美语训练班 第071-080课

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美语训练班  第071课

A: 欢迎大家来到这期的美语训练班! 我是杨琳!

B: 我是Mike! 杨琳，来告诉大家今天都要学什么?

A: 没问题! 今天，咱们要来去体验一下刺激的赛车比赛，聊聊继续深造学习，还要告诉你怎么说飞速完成!

B: Yeah, considering the currently poor economic environment, further education is definitely a hot topic these days . A lot of people are going back to school since they got laid off from work.

A: 对呀! 不过回去上学也不错，充充电，整装待发嘛! 咱们现在也来充电，赶快来进入第一个单元，Learn a Word!

Learn A Word 1556 noteworthy

今 天我们要学的词是 noteworthy. Noteworthy is spelled n-o-t-e-w-o-r-t-h-y, noteworthy. Noteworthy意思是值得注意的，值得引起重视的。雅虎公司宣布，年仅37岁的迈耶将担任雅虎公司首席执行官。Her selection is noteworthy both because she is one of only a few woman CEOs in the tech world, and because she is expecting her first child. 她的任命引起了外界的极大关注，不光是因为她是高科技业界为数不多的女性首席执行官之一，而且也因为她正怀着自己的第一个孩子。The results of a new study are noteworthy for the fact that online donors jumped nearly 60 percent compared to two years ago. 最新研究显示，在网上捐钱的人数增加了近60%，这一研究结果值得引起人们的重视。好的，今天我们学习的词是 noteworthy, noteworthy, noteworthy…

B: So 杨琳，did you do anything noteworthy over the weekend?

A: 让我想想….哦对了对了，I hiked for 6 miles!!!!!

B: What? That’s not noteworthy, that’s a piece of cake! I run 6 miles EVERY SINGLE DAY!

A: But I was fast and furious! Just like a professional hiker!

B: Why do I find that hard to believe? I mean, the only time I can imagine you being fast and furious is when you go SHOPPING!

A: At least I’m not fast and furious at eating, unlike someone I know!
B: 好了好了，不跟你斗嘴! 刚才我们都用到了一个词， fast and furious, 赶快带着听众朋友去听听这个习惯用语的用法吧!

Words and Idioms #981

现在播送美国习惯用语第 981讲。我是杨琳。

M：我是Dan Markus.

隔了一个长周末去上班，我发现办公楼对面一座20层的大楼好像一夜之间忽然消失了。老板告诉我，一个爆破小组在几天之内完成了全部的爆破，清扫和整理工作。这也让我想到了一句习惯用语，那就是：

M：Fast and furious. Fast is spelled f-a-s-t, and furious; f-u-r-i-o-u-s. Fast-and-furious.

这 个短语由两个简单的单词构成：fast 快速的; furious 愤怒的。连起来，fast and furious，意思变成了“飞快地，很快完成”。上面说到，我们办公室旁边的大楼爆破瞬间就完成了。The demolition was FAST AND FURIOUS. It’s as if the building just vanished overnight! 人间蒸发了。在下面的例子里，一名青少年的天资被快速挖掘出来，让我们来听听他爸爸对此怎么评价：

M: “Ever since my son won the national math competition, requests have been coming in FAST AND FURIOUS. Suddenly hundreds of kids and their parents want his advice, interviewers are begging for his story, and colleges across the country are offering him four-year scholarships.”

这段话是说：[自从我儿子赢了全国数学竞赛之后，对他的邀请就接踵而至。忽然之间，成百名孩子和他们的家长都希望向他取经，记者都想要采访他，而全国各地的大学也纷纷表示愿意为他提供大学四年的奖学金。]

一 夜成名不一定是好事，我记得以前一个谈话节目中，一个人谈到了他中彩票之后的经历。Once his name was announced on television, attention on him was FAST AND FURIOUS. 自从他的名字出现在电视上之后，对他的关注就扑面而来。他的手机永远在响，销售商向他推销各种产品和服务。最可怕的是，凡是沾得上点边的亲戚和朋友都跑来 跟他借钱！所以说，什么事情都有两面性。好了，让我们再来听听刚才那段话：

M: “Ever since my son won the national math competition, requests have been coming in FAST AND FURIOUS. Suddenly hundreds of kids and their parents want his advice, interviewers are begging for his story, and colleges across the country are offering him four-year scholarships.”

上面我们讲到了fast and furious, 飞快的。冬天的阿拉斯加向来是非常寒冷的。 不过，今年的严寒似乎格外严酷，让我们来听听看：

M: ” The residents in Alaska are used to bad weather in winter. But they weren’t prepared for all the snow they recently got. That’s because the storm moved in FAST AND FURIOUS. Within a few short hours, towns became overwhelmed by mountains of snow.”

这段话是说：冬天的严寒天气对阿拉斯加居民来说司空见惯，但他们还是没有为最近的大雪做好充足的准备，因为这次风暴来得又快又猛。短短几个小时内，很多城镇都完全被大雪所覆盖。

我 听说，今年有些地方的积雪多达60英寸。还记得两年前，美国首都华盛顿也经历了同样的大雪，天气预报里说要下大雪后，The sales at grocery stores were going FAST AND FURIOUS! 人们都去商店抢购商品，以储备好食物以应对大雪的到来。好的，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

M: ” The residents in Alaska are used to bad weather in winter. But they weren’t prepared for all the snow they recently got. That’s because the storm moved in FAST AND FURIOUS. Within a few short hours, towns became overwhelmed by mountains of snow.”
music bridge

今天我们学习的习惯用语是fast and furious ，意思是“飞快的”。好的，这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束，我是杨琳，我是Dan Markus。谢谢各位的收听。

B: This episode reminds me of a famous movie when I was a teenager. It’s literally called “the fast and the furious”, and of course it’s about street racing.

A : Street racing? 哦，飙车啊?

B: Right! street racing is just one type of car racing though, the most popular kind of car racing in America is stock car racing, 赛车!

A: That’s interesting! 那，你喜欢看赛车吗?

B: Not really. I mean, it’s boring to watch someone driving around the circle for 6 hours. I would much rather watch college football!

A: 同意！赛车另外还特危险! 这不，在今天的Go English里，Roger为了报复Daphne，要带她去赛车! 咱们一起去听听吧!

Hiking: Advanced

今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“远足旅行”单元的高级课程。

Professor: Daphne took Roger on a camping trip, but Roger had a terrible time because he is from the city and isn’t used to being in nature.

没错，Roger还说，Daphne让他在野营时受罪，他一定要报这个仇。

Professor: Right. So today, he is taking Daphne to a car race.

A car race? 赛车？赛车很精彩啊! 这算什么报仇？

Daphne: Roger, do you really find car races fun to go to? It’s incredibly boring just watching the cars go around and around the track, and I can hardly breathe because of all the smoke and fumes!

Roger: You aren’t having fun? Daphne, car racing is the most popular sport in America.

Daphne: I hate cars. They make so much pollution, which is creating holes in the ozone layer. And the environmental problems are only getting worse with global warming!

Roger: Daphne, cars are a part of American culture. Americans have always relied on cars instead of making do with public transportation.

哈，看来Daphne非常讨厌赛车，就像Roger讨厌露营一样!

Professor: Right. Why doesn’t Daphne like cars?

她说，汽车污染环境，伤害ozone layer–臭氧层。不过Roger说， Americans don’t make do with public transportation，这是什么意思呢？

Professor: When you “make do” with something, that means you accept it reluctantly.

哦，make do with something， 就是勉强接受某事。

Professor: Right. For example, “I really wanted to see the new horror movie that just came out. But because it was sold out, I had to make do with another movie, which wasn’t very good.”

Daphne: Roger, It’s often difficult to see how your lifestyle impacts the world. But we need to prevent pollution by driving cars less and investing in renewable energy.

Roger: Why do you like the environment so much? It’s full of mosquitoes that want to bite you, and bears that want to eat you!

Daphne: If you’re not nice to nature, nature won’t be nice to you. If the polar ice caps melt, ocean levels will rise and flood the coastal cities.

Roger: Oh Daphne, that isn’t going to happen. You watch too
many movies.

我真想知道Daphne和Roger是怎么成朋友的，这俩人的看法相差十万八千里! Daphne说， 人们应该尽量少开车，而且应该开发renewable energy–可再生能源。

Professor: Right. But what does Roger say?

Roger却觉得，什么极地冰冠融化，海水淹没城市都是吓唬人的。他说，这些事情根本不会发生，Daphne是电影看多了，瞎操心。

Daphne: Roger, most scientists agree that global warming is real, and evidence shows that the polar ice caps have been melting.

Roger: Well what do you want me to do about it? I’m just one person. What can I do to make a difference?

Daphne: Well to start, you could buy more energy-efficient appliances. You could also think about buying an electric or hybrid car.

Roger: But I don’t have the money for all that!

Daphne 说，Roger应该从我做起，保护环境，所以要买more energy-efficient appliances–能源利用率更高的电器。Professor Bowman, Daphne的话使我想到，我应该把电脑关了，不写作业了，这样也可以为环保出力啊!

Professor: Nice try, Winnie!

Roger: Alright, Daphne. You’ve convinced me I need to do more for the environment. I’m going to stop washing my clothes in the laundry machine to save electricity, and stop taking showers to save water.

Daphne: What? Roger, there’s no need to go crazy, you know.

Roger: But Daphne, I have to do my part to save the environment! I’m going to “recycle” my dirty socks and wear them over and over again.

Daphne: Roger, in that case the disgusting gasses given off by your body are going to make a bigger hole in the ozone layer than all the cars in the world combined!

哈哈，Roger说，为了节约能源，他决定不洗衣服，不洗澡了，而且要 recycle his dirty socks–把脏袜子一穿再穿!

Professor: Sounds like a good plan! It’s nice that he is doing his part.

啊？您别开玩笑了! 如果Roger真这么做，只会更加污染环境! 就像Daphne说的那样，Roger身上发出的臭气会让臭氧层空洞变大的!

A: 就像Roger讨厌野营一样，Daphne特别讨厌赛车。她觉得赛车不仅无聊，而且伤害ozone layer臭氧层，Daphne觉得人们应该少开车，开发renewable energy, 可再生能源，而且要多买more energy-efficient appliance, 能源利用率更高的电器。

B: I agree with Daphne. If you are not nice to nature, nature won’t be nice to you. Plus using energy saving appliances can save you a ton of money.

A: 对呀! 我觉得吧，为了自然，咱们就该都呆在家里休息，这样也没人开车了，自然也没污染了呀?

B: Haha, now I know what your dream job is: doing nothing and still get paid, right?

A: 恭喜你，答对了!

B: Well, with so many people out of work these days, I think we should do everything we can to keep our jobs!

A: 哎哟…对嘛对嘛，我就开个玩笑，不要那么认真嘛! 不过，在今天的Business Etiquette里， Jesse就被公司炒鱿鱼了，咱们来听听他的朋友是怎么安慰他的!

礼节美语Getting Laid Off-part I

Paul 和 Sara 夫妇俩跟老朋友 Jesse 和 Miika 一起吃饭。

P: It’s so good to see you guys! It’s been forever!

M: We should try to set a monthly dinner date…we’ve missed you!

S: So what’s new?

J: Tracy just turned four. She’s growing ridiculously fast. Seems like yesterday she was a tiny infant in my arms.

S: Oh…that’s so sweet. Did she like the teddy bear we sent?

M: She loved it! She named it Puki and the two of them are inseparable!

S: Glad to hear it.

两 对夫妇很久不见。It’s been forever! 是夸张的说法，意思就是好久不见。 So what’s new? 有什么新鲜事呢？Jesse 和 Miika 的女儿 Tracy 刚过四岁。She’s growing ridiculously fast. 长得太快了。Tracy 很喜欢 Paul 和 Sara 送的泰迪熊，走到哪里都带在身边，The two of them are inseparable.

P: So how’s work these days, Jesse? Times are tough, huh?

J: You know, you guys are such old friends…I’m not going to beat around the bush. I got laid off last month.

经 济不好，Times are tough. Jesse 说，大家都是老朋友，我就不拐弯抹角了。I am not going to beat around the bush. Beat around the bush 是兜圈子的意思。I got laid off 我被裁员了。

S: Oh, that’s awful! But we should level with you too…the hospital cut me back to part-time.

M: I’m so sorry to hear that! You work such long hours! What explanation did they give?

S: They said they were outsourcing most of the hospital’s paperwork to India…it costs like a third of what they are spending now.

J: Makes sense from a business perspective, but it’s very unfortunate for you.

Sara 也坦白地说，她在医院的工作从全职改成兼职了。level with somebody 向某人坦白。part-time 兼职工作。医院减少她的工作时间是为了节省开支，把大部分文书工作 paperwork 都外包到印度去了。Outsource 意思是外包。

S: How about you? Why did you get a pink slip?

J: The company is “restructuring”…which in this case is a fancy word for going bankrupt.

P: Well, you two are some of the most resilient people I know…so what’s the plan?

M: I’m taking more freelance writing work. I can do that from home and still watch Tracy. That way we save on daycare.

J: And I’m thinking I’ll go back to school and finish my Master’s Degree. Then when the economy picks up, I’ll be much more marketable.

pink slip 解雇通知。Jesse 说，自己失业是因为公司重组restructuring, 其实就是破产，还美其名曰重组，a fancy word for going bankrupt。Miika 说自己打算多做一些自由撰稿工作，freelance writing work. Jesse 则打算回去完成硕士学位，Master’s Degree ，等待市场回暖。

A: 原来, Times are tough ，经济不景气，Jesse 接到了pink slip，解雇通知书，got laid off, 被裁员了。他打算多做一些freelance work， 自由职业工作，而且还要去get a Master’s Degree, 完成硕士学位，等待市场复苏。

B: I guess that’s what people usually do when the economy is bad. That’s why there’re so many people in school right now.

A: Are you considering going back to school for a Master degree some day?

B: Yeah, definitely. But I want to work for a few years first to figure out what I’m really interested in, and then go for a master program which suits my interests and will be useful in my career!

A: That’s smart! 我觉得真的应该先工作，再回去读硕士学位，这样你更了解自己的事业方向! 这不，Jesse和Miika就谈起了这个问题，咱们一起来听听他们怎么说!

礼节美语-Getting Laid Off-part II

Paul 和 Sara 夫妇俩人跟老朋友 Jesse 和 Miika 一起吃饭，Jesse 刚失业，打算回去完成硕士学位。

P: But that’s gonna take you at least two years to finish!

J: Actually, I can do it in 10 months by online correspondence course.

M: You know…distance learning. It used to be sort of dodgy, but in the last couple of years even the big-name schools are getting in on the act.

Jesse 说，通过网上教学，online correspondence course 十个月就能拿到硕士文凭。Miika 说，远程教学原来好象不可靠 dodgy, 但是最近几年，Even the big-name schools are getting in on the act. 就连很多名牌大学都加入了进来。big-name schools 名牌学校。get in on the act. 加入进来。

S: Yeah. I’ve done some research into online distance learning myself. I’m thinking I should get a nursing degree. All the career-guidance web sites say nursing is a field that’s definitely growing. They say millions more qualified nurses are going to be needed over the next 20 years.

Sara 说，她正在考虑去学护理，因为 nursing is a field that’s definitely growing. 护理绝对是一个正在成长的领域。今后二十年需要数百万合格的护理人员。

P: But just getting by on Miika’s income isn’t going to be enough, no?

J: No, you’re right. I’m going to bite the bullet and take a part-time job with Miika’s dad. In tough times, pride is not a virtue.

S: Especially when you have a family to feed. Paul and I worry everyday that his firm might get into trouble.

光 靠 Miika 一个人的收入肯定不够。to get by 是勉强过日子的意思 。Jesse 准备 bite the bullet 忍辱负重，去给老丈人打工，因为 in tough times, pride is not a virtue. 困难时期，骄傲可不是什么优点。

S: Well, I’m not worried about you. I think you both have exactly the right attitude and have made exactly the right plans to make it through these troubles.

J: Yeah! I’m pretty optimistic about things.

P: What’s that saying? Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?

M: That’s the one!

S: Let’s do this again next month

J: It’s a date!

分 手前，Sara 说 Jesse 和 Miika 一定能渡过难关，make it through these troubles. Paul 补充说，What’s that saying? 那句话是怎么说的来着？Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger 杀你不死者会让你变得更强壮，类似中文里说的，大难不死必有后福。Sara 建议下个月再聚。Jesse 说 It’s a date. 一言为定。

A: 看他们的心态多好! What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!

B: That’s the truth! I figure after a couple more weeks of working with you I should be strong enough to compete in the Olympics!

A: (冷笑) Yeah, you’d better be fully prepared for tons and tons of challenges! 好啦不理他啦! 同学们，这次节目时间就到这里了

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美语训练班  第072课

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美语训练班  第073课

A: 欢迎大家来到这期的美语训练班! 我是杨琳!

