A: 同學們,打起精神!咱們來學美語!
B: 對!歡迎來到美語訓練班!I'm Donny.
A: 我是王怡茹。今天這節(jié)課,我們要去田徑場賽跑,和多年不見的老友不期而遇,計劃一次出國旅行,還要告訴大家怎么用美語表達“掃興”。
B: Sounds like we've got some really interesting things to show today!
A: Of course! 不過按照老傳統(tǒng),咱們先教個簡單的, 花一分鐘,學一個詞!
Learn A Word: upcoming
今天我們要學的詞是 upcoming. Upcoming 意思是即將到來的,比如:The upcoming match 就是指即將舉行的比賽。The pop singer has started promoting his upcoming album. 這名流行樂歌手開始為自己即將發(fā)行的新唱片做宣傳。All candidates are gearing up for the upcoming election. 所有候選人都在為即將舉行的選舉積極做準備。這個周末是美國陣亡將士紀念日的長周末。The upcoming Memorial Day Weekend marks the unofficial kickoff of summer. 即將到來的陣亡將士紀念日長周末標志著約定俗成的夏季的開始。好的,今天我們學習的詞是 upcoming.
A: 哦!Donny, 那你下星期去紐約做節(jié)目,也可以用 upcoming 嘍?
B: That's right. We're going to produce a travel show during my upcoming trip to New York.
A: Sounds like fun. Can I go with you?
B: Sure. I need someone to carry my bags for me. You're welcome to join us!
A: 給你提包???No way. 還是讓我們一起看看李華和 Larry 準備去哪里玩吧。
Popular American: make up your mind // live within your means
現(xiàn)在播送「流行美語」。Larry在和李華商量去什么地方渡假,他們會用到兩個常用語:make up your mind和live within your means.
Larry: Lihua, do you want to go to Toronto? I did a little research and found some really cool tours and.....
LH: Larry, 我不是很想去多倫多,我想去個有熱帶風情的地方。
Larry: Tropical?
LH: 沒錯!你說加勒比海怎么樣?
Larry: The Caribbean? Wow, that is very tropical... actually, I know someone who went there last summer, let me give him a call─
LH: 不過! 我又非常想去泰國,那里的水果和美食太誘人了!
Larry: What?? Thailand? Make up your mind, Lihua!
LH: Make up? 化妝?你在說什么?。?br />
Larry: No, not the make-up you put on your face. To "make up your mind" means to make a choice and stick to it.
LH: 哦,to make up your mind就是拿定主意。
Larry: Yea. For example, it often takes you a long time to make up your mind when it comes to what to wear when we go out.
LH: 呵呵,這倒是。出門前我總是不能決定穿哪身衣服。
Larry: And what about your friend at school that couldn't decide which class she wanted to take?
LH: 沒錯。那個同學特別愛學習,什么課都想選,可是一學期的時間只有那么多,選修課的數(shù)量是有限的。 I wish she would make up her mind!我希望她能快點作出決定。
Larry: Yea, exactly. Indecisive people can sure be annoying sometimes, especially when they cause others to waste time...
LH: 哈! Larry,你說的indecisive people--猶豫不決的人,是在說我吧?我也很想定下旅行的目的地,可是,真的是有太多好玩的地方,我實在拿不定主意!
Larry: What about money? We can drive to Toronto. Thailand would be extremely expensive. Airfare alone would cost us a couple thousand dollars. We do have to live within our means, after all.
LH: 你說的 live within our means,是什么意思?
Larry: The phrase "living within your means" means to live within the limits of your financial situation. Or, in other words, not spending more money than you can afford to spend.
LH: 哦,to live within your means就是量入為出,不過度消費。
Larry: That's right. And if we are to live within our means, we certainly cannot afford a vacation in Thailand!
LH: 你是說,從我們的經(jīng)濟情況考慮,去泰國花銷太高,我們承受不了?可是你工作這么久,不是已經(jīng)攢了些錢了么?
