【大紀元2012年11月29日訊】A: 歡迎大家來到這期的美語訓練班! 我是楊琳!
B: 我是Mike! 楊琳，來告訴大家今天都要學甚麼?
A: 沒問題! 今天，我們要聊聊美國的大學排名，看看西方人有甚麼迷信傳統，還要告訴你怎麼說短板!
B: Western superstitions? There are a bunch of them, especially now that Halloween is around the corner….the ghosts are….
A: (cut mike off) 你別說你別說! 我聽了鬼故事睡不著覺! (B: Oh really….) 好了好了不開玩笑了，我們趕快來進入第一個單元，learn a word!
Learn A Word 1593 household
今天我們要學的詞是 household. Household is spelled h-o-u-s-e-h-o-l-d; household. Household 是家庭，一家一戶的意思。American gymnast Gaby Douglas made a household name out of herself with her gold medal win at the London Games. 美國女子體操選手Gaby Douglas在倫敦奧運會上贏得金牌，變得家喻戶曉。美國農業部公佈的報告顯示，Almost 18 million American households struggled to find enough to eat in 2011. 美國有將近1800萬個家庭2011年曾遇到過缺少足夠食物的情況。利物浦連續第四年成為全英國失業家庭比例最高的城市。Almost a third of all households in Liverpool have no employed family members. 利物浦將近三分之一的家庭，都沒有任何家庭成員工作。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 household, household, household…
A: 說起household, 那天我看到了一個報導，The median income of American households peaked in 2007, and has been decreasing ever since. 這經濟怎麼也不復甦呀!
B: Actually the economy has been improving. However, it will take at least 5 to 10 years for the economy to get back on track after the major economic recession we’ve had.
A: 那你覺得經濟的短板是甚麼呀?
B: Well, I guess it’s still the housing market. The market had a major bubble five years ago, and then everything just collapsed.
A: 嗯，對! 不過這個短板，該怎麼說呢? 咱們一塊去聽聽今天的美語怎麼說你就明白啦!
How to say it in American English
weak point
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Lulu要問的：短板。
Jessica: Hi, Lulu, how’s your new job treating you?
LL: 唉，還可以吧。不過我覺得同事們都很強勢，弄得我不敢說話。這種內向害羞，真是我的短板!
Jessica: 短板？
LL: 短板就是我的弱點，缺點。哎？這用美語該怎麼說呢？
Jessica: I see. It is your weak point, or shortcoming.
LL: 哦，短板在美語中就是 weak point, 或者 shortcoming. I think being shy is my weakest point. I really should be more aggressive.
Jessica: Don’t worry. Sometimes it takes me time to open up to people too. You should stick to your strengths by showing your co-workers what you’re good at.
LL: 你是說，讓我多向同事展示自己拿手的方面，stick to my strengths, 就是揚長避短，對麼？
Jessica: 沒錯!
LL: 說是這麼說，可是現在，我們組我資歷最淺，好像覺得插不上嘴，好像局外人。
Jessica: As I said, you just need some time to warm up. It’s natural to find it a bit challenging to fit in at the beginning, but you’ll be fine very soon! Talk to your co-workers! Ask them stupid questions! They won’t see you as a poor fit.
LL: a poor fit? 這又是甚麼意思啊？
Jessica: You find people or things a poor fit if they don’t suit you, or don’t get along with you. For example, if someone is a poor fit in a team, he is not working well with other team members.
LL: 明白了，a poor fit 就是不合適，如果一個團隊裡有個人不合群，他就是 a poor fit for the team.
Jessica: That’s right. Lulu, I’m sure you’re a good fit for the team. Now let’s see what you’ve learned today!
LL: 今天我們學了，短板是 weak point, 或者 shortcoming; 揚長避短是 stick to your strengths； 不合適，不合群是 a poor fit.
A: 聽見沒有Mike， you need to stick to your strengths! 揚長避短!
B: You realize that means I basically have to take care of everything since I’m working with you! Compare to you, I’m better at EVERYTHING…
A: And that just flies in the face of common sense. 大家都知道這不是事實…
B: Hahah, I kid I kid. But you just mentioned a really good term “fly in the face of.” Let’s listen to today’s words and idioms and find out what it means!