B: 我是Mike! 杨琳，来告诉大家今天都要学什么?

A: 没问题! 今天，我们要带你去看看在美国看病有什么不同，聊聊怎么为工作面试做准备，还要告诉你怎么说精挑细选!

B: Yep. You were complaining about going to hospitals in China, but actually I think here is way worse. It’s significantly more expensive, especially if you don’t have insurance.

A: 可不是嘛! 有一回等我约到医生，病都好了! 不过这个咱们等会再讨论，现在我们先来进入第一个单元，Learn a Word!

Learn A Word – 1570 outsell

今天我们要学的词是 outsell. outsell is spelled o-u-t-s-e-l-l; outsell. Outsell 销量超过。“格雷的50道阴影”这套书热卖。The Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy is outselling the seven Harry Potter books to become the best selling book series on Amazon.co.uk.“格雷的50道阴影”三部曲销量超过哈里.波特的七本书，成为英国亚马逊网站上销量最好的系列书籍。Outsell 的过去时是 outsold. 电子书ebook的销量继续呈上升趋势。Publishers are reporting that in 2011, e-book versions of novels aimed at adults outsold hard covers for the first time. 出版商说，2011年，成年人小说类书籍的电子版销量首次超过精装本销量。好的，今天我们学习的词是 outsell, outsell, outsell….

A: 说起outsell，最该提的就是iphone5了! iPhone 5 outsold all other smart phones! 我也特想要一部呢!

B: Yeah, Apple said it got 2 million pre-orders for the iPhone 5 in just 24 hours. That nearly doubles the sales record of the previous version!

A: 正好，你不是前两天在健身房马大哈把手机摔了吗? 你也去换个新的嘛!

B: Well as you know, I like to be unique. I don’t want to use the same phone as everybody else. So I’ve been trying to ferret out which smart phone I should get by reading all the comments on tech web sites.

A: Oh you’re so smart! 你刚才提到了一个很好的词儿 ferret out, 咱们来听听这个习惯用语的用法吧!

Words and Idioms-983

现在播送美国习惯用语第 983讲。我是杨琳。

M：我是Steve Baragona.

最近我想去剪个新发型。虽然发廊很多，但是因为刚来到这个新城市，对哪家发廊好一点都没有概念。幸好有互联网，只要到特定的网站去搜索一下，哪些发型师的评价好就一目了然了。在美语里，我们可以用一个习惯用语来形容这种情形:

M: Ferret out. Ferret is spelled f-e-r-r-e-t. Ferret-out.

Ferret 作为动词，意思是搜寻，寻找。Ferret out 作为一个词组，是通过全面查找而搜寻出来的意思。在上面的例子里，通过网上的顾客评论: I can FERRET OUT the poor service providers from the good ones. 我能很容易找到好的和差的服务。在下面的例子里，一名男子坚持要参加训练最严酷的特种部队，我们来听听他爸爸是怎么说的：

M: “I support my son wanting to enlist in the military. But he’s determined to join one of the toughest units in the world. Their basic training involves physical, mental and emotional challenges that nearly impossible to endure. They FERRET OUT the weaker candidates within days.”

这段话是说：[我支持儿子想去参军的打算。但是他坚决要参加世界上训练最严酷的军种之一。他们的基本训练包括对体能，精神和情绪的极限挑战。他们在几天内就能把不够强壮的候选人淘汰掉。]

这人说的一定是那些在泥里爬，冰水里游泳，然后每天只睡四个小时的特种部队。我真不明白人类怎么能忍受这些。我记得，原来我去参加一个钢琴比赛的选拔，The judges quickly FERRETED OUT everyone but the most exceptional talents. 评委们很快就挑选出了最杰出的人才。好了，让我们再来听听刚才那段话:

M: “I support my son wanting to enlist in the military. But he’s determined to join one of the toughest units in the world. Their basic training involves physical, mental and emotional challenges that nearly impossible to endure. They FERRET OUT the weaker candidates within days.”

在工作中，大家都讨厌那种干活拖拉，或者光拿钱不干事的人。在下面例子里，一间工厂就发生了这种事。让我们来听听他们的发言人是怎么说的：

M: “It was announced that some workers got paid overtime that they hadn’t worked. The accounting department is reviewing all recent records. They’re FERRENTING OUT any fraud. The employees responsible can expect to be punished.”

[这段话是说：据称有些工人没加班就擅自领取加班费。现在会计部门正在审核所有纪录。他们将撤查任何舞弊行为。那些应当对此负责的人将受到惩罚。]

干了缺德事，总是会被发现的。我记得原来大学在一间旅游公司实习，人们发现一些导游强行多收了游客的钱。It didn’t take long for the boss to FERRET OUT abuses and fire those employees. 老板没过多久就发现了这种行为，炒了那些导游的鱿鱼。好的，让我们再来听听刚才那段话:

M: “It was announced that some workers got paid overtime that they hadn’t worked. The accounting department is reviewing all recent records. They’re FERRENTING OUT any fraud. The employees responsible can expect to be punished.”

今天我们学习的习惯用语是ferret out, 意思是“搜寻出来，查找出来”。好的，这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束，我是杨琳，我是Dan Markus。谢谢各位的收听。

B: Speaking of ferret out, one of the reasons medical care is so costly in America is because medical school is so hard and expensive. It’s extremely hard to get in, and they are constantly trying to ferret out the weaker candidates during the four years of study.

A: 这样才能保证最后出来的医生都是最优秀的呀! 不过我觉得美国呢，尖端医学确实特别发达，可是普通人要去看病可太贵啦!

B: For sure. The worst part is that even with insurance sometimes the cost of medical care can be in the thousands.

A: 就是! 记得吗，上回Helen也不想看医生，可病一点没好，所以这回不得不去了。咱们跟着她去看看美国医生有什么高招!
B: Let’s listen!

Health: Intermediate

大家好！今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“医药”单元的中级课程。

Helen因为头疼和胃疼到药店买了一些药，可是不管用。所以她今天约了医生看病.

Professor: That’s right, Winnie. In this first part, Helen is describing her symptoms to the doctor. Let’s listen.

Helen: I hope you can help me doctor. I really haven’t been feeling well the past few days.

Doctor: I see. Can you describe your symptoms for me?

Helen: I’ve had a persistent pain in my stomach, and I’ve been getting really bad headaches too.

Doctor: Can you describe the stomach pain? Is it a dull pain or a sharp pain?

Helen: It’s mostly a dull pain. No matter what I do, nothing seems to make it go away.

Professor, Helen说她的头疼和胃疼都是persistent是什么意思？

Professor: You can call a symptom persistent if it won’t go away. For example, “I get a persistent headache every afternoon as soon as my children come home from school.”

哦，persistent pain就是持续的疼痛。

Professor: Exactly. And do you know what sharp and dull pains are?

我知道，dull pain就是隐隐作痛，而sharp pain是剧烈疼痛。

Doctor: Do you have a history of these kinds of symptoms?

Helen: Well I’ve had stomach aches and headaches before, but never this serious and for so long.

Doctor: Right. How long have you been feeling ill? Is it every day?

Helen: It’s been on-and-off for a few months. I’ve tried taking aspirin to lessen the pain, but it doesn’t help.

Professor: So Winnie, how long has Helen had these symptoms?

她说已经疼了几个月了，不过，她说这些症状是on-an-off，这是什么意思呢？

Professor: That means that sometimes she has them, and sometimes she doesn’t.

哦，on-and-off 就是说有时候疼，有时候不疼，时好时坏。

Professor: Right. You can use this phrase for other things too. For example, “Chris and Tammy keep breaking up, but then getting back together. Their relationship has been on-and-off for the past year.”

哦，形容恋人的关系是on-and-off，就是说他们总是分分合合。Professor, 医生还问Helen是不是有a history of these symptoms，这就是问她是不是有这个病史，是不是老毛病吧？

Professor: Right again! The doctor might also ask if you have a “family history” of a disease, meaning that other people in your family have had the same thing.

Family history of a disease? 也就是家族病史。

Doctor: I’m not sure what the problem is. I need to do some tests before I can diagnose you.

Helen: How long will that take?

Doctor: It will take about a week for the test results to come back. Until then, I can give you some pain killers to help alleviate the pain.

Helen: Thanks doctor. I think that would be really helpful.

看来，医生一时也不能判断Helen到底有什么病，所以要 do some tests 做一些化验，看看结果再说。

Professor: Yes, Winnie. And what does the doctor say he will do to help Helen alleviate the pain while they are waiting for the test results?

医生说先给Helen开一些pain killers–止痛药，希望这样能alleviate–缓解她的疼痛。

Doctor: I have just one last question. Have there been any big changes in your life that have affected your mental health?

Helen: Actually, my dog died a couple of weeks ago, and I’ve been really sad about it.

Doctor: You know, sometimes when you are under a lot of mental stress, it can cause physical health problems. Have you thought about talking to a therapist?

Helen: No, I haven’t. Do you think that would help?

Doctor: It might. You should think about it.

原来，Helen的狗几个星期前死了，医生说，心理压力也可能引起身体不适，所以建议Helen去看看therapist–治疗师。

Professor: That’s right. Usually when Americans mention “therapist”, they refer to someone who you talk to about your mental health, but a “physical therapist” is someone who helps people recover from physical injuries.

哦，therapist一般指心理治疗师， “physical therapist”，就是物理治疗师了。Professor, 你说Helen会去看therapist么？

Professor: Let’s listen next time to find out!

A: 医生问Helen身体有什么不适，她说她一直have a dull pain in her stomach, 肚子隐隐作痛，而且几个月来一直on and off, 时好时坏。医生问她有没有 a history of these symptoms， 家族病史。了解到没有之后，医生说得做些检察，先给了Helen一些止痛药来 alleviate the pain， 减轻疼痛。

B: Yeah, she also mentioned that she’s under a lot of mental stress. I guess that also contributed.

A:我也是这么觉得，在美国要是生了病我可懒得去看医生，还得预约，太麻烦了!

B: Not necessarily, a lot of cities have special clinics call “Urgent Care Centers” where you can just walk in and see a doctor. No one wants to get sick, especially when you have something important to do. I remember once I got really sick before an important interview, and it nearly killed me! I was too dizzy to follow what the interviewer was saying!

A: 啊? 要是我肯定就先取消了嘛!

B: Well, sometimes you get sick suddenly and there is no time to cancel or maybe the interview is extremely important and you can’t cancel.

A: 也对也对! 在今天的Business Etiquette里， David得到了他一直梦寐以求的面试机会，咱们去看看他是怎么准备的!

礼节美语-Prepare for Job Interview-part I

MC: David 兴高彩烈地来找 Peter。让我们听听他有什么好消息。

David: Peter! Have I got news for you!

Peter: Wow, Dave…I’ve never seen you so excited. What’s the occasion?

D: Ok…you’ve known me for years, right?

P: Uh huh.

D: What’s the one job I’ve been dreaming of having my whole life?

P: You’ve always wanted to work as a writer for PLAYERS Magazine.

David 说，Have I got news for you! 在这里不是问句，而是要加强语气，意思是我有事要告诉你！So What’s the occasion? 是什么重大消息呢？Peter 故意卖关子，暗示 David ，跟他多年来的理想有关，那就是给 Players 杂志撰稿。

D: That’s right!! And I landed a job interview with them!!! I go in to meet the boss next Tuesday!!

P: Wow, man! I’m so happy for you! Good for you!

D: But, truth be told…I’m terrified of the interview. How can I ace it?

David 喜出望外地告诉 Peter, I landed a job interview with them. 他得到了面试的机会。Land, l-a-n-d, 在这里是动词，意思是得到。但是 David 承认，truth be told，说实话，他很怕，所以让 Peter 给他出主意，怎样才能 ace it. Ace it 是一种很口语化的说法，意思是得满分，一举拿下这次面试。

P: Awww, everyone is terrified of job interviews, but there are some things you can do to help prepare.

D: Such as?

P: Well, for starters, you should do as much research as possible on PLAYERS Magazine.

D: Yeah…I’ll need to review some of their older issues and brush up on the magazine’s history. I need to know that company inside and out!

P: That’s right. Bosses like the guy who does his homework.

如何为面试做准备？Peter 说，for starters, 首先，要对 Players 杂志有一个彻底的了解。David 说，他准备回去 brush up on the magazine’s history. 重温一下这份杂志的历史，brush up on something 的意思是温故知新. David 还说，I need to know that company inside and out. 意思是把这家杂志从里到外了解个底儿透。Peter 表示赞成，因为 bosses like the guy who does his homework. 老板都喜欢认真的人。do one’s homework 做好功课，就是事先做好准备工作的意思。

D: I was thinking about asking you to play the role of the interviewer so I can rehearse my performance. I’ve already done it front of a mirror like a hundred times.

P: (chuckle) Sure…I’ll play the boss. But you know…you’re going to have to fight to stay calm. It doesn’t look good if you go into the interview too hyper. You gotta look calm and in control.

David 让 Peter 扮演面试考官，play the role of the interviewer, 帮他模拟面试，so I can rehearse my performance. Rehearse, r-e-h-e-a-r-s-e, 是彩排的意思。Peter 建议 David 不能过于激动 too hyper, h-y-p-e-r, hyper 是高度兴奋的意思。You gotta look calm and in control. 要显得镇定自若。

A: David得到了梦寐以求的面试机会，他决定好好准备，brush up on the magazine’s history, 熟悉杂志的历史，know the company inside and out, 透彻了解这家公司。Peter 说去面试的时候不能hyphy hyh hyper，过于兴奋，要 look calm and in control, 镇定自若。

B: Those are all good tips. I think preparation is key. If you are fully prepared, you will have more confidence, and it will show through your gestures and words.

A: Yep. 而且我觉得穿着和举止也特别重要! 一定得穿自己最舒服最自信的衣服，一走进去就让面试官感觉到你的自信!

B: Yep, it’s better to be over-dress than under-dress! Let’s continue to listen and see what kind of advice that Peter has for David!
B:

礼节美语-Prepare for Job Interview-part II

David 要去面试，他准备穿什么呢？我们一起听听他跟好朋友 Peter 的对话。

D: I’m going to get there early and make sure I have my best outfit all washed and ironed way ahead of time. If I wait for the last minute, I know I’ll panic!

P: Yeah, preparation is key. Remember to call the interviewer by their name. People like to hear their name spoken out loud. But don’t over-do it. Ok…so what are you planning on wearing next Tuesday?

D: Well, I want to look good, but I don’t want to look too stuffy. I was thinking about nice jeans and a sports coat.

David 准备提前到达面试地点，早早把要穿的衣服洗好、熨好。way ahead of time 意思是早早的。If I wait for the last minute, 如果等到最后一分钟的话，就会 panic, p-a-n-i-c, 意思是感到慌乱。Peter 提醒 David 要称呼面试官的名字，但是 don’t over-do it. 不要做得太过头。David 说，他不想显得乏味，古板，too stuffy, s-t-u-f-f-y, 所以想穿牛仔裤和休闲西装上衣去面试。

P: Ummm…I’d recommend erring on the conservative side when it comes to clothes. I read somewhere that 55% of another person’s perception of you is based on how you look. I’d say go with a suit and tie.

D: 55% huh? Then I guess it’s better to be over-dressed than under-dressed.

P: Yeah. I’d say a dark suit with a conservative tie.

Peter 建议 David 选择相对正式的西装和领带。to err on the conservative side, 意思是宁可保守一点，因为别人对你的印象有百分之55都是根据你的外表得出的。It’s better to be over-dressed than under-dressed. 宁可穿得过于正式 over-dressed，也不要穿得过于随便 under-dressed。

P: But the one main thing that I can’t stress enough is confidence. Look the person in the eye. If you need a clarification on something, speak up and ask…but don’t turn into a blabbermouth.

D: Do you think I should tell him how terrible it is working at Shimomatsu Publishing? I bet he’d get a kick out of that!

Peter 强调说，要 look the person in the eye 看着对方的眼睛。有什么问题尽管问，但不要喋喋不休 don’t turn into a blabbermouth. B-l-a-b-b-e-r-m-o-u-t-h 是多嘴多舌的意思。David 想告诉面试官自己对现在的工作不满意。I bet he’d get a kick out of that. 我想他听了一定很高兴。

P: Actually, when I interview people, I hate it when they badmouth previous employers. I think it’s bad form and I also think “Is this what you’re going to do to me one day?”

D: Good point. Peter, you are a true friend and I value your input.

P: Call me right after the interview and tell me how it went, OK?

D: Absolutely.

Peter 觉得，最好不要 badmouth previous employers 说以前老板的坏话， badmouth 是说别人坏话的意思，因为 it’s bad form 这是一种粗鲁的表现，form 在这里是举止行为的意思。

A: 听到没有，绝对不能说老板或者同事的坏话! So you need to stop being mean to me!

B: I’m not being mean, I’m just being honest…

A: There will be some serious consequences for your action mister! You just wait and see!

