【大紀元2012年01月28日訊】

A: 美語訓練班的時間到啦! 我是楊琳！

B: 我是 Kat! 今天我們學點甚麼呢，楊琳？

A：咱們要學游，要去租車渡假，要阻止同事們亂傳閒話，還要告訴大家怎麼用美語說「搶手貨」，和「虛驚一場」。

B: But first we have “Learn a Word”. Right?

A: 沒錯! 先來學個詞兒！

Learn A Word out of date

今天我們要學的詞是out of date. Out is spelled o-u-t, out; and date, d-a-t-e, date; out of date. Out of date 意思是過時的。His contact information is out of date. 他的聯絡方式已經變了。Technology companies say the 25-year-old federal Internet privacy law is out of date. 高科技公司說，有關互聯網隱私的聯邦法律是25年制訂的，已經過時了。The British government warned that computer lessons offered in schools are out of date. 英國政府警告說，目前學校裡教授的電腦課程已經過時了。With all the smart phones on the market, conventional cell phones seem to be out of date. 跟智能手機相比，普通手機好像有些過時了。好的，今天我們學習的詞是out of date, out of date, out of date.

A: 現在社會日新月異，要想不out of date, 真的不容易! 有時候你會突然感覺，Oh my Gosh, my hairstyle is out of date. My phone is out of date. Even what I learned at school is out of date! 唉! 不是我不明白，這世界變化快啊!

B: Don’t worry, Yanglin, there are things in life that can stand the test of time. If your style is classy, you’ll never go out of date.

A: 也對。而且你發現了麼，Kat, 潮流總是來回打轉。拿衣服來說，現在流行的蝙蝠袖，鉛筆褲，好像就是我媽年輕時的潮流哦!

B: Exactly! So you can be really fashionable in your Mom’s leggings. Who would have thought of that!

A：對啊，這樣豈不是很省錢？穿媽媽的衣服來個復古風!

B：Good idea!

A：好了，咱們繼續聽節目吧。

B: Let’s listen to Words and Idioms.

Words and Idioms

現在播送第 950講。我是楊琳。

M：我是 Douglas Johnson.

就在一個小時之前，我們辦公室這裡經歷了一場驚心動魄！同事都在伏案工作的時候，火警鈴忽然響了， 大家爭相下樓，議論紛紛。後來證實，其實是廚房微波爐裡熱的東西著火了，弄響了火警。於是大家也紛紛回到辦公桌前，重新拿起手中的工作。這件小事讓我想到一個習慣用語，那就是：

M: Business as usual. Business is spelled b-u-s-i-n-e-s-s, and usual, u-s-u-a-l. Business as usual.

大家都知道，business是營業的意思，usual 呢，是正常的。那麼business as usual, 用來形容事情經過了異常之後恢復正常狀態，可以翻譯成「一切照舊，虛驚一場」。上面的例子中， People resumed work after a small fire incident, it was business as usual. 大家在著火小插曲之後繼續工作，辦公室恢復正常。下面的例子講了一對父母每天早晨的大挑戰，我們來聽聽看：

M: “Imagine preparing breakfast for six kids. Then getting them washed and dressed, packing their lunches and getting them off to school. That might seem like a huge challenge. But for my wife and me, it’s BUSINESS AS USUAL. It’s part of our everyday routine.”

[這段話是說：想像一下：給六個孩子準備早餐，然後給他們洗臉穿衣服，裝飯盒，再把他們統統送到學校去。這看起來是一項巨大的挑戰。但是對我妻子和我來說，這是日常便飯。這是我們每天要做的工作。]

我有一個女兒已經夠嗆了！想像一下，要照料六個孩子，真是不容易！不過，這與經歷過大災難的人相比只是小事一樁。想想日本今年三月的大地震，不知道要經過多久這個國家才能恢復原狀。It will not be BUSINESS AS USUAL any time soon for the Japanese people. 日本人民的生活近期內恐怕很難恢復常態。好了，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話：

M: “Imagine preparing breakfast for six kids. Then getting them washed and dressed, packing their lunches and getting them off to school. That might seem like a huge challenge. But for my wife and me, it’s BUSINESS AS USUAL. It’s part of our everyday routine.”

