Trait特徵。A new study in South Korea shows that 1 in 38 children have traits of autism. 韓國一項最新研究顯示，每38個孩子裡就有一個孩子帶有自閉症的特徵。Two-thirds of the children with autism traits hadn’t been diagnosed before. 其中三分之二帶有自閉症特徵的孩子以前都沒有被確診過。The researchers estimated that about 2.6 percent of the population has some autism traits, much higher than the U.S. estimate of 1 percent. 研究人員因此估計，百分之2.6的人口都帶有某種自閉症特徵，遠遠高出美國原先估計的百分之一的水平。好的，今天我們學習的詞是trait.
A︰好！這個我記住了，Trait，「特徵」的意思。對了Donny，萬聖節的時候小孩子們都喊”trick or treat”，那個treat和我們剛學的這個是一個詞兒麼？
B: No. In “trick or treat”, treat is spelt t-r-e-a-t, it means款待，請客。This one is trait, t-r-a-i-t, 特徵。
A︰哦，是這樣！那我要是說Dinner is my treat. 就是晚餐我請客嘍！
B︰沒錯，怡茹，你要請我吃飯嘛？不必客氣。
A：你想得美啊！還想宰我。不過Donny, 說到這個「宰人」，咱們趕快來聽聽下面這集「流行美語」。
Popular American： Take someone under your wing; take someone for a ride
Larry在咖啡館裡碰見了李華，他們會用到兩個常用語：Take someone under your wing 和 take someone for a ride.
Larry： Hey, there you are, Lihua.
LH：Oh, hi Larry.
Larry：I haven’t seen you since last weekend. What have you been up to? Don’t tell me you’re having midterms already.
LH：我連看書的時間都沒有！盡忙著照顧我表妹了。
Larry：Oh？
LH： 她從中國來美國上高中，初來乍到，甚麼都不會，所以我這兩天一直在幫她安頓。
Larry：I’m sure it’s a very tough transition for both of you. But, it’s so nice of you to take her under your wing.
LH：”Take her under my wing”？ 這是甚麼意思？
Larry： To take someone under your wing means to give them a great deal of personal guidance and protection while they are learning something of which you have experience.
LH：我明白了， To take someone under your wing就是指導、保護和照料某人。我現在就是這樣像母雞帶小雞一樣照顧著我表妹呢!
Larry：It takes time to learn how to cope with living in a totally new environment─it’s only natural to need a little bit of help at first. As a matter of fact, I can remember a time not so long ago when I took a certain confused girl from China under my own wing…
LH：你說你也曾這樣幫助過一個女孩？你不是在說我吧？Larry，雖然你給了我很多幫助，但這和我給我表妹的幫助是不同的。我要是不在她身邊，她連出門買吃的都不敢!
Larry：But Lihua, you couldn’t buy groceries on your own either when you first moved here. One time at the grocery store, your bill came to $7.50 and you pulled out a dollar bill, asking me if it was enough!
LH：Haha, 這個我記得。剛到美國時，每次需要跟美國人打交道我都會非常緊張，就算不說英語，還是覺得很恐怖。
Larry：Luckily, I was there to take you under my wing while you got used to living in the United States─just like how you’re taking your cousin under your wing now！
LH：哈，看來我們都是好心人！最近我在幫我表妹找房子，她以前的房東欺負她是新來的，把房租提高了兩倍！我表妹已經傻呼呼地交了一個月的錢!
Larry：Yeah, you have to be really careful. It sounds like that landlord was taking your cousin for a ride.
LH：Taking her for a ride？ 開車帶她出去？那個房東可沒這麼好心！
Larry：Um, I mean “taking her for a ride” as in, taking advantage of her situation─playing a trick on her for his own benefit.
LH：哦！原來 To take someone for a ride 還有欺負人，宰人的意思！
Larry：Yea, that’s right. For example, when I went to New York City, my cab driver noticed that I had never been to New York before, and so he took a longer route to my hotel in order to run up my bill. This is a classic case of “taking someone for a ride.”
LH：啊？司機看你是第一次來紐約，就帶著你繞遠路，多收你的車費。這可真差勁，欺負人！
Larry：Unfortunately, some people will take advantage of other people like that.