B: HA! ok, I’ll be waiting right here.

A: a切! 好了同学们，这次节目时间就到这里了。

---

美语训练班  第074课

A: 欢迎大家来到这期的美语训练班! 我是杨琳!

B: 我是Mike! 杨琳，来告诉大家今天都要学什么?

A: 没问题! 今天，我们要跟着Helen去瞧瞧心理医生管不管用，经历一次特别的面试，还要告诉你怎么说紧跟潮流!

B: Are you talking about therapists?

A: Yep! I feel like therapists and anti-depression drugs are very common in America. In China, no one would admit they are depressed since it’s a sign of weakness!

B: I think Americans are generally more open with this issue. And yes, anti-depression drugs are pretty common here.

A: 好! 等会再让你给大家介绍! 现在，咱们先赶快来进入第一个单元，Learn a Word!

Learn A Word – 1573 foolproof

今天我们要学的词是 foolproof. Foolproof is spelled f-o-o-l-p-r-o-o-f， foolproof。 Foolproof的意思是“简单有效的”“不会出错的”。Social networks whose target audience is kids, acknowledge that there may be no foolproof way to block online predators. 那些以儿童为主要消费者的社交网站承认，能完全阻止网络人身侵害的方法也许并不存在。As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney once proposed a foolproof death penalty law that guaranteed only the guilty could be executed. 美国共和党总统候选人米特•罗姆尼在当麻州州长时曾提起一项死刑法，据说可以万无一失地确保只有真正犯罪的人才被处决。好的，今天我们学习的词是 foolproof， foolproof， foolproof…

A: Speaking of foolproof, Mike，你不是把手机摔了之后一直要买新手机吗? Did you get a new one? Is it foolproof? I mean, you need something at your level of tech savvy.

B: Hahaha, oh you’re just a riot aren’t you? I’ll have you know I always have my finger on the pulse of new technology. But seriously, everywhere I go, people are talking about the new iPhone 5. I really don’t see the appeal, its only slightly thinner and longer than the iPhone 4s!

A: Yep. And I heard iPhone 5 has a battery life problems. When you start to download a lot of data, the battery drains out super fast.

B: Hey! Seems like we both have our fingers on the pulse of the newest apple products! !

A: 那当然! 你刚才提到了一个很好的词儿 have one’s finger on the pulse, 咱们来听听这个习惯用语的用法吧!

Words and Idioms 984

美国习惯用语第 984讲。我是杨琳。

M：我是Steve Baragona.

最近我们给园艺社社长举办了一个庆功会！她在一次地区园艺大赛上获得了杰出成就奖。其实这也不奇怪，她经常参加全国各地的园艺大会和比赛，而且一直紧跟园艺界最新走向。她对园艺的这种热情执着，我们可以用一个词来形容，那就是：

M: Have one’s finger on the pulse. Finger is spelled f-i-n-g-e-r, and pulse; p-u-l-s-e. Have one’s finger on the pulse.

大家都知道，finger是手指的意思，pulse 脉搏，have one’s finger on the pulse, 手指放在脉搏上，意思就是紧跟最新动态。上面例子里，When it comes to gardening, our club president seems to HAVE HER FINGER ON THE PULSE. 我们园艺社社长对园艺的走向简直是了如指掌。在美国，Superbowl 超级杯一向都是全民关注的重点。而中场表演嘉宾也备受瞩目。今年的表演者是Madonna 麦当娜，让我们来听听下面这位娱乐记者的介绍：

M: “Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide. She’s also recognized as the top-selling female rock artist of the 20th century. How did she become so immensely popular? She continuously reinvented her music and image based on what the public was looking for. Especially during the 1980s and 90s, Madonna always HAD HER FINGER ON THE PUILSE. ”

这段话是说：麦当娜光碟的全球销量已经超过3亿张。她被公认是20世纪销量最好的女性摇滚歌手。她是怎么变得如此深受欢迎的呢? 原因是，她不断根据市场需求，变换曲风和形象，特别是八、九十年代，麦当娜对潮流走势一直了如指掌。]

做明星确实得紧跟时尚潮流。不过爱美之心人皆有之，女孩子都喜欢去逛商店，或者看服装展，了解最新潮流动向。I keep my finger on the pulse of fashion through window shopping or watching fashion shows. 好的，让我们再来听听刚才那段话：

M: “Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide. She’s also recognized as the top-selling female rock artist of the 20th century. How did she become so immensely popular? She continuously reinvented her music and image based on what the public was looking for. Especially during the 1980s and 80s, Madonna always HAD HER FINGER ON THE PUILSE. ”

说起潮流，不光是时装界，各行各业的人都得了解自己行业的潮流走向，才能成功。下面的例子中，一名公司职员就谈到了如何更好地了解顾客群，以服务顾客。让我们来听听他是怎么说的：

M: “It’s clear to me why our company is falling behind our competitors. We need to understand our younger customers. They’re much more familiar with communications, media and digital technologies. If we want to be successful, we have to show that we HAVE OUR FINGER ON THE FULSE of modern life. ”

[这段话是说：目前很清楚，我们公司为什么会在与竞争对手的较量中落后。我们需要更好地了解年轻顾客群。他们更熟悉通讯，媒体和电子技术。如果我们想成功，我们就得做到紧跟现代生活的变迁。]

他说得确实很对。像前一段时间柯达公司破产，就是因为如今很少有人需要冲洗相片了，让他们失去了顾客群。Companies need fresh ideas in order to keep their fingers on the pulse of the market. 公司不断需要有新观念，紧跟市场潮流。好的，让我们再来听听刚才那段话:

M: “It’s clear to me why our company is falling behind our competitors. We need to understand our younger customers. They’re much more familiar with communications, media and digital technologies. If we want to be successful, we have to show that we HAVE OUR FINGER ON THE FULSE of modern life. ”

今天我们学习的习惯用语是have one’s finger on the pulse, 意思是紧跟最新动态。好的，这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束，我是杨琳，我是Steve Baragona。

A: 让我也来造个句: I have my finger on the pulse of whatever is happening in the office. And I can tell Mike that you are stressed out!

B: What? How can you tell!!! I have so many things to do! I need to get up at 5 every day to come to work, I need to go to the gym to keep this awesome body of mine fit, I need to shop for food, do laundry, find health insurance….I’m worn out!!!

A: You know what? You should talk to me, after all the ‘girl talk’ sessions I’ve had with my friends, I’m basically a professional therapist. Maybe I can give you a discount…

B: Yeah, as if I would ever do that!

A: 哈哈哈，好了好了，今天Helen就听医生的话去看了看心理医生，咱们一起跟着她去看看!

Health: Advanced

今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“医药”单元的高级课程。

Professor: Helen hasn’t been feeling well lately, and in the last episode the doctor told her that the cause might be mental stress. So today she is going to talk to a therapist.

哎，如果Helen有心事，可以找朋友、男友或者家人聊聊啊，何必非找心理治疗师呢，多贵啊!

Helen: Thank you for seeing me, doctor. I’ve been having a lot of mental stress which I think may be affecting my physical health.

Therapist: Of course. Can you tell me a little bit about what has been upsetting you?

Helen: Well, I had a dog named Herman. He died a couple months ago and I’ve been feeling really down ever since .

Therapist: I see. Were you and Herman close?

Helen: We were the best of friends (sobbing). Whenever things weren’t going well for me, I used to share all my problems with him. He was a great listener.

怪不得Helen情绪如此低落，原来她的狗Herman对她这么重要，不仅是宠物，还是她最好的朋友呢。

Professor: That’s right, Winnie. Why does Helen say Herman was so great to talk to?

Helen说她有心事都跟狗狗说，因为Herman总是很认真地听她倾诉。

Therapist: Have there been problems in your life recently that you’ve needed to talk about with someone?

Helen: Yeah, so many problems. I’ve been really stressed out at work ever since my boss gave me a huge new project, and I’ve been going through a rocky period with my boyfriend.

Therapist: Does your stress level interfere with your work or home life?

Helen: Yeah, when I’m under a lot of pressure it’s difficult for me to fall asleep, which makes me tired and unproductive at work the next day.

Therapist: Well, being under a lot of mental pressure like that can have an effect on the body.

Professor: So Winnie, what has been causing Helen so much stress lately?

她的老板交给她a big new project，一份规模很大的新项目，而且她和男友关系好像有问题，Professor Bowman, 她说正和男友go through a rocky period，这大概不是什么好事儿吧？

Professor: Winnie, you can call something “rocky” if it is difficult, or not going smoothly. In this case, Helen is saying her relationship with her boyfriend has been experiencing trouble lately.

我明白了，rocky就是困难重重的意思，我想到一个词， b-u-m-p-y, bumpy，意思一样吗？

Professor: Yes, they’re the same.

唉，可怜的Helen, 有这么多烦心事。不知道心理治疗师有什么好建议。

Therapist: There are some things you can do to relieve your stress. First, you need someone to talk to about your feelings so that they don’t get bottled up inside.

Helen: Hmm …. I guess you’re right. Do you think I should get another dog?

Therapist: No, it’s much better if you pay $200 per hour to talk to me once per week.

Helen: Oh …. but what if spending all that money causes me to worry about my bank account?

Therapist: Don’t worry, if you start feeling even more stressed because of your finances, you can come in twice per week for more therapy.

Professor: Winnie, do you understand what the therapist means when he tells Helen not to bottle up her emotions inside?

Bottle是瓶子的意思，所以我想医生是让Helen不要把情绪都憋在心里。

Professor: That’s right.

Professor, 我觉得这个心理治疗师帮不了Helen, 他一小时收200块钱，Helen 说这么大的花销会让自己有更大压力，可治疗师似乎盼的就是这个，这样Helen就需要看更多次医生，他就可以赚更多钱了!

Helen: I don’t know, doctor. I think I really just need to blow off some steam every once in a while. I’m not sure I need all this therapy.

Therapist: In my professional opinion, Helen, you may be very ill. We need to discuss an integrated treatment plan, with therapy sessions and anti-depression medications.

Helen: Anti-depression medications? Now I’m sure I don’t want all that.

Therapist: But Helen, this may be the only way to make you happy again.

Helen: Actually, now I know what will make me happy. A trip to the pet store!

Helen很聪明，治疗师让她多看病，还让她吃抗抑郁药，可Helen没上当！ 她说，她只需要blow off some steam every once in a while – 时不时给自己减减压，就可以了!

Professor: Yes. I guess Helen, like everyone else, just needs a shoulder to cry on sometimes.

A: 原来，Helen最近压力很大，小狗死了，工作繁忙，而且going through a rocky period with her boyfriend, 跟男友的关系也不好。心理咨询师跟她说不能 bottle up her emotions, 积攒不良情绪，而且要她制定integrated treatment plan，综合治疗方案，而且还得take anti-depression medications, 吃抗抑郁的药物。这个心理医生怎么听起来像骗人的啊?

B: That treatment plan sounds a little drastic to me. I think Helen just need a shoulder to cry on.

A: Yeah, I don’t take stress very well. 我记得有一次面试的时候，面试官问我受压能力怎么样，我本来就紧张，他一问我就更紧张了!

B: Well, I don’t blame you. Not a lot of people have the ability to handle stress as well as me. That’s why I’m the top dog! (A: ugh…) kidding kidding. Honestly though, nothing makes me more stressed than a Job interview, especially if it’s an interview for a job that I really want!

A: 对呀! 在今天在Business Etiquette里， David就在接受他梦寐以求的求职面试，咱们一起来听听看!

礼节美语 – Job Interview – Part I

David Tang 到 PLAYERS 杂志社求职面试，考官是杂志社经理 Fred Dixon。

F: Hello Mr. Tang. Take a seat.

D: Thanks Mr. Dixon. Call me David, please.

F: Ok, David…call me Fred. How are you this morning?

D: Very well, thanks. Actually, I’m quite excited.

F: Oh?

D: I’ve been a big fan of PLAYERS Magazine for many years now. I love what you do here. I love the witty writing, the clever features and even the layout.

David 多年来一直是 Players 杂志的忠实读者，很欣赏杂志的 witty writing, clever features and even the layout. 风趣的文风，巧妙的特写，甚至是版面设计。

F: Nice of you to say. We’ve been working hard to try to keep the magazine as current and relevant as possible. So…I’ve looked over your resume. You’re bilingual, right?

D: Yes. Actually, technically Chinese is my mother tongue…my parents immigrated to Canada when I was seven years old. Later on I went to school in the States and Europe as well.

F: Well, being bilingual is always a plus. We are thinking about expanding our operations and ━ of course — China is a huge market. Anyway…let’s see here…can you tell me why you think you’d be a good fit for our organization?

David 是双语 bilingual，中文是母语 mother tongue. Fred 承认， bilingual is always a plus. 双语当然更好。plus 在这儿是优势的意思。Fred 问 David 为什么觉得自己适合杂志社的工作。a good fit for the organization。David 说自己年轻、思维敏锐、精力充沛，and I’m always looking for that next big thing. 随时准备迎接新的时尚和潮流。

F: That’s good. Ok…here’s a question that might seem kind of off the wall. If you were a car…what kind of car would you be and why.

D: Hmmm…interesting question. I’d say I’d be one of those Japanese sports cars. Not too big…not too flashy on the outside, but lots of power under the hood. You’re asking this to get a sense of my personality, right?

F: Yeah, that’s the idea. So you’re saying you are reliable and quietly powerful…is that it?

D: Yeah…that’s a good way of putting it.

Fred 问 David 假如是一辆车的话，会是什么车？这个问题确实有些 “off the wall,” 出人意料，不同寻常。David 说愿意是一辆日本跑车 sports car，不以大小和外表取人，但是马力十足 lots of power under the hood. Fred 理解为 David 是一个可靠而且 quietly powerful 不声不响、但干劲十足的人，David 回答说，That’s a good way of putting it. 这话说不错。to put it 是表达的意思。面试还有哪些问题，我们下次继续听。

A: David has a talent for two languages, 双语人才，而且自己年轻，有冲劲， always looking for that next big thing. 随时准备迎接新的时尚和潮流。So Mike, what do you think is the most important thing when it comes to your dream job?

B: Well as you know, my dream job is to do nothing and still get paid.

A: AHH?

B: Hahaha, ok ok. Let’s be serious. I think for a good job you need to have a high level of satisfaction, freedom to implement your own methods, and meshing well with your team is extremely important because your work environment plays a major role as well.

A: Oh,You must be so thankful for your current job then!

B: And why is that?

A: Duh! Because you are working with me! (Mike tries to say something but Lin interrupts) 好了! 我们言归正传，接着去听听David的面试过程吧!

礼节美语 – Job Interview – Part II

David Tang 到 PLAYERS 杂志社求职面试，考官是杂志社经理 Fred Dixon。

F: Ok…what do you think are your biggest weaknesses?

D: Hmm…I’d say that my biggest weakness is a tendency to be a bit of a perfectionist. Sometimes I get too close to the project and need to step back to get the whole picture.

F: All right. How would you say you react under pressure?

D: I’ve had to make a lot of major adjustments in my life such as moving to a new country, learning a new language and making new friends. I’d say it was all quite stressful but I faced each challenge as it came and step-by-step things got better. For me I think the key is not to let things pile up but instead to face each problem as it comes and attack it head-on.

David 说自己最大的缺点是有点 perfectionist 万事追求完美。有时过份投入，get too close to something, 需要退一步纵观全局 to step back to get the whole picture. David 承受压力的能力也不差，他觉得关键是不能让问题积累起来，not to let things pile up 而是遇到一个解决一个，attack it head-on 迎头痛击。

F: Ok. So what would you say is the one thing that’s most important to you in your job?

D: I’d say having good direction from my supervisors but also a high degree of freedom to implement creative ideas. I need guidance, but I don’t want my creativity to be stifled.

F: Can you tell me why you left your last job?

D: Well, I needed a challenge. I felt like I was in a comfort zone and I needed to shake things up in my life. I enjoyed my time at my last job, but I feel like I’m ready for the major leagues.

David 说，他想换工作是因为感觉自己是在一个各方面都驾轻就熟的地方 I was in a comfort zone, 需要变化 to shake things up. 他觉得 I’m ready for the major leagues. 应该更上一层楼了。Major League 是职业棒球大联盟，代表棒球最高水平，高于 minor league 小联盟。

F: I noticed that you have recommendation letters from each of your previous supervisors. Their comments are all quite positive.

D: I’m honored that they value my work. I’ve found that I generally get along well with co-workers. I’m just not really into drama and I’m pretty easy-going.

F: Well…thanks for coming in today, David. We will be reviewing your info and you’ll get a callback within a week.

D: Great! And thanks for your time, Fred. I’ll be looking forward to your call.

David以前的上司都给他写了很好的推荐信。他说自己 not into drama 不喜欢惹事生非，pretty easy-going 很好相处。Fred 听上去对David很满意，说一周内给他回音。

B: Ok, I’ll admit that you are easy-going, but apart from that…

A: At least I’m not a drama queen like certain people I know… Michael Scott Bond.