Larry: Not that much money! I'm just an entry-level worker. It will take some years of saving up money before I can afford things like tropical vacations.
LH: ?。窟€得再攢好幾年才能來個熱帶風情之旅?唉,Larry, 這只能怪你平時不知節(jié)省。你看,你老去外面飯館吃飯,比在家里吃貴多了!
Larry: So... if I were living within my means, we'd have enough money for a nice vacation?
LH: 對啊!如果你平時消費節(jié)制,我們現(xiàn)在就能去泰國了!
Larry: But, Lihua, I just don't have time to cook. And plus, I'm not that good at it! And there are things about your spending habits that could change, too─like cutting out some of your shopping. That would definitely help you live within your means.
LH: ?。磕阕屛乙矞p少支出,少買東西多存錢?這個嘛...
Larry: Make up your mind, Lihua. Do you want to save money or not?
LH: 那好吧,我下決心存錢。
Larry: Don't sound so depressed, Lihua. We can still go on vacation this year and still be living within our means. We just need to find a place closer to home. But first, let's make up our mind on where we want to go.
LH: 好吧! 希望我們真能做到既能愉快旅行又不讓荷包大出血! 不過,我不想去多倫多,我想去海邊!
Larry: How about South Carolina? It will take awhile to get there, but we could drive.
LH: 南卡羅萊納?有美麗的沙灘么?
Larry: Absolutely.
LH: 那....貴么?
Larry: We would still be living within our means if we go there. What do you think?
LH: 是嗎?我們能承受得起旅行的花費?讓我想想,讓我想想....對了! Larry, 我忽然想到,如果我們去海邊,我肯定要花很多錢買漂亮的游泳衣、太陽鏡、裙子什么的。算了,要不還是去多倫多吧!
Larry: Make up your mind, Lihua!
今天李華學了兩個常用語,一個是to make up one's mind,意思是“拿定主意”;另一個是to live within one's means,意思是“量入為出,不過度消費”。
A: 這個李華,真是一會兒一個主意!要我說,只要能出去旅游,去哪兒都行!make up her mind 有那么困難嘛?
B: 怡茹, I have to disagree. If I were to spend time and money on a vacation, I would carefully do my research before rushing to any decisions.
A: 看來你也是個 indecisive person 猶豫不決的人!我問你,去夏威夷,度假天堂,這你總不用猶豫了吧?
B: 夏威夷?太貴!
A: 那...加勒比海?
B: 太熱!
A: 北京?
B: 人太多!
A: 歐洲?
B: 去過了!
A: 你,你,你,你還真是難伺候!我以后絕對不請你一起去旅游,這么多意見,太掃興了!
B: 哪有?。f you pay for my air ticket and hotel, I'll go anywhere with you! 不過,剛才你說到“掃興”,正好,咱們來聽聽“美語怎么說”,教的就是這個詞!
How to say it: party pooper
Donny在北京學漢語,他的中國朋友要是遇到了不知道用美語怎么說的詞,就會來請教他。今天是Jimmy要問的:掃興。
Donny: Jimmy, sorry I can't make it to your birthday party this weekend. 我明天要去香港。
Jimmy: That's okay, Donny. 說實話,我自己對這個生日派對也沒什么興趣。
Donny: Why? Last time we talked about it, you were really excited.
Jimmy: 還不是因為我女朋友老打擊我! 她說,過生日意味著我又老了一歲,還說,我開party大吃大喝會變得更胖。唉,真掃興!
Donny: Oh, no! Your girlfriend is such a wet blanket! All the bad things she said made you NOT look forward to the party.
Jimmy: wet blanket? wet是“潮濕”的意思,blanket是“毯子”。你說我女朋友是個濕糊糊的毯子?
Donny: Actually, a wet blanket就是讓別人掃興的人或事。
Jimmy: 哦! a wet blanket說話討厭,專給別人的好心情潑冷水!
