BBC地道英语:Green Shoots 复苏迹象

Diarmuid: Hello everybody and welcome to Authentic Real English from the BBC with me, Diarmuid.

Feifei: And me Feifei.

Diarmuid: So what are we talking about today then Feifei?

Feifei: Our phrase today is one that has been used a lot in the media recently and is related to the economic problems the world has seen over the last year or so.

Diarmuid: Oh that’s so depressing.

Feifei: Depressing 令人沮丧的。Why do you think that is so depressing?

Pandas love to eat green shoots

Diarmuid: Well we have done so many words and phrases connected to the economy lately. Words like credit crunch.

Feifei: 信贷危机。

Diarmuid: Economic crisis.

Feifei: 金融危机。

Diarmuid: Recession.

Feifei: 经济衰退。

Diarmuid: And unemployment.

Feifei: 失业。I see what you mean. All of those words are very depressing.

Diarmuid: And pessimistic.

Feifei: 悲观的。In that case I have some good news for you because today’s phrase is all about an optimistic 乐观的 view of the economy.

Diarmuid: I’m intrigued, Feifei. Tell me more.

Feifei: Today’s phrase is green shoots. Green as in the colour green. And shoots. S.H.O.O.T.S. Green shoots.

Diarmuid: Green shoots. Why is that optimistic?

Feifei: It’s to do with the meaning of shoots. Shoots 有发芽的意思。

Diarmuid: So in this case shoots are the first little green leaves that come out of the ground when a plant is beginning to grow.

Feifei: Yes, like in the beginning of spring when plants recover from winter.

Diarmuid: But how does that relate to the economy?

Feifei: The complete phrase is the green shoots of recovery 复苏迹象。就是说经济复苏的一点儿迹象。

Example

Newsreader: The Minister of Finance said today that the first green shoots of recovery were beginning to be seen in the country's economy.

Diarmuid: So green shoots are signs that something, like an economy for example, is beginning to improve after a difficult time?

Feifei: You got it. 好了，今天的节目就到这里。欢迎随时登陆 www.bbcukchina.com 收听更多英语教学节目。

Diarmuid: Perhaps you will see the green shoots of your English level start to grow.

Feifei: Bye.

Diarmuid: Bye.