Words and Idioms 988
美國習慣用語第 988講。我是楊琳。
M：我是Steve Baragona.
我阿姨去年開了一個蛋糕店。現在她生意越做越好，她還正在準備開個分店。這使得很多甜品業同行感到奇怪，他們都因為經濟不振而收入下降。而我阿姨的蛋糕店生意蒸蒸日上，與他們的情況正相反。這也讓我想到一句習慣用語，那就是：
M: Fly in the face of. Fly is spelled f-l-y, and face is spelled f-a-c-e. Fly in the face of.
這個詞組裡的詞都很簡單，不過連起來跟飛或者臉都沒有關係，而是「完全相反，截然不同」的意思。像上面的例子中，甜品業普遍業績不好，可是我阿姨的蛋糕店卻蒸蒸日上。It appears to FLY IN THE FACE OF what’s typical in the industry. 祝她好運！再下面的例子裡，我們要講講教育領域的一些改革。你肯定認為現在高科技教育佔了主導地位，咱們來聽聽下面這些學校的做法有甚麼不同：
M: “Most American schools have been increasing spending on high technologies. That meant more computer-assisted learning in the classroom. Yet a small minority of institutes are focusing on traditional learning. They believe it’s much better for the students. It’s unclear if they’re right. But it certainly FLIES IN THE FACE OF what most schools are emphasizing.”
[這段話是說: 大多數美國學校現在都在高科技上投資。這就意味著課堂裡出現更多電腦技術的支持。但是也有一小部份學校堅持傳統教育。他們認為這樣更有利於學生。現在還不清楚他們是否正確，不過很顯然，他們的做法跟大多數學校背道而馳。]
我的一個朋友 Jenny 也是這樣。現在很多人都通過 facebook，微博和twitter 這類社交網站聯絡溝通，可我朋友 Jenny 堅持不用這些社交平台，她認為面對面的溝通才是最好的。It flies in the face of what most people do these days. 這與眼下大多數人的做法都截然不同。好的，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話：
M: “Most American schools have been increasing spending on high technologies. That meant more computer-assisted learning in the classroom. Yet a small minority of institutes are focusing on traditional learning. They believe it’s much better for the students. It’s unclear if they’re right. But it certainly FLIES IN THE FACE OF what most schools are emphasizing.”
不知道我們的聽眾是不是體育迷，我本人就挺愛看美式橄欖球，總覺得是一種不同的文化體驗。下面這個例子裡就講到了一個名叫Tim的球員，我們來聽聽看：
M: “Tim is one of a few football players who isn’t shy about his religious beliefs. Before every game, in front of huge television audiences, he kneels in prayer on the field. He knows not everyone approves. Still, he doesn’t regret FLYING IN THE FACE OF how athletes are expected to behave.”
[這段話是說：Tim是少數敢於表明自己宗教信仰的球員之一。每場比賽開始前，當著電視觀眾的面，他都會跪在賽場上祈禱。他知道並不是每個人都贊成他的做法。他並不取悅社會對運動員的一些期待，他也絲毫不後悔。]
我覺得每個人的宗教信仰都是他的自由。就像最近很火的Jeremy Lin，林書豪，他也對自己的宗教信仰毫不掩飾。我有一個同性戀朋友，she’s very open about her sex orientation, this flies in the face of some traditional views. 她很公開自己的性取向，這與很多保守的觀點大相逕庭。好了，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話：
M: “Tim is one of a few football players who isn’t shy about his religious beliefs. Before every game, in front of huge television audiences, he kneels in prayer on the field. He knows not everyone approves. Still, he doesn’t regret FLYING IN THE FACE OF how athletes are expected to behave.”
今天我們學習的習慣用語fly in the face of, 意思是截然相反，大相逕庭。好的，這次[美國習慣用語]就到此結束，我是楊琳，我是Dan Markus。謝謝各位的收聽。
A: Fly in the face of 截然相反。我這就能造個句! 天氣預報說今天很熱，結果我就穿了個小短袖! But the weather today flies in the face of the weather forecast, it is freezing outside!