Donny: That's right. There is a similar phrase---party pooper. A party pooper is a person who refuses to go along with everyone else and join the fun.
Jimmy: 哦! Party pooper是在派對上掃大家興的人! Donny, 要是我去一個party, 結果大家玩兒的游戲我都不參加,還老嚷著要回家,then I'm a party pooper,對不對?
Donny: 標準的 party pooper! But Jimmy, in real life, you are by no means a party pooper, on the contrary, you're the life of the party!
Jimmy: The life of the party? 我是派對的生命?
Donny: 差不多! The life of the party is the most fun and exciting person at a party, you know, the person who makes the party fun for everyone else.
Jimmy: 哦,the life of the party 就是派對上的開心果! 有這種人在,氣氛一定很high! 你別說,我還真是the life of the party! 哈哈!
Donny: Of course you are! So don't let your girlfriend ruin your spirits. Now, let's see what you've learned today!
Jimmy: 第一,讓人掃興的人或事是a wet blanket, 或者a party pooper;
第二,派對的靈魂人物,開心果, 是 the life of the party.
這次的美語怎么說 就到這里。如果你也有不會說的詞,請寫信給 Donny, 電郵請寄[email protected]
A:I'm not a party pooper. I'm the life of the party!
B:誰證明???
A: 我朋友都這么說啊!尤其是我原來上大學的時候,簡直是派對女王??!多popular啊!可惜老同學們都沒在美國,Sometimes I feel so lonely.
B:Cheer up, 怡茹. Let's listen to the next program--GoEnglish,美語三級跳。講的就是老朋友見面!
Greeting Friends: Beginner
大家好!今天我們?yōu)槟コ?ldquo;美語三級跳”節(jié)目“問候朋友”單元的初級課程。
Winnie: Jen 和 Lawrence 是老朋友,很久沒見面了。真巧,倆人傍晚時分在路上不期而遇。
Professor: But, Winnie, today is a special day: It's Christmas Eve! Shouldn't they be at home celebrating with their families? What are they doing walking around on the street on Christmas Eve?
Winnie: 對啊,我差點忘了,今天是圣誕節(jié)前夜! 那他們兩個怎么會在大街上閑逛呢? 我們來聽聽看吧!
Jen: Lawrence, is that you? !
Lawrence: Hey Jen! How are you doing?! I don't think I've seen you in over a year!
Jen: I know! It's been a long time. It's funny to run into you on Christmas Eve!
Lawrence: Yeah, isn't that funny. Why aren't you at home with your family?
Professor: So Winnie, how long has it been since Lawrence and Jen last met?
Winnie: Lawrence說,他都一年多沒見過Jen了。不過, professor Bowman, Jen說,她 “ran into Lawrence”,這難道是說他們在街上“撞車”了嗎?
Professor: No,Winnie! When you say you "run into" something, it means you meet it unexpectedly. For example, I was doing very well on the test, but I ran into trouble when I got to the math part.
Winnie: 哦,所以run into就是“不期而遇”。
Jen: My family doesn't live here. They live in Texas.
Lawrence: I see. Well why didn't you fly home to Texas for the holidays?
Jen: I have to work tomorrow, so I didn't have time to fly to Texas. Why didn't you go home?
Lawrence: I wanted to, but I didn't have enough money to buy a plane ticket.
Professor: So Winnie, why didn't Jen go home for Christmas?
Winnie: 她家在德州,可是她要上班,沒時間回去過圣誕。
Professor: Exactly. And why didn't Lawrence go home for Christmas?
Winnie: Lawrence更慘,說自己買不起機票。對了,Professor Bowman, Lawrence說的“the holidays”是指圣誕節(jié)么?
Professor: Not really. "The holidays" means all the religious holidays that happen in December. If a person doesn't celebrate Christmas, you can wish him or her "Happy holidays."