我們居住的小鎮是個安靜的地方，平常非常愜意。不過有一次，一個名導演看中了我們小鎮，準備來這裡拍攝，這一下發生了甚麼事情呢？ 我們來聽聽看:

M: “Normally, my tiny town is a quiet place. But when a movie director chose it as the site for his upcoming picture, it became incredibly busy. Film stars and production crews flooded Main Street. The local restaurants served overflow crowds, shops saw increased sales, and news reporters came from all around seeking interviews. For three weeks, it was anything but BUSINESS AS USUAL. “

[這段話是說：平常，我住的小鎮特別安靜。但是當一名電影導演選中這裡拍攝之後，這裡就變得忙碌無比。電影明星和製作團隊擠滿了城裡的主路。飯館裡的人目不暇接，商店營業額直線上升，新聞記者也都來到這裡尋找採訪機會。三個星期以來，這裡甚麼都有，就是沒有往日的寧靜。]

女: 被導演看中也許是好事，這樣一來可以大大提高小鎮的知名度，商店餐館也能更好的營業額。可是對我們這些居民來說，我們想要的只是business as usual, 以往的安靜生活。看來任何事都有兩面性。好了，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話:

M: “Normally, my tiny town is a quiet place. But when a movie director chose it as the site for his upcoming picture, it became incredibly busy. Film stars and production crews flooded Main Street. The local restaurants served overflow crowds, shops saw increased sales, and news reporters came from all around seeking interviews. For three weeks, like here was anything but BUSINESS AS USUAL. “

今天我們學習的習慣用語是BUSINESS AS USUAL，意思是「一切照常，虛驚一場」。

A：Kat, 你注意到沒有，每回在新年伊始，我們都要做新年計劃，不過最後，多半都是business as usual, 生活還是會變回老樣子。

B: Ｉknow! Most new year resolutions will never be realized, and that’s pretty frustrating! You know how I deal with it? I make realistic, easy-to-do resolutions.

A: For example?

B: Hmm, instead of making a resolution such as “going to the gym everyday”, I have “using the stairs twice a week”.

A: 你是說，你給自己設定的新年目標是每週有兩天要走樓梯，而不搭電梯？

Ｂ：對! It’s much more realistic than going to the gym daily. Don’t you think so?

A: 猛一聽是挺實際的。不過，這要看你家住幾樓! 如果你住在15層，每週兩次爬樓可不太現實!

B：I never thought about that!

A: 哈哈! 好了，咱們繼續聽節目，今天咱們要在「美語怎麼說」裡要教大家說「搶手貨」!

How to Say It in American English

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。今天是怡茹要問的：搶手貨。

JESSICA: Hey 怡茹，how’s it going?

YR: Oh, hey JESSICA..我…我好困阿…困死我了…

JESSICA: You really look tired. Didn’t you sleep well last night?

YR: Sleep well? 我壓根就沒睡!!! 我男朋友昨天拉著我陪他去買iPhone 4S, 可現在這最新的iPhone特搶手! 對了，JESSICA，這種大家都想要的搶手貨用美語怎麼說啊？

JESSICA: You can say it sells like hotcakes. Hotcakes is spelled h-o-t-c-a-k-e-s, hotcakes. If you say something sells like hotcakes, it means it is sold quickly and in large numbers.

YR: 沒錯! The new iPhone 4S sold like hotcakes! 新的iPhone 4S 絕對是搶手貨!

JESSICA: There’s actually another way of saying it, you can say: the new iPhone 4S is flying off the shelf! Shelf is spelled s-h-e-l-f, shelf, 是貨架的意思。Fly off the shelf, 就是說一件東西賣得特別好。

YR: 店員還特別告訴我們，當天晚上他們會進新貨，建議我們半夜就去排隊，這樣就能保證一大早開門的時候買到最新的iPhone了…所以我們大半夜就搬著小椅子守在蘋果店門口….