B: Haha. Didn’t you know that being a weatherman is the only job in the world which you can be wrong 90% of the time and still get paid?
A: 哈哈，then I take it that being a Weatherman ranks no. 1 on your list of possible careers! (B: Hey! ) 咱們接下來要再來學個詞兒，順便來聽聽世界大學的最新排名怎麼樣!
B: Let’s listen!
Learn A Word 1598 ranking
今天我們要學的詞是 ranking. Ranking is spelled r-a-n-k-i-n-g, ranking. Ranking 是排名的意思。Harvard and Princeton remain tied for No.1 on the U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges Ranking”. 美國新聞與世界報導雜誌公佈的最新美國大學排名，哈佛大學和普林斯頓大學並列第一。在另外一項世界大學排名中，MIT took first place, knocking Britain’s University of Cambridge into second place and Harvard into third, according to the QS World University Rankings. 根據QS世界大學排名，美國的麻省理工學院排名第一，把英國劍橋大學和美國哈佛大學擠到了第二位和第三位。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 ranking, ranking, ranking….
A: 這個世界大學排名榜，不同的機構排得都太不一樣了! 不能信不能信!
B: Aww 楊琳，honestly is it because your school is not listed ? (打噴嚏 sneeze)
A:你看，報應來了吧! 你是不是感冒了?
B: Me? No! Don’t you see how strong I am? I never get sick!
A: Uh-Oh, Mike, you’d better knock on wood, don’t jinx it…不過大家可能正在納悶為甚麼讓Mike敲木頭呢? 聽聽下面的禮節美語你就明白啦!
禮節美語–Superstitions Etiquette-Part I
MC: 來自中國的僱員 Sue 跟男同事 Pete 和女同事 Julie 一起去吃飯。
Pete: Hey Sue! Don’t walk under that ladder…it’s bad luck!
Sue: Julie, Is he serious?
Julie: Kind of. There is an old tradition in the West that says it’s bad luck.
S: You mean a superstition?
J: Yes, I guess it is a superstition.
S: But, Julie…you’re from the UK and Pete is American! I thought Western people weren’t superstitious!
Pete: Actually, many of us are. In America we have a whole bunch of superstitions.
Pete 警告 Sue 不要從梯子下面走，It’s bad luck. 會帶來壞運氣。這不是迷信嗎！ superstition, s-u-p-e-r-s-t-i-t-i-o-n, superstition 迷信。Julie 是英國人，Pete 是美國人，原來，西方人也迷信。
S: Wow…I always thought Westerners considered superstitions old-fashioned. My family is Chinese; almost all of us are very superstitious.
Julie: Well, I think the superstitions might be different, but pretty much every country in the world has them.
S: Is the number “four” unlucky in the West?
J: No…I don’t think so.
P: Um…wait. Why is the number “four” bad?
S: In Chinese the pronunciation of the “four” sounds a lot like the word for “death.”
P: Oh, I can see why that would be bad.
Sue 原以為，西方人覺得迷信是 old-fashioned 守舊過時的，只有中國人迷信，沒想到，其實西方人也迷信，但是東西方迷信的內容不同。比如說，中國人覺得數字「四」不吉利，跟「死」諧音。
J: We might be OK with the number “four” but some Western people think “thirteen” is an unlucky number.
P: That’s true. Some buildings will skip the thirteenth floor or call it “12A” or something.
S: Ha! That’s funny! In many Chinese places they do exactly the same thing with the fourth floor! But why is thirteen unlucky?
J: Well, it’s not too clear how that happened…but it probably has something to do with twelve being a lucky number.
西方人不忌諱「四」，但是忌諱「十三」，很多大樓因此沒有十三層，用12A來代替。Sue 說，中國也有類似做法。不過，在西方文化裡，「十三」為甚麼不吉利呢？Julie 說，大概是因為「十三」前面的「十二」是一個 lucky number 特別吉利的數字。
J: Twelve is a number featured in many stories and legends and so it’s kind of considered to be a good number.
S: But thirteen is not?
P: Yeah…and the most unlucky day of all is if a Friday falls on the 13th of a month. That’s considered to be a super unlucky day.
S: Yeah. I saw a horror movie called “Friday the 13th” once!
