美語訓練班 第001-010課
美語訓練班 第001課
A: 美語訓練班開班授課啦!
這是我們美音節目改版後的第一期美語教學節目! 我是王怡茹!
B: And I’m Donny.Starting today，我們把美音的精品教學節目集中起來播出，成立一個美語訓練班，每堂課25分鐘，25 minutes! 讓你一次學個夠!
A: 哎？Donny, 你怎麼能讓大家一次就學夠了呢？咱們節目這麼精彩，人家肯定是聽不夠才對啊!
B: 哈哈，對。看來我的中文還不夠好。
A: 你謙虛了。Your Chinese is better than my English!
B: 怡茹, 言歸正傳，我們今天教什麼？
A: 那可多啦! 我們會帶大家去租房子(act)，射箭(act)，識別投資詐騙(act) , 還要告訴您怎麼用英文稱讚別人「真牛」。
B: Sounds like a lot! 大家能記得住么？
A: 呃…That’s a good question. 這樣吧，咱們先學個簡單的，就花一分鐘，學一個詞!
Learn A Word: age limit
今天我們要學的詞是age limit, age is spelled a-g-e; limit is spelled l-i-m-i-t; age limit. Age limit 年齡限制。社交網站臉書網並不是任何人都能註冊帳戶的。Facebook enforces an age limit of 13 years or older to register an account. 臉書網規定，只有滿13歲的人才能註冊帳戶。Despite the efforts to enforce the age limit policy, many younger children still join the site by lying about their age. 儘管臉書網努力執行年限規定，但很多不滿13歲的孩子還是謊報年齡，矇混過關。Facebook removes about 20,000 users daily who are below the age limit. 臉書網每天取消大約兩萬個年齡低於最低年限的帳戶。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 age limit, age limit, age limit.
B: So怡茹, do you remember the word from 學個詞兒？
A: 那當然了!剛聽完嘛! age limit年齡限制.
B: That’s right! Next, we’re going to learn an expression that describes a situation everyone could face, regardless of age.
A: 哦？你是說我們下面要學的這個詞可以形容任何年紀的人都會遇到的一種情況？I’m getting curious.
B: 讓我們收聽「美國習慣用語」
現在播送美國習慣用語第 932講。我是曉北。
我是 Douglas Johnson.
我的小表妹大學畢業，正在實習。她是學會計的，本以為學校里學到的東西足以能讓自己勝任實習的工作。沒想到，第一天下來就累得直哭! 還說第二天要去辭職。當然，她最終還是堅持下來，圓滿完成了兩個月的實習。她的這個經歷，讓我想到一個習慣用語:
Baptism by fire. Baptism is spelled b-a-p-t-i-s-m, fire; f-i-r-e. Baptism by fire.
baptism是受洗儀式，fire則是火，所以，baptism by fire就是火的洗禮，一般指剛做某事時受到的嚴峻考驗。我表妹本來沒覺得實習的工作會有多難，誰知，It proved to be much more demanding than she anticipated. That was her baptism by fire. 工作比她想像的難得多，她一上來就受到了嚴峻的考驗。
我表妹只是在會計師行當個小實習生，已經有點吃不消。其實和下面這段話中的見習醫生相比，她的工作已經輕鬆許多了，我們來聽一聽:
“After I graduated medical school, I worked as an intern in an emergency room. Nothing I’d learned in school prepared me. Every day I confronted a constant series of challenges that tested everything I’d ever studied. The little sleep I had to function on also contributed to this being the greatest test of my life. What a BAPTISM BY FIRE!”
這段話是說: 從醫學院畢業後，我在急診室做見習醫生。在學校所學的一切都無法讓我輕鬆勝任這個工作。每天我都會遇到一個接一個的挑戰，檢驗我在學校所學的全部知識。而且我每天只能睡一小會兒覺。這一切使實習醫生的歲月成為我人生中最嚴峻的考驗。真是火的洗禮啊!
我的一個朋友，在父親過世後被迫接下了家裡開的買賣。她完全沒有經驗，公司的僱員也不熟悉她的做事風格，It was a baptism by fire not only for her, but also the employees. 結果雙方都經歷了痛苦的磨合，最終，我的朋友還是缺乏領導能力，公司解散了。 好了，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話:
“After I graduated medical school, I worked as an intern in an emergency room. Nothing I’d learned in school prepared me. Every day I confronted a constant series of challenges that tested everything I’d ever studied. The little sleep I had to function on also contributed to this being the greatest test of my life. What a BAPTISM BY FIRE!”
剛才說到我朋友接過家族生意後，領導不來，最終生意失敗。經營一個企業尚且這麼難，那如果是管理一個國家呢？咱們來聽一聽下面這段話:
“One of the most respected U.S. presidents was Franklin D. Roosevelt. When he died abruptly, Vice-President Harry Truman had to assume responsibility for ending World War II. That meant making one of the hardest decisions in U.S. history – to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. It was a BAPTISM BY FIRE.”
這段話意思是: 美國最受人愛戴的總統之一是福蘭克林.羅斯福。羅斯福突然去世後，當時的副總統杜魯門臨危受命，他必須做完羅斯福未竟的工作，那就是結束第二次世界大戰。這意味著他要作出美國歷史上最艱難的決定 – 向日本投下原子彈。這真是個萬般艱巨的考驗。
在1963年，另外一位副總統也面臨了baptism by fire, 他就是約翰遜總統。在肯尼迪總統遇刺身亡後，約翰遜要讓美國走出悲痛，要指揮在越南的戰爭，還要實現一系列社會改革目標。這對他來講，可以說是極大的考驗。好，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話:
“One of the most respected U.S. presidents was Franklin D. Roosevelt. When he died abruptly, Vice-President Harry Truman had to assume responsibility for ending World War II. That meant making one of the hardest decisions in U.S. history – to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. It was a BAPTISM BY FIRE.”
今天我們學習的習慣用語是baptism by fire，意思是「痛苦的磨合，初期的嚴峻考驗」。好的，這次[美國習慣用語]就到此結束，我是曉北，我是 Douglas Johnson。
This has been Words and Idioms.
A: Baptism by fire， 火的洗禮，嚴峻考驗。
B: So,怡茹, have you had any experiences that can be described as baptism by fire?
A: 當然了! 唉，回想我坎坷的人生啊，拍成電視劇都不過份…
B: 你吹牛呢吧？
A: 哈哈，你中文不錯啊，還會說”吹牛”呢! 那我考考你，把「吹」字去掉，就說「牛」，美語怎麼說？
B: 牛？不就是…
A: 別跟我說是cow啊!還是聽聽下面的「美語怎麼說」吧!
How to say it: awesome
Donny 在北京學漢語，他的中國朋友要是遇到了不知道用美語怎麼說的詞，就會來請教他。今天是方方要問的: 牛。
Donny: FF, I heard you went to a ballroom dance competition yesterday. How did it go?
FF: 我進決賽啦! 怎麼樣，牛吧？
Donny: 牛？ a cow?
FF: 不是，「牛」就是特別厲害，very good!
Donny: I got it. In English, we use the word “awesome”, a-w-e-s-o-m-e, awesome.
FF: 哦，awesome就是說特牛。
Donny: You can also use the word “ballin”. b-a-l-l-i-n, ballin. It also means “cool or very good”.
FF: 哦，Ballin 也是「很牛」的意思。Donny, 那天的跳舞比賽上還真有不少高手。在這種情況下，我可以跟他們說，You’re awesome! 或者 You’re ballin! 對么？
Donny: That’s right. You can also say “you rule” or “you rock!”
FF: rule, r-u-l-e, rule; rock, r-o-c-k, rock, 這兩個詞也可以形容某人或某事很牛，不過它們都是動詞，對不對？
Donny: Exactly! For example, 如果你看了一場特別牛的演唱會，you can say “it rocks!” or “it rules!”
FF: 明白了。不過那天也有一些人在比賽前一副不可一世的樣子，可真跳起來，也不怎麼樣，真不知道他們有什麼好牛的！對了，形容這些人，也用 awesome 或是 ballin 么？
Donny: No! You can use “cocky” c-o-c-k-y, cocky， to describe these kind of people.
FF: 哦，說一個人牛氣哄哄的，就是cocky.
Donny: Now, FF, If you can tell me what you’ve learned today, I’d say your English 很牛!
FF: 好！第一，說人或事很牛，用形容詞 awesome 或 ballin；
第二，說人或事很牛，還可以用動詞 rule 或者 rock；
第三，形容某人傲慢，牛氣哄哄，可以用 cocky!
這次的美語怎麼說 就到這裡。
A: Yeah! Awesome! You rock!
B: 你也很牛…!對了，你開始時不是說帶大家去租房子嘛？
A: 馬上就去啊!
Renting: Beginner
大家好！今天我們為您播出「美語三級跳」節目「找房」單元的初級課程。
Professor: Jeff is at an apartment building. He’s meeting the landlord to ask about renting an apartment.
Professor Bowman, landlord 這個詞由是 land – 土地，和 lord – 主人組成的，應該就是房主的意思吧？
Professor: That’s right, Winnie. Now listen for the word “vacancy,” which means “open” or “available.”
Jeff: Hello, do you have any vacancies?
Landlord: Yes, something just opened up.
Jeff: What kind of apartment is it?
Landlord: It’s a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment.
我知道，”vacancy, v-a-c-a-n-c-y, vacancy”就是指等待出租的空房。Professor: Exactly. “Vacant” means “empty.”
哦，vacant是vacancy的形容詞，意思是「空的」。現在Jeff 就是要找a vacant apartment. 房主說有一個一室一衛的公寓，聽起來不錯，可是不知道租金貴不貴。
Professor: Let’s listen and find out.
Jeff: How much is the rent?
Landlord: The rent is $1500 per month.
Jeff: And how much is the deposit?
Landlord: The deposit is $500.
一個一居室的公寓每月要 1500 美元？夠貴的！而且，為什麼Jeff 還要交一筆deposit「押金」呢？
Professor: Well, if Jeff breaks something in the apartment, the landlord uses the deposit money to fix it. In addition, he may have to pay utilities too. Let’s listen.
Jeff: Are utilities included in the rent?
Landlord: Gas and water are included.
Jeff: Do I have to pay for electricity myself?
Landlord: Yes, electricity is not included in the rent.
哦，看來Jeff 要自己負擔一部分utilities, u-t-i-l-i-t-i-e-s, – 「水電雜費」，因為房主說，房租里包括煤氣費和水費，但是電費要單付。
Professor: Winnie, if the landlord says “all utilities are included,” then the cost of gas, water and electricity will all be included in the rent. Remember, you don’t have to say “gas utility” or “water utility.” You can just say “gas” or “water.”
Jeff: Hmmm … This apartment seems a little expensive. Do you have any cheap studios?
Landlord: Actually, the one-bedroom is the only vacant apartment right now.
Jeff: Do you think any studios will open up soon?
Landlord: No, not for a few months.
A “studio”? 我知道 Jeff 想找個便宜點的地方，可租這種卧室、起居室合二為一的單間小公寓，把女孩子帶回家多沒面子！
Professor: I don’t know. You wouldn’t date a guy living in a studio?
找個租studio的男朋友？那也沒什麼不行，但他起碼得有輛特別 cool 的車！我們還是言歸正傳，看看Jeff 租沒租那間公寓吧。
Jeff: When can I see the one-bedroom apartment?
Landlord: There’s an open house this weekend.
Jeff: What time does the open house start?
Landlord: It starts at 11AM in the morning.
Professor Bowman, 什麼叫open house?
Professor: Winnie, an “open house” is when the landlord opens the apartment and anybody can just walk in and take a look.
Open house這段時間裡什麼人都可以隨便來看。那要不是open house，就得和房主約時間嘍？這個房主也真懶，讓人家看一眼不就得了。
Professor: I agree. Maybe Jeff should rent a different apartment because this landlord is not very good. Now Jeff is going to ask how long the lease is.
Jeff: What kind of lease is it?
Landlord: It’s a one-year lease.
Jeff: Can I have a month-to-month lease? I only want to rent the apartment for five months.
Landlord: No, all the leases are for one year. We don’t have month-to-month leases.
Jeff: Well then I don’t think this would be a good apartment for me. Thank you anyway.
Landlord: You’re welcome.
唉，看來是不行了。Jeff只想租5個月，可房主非要簽一年的租約。這可怎麼辦？
Professor: Well, I guess Jeff’s friend Sarah will have to help him look for another apartment. Tune in next time to see what happens!
A: 怎麼樣，我們這個美語三級跳節目非常實用吧？我學了Vacancy, utilities, open house還有好多有用的詞!
B: 沒錯! Now let’s move from an apartment building to an office.
A:對，Office, 上班和同事們交流時用的英語，這也非常實用!咱們來收聽禮節美語。
禮節美語 – PONZI SCHEME I
Ken早上在飲水器旁見到同事 Dan 和 April.
K: Good morning, Dan. Good morning, April.
D&A: Hi, Ken. Good morning.
K: So…have you heard the big news?
A: No! Tell us!
K: Well, you know Jason Smith?
D: You mean our company’s Chief Financial Officer?
That Jason Smith?
K: Yep…that’s the one. He got arrested yesterday.
A: No way! What for?
Ken問同事 Dan和April，Have you heard the big news? 你們聽沒聽說公司里的大新聞。原來是公司財務總裁 Jason Smith 被抓起來了。April 覺得難以置信，說 No way! 不可能！what for? 因為什麼？
K: Seems our Mr. Smith was running a Ponzi scheme.
D: Sorry…I’m not familiar with that term. What’s a Ponzi scheme?
A: Basically…it’s fraud.
K: But a very special kind of fraud.
A: See, what they do is offer investors a very high rate of return on their money. Then the schemer takes some of the money and pays some of the original investors a large dividend.
原來，Jason Smith 是因為涉嫌參與龐式騙局才被抓起來的。龐式騙局是 Ponzi Scheme. Dan 不知道什麼是龐式騙局。Ken 和 April 解釋說，Ponzi scheme 是一種特殊形式的詐騙，fraud，用高回報率 a high rate of return 來吸引投資者，把從他們那裡騙來的一部分錢做為紅利 dividend，分給最開始的那些投資者。
K: So of course the original investors think they’ve struck gold and they tell their friends about this great opportunity.
A: The friends pile their money in too and a few of them see big returns as well. Pretty soon, loads of people are “investing” their money with the bad guy and when he has enough…poof…he disappears.
這樣一來，最早的一批投資者會覺得自己找到了金礦，they’ve struck gold, 馬上介紹自己的親戚朋友也來加入。這樣越滾越大，等騙到了足夠的錢以後，龐式騙局的謀劃者就帶著錢不知去向了。
A: The name comes from an Italian immigrant to America called Charles Ponzi. He was one of the biggest frauds in American history and ended up swindling thousands of people out of millions of dollars.
D: So Jason Smith was running a scheme like that?
K: Pretty much. He cooked his books so he wouldn’t get noticed, but these kinds of frauds almost always end up getting exposed because when no new money comes in…the pyramid collapses.
龐式騙局是以一個義大利移民 Charles Ponzi 的名字命名的。他是美國歷史上最大的騙子之一。Swindle 是欺騙的意思。公司財務主管Jason Smith造了假賬 cook the books，但最後還是被抓住了。Closing
A: 天啊，Ponzi scheme， 龐式詐騙，真可恨!
B: So what would you do if your money got swindled through a Ponzi scheme?
A: 敢詐騙我的錢？我拿箭射他!
B: 你以為你是射鵰英雄傳嘛？!
A: 哼，我現在就去學射箭!
American Sports English: Archery
Y: Hi, this is Yang Chen.
P: And I』m Patrick.
(Sound of arrow flying through the air and “plunking” into target)
Y: 今天我要學射箭archery。
P: Archery is the practice of using a bow to shoot arrows. It’s also an Olympic sport. Say, Yang Chen, do you have your bow and arrows ready?
Y: Yes, I do, Patrick. Here is my bow，我的弓； And here are my arrows，我的箭。Patrick，你看我這樣拿著弓箭，象不象Robin Hood俠盜羅賓漢!
P: Wow, you look exactly like Robin Hood! Are you ready to take aim and shoot, Miss Robin?
Y: I sure am. 可是那個target目標好像太遠了，能不能讓我靠近點兒, Patrick.
P: The target in Olympic archery is 30 to 90 meters away. You are trying to shoot the arrow as close to the center of the target as possible.You can shoot three arrows.
Y: 我可以射三支箭。
P: And you have 40 seconds to shoot each arrow.
Y: 射一支箭的時間是40秒。Okay, here is my first shot! (Sound of pulling back bow, shooting arrow)
P: Hmm, Uh, well, It was a good try, Yang Chen.
Try again, Yang Chen. Maybe this time you can hit the bull’s eye.
Y: The 「bull’s eye」不是牛眼睛，是靶心的意思。 I’ll try again, Patrick. Maybe I’ll get lucky. 這次一定射中 bull’s eye。
P: Okay, Yang Chen, you can do it! (Shooting sound again)
Y: Yea! I did it! I did it! I hit the Bull’s eye! 正中靶心！
P: No, Yang Chen….you didn’t even hit the target. You’re way off
Y: Oh, no! Let me try again.
P: Oh, Yang Chen, I think you killed a bird.
B: Wow, I can’t believe it’s almost been 25 minutes!
We’re getting to the end of the show!
A: 是啊，希望大家這節課有所收穫。
B: So 怡茹, what’s the word for 年齡限制again?
A: 哈哈哈，啊，age limit!
B: Bingo!
A: 好了，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嘍!
B: Bye!
美語訓練班 第002課
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: Interesting! 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個孩子里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么？
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，什麼都不會，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”? 這是什麼意思？
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，占別人便宜。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，海選你明白么？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」在美語里叫 “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, 什麼是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」是什麼意思？
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能合得來么？
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」，了解一下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，白領犯罪在英文里叫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惡性犯罪分子關在一起。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？這和愛有什麼關係？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在網球里就是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!
美語訓練班 第003課
A: 美語訓練班開始上課啦! 我是王怡茹。
B: And I’m Donny. 怡茹, 介紹一下今天學什麼吧!
A: Sure! 今天這節課，我們要談談潛規則, 練練划艇, 看能不能找到一個靠譜的室友，還要告訴大家怎麼用英文表示「掏心掏肺」。
B: Yiru, I know what you’re gonna say next–咱們先花一分鐘，學一個詞!
Learn A Word: courageous
今天我們要學的詞是 courageous. Courageous有勇氣的。The candidate made a courageous stand on the sensitive issue. 這位候選人在這個敏感問題上勇敢地表明了立場。He demonstrated traits of a courageous leader. 他表現出了勇敢的領導人所帶有的特徵。美國國防部長蓋茨說，President Obama’s decision to give the go-ahead on a raid against Osama Bin Laden was one of the most courageous calls he has ever seen a President make. 蓋茨說，美國總統奧巴馬下令突襲本拉登是他所見過的總統做出的最果敢的決策之一。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 courageous.
A: 又學了一個詞! Courageous –勇敢的。對了Donny, 剛才有句話說，總統決定 give the go-ahead 什麼什麼，你給講講這個 go-ahead.
B: go-ahead就是把 go 和 ahead 放在一起變成一個詞，It means a signal to proceed.
A: 哦，go-ahead，名詞，是「批准，開綠燈」的意思。 比如，我可以說，My boss gave me the go-ahead to start the project. 老闆批准我開始操作這個項目。
B: That’s right. 怡茹, Now I give you the go-ahead to move on to the next program.
A：啊？你批准我進入下一個節目？我才不需要你批准呢! 言歸正傳，咱們來聽一集「美國習慣用語」。
Words and Idioms: Bare one’s soul
現在播送<美國習慣用語>第 933講。我是曉北。
我是 Douglas Johnson.
前幾天我參加大學同學的聚會。大家多喝了幾杯之後，一個同學開始拉著我的手訴說她這些年來感情上的不如意。其實我和她在大學時並不怎麼熟，現在她對著我，眼淚汪汪地講述自己幾次失戀的故事，讓我頗為同情，同時也讓我想到一個習慣用語：
Bare one’s soul. Bare is spelled b-a-r-e, and soul; s-o-u-l. Bare one’s soul.