JESSICA: You camped out last night!

YR: Camp out?

JESSICA: Camp, c-a-m-p, 是露營的意思，camp out means that you stay outdoors all night in front of the store! 也可以說是露營!

YR: 哈哈，沒錯! 我們就好像去露營一樣，在蘋果店門口呆了整整一夜! 這種事只有我男朋友這種科技發燒友才幹得出來!

JESSICA: 看來你男朋友還真是個tech-head! Tech是technology的簡稱，tech-head 腦袋裡全是tech，就是科技發燒友!

YR: Totally! My boyfriend is such a tech-head!

JESSICA: 好，言歸正傳，說說你今天都學到了甚麼!

YR: 第一：形容一件東西搶手說something sells like hotcakes, 或者 something is flying off the shelf.

第二：為買東西通宵露營，叫camp out;

第三：科技發燒友是tech-head.

A： Every Thanksgiving, there are people camping out in the cold night.

B: Yes. Some people are doing that to snatch up hot deals, but others just want to be part of the Thanksgiving shopping frenzy.

A：沒錯，感恩節夜裡在商店外露營排隊大概也是美國文化的一景吧! 而且現在有Cyber Monday, 網上也有好多減價超值的東西，不用排隊啦!

B: 很對! But now let’s go back to the old-fashioned way of shopping–going to a store and asking for help from an assistant.

A: 那，是要買甚麼呢？

B：I don’t wanna buy anything. I just want to rent a car!

GoEnglish: Driving (Beginner)

大家好！今天我們為您播出「美語三級跳」節目「開車」單元的初級課程。

家住洛杉磯的Phil想趁週末來躺自駕游，去賭城拉斯維加斯享受一番。不過，他得先租輛車。

Professor: Winnie, have you ever gone to Las Vegas?

去過一次。Professor Bowman, 如果我是租車公司老闆，一定不願意把車租給去賭城的人，因為他們可能會連車一起輸掉!

Phil: Hello, I’d like to rent a car please.

Employee: OK, how long do you need it for?

Phil: I just need it for the weekend.

Employee: Alright, how far will you drive the car?

Phil: Umm … I’m not sure. How far away is Las Vegas?

看來，Phil準備週末打個來回。不過，租車公司的店員為甚麼要問Phil去哪兒呢？這關她甚麼事？

Professor: Winnie, sometimes if you drive a long distance, it will cost you more money to rent the car.

啊？在租車時，如果開得遠就要多交錢？那麼，從洛杉磯到拉斯維加斯算不算遠呢？

Professor：Well, Phil doesn’t know how far he has to drive, so he asks the attendant how far away Las Vegas is.

Employee: Las Vegas is about 260 miles from here. Is that where you’re going?

Phil: Yes, so I need a nice car so that I look really cool.

Employee: I see …. well would you like a car with a sunroof?

Phil: A sunroof? That’s not cool enough. I need a convertible.

Professor: So Winnie, what kind of car does Phil want to drive to Las Vegas.

他想開一輛酷酷的車！去拉斯維加斯這種花花世界當然得開輛好車了!

Professor: Yes, and what kind of car does the rental company employee say he might like?

店員建議Phil租一輛有sunroof–天窗的車，可他覺得這還不夠酷，他要一輛convertible–敞篷車! 真希望他能把我也帶上!

Employee: Yes, we have a nice red convertible for an extra 40 dollars per day.

Phil: Alright, are there any other taxes or fees?

Employee: Not if you remember to fill the car with gas before you return it.

Phil: Hmm … well, this sounds like a pretty good deal.

看來扮酷也是有代價的！ 敞篷車每天的租金比普通車高出40美元…不過，想到開著敞篷車，在風中馳騁的感覺，這筆錢，咬咬牙，值了！

Professor: Maybe … but then you wouldn’t look very cool if your hair is all messed up by the wind and all the bugs splattered on your face.