J: Yeah! That’s a great horror movie!
在西方，很多傳說和故事裡，十二都是吉祥數字，可十三卻代表著厄運，如果哪個月的十三號正好又是星期五的話，一定要小心，that’s considered a super unlucky day. 那可是特別不吉利的日子。
A: Pete和Julie給Sue講起了western superstitions, 西方的迷信傳統，比如don’t walk under a ladder, don’t use the number 13等等。Sue本來還以為西方人覺得迷信是”old-fashioned” 傳統守舊的，沒想到西方人比東方人還迷信。Do you believe in superstitions, Mike?
B: I sure do!
A: So what are some other superstitions in the west?
B: Hmmm, if you see a black cat crossing your path, you are going to have very bad luck. I guess it’s because black cats have long been associated with witchcraft.
A: 啊? 我有個好朋友就有只小黑貓，我還覺得他挺可愛的呢!
B: Oh my gosh, then your friend is in serious trouble. But actually, for all these superstitions, it all depends on weather you believe it or not.
A: 對! 信則有，不信則無。咱們接著聽 Sue 告訴了Pete 和Julie甚麼吧!
禮節美語–Superstitions EtiquettePart I
來自中國的僱員 Sue 跟男同事 Pete 和女同事 Julie 一起去吃飯，三個人談到了東西方的迷信。Sue 說，
S: What about walking under a ladder? What’s wrong with that?
J: You know, I’m not really sure! But it’s probably a good idea to avoid it…something might fall on your head!
P: That makes sense!
S: So many of your superstitions don’t really have a specific origin?
J: Many of them might be related to religious issues…but the origin kind of gets lost in history.
Julie 說，西方很多迷信都不知道是從哪來的了。The origin kind of gets lost in history. 比如說，從梯子下面走會帶來壞運氣，可為甚麼呢？或許是上面會掉東西下來砸到你吧，但沒有人能肯定。
P: Oh! I can think of one superstition that’s related to religion. Many Western people say “Bless you!” to a person if they sneeze.
J: Right. That’s because around 500 years ago, people thought saying “God Bless You” could help heal the person and stop the spread of disease.
P: Still today, many people say, “Bless you” after someone sneezes. It’s now considered polite.
S: I think that’s a sweet thing to say. Tell me some more Western superstitions!
不過，不少迷信跟宗教有關，Pete 舉例說，有人打噴嚏，旁邊的人說 “Bless You” 就起源於宗教。 Julie 說，大約五百年前，人們覺得說上帝保佑你 God Bless You 能防治疾病，但是今天，別人打噴嚏，你說 Bless You已經變成一種禮貌了。
P: Well, if you see a black cat walking in front of you…bad luck might be coming very soon!
S: A black cat is kind of evil, huh? I guess that’s why a witch always has a black cat!
J: Yeah…but I have a black cat at home and he’s not evil at all. He’s a sweet little cat.
P: I’d say many Western people don’t take these things very seriously, but they are still a part of our culture.
J: I know one! Breaking a mirror is seven years of bad luck! Back in ancient times, a mirror was said to be a window to your soul, so breaking one was very bad!
在西方，如果你前面有一隻黑貓，那可糟了，意味著厄運臨頭。可 Julie 就養了只黑貓，可愛極了。看來西方人也並不真信 They don’t take these things very seriously. 另外，打碎鏡子代表七年的壞運程，因為古代人覺得鏡子是通向心靈的窗口。
S: Do you have superstitions about where things are built?
J: You mean like Feng-Shui?
S: Yes! Exactly! How do you know about that?
P: Feng-Shui is becoming quite popular in the West. Some people now do try to follow some of the rules if they can.
S: Wow! It seems we are starting to share traditions!
P: Sure! Why not?
J: Yes…I think it’s good to get to know each other’s culture better.
西方人信風水嗎？Pete 說，Feng-shui is becoming quite popular in the West. 風水在西方越來越流行，這也算是文化互通吧。
B: (Sneeze)
A: aGod bless you, Mike! 我看你是感冒了，還是回家好好喝水睡覺吧…
B: I’m not sick! I’m just allergic to you! 返回目錄
──轉自《美國之音》