Bare one’s soul 的意思是向別人掏心掏肺，展露自己的內心世界。我的這位大學同學， She bared her soul to me. 對我敞開了心扉，告訴我藏在她內心深處的事情。作為老同學，我衷心祝福她的情路能出現轉機。不過，看她一杯接一杯喝酒，我倒有點擔心她酗酒成癮，如果真是那樣，她就需要到下面這段話所提到的戒酒會尋求幫助了，我們一起來看看：
“The men and women at Alcoholics Anonymous have one goal in common: to stop drinking. When we meet, some of us talk about how our drinking has damaged our personal and professional lives. At first, it was hard for me to BARE MY SOUL. But, by sharing my pain as well as my strength and hope with others, I was able to stay sober and help others to recover.”
這段話是說：在戒酒互助組織「戒酒無名會」里，人們有共同的目標，那就是停止喝酒。在我們大家開會的時候，一些人會談到酗酒怎樣毀了自己的生活和事業。開始時，我很難向別人敞開心扉。可後來，通過向別人講述我的痛苦、力量和希望，我做到了滴酒不沾，還能幫助其他人戒酒。
戒酒無名會的縮寫是AA，這是一個匿名制的，是酗酒者幫助酗酒者的互戒會。在全世界近140個國家設有分部。AA的成功也受到模仿，人們成立類似的組織，通過互助的方式減肥、戒煙、抗癌等等。
我們一般都會對熟人敞開心靈，而對陌生人，您會願意講述自己的人生故事和最深層的感情么？咱們來看看下面這段話：
” ‘Taxicab Confessions’ is a popular late night TV show. It features taxi drivers secretly recording interviews with passengers who are being driven around New York City and Las Vegas. Some of these people don’t mind BARING THEIR SOULS. They like talking about their extreme tragedies and triumphs.”
這段話意思是：「的哥表白」是一檔受歡迎的深夜電視節目。在節目中，紐約和拉斯維加斯的計程車司機們和車上的乘客聊天，並偷偷地錄下談話內容。有些乘客一點不在意對陌生人掏心掏肺，特別願意告訴別人自己生活里的大悲大喜之事。
其實，這個節目並不是完全走偷拍路線，在乘客下車前，司機會告訴他們他們說的話已經被錄像，乘客可以自己決定是否允許電視台播放。看來，有很多人並不在乎和全國電視觀眾掏心窩子!
今天我們學習的習慣用語是bare one’s soul，意思是「向別人敞開心扉，掏心掏肺」。這次[美國習慣用語]就到此結束，我是曉北，我是 Douglas Johnson。
A: To bare one’s soul，掏心掏肺，敞開心扉。
B: 怡茹, When was the last time you bared your soul to someone?
A: 我最後一次向別人敞開心靈之窗…應該是…兩個小時前吧! 我給我妹打電話，聊心事。Donny，你要是願意我也下班後和你好好聊聊!
B: Ah?! I really appreciate it. 但還是不用了吧。不說我了。怡茹, I remember last time we listened to a girl’s story about competing in a talent show. Any updates on the result?
A: 哦，你說的是陽光女生的海選吧。 趕快來聽「美語怎麼說」就知道比賽進展嘍!
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。今天是楊林要問的：潛規則。
YL: Jessica! 上次我給你的簽名照呢？快還給我!
Jessica: Why? 你不是參加「陽光女生」的比賽，要當super star了么？
YL: 別提了! I got eliminated!
Jessica: 被刷下來了？!
YL: 是啊。雖然過了第一輪海選，可第二輪一上來就被刷了! 哼! 這裡面肯定有潛規則! 對了，潛規則美語怎麼說啊？
Jessica: Well, if you suspect the competition has some secret, back-door deals, you can say there are some “unspoken rules”.
YL: 哦，unspoken, u-n-s-p-o-k-e-n, unspoken就是「沒有明說的」，rules規則；unspoken rules就是「潛規則」嘍!
Jessica: That’s right! So, you think you were cut because the selection process wasn’t fair and open, like the competition is following some unspoken rules. Right?
YL: 沒錯! 我看，獲勝者可能是內定的！
Jessica: If that’s true, then the whole competition is rigged!
YL: rigged?
Jessica: Yes! r-i-g-g-e-d, rigged 就是內定. It means the outcome has been predetermined by the producers.
YL: 哦，比賽結果被「內定」就是 rigged! 那還比個什麼勁兒啊!
Jessica: I agree. Rigged competitions aren’t worth attending, because someone is pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
YL: 等會兒，你說 someone is pulling the strings from behind the scenes，「從後面拉線」，就是有人幕後操縱的意思，對不對？
Jessica: Exactly! So tell me what you’ve learned today!
YL: 第一「潛規則」在美語里叫 “unspoken rules”;
第二，說比賽結果內定，可以說 rigged；
第三，幕後操縱，叫 pull the strings from behind the scenes.
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：慘啊慘啊，遭遇潛規則，被刷下去了。
B：這種選秀競爭太激烈，要出名哪有那麼容易!
A: 更糟糕的是，The competition was rigged. 比賽被內定了! 真氣人!
B：Calm down, 怡茹. Let’s listen to the next program–GoEnglish，美語三級跳。
Winnie: 大家好！今天為您播出「美語三級跳」節目「找房」單元的高級課程。
Professor: Jeff just rented an apartment, and today he is meeting Steve to see if they would get along as roommates.
Winnie: 找個合得來的室友太重要了。
Professor: In this section, listen for the word “compatible,” meaning “similar” or “suitable.”
Jeff: Hi Steve, it’s nice to meet you. I hear that you’re looking for an apartment, and I just rented a two-bedroom downtown. I’m looking for a compatible roommate.
Steve: Great, I’m looking for a place right in that area. Your apartment sounds ideal.
Jeff: Alright. So tell me, how would you describe yourself?
Steve: I’m pretty social and outgoing, and I like making new friends. But I’m not a party animal, and I like to keep the apartment clean.
Jeff: I’m like that too. I like to invite friends over sometimes, but I don’t want to have lots of crazy parties at the apartment.
Winnie: 他們倆人聽起來挺投機。不過，Professor Bowman, Steve說自己不是”party animal”是什麼意思？
Professor: A “party animal” is someone who loves to go out to crazy parties all the time.
Winnie: 哦，party animal 就是一天到晚參加瘋狂派對的人。Steve 說自己outgoing「外向」，social「愛交朋友」，但沒到每天開派對的地步。
Professor:Winnie, in the next section, listen for the word “laid-back.”
Jeff: You know, I’m a pretty laid-back person. I don’t like to have lots of arguments or worry about lots of things. For example, I like to keep the apartment clean too, but if it gets a little dirty once in a while, that’s not a big deal.
Steve: I totally agree. I really like my lifestyle to be drama-free, and I don’t want to argue about cleaning the apartment. My last roommate was a drama queen. Every time I forgot to take my shoes off, she got really mad and made a big deal out of it.
Jeff: Yeah, I really don’t want a lot of drama in the apartment. It’s important that we don’t get on each other’s nerves.
Steve: That’s right. We should try to be laid back and not do lots of things to bother one another.
Winnie: Professor, Jeff 說自己 laid-back，就是性格隨和吧?
Professor: That’s right!
Winnie: 那Steve和Jeff說了好多什麼drama、「drama queen」的，這都是什麼意思啊？
Professor: “Drama” is a short form of the word “dramatic.” If someone is always taking small problems and acting as if they are a really big deal, you can say he “creates a lot of drama.”
Winnie: 噢，drama是「是非」的意思，愛沒事找事的傢伙就是”drama queen.”
Professor: Exactly. If you lived with a drama queen, he or she would probably “get on your nerves,” meaning “bother you a lot.” Well, Winnie, in this next section, listen for the word “pet peeve,” meaning “a small problem that really bothers you.”
Jeff: Well I’m glad you’re laid back like me. But tell me, do you have any pet-peeves?
Steve: Actually, yes. I really hate living with mooches. They always eat all of your food and ask you to pay for everything.
Jeff: I know! Mooches really get on my nerves. My last roommate was a big mooch. Every time we went out to a restaurant, when the bill came he would always say he didn’t have any money and ask me to lend him some. And he never paid me back!
Steve: I really think it’s important for each roommate to pull his weight around the house. It’s really unfair if only one of the roommates is doing all the work.
Jeff: Exactly. We each need to pull our weight by cleaning the dishes, taking out the garbage and paying the bills. I think we would be good roommates. Do you want to move in?
Steve: Sounds great!
Winnie: 哈，pet peeve就是最讓受不了的事。我也受不了mooches, 這些小氣鬼！對了，他們還說有些室友don’t pull their weight，這是什麼意思？
Professor: People who don’t pull their weight are those who don’t do their share in a common task. If you had a roommate who doesn’t pull his weight around the house, you would have to do all the housework.
Winnie: Steve和Jeff性格簡直就是一個模子里刻出來的，一定能成為好室友。
A: Donny, 我怎麼覺得，找個室友也跟選秀比賽似的，還得去面談!
B: That’s true, but at least this selecting process is not rigged.
A: 哈哈，那倒是。看來，Jeff 找到了一個和自己compatible，談得來的室友，他這個人 outgoing 性格外向，laid-back 為人隨和，既不是drama queen 沒事找事的人，也不是mooch 貪便宜的小氣鬼。
B: Actually, I don’t blame Jeff for being a little picky when it comes to finding the perfect roommate. A terrible roommate, just like a terrible co-worker, can make your life miserable.
A: 說得對! 糟糕的室友就像討厭的同事，會讓你煩惱不已。說到同事之間的相處，咱們來聽聽「禮節美語」，了解一下 office power struggles, 辦公室里的權力鬥爭。
禮節美語–Power Struggles 第一部分
David在走廊上遇到同事Sandra，Sandra看上去很生氣。
David: Hey Sandra, what’s wrong? You look furious!
Sandra: I’ve had it with Tim! I think I’m going to quit!
D: But Sandra…you love your job! You spent months trying to get this position. It’s perfect for you!
S: Yeah…I know. But I’m sick and tired of all the office power struggles!
D: What kind of power struggles are you talking about?
David看見同事 Sandra怒氣沖沖的– you look furious, 問她出了什麼事。Sandra 說受夠了 Tim，I’ve had it with Tim. 表達受夠了某人某事可以說 have had it with someone or something. 比如 I’ve had it with Jackie. She won’t stop complaining. 意思是我真受不了Jackie，她老是抱怨個沒完沒了。Sandra說，I’m sick and tired of all the office power struggles. to be sick and tired of something是受夠了的另外一種表達方式。原來，Sandra是對辦公室的爭權奪利感到厭倦。她說的 Tim 是個什麼樣的人呢？
S: Basically, I think Tim is threatened by me. I’m doing a better job than he is so he’s trying to sabotage my career!
D: So he talks about you behind your back?
S: Yes. He’s all nice and friendly to my face. But the second I turn around he stabs me in the back!
D: You know I had a worker like that once. She was always taking credit for my ideas.
Sandra覺得，自己比Tim能力強，對Tim構成威脅，所以他才會故意給自己找麻煩，sabotage is spelled s-a-b-o-t-a-g-e, sabotage, sabotage是故意破壞的意思。David問，so he talks about you behind your back? to talk about someone behind someone’s back背後說某人壞話。Sandra說，他當著我的面很友善，我一轉身離開，他就背後捅我一刀，He stabs me in the back. David頗有同感，說自己也遇到過這種人，以前就有個女同事總把David想出的好主意說成是自己的，She was always taking credit for my ideas. to take credit for something 意思是把某種成績歸功於自己。
D: After a while I learned to document my work very clearly so the boss knew 100% that this was my work.
S: That’s a good idea. I should keep a better record of my correspondence with the clients so if necessary I can prove it was my effort.
D: My co-worker had a whole bunch of bad office habits. She liked to name-drop…we would be in a meeting and she would say, “yesterday I was chatting with Tom.” She meant Tom Solomon…our CEO.
David 又說，自己那個討厭的同事有很多壞毛病，其中之一就是 name-drop, name-drop意思是提起名人，以便提高自己的身價，喜歡這樣做的人就是 name-dropper.
A: 好傢夥! 又是sabotage–搞破壞，又是stab me in the back–背後下黑手， 還要take credit for other people’s work冒領別人的功勞! 這辦公室里真是險惡啊!
B: 要不怎麼說，有人的地方就有江湖。
A: Okay, Donny, you’re getting philosophical. 咱們還是輕鬆一下，去劃個船，散散心吧!
American Sports English: Crew
Y: Hi, this is Yang Chen.
P: And I’m Patrick. So, today Yang Chen we are going to be introducing everyone to the sport called crew. C-R-E-W.
Y: That’s right. Crew也叫 rowing，就是划艇運動。
P: Crew or rowing is a sport with an ancient history, but the first races took place in England.
Y: 最早的Crew比賽始於英國，在牛津這些英國大學非常流行。不過划艇運動也是美國大學校園歷史最悠久的一項體育活動。
P: Crew involves teams of 2, 4 or 8 rowers in a row boat called a shell.
Y: 划艇用的船叫做shell。這是一項集體運動，有兩人，也有四人或八人一組的。
P: A shell can be very long. A shell for a team of eight rowers is about 60 feet long!
Y: Whoa, 60 feet，那就等於是18米多！
P: To row a boat that long requires a lot of upper body strength and endurance.
Y: Upper body strength 上半身要有力氣，尤其是臂力。Look at my muscles, Patrick.
P: Very impressive. I think you should take up the sport of crew or rowing and maybe someday you can participate in the Olympic games.
Y: Nah. 我雖然有 Upper body strength，但是endurance耐力不夠。Hmm，I could use some exercise.
P: What do you say we head to the gym and do some serious rowing?
Y: Let’s go!
A: Donny, 咱們下班後可以一起去gym, 練划艇! 加強Upper body strength!
B: Sounds like a plan! I’m in!
A: 太好了! 好，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!
美語訓練班 第004課
A: 同學們，打起精神！咱們來學美語！
B: 對！歡迎來到美語訓練班！I’m Donny.
A: 我是王怡茹。今天這節課，我們要去田徑場賽跑，和多年不見的老友不期而遇，計劃一次出國旅行，還要告訴大家怎麼用美語表達「掃興」。
B: Sounds like we’ve got some really interesting things to show today!
A: Of course! 不過按照老傳統，咱們先教個簡單的, 花一分鐘，學一個詞!
Learn A Word: upcoming
今天我們要學的詞是 upcoming. Upcoming 意思是即將到來的，比如：The upcoming match 就是指即將舉行的比賽。The pop singer has started promoting his upcoming album. 這名流行樂歌手開始為自己即將發行的新唱片做宣傳。All candidates are gearing up for the upcoming election. 所有候選人都在為即將舉行的選舉積極做準備。這個周末是美國陣亡將士紀念日的長周末。The upcoming Memorial Day Weekend marks the unofficial kickoff of summer. 即將到來的陣亡將士紀念日長周末標誌著約定俗成的夏季的開始。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 upcoming.
A: 哦！Donny, 那你下星期去紐約做節目，也可以用 upcoming 嘍？
B: That’s right. We’re going to produce a travel show during my upcoming trip to New York.
A: Sounds like fun. Can I go with you?
B: Sure. I need someone to carry my bags for me. You’re welcome to join us!
A: 給你提包啊？No way. 還是讓我們一起看看李華和 Larry 準備去哪裡玩吧。
Popular American: make up your mind // live within your means
現在播送「流行美語」。Larry在和李華商量去什麼地方渡假，他們會用到兩個常用語：make up your mind和live within your means.
Larry: Lihua, do you want to go to Toronto? I did a little research and found some really cool tours and…..
LH: Larry, 我不是很想去多倫多，我想去個有熱帶風情的地方。
Larry: Tropical?
LH: 沒錯!你說加勒比海怎麼樣？
Larry: The Caribbean? Wow, that is very tropical… actually, I know someone who went there last summer, let me give him a call─
LH: 不過! 我又非常想去泰國，那裡的水果和美食太誘人了!
Larry: What?? Thailand? Make up your mind, Lihua!
LH: Make up? 化妝？你在說什麼啊？
Larry: No, not the make-up you put on your face. To “make up your mind” means to make a choice and stick to it.
LH: 哦，to make up your mind就是拿定主意。
Larry: Yea. For example, it often takes you a long time to make up your mind when it comes to what to wear when we go out.
LH: 呵呵，這倒是。出門前我總是不能決定穿哪身衣服。
Larry: And what about your friend at school that couldn’t decide which class she wanted to take?
LH: 沒錯。那個同學特別愛學習，什麼課都想選，可是一學期的時間只有那麼多，選修課的數量是有限的。 I wish she would make up her mind!我希望她能快點作出決定。
Larry: Yea, exactly. Indecisive people can sure be annoying sometimes, especially when they cause others to waste time…
LH: 哈! Larry，你說的indecisive people–猶豫不決的人，是在說我吧？我也很想定下旅行的目的地，可是，真的是有太多好玩的地方，我實在拿不定主意！
Larry: What about money? We can drive to Toronto. Thailand would be extremely expensive. Airfare alone would cost us a couple thousand dollars. We do have to live within our means, after all.
LH: 你說的 live within our means，是什麼意思？
Larry: The phrase “living within your means” means to live within the limits of your financial situation. Or, in other words, not spending more money than you can afford to spend.
LH: 哦，to live within your means就是量入為出，不過度消費。
Larry: That’s right. And if we are to live within our means, we certainly cannot afford a vacation in Thailand!
LH: 你是說，從我們的經濟情況考慮，去泰國花銷太高，我們承受不了？可是你工作這麼久，不是已經攢了些錢了么？
Larry: Not that much money! I’m just an entry-level worker. It will take some years of saving up money before I can afford things like tropical vacations.
LH: 啊？還得再攢好幾年才能來個熱帶風情之旅？唉，Larry, 這隻能怪你平時不知節省。你看，你老去外面飯館吃飯，比在家裡吃貴多了!
Larry: So… if I were living within my means, we’d have enough money for a nice vacation?
LH: 對啊!如果你平時消費節制，我們現在就能去泰國了!
Larry: But, Lihua, I just don’t have time to cook. And plus, I’m not that good at it! And there are things about your spending habits that could change, too─like cutting out some of your shopping. That would definitely help you live within your means.
LH: 啊？你讓我也減少支出，少買東西多存錢？這個嘛…
Larry: Make up your mind, Lihua. Do you want to save money or not?
LH: 那好吧，我下決心存錢。
Larry: Don’t sound so depressed, Lihua. We can still go on vacation this year and still be living within our means. We just need to find a place closer to home. But first, let’s make up our mind on where we want to go.
LH: 好吧! 希望我們真能做到既能愉快旅行又不讓荷包大出血! 不過，我不想去多倫多，我想去海邊!
Larry: How about South Carolina? It will take awhile to get there, but we could drive.
LH: 南卡羅萊納？有美麗的沙灘么？
Larry: Absolutely.
LH: 那….貴么？
Larry: We would still be living within our means if we go there. What do you think?
LH: 是嗎？我們能承受得起旅行的花費？讓我想想，讓我想想….對了! Larry, 我忽然想到，如果我們去海邊，我肯定要花很多錢買漂亮的游泳衣、太陽鏡、裙子什麼的。算了，要不還是去多倫多吧!
Larry: Make up your mind, Lihua!
今天李華學了兩個常用語，一個是to make up one’s mind，意思是「拿定主意」；另一個是to live within one’s means，意思是「量入為出，不過度消費」。
A: 這個李華，真是一會兒一個主意！要我說，只要能出去旅遊，去哪兒都行！make up her mind 有那麼困難嘛？
B: 怡茹, I have to disagree. If I were to spend time and money on a vacation, I would carefully do my research before rushing to any decisions.
A: 看來你也是個 indecisive person 猶豫不決的人！我問你，去夏威夷，度假天堂，這你總不用猶豫了吧？
B: 夏威夷？太貴！
A: 那…加勒比海？
B: 太熱！
A: 北京？
B: 人太多！
A: 歐洲？
B: 去過了！
A: 你，你，你，你還真是難伺候！我以後絕對不請你一起去旅遊，這麼多意見，太掃興了！
B: 哪有啊！If you pay for my air ticket and hotel, I’ll go anywhere with you! 不過，剛才你說到「掃興」，正好，咱們來聽聽「美語怎麼說」，教的就是這個詞！
How to say it: party pooper
Donny在北京學漢語，他的中國朋友要是遇到了不知道用美語怎麼說的詞，就會來請教他。今天是Jimmy要問的：掃興。
Donny: Jimmy, sorry I can’t make it to your birthday party this weekend. 我明天要去香港。
Jimmy: That’s okay, Donny. 說實話，我自己對這個生日派對也沒什麼興趣。
Donny: Why? Last time we talked about it, you were really excited.