B: I see, so what do you call all that time you spend gossiping among that little gang of yours?

---

美语训练班  第075课

A: 欢迎大家来到这期的美语训练班! 我是杨琳!

B: 我是Mike! 杨琳，来告诉大家今天都要学什么?

A: 没问题! 今天，我们要跟着电脑达人学学怎么自己修电脑，聊聊怎么用合适的方法炒别人鱿鱼，还要告诉你怎么说料事如神!

B: Fixing computers? Sounds like you need a professional! It just so happens that I know a guy who is quite handy with computers….me!

A: Well, I thought people good with computers usually have high IQ? 哈哈，好了，不开玩笑了! 我们言归正传，赶快先来进入第一个单元，Learn a Word!

Learn A Word – 1577 see something coming

今天我们要学的词是 see something coming. See is spelled s-e-e; and c-o-m-i-n-g; coming; see something coming. See something coming是预料到某事会发生。I wasn’t surprised when the company closed down. You could see it coming. 公司关门我并不吃惊。这是意料之中的事。研究发现，美国的二氧化碳排放量降到了近20年来的最低点，Many of the world’s leading climate scientists did not see the drop coming. 大部分权威气象学家都没料到会出现这个情况。

After last year’s dry winter, forecasters see big snows coming to cities from New York to Washington, D.C. 继去年干燥的冬天之后，天气人员预测，今年冬天，大雪会席卷从纽约到华盛顿的多座城市。好的，今天我们学习的词是 see something coming, see something coming, see something coming…

A: Ok, so Mike, how was the party last weekend? Did you meet anyone interesting? Did you…meet the future Ms. Bond?

B: Hahaha, you know what? Actually I found this totally cool, cute….

A: 啊? 什么什么? 快说!

B: Dog. OMG it’s a basset hound and he was so friendly!

A: Ah….I didn’t see that coming….

B: Well, it’s probably because you’re not the sharpest tool in the shed……

A: You’d better watch out, you’re about to be on the firing line. You do understand that I know Kongfu, right?

B: Hahaha, really? what style? 吃饭吃得快的方式吗? But you did just mention a really good term: on the firing line. Let’s listen to today’s Words and Idioms and find out what it means!

Words and Idioms – 985

现在播送美国习惯用语第 985讲。我是杨琳。

M：我是Steve Baragona.

最近，我们的一个制片人制作的短片引起了轩然大波。短片谈的是环境保护问题，而其中一位科学家认为全球变暖只是一个噱头，这种说法马上引起了其他很多科学家和公众的不满，很多人表示了对这个观点的反对，制片人也被批评报道偏颇，不够严谨。她的处境让我想到一句习惯用语， 那就是:

M: On the firing line. Firing is spelled f-i-r-i-n-g, and line; l-i-n-e, line. On-the-firing-line. On the firing line.

Firing line, 是射击线，开火线的意思，那么on the firing line, 在火线上，引伸出来意思就是处于容易被攻击的位置上。就像上面提到的例子：The producer of the show ended up ON THE FIRING LINE for presenting only one side of the argument. 制片人因为只介绍了对全球气候变暖的一种看法而受到批评。 在下面的例子里，一系列的问题食品带来了公众恐慌。我们来听一听：

M: “Last month, there was an terrible outbreak of people getting sick from contaminated spinach. Some Americans even died. Not long before, a similar incident happened with peanut butter. That’s why the public became very angry at government officials. They’ll probably remain ON THE FIRING LINE until citizens can be assured of the safety of our food. ”

[这段话是说: 上个月，出现了一轮公众因食用受污染的菠菜而患病的事件，这些蔬菜甚至导致有些人死亡。不久前，市面上还出现过有问题的花生酱。这激起了公众对政府官员的愤怒情绪。在市民们重新对食品安全感到放心之前，这些政府官员可能会一直是大家批评的对象。]

食品安全可不是小问题，政府确实应该对这种问题负责! 想起我租的公寓，租赁办公室一直在提高租金。在租户会议上，They were clearly on the firing line; they were grilled about why the renters had to pay more. 他们显然变成了租户的众矢之的，人们纷纷质问为什么要没完没了地上涨租金。好的，我们再来听听刚才那段话:

M: “Last month, there was an terrible outbreak of people getting sick from contaminated spinach. Some Americans even died. Not long before, a similar incident happened with peanut butter. That’s why the public became very angry at government officials. They’ll probably remain ON THE FIRING LINE until citizens can be assured of the safety of our food. ”

一般在中国家庭里，财政大权都掌握在妻子手里。其实很多美国家庭也一样。下面例子里的这个人就要讲讲他妻子是怎么控制家庭预算，降低生活开支的。咱们一起来听一听:

M: “My wife controls the budget in the house. She says we have to cut down on spending. That means buying new clothing, going out to restaurants and taking a summer vacation are all ON THE FIRING LINE now. She’s against any purchases until there’s enough money to pay for them. ”

[这段话是说：我妻子掌握家里的财政大权。她说我们得减少开支。这就意味着买衣服，下餐馆，和夏天出去渡假全都可能被取消。她觉得在有足够的钱以前，不应该再有任何不必要的消费。]

大家注意，on the firing line可以用来形容人的情况，也可以用来形容事，形容事的时候意思就是可能被取消。比如说，Because of the huge tax bill, my plan to purchase the New iPad is on the firing line. 因为得交好多税，买最新版 iPad 的计划很可能泡汤。好的，我们再来听听刚才那段话:

M: “My wife controls the budget in the house. She says we have to cut down on spending. That means buying new clothing, going out to restaurants and taking a summer vacation are all ON THE FIRING LINE now. She’s against any purchases until there’s enough money to pay for them. ”

今天我们学习的习惯用语是on the firing line, 意思是处于被攻击的位置。好的，这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束，我是杨琳，我是Steve Baragona。谢谢各位的收听。

A: Speaking of which, my old computer is on the firing line.

B: Wait…what’s wrong with your old computer?

A: My old Mac is super slow now. It takes about 3 minutes to just start it and always freezes in the middle of a show!

B: You know what? You should just consult me…I’m a computer expert. Maybe I can even offer you a discount on my consulting fee if you agree to cook me some Chinese food…Hmmm…

A: 好的听众朋友，我们可以直接忽略Mike了。(B: What?) 今天的美语三级跳里，我们就要跟着电脑达人去诊断一下电脑问题。一块来听吧!

Computers: Beginner

今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“电脑”单元的初级课程。

Chloe 的电脑出了点毛病，她打电话给朋友Matt，让他帮忙看看。

Professor: That’s right, Winnie. Isn’t it good to have friends who understand computers?

那可不，有电脑达人当朋友真不错!

Chloe: Hi Matt, thanks for coming over to help me fix my computer.

Matt: No problem. I know everything about computers. What’s the problem?

Chloe: I can’t surf the Internet. What do you think the problem is?

Matt: Well it could be a software problem, or it could be a hardware problem.

Matt说，只要是有关电脑的东西，没他不懂的，口气还真大，希望他不是吹牛。

Professor: Well, we will see. Winnie, what is wrong with Chloe’s computer?

她说，她不能 “surf” the Internet. Professor Bowman, surf 不是冲浪的意思么？

Professor: Yes, but you can also use it to talk about browsing the Internet. For example, I spend three hours every day surfing the Internet.

我明白了，surf the Internet 就是上网。Matt 说，Chloe的电脑不能上网，这不是hardware problem–硬件的问题，就是software problem – 软件的问题。

Professor: That’s right! Let’s see if Matt can help fix the computer.

Matt: Well, let’s see if the computer can turn on. Here, I’ll just press the power button.

Chloe: Uh … Matt? That’s not my computer. That’s my TV.

Matt: Huh? Oh yes, of course. Where is your computer?

Chloe: My computer is over on the desk. See? It is turned on, but when I try to open the browser, there is no connection to the Internet.

这个Matt，怎么连电脑和电视都分不清！他说开电脑，却伸手去按 TV 的 power button–电视开关!

Professor: He doesn’t sound like a computer expert at all.

可不！不过 Professor, Chloe说，她想打开 browser的时候，没法连接网络。Browser就是上网用的浏览器吧？

Professor: Correct. You can also say you opened a browser window.

哦….open a browser window 就是打开一个浏览窗口。我倒真想看看Matt是不是真懂电脑。

Matt: Hmm …. have you tried re-starting your computer?

Chloe: Matt, of course I tried re-starting my computer. That was the first thing I did!

Matt: Really? Well if that didn’t work, I don’t know what to do.

Chloe: That’s your only idea? You said you know everything about computers. I should have just called technical support.

Matt: Well re-starting the computer always works for me.

我猜的没错！Matt 唯一的办法就是re-start the computer，重新启动电脑，这谁不会啊！对了，重启电脑是不是也可以说 re-boot the computer？

Professor: That’s right. Re-start and re-boot mean the same thing.

看来，Chloe对Matt很失望，觉得自己还不如打电话给电脑公司的technical support–技术服务部门呢。

Professor: Matt has one more idea to fix the computer. Let’s listen.

Matt: Wait! I know how to fix the problem!

Chloe: Great! What should we do?

Matt: We should contact the Internet company to see if their service is down. Let’s log on to their website to find their phone number.

Chloe: Uh, Matt? The Internet isn’t working. How can we log on to the website?

Matt: Oh yeah.

Professor: So Winnie, what is Matt’s solution for fixing the computer?

Chloe: 他出馊主意说，去网络公司的网站找他们的联络电话，然后打过去问问是不是网络出问题了！

Professor: Exactly. But that’s impossible because the Internet is down.

就是！Chloe的问题就是不能上网，Matt却要上网查东西，这不是瞎出主意么！对了，Professor, Chloe说 Internet is down, 就是说网坏了吧？

Professor: Yes. For example, you can say “I couldn’t go to work today because the subway is down.” You can also say that your E-mail or phone service is down.

我明白了。希望Chloe不是因为什么急事需要上网，要不然都让这个假行家Matt给耽误了!

Professor: Well, let’s listen next time to find out!

A: 原来， Chloe can’t surf the Internet, 上不了网，请了她的好朋友Matt来帮她看看。Matt说，这不是hardware problem,硬件问题，就是software problem，软件问题。Matt让她reboot the computer,重启电脑，然后就没招啦! 这个Matt，根本就是个水货嘛!

B: Yeah, not everyone has the same level of expertise as I have….(A: ugh…) seriously though, people who pretend to know things just irritate me. I knew this guy in college, he looked great on paper, but he constantly got fired after being hired for just two to three months. It turns out the only real skill he had was to interview well and brag about himself on his resume.

A: Yep. 不懂装懂最烦人了! 不过虽然被炒鱿鱼是很惨，炒别人的鱿鱼其实也不容易! 今天的Business Etiquette里，部门经理Peter就得开除一名雇员，这不，他正在跟同事讨论该怎么办，咱们一起去听听吧!

礼节美语 – You’re Fired – Part I

部门经理 Paul Chen 和他的上司 Sue Krammer 要开除一名雇员。

P: Sue, I really need your help with this one.

S: Oh? What’s the problem?

P: I’ve been asked to fire Tom Smith.

S: Oh…yeah…firing someone is hard. I’ve had to do it many times.

P: I hate it. It’s probably the worst part of my job as a manager.

S: But…it has to be done and somebody’s got to do it. In this case…you.

Paul 要解雇 Tom Smith, 问 Sue 该怎么做。Sue 说，开除手下确实是一件头痛的事情，但 Somebody’s got to do it. 总要有人去做。

P: I know…I just want some advice on how to do this properly.

S: Well, let’s review Tom’s case, shall we? First question: Have you given him fair warning?

P: I believe so. I spoke to Tom in March and in May. I informed him he was on probation.

S: OK…so he knows he’s on thin ice. So this action isn’t going to be a complete surprise to him, right?

P: No. He should understand by now that the company is not really happy with his performance.

Paul 说，他事先警告过 Tom. I informed him he was on probation. on probation 意思是留职查看。换句话说，He knows he’s on thin ice. on thin ice 如履薄冰，在这的意思就是他知道公司对他的表现不满意，知道自己可能会丢饭碗。

S: I think you should simply give Tom a list of behaviors the company has found unacceptable and then fire him. You can’t allow him to drag you into an argument or debate. In this case you are merely the messenger and it’s really not personal.

P: And if he promises to change and do better?

S: You have to firmly but politely let him know that the time for improvement has passed.

Sue 建议，可以列举Tom种种令人不满的表现，然后告诉他被解雇了，不给他争辩的机会。You can’t allow him to drag you into an argument or debate。因为Paul只是传达上级的决定，you are merely the messenger。你只不过是个传信的，It’s not personal. 不是针对个人，只是公事公办而已。如果Tom保证改过自新呢？Sue 建议，要 firmly but politely 既坚定又客气地告诉他，没有机会了。

S: Are you planning on asking him to sign a release form?

P: Yes. The policy is if you voluntarily sign a paper accepting your termination, you get 6 weeks of severance pay. Otherwise, if you wish to challenge the decision, you get just two weeks.

S: Ok…good. So go ahead and call him in. Remember: keep it simple. Inform him of the decision and tell him why, then explain the severance deal.

P: Ok…here goes. (Picks up phone) Kathy, please ask Tom to come in…thanks.

公司规定，如果员工自愿 voluntarily, v-o-l-u-n-t-a-r-i-l-y, voluntarily 签字接受解雇的决定，就可以得到六个星期的遣散费 severance pay, severance is spelled s-e-v-e-r-a-n-c-e, 否则只有两周。Sue 最后提醒 Paul, 要 keep it simple. 越简洁越好。

A: Paul解释说，他已经告诉Tom: he was on probation, 留职查看，he knows he’s on thin ice, 如履薄冰。Sue说，解雇他的时候要keep it simple,越简洁越好，让他知道这是上级的意思，you are merely the messenger, 你只是传信儿的。最重要的是: You can’t allow him to drag you into an argument or debate. 不给他争辩的机会。

B: That’s why I think I can never be a manager.

A: Ehmm?

B: It’s awful to have to fire someone and take away their livelihood. I just don’t think I can do that.

A: Yep. 领导可不好当啊! Paul终于把Tom叫到了办公室，准备动手了! 咱们赶快接着去听听吧!

礼节美语 – You’re Fired – Part II

Tom Smith 被叫到部门经理 Paul Chen 的办公室。

Tom: Good morning, Paul. How are you?

P: I’m well, thanks. Take a seat. This is Sue Krammer from the head office.

T: Hi, Sue.

S: Hi.

P: Tom, there’s no easy way to say this so I’m just going to say it. We are letting you go.

Paul 开门见山，告诉 Tom 公司决定解雇他。在这种情况下，要说 We are letting you go, 不能说 you’re fired。

T: Go where?

P: Um…we mean we are terminating your employment here.

T: You mean you’re firing me?

P: Um…yes.

T: Wow! Mind telling me why?

P: We’ve warned you about some of your unacceptable behaviors several times now. Also, we feel you are under performing or not up to the standards we demand here.

T: (belligerent) Really? How so?

Tom 显得很意外，气愤地质问道，Mind telling me why? 能告诉我为什么吗？Paul 解释说，公司觉得 you are underperforming, underperform, u-n-d-e-r-p-e-r-f-o-r-m, 意思是工作表现不佳，not up to the standards 不符合要求。Tom 很不客气地让 Paul 举例，这时候 Sue 说话了。

S: If I might interject, here. Tom, your file says that last month you called up a client and chewed him out…without authorization. Tom, that is simply unacceptable.

P: You are frequently late and we’ve received more than a few complaints about your abrasive style with co-workers.

T: All right…but I have good explanations for all of that. You see……

S: I don’t want to interrupt, Tom, but it’s important that you understand that this decision comes down from the top. Paul and I are just the messengers. It would be best if you understood that this decision is final.

Tom 上个月在电话里 chewed a client out 痛骂客户。chew someone out 是严厉责骂的意思。此外，他上班还经常迟到，对同事态度粗鲁，he has an abrasive style with co-workers. Tom 想争辩，Sue 果断地说，这是上头的决定，the decision comes down from the top, and the decision is final. 是不可改变的。

T: So I’m fired and that’s that?

P: Yes, you are being let go. But we would be happy to help you in any way we can.

S: If you need a general reference letter we can provide one, but if they call and ask if you were fired we will have to tell the truth. That’s the law.

P: We can offer a six week severance package if you accept your termination.

T: Fine. I’ll pack up my stuff and be out of here by Wednesday.

S: Thanks for understanding, Tom. We wish you well.

P: Yeah. Please do email me if you have further questions.