LH：哎？Larry, 咱們是願意 take others under our wings, 不遺餘力地幫助別人，可這個房東和那個出租司機卻會 take people for a ride，佔別人便宜。所以這兩個說法的意思正好相反嘛！
Larry：Yea, you could think of it like that. So, it’s a great thing that you are taking your cousin under your wing! Otherwise, it would be easy for people to take her for a ride.
LH：好吧，為了防止她受欺負，我就繼續努力吧。
Larry： I’m sure your cousin is a smart girl. Before you know it, she’ll be just as capable to live on her own in the United States as you are─and you won’t have to worry about people trying to take her for a ride.
LH：不過，在她完全自立前，我可有的忙了，估計不能常和你見面了！
Larry：That’s OK. Taking someone under your wing is a quite a full-time job!
今天李華學了兩個常用語，一個是 to take someone under your wing，意思是「照顧和幫助某人」；另一個是 to take someone for a ride，意思是「佔人便宜，欺負人」。好的，這次《流行美語》播送完了。
A：不錯！我又學會了一個說法，Take someone under your wing 就是「罩著別人」。Donny, 我就是這種大姐姐型的人，特會關心人。
B：Er….Really？You sure look like a nice person…
A: 嘿! 你還不信啊？我給你講個我幫助別人的事情吧，想當年…
B：怡茹！怡茹！Didn’t you say at the beginning of the show that we were going to some talent show？
A：哦，對，選秀！那咱們聽聽「美語怎麼說」吧！我的故事待會兒再告訴你。
How to Say it in American English: Open Audition
Jessica在北京學漢語，她的中國朋友要是遇到了不知道用美語怎麼說的詞，就會來請教她。今天是楊琳要問的：海選，甄選。
YL：Jessica！送你一張我的簽名照！快拿著！
Jessica：Your autograph? why do I want that？
YL：告訴你，我快成明星啦！
Jessica：Really？You will be a super star? 你被張藝謀看中了？
YL：不是。我參加「陽光女生」的海選，擊敗了眾多對手……對了，海選你明白麼？Sea selection！誰都能參加！也有人管它叫甄選。
Jessica：Sea selection? 哦，(chuckle) I see. In English, it’s called “an open audition”. Everyone can walk in the door, perform and compete, like American Idol.
YL：沒錯，就是那種！原來這叫 “open audition,” open開放的，audition, a-u-d-i-t-i-o-n, audition試演選拔，連在一起，open audition就是「海選」或是「甄選」。這麼說，I am the winner of the open audition!
Jessica：Well, I don’t think you can call yourself a “winner,” because more than one person get selected in an open audition to advance to the next round.
YL: 也是，這次一共一百人過關，進入下一輪比賽。但不管怎樣，I was selected!
Jessica：Yeah, congratulations! You can also say you made the cut.
YL：哦，make the cut, 就是被選中，過關了。哎，那要是被刷下來，該怎麼說呢？
Jessica: Then you could say you got eliminated. e-l-i-m-i-n-a-t-e-d, eliminated.
YL：明白了，eliminate是淘汰，被淘汰就是get eliminated.
Jessica：That’s right. I sure hope you can make it to the final round and not get eliminated! But first, tell me what you’ve learned today!
YL：第一「甄選，海選」在美語裡叫 “open audition”；
第二，過關，被選上了，是 make the cut；
第三，被刷下去了，就是 get eliminated.
這次的美語怎麼說就到這裡。如果你也有不會說的詞，請寫信給 Jessica, 電郵請寄meiyu@voanews.com
A：原來，入選就是make the cut.
B：對，怡茹, Last time we went apartment hunting with Jeff and Sarah. I wonder if they’ve found the perfect place yet.
A：嗯，我也不知道他們有沒有找到合適的房子。聽聽看吧！
Renting：Intermediate
大家好！今天播出「美語三級跳」節目「找房」單元的中級課程。
Winnie：Jeff想租間公寓，請朋友Sarah幫忙一塊兒看廣告。
Professor：In this first part, listen for the word “listings,” which is a list of available apartments that you can find in a newspaper or online.
Winnie：哦，listing在這裡就是房屋招租廣告。
Jeff：Hey Sarah, I’m having some trouble finding an apartment. Can you help me look at some listings online?
Sarah：Sure. What kind of apartment are you looking for？
Jeff：Well, it has to be cheap. I don’t want a really expensive apartment.
Sarah：OK. Would you like to live in a studio？
Jeff：Sure, a studio would be fine.