Jimmy: 還不是因為我女朋友老打擊我! 她說，過生日意味著我又老了一歲，還說，我開party大吃大喝會變得更胖。唉，真掃興!
Donny: Oh, no! Your girlfriend is such a wet blanket! All the bad things she said made you NOT look forward to the party.
Jimmy: wet blanket? wet是「潮濕」的意思，blanket是「毯子」。你說我女朋友是個濕糊糊的毯子？
Donny: Actually, a wet blanket就是讓別人掃興的人或事。
Jimmy: 哦! a wet blanket說話討厭，專給別人的好心情潑冷水!
Donny: That’s right. There is a similar phrase—party pooper. A party pooper is a person who refuses to go along with everyone else and join the fun.
Jimmy: 哦! Party pooper是在派對上掃大家興的人! Donny, 要是我去一個party, 結果大家玩兒的遊戲我都不參加，還老嚷著要回家，then I’m a party pooper，對不對？
Donny: 標準的 party pooper! But Jimmy, in real life, you are by no means a party pooper, on the contrary, you’re the life of the party!
Jimmy: The life of the party? 我是派對的生命？
Donny: 差不多! The life of the party is the most fun and exciting person at a party, you know, the person who makes the party fun for everyone else.
Jimmy: 哦，the life of the party 就是派對上的開心果! 有這種人在，氣氛一定很high! 你別說，我還真是the life of the party! 哈哈!
Donny: Of course you are! So don’t let your girlfriend ruin your spirits. Now, let’s see what you’ve learned today!
Jimmy: 第一，讓人掃興的人或事是a wet blanket, 或者a party pooper；
第二，派對的靈魂人物，開心果, 是 the life of the party.
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 Donny, 電郵請寄meiyu@voanews.com
A：I’m not a party pooper. I’m the life of the party!
B：誰證明啊？
A: 我朋友都這麼說啊！尤其是我原來上大學的時候，簡直是派對女王啊！多popular啊！可惜老同學們都沒在美國，Sometimes I feel so lonely.
B：Cheer up, 怡茹. Let’s listen to the next program–GoEnglish，美語三級跳。講的就是老朋友見面！
Greeting Friends: Beginner
大家好！今天我們為您播出「美語三級跳」節目「問候朋友」單元的初級課程。
Winnie: Jen 和 Lawrence 是老朋友，很久沒見面了。真巧，倆人傍晚時分在路上不期而遇。
Professor: But, Winnie, today is a special day: It’s Christmas Eve! Shouldn’t they be at home celebrating with their families? What are they doing walking around on the street on Christmas Eve?
Winnie: 對啊，我差點忘了，今天是聖誕節前夜! 那他們兩個怎麼會在大街上閑逛呢？ 我們來聽聽看吧!
Jen: Lawrence, is that you? !
Lawrence: Hey Jen! How are you doing?! I don’t think I’ve seen you in over a year!
Jen: I know! It’s been a long time. It’s funny to run into you on Christmas Eve!
Lawrence: Yeah, isn’t that funny. Why aren’t you at home with your family?
Professor: So Winnie, how long has it been since Lawrence and Jen last met?
Winnie: Lawrence說，他都一年多沒見過Jen了。不過， professor Bowman, Jen說，她 「ran into Lawrence」，這難道是說他們在街上「撞車」了嗎？
Professor: No,Winnie! When you say you “run into” something, it means you meet it unexpectedly. For example, I was doing very well on the test, but I ran into trouble when I got to the math part.
Winnie: 哦，所以run into就是「不期而遇」。
Jen: My family doesn’t live here. They live in Texas.
Lawrence: I see. Well why didn’t you fly home to Texas for the holidays?
Jen: I have to work tomorrow, so I didn’t have time to fly to Texas. Why didn’t you go home?
Lawrence: I wanted to, but I didn’t have enough money to buy a plane ticket.
Professor: So Winnie, why didn’t Jen go home for Christmas?
Winnie: 她家在德州，可是她要上班，沒時間回去過聖誕。
Professor: Exactly. And why didn’t Lawrence go home for Christmas?
Winnie: Lawrence更慘，說自己買不起機票。對了，Professor Bowman, Lawrence說的「the holidays」是指聖誕節么？
Professor: Not really. “The holidays” means all the religious holidays that happen in December. If a person doesn’t celebrate Christmas, you can wish him or her “Happy holidays.”
Winnie: 原來如此，聖誕節是基督教的宗教節日，對那些不信基督教，不過聖誕節的人，你就可以說 happy holidays.
Jen: I’m sorry you couldn’t go home. How is everything else going?
Lawrence: I’m OK, but I’m having trouble finding a job. What’s up with you?
Jen: I can’t complain. My job is going well and I have a nice apartment.
Lawrence: That’s great. I’m happy everything is working out for you.
Winnie: 怪不得Lawrence買不起機票，原來他沒有找到工作。過聖誕節獨自一人，又沒有工作，真可憐。不過，Lawrence問 Jen “what’s up,” 這是在問什麼呢?
Professor: Asking “what’s up” is like asking how someone is doing, but “what’s up” is a very informal expression.
Winnie: 我明白了， “What’s up”和 “how are you doing”都是問候別人，就是「你怎麼樣？」的意思，不過what’s up更輕鬆隨意一些。
Professor: That’s exactly right. But Winnie, did you hear Lawrence say he is happy everything is working out for Jen? What do you think “working out” means?
Winnie: 嗯, work out 是鍛煉身體的意思， 不過在這裡，應該是「有好的結果」，「情況不錯」的意思吧。
Professor: That’s right. For example, “John asked Emily to go on a date with him 10 times, but it never worked out.”
Winnie: 啊？請人家約會十次被拒絕？真是百折不撓!
Jen: You know, since we’re both alone, we should have dinner together.
Lawrence: Sounds great! But can we go someplace that isn’t too expensive?
Jen: Don’t worry, Lawrence, tonight I’ll treat you. That will be my Christmas present to you.
Lawrence: Thanks! But next time, I promise I’m buying.
Winnie: Professor, “I’m buying” 和「I’ll treat you” 都是「我請客」的意思吧？
Professor: Correct. You could also say “It’s on me.”
Winnie: 哎，學這麼多「請客」的說法，要搶著付錢么？我還是想學學怎麼蹭飯呢!
Professor: That’s easy. Just say, “I forgot my wallet.”
Winnie: 那好，Professor Bowman, 咱們去吃聖誕大餐吧! 不過，我要先告訴你，”I forgot my wallet!”
A: 老朋友run into each other, 不期而遇，真是不錯！
B：That’s true, but apparently Jen lives a better life than Lawrence does.
A: Jen的生活的確比Lawrence好，Her job is going well, 工作順心，She has a nice apartment. 住的地方也舒服，所以她說，I can’t complain. 我沒什麼好抱怨的。
B: Don’t you think Lawrence would be a bit upset by that, like getting a little jealous?
A: 你說Lawrence會忌妒Jen比自己混的好？不至於吧，畢竟是老朋友，關係可比同事單純得多！
B: 說得對! In the office, some people don’t really want to see others excel in their work.
A: 沒錯，在辦公室里，有人就是看不得別人比自己強！咱們來聽聽下面的「禮節美語」。
禮節美語: Power Struggles II
David 跟 Sandra 聊天，說起自己以前有個同事，特別喜歡 name-drop. David說，
D: We would be in a meeting and she would say. “Yesterday I was chatting with Tom.” She meant Tom Solomon…our CEO.
S: Basically she was trying to impress people by using the CEO’s name…but who knows if she really talked to him?
D: You don’t know…and name-dropping is a really bad habit. It gives everyone else negative feelings about you. If you have a good idea, just speak up. You don’t need to use someone else as a cover.
David 舉例說，他們開著開著會，那個同事就會突然說，我昨天跟 Tom 聊天，大家都知道，Tom 是公司首席執行官CEO。David說這樣做其實是個壞習慣，會讓別人對你有負面看法。如果你有什麼好主意，just speak up. 直截了當說出來就好了，you don’t need to use someone else as a cover. 不用打著別人的旗號。
S: Yeah… Tim does that too sometimes. But the worst thing he does is try to push me to the sidelines.
D: What do you mean?
S: When we have meetings sometimes people bring up my accomplishments and Tim always has to jump in and say something like, “Yes, but that was last year. We need fresh thinking this year.” Why can’t he just be nice?
Sandra 說，她對Tim最反感的地方是，he tried to push me to the sidelines. sidelines 邊線，to push someone to the sidelines 就是排擠某人的意思。另外一種說法是 stay on the sidelines 站在邊線上，意思是不積极參与。Sandra 舉例說，比如開會時，只要一有人提到 Sandra 以前的工作成績，Tim 就會馬上說，那都是去年的事了，我們需要新思維 fresh thinking. 以此削弱 Sandra 的影響和份量。
D: Well like you said earlier, he might feel threatened by you. He sees you as a rising star and he’s afraid you’ll shine brighter than he’ll. Some people don’t know how to react in situations like that.
S: I don’t hate Tim. He’not totally bad; in fact he’s pretty clever sometimes. I just hate all the office power struggles!
D: Unfortunately every workplace has its wars for power. That’s how the game is played.
David覺得，Tim可能真是覺得Sandra對自己構成威脅。他怕你會 shine brighter than he’ll 比他更耀眼，這裡也可以用 outshine, He’s afraid you’ll outshine him. Sandra說，其實她不恨Tim, 她是不喜歡辦公室里的權力之爭，all the office power struggles. 然而，所有工作場所都難免有這種爭權奪利，勾心鬥角，按照David的話說，That’s how the game is played.
A: 看吧，因為別人工作出色，就 feel threatened,覺得自己受到了威脅！還有那些 name droppers, 就愛吹噓自己和名人、上司一起怎樣怎樣，讓人討厭啊！
B: Not to mention people pushing you to the sidelines,使勁排擠你。Workplace power struggle is just horrible!
A: 是啊，幹得比別人好反而遭到忌妒和排擠！這樣吧，咱們走出office, 去一個簡簡單單決勝負的地方！
B: Where is that?
A: Track field! 田徑場！咱們來賽跑！
American sports English: On your mark
Y: 大家好，我是楊晨。
P: 我是Patrick.
Y & P: 今天我們……
Y: Patrick，你不要跟我搶著說話，這是犯規。要是賽跑你這就是搶跑，false start!
P: I apologize. In track and field, if an athlete committed two false starts, he or she will be disqualified.
Y: 兩次 false starts，就要被罰下場。
P: 剛才你也是false start, 為什麼只有我道歉？
Y: er….Well, let’s move one, shall we?
P: Ok, anyway, today we’re going to talk about sprinting events.
Y: Sprinting events 是田徑比賽中的短跑項目，我們先來講起跑。在起跑線，我們會聽到發令員喊:「各就位」
P: On your marks，
Y: 預備
P: get set,
Y: 沒有發令槍發令員就喊「跑」。
P: go!
Y: 正式比賽當然都用發令槍了。
P: A starting gun is used in official track meets.
Y: 起跑對短跑運動員很重要。
P：A runner’s start is crucial, especially for sprinting events like the 100-meter-dash. You need to react to the gun fast, but not too fast, otherwise you will commit a false start.
Y: 槍響了要迅速衝出去，但起跑太快，據說快於0.1秒就是搶跑了。你看，我懂得很多吧。信不信我跑得比你快。
P: 不相信。
Y: 那我們出去比一比！Lets race.
P: OK. Lets race and see what happens.
Announcer: On your mark, get set, go……
Y: I win, I win!!!
P: No, you didn’t, you cheated! False start.
A: 怎麼樣？Donny, 下班後田徑場等我，咱們比比100米短跑誰厲害！？
B: No problem! I’m a serious runner. Don’t go easy on me!
A: I won’t! 好，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!
美語訓練班 第005課
A: 美語訓練班，內容豐富，大家都喜歡！
B: 學習美語並不難，關鍵三個字：不偷懶。
A: 哈哈，Donny, 你也會說順口溜啊！
B: 一般一般, 全國第三！怡茹，Let’s give our audience a preview of today’s show, shall we?
A: 好！今天這節課，我們要去一個生日派對上蹭飯, 要和老朋友聊聊自己的社交生活，要看撲克牌大賽, 還要告訴大家用美語怎麼說「頂尖的，最好的」。
B: That sounds good, but I also want to listen to the program about office politics. Is that in the program today?
A: 哦！你說講辦公室權利鬥爭的「禮節美語」？別著急，這個我們也會教！
B: Fantastic!
A: 不過, 咱們還是先來個簡單的 – 花一分鐘，學一個詞!
Learn A Word: outdoor
今天我們要學的詞是outdoor. Outdoor戶外的。Outdoor activities室外活動。New York City’s ban on outdoor smoking, including parks and beaches, went into effect last Monday. 紐約市有關戶外吸煙的禁令上星期一開始生效，禁煙場所包括公園和海灘在內。Most outdoor swimming pools in our area opened for business this past weekend. 我們所在地區的大多數室外游泳池都從上周末開始營業。With summer approaching, outdoor cookouts will soon be in full swing. 隨著夏天的來臨，室外燒烤馬上就會進入高潮。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 outdoor….
A: 說到這個outdoor barbeque 戶外燒烤，那可是one of my favorite summer activities–我最愛的夏日活動之一！
B: I love it too! And I’m really good at it! You should try my BBQ chicken wings. They’re the best!
A: 這麼說你是個烤雞翅專家嘍？
B: 那當然，I’m the be all and end all BBQ expert!
A: Be all and end all? 這不是我們今天要教的詞嗎？
B: 沒錯，我們來收聽「美國習慣用語」。
Words and Idioms: Be all and end all
各位聽眾，現在播送<美國習慣用語>第 934講。我是楊琳。
我是 Douglas Johnson.
我一個朋友找了份新工作。公司的條件可好了，薪水高，待遇好，辦公樓里就有專為僱員準備的醫院、健身房和幼兒園。說心裡話，我真有些嫉妒這個朋友! 不過，我也想到了一個習慣用語，那就是：
Be all and end all. Be is spelled b-e, all is spelled a-l-l, and end; e-n-d. Be-all-and-end-all.
be all and end all 意思是「頂尖的，最好的」。Where my friend is going to be working strikes me as being the BE ALL AND END ALL. 我覺得，我朋友的工作待遇簡直是好得不能再好了。不過，我朋友自己很謙虛，並沒有把自己的好工作逢人就講。而下面這段話中的這位媽媽就不一樣了，我們來聽一聽：
“My sister-in-law is constantly boasting. She doesn’t know anyone who has better parenting skills. Supposedly, she’s exceptionally devoted and nurturing. If you ask me, she’s not the BE ALL AND END ALL. Many moms care just as much about their children. They’re also much more humble about themselves.”
這段話是說：[我嫂子總是吹牛。她覺得自己教育孩子的水平世界第一，理所當然，她自己也就成了特別有獻身精神，特別能付出的媽媽。可如果你問我，我覺得她並不是個完美的母親。很多媽媽疼愛孩子的程度都不亞於她，而且人家還比她謙虛很多呢。]
要我看，帶孩子就要有耐心，有愛心，尊重孩子，雖然IT IS NOT THE BE ALL AND END ALL CHECKLIST FOR GOOD PARENTING, 這不是教育孩子的「必殺技」，但總算也是個大原則吧。好了，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話：
“My sister-in-law is constantly boasting. She doesn’t know anyone who has better parenting skills. Supposedly, she’s exceptionally devoted and nurturing. If you ask me, she’s not the BE ALL AND END ALL. Many moms care just as much about their children. They’re also much more humble about themselves.”
前幾天我在電視上看馬拉松比賽，真的很佩服那些運動員的毅力和體能。別人跟我說，有一項比賽比馬拉松更考驗人的意志力，那就是鐵人三項賽。咱們來聽聽下面這段話：
“The Ironman Triathlon consists of nearly 4 kilometers of swimming, 180 kilometers of biking and 42 kilometers of running. And it must be raced in that order without a break within 17 hours. Most athletes consider it the BE ALL AND END ALL of sports competitions. They don’t know of any event that’s tougher.”
這段話是說：[鐵人三項賽的內容包括4公里游泳、180公里騎自行車和42公里長跑。選手們必須在17個小時候之內按照這個順序完成比賽，不能休息。很多運動員把鐵人三項看成所有體育比賽的極限。沒什麼比鐵人三項更具挑戰性了。]
如果您有興趣，鐵人三項賽每年都在美國的夏威夷舉行，您可以去參加，挑戰自己的體能極限。我就算了，去夏威夷悠閑地度假才對。那裡有自然美景、溫暖氣候和超級海灘，難怪 Hawaii is the be all and end all for many tourists，夏威夷是很多遊客最愛的去處。 好了，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話：
“The Ironman Triathlon consists of nearly 4 kilometers of swimming, 180 kilometers of biking and 42 kilometers of swimming. And it must be raced in that order without a break within 17 hours. Most athletes consider it the BE ALL AND END ALL of sports competitions. They don’t know of any event that’s tougher.”
各位聽眾，今天我們學習的習慣用語是be all and end all，意思是「頂尖的，最好的」。好的，這次[美國習慣用語]就到此結束，我是楊琳，我是 Douglas Johnson。謝謝各位的收聽。
A: be all and end all，頂尖的，極限的。Donny, 如果你真是個 be all and end all BBQ expert—頂級燒烤王，那我可少不了要去品嘗你的手藝哦！
B: 沒問題！Actually I just hosted a BBQ party last weekend. I invited about 10 guests, but somehow more than 20 people showed up!
A: 啊？你請了10個客人來燒烤派對，結果來了20多人？
B: 是啊。Some of them were complete strangers.
A: 壓根就不認識？一定是聞著你那頂級燒烤的味道，流著口水過來蹭飯的吧！
B: Of course！正好，咱們來聽下面這個節目，看看「白吃白喝」用「美語怎麼說」。
How to say it in American English: Free Loader
Donny在北京學漢語，他的中國朋友要是遇到了不知道用美語怎麼說的詞，就會來請教他。今天是Jimmy要問的：不速之客。
Donny: Jimmy! How did your birthday party go last weekend?
Jimmy: 不錯! 大家玩兒得很高興! 可是，有些客人我根本不認識。這些不速之客，用美語怎麼說？
Donny: Ah-ha! These guests are called party crashers! Crasher is spelled c-r-a-s-h-e-r.
Jimmy: 哦，聚會上的不速之客是party crasher. 現在想想，I got at least three party crashers. 客人太多，沒注意，就讓他們混進來了。
Donny: 沒錯! Party crashers usually target big parties. They blend into the party so they don’t get kicked out.
Jimmy: 可不，他們混進來之後就猛吃猛喝，不太說話。
Donny: 其實，Having a couple of freeloaders in your party was not that terrible.
Jimmy: freeloader?
Donny: Yes. f-r-e-e-l-o-a-d-e-r, freeloader 白吃白喝的人。
Jimmy: freeloader就是蹭吃蹭喝的人。我生日party上那幾個party crashers明顯是沖著吃喝來的，他們就是典型的freeloaders!
Donny: 沒錯，Some party crashers come for the food and drinks, while others just want to meet new people.
Jimmy: 還好我那天準備的酒足夠多，雖然有些不速之客，大家還是能盡興! Party結束後，幾個朋友喝多了，還在我家睡了一晚上呢!
Donny: Jimmy, it’s nice of you to let them crash for the night at your place. You’re such a good host.
Jimmy: 怎麼又是 crash?
Donny: Here, the word “crash” means to temporarily stay or sleep at a place. For example, a friend might ask you: “Can I crash on your sofa for the night?”
Jimmy: 哦，crash 就是暫住，那你說的”Can I crash for the night on your sofa?” 也就是「我能不能在你家沙發上湊合一晚上」。
Donny: That’s right! Now let’s see what you’ve learned today!