Tom 无可奈何地问，so I’m fired and that’s that? 我就这么被开除了？回答当然是肯定的。公司愿意给他写例行推荐信，但如果用人单位打电话了解情况，公司也不能隐瞒他被解雇的事实。Tom 同意在解聘书上签字，收拾东西走人 pack up and be out of here。

A: See Mike, you really need to listen to your supervisor, me, otherwise you run the risk of being fired! For example, I really like cupcakes…

B: (sarcastically) Really? I would have never guessed……..

A: a 好了同学们，这次节目时间就到这里了。

---

美语训练班  第076课

A: 欢迎大家来到这期的美语训练班! 我是杨琳!

B: 我是Mike! 杨琳，来告诉大家今天都要学什么?

A: 没问题! 今天，我们要去eBay上卖个东西，看看怎么解决信用卡的巨额欠费，还要告诉你怎么说难以想象!

B: I was a huge eBay fan when I was in college. Sometimes I would skip class just to make sure I won an auction I had bid on!

A: 哈哈，yep! I think Internet is the second best invention in the whole world!

B: What’s the best one?

A: Duh, it’s glasses of course! 我这个小瞎子，要是没有眼镜我不就完了? (笑) 好了，我们言归正传，赶快先来进入第一个单元，Learn a Word!

Learn A Word – 1589 unthinkable

今天我们要学的词是 unthinkable. Unthinkable is spelled u-n-t-h-i-n-k-a-b-l-e, unthinkable. Unthinkable 意思是无法想象的。U.S. companies are preparing for the once-unthinkable, that Greece might leave the eurozone. 美国公司为希腊可能离开欧元做准备，这本来是无法想象的事情。美式足球NFL的很多后卫球队一贯以大块头著称。然而如今，体重对身体的压力让很多球员难以承受。
Many super-sized NFL players are now doing the unthinking: they are on a diet. 很多大块头的NFL球员如今开始控制饮食，这在以前本来是无法想象的。好的，今天我们学习的词是unthinkable, unthinkable, unthinkable…

A: Speaking of unthinkable, the first thing that popped into my head is the Gangnam Style! Who would ever think that it could become so popular?

B: I know! when I first heard it, it was unthinkable that it would become so popular across the globe!

A: 对啊! 我还听说有人的婚礼就用Gangnam Style来做里面的舞曲! 这太搞笑了! They might think it’s funny now, but what about in 20 years? They are going to think they were crazy!

B: Ha, yep. Did you see that we even have a Gangnam style burrito in our cafeteria? (两人笑) But as with all the pop music, I think it will gradually fizzle out.

A: Yeah I guess that’s true for all pop music. 不过你刚提到一个很好的词儿， fizzle out! 咱们现在就来学学这个习惯用语的用法吧!

Words and Idioms 986

美国习惯用语第 986讲。我是杨琳。

M：我是Steve Baragona.

我侄女最近说想当律师。我问她为什么想当律师的时候，她说这样她就能挣大把钞票，住豪华公寓，去高级餐厅，还能环游世界。她没有意识到，作为律师在职业生涯初期的工作时间有多长，他们又得为了工作牺牲多少个人生活。我想如果她知道了，她想成为律师的兴趣可能就可以用下面这个词来形容:

M: Fizzle out. Fizzle is spelled f-i-z-z-l-e, fizzle. Fizzle out.

Fizzle这个词本身的意思是失败，而fizzle out, 作为一个词组，意思是”归于失败，渐渐消失”。有一项调查显示，很多法学院的学生都是这样。Once they discover how consuming that profession is, their enthusiasm seems to FIZZLE OUT. 当他们了解到律师行业有忙后，他们此前的热情就会渐渐退去。在下面的例子里，我们要来听听一对情侣Chris和Sandy的故事:

M: “Chris and Sandy started dating months ago. All of our friends thought they made a great couple. Soon they moved in together and there was talk about them getting married. What Chris hadn’t realized was that Sandy had an uncontrollable temper. Soon their relationship FIZZLED OUT. We were sad to learn that another promising lover affair came to an end. ”

[这段话是说: 几个月前，Chris和Sandy开始约会。朋友们都认为他们很合适，没过多久，他们就搬到一起住了，还有人听说他们快要结婚了。Chris不知道的是，Sandy脾气很不好，后来他们的感情就慢慢淡薄了。我们很失望地看到，本来特别有希望的一对情侣并没走到一块儿。]

结婚前发现不合适，总比结了婚再离婚好吧! 我有一个朋友就是这样，她经常在网络上认识人，聊天交友。可是真见了面，总发现那个人根本就不是网上说的那么回事! The dates often fizzle out and my friend goes home depressed. 约会经常不了了之，我朋友还特郁闷。所以说，寻找另一半得靠运气。好的，我们再来听听刚才那段话:

M: “Chris and Sandy started dating months ago. All of our friends thought they made a great couple. Soon they moved in together and there was talk about them getting married. What Chris hadn’t realized was that Sandy had an uncontrollable temper. Soon their relationship FIZZLED OUT. We were sad to learn that another promising lover affair came to an end. ”

在美国，经常有组织马拉松或是各种比赛来为抗击癌症募捐的活动。不过下面的例子里，一个竞赛组织团队的资金慢慢枯竭了。这是为什么呢? 咱们一起来听一听:

M: “Hundreds of races take place every year to raise money to fight lung cancer. But one organization has been having trouble getting contributions. That’s because its president was recently caught stealing and then lying about it. No wonder funding is FIZZLING OUT! ”

[这段话是说：每年都会有几百个竞赛项目为抗击肺癌筹集资金。但是其中一个组织今年募集的资金特别少。结果有人发现这个组织的主席挪用公款，而且还撒谎! 难怪他们筹集的资金越来越少！]

基金的经营出现问题后，一旦主要支持者退出，其他人就会跟着退出。这就好像去参加一个派对，一旦有人开始离开，慢慢大家就会接二连三跟着回家，the party begins to fizzle out. 派对就会慢慢结束。不过我们的节目可不会 fizzle out! 好的，言归正传，我们再来听听刚才那段话:

M: “Hundreds of races take place every year to raise money to fight lung cancer. But one organization has been having trouble getting contributions. That’s because its president was recently caught stealing and then lying about it. No wonder funding is FIZZLING OUT! ”

今天我们学习的习惯用语是fizzle out, 意思是归于失败，渐渐消失。好的，这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束，我是杨琳，我是Steve Baragona。谢谢各位的收听。

A: So Mike, 节目刚开始你说你大学时成天在eBay上买东西，你都买了什么嘛?

B: I bought everything there. Books, my I-pod, clothes, computers, I even got my jeep from eBay!

A: 啊? 在网上买吉普车? 你也太牛了….

B: It’s actually really convenient. I just saw an ad and went to see the jeep…and…it was love at the first sight! But then eBay started to fizzle out, and now Amazon and Craigslist have basically replaced it.

A: 原来是这样! 不过呢，网上购物现在是越来越方便，大家也经常在网站上卖自己不要的东西! 今天的美语三级跳里，我们就要跟着Chole一块来在网上贴广告。咱们赶快来听听吧!

Computers: Intermediate

今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“电脑”单元的中级课程。

Chloe家里有很多用不着的东西，她想上网把它们卖了。上次，她的电脑上不了网，东西没卖成。现在，网修好了，Chloe的朋友Matt过来，帮她在网上发帖子卖货。

Professor. That’s right, Winnie. Let’s hope Matt is more helpful selling things than he was fixing the Internet.

Matt: Chloe, you are really lucky that I am here to help you sell this stuff online. I am an expert at this!

Chloe: Well you also said you were an expert at fixing my computer, but you couldn’t do that at all.

Matt: Believe me, this time I mean it. I am going to help you sell your things for a lot of money.

Chloe: I guess I have to trust you. I’ve never posted an advertisement on the Internet before. What should we do first?

Matt又来了，说自己是上网卖东西的行家！他一定又在吹牛！对了，Professor, Chloe 说，她想在网上 post一则广告。post这个词在这是登的意思吧？

Professor: That’s right. You can also “post” pictures on a website, or “post” comments on a blog.

在网上登广告、发照片、写评论都可以说 post.

Matt: The first thing we have to do is decide where to post the ad. Do you want to auction it on eBay?

Chloe: Yeah, that sounds good. How do I do that?

Matt: Well first you will have to create an account. Then you will have to write a description of the item and upload some pictures. What are you selling?

Chloe: I’m selling my bike. I don’t ride it very often anymore, but it’s still in good condition.

Professor Bowman, auction, a-u-c-t-i-o-n, 是“拍卖”的意思么？

Professor: That’s exactly right, Winnie. What does Matt say Chloe has to do to auction her bike online?

他说，Chloe可以去拍卖网 – eBay，先注册一个account – 帐号，然后就可以卖她的自行车了。

Professor: Winnie, you can also create other kinds of accounts on the Internet, such as an e-mail account. Matt also says Chloe needs to “upload” some pictures. Do you know what that means?

这个我知道! upload 上传，跟download下载正好相反，卖东西当然最好有照片，所以要upload some pictures 上传一些照片。

Matt: You know what else you can do? You can post a link to the bike company’s Web site so that people can find more information about it.

Chloe: That’s a great idea. But how much do you think I should sell it for?

Matt: We can search the advertisements for other bicycles on eBay, and see what the asking price is.

Chloe: Hey, great idea! You know Matt, you’re a lot better at selling things online than you are at fixing computers.

Professor: So Winnie, what does Matt say Chloe should post on her advertisement?

Matt说，Chloe应该在广告中放个link – 链接，接到自行车厂家的网站，这样，感兴趣的买主就能更多地了解这辆车的情况。

Professor: Right! You can also use the word “link” as a verb, too. For example, you can link from one page to the next by clicking on the link.

哦，link还可以当动词用。对了，professor, 什么是asking price？

Professor: It’s the original price you ask for, before you start negotiating.

哦，asking price就是卖家开出的要价。

Chloe: Well, it looks like we are finished posting the ad. Do you think I will get many responses?

Matt: Maybe. It would also be a good idea to post a link to your ad on your personal Web page.

Chloe: Oh yeah, I’ve got a MyFace page. Maybe some of my friends would want to buy my bike.

Matt: Well, post the link and see what happens. MyFace gets a lot of traffic.

Professor, Matt说 MyFace这个网站gets a lot of “traffic.” “traffic”不是指马路上的车么？

Professor: Yes, but you can talk about Internet traffic too.

哦， Internet traffic应该就是网站的访问量! Professor, Matt 这次好像没吹牛，的确帮了Chloe不少忙。希望Chloe的自行车能很快卖出!

Professor: Listen next time to find out!

A: 原来， Chloe要卖自己的自行车，她准备先register for an account on eBay, 注册账号，然后upload some pictures, 上传一些照片，给出asking price, 卖家要价，而且还要跟她的个人网站连起来 to attract more traffic, 增加点击量。 看来这次，Matt 还帮了她蛮多忙的嘛!

B: Yep, I definitely prefer buying things on eBay and Amazon over shopping in the mall. A) it’s more convenient and B) you can find a better deal on the Internet!

A: 对啊! 好像很多理财专家都说，其实很多东西都没有必要买新的，二手的跟新的一样好，而且价钱还便宜非常多!

B: There you go! Shop smart and you won’t be in debt!

A: Exactly! 在今天的business etiquette里， 负债累累的Jane正在请教公司的财务专家Vincent和Anna怎么摆脱债务，我们一块来听听吧!

礼节美语 – Getting Out of Debt – Part I

Jane找上司Vincent, 可不是为了工作。

Jane: (knock knock) Hi, Vincent…got a second?

Vincent: Sure, Jane…come in. Grab a seat. What’s on your mind?

J: Well, I know this doesn’t fall under your responsibilities, but I really need some advice. Do you mind?

V: Not at all. Shoot.

J: Ok…I’ll just say it: I’m quite heavily in debt and I need advice on how to get out of this hole I’m in.

Jane问Vincent有没有时间 got a second? 请别人坐，可以说 grab a seat. Vincent 让 Jane–shoot. Shoot 在这儿不是开枪，而是“说吧”。原来，Jane 是因为债务缠身，heavily in debt, 让Vincent 帮她出主意，to get out of this hole 摆脱困境。

V: I see. Is this mainly credit card debt?

J: Yes. But there’s a mortgage and car payments as well.

V: You know what? I’m going to ask Anna Wang to join our conversation. She’s our company’s financial expert.

(Picks up phone) Anna? Would you mind joining me for a second? Thanks.

J: Oh. I don’t want to be a burden.

V: No…it’s really no problem. Millions of people have fallen into debt and it’s great that you are trying to take positive action. Oh, hi Anna. This is Jane.

Anna: Hi Vince. Hi Jane.

Jane 不光信用卡欠了很多钱，还有房贷和车贷。Vincent 请公司的财务专家 Anna 来咨询。注意听，Jane欠了多少钱。

V: Jane wants advice on how to get out of credit card debt.

A: Ah. That’s a popular problem these days. Can I ask how much you owe?

J: Um…it’s kind of embarrassing…but Ok…25,000 dollars.

A: Jane, I’m going to be blunt: if I were you, I’d cut up all my credit cards today.

J: All of them?

A: Well, you might keep one for emergencies, but the point is: stop using the cards.

Jane 一共欠了两万五千美元。Anna说，I’m going to be blunt 我直话直说：要是我，今天就把信用卡都剪碎。The point is: stop using the cards 关键是：不能再刷卡了。

V: I never used to pay attention to the fine print, but one day I looked up the details from my bank and I discovered I got charged 14% interest!

A: Yes, you really have to read the fine print. In Jane’s case though, I’d recommend actually canceling the cards.

J: Can’t I get the bank to lower my interest rates?

V: Sure, but you also want to stop new spending. When you buy something with a credit card, you think you are paying what the price tag says. But really there are a lot of extras.

消费者一定要注意信用卡的 fine print 合同细则，Vince的银行就收他14%的利率。刷卡购物，你以为付的是商品标价 the price tag, 可实际上有很多额外收费。a lot of extras。Jane 具体该怎么做？我们下次继续听。

A: 原来，Jane is heavily in debt, 债务缠身，请Vincent和Anna帮她出主意，to get out of this hole，摆脱困境。Anna说, 她的建议是把信用卡都减碎, stop using the cards, 不能再刷卡了。而且，用信用卡一定要注意read the fine print, 阅读合同细则，Jane的银行就收取她14%的利率，there are a lot of extras, 有很多额外费用。

B: That’s why Warren Buffett said that everyone only need one credit card. The more credit cards you have, the more you will spend. Sometimes people just lose track of their spending. Then next thing you know they’re in major debt.

A: 没错! 刷信用卡老让人觉得没花钱似的，其实零零碎碎加起来一点也不少! 现在就有很多财务顾问建议大家开始使用cash，现金! 你看，我们中国人民多么聪明，一直使用!

B: Haha, I agree with you on that. On average Chinese households save around 25% of their salary, while Americans save less than 10%. We need to learn from you guys in that aspect!

A: 不错不错! 先给老师端一杯茶来! (笑) 好了不开玩笑了，我们还是接着听听Anna给了Jane什么建议吧!

礼节美语 – Getting Out of Debt – Part II

Jane 向上司Vincent和财务专家Anna请教，如何才能摆脱信用卡债务。Anna建议说：

A: You have to freeze everything and reevaluate your position. Figure out exactly – to the dollar – how much you owe and who you owe it to.

J: How can I get the credit card companies to stop calling me a hundred times a day?

V: (chuckles) They can be quite persistent, can’t they?

A: They need to be convinced that you’re serious about getting your finances in order. You will probably need to go down and speak with a bank representative.

V: Your bank should be willing to reduce your debt if you can work out a repayment schedule.

Anna建议 Jane “freeze everything and reevaluate your position”冻结一切财务活动，对现状重新评估，看自己到底欠谁钱、欠多少钱。要想让信用卡公司别没完没了地打电话催债，stop calling me a hundred times a day, 就要让他们相信，你真心想把债务付清 get the finances in order。Anna 还建议 Jane 去找银行，work out a repayment schedule 就如何分期分批还清债务达成协议。

J: I think I made a bad decision with my car as well. I chose the five-year payment plan, but with the interest, it’s actually much more expensive than the three-year plan.

A: It’s very important that you do the math before you sign any papers. Can I be blunt with you?

J: Yes. I can take it.

A: You can’t be financially healthy if you’re lazy. Many people make really bad decisions just because they’re too lazy to really figure it out.
V: I’m sure guilty of that.

J: Yes. I agree. I’m going to start paying better attention.

没错，在任何贷款协议上签字之前一定要 do the math 把帐算清楚。Anna 说，很多人在财务上犯错误都是因为懒得去算这笔帐。
Vincent 承认，他就是这样的人，I am sure guilty of that. 言归正传，Anna 要还清债务，具体有哪些步骤呢？

V: So let’s see if I can summarize the plan. One: Stop spending. Two: Talk to the banks and work out a deal … and three: Pay closer attention to the fine print.

A: That’s pretty much it. Becoming a financially healthy person is possible, but it takes exercise.