MC: Professor Bowman，你怎麼總要破壞氣氛！

Professor: Okay, Winnie. So, what does Phil have to do before he returns the car?

店員說，他在還車前要把油加滿。除此之外，就沒有其它的taxes or fees–稅和費用了。Phil覺得這是個good deal，很值，看來他就打算租這輛敞篷車了！

Professor: Well, not so fast. Let’s see what happens.

Phil: Actually, I have one more question. Is the car a manual or an automatic?

Employee: It’s a manual. Is that alright?

Phil: No, I can only drive an automatic.

Employee: Well I’m sorry, but all of our convertibles are manuals.

Professor: Well Winnie, do you know what the difference between a manual and an automatic car is?

當然知道，manual transmission 就是手動換檔，人工換檔，相反的，an automatic transmission 是自動換檔的車。可惜，這裡所有的敞篷車都是manual的，而Phil只會開automatic。

Phil: Oh no … all your convertibles are manuals? Well, do you have any other cool cars?

Employee: Not really. Our cars are economical, not cool.

Phil: Well too bad … Maybe my friend Tom will let me borrow his convertible.

Employee: I’m sorry we couldn’t help you.

Professor: Winnie, do you know what an economical car is?

MC: Economical, e-c-o-n-o-m-i-c-a-l 是「經濟實惠」的意思，所以economical car就是經濟型轎車嘍!

Professor: That’s right! So Phil wants to borrow his friend Tom’s convertible. That will be very “economical” for him, and he will look cool.

MC: 嗯，這的確是個省錢又扮酷的好主意！就是不知道Tom願不願意把自己的敞篷車借給Phil。

Professor: Well, we will have to listen next time to find out!

Ａ：Driving a convertible in Las Vegas! That’s really cool!

B: But Tom couldn’t get the convertible because he can’t drive manual cars.

A: 所以他打算去向朋友借車。其實上網查一下，肯定有別的租車公司能滿足他的要求。

B：Wow, Yanglin, it seems like you’re a savvy online shopper!

A: Of course! 好了，咱們來繼續聽節目，上次在禮節美語中我們說到了office gossip, 今天，咱們來看看這閒話傳得怎麼樣了。

B: I sure hope they’ve stopped gossiping!

禮節美語—BE-222 Office Gossip II

Sally 跟同事Lisa和Mary議論辦公室裡關於Tom的傳聞，說Tom 大搞婚外情，被老婆發現。Mary覺得，在辦公室裡議論這些不好，而且並不知道消息是否屬實。Mary 問Lisa小時候玩沒玩過一個叫「打電話的遊戲」，玩的人坐成一圈，把一句話從第一個人用耳語的方式一直傳下去，看傳到最後一個人會是甚麼樣子。Lisa 說，

L: Oh, yes! I’ve played that game! By the time you come to the end of the circle the original sentence has been completely mangled.

M: Right! “John hates chocolate cookies” gets transformed into something like, “James likes monkey pudding.”

S: Ok, I get your point. What you mean is that when information gets passed around, often times it becomes corrupted and incorrect, right?

M: Exactly. Also, I think there is a difference between office gossip and commenting on someone’s private life.

Lisa 記得，小時候確實玩過這個遊戲。一圈人，等傳到最後一個人，最開始那句話，已經徹底走樣了。她在這裡用到的一個動詞mangle is spelled m-a-n-g-l-e, mangle, 意思是被肢解，破壞得不像樣子。換句話說，一件事一傳十，十傳百，是很難保證準確無誤的。Mary 還說，她覺得，大家議論辦公室裡發生的事情，跟討論別人的私生活也是有差別的。

Mary: If the boss was hard on you today and you tell your colleagues about it, well….maybe that’s just part of office life. But Tom’s private life is no concern of ours.

L: But people have been gossiping since the dawn of time! It’s sort of a way for people to bond.