Jimmy: 第一，派對上的不速之客是party crasher
第二，白吃白喝的人是freeloader
第三，湊和睡一晚，可以說 crash here for the night.
A：Donny, your BBQ party was crashed.
B：That’s true, but I don’t blame the free loaders for coming. My chicken wings are irresistible after all!
A: 也不一定是因為你烤的雞翅太香，或許是因為派對上有幾個美女，才把這些人吸引過來了呢！
B: That’s equally true. All the best-looking ladies come to my parties.
A: Really? So, your must be enjoying your social life!
B: So far so good. 怡茹, Let’s listen to the next program–GoEnglish，美語三級跳。講的就是social life！
GoEnglish :Greeting friends–Intermediate
各位聽眾，大家好！今天我們為您播出「美語三級跳」節目「問候朋友」單元的中級課程。
Winnie: Jen 和 Lawrence 是很久沒見的老朋友，倆人聖誕前夜在街上偶遇，一塊兒吃飯，聊天敘舊。
Professor: Winnie, in this first part listen for the phrase “to catch up,” which means “to talk with someone about what you have been doing.”
Lawrence: Wow Jen, it’s so cool that we ran into each other on the street. I’m really interested to hear how you’ve been for the past year.
Jen: I know! It’s really great that we have a chance to catch up. How have you been?
Lawrence: I’ve been well. I’m having trouble finding a job, but at least my social life is pretty good.
Jen: See, I’m the opposite. I have a great job and a nice apartment, but my social life is terrible.
Professor: So Winnie, who has a better social life, Lawrence or Jen?
Winnie: 要說「SOCIAL LIFE”， 社交生活，那Lawrence就比Jen強多了。Lawrence說，他雖然找不到工作，但是 has a great social life. Jen則正相反，她有好工作，公寓很稱心，可是她的社交生活 terrible–糟透了!
Professor: That’s right. If, like Jen, you never have a chance to go out to parties and have fun, you can also say, “I have no life.” For example, “During exams I have no life because I have to study all day.”
Winnie: 哦，「I have no life”， 就是說沒機會去參加派對、不能出去玩兒。Jen 的生活怎麼會這麼沒意思呢？
Lawrence: Why is your social life so terrible? I remember that you used to go out and have fun all the time.
Jen: I know! But now I’m in medical school so I have to study all the time. My love life is a disaster too.
Lawrence: You know, I have a friend who you might like. I think you two would make a really great couple.
Jen: Hmm….. come on Lawrence, what’s wrong with him? If he was such a catch, he wouldn’t be single.
Winnie: 哇，Jen一邊上班一邊還在念醫學院! 難怪她沒時間去認識男孩子，感情生活一片空白。
Professor: Exactly. But what does Lawrence offer to do?
Winnie: Lawrence說要給她做媒! 不過 Professor, Jen好像不太願意，她剛才說的 “catch”，是什麼意思？
Professor: A catch is a really great boyfriend or girlfriend. For example, “Joseph’s girlfriend is beautiful, rich and really funny. Where did he ever find a great catch like that?”
Winnie: 哦，原來catch 就是完美的情人! Jen覺得，如果Lawrence的朋友真像他說得那麼好，還不早就被別的女孩兒搶走了!
Lawrence: No, he’s a really great guy, and he’s just your type. Trust me.
Jen: Well, what does he look like? Describe him.
Lawrence: He’s pretty tall and has brown hair. Some people say he looks like Brad Pitt.
Jen: Uh …. Brad Pitt is almost 50, and I don’t have a thing for old guys.
Lawrence: Oh come on, stop being so superficial. You’ll love his personality. He’s really smart and has a great sense of humor.
Jen: Well alright, I’ll give him a chance.
Winnie: Professor Bowman, Jen 說”I don’t have a thing for old guys”，這是什麼意思？
Professor: If you “have a thing” for something, it means you really like it. Jen says she doesn’t have a thing for older guys, like Brad Pitt, meaning she doesn’t want an older guy to be her boyfriend.
Winnie: 啊？Jen也太挑剔了! Lawrence說自己的朋友長得像布拉德·皮特，她居然嫌皮特老!說自己不要老男人! 難怪 Lawrence說 Jen is being superficial! 就是膚淺，只看外表。 不過，注重外表也沒有錯，男人不是也希望找漂亮的女朋友嘛!
Lawrence: Great! I’ll call him and tell him. But first I need to take a picture of you.
Jen: What? Why do you need to take a picture of me?
Lawrence: Well of course I need to show my friend your picture to convince him to go on a date with you.
Jen: Oh come on! Why is this guy so superficial?
Lawrence: See, I knew that you two would have something in common!
Winnie: 哈! Lawrence說，自己的朋友和 Jen「have something in common」—有共同之處，那就是倆人都superficial! 呃……在這個基礎上能產生愛情么？
Professor: Well, listen next time to find out!
A: 看來，人生總是有得有失。Jen事業學業都蒸蒸日上，But her social life is terrible, 社交生活糟透了， her love life is a disaster too, 愛情方面也一無所獲。
B: That may soon come to an end! Lawrence is willing to hook her up with a great guy.
A: 沒錯！Lawrence 說，這個人is really smart and has a great sense of humor，又聰明又幽默，He is just Jen’s type, 就是Jen喜歡的那種人，They would make a really great couple. 倆人在一起肯定特合適。
B: Lawrence is a great friend. I only wish I had a friend like him to help me out.
A: 哎？Donny, 你不是說你的社交生活特棒嗎? 幹嘛還需要朋友幫忙啊？
B: Er….I meant my…er….life in the office could use some help.
A: 哦，那倒是，如果在辦公室里遇到不順心的事，也能有一個像Lawrence這樣的人幫你排解煩惱，那就好了！
B: 那也不是不可能！咱們來聽聽下面的「禮節美語」。
Business Etiquette:Power Struggles III
David跟Sandra 聊天，談到辦公室里的勾心鬥角是難以避免的，所以只能想辦法面對。Sandra 說，
S: Maybe I need to toughen up. You know that old saying: If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
D: Maybe…but have you tried talking to Tim about this?
S: No…I’m not really a confrontational person.
D: Well, who don’t you give it a shot. Use unemotional language and just be very clear and firm about how you feel. Tell him about the things you like about his work ethic and then tell him the areas you don’t like.
老話說，If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. 意思是如果承受不了壓力，就索性不要干。David 問 Sandra 有沒有試著找 Tim 談談。Sandra 說自己不喜歡跟別人對抗。confrontation is spelled c-o-n-f-r-o-n-t-a-t-i-o-n, confrontation 是對抗的意思，變成形容詞就是 confrontational. David 建議 Sandra 不妨找 Tim 談一下試試看，give it a shot. 告訴 Tim 自己很讚賞他的 work ethic 工作態度，但是同時也把對他不滿的地方告訴他。
S: That’s a pretty good idea.
D: And remember…it takes two to tango. You can’t have a power struggle without two people, at least two people. You can choose to participate or not.
S: You make some good points.
D: The next time Tim cuts you down in a meeting, don’t react. Just let his comments hang there and people will see how petty he’s being.
David 補充說，it takes two to tango. tango is spelled t-a-n-g-o, tango. It takes two to tango 就是中文裡說的一個巴掌拍不響，還有另外一種說法是 it takes two to make a quarrel. 也是這個意思。David 建議，下次 Tim 再故意貶低 Sandra, 最好不去理他。這裡說的 cut someone down 有貶低某人的意思，後面還可以加 to size, to cut someone down to size. David 說，just let his comments hang there 意思是不要去接他的話碴兒，這樣別人就會看出他是多麼的狹隘，小心眼。
S: I guess I have to remember that all of us are human and humans have egos and will lash out when threatened.
D: That’s right! Sometimes I think our office is pretty much like the zoo. We’re just office apes!
S: That’s a funny thought! Thanks for your advice, David. I feel better already.
D: You’re very welcome! See you tomorrow!
Sandra 也說，人都有 ego, ego是自我，自大的意思，在感到自身受到威脅的情況下，就會 lash out, lash out 意思是求助於口頭或是肢體上的攻擊。Sandra最後對David表示感謝，說自己跟David談了這麼一會兒，I feel better already. 我已經感覺好多了。
A: David真是個好人，在他的開解下，Sandra感覺好多了！ David說，It takes two to tango, 一個巴掌拍不響，這很有道理！
B: Yes. He also said if someone tries to embarrass you in a meeting, the best thing to do would be to not react at all. You should just let his comments hang there.
A: 這個辦法好，不理他！好啦，辦公室政治就說到這裡，下面咱們輕鬆一下，看看別人玩撲克！
American Sports English: Poker
Y: Patrick, I’m bored.
P: I have an idea. Let’s watch the poker tournament on TV!
Y: Poker tournament?
P: Yeah, poker tournament.
Y: I know poker, 撲克牌。 可是我只聽說過poker face, 沒聽過還有poker tournament撲克牌比賽。
P: Oh Let me tell you, it’s really exciting.
See, that guy was just dealt a really good hand.
Y: A good hand? 一隻好手? Let me see your hands, which one is the good hand?
M: No, your hand is the set of card that you are given. If you have good cards you have a good hand, and bad cards are a bad hand.
Y: 有一手好牌就是 have a good hand。
P: Yes, and in fact you can use that expression in other situations. You can say you were dealt D-E-A-L-T, a good hand when you are put in a good situation, and a bad hand for a bad situation.
Y: 那我可以說今天 I was dealt a very bad hand.
P: Why?
Y: Because I have to watch poker on TV with you.
P: In that case you were dealt a fantastic hand!
Also, when a player has a hand that puts them at a big advantage, you can say that they are holding all the cards.
Y: I see. 因為是在你的公寓，所以你覺得 you are holding all the cards，看什麼節目就要聽你的。
M: See, you’re catching on! You are learning all the useful poker terms! Isn’t poker fun?
Y: Fun 你個頭! If you don’t change the channel, I’m going home.
M: No way, you’re bluffing. Bluffing is when you pretend that you have a good hand, even though you don’t. In everyday use, bluffing is pretending you will do something that you won’t.
Y: You think I’m bluffing? 只是在嚇唬你? I’m leaving, see you tomorrow!
M: Wait, you’re really leaving? No, stop! I’ll change the channel! OK, you are holding all the cards! You can do whatever you want! Please stay.
A: 啊呀，看得我手痒痒。Donny, 我有個主意，這個周末，咱們去你家燒烤，嘗嘗你的be all and end all chicken wings，然後再來個 poker tournament, 撲克牌大賽，怎麼樣？
B: Good idea! Let’s party!
A: 好，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!
美語訓練班 第006課
A: 美語訓練班上課啦！我是王怡茹。
B: And I’m Donny. 怡茹, can I give the show preview today?
A: 你想來介紹節目內容啊？沒問題! Go ahead!
B: 好！今天這節課，我們要聊聊八卦, 和朋友介紹的人約會，欣賞花樣游泳, 還要告訴大家怎麼用美語說「完蛋了」。
A: 說得不錯嘛! 按照老規矩，咱們還是先來個簡單的–花一分鐘，學一個詞!
Learn A Word #1262 unnerve
今天我們要學的詞是 unnerve, unnerve is spelled u-n-n-e-r-v-e, unnerve. Unnerve 是動詞，意思是令人感到焦慮煩惱。Location-tracking by smart-phones have unnerved many people concerned about privacy. 智能手機的定位功能讓注重隱私權的人感到不安。Rising gasoline prices have unnerved consumers. 油價上揚給消費者帶來了煩惱。The latest U.S. jobs data unnerved investors. 美國最新就業數據讓投資者感到不安。德國不久前出現大腸桿菌疫情。The deadly E.Coli outbreak unnerved the entire European market. 這次爆發的致命的大腸桿菌疫情給整個歐洲市場帶來了不安。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 unnerve, unnerve, unnerve.
B: The E.Coli outbreak is indeed unnerving news! I had planned a trip to Germany, but now, I have to reschedule everything just to be on the safe side.
A: 哦，你本來要去埃希大腸桿菌的爆發地–德國旅行，現在嚇得不敢去了！
B: 對啊!
A: 那你說的 unnerving 就是 unnerve 的形容詞形式，意思就是「讓人擔心害怕的」，對不對？
B: That’s right.
A: Donny，我覺得你取消旅行是對的。要是去了德國，萬一感染了病菌，還孤身一人在異國他鄉，你可就完蛋了!
B: 可不，I will be toast.
A: Toast? 你要變成吐絲麵包？
B: 不是！來聽這集 “Popular American,” 你就明白啦!
Popular Americana:You’re toast// The tables have turned
各位聽眾，現在播送流行美語。李華要參加課堂辯論，很緊張， 找Larry出主意。他們會用到兩個常用語：you’re toast 和the tables have turned.
LH: Larry，我可怎麼辦？這次辯論的成績占期末成績的一半呢!
Larry: OK, OK. Calm down for a minute. What’s the topic of the debate?
LH: 辯論的題目是國會最近通過的醫療改革法案!我當時沒注意這個新聞，現在什麼都不知道啊!
Larry: Oh, my. That is certainly a complicated topic, even for an American. Are you arguing for or against it?
LH: 我是辯論的正方還是反方？哦…我忘了。
Larry: You don’t even know what side of the argument you’re on? Well. Looks like you’re toast.
LH: I’m toast? 你在說什麼啊？
Larry: It means you have no chance; you’re done for; you’re finished. I don’t see how you could possibly be prepared for this debate.
LH: “I’m toast” 就是 I’m finished? 我完了？沒戲了？哎呀，這門課可是必修課，我必須要通過呀! Larry, you have to help me!
Larry: I don’t think I can, Lihua…Although I know I’m going to be toast if I just sit there and be negative. Haha…
LH: 沒錯，要是你只顧坐在那裡看我出糗，你就死定了!哼!
Larry: Well, I can tell you about the health care bill, but if you don’t know what side you are on for the debate, I don’t think that will help you.
LH: 雖然我忘了自己在哪一方，可我的老對頭 Susie 是我的對手，我們不在一隊，而且她特別能辯論。 I really AM toast, Larry.
Larry: Unfortunately, I would have to agree with you. You don’t have any friends in that class? Give one a call and see if they remember which team you are on.
LH: 對! 我給Jennifer打個電話，看她知不知道我是哪一方的。
李華給Jennifer打電話之後，得到了一些好消息。
LH: Larry, 好消息！Susie 生病了!
Larry: Huh?
LH: Jennifer說，Susie重感冒，嗓子出不了聲，更別提辯論了! I’m not toast anymore! 我有救啦!
Larry: Oh, I see. What about your team? Do you know what side you need to prepare to argue for?
LH: Jennifer說，我和她都是正方的，支持這個法案。她還讓我不必擔心，說我們這方有幾個很牛的人! 這真太棒了!
Larry: That is good news. Looks like the tables have turned in your favor.
LH: The tables have turned? 什麼桌子？
Larry: I’m not talking about an actual table. The tables have turned means that the person that used to be ahead is now behind, and the person who used to be at a disadvantage now has an advantage.
LH: 我明白了，the tables have turned 就是指形勢發生了一百八十度大轉彎! 我之前處於弱勢，可現在忽然處於優勢了!
Larry: Exactly. You can say the tables have turned in your favor. It doesn’t look like your grade for this class is toast anymore.
LH: The tables have turned in my favor.風水轉到我這邊來了! 一切都對我有利了! 哈哈，我本來以為I was toast, 但是現在，對手病了，隊友強大，The tables have turned! 我真是幸運!
Larry: It looks like your classmate Susie is the one who is toast now. And since you don’t have to prepare for that debate anymore, I was wondering if you could help me out a little…
LH: 怎麼了Larry?
Larry: Well, I need to submit a report on the Chinese market to my boss, and I’ve been putting it off. It’s due tomorrow and I could use someone to help me do some research on Chinese web sites…
LH: 你明天要交一分關於中國的市場分析報告，現在還沒怎麼寫？你想讓我幫忙在網上查資料？哼! 我才不管呢!
Larry: Oh! Lihua, Please! If I don’t finish this report in time, well, I’d be –
LH: You’d be toast! 你就完蛋啦! Larry, 幾分鐘前你還不肯幫我準備辯論呢，現在輪到你求我，我不幫忙了。 哈哈! It seems the tables have turned!
Larry: That situation was a little bit different…I didn’t really have any way to help you.
LH: 這倒也是。可是，我也真的幫不了你啊，我又不會寫市場調查報告。
Larry: You’re not going to help me? But I’ll be toast without your help!
LH: Sorry, Larry! 可我真的沒法幫你，我要和我們辯論隊的人在圖書館開會，對了，你能開車送我去圖書館么？
Larry: Ha, it looks like the tables have turned again…
各位聽眾，今天李華學了兩個常用語，一個是you’re toast，意思是「你完蛋了」；另一個是the tables have turned，意思是「局勢發生逆轉」。好的，這次《流行美語》播送完了，謝謝各位收聽，下次節目再見。
A: 原來，You’re toast就是說「你完蛋了」，「你有大麻煩了」!
B: 對！By the way, Yiru, have you heard about that Hollywood couple who got divorced? Apparently, the wife is back with her ex-boyfriend and the husband has a mistress too….
A: 對對對，娛樂新聞頭條這兩天都是他們要離婚的事兒！Their marriage is toast. 他們的婚姻算是走到頭啦！
B: Yiru, 看來咱倆都夠八卦的！
A: 哈哈，這有什麼，現在就是全民八卦的時代！正好，咱們來聽下面這個節目，看看「八卦」用「美語怎麼說」。
How to say it: Gossip
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。今天是楊林要問的：八卦。
JESSICA: 楊林，What are you planning on doing Friday night?
YL: 星期五晚上我要和幾個特別好的朋友聚會，都是女孩兒!
JESSICA: Wow….A girls’ night out! That’s awesome!
YL: Girls’ night out? 沒錯! 就是只有女孩參加的姐妹淘聚會! 我們打算在朋友家裡吃飯、看片、唱歌，當然，最重要的就是–八卦! 對了，八卦怎麼說？
JESSICA: 八卦就是 gossip. It means a trivial chat among friends.
YL: 哦，聚會時的閑聊八卦就是 gossip. I enjoy gossiping with my friends. 我喜歡和朋友們瞎聊。 But, Jessica, 八卦這個詞也有不好的意思，就是傳流言蜚語，gossip 也有這種意思么？
JESSICA: Yes! Gossip can also mean spreading rumors.
YL: 哎! 這倒讓我想到另外一個和八卦有關的詞—八卦雜誌，小報兒，怎麼說？
JESSICA: Those are called tabloids. tabloid is spelled t-a-b-l-o-i-d, tabloid. In America, tabloids usually refer to media that follow celebrity scandals.
YL: 哦，tabloid 就是專門報道名人醜聞的八卦媒體。所以我可以說 tabloid magazines, 八卦雜誌，也可以說 tabloid web site，八卦網站。
Jessica: 對。
YL: I see. So, what about the reporters who gather information for the tabloids—狗仔隊! 怎麼說？doggies?
Jessica: No! 狗仔隊是paparazzi, p-a-p-a-r-a-z-z-i, paparazzi. It’s in plural form.
YL: 那我可以說. The local paparazzi are following this movie star everywhere.當地的狗仔隊四處跟蹤這個電影明星。對么？
Jessica: 沒錯! Now let’s see what you’ve learned today!
YL: 第一，閑聊八卦，或者傳流言蜚語，都可以用gossip;
第二，八卦媒體是tabloid;
第三，狗仔隊，是複數名詞 paparazzi!
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：要說當明星談戀愛也真不容易，The paparazzi are everywhere! 狗仔隊跟得可緊呢！
B：Well, dating and handling relationships aren’t easy after all, no matter if you’re a celebrity or an average Joe.
A: 也是，普通人談戀愛也不容易，總是讓我歡喜讓我憂啊！
B: Tell me about it!
A: 怎麼了Donny? 你有什麼感情生活的煩惱，可以告訴我啊！
B: 好啦！你就不要八卦了！Let’s listen to the next program–GoEnglish，美語三級跳。講的就是約會談戀愛！
GoEnglish: Greeting friends–Advanced
各位聽眾，大家好！今天我們為您播出「美語三級跳」節目「問候朋友」單元的高級課程。
Winnie： Lawrence 給Jen做媒，讓她和自己的另一位朋友William 約會。
Professor: Today Lawrence and Jen have met for coffee to talk about how Jen’s date with William went.