J: So basically my brain needs to go to the gym.

A & V: (mild chuckle)

J: Thank you both very much. I appreciate your good counsel.

第一：不能再随便花钱；第二：跟银行谈，work out a deal 设法达成还钱的协议；第三：以后务必注意财务协议的细则。Anna 打比方说，要做一个财务上的健康人是可能的，但需要练习。Jane 也开玩笑，说要让自己的大脑去去健身房。

A: See Mike, you can’t be lazy if you want to be financially healthy, you need to be as hardworking as I am! So before I give you any more important tips, I need a cheesecake and a cup of latte….

B: Cheesecake? Tell you what, when you get fiscally fit, I’ll get stop being lazy with my finances.

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美语训练班  第077课

A: 欢迎大家来到这期的美语训练班! 我是杨琳!

B: 我是Mike! 杨琳，来告诉大家今天都要学什么?

A: 没问题! 今天，我们要聊聊怎样变成社交网站最跑红的人物，学学西方文化中有哪些禁忌，还要告诉你怎么说压力山大!

B: Well, if you are talking about the most popular guy on social media who ever lived you don’t have to look anywhere else! (咳咳…)

A: Exactly! Only on social media, never in real life! (笑； B: Hey!) 好了好了, 不开玩笑了，我们言归正传，赶快来进入第一个单元，learn a word!

Learn A Word 1590 stressful

今天我们要学的词是 stressful. Stressful is spelled s-t-r-e-s-s-f-u-l, stressful. Stressful 意思是压力很大的。Starting a new job can be exciting and stressful at the same time. 开始一份新工作可能既令人兴奋，又让人倍感压力。有调查显示，Law enforcement agents, taxi drivers, and corporate executives are among the most stressful jobs in the country. 执法人员，出租车司机和公司主管属于美国各种职业中压力最大的行业。美国新闻周刊公布了2012年度压力最大的25所大学的排行榜。在排行榜中，Washington University at Saint Louis is ranked as the most stressful university in the country. 圣路易斯的华盛顿大学被列为全美国学生压力最大的学校。好的，今天我们学习的词是stressful, stressful, stressful…

A: 说起压力大，最近工作真多，I’m so stressed out!

B: Awww…I’m sorry yanglin! You know what? I hear that making food for others can help you release stress. As a very compassionate friend, I will help you. You can bake me some cookies!

A: 你!做! 梦! Yeah, but seriously, I think that a messy environment can actually stress me out.

B: Exactly! I’m the same way! Last night I spent 4 hours cleaning my room, it was covered in flotsam and jetsam! No wonder I’ve been so stressed this week!

A: 对啊! 环境整洁，心情也更好! 不过你刚才提到一个很好的词儿， flotsam and jetsam ! 咱们现在就来学学这个习惯用语的用法吧!

Words and Idioms 987

美国习惯用语第 987讲。我是杨琳。

M：我是Dan Markus.

上个礼拜我帮一个好朋友搬家，结果发现她家有好多我认为没什么用的东西，什么大学时候的笔记本啊，书啊，还有看起来她好久都没穿过的衣服。我问她这些笔记本里是不是有很多珍贵资料，但她说，其实里面都是一些：

M: Flotsam and jetsam. Flotsam is spelled f-l-o-t-s-a-m, and jetsam; j-e-t-s-a-m. Flotsam-and-jetsam.

这两个词都不太常见，flotsam意思是船沉没以后漂浮在水面上的废物，而jetsam是指因为担心船会沉，所以扔到水里的废物，以便减轻船上的载物量。大家可能猜到了，flotsam and jetsam, 连起来就是没有价值的物品。就像上面的例子中，在我朋友的大学笔记本里： There wasn’t any important information written down, it was all FLOATSAM AND JETSAM. 里面没有什么重要信息，全都没什么用。在下面的例子里，我们要看看一个人在他爷爷去世后整理遗物时发现了什么：

M: “After my grandfather died, I went to clean out his garage. I found piles of yellowed newspapers and magazines, empty bottles, pieces of used furniture, and broken tools and sports equipment. There was nothing of any value. It was nothing more than flotsam and jetsam.”

[这段话是说: 我爷爷去世后，我去整理他的车库。那里有成捆范黄的旧报纸和杂志，空瓶子，旧家具，还有已经损坏的工具和体育器材。什么值钱的东西都没有，全都是废物。]

其实大家经常会在车库里堆些没有用的东西，久而久之也就忘记了。比如我，我每年就得清理一次我的衣橱，能发现好多我再也不会穿的衣服，把他们捐给慈善机构。I clean my closet once a year, and there are always some flotsam and jetsam. 好的，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

M: “After my grandfather died, I went to clean out his garage. I found piles of yellowed newspapers and magazines, empty bottles, pieces of used furniture, and broken tools and sports equipment. There was nothing of any value. It was nothing more than flotsam and jetsam.”

Flotsam and jetsam 这个短语，除了指没有价值的物品以外，还有另外一个意思，就是不受重视的人。下面的例子里，一个记者就要来给我们讲讲当地居民关注的问题，我们来听听看：

M: “Citizens who want more upscale living areas have been pleading with the City Council. They want to see more of the poorer neighborhoods redeveloped. They’re tired of seeing homeless people wandering around. To them, such FLOTSAM AND JETSAM needs to be removed. ”

[这段话是说：希望提升居住环境的居民一直请求市政厅，他们希望重新开发更多的贫困社区。他们不想再看到无家可归的人到处游荡，对他们来说，这些人不该出现在他们的社区附近。]

这也是可以理解的，谁不想要一个安全的居住环境呢？我最近听我们小区的人说，当地学校校长决定启动一个项目，帮助那些问题学生。He believed it was time to pay greater attention to the FLOTSAM AND JETSAM. And, truthfully, it is those struggling students that need more help. 他认为应该给那些不受重视的学生更多关怀。确实，那些问题学生需要更多的帮助。好了，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

M: “Citizens who want more upscale living areas have been pleading with the City Council. They want to see more of the poorer neighborhoods redeveloped. They’re tired of seeing homeless people wandering around. To them, such FLOTSAM AND JETSAM needs to be removed. ”

今天我们学习的习惯用语是flotsam and jetsam, 意思是毫无价值的物品，或者不受重视的人。好的，这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束，我是杨琳，我是Dan Markus。

A: This term totally reminds me of facebook! Some of my friends put everything up there. There is so much flotsam and jetsam on their Facebook page! 都是没用的信息!

B: You can say that again. I really don’t need to see 100 photos of a cat wearing a hat; or a status about someone’s bodily functions, or a huge paragraph detailing your fight you just had with your girlfriend….

A: 就是! 我有个朋友，每天都在微博上上传100张她和她的狗的照片! 我有时候真想把她屏蔽了…

B: Yeah, it’s all about how you use it. Social media is a great thing to connect with friends who are far from you, but you really need to watch out how much information you share.

A: 不过我们的节目不也是在微博上才积攒了那么多粉丝? 所以社交网站还是很有用的! 正好，在今天的美语三级跳里，我们就要跟着Matt一块在MyFace上建个帐户。咱们赶快来听听吧!

Computers: Advanced

今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“电脑”单元的高级课程。

Professor: Today we’re learning some advanced words for talking about online social networking. Chloe is helping Matt build his MyFace page.

MyFace一听就知道是社交网站。

Matt: Thanks a lot for helping me build my MyFace profile, Chloe. I’m hoping that it will make me seem a lot cooler than I am in real life.

Chloe: Don’t worry, Matt. By the time I’m done setting up your online profile, you will be the coolest, most popular guy who ever lived.

Matt: Awesome! So what should we do first?

Chloe: To start, we need a really cool profile picture. Do you have any pics of you doing something really exciting or funny?

Matt: Well …. I do have a great picture of me playing chess. Is that exciting enough?

Chloe: That’s the most exciting picture you have? I can see I have a lot of work to do.

Chloe这下可有的忙了! Matt想当社交网站上的帅哥，Chloe说，第一步是要有一张特别吸引人的头像照片。可是Matt没什么拿得出手的好照片!

Professor: That’s right. And did you notice how Chloe called the pictures “pics”? On the Internet, photographs are often called p-i-c-s, “pics”.

噢，” pics” 就是照片。

Chloe: Alright. Next we need to set your status to say that you’re in a relationship.

Matt: Wait a minute, I don’t have a girlfriend.

Chloe: I know! But you see, Matt, women only want what they can’t have. Being unavailable will only make you more attractive to them.

Matt: But what happens after a girl starts to like me? If I ask her out on a date when I have a girlfriend, she will think I’m a creep.

Chloe: Don’t worry. Then you just change your status to “It’s Complicated” and tell her that you’re going through a painful breakup, and that you need someone to talk to.

Matt: Wow, you’re really good at this stuff!

哇， Chloe 还真是恋爱专家！她让Matt在网站上写自己有女朋友，这样反而更能获得女孩子的青睐! 因为女人总是越得不到的东西越想要!

Professor: Right! But what does she say he should do if a girl starts to like him?

她说，如果有女生看上Matt， Matt就要把感情状况”status”改成”It’s complicated”，“一言难尽”! 然后告诉对方，自己正在和女友分手。这样一来，就能和对方约会啦!

Chloe: Alright, the next thing we have to do is get you a lot of friends. You should send everyone you have ever met a message inviting them to be your friend on MyFace.

Matt: But what if I haven’t talked to them in years? Isn’t that kind of weird?

Chloe: Matt, that’s not the point! The important thing is that when people look at your MyFace page, they see how popular you are because you have at least 500 friends.

Matt: Five hundred friends? But I don’t have 500 friends. In fact, I think it’s impossible for anyone to have 500 friends.

Chloe: Well then, invite people you don’t like to be your friends too. It doesn’t matter.

Matt: Invite people I don’t like to be my friends? Man, this social networking stuff is really weird.

Chloe还建议Matt在网站上多加好友，好让别人觉得他交友广泛，受欢迎。为了凑数，她甚至让Matt邀请自己讨厌的人。

Professor: That’s right. Matt thinks this kind of social networking is really strange.

对啊，本来是社交嘛，为什么要把自己讨厌的人也拉进来呢？

Chloe: Alright Matt, we’re almost done. But there is one last important thing. Remember to post updates to your status every 15 minutes.

Matt: You mean every 15 minutes I should post an update about what I’m doing? What if I’m doing something really boring, like cleaning my apartment?

Chloe: It doesn’t matter if you’re doing something completely uninteresting. Post a message on your Web page so everyone knows what you’re doing 24 hours per day.

Matt: Wow, this sounds like a lot of work. Maybe I don’t really want a MyFace page.

Chloe: Oh yes you do! I want to add you to my list of friends. I’m almost to 700!

Chloe还让Matt随时随刻把生活中芝麻绿豆的事儿写在网上。我有些朋友就是这样的，哪怕是出门倒垃圾都要写在社交网站上，烦死人了！哎? Professor Bowman, 你干嘛呢？

Prof: ….What? Oh, yes! Winnie, (lower voice) I’m updating my Facebook status ….

A: Matt决定在社交网站上注册一个帐户，想变成网络红人。Chole说，一定要把 relationship status，感情状态写成Matt有女朋友，因为women only want what they can’t have.女人总想要她们得不到的东西。而且要 post updates to your status every 15 minutes, 每隔15分钟就更新状态，让人家知道你24小时都在干什么! 这听起来好像天天不出门的宅男!

B: Post updates every 15 minutes? That’s just insane. I think it’s a social faux pas to post too frequently online. A lot of people find that really irritating.

A: 没错! 不过我记得我刚来美国的时候，对很多文化和风俗都不够了解，所以经常犯错!

B: Haha, but now you are an expert! In today’s business etiquette, we are going to learn some of the social faux pas in American culture. Let’s go and check it out!

礼节美语 Avoiding a Faux Pas Part I

中国雇员Cathy 忧心忡忡地去找美国同事 Mark 请教。

Kathy: Hey Mark…do you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?

Mark: No problem, I’ve got time.

K: Great! Well, I’m going to Seattle for half a year. I’m attending a course at a university and I’ll be doing some research as well.

M: Sounds like fun!

K: Yes. But I’m really worried that I don’t understand American culture well enough. You know how here in China we have lots of little things that are considered impolite…what if I do something wrong in America? I’d be so embarrassed if that happened!

原来，Kathy 要去西雅图进修半年，但是担心自己对美国文化和风土人情了解不够，会在小事情上闹笑话，让自己难堪，embarrassed, e-m-b-a-r-r-a-s-s-e-d, embarrassed。

M: Ah, I see! Actually, we have a great word in English that describes making a cultural mistake…it’s called a “faux pas” and it’s actually originally a French term.

K: So I should say I want to avoid any cultural “faux pas?”

M: That’s correct. You know, actually you shouldn’t worry too much. America is a pretty relaxed country, but there are a couple things you should be aware of.

K: Oh? Such as?

Mark 说，这种文化上的失误叫 faux fas, f-a-u-x and f-a-s, faux fas 是从法语来的。前面可以用动词 avoid 避免或是 commit 犯下。
Mark安慰 Cathy 说，美国是一个很随便的国家，American is a pretty relaxed country. 不过还是有些地方需要注意。Such as? 比如说呢？

M: Americans – and western people in general – can be very sensitive about smells.

K: Oh…so I should be careful after eating spicy foods, right?

M: Yep. Things like garlic or various Chinese dishes can have a strong smell. It’s best to chew gum or use a breath freshener.

K: That’s a good thing to remember. How about when I visit a friend’s home? What do I bring?

Mark 说，西方人对气味非常敏感，中国人喜欢吃的大蒜等食物，都会留下十分浓重的味道，It’s best to chew gum or use a breath freshener. 所以最好嚼嚼口香糖，设法去去嘴里的味儿。去朋友家作客，带点儿什么呢？

M: If you and your guest drink alcohol, it’s always nice to bring a bottle of wine. If wine is a problem, you could try fruit or some kind of dessert.

K: But should it be an expensive gift?

M: No, the price is not so important. Just bring something to show you care about your hosts and are grateful for their invitation.

Mark 说，如果宾主双方都喝酒的话，带瓶葡萄酒绝对没错，否则的话，可以考虑带点水果或是甜点。礼物不一定要非常贵重，能够表达对主人的关心和对邀请的感激就可以了。

A: 原来，Kathy要去西雅图进修，请Mark来给她讲讲美国社会的风俗。Mark 说，America is a pretty relaxed country, 美国是一个很随便的国家，但是西方人普遍对气味很敏感，所以吃饭之后，It’s best to chew gum or use a breath freshener, 应该嚼嚼口香糖，去去嘴里的味儿。去别人家做客，要带点小礼物，to show you are grateful for their invitation. So Mike, 你觉得什么是文化失误呢?

B: Hmm, there are a lot. For example, never ask someone about how much they make, never ask someone you just met about their political or religious belief; never ask a woman if she’s pregnant…because it’s just soo awkward if her answer is no….

A: 哈哈哈，对对对! 这可千万得小心，不然人家恨你一辈子! 好了，咱们接着去听听Mark还给Cathy讲了什么吧!

礼节美语 Avoiding a Faux Pas Part II

中国雇员Cathy 要去美国考察，找美国同事 Mark 了解美国文化，以免在待人接物的时候在礼节方面闹笑话。

K: If I’m using public transport…should I give up my seat if I see elderly people?

M: Yes. I think that’s proper behavior pretty much everywhere in the world. Give up your seat to pregnant women, senior citizens and people with small children.

K: A friend told me that Westerners don’t like it when people blow their nose.

M: Actually, that’s true. In the West many think blowing your nose in public is a bit rude. Of course, if you have to do it, then you may – just turn as far away from people as possible and do it quietly. It would be even better to get up and move away before blowing your nose.

K: Wow…that’s good to know. I might have committed a real “faux pas.”

坐公交车给老人、小孩和孕妇让座，到哪里都不会错。在大庭广众之下擤鼻子会被认为是举止粗鲁。It is a bit rude to blow your nose in public. 如果迫不得已，最好尽量离别人远点，或者索性站起来，到旁边去擤。

M: And of course, spitting is always a no-no.

K: Yeah. I agree with that one. It’s disgusting when someone coughs and spits in public. In the movies it seems like all Westerners wear their shoes indoors, is this true?

M: Many people in America do wear their shoes in the house. You should wipe off your shoes on the doormat before you go inside. But…more and more Western people are beginning to follow the Asian tradition of removing your shoes in the house.

Mark 说，随地吐痰是绝对不行的。spitting is always a no-no. 美国人在家也穿鞋？Mark 说，不少美国人在家确实穿鞋，但是去别人家作客，最好 wipe off your shoes on the doormat before you go inside. 进去以前最好在门垫上把鞋底擦干净。

K: My boss told me that it’s a super big faux pas to be late in Japan. Is that true in America as well?