Winnie: 原來如此,圣誕節(jié)是基督教的宗教節(jié)日,對那些不信基督教,不過圣誕節(jié)的人,你就可以說 happy holidays.
Jen: I'm sorry you couldn't go home. How is everything else going?
Lawrence: I'm OK, but I'm having trouble finding a job. What's up with you?
Jen: I can't complain. My job is going well and I have a nice apartment.
Lawrence: That's great. I'm happy everything is working out for you.
Winnie: 怪不得Lawrence買不起機票,原來他沒有找到工作。過圣誕節(jié)獨自一人,又沒有工作,真可憐。不過,Lawrence問 Jen "what's up," 這是在問什么呢?
Professor: Asking "what's up" is like asking how someone is doing, but "what's up" is a very informal expression.
Winnie: 我明白了, "What's up"和 "how are you doing"都是問候別人,就是“你怎么樣?”的意思,不過what's up更輕松隨意一些。
Professor: That's exactly right. But Winnie, did you hear Lawrence say he is happy everything is working out for Jen? What do you think "working out" means?
Winnie: 嗯, work out 是鍛煉身體的意思, 不過在這里,應該是“有好的結果”,“情況不錯”的意思吧。
Professor: That's right. For example, "John asked Emily to go on a date with him 10 times, but it never worked out."
Winnie: ???請人家約會十次被拒絕?真是百折不撓!
Jen: You know, since we're both alone, we should have dinner together.
Lawrence: Sounds great! But can we go someplace that isn't too expensive?
Jen: Don't worry, Lawrence, tonight I'll treat you. That will be my Christmas present to you.
Lawrence: Thanks! But next time, I promise I'm buying.
Winnie: Professor, "I'm buying" 和“I'll treat you" 都是“我請客”的意思吧?
Professor: Correct. You could also say "It's on me."
Winnie: 哎,學這么多“請客”的說法,要搶著付錢么?我還是想學學怎么蹭飯呢!
Professor: That's easy. Just say, "I forgot my wallet."
Winnie: 那好,Professor Bowman, 咱們去吃圣誕大餐吧! 不過,我要先告訴你,"I forgot my wallet!"
A: 老朋友run into each other, 不期而遇,真是不錯!
B:That's true, but apparently Jen lives a better life than Lawrence does.
A: Jen的生活的確比Lawrence好,Her job is going well, 工作順心,She has a nice apartment. 住的地方也舒服,所以她說,I can't complain. 我沒什么好抱怨的。
B: Don't you think Lawrence would be a bit upset by that, like getting a little jealous?
A: 你說Lawrence會忌妒Jen比自己混的好?不至于吧,畢竟是老朋友,關系可比同事單純得多!
B: 說得對! In the office, some people don't really want to see others excel in their work.
A: 沒錯,在辦公室里,有人就是看不得別人比自己強!咱們來聽聽下面的“禮節(jié)美語”。
禮節(jié)美語: Power Struggles II
David 跟 Sandra 聊天,說起自己以前有個同事,特別喜歡 name-drop. David說,
D: We would be in a meeting and she would say. "Yesterday I was chatting with Tom." She meant Tom Solomon...our CEO.
S: Basically she was trying to impress people by using the CEO's name...but who knows if she really talked to him?
D: You don't know...and name-dropping is a really bad habit. It gives everyone else negative feelings about you. If you have a good idea, just speak up. You don't need to use someone else as a cover.
David 舉例說,他們開著開著會,那個同事就會突然說,我昨天跟 Tom 聊天,大家都知道,Tom 是公司首席執(zhí)行官CEO。David說這樣做其實是個壞習慣,會讓別人對你有負面看法。如果你有什么好主意,just speak up. 直截了當說出來就好了,you don't need to use someone else as a cover. 不用打著別人的旗號。
S: Yeah... Tim does that too sometimes. But the worst thing he does is try to push me to the sidelines.
D: What do you mean?