Lawrence: So Jen, what did you think of William? Did you guys have a nice time on your first date?
Jen: Oh yeah, it was great! He took me to an Italian restaurant and we had an amazing conversation. I told him about how many kids I want, and how my parents will be so excited to meet him.
Lawrence: You said all that on the first date? Alright …. Well are you two going out again?
Jen: Yeah! I called him after I got home to arrange our next date, but unfortunately his grandma is sick so he has been busy every night visiting her in the hospital.
Winnie: Professor Bowman，看來這個William還真是a catch! Jen好象對他很滿意，甚至提到去見父母和生孩子的事呢！不過，第一次約會就說這麼嚴肅的事兒，會把男生嚇跑的。
Professor: Judging from my personal experience, that’s very possible! Did you hear that William’s grandmother got sick right after his date with Jen? That’s a little odd.
Winnie: 就是啊! Jen一約William，William就說自己奶奶病重，哪有這麼巧的事？! 八成是他不想再見面，所以找的借口!
Lawrence: William told you that his grandmother is sick, huh? What exactly did he say?
Jen: He said his grandmother got cancer and has only a few weeks to live. It’s really so sad! But when I talked to him on the phone, it sounded like he was holding up really well.
Lawrence: It didn’t sound like he was too upset, huh? What did you tell him?
Jen: I asked if there was anything I could do to help his family, and I told him that I could be a shoulder for him to cry on.
Lawrence: Well I hate to tell you this Jen, but both of William’s grandmothers passed away more than five years ago.
Winnie: Professor Bowman, Lawrence說 William 的祖母五年前就「passed away」了， 「pass away」不是去世的意思么？
Professor: Exactly. Sometimes people say that someone “passed away” because it sounds nicer than saying “died”.
Winnie: 怪不得William在電話里 holding up so well—沒有悲慟欲絕，原來奶奶生病真是他編出來的借口!
Jen: What do you mean his grandmothers are already dead? Wait a minute, you don’t think he’s avoiding me, do you?
Lawrence: Well you know, claiming that your grandmother is sick is the classic excuse used to get out of doing something.
Jen: Oh man, I hate rejection. It really makes you feel terrible, especially when you really liked the person.
Lawrence: Is there anything I can do to help? Just remember that I’m there for you if you want to talk about it.
Winnie: Professor, 我常聽美國人說「being there for somebody」，這到底是什麼意思呢？
Professor: “Being there for someone” is staying close to him and giving him support when he is going through a difficult period.
Winnie: Oh, being there for someone就是某人遇到困難時在他身邊支持他，鼓勵他。
Jen: Thanks. Sometimes talking with a friend is a great way to get over something. Do you mind if I vent a little bit?
Lawrence: Of course not. If you’re feeling bad and want to let your emotions out, you can just say whatever you want to me.
Jen: Great, because I am really mad at William. I mean, what kind of an idiot wouldn’t be able to appreciate a smart, beautiful woman like me? Anybody who would be friends with that guy has to be really dumb.
Lawrence: Uh, Jen …. you know I’m friends with William.
Jen: Oh right …. present company excluded, of course!
Winnie: 嗯，遇到挫折時，能有個朋友聽你 vent 傾訴真是一件幸運的事。 不過，professor, Jen 說的 present company excluded 是什麼意思？
Professor: When you criticize a group of people that the person you are talking to belongs to, you can say “present company excluded,” which means the person you are talking to is excepted from that criticism.
Winnie: 哦， 就是「在場者除外」。如果你批評一群人，而聽你說話的人也是其中一員的話，你就可以說「你不算，你跟他們不一樣」。唉，Professor Bowman，學了今天這一課，我再次領悟到，天下烏鴉一般黑，男人全都靠不住!
Professor: Ahem??
Winnie: Oh! 當然啦， present company excluded!
A: 這個約會算是徹底失敗！William 才見了Jen一次，就編了個糟糕的借口再也不見她了！難怪Jen got really mad at him!
B: The good thing is Lawrence is there for her.
A: 沒錯！Lawrence 說，如果Jen wants to let her emotions out，發泄感情，他會認真傾聽。依我看，Lawrence could be a shoulder for Jen to cry on, 在Jen難過的時候，倒是可以借Lawrence的肩膀靠一靠呢！
B: Yeah! Actually they should just date each other! They would make a great couple!
A: 對呀！Jen應該趕緊轉換情感對象！
B: That’s easier said than done.
A: 不管難不難，看見這個人不合適，就得另找出路！哎，就算在公司里也是一樣啊，如果有人不能勝任工作，最明智的做法就是讓別人來替換他！Send him packing!
B: 怡茹，你的英語真是越來越地道了，send him packing 讓他打鋪蓋走人！好吧，咱們來聽聽下面的「禮節美語」，說的就是這個。
Business Etiquette: Vote of No Confidence I
公司董事會成員 David 找 Ken 談話，顯得很神秘。
David: Hey, Ken…I need to talk to you.
K: Sure…what’s up?
D: Can we step into the conference room? This is a more private conversation.
K: Sure…
D: Ok…I’m just going to lay it all out on the table: What do you think of Vincent’s management style?
K: Well, Vincent has only been CEO for a couple of years and … well…um…
D: I don’t want to put you on the spot. Here’s what I’m getting at: I don’t think Vincent is the man for the job.
原來，David 找 Ken 談話，是因為覺得公司首席執行官 Vincent is not the man for the job. 不稱職。David 說，I don’t want to put you on the spot. 意思是我不是故意為難你。to put someone on the spot 意思是讓某人回答很難回答的問題。David 在上面那段話里還說 I’m just going to lay it all out on the table. 我就直截了當說吧。to lay something out 是講清楚；on the table 意思是放在桌面上討論。Ken 問 David 為什麼覺得 Vincent 不稱職。
K: Really? And what led you to this conclusion?
D: As I see it, he lacks the proper vision. His style is more about survival, and he’s not taking the company anywhere. He’s treading water instead of swimming.
K: Well, I confess I’ve had my doubts about his abilities before. It seems he mainly got the job because his famous aunt pulled some strings.
David 覺得 Vincent 缺乏遠見，lacks the proper vision. 只能維持現狀，不能推動發展，就好像在水裡，He’s treading water instead of swimming. 光是原地踩水，不向前游。Ken說，Vincent 擔任CEO, 靠的是自己姑姑的關係，His aunt pulled some strings. to pull some strings 意思是動用關係。
D: I’ve been with this firm for 26 years and I’d hate to see it go down the drain due to poor leadership skills.
K: Me too. But what can we do? This isn’t a reality TV show…we can’t just vote him out.
D: Yes and no…We can’t ask for a show of hands on who thinks he should be fired, but we can introduce a vote of no confidence at the next board meeting.
K: Interesting idea. You might be on to something.
David 說，自己在公司已經26年了，不想看著公司go down the drain就這麼垮掉。to go down the drain 是失敗，白費的意思。David 覺得，雖然這不是電視真人秀 reality TV show，不能讓大家表決把他趕下台，a show of hands 是舉手表決的意思，但是可以在下個董事會上提出一份 a vote of no confidence 不信任提案。
A: 哇，看來這個公司要小小的政變一下啦！
B: Right. The management is likely to have a shakeup after the vote of no confidence.
A: 那個靠著親戚 pull some strings 動用關係當上總裁的Vincent，很可能下台。大家覺得他不能給公司帶來發展，He’s treading water instead of swimming. 他只會在水裡原地踏步，不往前游。
B: You know what, Yiru? All these moves in the water are make me think of a certain sport.
A: 我知道，你是說花樣游泳對不對？咱們馬上來聽「體育美語」！
American sports English: Synchronized swimming
Y: Hi, this is Yang Chen.
P: And I’m Patrick.
P: Yang Chen, do you know why we are at the swimming pool?
Y: We are going to talk about swimming.
P: But we aren’t just talking about swimming. We are going to be talking about the Olympic sport of synchronized swimming.
Y: Synchronized swimming? 花樣游泳!!!Do we have to talk about it. Patrick?
P: Yes, we do. Synchronized S-Y-N-C-H-R-O-N-I-Z-E-D swimming, Yang Chen. You know, the sport that combines swimming, gymnastics and dance. Why do you ask?
Y: 我告訴你一個秘密，你可保證不能告訴別人。我特別不喜歡Synchronized swimming。What a dumb sport!
P: How can you say that, Yang Chen? Those swimmers work really hard to get their routines in perfect unison. It is a very demanding sport, requiring strength and artistry.
Y: Strength力量，artistry 藝術，少拿這些大詞兒嚇唬我。 It’s a dumb sport. It’s dumb. I just don’t get it.
P: Oh, come on, Yang Chen. It is like ballet in the water. In fact, the sport is sometimes called “water ballet”.
Y: “Water ballet” 水上芭蕾？噢，這下我明白我為什麼不喜歡Synchronized swimming了，因為我不喜歡芭蕾！
P: Well, then I guess I am just going to have to show you how demanding a sport synchronized swimming is. Let’s try to synchronize some of our moves.
Y: Do we have to, Patrick?
P: Yes, Yang Chen. We have to. Okay– Raise your right hand in the air, then reach down and touch your left foot like I am doing, while lifting your right foot.
Y: So, I raise my right hand,抬起右手 touch my left foot, 摸左腳，then lift my right foot. 抬起右腳. 喂，喂Patrick, 你開什麼玩笑，這太難了！I am losing my balance! Ooooh, noooo! Help!
A: Synchronized swimming, 又稱Water ballet, 水上芭蕾！我特別愛看！
B: So do I! Just think about the slender girls in their fancy outfits!
A: 啊？Donny，原來你是喜歡看美女啊？好啦，今天的節目時間差不多了。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!
美語訓練班 第007課
A: 歡迎大家來到美語訓練班！我是王怡茹。
B: And I’m Donny. 怡茹，今天我們都教些什麼啊？
A: 今天這節課，我們要去公司里，把一個不稱職的高管趕下台，還要和朋友聚聚，聊聊自己的感情生活，要告訴大家用美語怎麼說女孩子的「真命天子」， 還要去看棒球比賽，教大家怎麼……
B: 加油？
A: 不對，是起鬨!
A: 哈哈，聽著不錯吧？ 好，下面咱們還是按照老規矩，先花一分鐘，學一個詞!
Learn A Word: on the fence
今天我們要學的詞是 on the fence, fence is spelled f-e-n-c-e, on the fence. On the fence 猶豫不決的。Many potential home buyers are still on the fence, waiting for the housing market to reach rock bottom. 很多想買房的人還在猶豫不決，等待房地產市場觸底。Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is still on the fence about whether or not she wants to run for President. 阿拉斯加州前州長佩林在是否要參加總統大選的問題上依然猶豫不決。Meanwhile, many Republican voters are still on the fence in terms of which candidate to support. 與此同時，很多共和黨選民在支持哪位候選人的問題上還是拿不到主意。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 on the fence, on the fence, on the fence.
A: Donny, 剛才咱們聽的這個on the fence 是猶豫不決的意思。可是，”fence”不是粉絲嘛？就是追星族？
B: No, Yiru, that’s another word. “On the fence”裡面的fence，是f-e-n-c-e, 意思是圍牆，柵欄。
A: 難怪on the fence 表示騎牆，猶豫不決。
B: 沒錯。你說的歌迷影迷在英文里是fan, f-a-n, fan. 複數加s，變成fans. 也就是中國人常說的「粉絲」。
A: 這下我明白了!
B: 明白就好! Now let’s move on to our next program–words and idioms.
Word and Idioms: Bear the brunt
各位聽眾，現在播送<美國習慣用語>第 935講。我是楊琳。
我是 Douglas Johnson.
昨天，我和一個朋友聊天。她向我訴苦說，三年前，她父親去世了，而幾個哥哥都不想照顧年邁體弱的母親，所以她這個家裡最小的女兒這三年就一直擔負著照料母親的責任，感覺壓力很大，特別累。我覺得她那幾個哥哥實在很不應該，很自私。同時，我也想到了一個習慣用語，那就是：
Bear the brunt. Bear is spelled b-e-a-r, and brunt; b-r-u-n-t. Bear the brunt.
Brunt 的意思是「衝擊力，壓力」，bear the brunt 就是指承受最大的壓力，應對最糟糕的局面。我朋友就是這樣，哥哥們不願意讓體弱的媽媽搬來同住，She has little choice but to bear the brunt. 她別無選擇，只得硬著頭皮接過這個責任。
在下面這段話中，郵遞員們要承擔很大壓力，我們來聽一聽是怎麼回事：
“The postal workers were fed up with low wages and increased hours. That’s what led to the strike. Their protest didn’t get much sympathy from citizens. Every day that they chose not to deliver the mail, they heard more and louder complaints. They had to BEAR THE BRUNT of the public’s anger.”
這段話是說：郵局職工受夠了低工資和長工時，於是他們決定罷工。可是他們的抗議行為並沒有得到公眾的同情。郵局一天不送信，公眾對它的抱怨就更強烈。郵遞員們不得不承受公眾憤怒所帶來的壓力。
我倒覺得，公眾壓力可能對郵局有利。郵政癱瘓，時間一長，真正要bear the brunt–承受壓力的人就不是郵局，而是政府了。政府頂不住壓力就可能妥協，郵局工作人員的要求也就能達成啦! 好了，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話：
“The postal workers were fed up with low wages and increased hours. That’s what led to the strike. Their protest didn’t get much sympathy from citizens. Every day that they chose not to deliver the mail, they heard more and louder complaints. They had to BEAR THE BRUNT of the public’s anger.”
在下面這段話中，整個城市，不，差不多半個國家都處在壓力之下，咱們來聽聽是怎麼回事：
“The winter of 2010 will be remembered for terrible weather. A February blizzard buried several states in the mid-Atlantic region under 2-3 feet of snow. Three days later, a second massive snowstorm dumped another 1-2 feet. Washington, D.C. was among the cities that BORE THE BRUNT. It was paralyzed, suffering the snowiest winter in its history.”
這段話是說：2010年冬天最大的特點就是天氣特別糟糕。二月份一場大風暴把美國東部的幾個州埋在了兩三英尺厚的大雪下。就在三天後，第二場大雪又帶來了一到兩英尺的降雪。首都華盛頓就是受大雪影響最嚴重的城市之一。整個城市癱瘓，在其歷史上降雪量最大的寒冬中瑟瑟發抖。
這個大雪不斷的冬天我是親身經歷了。交通不便，水電被中斷，還有人員死亡和財產損失。恐怕除了不用上學，可以痛快玩雪的孩子，沒人欣賞這個白茫茫的冬天。好了，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話：
“The winter of 2010 will be remembered for terrible weather. A February blizzard buried several states in the mid-Atlantic region under 2-3 feet of snow. Three days later, a second massive snowstorm dumped another 1-2 feet. Washington, D.C. was among the cities that BORE THE BRUNT. It was paralyzed, suffering the snowiest winter in its history.”
各位聽眾，今天我們學習的習慣用語是bear the brunt，意思是「應對最糟糕的局面，頂住最大的壓力」。好的，這次[美國習慣用語]就到此結束，我是曉北，我是 Douglas Johnson。
A: Bear the brunt，承受最大的壓力。說起這個，當年我剛來美國留學的時候，一個人孤孤單單，舉目無親，精神壓力特大。
B: I feel you, Yiru. When I was studying Chinese in Beijing, the first several months were very stressful.
A: 咱們真是同病相憐! 好在我後來遇到了我老公，他對我特別好，給我家的溫暖，He changed my life!
B: Hmm, that’s a story of meeting the right person at the right time.
A: 是哦! 我在恰當的時候遇到了合適的人。
B: 正好，咱們今天的「美語怎麼說」就要教大家說這個「合適的人」。
How to say it in American English: Mr. Right
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。今天是楊林要問的：真命天子
YL: Jessica! 跟你說件事兒。
Jessica: Go ahead.
YL: 我不久前碰到高中時同桌的男生，和他聊得特投機! 我們一起看電影，吃飯，跳舞……太開心了! 我好象喜歡上他了!
Jessica: You mean you “developed a crush on him?” Crush is spelled c-r-u-s-h, crush. It means a temporary love.
YL: 哦，crush 就是一時迷戀，動心。Jessica, I think I developed a major crush on him.
Jessica: 楊林，你不是有男朋友么？
YL: 呃……我也為這事兒發愁呢，不知道誰是我的真命天子。
Jessica: 真命天子？那不是皇帝么？
YL: 哈哈，是皇帝沒錯。可一個女生的真命天子就是她真正的伴侶。這用英文怎麼說呢？
Jessica: Oh, you’re talking about “Mr. Right”! Mr. Right refers to the perfect man for you.
YL: Mr. Right? right是「對，正確」，所以 Mr. Right 就是各方面都跟我特別合適的男人， 我的真命天子!
Jessica: Exactly! So who looks like your Mr. Right, your boyfriend or this high school classmate?
YL: 我也不知道! 你說我該選擇哪個呢？
Jessica: Well, I think you should choose the one who is your soul mate.
YL: soul mate? s-o-u-l, soul是靈魂的意思，mate 是伴侶，所以soul mate 就是靈魂伴侶嘍？
Jessica: 沒錯! Your soul mate is the person with whom you have deep and natural love. It’s very spiritual.
YL: 和那人心有靈犀一點通，這感覺太美好了!
Jessica: 好了，Let’s see what you’ve learned today!
YL: 第一：對某人產生好感，to develop a crush on someone；
第二：女孩子的真命天子， Mr. Right;
第三：靈魂伴侶，soul mate
A: soul mate, 靈魂伴侶，My husband and I are soul mates.
B:Yeah yeah yeah, he’s totally your Mr. right.
A: Donny, 你不要嫉妒我們這種愛情甜蜜的人嘛! Have you found your soul mate yet?
B: Ar…I’m still looking.
A: 我看，你是選擇太多，所以，You’re on the fence, aren’t you?
B: Thanks for your understanding, Yiru. Sometimes I wish I weren’t this popular.
A: 嘿!說你胖你就喘! 好了，我們還是來聽聽下面的美語三級跳吧，看看怎麼向朋友介紹你的感情生活！
GoEnglish: Relationship — Beginner
各位聽眾，大家好！今天我們為您播出「美語三級跳」節目「戀愛」單元的初級課程。
Professor: Kevin and Emily are friends. They have come home from college for the holiday, and are talking about their relationships at school.
Winnie: 兩個好朋友放假時聚在一起，當然得聊聊各自的感情生活了，快聽聽吧!
Emily: Hi Kevin, how was your year at college?
Kevin: It was great! How was your year?
Emily: It was good. Do you have a girlfriend at school?
Kevin: Yes, I’m dating someone. Her name is Amanda.
Winnie: 怪不得Kevin在大學裡過得這麼高興，原來是交了女朋友!
Professor: That’s right, Winnie. If you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, you can say that you’re dating someone.
Winnie: 哦， 如果我有男朋友，就可以說 “I have a boyfriend”或者說”I’m dating someone”。那我現在沒有男朋友，該怎麼說呢？
Professor: Then you can say that “I’m single.”
Winnie: 哦，”I’m single”就是說我沒戀愛，還是隻身一人。
Professor: That’s right, Winnie. Now let’s hear how Kevin met his girlfriend.
Emily: How did you meet your girlfriend?
Kevin: I met Amanda through a friend.
Emily: That’s great. Did you start dating right after you met, or did you become friends first?
Kevin: We started dating right away.
Professor: Winnie, did you hear where Kevin met his girlfriend?
Winnie: 他們是通過朋友介紹認識的，而且立刻開始約會! 不知道他們交往多久了。
Professor: Well, let’s listen and find out!
Emily: When did you and Amanda meet each other?
Kevin: I met her about one year ago.
Emily: So you met her right after you got to school?
Kevin: That’s right. We’ve been dating since last September.
Winnie: 他們倆人從去年九月開始約會，這麼說他們在一起一年了! 看起來他們對這份感情還挺認真的。
Professor: That’s right, Winnie. They sound like a serious couple.
Winnie: 像Kevin這樣專一的男生現在可不多了，不知道怎樣才能找到這麼好的男生。
Emily: So you said you and Amanda met through a mutual friend. How did it happen?