Professor：So Winnie, what is the most important thing for Jeff when looking for an apartment?
Winnie：價錢！ 他呀，老想找個便宜的studio, 真沒勁！
Professor：Well, I guess Jeff is a bit more practical than you. In this next section listen for the word “cozy,” which means small and comfortable.
Sarah：Jeff, look at this listing! It says there is a cozy studio apartment for rent, and it’s only $700 per month. What do you think?
Jeff: Well I think I can afford that apartment. But are pets allowed?
Sarah：Hmm … let me look. Yes, it says it’s a pet-friendly building.
Jeff：That’s great. That means I can bring my cat, Mr. Twinkles. Where is the apartment located?
Sarah：It says it’s located in the suburbs.
Winnie：Professor Bowman, 甚麼是pet-friendly building？
Professor：It means that pets are welcome in that building.
Winnie：A pet-friendly building是可以養寵物的公寓。
Professor：Exactly. In the next section, listen for the term “a steal.” What do you think that means?
Winnie：Hmm … steal在這裡一定不是偷東西，而是指a very good deal， 就是說特別划算！
Professor: You got it！
Jeff：It’s located in the suburbs? Well even though that sounds like a steal, I really want something downtown.
Sarah：OK. Well the problem is that the apartments in the heart of the city are usually more expensive.
Jeff：I know, that’s my problem. What do you think I should do?
Sarah：Well, maybe you could get a two-bedroom apartment downtown and share the rent with a roommate.
Jeff：Oh, great idea！
Professor：So Winnie, can you tell me what the opposite of “the suburbs” is?
Winnie：The suburbs指郊區，相反的肯定是downtown，也就是市區！ 不過，他們說”in the heart of something”是甚麼意思？
Professor：Being in the heart of something is the same as being in the very middle of it.
Winnie：我明白了，in the heart of something就是指中心位置。
Professor：Good. Let’s see what happens next.
Sarah：Well what about this two-bedroom apartment? The listing says it’s right in the heart of the city, just steps from the metro.
Jeff：Wow, that would be very convenient. How much is the rent?
Sarah：It says it’s $1600. But if you share it with another person, that’s only $800 per month.
Jeff：That definitely sounds like a steal. I think that is a very trendy neighborhood as well.
Sarah：That’s true. I know that there are lots of popular restaurants and coffee shops around there.
Winnie：Jeff真是好運氣! 找到個兩居室，月租只要1600美元，和室友分一下，一人八百塊。It’s a steal!
Professor：And the location of that apartment is also very good. It is only “steps from the metro,” meaning you only need to walk a short distance to the subway station.
Winnie：對啊，走幾步就能到地鐵站，太方便了！他們還說公寓所在的地方很trendy，就是很受歡迎的新潮區。那Jeff可要當機立斷！
Jeff：Well, this apartment is really a must-see. Will you come with me to look at it this weekend?
Sarah：Sure. And if you rent it, maybe I can help you find a roommate too.
Jeff：Great! Do you know someone else who is also looking for an apartment?
Sarah：Yes, my friend Steve. I’ll introduce you.
Winnie：Sarah真是太夠意思了，連找室友都包了！ Professor Bowman, 您說Jeff和Sarah推薦的室友Steve能合得來麼？
Professor：Well, we’ll have to listen next time and find out!
A：看樣子，Jeff的房子找得蠻順利啊。位置在a trendy neighborhood, 時尚社區，而且pet-friendly, 可以養寵物，兩個人分擔房租又不會太貴，It is a steal! 真划算！
B：Actually, 怡茹, I can think of a place to live for free! You don’t need to pay for utilities, transportation or even your meals!
A：啊？白吃白住的地方？哪有這種好事，Tell me! Tell me！
B：I’m talking about “jail”! Hahahaha！
A：監獄啊？!
B：對啊！ 咱們來聽聽「禮節美語」，瞭解一下The jails for white collar criminals.
禮節美語：PONZI SCHEME II
Ken早上在飲水器旁見到同事Dan和April，談起公司首席財務官Jason Smith參與龐式騙局被抓起來的事情。Dan問罪名嚴不嚴重。
D：So how serious are these charges?
A：He could end up serving a very long prison term. These days judges are pretty tough on white collar crimes.
D：I actually met Jason at a cocktail party about a year ago. He seemed very charming and bright. I remember we had an interesting conversation and he was quite knowledgeable about Asian affairs.