M: Yes…but we are a little more flexible. If you arrive within five minutes of a meeting time it might be OK. But it’s always best to be on time or be early.

K: When I was in London last year I was eating with my Chinese friend. She whistled for a waiter to come over and when the man came over, he looked so angry!

M: Oh, yes…that’s a major faux pas. NEVER snap your fingers or whistle at any kind of service personnel. It’s considered very impolite!

K: Mark…I can’t thank you enough for your tips! I really appreciate it!

M: Sure! Let’s chat again before you leave.

迟到在日本是大忌，a super big faux pas。Mark 说，在美国虽然没那么严格，迟到五分钟也算正常，但最好还是准时或是提前到。还有，在西方，招呼任何服务人员，都不能打响指或是吹口哨。NEVER snap your fingers or whistle at any kind of service personnel. 这样做被认为是非常不礼貌的。

A: Yeah, I hate people who’s constantly late! What’s the point in setting a specific time if you are not going to be there by then?

B: But isn’t it you who always set the alarm clock at seven and come to office at eleven?

A: aThat’s different, I need my beauty sleep! (B: you need more than sleep….) 好了同学们，这次节目时间就到这里了。

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美语训练班  第078课

A: 欢迎大家来到这期的美语训练班! 我是杨琳!

B: 我是Mike! 杨琳，来告诉大家今天都要学什么?

A: 没问题! 今天，我们要聊聊美国的大学排名，看看西方人有什么迷信传统，还要告诉你怎么说短板!

B: Western superstitions? There are a bunch of them, especially now that Halloween is around the corner….the ghosts are….

A: (cut mike off) 你别说你别说! 我听了鬼故事睡不着觉! (B: Oh really….) 好了好了不开玩笑了，我们赶快来进入第一个单元，learn a word!

Learn A Word 1593 household

今天我们要学的词是 household. Household is spelled h-o-u-s-e-h-o-l-d; household. Household 是家庭，一家一户的意思。American gymnast Gaby Douglas made a household name out of herself with her gold medal win at the London Games. 美国女子体操选手Gaby Douglas在伦敦奥运会上赢得金牌，变得家喻户晓。美国农业部公布的报告显示，Almost 18 million American households struggled to find enough to eat in 2011. 美国有将近1800万个家庭2011年曾遇到过缺少足够食物的情况。利物浦连续第四年成为全英国失业家庭比例最高的城市。Almost a third of all households in Liverpool have no employed family members. 利物浦将近三分之一的家庭，都没有任何家庭成员工作。好的，今天我们学习的词是 household, household, household…

A: 说起household, 那天我看到了一个报导，The median income of American households peaked in 2007, and has been decreasing ever since. 这经济怎么也不复苏呀!

B: Actually the economy has been improving. However, it will take at least 5 to 10 years for the economy to get back on track after the major economic recession we’ve had.

A: 那你觉得经济的短板是什么呀?

B: Well, I guess it’s still the housing market. The market had a major bubble five years ago, and then everything just collapsed.

A: 嗯，对! 不过这个短板，该怎么说呢? 咱们一块去听听今天的美语怎么说你就明白啦!

How to say it in American English
weak point

Jessica 在北京学汉语，她的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词，就会来请教她。今天是Lulu要问的：短板。

Jessica: Hi, Lulu, how’s your new job treating you?

LL: 唉，还可以吧。不过我觉得同事们都很强势，弄得我不敢说话。这种内向害羞，真是我的短板!

Jessica: 短板？

LL: 短板就是我的弱点，缺点。哎？这用美语该怎么说呢？

Jessica: I see. It is your weak point, or shortcoming.

LL: 哦，短板在美语中就是 weak point, 或者 shortcoming. I think being shy is my weakest point. I really should be more aggressive.

Jessica: Don’t worry. Sometimes it takes me time to open up to people too. You should stick to your strengths by showing your co-workers what you’re good at.

LL: 你是说，让我多向同事展示自己拿手的方面，stick to my strengths, 就是扬长避短，对么？

Jessica: 没错!

LL: 说是这么说，可是现在，我们组我资历最浅，好像觉得插不上嘴，好象局外人。

Jessica: As I said, you just need some time to warm up. It’s natural to find it a bit challenging to fit in at the beginning, but you’ll be fine very soon! Talk to your co-workers! Ask them stupid questions! They won’t see you as a poor fit.

LL: a poor fit? 这又是什么意思啊？

Jessica: You find people or things a poor fit if they don’t suit you, or don’t get along with you. For example, if someone is a poor fit in a team, he is not working well with other team members.

LL: 明白了，a poor fit 就是不合适，如果一个团队里有个人不合群，他就是 a poor fit for the team.

Jessica: That’s right. Lulu, I’m sure you’re a good fit for the team. Now let’s see what you’ve learned today!

LL: 今天我们学了，短板是 weak point, 或者 shortcoming; 扬长避短是 stick to your strengths； 不合适，不合群是 a poor fit.

A: 听见没有Mike， you need to stick to your strengths! 扬长避短!

B: You realize that means I basically have to take care of everything since I’m working with you! Compare to you, I’m better at EVERYTHING…

A: And that just flies in the face of common sense. 大家都知道这不是事实…

B: Hahah, I kid I kid. But you just mentioned a really good term “fly in the face of.” Let’s listen to today’s words and idioms and find out what it means!

Words and Idioms 988

美国习惯用语第 988讲。我是杨琳。

M：我是Steve Baragona.

我阿姨去年开了一个蛋糕店。现在她生意越做越好，她还正在准备开个分店。这使得很多甜品业同行感到奇怪，他们都因为经济不振而收入下降。而我阿姨的蛋糕店生意蒸蒸日上，与他们的情况正相反。这也让我想到一句习惯用语，那就是：

M: Fly in the face of. Fly is spelled f-l-y, and face is spelled f-a-c-e. Fly in the face of.

这个词组里的词都很简单，不过连起来跟飞或者脸都没有关系，而是“完全相反，截然不同”的意思。像上面的例子中，甜品业普遍业绩不好，可是我阿姨的蛋糕店却蒸蒸日上。It appears to FLY IN THE FACE OF what’s typical in the industry. 祝她好运！再下面的例子里，我们要讲讲教育领域的一些改革。你肯定认为现在高科技教育占了主导地位，咱们来听听下面这些学校的做法有什么不同：

M: “Most American schools have been increasing spending on high technologies. That meant more computer-assisted learning in the classroom. Yet a small minority of institutes are focusing on traditional learning. They believe it’s much better for the students. It’s unclear if they’re right. But it certainly FLIES IN THE FACE OF what most schools are emphasizing.”

[这段话是说: 大多数美国学校现在都在高科技上投资。这就意味着课堂里出现更多电脑技术的支持。但是也有一小部分学校坚持传统教育。他们认为这样更有利于学生。现在还不清楚他们是否正确，不过很显然，他们的做法跟大多数学校背道而驰。]

我的一个朋友 Jenny 也是这样。现在很多人都通过 facebook，微博和twitter 这类社交网站联络沟通，可我朋友 Jenny 坚持不用这些社交平台，她认为面对面的沟通才是最好的。It flies in the face of what most people do these days. 这与眼下大多数人的做法都截然不同。好的，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

M: “Most American schools have been increasing spending on high technologies. That meant more computer-assisted learning in the classroom. Yet a small minority of institutes are focusing on traditional learning. They believe it’s much better for the students. It’s unclear if they’re right. But it certainly FLIES IN THE FACE OF what most schools are emphasizing.”

不知道我们的听众是不是体育迷，我本人就挺爱看美式橄榄球，总觉得是一种不同的文化体验。下面这个例子里就讲到了一个名叫Tim的球员，我们来听听看：

M: “Tim is one of a few football players who isn’t shy about his religious beliefs. Before every game, in front of huge television audiences, he kneels in prayer on the field. He knows not everyone approves. Still, he doesn’t regret FLYING IN THE FACE OF how athletes are expected to behave.”

[这段话是说：Tim是少数敢于表明自己宗教信仰的球员之一。每场比赛开始前，当着电视观众的面，他都会跪在赛场上祈祷。他知道并不是每个人都赞成他的做法。他并不取悦社会对运动员的一些期待，他也丝毫不后悔。]

我觉得每个人的宗教信仰都是他的自由。就像最近很火的Jeremy Lin，林书豪，他也对自己的宗教信仰毫不掩饰。我有一个同性恋朋友，she’s very open about her sex orientation, this flies in the face of some traditional views. 她很公开自己的性取向，这与很多保守的观点大相径庭。好了，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

M: “Tim is one of a few football players who isn’t shy about his religious beliefs. Before every game, in front of huge television audiences, he kneels in prayer on the field. He knows not everyone approves. Still, he doesn’t regret FLYING IN THE FACE OF how athletes are expected to behave.”

今天我们学习的习惯用语fly in the face of, 意思是截然相反，大相径庭。好的，这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束，我是杨琳，我是Dan Markus。谢谢各位的收听。

A: Fly in the face of 截然相反。我这就能造个句! 天气预报说今天很热，结果我就穿了个小短袖! But the weather today flies in the face of the weather forecast, it is freezing outside!

B: Haha. Didn’t you know that being a weatherman is the only job in the world which you can be wrong 90% of the time and still get paid?

A: 哈哈，then I take it that being a Weatherman ranks no. 1 on your list of possible careers! (B: Hey! ) 咱们接下来要再来学个词儿，顺便来听听世界大学的最新排名怎么样!

B: Let’s listen!

Learn A Word 1598 ranking

今天我们要学的词是 ranking. Ranking is spelled r-a-n-k-i-n-g, ranking. Ranking 是排名的意思。Harvard and Princeton remain tied for No.1 on the U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges Ranking”. 美国新闻与世界报道杂志公布的最新美国大学排名，哈佛大学和普林斯顿大学并列第一。在另外一项世界大学排名中，MIT took first place, knocking Britain’s University of Cambridge into second place and Harvard into third, according to the QS World University Rankings. 根据QS世界大学排名，美国的麻省理工学院排名第一，把英国剑桥大学和美国哈佛大学挤到了第二位和第三位。好的，今天我们学习的词是 ranking, ranking, ranking….

A: 这个世界大学排名榜，不同的机构排得都太不一样了! 不能信不能信!

B: Aww 杨琳，honestly is it because your school is not listed ? (打喷嚏 sneeze)

A:你看，报应来了吧! 你是不是感冒了?

B: Me? No! Don’t you see how strong I am? I never get sick!

A: Uh-Oh, Mike, you’d better knock on wood, don’t jinx it…不过大家可能正在纳闷为什么让Mike敲木头呢? 听听下面的礼节美语你就明白啦!
B:

礼节美语–Superstitions Etiquette-Part I

MC: 来自中国的雇员 Sue 跟男同事 Pete 和女同事 Julie 一起去吃饭。

Pete: Hey Sue! Don’t walk under that ladder…it’s bad luck!

Sue: Julie, Is he serious?

Julie: Kind of. There is an old tradition in the West that says it’s bad luck.

S: You mean a superstition?

J: Yes, I guess it is a superstition.

S: But, Julie…you’re from the UK and Pete is American! I thought Western people weren’t superstitious!

Pete: Actually, many of us are. In America we have a whole bunch of superstitions.

Pete 警告 Sue 不要从梯子下面走，It’s bad luck. 会带来坏运气。这不是迷信吗！ superstition, s-u-p-e-r-s-t-i-t-i-o-n, superstition 迷信。Julie 是英国人，Pete 是美国人，原来，西方人也迷信。

S: Wow…I always thought Westerners considered superstitions old-fashioned. My family is Chinese; almost all of us are very superstitious.

Julie: Well, I think the superstitions might be different, but pretty much every country in the world has them.

S: Is the number “four” unlucky in the West?

J: No…I don’t think so.

P: Um…wait. Why is the number “four” bad?

S: In Chinese the pronunciation of the “four” sounds a lot like the word for “death.”

P: Oh, I can see why that would be bad.

Sue 原以为，西方人觉得迷信是 old-fashioned 守旧过时的，只有中国人迷信，没想到，其实西方人也迷信，但是东西方迷信的内容不同。比如说，中国人觉得数字“四”不吉利，跟“死”谐音。

J: We might be OK with the number “four” but some Western people think “thirteen” is an unlucky number.

P: That’s true. Some buildings will skip the thirteenth floor or call it “12A” or something.

S: Ha! That’s funny! In many Chinese places they do exactly the same thing with the fourth floor! But why is thirteen unlucky?

J: Well, it’s not too clear how that happened…but it probably has something to do with twelve being a lucky number.

西方人不忌讳“四”，但是忌讳“十三”，很多大楼因此没有十三层，用12A来代替。Sue 说，中国也有类似做法。不过，在西方文化里，“十三”为什么不吉利呢？Julie 说，大概是因为“十三”前面的“十二”是一个 lucky number 特别吉利的数字。

J: Twelve is a number featured in many stories and legends and so it’s kind of considered to be a good number.

S: But thirteen is not?

P: Yeah…and the most unlucky day of all is if a Friday falls on the 13th of a month. That’s considered to be a super unlucky day.

S: Yeah. I saw a horror movie called “Friday the 13th” once!

J: Yeah! That’s a great horror movie!

在西方，很多传说和故事里，十二都是吉祥数字，可十三却代表着厄运，如果哪个月的十三号正好又是星期五的话，一定要小心，that’s considered a super unlucky day. 那可是特别不吉利的日子。

A: Pete和Julie给Sue讲起了western superstitions, 西方的迷信传统，比如don’t walk under a ladder, don’t use the number 13等等。Sue本来还以为西方人觉得迷信是”old-fashioned” 传统守旧的，没想到西方人比东方人还迷信。Do you believe in superstitions, Mike?

B: I sure do!

A: So what are some other superstitions in the west?

B: Hmmm, if you see a black cat crossing your path, you are going to have very bad luck. I guess it’s because black cats have long been associated with witchcraft.

A: 啊? 我有个好朋友就有只小黑猫，我还觉得他挺可爱的呢!

B: Oh my gosh, then your friend is in serious trouble. But actually, for all these superstitions, it all depends on weather you believe it or not.
A: 对! 信则有，不信则无。咱们接着听 Sue 告诉了Pete 和Julie什么吧!

礼节美语–Superstitions EtiquettePart I

来自中国的雇员 Sue 跟男同事 Pete 和女同事 Julie 一起去吃饭，三个人谈到了东西方的迷信。Sue 说，

S: What about walking under a ladder? What’s wrong with that?

J: You know, I’m not really sure! But it’s probably a good idea to avoid it…something might fall on your head!

P: That makes sense!

S: So many of your superstitions don’t really have a specific origin?

J: Many of them might be related to religious issues…but the origin kind of gets lost in history.

Julie 说，西方很多迷信都不知道是从哪来的了。The origin kind of gets lost in history. 比如说，从梯子下面走会带来坏运气，可为什么呢？或许是上面会掉东西下来砸到你吧，但没有人能肯定。

P: Oh! I can think of one superstition that’s related to religion. Many Western people say “Bless you!” to a person if they sneeze.

J: Right. That’s because around 500 years ago, people thought saying “God Bless You” could help heal the person and stop the spread of disease.

P: Still today, many people say, “Bless you” after someone sneezes. It’s now considered polite.

S: I think that’s a sweet thing to say. Tell me some more Western superstitions!

不过，不少迷信跟宗教有关，Pete 举例说，有人打喷嚏，旁边的人说 “Bless You” 就起源于宗教。 Julie 说，大约五百年前，人们觉得说上帝保佑你 God Bless You 能防治疾病，但是今天，别人打喷嚏，你说 Bless You已经变成一种礼貌了。

P: Well, if you see a black cat walking in front of you…bad luck might be coming very soon!

S: A black cat is kind of evil, huh? I guess that’s why a witch always has a black cat!

J: Yeah…but I have a black cat at home and he’s not evil at all. He’s a sweet little cat.

P: I’d say many Western people don’t take these things very seriously, but they are still a part of our culture.

J: I know one! Breaking a mirror is seven years of bad luck! Back in ancient times, a mirror was said to be a window to your soul, so breaking one was very bad!

在西方，如果你前面有一只黑猫，那可糟了，意味着厄运临头。可 Julie 就养了只黑猫，可爱极了。看来西方人也并不真信 They don’t take these things very seriously. 另外，打碎镜子代表七年的坏运程，因为古代人觉得镜子是通向心灵的窗口。

S: Do you have superstitions about where things are built?

J: You mean like Feng-Shui?

S: Yes! Exactly! How do you know about that?

P: Feng-Shui is becoming quite popular in the West. Some people now do try to follow some of the rules if they can.

S: Wow! It seems we are starting to share traditions!

P: Sure! Why not?

J: Yes…I think it’s good to get to know each other’s culture better.

西方人信风水吗？Pete 说，Feng-shui is becoming quite popular in the West. 风水在西方越来越流行，这也算是文化互通吧。

B: (Sneeze)

A: aGod bless you, Mike! 我看你是感冒了，还是回家好好喝水睡觉吧…

B: I’m not sick! I’m just allergic to you!