Kevin: Well, my roommate was friends with Amanda, so he introduced us.
Emily: Did he tell you what she was like first?
Kevin: Yes, he described her to me, and she sounded like my type.
Winnie: Professor Bowman, Kevin說 Amanda 聽起來是他的”type,” 這是什麼意思?
Professor: Your “type” is the kind of person that you like to date.
Winnie: 哦，原來 your type 就是你喜歡的那種人。Kevin 的室友一跟Kevin描述Amanda, Kevin就覺得，這個女孩正是他心目中的理想女友!
Emily: So Kevin, what is your type?
Kevin: I like girls who like to have fun, and aren’t too serious.
Emily: I agree. I like guys that can make me laugh.
Kevin: That’s true. Having a very serious boyfriend or girlfriend can be boring.
Winnie: 其實Kevin和Emily聽上去倒是挺班配的。
Professor: Yes, they both like people who like to have fun and make them laugh.
Winnie: Kevin跟Amanda交往那麼久，兩人一定很合得來，就是不知道是不是一見鍾情。
Professor: Let’s listen and find out.
Emily: How did you first meet?
Kevin: My roommate invited both of us to dinner.
Emily: Was it love at first sight? Did you fall in love with her the first time you met her?
Kevin: Yes! The first time I saw her I knew we would fall in love.
Winnie: 果然是一見鍾情! 好浪漫哦! 不過，還多虧了Kevin室友這個月下佬幫忙!
Professor: That’s true, Winnie! Match people are important! Do you know computers now can work as match makers?
Winnie: 哦， 您說的是專門替人找對象的網站吧! 的確，很多人現在用這種online dating來尋找伴侶，只要在電腦上輸入your “type”, 電腦就會幫你找到你的另一半。不過真交往起來並不一定合適。
Professor: That’s true. Winnie, we’ve heard a lot about Kevin’s relationship. Now let’s find out about Emily.
Kevin: What about you, Emily? Have you dated anyone recently?
Emily: I started to date someone recently, but it didn’t work out.
Kevin: That’s too bad. What happened?
Emily: Well … that’s a long story.
Winnie: 唉， 可憐的Emily，最近交了個男朋友，可後來卻分手了。怎麼會這樣呢？
Professor: Let’s listen next time and find out!
A: 啊! 甜蜜的校園戀情。Kevin和Amanda是love at first sight–一見鍾情。倆人都愛說愛笑，They’re made for each other.– 他們簡直就是天造地設的一對。
B: But Emily isn’t so lucky. Her relationship didn’t work out.
A: 她還說，That’s a long story–說來話長。
B: Yes. Sometimes you really can’t pinpoint what went wrong in a relationship. You just know the person isn’t right for you.
A: 可不是么! 談戀愛要靠感覺，是很玄妙的。不過要是換到別的人際關係上，可就不能光憑感覺辦事兒了。
B: That’s true. For example, if your boss wants to fire you, he can’t say “oh, it’s not your fault. I just don’t like you.”
A: 對，公司里的人事變化是要有事實做理由的，否則就沒有規矩了。下面咱們來聽聽「禮節美語」，說的就是這個。
Business Etiquette: Vote of No Confidence II
公司董事 David 和 Ken談話，覺得公司CEO Vincent 不稱職。David說，
David: One of Vincent’s biggest problems is his tendency to micro-manage everything. He sticks his nose into everything instead of leaving the day-to-day decisions to the guys who know what they’re doing.
K: That’s true. He also seems rather uncertain and indecisive about many things.
D: Yeah…we need a leader who can inspire us. The CEO needs to be a coach, not a referee. You know…not everyone is cut out to be a leader.
K: I think one of the primary skills a leader needs is the ability to listen.
David 覺得, Vincent 最大的問題之一是喜歡 micro-manage 管得太細。He sticks his nose into everything. 不論什麼事他都要插手，to stick one’s nose into something 意思是插手某事。Ken 也說，Vincent 在很多問題上優柔寡斷，而且不會聽取意見。David 還說，not everyone is cut out to be a leader. 不是人人都能當領導的。to be cut out for something 意思是適合做某事。
D: Vincent is terrible at that. He frequently seems to completely misunderstand what we’re trying to get across. Just between you and me, I’ve spoken to a few other board members and they say if there is a vote of no confidence, they’ll vote “no.”
K: But will Vincent be forced to resign if there is such a vote?
D: No…but it will do one of two things: one, it will serve as a wake-up call and he might change his style —or two: he might step down if he realizes he’s lost the support of the board.
David 已經跟其他一些董事會成員打過招呼，他們都表示，如果有不信任案，他們會投不信任票。這樣可能會有兩種結果，it will either serve as a wake-up call. 要麼會給Vincent 敲響警鐘，讓他自覺改變管理風格，要麼會讓 Vincent 意識到，自己已經失去董事會的支持，自覺下台。
K: Shouldn’t we try to find a way to give him a chance to avoid embarrassment?
D: Yes we should. I’ll be writing him a private letter next week and expressing our thoughts on the matter. I’d appreciate it if you would sign the letter as well.
K: Humm…well, I guess that’s the best way. We’ll give him a chance to either improve or resign.
D: And if he rejects those options, we’ll try a vote of no confidence.
K: Ok, David….I’m on board. Let’s give it a shot.
Ken 建議 give him a chance to avoid embarrassment 設法避免讓 Vincent 難堪，David 表示贊同，決定先給 Vincent 寫封私人信件，闡述他們的意見，希望 Ken 能在上面聯署。Ken 承認，這可能是最好的方式，說，I’m on board. 算我一個，Let’s give it a shot. 咱們試試看。
A: 我也覺得Vincent不是當CEO的料。他喜歡stick his nose into everything–什麼都插手，同時呢，He’s uncertain and indecisive–他又憂柔寡斷，什麼事都拿不定主意。
B: Right. He’s not cut out to be a leader.
A: 所以公司董事會要給他一個wake-up call, 敲警鐘。
B: But David will write to him first to let him know what other people are really thinking about his performance as CEO.
A: 是，這公司的人還是挺客氣的，給Vincent留著面子。在我們下面的「體育美語」節目中，觀眾席里的人可就沒有這麼好的風度了。
B: Yeah. Let’s listen.
American sports English: Heckling
Y: Patrick. 謝謝你帶我來看棒球比賽。
P: Hey, be quiet! Batta, batta, batta. Swing, batta!
Y: You be quiet! What are you doing, Patrick?
P: I’m heckling the players. Heckling H-E-C-K-L-I-N-G is when you yell at a player of the team you are not rooting for.
Y: 你這樣起鬨會影響運動員發揮的。I think it’s very distracting.
P: It is distracting and it really is not good to yell at athletes you aren’t rooting for- but in baseball, Yang Chen, it is a tradition.
Y: A tradition? 這還是個傳統啊？I don’t believe you.
P: Well, you should. It’s a common tradition and an easy one. All you say is: Batta, batta, batta. Swing, batta! I’m hoping that the batter, B-A-T-T-E-R, will miss the ball and get a strike, S-T-R-I-K-E.
Y: Oh, 你是在沖著那個batter 擊球手，給他起鬨。
P: Right. And if the batter swings three times and misses, it is three strikes. Three strikes and you are OUT!
Y: 三振出局。
P: Now this is what we want, Yang Chen. After three strikes, our team gets a chance to score.
Y: Hey, can you yell anything you want?
P: haha, good question but…. not really. You can’t yell anything really mean or obscene.
Y: 我知道了，不可以罵人，不可以喊髒話，那這樣行嗎？─Hey, 大笨瓜，you are out!
P: Uh, no. or as they say in the movie, just a bit outside.
Y: Hey look! 你看那大笨瓜 struck out! 被三振出局了！This is fun!
A: 學了半天起鬨，那叫好加油怎麼說啊？
B: 加油可以用”cheer”. For example, we all cheer for the home team.我們都為主場隊伍加油。
A: I see. 對了Donny, 你周末不是常和朋友們打棒球嘛？這個周末打不打？
B: 打啊。Are you coming to cheer for me?
A:我只是想去練習一下今天學的heckling.
B: 啊？!
A: I’m kidding! 好，今天的節目時間差不多了。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!
美語訓練班 第008課
A: 歡迎大家來到美語訓練班!我是王怡茹。
B: Hi, everyone! I’m Donny.
A: 今天這節課，我們要討論公司上市的問題, 聽聽朋友為什麼會和男友分手，裝扮成棒球隊的吉祥物, 還要告訴大家怎麼用美語說「來電」和「沒戲」。
B: …..Hmm? You’ve finished the preview, 怡茹？
A: Donny, pay attention! 我們可是在錄節目呢！你怎麼老低頭擺弄手機？！
B: Sorry sorry! 老有人在facebook和微博上加我為好友，I have to deal with these requests all day long! I’m turning off my phone RIGHT NOW!
A: 這才對嘛！總不能加好友加到節目上來呀！不過，說起這個在社交網路上加好友，咱們正好有個詞要教給大家！
B: Let’s listen!
Learn A Word befriend
今天我們要學的詞是befriend, befriend is spelled b-e-f-r-i-e-n-d, befriend. Befriend是如今社交網路用語，意思是「加為好友」。Former Congressman Anthony Weiner resigned after he was caught sending lewd photos of himself to women he befriended on Twitter. 前聯邦眾議員安東尼.維納因為向在推特上加為好友的女性發裸照被發現而宣布辭職。警方不久前破獲了一起強姦案。嫌疑人的做法是，The suspect would befriend high school girls on Facebook and then ask them to baby-sit his daughter. 嫌疑人在臉譜網上將高中女孩加為好友，然後請她們照看自己的女兒。因此，為安全起見，Don’t befriend anyone you don’t personally know on Facebook. 不要在臉譜網上將不認識的人加為好友。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 befriend, befriend, befriend.
A: Donny, 聽見沒有，不能亂加不認識的人。
B: Of course. I never befriend complete strangers on Facebook or Weibo.
A: 那你每天收到的好友請求還多到處理不過來？
B: 對啊！You know, I’m a very social person, and ever since I started hosting this show, my fan base has been expanding rapidly. 我的粉絲都要 befriend me, I don’t have the heart to turn them down.
A: 好啦好啦！Mr. Popular
B: I’m telling the truth, Yiru. I have five thousand friends on facebook alone!
A: 5000個好友？不可能！ No way! 沒戲！
B: 信不信由你！對了，你剛才說「沒戲」，那咱們就來學學怎麼用美語說「沒戲」，一起聽”Popular American.”
Popular American Take one for the team/fat chance
現在播送「流行美語」。李華在春假開始前考完了期中考，Larry 去學校接她。他們會用到兩個常用語：take one for the team 和 fat chance.
Larry: Lihua, how did your tests go?
LH: 考得不錯!現在我已經等不及開始春假啦!
Larry: Well, that’s great to hear, because I have some awesome plans for us this week!
LH: 太好了! 你有什麼好主意？
Larry: We’re going camping with my high school buddies!
LH: 啊？和你的高中同學出去露營？
Larry: That’s right!
LH: 我可不想去。
Larry: What?? Why not?
LH: 你們那些男生在一起就會喝啤酒聊棒球，我也插不上嘴，沒意思。
Larry: What’s so wrong with that? Besides, Mike and Jason are both bringing their girlfriends─I can’t go without you. Can’t you just take one for the team?
LH: The team? 什麼團隊？你在說什麼？
Larry: To take one for the team means to make a sacrifice for the good of your group or team.
LH: 哦，to take one for the team 就是為了團隊的利益犧牲自己的利益。你的高中同學都帶女朋友去，如果我能跟你去露營，雖然自己可能覺得沒趣兒，但是你會高興，對不對？
Larry: Yes. Here’s another example. If you’re working on a group project with your classmates, and you agree to do a really tedious part of the project that no one else wants to do, you’d be taking one for the team.
LH: 哦，在團隊作業中，如果我自願完成最無聊的、別人都不願意做的那個部分，我就是take one for the team—為了整個團隊能完成作業，自己吃虧嘍!
Larry: That’s right! So are you going to take one for the team by going on the camping trip with me?
LH: 可是Larry, 我不懂棒球，也不喝酒，去了我會悶死的。。。
Larry: Come on, Lihua…Can’t you just take one for the team this once? I’m sure you will have a good time talking to my friends』 girlfriends.
LH: Larry, 我還是不去了。
Larry: Fine, Lihua. You’re a horrible teammate.
LH: Larry, 你別生氣。其實春假我已經有安排了，我要為中國學生會的端午節龍舟賽作準備工作啊。
Larry: The Dragonboat Festival? Isn’t that months away?
LH: 沒錯，是還有好幾個月呢，但是我現在就得開始找場地了啊! 對了，我想起來了，你春假也不能閑著，得開車帶我四處去聯絡比賽場地!
Larry: Pfff! Fat Chance!
LH: Fat? Chance?? 你是什麼意思？
Larry: No! Fat chance means no chance. Why should I help you out when you won’t go camping with me?
LH: 啊？Fat Chance就是沒可能？你不幫忙啊! 真差勁!
Larry: Hmm. It seems we both need each other to do something for the other. Are you sure you won’t take one for the team and come camping with me and my friends?
LH: Fat Chance! 我堅決不去跟你露營! Larry, 你不是已經答應中國學生會的同學，說好要幫忙的么？怎麼能不算話？
Larry: Well, I─
LH: Why don’t you take one for the team? 你怎麼不犧牲一下？
Larry: Oh, alright. I guess I should stay and help since I already promised. But, will you at least come camping with us sometime this summer?
LH: Fat chance!
Larry: What about next year?
LH: Fat chance!
Larry:…Will you ever stop saying “fat chance”?
LH: Fat chance!
Larry: ─OK, Lihua. I get the idea! Man, I should have never taught you this phrase.
LH: 哈哈哈! Larry, 你氣得鬍子都翹起來了! 我跟你開玩笑的! 一直以來，你總是耐心地教我英文，我很感激呢! Thanks for taking one for the team and being patient with me!
Larry: Yea yea, whatever. Just remember─you owe me one. There’s going to come a day when I will need you to do something you might not want to do to help me out, and I’ll expect you to take one for the team, OK?
LH: Fat chance!
各位聽眾，今天李華學了兩個常用語，一個是take one for the team，意思是「為了別人犧牲自己的利益」；另一個是fat chance，意思是「不可能」。好的，這次《流行美語》播送完了，謝謝各位收聽，下次節目再見。
B: So, Yiru, do you think you can take one for the team?
A: 啊？什麼事啊？
B: Remember? The program director said one of us needed to attend a meeting in Paris this summer. You know, the meeting about producing the best language teaching show?
A: 你是說那個在巴黎召開的節目研討會？你是不是特別不想去，所以想拜託我親自跑這一趟？No problem! I can take one for the team for sure!
B: Fat chance! 你想得美！What I meant to ask you is, when I am away for the meeting, can you take care of my cat?
A: 啊？你去巴黎，讓我幫你看貓？Fat chance, Donny!
B: 真不夠意思。
A: 好啦，咱們還是繼續聽節目吧。 今天我們要看看「來電」用「美語怎麼說」。
How to say it: Sparks
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：來電。
JESSICA: Lulu, I heard you went on a couple blind dates. How did they go?
Lulu: 沒錯! 我是去見了幾個。給你看照片，在我手機里呢。
JESSICA: Wow, 這個真帥! 長得像王立宏! Did you guys hit it off? 你們談得來么？
Lulu: 這個長得是不錯，可是，我跟他就是不來電! We don’t have electricity!
JESSICA: Haha, Lulu，You should use the word “chemistry”. There’s no chemistry between you two.
Lulu: Chemistry? 化學？ 也對，不都說愛情是一種化學反應嘛! 說倆人「沒感覺，不來電」，就是There’s no chemistry!
JESSICA: That’s right. Now let’s look at the next guy. Hmm, this one… How old is he? I bet he’s over 40!
Lulu: 哈哈，這個是挺老的，可是我覺得我們倆挺來電的。We have chemistry!
JESSICA: Really? You saw sparks flying around?
Lulu: Spark? 我知道，s-p-a-r-k, spark，是火花，你說 「sparks flying around」，就是「火花亂飛，瞬間來電」，是不是？
JESSICA: Yes. For example, the first time my boyfriend and I kissed, I saw sparks!
Lulu: 這麼說，There are definitely sparks between us!
JESSICA: That’s great! So you are seeing this, er, mature guy, aren’t you?
Lulu: Am I seeing him? 我看他？
JESSICA: Actually, to see someone means to date someone.
Lulu: 哦, to see someone就是和某人交往。我正在和他交往，就是I’m seeing him.
JESSICA: Correct. 不過，I think this guy is a bit too old for you.
Lulu: 我就喜歡成熟的! 年齡不是問題!
JESSICA: Well, if you say so. Now I see why people say “love is blind.”
Lulu: Love is blind? 愛情是盲目的？
JESSICA: 對啊! Anyway, I wish you good luck! Let’s see what you’ve learned today!
Lulu: 第一，來電可以用chemistry 或者sparks
第二，和某人交往是to see someone
第三, 愛情是盲目的，說Love is blind.
A：chemistry，來電，這個詞真生動。人家說愛情就是化學反應，時間一長，反應結束，就沒感覺了。
B: That’s why someone who seems so lovable at the beginning of a relationship can become so annoying later on.
A: 是啊，要是你不喜歡這個人了，看見他之後可就不是sparks flying around, 火花亂飛，瞬間來電了，我估計，The only thing you can see will be stars! 你一看見這人就煩得頭暈，眼冒金星。
B: Then you have to break up with the person.
A: 是，就剩分手了。
B: Let’s listen to the next program–GoEnglish，美語三級跳。講的就是分手！
GoEnglish: Relationship─Intermediate
各位聽眾，大家好！今天我們為您播出「美語三級跳」節目「戀愛」單元的中級課程。
Winnie: Emily 告訴好朋友 Kevin，自己交了個男朋友，可最終卻分手了。Professor Bowman, 怎麼會這樣呢？
Professor: Let’s listen and find out what went wrong.
Kevin: So Emily, what happened with the guy you started dating recently?
Emily: Well, a guy from one of my classes asked me out on a date. At first I had a crush on him, but after a couple of dates, I knew he wasn’t my type.
Kevin: Well, don’t worry, there are lots of other guys out there. Why wasn’t he your type?
Emily: Well, I like guys that like to have a good time and make me laugh, but this guy just wanted to stay home and play video games all the time.
Winnie: 哦，原來 Emily 的前男友一天到晚窩在家裡打電子遊戲，難怪 Emily 受不了。Professor Bowman, Emily 說她一開始的時候對那個男生有 crush，這是什麼意思？
Professor: A crush is a temporary love for someone. A lot of people say that they have a crush on someone, which means that they like that person.
Winnie: 哦， crush 就是說對某個人有好感。 那如果兩個人開始約會了，還能說自己對這個人有crush么？
Professor: Good question, Winnie. The answer is no. A crush can only be a person who you like, but who you aren’t dating yet.
Kevin: Well, I think it’s good that you don’t go for guys who play video games all the time. But why did you have a crush on him at first?
Emily: Well, our first date started well because we talked about how much each of us likes movies. But it turned out we don’t like the same kinds of movies.
Kevin: That’s too bad. I remember a few years ago I was seeing a girl who only wanted to watch movies that I hated. Every weekend we argued about what movie to watch.
Emily: That’s too bad. I hope your current girlfriend likes the same kinds of movies as you.
Winnie: 原來，Emily和前男友是因為兩人都喜歡看電影才開始交往的。Emily後來發現，這個男生不是她”go for”, 喜歡的類型，所以決定分手。對了，沒準 Kevin 有什麼朋友，可以介紹給 Emily 呢。
Professor: You guessed it. In the next section, listen for the phrase “set up,” which means to introduce two people.
Kevin: Actually, I have a friend who you might like. Do you want me to set you up?
Emily: Well, I usually don’t like to be set up because I really don’t like blind dates.
Kevin: I understand. But this time you should let me set you up because I think my friend is really your type.
Emily: Well … OK. If you think he is my type, then I will let you set us up.
Winnie: 太好了，Kevin 要把自己的朋友介紹給 Emily!
Professor: That’s right. But why doesn’t Emily usually like to be set up?