A: Yeah, that sounds about right. Most of these kinds of tricksters are very charming…otherwise, how would they be able to convince so many people to part with their money?
April說，搞不好，Jason會坐很長時間的牢，因為現在法官對白領犯罪下手很重，白領犯罪在英文裡叫white collar crime. Dan在一次cocktail party雞尾酒會上見過Jason，對他印象不錯，April覺得這很正常，因為這些人要是沒有兩下子，怎麼能說服別人把自己的錢拿出來呢? to part with one’s money 是把錢交出來的意思。
K：If someone told me I could get a 200% return on my investments, I’d smell a rat. I bet some of these people had a pretty good idea they were dealing with a Ponzi scheme.
A：Good point, but it’s going to be hard to find evidence they knew about it beforehand.
D：So what happens to white collar criminals in America? Is there a special jail for them?
K：In the past many of them got sent to low or medium security prisons. People used to joke about how easy it was for them.
Ken懷疑參與龐式騙局的一些投資者其實是知情的，因為如果告訴他說有投資機會，百分之二百的回報，I’d smell a rat. 我一定會覺得可疑。Ken說，白領罪犯以前都是被送到low or medium security prisons安全級別中低水平的監獄，所以日子比較好過。
A：But more recently, the government has decided to make an example and has been getting much tougher.
K：If he is convicted, Jason will probably end up in a federal prison with hardcore offenders. He could be there for well over 10 years.
D：Wow…that’s harsh.
K：Jason Smith says he is innocent, so we’ll have to wait and see what the final verdict is. I’m just glad I didn’t invest any of my money with him.
D：Me too！
A：Me three！
April 解釋說，但是近來，政府決定對白領犯罪加強處罰， to make an example of someone有殺一儆百的意思。Ken說，如果法庭判處Jason有罪的話，Jason就可能會坐十年以上的大牢，而且是跟hardcore offenders惡性犯罪份子關在一起。三個人都表示，幸好沒有把自己的錢拿出來讓Jason去投資。
A：哦，所以說，white collar criminals就是白領罪犯，比如詐騙犯。
B：That’s right. Okay, 怡茹, enough with all the schemes and criminals. Let’s have some fun!
A：好! 咱們去打網球！
American Sports English: Tennis Scoring
Y：Hi, this is Yang Chen.
P：And I’m Patrick. And today we are playing a game of tennis.
Y：(calling out) Okay, Patrick It’s your serve！
P：To serve S-E-R-V-E is to put the tennis ball in play by throwing it up into the air and hitting it with a racquet.
Y：Oh, come on, Patrick. Would you quit talking and serve the ball?
P：OK. Here I go! (thwok, thwok) Good return, Yang Chen！
Y: Hey, Patrick, that ball was over the line. The ball was out, 你出界了。我應該得一分。So it is my point.
P：That means the score is “Love Fifteen”. Love for me and fifteen for you.
Y：Love? L-O-V-E? 愛？這和愛有甚麼關係？What’s love got to do with it, Patrick?
P：Love in tennis scoring means 「Zero.」And right now I have zero points.
Y：You have love─不是你有愛情，而是說你是零分， zero points, 可是我怎麼會有15分呢？
P：Tennis scoring is very complicated, isn’t it? To win a game a player must win four points and two more points than his opponent. The first point is called “fifteen.”
Y：那麼 the second point is called “thirty?”
P：That’s right. The second point is called “thirty,” and the third point is called….
Y：Forty-five?
P：No, it is called “forty.”
Y：Why not forty-five?
P: 傳統上是這樣。 It’s just the tradition now, Yang Chen, the French started it.
Y：那他們的數學一定不好。Okay, serve again, Patrick！
P：Oh no, I missed the ball！
Y: I guess that makes the score “love thirty”! But you have love！
A：原來love在網球裡就是0分的意思！
B：Isn’t that cool? Love is nothing！
A: 胡說，Love多重要啊。比如我就特有愛心，老幫助別人。對了，我那個故事還沒講呢……
B：啊……怡茹, it’s almost time. Let’s save your story for next time！
A：這樣啊？！太遺憾了。好吧，那今天的節目就到這裡。節目的撰稿人是曉北，編輯是蔚然。同學們，我們下次的美語訓練班再見!
B：Bye
－－轉自《美國之音》