S: When we have meetings sometimes people bring up my accomplishments and Tim always has to jump in and say something like, "Yes, but that was last year. We need fresh thinking this year." Why can't he just be nice?
Sandra 說,她對Tim最反感的地方是,he tried to push me to the sidelines. sidelines 邊線,to push someone to the sidelines 就是排擠某人的意思。另外一種說法是 stay on the sidelines 站在邊線上,意思是不積極參與。Sandra 舉例說,比如開會時,只要一有人提到 Sandra 以前的工作成績,Tim 就會馬上說,那都是去年的事了,我們需要新思維 fresh thinking. 以此削弱 Sandra 的影響和份量。
D: Well like you said earlier, he might feel threatened by you. He sees you as a rising star and he's afraid you'll shine brighter than he'll. Some people don't know how to react in situations like that.
S: I don't hate Tim. He'not totally bad; in fact he's pretty clever sometimes. I just hate all the office power struggles!
D: Unfortunately every workplace has its wars for power. That's how the game is played.
David覺得,Tim可能真是覺得Sandra對自己構成威脅。他怕你會 shine brighter than he'll 比他更耀眼,這里也可以用 outshine, He's afraid you'll outshine him. Sandra說,其實她不恨Tim, 她是不喜歡辦公室里的權力之爭,all the office power struggles. 然而,所有工作場所都難免有這種爭權奪利,勾心斗角,按照David的話說,That's how the game is played.
A: 看吧,因為別人工作出色,就 feel threatened,覺得自己受到了威脅!還有那些 name droppers, 就愛吹噓自己和名人、上司一起怎樣怎樣,讓人討厭?。?br />
B: Not to mention people pushing you to the sidelines,使勁排擠你。Workplace power struggle is just horrible!
A: 是啊,干得比別人好反而遭到忌妒和排擠!這樣吧,咱們走出office, 去一個簡簡單單決勝負的地方!
B: Where is that?
A: Track field! 田徑場!咱們來賽跑!
American sports English: On your mark
Y: 大家好,我是楊晨。
P: 我是Patrick.
Y & P: 今天我們......
Y: Patrick,你不要跟我搶著說話,這是犯規(guī)。要是賽跑你這就是搶跑,false start!
P: I apologize. In track and field, if an athlete committed two false starts, he or she will be disqualified.
Y: 兩次 false starts,就要被罰下場。
P: 剛才你也是false start, 為什么只有我道歉?
Y: er....Well, let's move one, shall we?
P: Ok, anyway, today we're going to talk about sprinting events.
Y: Sprinting events 是田徑比賽中的短跑項目,我們先來講起跑。在起跑線,我們會聽到發(fā)令員喊:“各就位”
P: On your marks,
Y: 預備
P: get set,
Y: 沒有發(fā)令槍發(fā)令員就喊“跑”。
P: go!
Y: 正式比賽當然都用發(fā)令槍了。
P: A starting gun is used in official track meets.
Y: 起跑對短跑運動員很重要。
P:A runner's start is crucial, especially for sprinting events like the 100-meter-dash. You need to react to the gun fast, but not too fast, otherwise you will commit a false start.
Y: 槍響了要迅速沖出去,但起跑太快,據(jù)說快于0.1秒就是搶跑了。你看,我懂得很多吧。信不信我跑得比你快。
P: 不相信。
Y: 那我們出去比一比!Lets race.
P: OK. Lets race and see what happens.
Announcer: On your mark, get set, go......
Y: I win, I win!!!
P: No, you didn't, you cheated! False start.
A: 怎么樣?Donny, 下班后田徑場等我,咱們比比100米短跑誰厲害???
B: No problem! I'm a serious runner. Don't go easy on me!
A: I won't! 好,今天的節(jié)目就到這里。節(jié)目的撰稿人是曉北,編輯是蔚然。同學們,我們下次的美語訓練班再見!
B: Bye!