Winnie: 她不喜歡別人給自己介紹男朋友是因為她不愛去盲約，blind dates, 也就是由別人安排的約會。這點她跟我倒很像!
Professor: But, Winnie, sometimes you have to trust your friends. I think Emily trusts Kevin to introduce her to someone nice. In this section, listen for the word “jock,” meaning “someone who only likes to do sports.”
Emily: But Kevin, you have to promise me your friend isn’t a jock. I really don’t like jocks.
Kevin: No, he’s not a jock at all. In fact, he’s the opposite of a jock. He’s a nerd.
Emily: A nerd? I don’t really go for nerds either.
Kevin: Well, you just have to trust me. I won’t set you up with someone you won’t like.
Emily: Alright. But Kevin, if your friend is a big weirdo, you’re going to be in big trouble!
Kevin: Don’t worry, I promise he’s not a weirdo.
Winnie: Emily 還挺挑剔的，既不要「jock”, 運動狂，也不要”nerd,” 書獃子。更不要 “weirdo,” 古里古怪的人。
Professor: Well Emily does sound picky. But as long as Kevin’s friend isn’t a weirdo, I think they’ll have a good time.
Winnie: 如果Kevin介紹個怪人給她，她絕對饒不了Kevin! 我倒真想看看Kevin給她介紹個什麼人!
Professor: Well, listen next time and find out!
A: 原來Emily因為和男朋友電影口味不同就分手啦？這是不是小題大做了？
B: I don’t think so. Trivial things can kill a relationship. However, I don’t understand why girls hate guys who enjoy playing video games at home.
A: 哈！我知道你喜歡在家打遊戲！不過你老打遊戲就沒時間哄女朋友啦。我們女生多不容易啊，男生們不是jock─運動狂，就是nerd─書獃子，要不就是weirdo－－怪裡怪氣的人。想找個好男人，難！
B: 好女生也很難找啊！
A: So it’s perfectly okay to be a bit picky! 交朋友談戀愛不能一時衝動，光憑感覺，多挑挑，沒壞處。在公司里，如果要做出什麼決定，也得考慮周全。
B: 對！咱們來聽聽下面的「禮節美語」，The company has a big decision to make.
Business Etiquette: IPO (I)
公司老闆召集手下 Lisa 和 Ken 開會，商量公司上市的問題。Jerry 說，
Jerry: Well, I’ve called you here today because we have to make a very important decision, one that affects the future of our company. As you know…we have been a privately held, family owned company for over 120 years, but it has come to my attention that it may be time to consider some major changes.
Lisa: You mean… like becoming a publicly traded company?
J: That’s right. It’s something we should give serious consideration to.
這家公司120多年來，一直是 privately held, family owned 私人持有、家族經營的公司。Jerry 說，it has come to my attention 意思是我注意到，如今應該考慮採取重大改革了。Lisa 問 Jerry 是不是想成為 a publicly traded company. 上市公司。 Ken 說，
Ken: Wow Jerry! That is a revolutionary idea. Can you tell us why you think this makes good business sense to you?
J: We’ve been doing quite well on our own and we could probably survive like this for quite a few more years to come, but if we really want to take it to the next level, we are going to have to consider finding more investors. We simply don’t have the funds to make any serious investments towards obtaining a bigger market share. We need funds to grow.
上市從商業角度看，有沒有道理呢？換句話說，does it make good business sense? Jerry 解釋說，公司保持現狀再維持幾年肯定沒有問題，但如果想 take it to the next level 更上一層樓的話， 就要找到更多的投資人。公司要爭取 a bigger market share 更大的市場份額，需要資金，有了資金，才能成長。
K: So our goal in making an initial public offering is to solicit investors? But then we’ll have to accept a Board of Directors chosen by our stockholders. Wouldn’t that limit us in many ways?
J: There will certainly be some limitations. But if you consider the massive capital investment that we’ll receive, you’ll understand that this could take our company from being a medium tier firm to one of the big players.
L: What are the risks of making the decision to become a publicly traded company?
首次公開募股 initial public offering 也就是公司上市，簡稱 IPO。上市公司由股東 stockholders 推選董事會 Board of Directors，當然會給公司決策帶來一些限制，但是Jerry說，與此同時，上市能籌集到大筆資金，讓他們的公司從一個中等層次的公司，變成 one of the big players 舉足輕重的大公司之一。從家族企業變成上市公司可能會有哪些風險呢？我們下次繼續聽。
A: 要把一個family-owned company家族企業，變成publicly-traded company 上市公司，這個主意很好啊！這樣公司才能做大，take it to the next level─生意更上層樓嘛！
B: The idea seems right, but you have to consider the downside too. For example, all major decisions have to run by the Board of Directors.
A: 也是，上面多了個董事會，很多事情就自己不能做主了。
B: 好了，等咱們成了上市公司的老闆，再去煩這些事情吧！
A: 不過，我倒覺得下面這個「體育美語」中講到的工作更適合我。
B: What is it?
A: 聽聽就知道啦！
American sports English: Mascots
YC: Umm, 今天我們這裡怎麼來了一隻chicken？
PW: I’m not a chicken, Yang Chen. I’m a rooster.
YC: Okay, so you are a rooster. 那你今天為什麼裝扮成一隻公雞呢？
PW: I’ve been asked to be the mascot at my friend’s baseball game. His team is called the “Roosters.”
YC: 這個棒球隊也是，什麼名字不好起，偏偏叫”Roosters.” 要是叫”Pandas”，你不就可以扮成可愛的熊貓了嗎？
P It’s OK, A mascot can be any animal, person or even a clown.
YC: 小丑也可以作吉祥物。
P A Mascot M-A-S-C-O-T represents a team, brings the team luck and sometimes acts as a cheerleader for the team. So, since my friend’s team is called the “Roosters”─the mascot is a big, colorful Rooster. That’s me.
YC: 看來Mascot 還真是重要，既能代表這個球隊，給球隊加油， 還能給球隊帶來好運。可我還是想作一個可愛的 mascot， not a rooster.
PW: But I really want to see you in the rooster costume, do you want to try it on?
Y: No way, not in a million years.
Patrick，請問你今天作為”Roosters”棒球隊的吉祥物Rooster先生，你今天晚上都要作什麼？
PW: Well, I’ll be wearing this rooster costume the whole time.
Y: The whole time? 你一直都要穿著這身衣服？
P: Yeah, and I’ll mostly run around the field doing crazy stunts. Stunts, s-T-U-N-T-S. Audiences really like it when the mascot acts totally crazy.
Y: Crazy stunts，那你都有什麼瘋狂的舉動呢？
P: Like dancing and jumping.
Y: Patrick, You look pretty funny。我今天得去看你朋友的棒球隊比賽。I can’t wait to see you running around, doing crazy stunts in your rooster costume.
PW: Well, that’s the point, Yang Chen. The point of being a mascot is to make the audience laugh and have fun and feel good about the team they are rooting for.
YC: 沒錯，mascot要是能逗觀眾樂，那就更願意為這個球隊加油打氣了。
不過這身衣服一定很熱吧？
PW: You bet, Yang Chen. Especially under all of those stadium lights.
YC: 沒錯球場了燈光一照，那就更熱了。Well, Patrick, 你要聽我的話─ drink lots of water.
PW: Thanks, Mom. I will.
B: 怡茹，原來你想當mascot， 吉祥物？I can’t believe you would want to get into a silly costume and do crazy stunts!
A: 嘿！美女也瘋狂啊！ 我平時老是斯斯文文的，現在外面套個大卡通裝扮，盡情地出洋相，逗大家開心，也不錯啊！
B: So what cartoon character do you want to dress like?
A: Snow white, 白雪公主！
B: Oh please. Not that girly! How about King Kong?
A: 大猩猩金剛？I’ll really be taking one for the team if I dress like King Kong! 好啦，今天的節目時間差不多了。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!
美語訓練班 第009課
B: 歡迎大家來到美語訓練班！I’m Donny.
A: 大家好！我不是王怡茹！
B: 那您是….?
A: 我是楊琳！怡茹請假，我來代班。Donny, 請多多關照哈！
B: No problem, 楊琳. I’m sure you’ll do just fine!
A: 希望如此。咱們要先介紹這節課學什麼，對不對？
B: Yes! 今天，我們要討論公司上市有哪些風險, 聽朋友講一次糟糕的約會，聊聊鍛煉身體時要注意些什麼, 還要告訴大家怎麼用美語說「小氣鬼」和「白費力」。
A: But we always learn a new word before anything else, right?
B: 沒錯，咱們先花一分鐘，學一個詞！
Learn A Word: wind down
今天我們要學的詞是 wind down, wind is spelled w-i-n-d, down is spelled d-o-w-n, wind down. Wind down 是逐漸結束的意思。美國總統奧巴馬宣布，今年七月開始從阿富汗撤軍，他對全國人民說: “It was the beginning, but not the end, of our effort to wind down this war.” 這是我們逐漸結束這場戰爭的開始，而不是結束。The federal stimulus program is starting to wind down in the state of Wyoming. 懷俄明州的聯邦經濟刺激項目漸漸落下帷幕。The party is winding down after four hours of craziness. 經過四個小時的狂歡後，派對漸漸進入尾聲。好的，今天我們學習的詞是wind down, wind down, wind down.
B: Hmm, why would people ever want to let the party wind down if everyone’s having fun? At my parties, the good times never end.
A: Donny，你可真是個party animal! 我就不行，我習慣早睡早起。上個周末，我鄰居家開party, and it showed no sign of winding down even at 3 o’clock in the morning! 音樂聲，說話聲，吵得我沒法睡覺！
B: That’s no good. Did you tell them to keep it down?
A: I did! Three times! 我去鄰居家講了三次，先是客氣地說，後來板著臉說，最後幾乎要報警了！可等我一走，他們就該幹嘛幹嘛，一切照舊！
B: Sounds like you’ve been beating your head against the wall.
A: 用頭撞牆？我看差不多了！大夜裡沒法睡覺真能把人逼瘋。
B: Actually, to beat one’s head against the wall has another meaning. Let’s listen and find out.
Words and Idioms: Beat one’s head against the wall
各位聽眾，現在播送<美國習慣用語>第 936講。我是楊琳
我是 Douglas Johnson.
我想去買輛新車，為了獲得最好的價格，我帶了一個朋友陪我同去。這位朋友很懂車，同時又很會砍價。結果，在我挑好車後，這位朋友上陣殺價了。她把自己肚子里和汽車有關的知識都用上了，可是，賣車的這位銷售員也相當厲害，愣是不鬆口。我朋友說得嘴都幹了，也沒把價砍下來。這讓我想到了一個習慣用語，那就是：
Beat one’s head against the wall. Beat is spelled b-e-a-t, head; h-e-a-d, and wall; w-a-l-l.
Beat-one’s-head-against-the-wall.
To beat one’s head against the wall 意思是白費力氣，徒勞無功。因為汽車銷售員不願意降價，我這個朋友花了好長時間講價，可是，All she managed to do was to beat her head against the wall. 她完全是白費唇舌。
在下面這段話中，一個遇到感情問題的女孩很希望挽回男友的心，但她這麼做是不是有用呢？我們來聽一聽：
“My sister hasn’t had much luck with relationships lately. She dated a guy for a couple of months, but he broke up with her and got back together with his old girlfriend. My sister couldn’t get over it. She spent weeks thinking about what she could have done differently. Why bother? I hated seeing her BEAT HER HEAD AGAINST THE WALL.”
這段話是說：[我妹妹最近感情生活頗為不順。她和一個男人交往了幾個月，但是這個人卻提出分手，和他的前女友複合了。我妹妹怎麼也放不下，幾個星期以來，她總是在想自己當初是否做錯了什麼，導致男友離開她。其實何必這樣呢？她完全是在浪費感情，我不想看到她這個樣子。]
在感情問題上，最忌諱拖泥帶水，苦苦不放手。男友的心不能挽回，就當是倆人有緣無份吧! 繼續浪費時間，只可能錯過真正適合自己的人。好了，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話：
“My sister hasn’t had much luck with relationships lately. She dated a guy for a couple of months, but he broke up with her and got back together with his old girlfriend. My sister couldn’t get over it. She spent weeks thinking about what she could have done differently. Why bother? I hated seeing her BEAT HER HEAD AGAINST THE WALL.”
小時候，家長老師常常教育我們說，要不怕失敗，百折不撓，還總用科學家的事例來鼓勵我們。雖然最後我們很多人都無法成為科學家，但是相信大家在追求自己夢想的過程中都會有一些意外的收穫，就好像下面這個人：
“History is filled with examples of inventors who were BEATING THEIR HEADS AGAINST THE WALL. Like the pharmacist in Atlanta, Georgia who was frustrated when he couldn’t find a cure for a headache. Then he created something accidentally that made him world-famous: Coca-Cola.”
這段話是說：[歷史上有很多在開始時白費力氣，走進死胡同的發明家。比如美國喬治亞州亞特蘭大的一個藥劑師，他一心想發明一種專治頭痛的葯，可是怎麼也不能成功，就在他為此感到沮喪的時候，卻意外地發明了一種飲料，並為此變得世界聞名，這個飲料就是可口可樂。]
不光是可口可樂，橡膠、青黴素、不沾鍋等都是人們在無意中發現或者創造出來的。所以，有時候當你一再失敗的時候，you’re not necessarily beating your heads against the wall. 你並不一定是在做無用功。好了，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話：
“History is filled with examples of inventors who were BEATING THEIR HEADS AGAINST THE WALL. Like the pharmacist in Atlanta, Georgia who was frustrated when he couldn’t find a cure for a headache. Then he created something accidentally that made him world-famous: Coca-Cola.”
各位聽眾，今天我們學習的習慣用語是beat one’s head against the wall，意思是「白費精力，徒勞無功」。
A: 中國人說「不撞南牆不回頭」，所以這個to beat one’s head against the wall 就是「撞了南牆也不回頭」嘍！
B: Correct，所以說是白費力氣。However, sometimes when other people think you’re headed toward a dead end, they might be wrong.
A: 有道理！ 就拿我來說吧，上大學時，我施展個人魅力，堅決要讓系裡最帥、最聰明、最受歡迎的男生做我男朋友….
B: And people thought you were beating your head against the wall?
A: 沒錯！ But I proved them all wrong! 後來， 我發奮讀書，堅決要考到全額獎學金來美國牛校讀書….
B: And people thought you were, once again, beating your head against the wall. Right?
A: 沒錯！ But I proved them all wrong – again! 後來，我跟大家說，兩年內掙到人生第一個100萬….
B: And you proved you were NOT beating your head against the wall? 楊琳，你真牛，你….
A: 呵呵，這個……不好意思，這次失敗了。
B: 咳！ 沒關係，我看好你！
A: 行了，咱們繼續聽節目吧，下一單元：「美語怎麼說」。
How to say it in American English: cheapskate
Donny 在北京學漢語，他的中國朋友要是遇到了不知道用美語怎麼說的詞，就會來請教他。今天是Jimmy要問的：摳門。
Donny: Nice suit, Jimmy! You clean up nicely.
Jimmy: 怎麼樣？我收拾收拾也挺帥吧!
Donny: You’re going to a business dinner?
JIMMY: 對，我和一個朋友想作生意，要和投資人談談。可我那朋友特摳門，上次見投資人時去的麥當勞，還AA制! 對了，摳門怎麼說？He’s cheap?
Donny: Yes, you could say that. You could also say he’s a cheapskate. c-h-e-a-p-s-k-a-t-e, cheapskate.
JIMMY: Cheapskate，摳門的人。My friend was such a cheapskate!
Donny:Yeah! I can’t believe that investor’s still interested in working with you after your partner was being so tightfisted!
JIMMY: 哎？ 你說 tightfisted? tight是「緊」的意思，fist是拳頭，所以tightfisted就是手緊，捨不得花錢嘍？
Donny: Correct.
JIMMY: 還好，My tightfisted partner changed his mind. 我那吝嗇的朋友想通了，今天，我們要請投資人吃頓大餐!
Donny: That’s nice. But don’t act like spendthrifts. Spendthrift is spelled s-p-e-n-d-t-h-r-i-f-t. It refers to people who spend money like crazy.
JIMMY: 哦! spendthrift 指花錢無度，大手大腳的人。我原來有個室友，He was totally a spendthrift! 他女朋友多得數不過來，每個都向他要特貴的禮物。
Donny: That’s a textbook case of a spendthrift attracting gold diggers!
JIMMY: Gold digger?
Donny: Yes. It refers to a woman whose primary interest in a relationship is material benefits.
JIMMY: 哦，那就是拜金女唄!
Donny: That’s right! Let’s see what you’ve learned today!
JIMMY: 第一，摳門可以說 tightfisted, 小氣鬼則是 cheapskate
第二，大手大腳花錢的人是 spendthrift
第三，拜金女是 gold digger.
A：Donny, 你說要是我勒緊褲腰帶，做cheapskate, 不大手大腳地花錢，不當spendthrift, 我那個100萬的目標是不是能快點實現？
B: I guess so, but you’re a woman, and women love shopping, so….
A: 也對，節衣縮食，什麼都不買，太難受了。要不我當個gold digger? 找個有錢人當我的提款機？
B: 也不能不講感情啊！
A: 這倒也是。再說，無數的電影小說都在教育我們：男人靠不住啊！
B: 呃…..也不全是吧。
A: 怎麼不是？你聽聽下面的這個「美語三級跳」吧，又是一個不靠譜的男生！
GoEnglish: Relationship – Advanced
Relationship: Advanced
(取材於 goenglish.me)
各位聽眾，大家好！今天為您播出「美語三級跳」節目「戀愛」單元的高級課程。
Professor: Kevin set up his friend Emily on a date with another one of his friends. Today Kevin and Emily are meeting to talk about how the date went last night.
Kevin: So how did your date with my friend Paul go last night? Don’t you think he’s a really great guy?
Emily: Unfortunately, Kevin, I can’t tell you anything about Paul.
Kevin: Why not? You didn’t like him? I was sure you guys would be a good match.
Emily: Actually, Paul stood me up!
Kevin: Paul stood you up? You mean he never came to the date?
Emily: Nope. I waited for a full hour and he never came.
Winnie: 啊？！ “Stand someone up”不是指放別人鴿子么？這麼說，Kevin的朋友Paul讓Emily白等了一個小時，太過份了！
Professor: No doubt about it, Winnie. It would be bad enough if Emily and Paul didn’t get along, but it’s much worse that Paul didn’t even show up for the date!
Winnie: 是啊！不知道Kevin要怎麼解釋。
Professor: In the next section, listen for the phrase “go out for drinks,” which means to go to a bar and drink alcohol.
Kevin: Really? Are you sure you were at the right place? Maybe you were confused about where to meet.
Emily: No. He suggested we go out for drinks at a bar downtown, and he gave me the address. I wrote it down on my calendar, so there’s no way I was at the wrong place.
Kevin: Well, I guess Paul can be a flake sometimes. He says he’s going to be somewhere, and then he either forgets about that appointment, or decides to do something else instead at the last minute.
Emily: I can’t stand flaky people, so it probably wouldn’t have worked out anyway.
Winnie: Professor Bowman, Kevin說，Paul有時是個 flake, 是什麼意思？
Professor: Winnie, flake is a slang word to describe a person who is not reliable. Also, you can say someone is “flaky.”
Winnie: 哦，flake就是那些靠不住，說話不算數的人。這種人怎麼能作男朋友呢？
Professor: Yes, flaky people can be really annoying. In the next section, listen for the phrase “pick-up line” which is a set-phrase men use to introduce themselves to women they don’t know.
Kevin: So what happened? You just sat at the bar by yourself?
Emily: Oh, it was terrible. I pretended I was writing text messages on my phone to look busy, but all these guys kept coming over and giving me these lame pick-up lines.
Kevin: Oh no, what kind of pick-up lines?
Emily: Oh you know, they would pretend that we had met before as an excuse to introduce themselves.
Winnie: Emily真夠倒霉的！很多男人過來跟她搭訕，而且他們的 pick-up line 搭訕的話，都很老套，比如假裝以前在哪裡見過。 現在誰還會相信這種話啊！
Professor: Winnie, In the next section, listen for the phrase “to blow someone off,” which means to show that you are not interested in talking so that the person goes away.
Winnie: 噢，to blow someone off 就是表現出沒興趣，好讓別人走開。
Kevin: Wow, that sounds really awkward. What did you do?