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美语训练班  第079课

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美语训练班  第080课

A: 欢迎大家来到这期的美语训练班! 我是杨琳!

B: 我是Mike! 杨琳，来告诉大家今天都要学什么?

A: 没问题! 今天，我们要聊聊怎么大力宣传，看看外国人对中国菜的印象，还要告诉你怎么说励志!

B: My impression of Chinese food? Let me tell you, there’s only one word to summarize it: AWESOME!

A: 哈哈，那是当然! 第一，我们中国菜全世界第一好吃，第二，你是一个百年难得一见的吃货。

B: Hey!

A: 好了好了不开玩笑了! 我们言归正传，赶快来进入第一个单元，learn a word!

Learn A Word 1606 publicity

今天我们要学的词是 publicity. Publicity is spelled p-u-b-l-i-c-i-t-y, publicity. Publicity 有宣传的意思。The lead singers’ feud turned out to be just a publicity stunt for the band’s new album. 乐队主唱之间的矛盾，其实只是乐队为了新唱片问世，而采取的一种宣传手段。有人说，Any publicity is good publicity. 任何宣传都是好的宣传。言外之意，即使是负面宣传，也会增加产品的知名度。另外一种类似说法是，There is no such thing as bad publicity. 黑莓手机上周服务中断。The service outage created a wave of negative publicity for Blackberry. 这次服务中断事件给黑莓公司带来了一轮负面宣传。好的，今天我们学习的词是 publicity, publicity, publicity….

A: 说起 publicity, 我第一个想到的就是刚刚过去的总统大选! 听说这次是美国有史以来竞选花费最高的一次，the two candidates spent nearly 2 billion dollars on publicity!

B: Yeah, presidential elections are not only policy wars , They’re money wars as well. You need to be rich enough, or have enough endorsements, before you can step into politics.

A: Well, I guess it’s better to spend all the money on election rather than a real war. 而且我听奥巴马连任后的演讲，好励志呀! I feel that the American people are all once again united in order to move forward.

B: Yep, and President Obama does have the charisma and aura to convey his message to the public.

A: 没错! 不过听众朋友们，我们刚刚说到的这个励志用美语该怎么表达呢? 来听听今天的美语怎么说你就明白啦!

How to say it in American English

Jessica在北京学汉语，她的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词，就会来请教她。今天是Lulu要问的：励志。

LU: Jessica. I-Want-You!!!

Jessica: 哈哈! You watched that show, didn’t you, Lulu?!

LU: 没错!在你的推荐下，我也看了这个选秀节目! 太感人了! 你看那些选手，都是平凡人，可是唱得多棒啊!看他们被评委选中，太励志了! Jessica, 你教教我，“励志节目”在美语里怎么说？

Jessica: You can say the show is inspirational. Inspirational is spelled i-n-s-p-i-r-a-t-i-o-n-a-l. This talent show is definitely inspirational as all the contestants have incredible life stories and their performances rock!

LU: Exactly! 那我要是说励志电影，是不是inspirational movies?

Jessica: 没错! But Lulu, I was really disappointed that the young woman from Chengdu didn’t make it to the next around.

LU: 我也特喜欢那个成都女生。Did you see how sad she was when the judges all turned her down?

Jessica: Yeah. She was crushed! For a moment I thought she was gonna faint!

LU: Crushed? 就是“深受打击”的意思，对么？

Jessica: 对。For example, after learning his girlfriend had dumped him for a wealthier guy, he was crushed.

LU: 唉，看着那女孩儿伤心的样子，真可怜。I don’t know what those judges were thinking! That girl should have been selected! 唉，真是有眼无珠。

Jessica: I agree! Well, it’s their loss!

LU: Their loss? The judges’ loss? 我明白了，这就是说他们不选这个选手，是他们自己的损失!

Jessica: 没错! 好啦 Lulu, another episode of the show is starting in 5 minutes. Let’s go watch!

LU: 今天我们学了，励志节目是 inspirational show, 深受打击是 crushed, 形容有人选择错误，有眼无珠，可以说 It’s their loss!

A: Speaking of this, although Mitt Romney lost the election, he didn’t seem so crushed. 而且他还挺大方地祝贺奥巴马连任呢!

B: Yeah, I mean, in terms of popular votes, President Obama did win with only a narrow margin of victory. He got 50% of the popular votes, while Romney got 49%. The two candidates were definitely neck and neck.

A: 对啊! 大家都说这是美国历史上最刺激的一次大选，因为双方咬得太紧，之前没人知道选举结果到底会是怎么样!
B: Yep, and in today’s words and idioms, we will tell you how to express an inevitable outcome! Let’s go and check it out!

Words and Idioms 991

美国习惯用语第 991讲。我是晓北。

M：我是Dan

昨天我去看了我好朋友的篮球比赛。虽然我很希望他赢，不过我也知道，他所在的球队处于弱势，如果没有奇迹出现的话，他们输定了。果不其然，他们以大比分败北。这也让我想到一个习惯用语，那就是:

M: Foregone conclusion. Foregone is spelled f-o-r-e-g-o-n-e, and conclusion; c-o-n-c-l-u-s-i-o-n. Foregone-conclusion.

Foregone的意思是先前的、预知的，而conclusion，结果。Foregone conclusion， 意思就是”注定的结果， 不可避免的结果”。上面的例子就是这样。It’s obvious that my friend’s team was the underdog. It was a FOREGONE CONCLUSION that they’d lose the game. 我朋友的球队显然不是对手，在比赛中失利是不可避免的。在下面的例子里，我们要去看看一个公司里的员工如何讨论谁会升职。

M: “Susana had worked as the assistant manager in the store for three years. When the boss decided to take a job with another company, most of us assumed Susana would be getting a promotion. It seemed a FOREGONE CONCLUSION. But our predictions were wrong. A new manager with more experience was hired instead.”

[这段话是说: 苏珊娜当了三年副经理。老板接受另一份工作决定辞职后，我们很多人都认为苏珊娜一定会得到晋升。这看起来是注定的结果了。不过我们都猜错了。公司雇了一名更有经验的经理人。]

是啊，这世界上的事情谁能百分之百打保票呢？就拿我经常去光顾的一家餐厅来说，那里的服务员几个月前告诉我，餐厅可能要关门了，因为老板得了重病。They were sure the restaurant had to close down. It seems like a foregone conclusion. 可是前两天我去订pizza的时候，他们告诉我，老板手术成功，迅速康复，餐厅会继续开下去？这真是个好消息！ 好的，我们再来听听刚才那段话:

M: “Susana had worked as the assistant manager in the store for three years. When the boss decided to take a job with another company, most of us assumed Susana would be getting a promotion. It seemed a FOREGONE CONCLUSION. But our predictions were wrong. A new manager with more experience was hired instead.”

美国历史上的南北战争人尽皆知。这次战争以北方取胜告终，结束了奴隶制，是美国历史的里程碑之一。有些历史学家认为北方显然会获胜，可是有些历史学家则认为双方势均力敌。我们一起去听听他们不同的见解。

M: “Some historians believe that the American Civil War was far from a FOREGONE CONCLUSION. In their view, it wasn’t clear at all that the North was going to beat the South. It’s true that the North had a larger population and greater resources. But, they argue, the South had the advantage of fighting on their own soil. And they had the most experienced generals. ”

[这段话是说：一些历史学家认为当时美国内战的结果并不是板上定钉的。在他们看来，北方并不一定能打败南方。的确，北方拥有更多的人力和资源。但是他们认为，南方拥有主场优势。而且他们有经验更加丰富的将军。]

历史是个值得讨论的话题。每个人看相同的问题都会得出不同的结论。各种战争，选举，都可能出现出人意料的结果。就比如今年的总统大选，鹿死谁手，还很难讲。Who will win the presidential election this year is far from a foregone conclusion.好，我们再来听听刚才那段话:

M: “Some historians believe that the American Civil War was far from a FOREGONE CONCLUSION. In their view, it wasn’t clear at all that the North was going to beat the South. It’s true that the North had a larger population and greater resources. But, they argue, the South had the advantage of fighting on their own soil. And they had the most experienced generals. ”

今天我们学习的习惯用语是FOREGONE CONCLUSION, 意思是注定的结果，不可避免的结果。好的，这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束，我是小北，我是Dan。谢谢各位的收听。

A: 说起这个，我也来造个句。 It’s a foregone conclusion that xiaobei is going to get a promotion soon! 我觉得她得请咱们撮一顿，对吧?

B: That’s definitely true! Especially with her superb ability to cook Chinese food, unlike somebody here….

A: I’m sorry, who are you talking about here? (threatening)

B: Woo….well, ok, I’m wrong!! You are so good at cooking Chinese food…

A: 不止是中国菜，中西合璧，哪样我都行! 哈哈! 在今天的business etiquette里， 我们就要来讨论东方和西方菜式的不同，赶快一起来听听看!

礼节美语Food Part I

美国驻中国员工Tiffany 跟中国同事Kelly聊天儿。

Kelly Yan: So Tiffany, you’ve been working with us here in China for a few months now. Are you still feeling culture shock?

Tiffany Scolini: Yes, a bit. But it’s much better than the first few weeks. Back then I was really a fish out of water.

K: Remember the first time I took you to eat real Chinese food? You barely touched anything!

T: I know! I was scared! A lot of the food here is very different from back home. And the Chinese restaurants I’ve been to in America are very different from here.

Tiffany 来中国几个月，文化上还是有些不习惯，I am still feeling culture shock a little bit. 不过，跟刚开始比已经强多了。刚来那会儿，I was really a fish out of water. 就象离了水的鱼，意思是跟环境格格不入，特别不自在。Kelly 第一次带Tiffany 去中国餐馆吃饭，Tiffany 几乎没动筷子，因为这儿的中尴5c馆跟美国的中餐馆差别太大了。

K: Yeah. We Chinese like to joke about American Chinese food. It’s really not very authentic.

T: Yes, that’s true. But I think it’s true all around the world. You really have to be in the food’s original country to truly experience it. My family is Italian and in Italy they think American-Italian food is awful!

K: Oh, but I love pizza!

T: Me, too! But the pizza in Italy isn’t anything like American pizza. In the U.S. we like to borrow the general idea of a food, and then we give it an American twist.

吃中国饭去中国，吃意大利菜去意大利，这样才能吃到最正宗的，authentic, a-u-t-h-e-n-t-i-c, authentic. 在美国，虽然什么都能吃得到，但是美国人喜欢把别人的菜拿来，give it an American twist. 加入美国自己的特色。

K: I remember when I was in the States I ordered fish one time. When the dish arrived I was surprised to see just a little chunk of meat. I thought “Where is the head and tail?”

T: (laughs) Oh…yes. In the States we almost never leave the head and tail on a fish! Americans are kind of squeamish when it comes to dead animals. We would never ━ not in a million years — leave the head on a chicken!

K: Yeah, that’s right! I never saw a chicken head when I was there.

Kelly回忆说，她在美国点鱼，结果上来的只是一盘鱼肉。原来，美国人不吃鱼头和鱼尾。Tiffany解释说，Americans are kind of squeamish when it comes to dead animals. 美国人对杀生非常敏感。squeamish意思是容易受惊的，神经质的。Americans would never–not in a million years—leave the head on a chicken. 美国人绝不会把鸡头留在盘子里。这里说的 not in a million years, 一百万年都不会，是强调的意思。Tiffany对中国菜还有哪些印象呢？我们下次继续听。

A: 原来，Tiffiny才到中国两个月，看到了很多 authentic Chinese food, 地道中国菜，可是她吃不习惯，像 a fish out of water, 特别不自在。Kelly说，她刚到美国的时候也很不适应，因为美国人引进各种食物，可是都 give it an American twist, 加入美国特色，食物都进行了改良。So Mike, what’s your impression of Chinese food ?

B: Haha, I LOVE Chinese food! I think Chinese food is a lot more delicate and interesting compared to western cuisine. I love trying out all the local food, Ganbian sijidou, Shandong Geli (Qingdao ren jiao Gala), shao long bao, huo guo, and my favorite is definitely 串儿! Gosh how do I miss Beijing!

A: 没错! 哎呀，被你这么一说，我又想起了鱼香肉丝那可人疼的样子!

B: Well…stop dreaming, you are drooling all over the place! (A: Hey!) haha kidding kidding. Let’s keep listening and see what Tiffany has to say about Chinese food!

礼节美语Food Part II

美国驻中国员工Tiffany 跟中国同事Kelly聊天儿，说起中西餐的差别，比如，美国人饭桌上永远看不到鱼头或是鸡头。Tiffany 大发感慨道，

T: In some ways, perhaps the Chinese approach to meat-eating is more honest. If you’re eating a chicken, well, that’s what a chicken looks like!

K: Huh…that’s interesting. So you think Western people are trying to forget that the chicken was a living animal?

T: Maybe. I think many American kids don’t really understand that chicken nuggets are made out of real chickens.

Tiffany 觉得中国人的吃法更真实，而西方人则不希望把盘子里的肉跟活生生的动物联系在一起。结果是，Many American kids don’t really understand that chicken nuggets are made out of real chickens. 很多美国孩子并不知道炸鸡块其实是用活生生的鸡做的；

K: But if you don’t use all of the animal…isn’t that wasteful?

T: Oh, it’s very wasteful. America has a big problem with being wasteful. We really need to learn to use things more efficiently.

K: Maybe Americans should try being more adventurous with food. When I was there it seems everybody ate pretty much the same things every day!

T: Yeah, that’s another good thing about Chinese food; there are a million different dishes with a million different flavors. You can try something new everyday!

Kelly觉得，美国人在饮食方面应该大胆些。More adventurous with food. adventurous is spelled a-d-v-e-n-t-u-r-o-u-s, 意思是具有探险精神。Tiffany表示，美国人吃的东西千篇一律，而中国菜却是 there are a million different dishes with a million different flavors. 变幻无穷。

K: But I do think Chinese food can sometimes be too greasy!

T: Yeah, but American food is greasy too. I think overall, Chinese people must be eating a pretty healthy diet because there are so few people here with weight problems. Back home it’s a really big problem!

K: Well, I’ve gained a few too many kilos myself recently. I need to cut down on the meat and eat more fruit and vegetables. Hey! That reminds me! There’s a new vegetarian restaurant downtown…want to come try it with me?

T: Sure! Lets have another adventure!

Kelly说，有些中国菜太油腻，too greasy, greasy is spelled g-r-e-a-s-y. Tiffany 却觉得，中国人饮食相对健康 a pretty healthy diet，因为中国体重超标的人并不多。Back home it’s a really big problem. 这在美国可是大问题。这也提醒了Kelly,她说自己最近长了好几斤，需要 cut down on the meat and eat more fruit and vegetables. 少吃肉，多吃蔬菜水果。她立即拉Tiffany去城里新开的一家vegetarian restaurant素菜馆去尝尝鲜。

A: Kelly觉得美国人吃饭有些千篇一律，觉得他们应该be more adventurous with food, 更大胆些。Tiffany 觉得中国菜相对健康 a pretty healthy diet, 因为中国人相对来说体重都比较正常。两人决定今晚健康饮食，去vegetarian restaurant 素菜馆尝尝鲜。

B: I definitely agree with Tiffany. Chinese food itself was a great diet for me. I lost 35 pounds just by eating Chinese food and walk around in China, I guess it’s because there’s more fresh meats and vegetables in Chinese cuisine.

A: 没错! 而且中国菜还能变很多花样，把素菜做成荤的，荤菜就更不用说了! 你想，鱼香肉丝，红烧狮子头，火爆腰花，酱肘子，糖醋鱼! 哎呀，好了好了不说了，咱们还是回到现实中来，节目最后，我们再来学个词儿!

Learn A Word 1607 parental consent

今天我们要学的词是 parental consent. Parental is spelled p-a-r-e-n-t-a-l, consent is spelled c-o-n-s-e-n-t, parental consent. Parental consent 家长同意。美国联邦贸易委员会FTC建议修改有关规定，加强对网上儿童隐私的保护。Under the FTC proposals, some current online practices, like getting children under the age of 13 to submit their photos, would require parental consent. 根据联邦贸易委员会的提案，互联网上让13岁以下的孩子提交照片等现行做法，都要得到家长的同意。Parents have voiced concerns when morning-after pills were distributed to NYC’s high school girls without parental consent. 纽约市高中在未经家长同意的情况下向女生发放紧急避孕药，引起家长的不满。好的，今天我们学习的词是 parental consent, parental consent, parental consent….

A: 哎，是呀, 这年头互联网诱惑太多，孩子真是不好管呀…

B: Yeah, now you understand how hard it is for me to always have to direct and supervise you to do your work….

A: I think it’s time that I bring you back to heal…..哈哈， 好了同学们，这次节目时间就到这里了。

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