M: Yes, I understand that. But I worry about spreading personal attacks or revealing secrets about someone’s private life.

L: You might be right. For one thing, the person we’re talking about isn’t here to defend himself, and that’s not really fair. And like you mentioned, we don’t even know if the story is true.

Mary說，如果是老闆對你過於嚴厲，if the boss was too hard on you. 你回來跟同事抱怨，這可能是辦公室生活很正常的內容，但 Tom 的私生活 is no concern of ours. 完全不是我們應該關心的範疇。Lisa覺得很有道理，而且，被議論的對象現在不在現場，所以無法為自己做出辯解，而且大家也並不知道傳聞是否屬實。 Sally 說，

S: Those are good points. Tom is actually a really nice guy. I’ve worked with him for five years and he’s always been a good friend.

L: For us, if Tom is a good co-worker that’s all that really matters.

S: All right….I’m not going to discuss this rumor any further. Let’s leave it alone.

L: Good idea.

M: I think we all hope Tom and his wife can work out any troubles they might be having. Let’s wish them the best.

Sally跟Tom共事過五年，覺得Tom是個很好的人。Lisa說，對我們來說，Tom只要是個好同事就足夠了，其他都不重要。Sally保證，不再去議論Tom的事，Let’s leave it alone. 不要再去管這些流言蜚語。Mary 補充說，希望Tom夫婦兩人能 work out any troubles they might be having. 妥善解決兩人之間的問題。

A：有句話說：謠言止於智者。看來Mary就是這個辦公室裡的智者。She knows gossiping can be counterproductive and it has crossed the line between office life and private life.

B：Well, but do you think she could really stop people from talking about this alleged affair once and for all?

A：嗯，可能也不行。大家表面雖然說，對對對，不議論了，可以後說不定還是會八卦起來。最好是Tom夫妻倆能用實際行動粉碎這些傳聞。Actions speak louder than words! 對不對？

B: I hope so too! 好了，now let’s relax and listen to American Sports English!

A: 好!今天我們要學游泳呢!

American Sports English: Swimming

Y： 大家好。我是楊晨。

P: 我是Patrick。

Y：Patrick， Are you ready for the pool?

P: Oh yeah, I’ve got my bathing suit, my goggles….

Y: 這個帽子好可笑，是幹甚麼用的?

P: This is my swim cap. It keeps the chlorine out of my hair and it lets me swim faster. Say, Are you going to do some laps?

Y: Laps?

P: You know, swimming in the lane back and forth a few times for exercise.

Y: Oh, doing laps 就是在游泳池裡一趟一趟地來回游。 怪不得上次我買游泳衣，那個店員問我Are you just doing laps? 不過，Swimming laps sounds like too much work. 我還是曬太陽好了。

P: It is a good workout. Which style are you best at?

Y: 我喜歡backstroke仰泳。

P: Backstroke isn’t bad, you should check out my butterfly stroke

Y: That’s a butterfly? 我看你不像蝴蝶，倒是像個螞蚱。

P: I don’t look like a grasshopper. Are you going to get in or just stand there criticizing?

Y: Ok, Ok, I’m coming in, 不過我要跳水。

P: Dive in? Remember not to dive in the shallow end!

Y: Why not?

P: That’s the part that is not deep enough to dive in. You don’t want to hit your head!

Y: Oh, OK, Thank you Patrick. Here I go!

A: 我可不喜歡帶游泳帽，太難看了，無法展示我的一頭秀髮!

B: But if you swim without wearing the cap, the chlorine will do damage on your hair.

A: 少游會兒唄! 多在岸上趟會兒，看看帥哥!

B: Is that the main reason why you go to the swimming pool or the beach?

A: Bingo!

B: Then you definitely don’t need a swimming cap. You should use the money to buy a good bikini!

A: That’s exactly what I did! 哈哈! 好了，節目時間差不多了，這次的撰稿人是曉北，編輯是蔚然。同學們，我們下次的美語訓練班再見!

B: Bye!