Emily: Well, I kept trying to blow them off, but it didn’t work. They just kept trying to talk to me and ask me out on dates.
Kevin: I guess men don’t have that problem when they go to bars alone. Usually women don’t try to hit on them like that.
Emily: Exactly. Sometimes I wish I were a guy so I could go to a bar and just enjoy my drink and not have anyone bother me.
Winnie: 哎呀，這些男人真煩，Emily不理他們，他們還沒完沒了的搭訕。
Professor: Well, Winnie, you know, a lot of people would like to have Emily’s problem.
Kevin: Well I’m sorry your blind date was such a disaster. How can I make it up to you?
Emily: Hmm … I know! I’m going to find the weirdest girl in the world and make you go on a date with her!
Winnie: Oh no. 為了懲罰 Kevin, Emily 要找個世界上最奇怪的女孩，讓 Kevin 跟她去約會。
Professor: So Winnie, the lesson of the story is …
Winnie: 別隨便給好朋友撮合，否則後果自負。
A: 看吧！ Paul stood Emily up, 放了Emily的鴿子。害得Emily只能坐在那裡假裝發簡訊。The date was a total disaster.
B: Well, I have to admit, standing people up is not cool.
A: 對啊，太不靠譜了！
B: But the date wasn’t a total disaster because a lot of guys tried to chat Emily up! That means she’s very attractive!
A: 你說得好像也有道理。看來，很多事都是有好的一面，也有不好的一面。說到全面看問題，咱們來聽聽下面的「禮節美語」，看看公司上市的利與弊。
Business Etiquette: IPO II
公司老闆召集手下 Lisa 和 Ken 開會，商量公司上市的問題。上市有哪些風險呢？Ken 說，
K: Well, the day we offer stock for sale is the day we will see how much faith there is in our company. If people don’t think we’re very valuable they won’t buy our stock. And if no one buys our stock we’ll lose a lot of prestige.
L: I think I see the wisdom in Jerry’s logic. I see our company as entering a transitory period. We’ve done very well so far but if we want to see serious growth it might be time to ditch our old business model and go public.
Ken 說，公司上市能看出公眾對他們公司是不是有信心。Lisa 覺得，Jerry 主張公司上市融資增加公司規模的邏輯有道理，I see the wisdom in Jerry’s logic. 她覺得，公司是應該進入一個轉型期，a transitory period, 放棄原來的商業模式，改為上市。Lisa 用的 ditch is spelled d-i-t-c-h, ditch 是放棄，拋棄的意思。
K: Yeah…maybe. But I have my doubts. Remember all those companies back during the dot-com bust? They made their IPOs and a short time later, they were history.
J: That’s true. But don’t forget, some of those companies made a killing.
K: Okay, let’s say we make a decision to go public; what kind of price are we thinking about charging for our stock?
Ken 表示，自己還是持懷疑態度。I have my doubts. Ken 提到的 dot-com bust 是指1995年到2000年間的網路泡沫，結果大批上市公司都成了 history. 形容某人或某事是 history，成為歷史，意思是過氣了，再也不重要了。但是 Jerry 也說，Don’t forget, some of those companies made a killing. 別忘了，其中很多公司都足足撈了一大筆。make a killing 意思是取得了巨大成功，尤其是指賺了很多錢。如果真要上市，每股定價多少呢？
J: I don’t think there’s a lot of appetite for adventure in the market right now. People are looking for either a good deal or something safe. I think we should offer a good deal and not make our initial price too expensive.
L: That’s probably wise. But Jerry, have you really thought this through? You would essentially be giving up the company that your great-grandfather built.
Jerry 覺得，現在市場上大家都在找上算的或是安全穩妥的股票，there isn’t a lot of appetite for adventure. 沒有多少人願意冒險，所以Jerry建議股票定價不要過高。Lisa同意Jerry的看法，又問Jerry是不是考慮清楚了，think something through 是仔細考慮的意思。Jerry 會不會動搖呢？我們下次繼續聽。
A: 看來，公司上市雖然可能使企業發展得更大，但弊端是，如果股票沒人買，公司會lose a lot of prestige 顏面大跌，甚至可能become history關門大吉，另外，從個人角度看， Jerry will have to give up the company his great-grandfather built，失去對家族企業的控制權。
B: 風險和機遇總是並存的嘛。That’s why people spend time weighing the pros and cons before they make big decisions. Preparation is key.
A: 對，準備工作要做足。不要說公司上市這麼大的事兒，就說咱們下面要聽的「體育美語」里講的這個跑步，也需要恰當的準備工作。
B: Let’s listen.
American sports English: Getting in Shape
Y: I can’t run anymore.
P: Yang Chen, we’ve only run a half mile. We have four and a half miles to go before we finish!
Y:還有4個半英里?我要累死了。
P: I wonder why are you so tired. What did you do last night. Shopping again?
Y: But I have to. Macy’s had a great sale.又大降價，50%Off! .
P: But that still doesn’t explain it. Yang Chen, let me ask you some questions. Did you stretch before the race?
Y: No.
P: Did you have a meal with plenty of carbohydrates S?
Y: 我不但沒有吃碳水化合物，I didn’t eat anything。
P: Why not?
Y That way, I’m lighter and faster!
P: Wow. Did you have any water or sports drinks before the race?
Y: No, but I had some coffee!
P: Ok. I’ll be honest. You did everything wrong. Everything. Your body needs carbohydrates (carbs) for the energy that you will use to run.
Y: Ok, 我記住了，下次跑步之前先補充carbs，碳水化合物。
P: Also, you drank the WRONG liquid, Yang Chen.
Y Coffee is the wrong liquid?喝啤酒行嗎?
P No. That’s even worse. Coffee is a diuretic. Your body needs to be hydrated H-Y-D-R-A-T-E-D – meaning having enough water – because you will sweat a lot from running. Coffee, as a diuretic D-I-U-R-E-T-I-C, actually makes you Dehydrated – meaning not having enough water in your body. The caffeine in coffee also makes your heart beat too fast, and you will crash!
Y: Well, I’m not going to quit today, Patrick. Let’s move forward. 前進!
P: Let’s stop today. It’s really hot outside, and I don’t want you to get sick. Look how red your face is! You are totally dehydrated! How many cups of coffee did you have?
Y: I had three – one for each mile!
P: Ok, well now you know what NOT to do. Here comes the bus. We can take the bus home, and you can recover. Otherwise, you will be sent to the hospital again.
A: 原來，運動前要stretch伸展筋骨，要補充carbs，碳水化合物，還要keep your body hydrated讓身體里有足夠的水分。這麼麻煩，我還是當 couch potato 沙發土豆吧！
B: 可是，做沙發土豆會變胖，身體素質下降，那還怎麼掙100萬啊？
A: 有道理。我得想想….
B：你慢慢想吧。今天的節目時間差不多了。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!
A：Bye!
美語訓練班 第010課
A: 美語訓練班，無須報名，不收學費，全年無休, 保證提高……
B: 行啦楊琳, 廣告作起來沒完啦？
A: Donny, 你別小看廣告的作用哦。前幾天我在微薄上給咱們節目發了一個小廣告，結果節目網頁的點擊量就呼呼地漲上去了!
B: That’s fantastic! 對了，你剛才說「呼呼地漲上去」，待會兒我們要教一個詞，就是這個意思。
A: 太好了!
B: 不過，let’s first have a preview of today’s show, shall we?
A：好! 今天，我們要去賭馬場試試手氣, 和朋友聊聊大學生活，討論公司上市的時機, 還要告訴大家怎麼用美語說「躲過一劫」和「火爆脾氣」。Donny, 現在咱們是不是要學你剛說的那個詞啦？
B: 沒錯。Let’s listen to “learn a word”.
Learn A Word Soaring
今天我們要學的詞是soaring, soaring is spelled s-o-a-r-i-n-g, soaring. Soaring 意思是劇增的，飛速上漲的。The austerity measure is designed to reduce the soaring Greek deficit in the next few years. 希臘實行銀根緊縮措施，目的是在未來幾年裡削減飛漲的政府赤字。Many American families are facing the challenge of soaring college tuition fees. 飆漲的大學學費給很多美國家庭帶來了挑戰。The expanding of Asia-Pacific markets contributed to Apple’s soaring profits in the past five years. 過去五年亞太地區的市場開發使蘋果公司利潤猛增。好的，今天我們學習的詞是soaring, soaring, soaring.
A: 這麼說，由於我的廣告攻勢，咱們節目人氣暴增，也可以用soaring 嘍？
B:Yes. You could say “this show enjoys soaring popularity” or “this show’s popularity is soaring”.
A: 明白了。對了，和soaring 相對的應該是declining 吧？ 以前我曾在一個電視台的欄目里實習，but the show’s popularity had been declining, 看節目的人越來越少， 我實習結束後不久節目就停啦!
B:So… was the show terminated because of your bad performance as an intern?
A: 因為我差勁搞到人家節目停播？! 才不是呢! 不過，我覺得自己挺幸運的，如果實習還沒結束節目就停了，我還得另找地方實習，說不定就會耽誤畢業。
B: Sounds like you dodged a bullet.
A: 什麼？bullet? 子彈？
B: 對。聽下面的節目你就明白了! Let’s listen to Popular American.
Popular American: dodge a bullet; cheapskate
各位聽眾，現在播送「流行美語」。Larry和李華開車去多倫多渡假，結果在路上遇到了一些問題。他們會用到兩個常用語：Dodge a bullet 和 cheapskate。
LH: Larry, 還要開多長時間才到多倫多啊?
Larry: If we don’t make any more stops, we should get there by nightfall.
LH: 啊，天黑的時候才能到？可我已經快餓死了! 咱們停下來找點東西吃吧？
Larry: Actually, we have a free dinner waiting for us at the hotel in Toronto.
LH: 我知道酒店有免費晚餐，可是還要幾個小時才能吃到，我堅持不住啦!
Larry: You know me, Lihua, I’m a cheapskate. Sorry.
LH: Cheesecake? 你帶了芝士蛋糕? 快給我吃！
Larry: No, not cheesecake… cheapskate. A cheapskate is someone who is very cheap, or doesn’t like to spend money.
LH: cheapskate 就是小氣鬼。沒錯，你就是個cheapskate! 要不是你捨不得花錢，我們才不會選多倫多渡假呢，早買張飛機票飛去泰國了!
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，就算去不起泰國，咱們停下車吃頓飯總可以吧？
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?? 咱們剛開始約會的時候，你可是特別喜歡給我買吃的呢!
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？哪裡？！還真有誒! 可這包已經過期了。不過我太餓，將就吃了!
Larry: Phew! Looks like I dodged a bullet there.
LH: Dodge a bullet? 躲避子彈？你又在說什麼我聽不懂的話了？
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 「逃過一劫」，躲過了非常糟糕的事情。你說，要不是因為你包里正好有糖，我肯定會因為餓肚子而大發脾氣，所以你算是躲過了我的一頓數落。
Larry: That’s right.
LH: 可是吃糖吃不飽啊!
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， 什麼聲音？是不是沒油啦？你看看!幾個小時前我不是讓你把油箱加滿么!
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？你因為覺得加拿大的汽油便宜，就不捨得在美國加油，打算堅持到多倫多再說？你怎麼這麼小氣! 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! 附近沒有加油站？那我們豈不是要身陷荒野!
Larry: Don’t worry, we always have my cell phone if we need to call for help.
LH: 打電話求救？呃，我剛才一直拿你的手機玩遊戲，已經沒電了。
Larry: Oh good grief. Luckily, I think I have an extra battery in my backpack. Check the outside pocket.
LH: 啊! 真的，這裡有塊備用電池! We dodged a bullet! 我們逃過了一劫!
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，咱們快去把油箱加滿!
Larry: OK, I won’t be such a cheapskate this time.
LH: 對!這次別再小氣了! 還有，在加油站給我買點吃的來!
Larry: OK, fine. You got it.
各位聽眾，今天李華學了兩個常用語，一個是dodge a bullet，意思是「逃過一劫」；另一個是cheapskate，意思是「小氣鬼」。好的，這次《流行美語》播送完了，謝謝各位收聽，下次節目再見。
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，生怕挨罵. It felt like I was dodging bullets everyday!
A: 理解理解! 給壞脾氣的老闆幹活隨時要作好挨罵的準備，他們就像地雷，一碰就炸!
B: No kidding! 好了，Let’s move on to our next program: 美語怎麼說，講的就是這個「火爆脾氣」。
How to say it in American English: short fuse
Donny 在北京學漢語，他的中國朋友要是遇到了不知道用美語怎麼說的詞，就會來請教他。今天是Jimmy要問的：火爆脾氣。
Donny: Jimmy, 瞧瞧你的熊貓眼!
JIMMY: 哼!這都要怪對門宿舍的一個瘋子。夜裡不睡覺，在樓道里唱歌! 害得我一宿沒法睡!
Donny: Dude, that sucks!
Jimmy: Donny, 你今天可別惹我，我這一肚子火恐怕得點火就著! 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，那你說，「火爆脾氣」在美語里怎麼說？
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是導火線的意思，a short fuse，很短的導火線，那還真是「一點就著」， 所以have a short fuse就是形容脾氣差。
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「罵他一頓」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: 我室友們說，這人平時挺好的，最近失戀了，要靠夜裡唱歌來療傷，讓我別往心裡去。
Donny: Your dorm mates are so nice not to take it personally.
JIMMY: take it personally? 就是往心裡去，計較，對么？
Donny: Exactly. For example, your boss has a short fuse and often yells at people when they make minor mistakes……
JIMMY: 哎，我來猜猜! 你說，老闆脾氣火爆，人家犯個小錯他就大嚷大叫。那…If he gives me a piece of his mind for something minor, 同事們就會說”don’t take it personally. ” 對不對？
Donny: Bingo! Let’s see what you’ve learned today!
JIMMY: 第一，火爆脾氣是have a short fuse;
第二，口頭教訓別人是 give someone a piece of my mind, 或者tell someone off
第三，別往心裡去是Don’t take it personally.
A：Donny, 我剛才就想跟你說，碰上不講理的上司，你挨罵就挨罵，不用往心裡去，Don’t take it personally!
B: You’re right. 就讓他去罵，就讓子彈飛吧。
A: 不過說起剛才教的那個short fuse, 火爆脾氣，我十分不爭氣地想到了另外一個東西……
B: 什麼？
A: 呵呵，你恐怕要笑話我。從火爆脾氣，我想到了……火爆腰花!
B: 啊？
A: 我大學時最愛和同學們一起去校門口的小飯館吃火爆腰花了! Oh, those were the days!
B: 我看你是餓了吧？ Anyway, let’s listen to「美語三級跳」，讓你再回憶回憶大學生活！
GoEnglish: College─Beginner
各位聽眾，大家好！今天我們為您播出「美語三級跳」節目「大學生活」單元的初級課程。
Winnie: Eric 和 Patty 是好朋友，也是大學同學。他們中午一起吃飯，聊起了校園生活。
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怎麼只選三門課？美國大學生的日子也太輕鬆了吧！
Professor: Well Winnie, maybe they are taking hard classes and have to study a lot.
Winnie: 這麼說也有道理。可能正是因為課程難度大，所以他們才只選幾門課。
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選修化學課，這門課可不好學。可是 Professor Bowman，Eric為什麼要選英文課呢？英語不是他的母語么？這算不算投機取巧？
Professor: Well Winnie, some English classes are hard, even for Americans. Students have to read very hard books.
Winnie: 原來如此。那麼，在美國大學裡，學生們是不是每天都要上課呢？
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 不光選修英文課，而且一個禮拜只上四天課，這怎麼可能？
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是什麼？
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的縮寫，也就是助教的意思。Patty說她很喜歡自己的數學教授，不過教授的那位助教卻非常沉悶無聊。
Professor: Right. You know, if my students don’t study hard enough, sometimes I’ll get a mean TA to help me teach.
Winnie: 我們不認真，你就要找個厲害的 TA， 那我們如果特別認真，你就會找個特別帥的 TA 嘍？
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，加入了這麼多課外社團。
Professor, 美國大學中都有那些社團呢？
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，聽起來真不錯! 不知道Eric加入了什麼社團沒有！
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只參加了街舞社？他這個人，課只選了三門，每周只上四天課，連跟學習有關的課外社團也不參加。唉，他過得也太輕鬆了吧!
Professor: Well, Eric may be busy for other reasons. Tune in next time and we’ll learn more about student life.
A: 美國的大一新生真幸福! They have easy schedules, 他們功課輕鬆，They can join some fun clubs, 還能加入一些有趣的社團。真讓人羨慕!
B: Didn’t you enjoy your freshman year?
A: 別提了，我們英語系的學生從一進校門就是一大堆基礎課，哪有時間去參加課外活動!
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: 也對，有些同學根本不在乎成績，打球、跳舞、組樂隊，每天過得可高興了!
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. 人總要長大嘛。
A: Donny, 你說得真讓人傷感! 好啦，大學生活結束，咱們進入社會，來聽「禮節美語」!
Business Etiquette: IPO III
公司老闆Jerry召集手下 Lisa 和 Ken 開會，商量公司上市的問題。Lisa問Jerry，是不是真的下定決心了。
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.
針對Lisa提出的疑問，Jerry回答說，他並沒打算將祖輩開辦並經營至今的家族企業就這麼拱手送給別人，他打算讓重要家庭成員進董事會，然後親自擔任 CEO, Chief Executive officer, 首席執行官。Jerry 說，公司對他十分重要，但要想擴大規模，成為全國最大的冷凍食品公司，就要 move beyond mom-and-pop operations and play hardball. 這裡所說的 mom-and-pop operations 是指家庭規模的小買賣，play hardball 意思是採取果斷大膽的行動。
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 說，公司上市的想法既令人興奮，又讓人害怕。但是英語里老話說，nothing ventured, nothing gained. 意思是不承擔風險，就不會取得成就。Ken 說，好在現在市場正在走高，道瓊斯工業指數前幾天突破了萬點大關，topped 10,000 points. 這可能意味著經濟復甦的開始，the beginning of an economic recovery. Lisa 接著說，
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 說，她認為明智之舉是用現在市場不是特別活躍的時期調整公司的經營運作。這樣的話，一旦市場開始上揚，We’ll be in a stronger place than our competitors. 跟競爭對手相比，我們就會居於更加有利的地位。Jerry 表示贊成，讓大家回去都好好想想，星期四再開會最後決定。
A: 大家認為，現在可能是the beginning of an economic recovery, 整體經濟開始復甦的時候， 公司應該利用這個時機，Play hardball, 大膽採取行動，畢竟，nothing ventured, nothing gained, 不擔風險，就不會有收穫。
B: Exactly. All decisions come with risks. I can hardly think of a real “safe bet” in life.
A: 可不，人生哪兒有能百分之百打保票的事兒呢？ That’s way they say life is an adventure! 我就有冒險精神，在人生的賭桌上，我不會輕易被嚇倒!
B: 楊琳, I didn’t know you had a gambler’s appetite. 我想下面這個節目你准喜歡，講的是賭馬!
A: 太好了! 趕快來聽「體育美語」!
American sports English: Betting on horse racing
P: Hey, Yang Chen, Can I borrow a few bucks?
Y: Borrow money? 當然沒問題。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, 賭馬? 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: 你為什麼覺得自己have a very good shot贏錢的機率很大？
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，保險的賭注？ Haha, 真好笑。If you gamble, you have to take chances. 敢於冒險。
P: I guess so.
Y: 你看我, I placed my money on the dark horse. 那匹本來不被人看好的黑馬，結果我贏了一大筆。
P: Oh – wait a minute, you bet on horse racing too? I thought you were against any form of betting or gambling.
Y: 小聲點。小心別人聽見。
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？看來得分給你一半兒才公平。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, 下星期還有賽馬。 Let’s bet on it.
P: You scare me, Yang Chen, I think you are turning into a gambler.
B: 看吧，賭馬有風險，掏錢需謹慎!
A: 沒錯! Actually, I don’t like gambling, 我並不喜歡賭博，But I’m willing to take chances in life! 我作人是敢於冒險的!
B: Good luck, 冒險家!
A: Thanks! 好了，今天的節目時間差不多了。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!
返回《美語訓練班》頁。