男孩的礼仪课 Etiquette lessons for boys

Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English. I’m Callum and with me today is Jennifer. Hello Jennifer.
大家好，欢迎收听本期BBC六分钟英语。我是Callum，这是我的搭档Jennifer。你好Jennifer。
Hello Callum.
你好，Callum。
Jennifer, did you go to a finishing school?
Jennifer，你上过女子精修学校么？
You mean one of those schools where young ladies learn how to behave in high society?
你是指年轻女性学习上流社会举止的学校吗？
Yes, did you go to one?
没错，你上过么？
What do you think?
你认为呢？
Well, your manners and behaviour are so impeccable that I would not be surprised if you had.
我觉得你的行为和举止简直无可挑剔，所以，说你上过我也不会感到惊讶。
Well, I don’t know about finishing school, but it sounds like you’ve graduated from charm school!
呵呵，其实我不太了解女子精修学校，反倒你好像是从礼仪学校毕业的。
In days gone by, social etiquette, or the way to behave in polite society, was something that well-to-do young ladies were tutored in.Today’s programme is all about a course being run now for teenage boys in an English school. Before we learn more about this, here’s today’s question. A question about etiquette.In a fancy restaurant, either side of your place setting there are different knives and forks for the different courses of your meal. Maybe there are three different forks on the left and three knives on the right.The question is, which should you use first? The knife and fork furthest from your plate, the set closest to your plate or the set in the middle? Jennifer, what do you think?
在过去，社交礼仪（或者在上流社会中的举止）是富裕的年轻小姐学习的东西。今天的节目就和一所英语学校里十几岁男孩所上的课程有关。在我们进一步了解之前，还是先来看看今天的问题。这道题和礼仪有关。假设你在一家高档餐馆里吃饭，餐盘周围摆放着不同用途的刀叉。也许左边有三把不同的叉子，右边有三把不同的小刀。那么应先使用哪套呢？是离餐盘最远的一套，最近的一套，还是中间的那套呢？Jennifer，你会怎样选？
Well, I think I know the answer to this one. I think it’s outside-in. So I think the set furthest from your plate is the one you use first.
我想我知道这道题的答案。应该是由外向内使用。所以我认为应该先用离餐盘最远的那套刀叉。
OK. We’ll find out if you’re right at the end of the programme. Fowey School in England has begun offering etiquette lessons to teenage boys. So whose idea was this? Here’s their Headmaster, John Parry, talking to our colleagues from BBC Radio.
好的。节目最后我们会揭晓答案看你是否回答正确。英国福伊学校已为十几岁的男孩开设了礼仪课。这是谁的主意呢？下面一起来听听他们的校长John Parry怎么说。
The way it came about was that a group of girls actually wanted a course to prepare them for the Year 11 Leavers’ Ball which is, which is something which most schools do these days.They’re pretty sophisticated events, and the boys said, actually you know what, we want a piece of that as well.
此想法的灵感来源于一群女孩子。其实是她们想上礼仪课好为毕业舞会做准备。如今，大多学校都会举行毕业舞会。这些舞会很高级，很复杂，所以男生们提议他们也应上礼仪课。
Jennifer, whose idea was it?
Jennifer，给十几岁的男生上礼仪课是谁的想法？
It was the boys’ idea. John Parry said it ‘came about’ because, after the girls had asked for a course to prepare them for a special social event, the boys wanted one too.Or as he put it, the boys said, “We want a piece of that as well”. Which simply means, they wanted to be included as well.
是这些男生的想法。John Parry说此想法会形成，是因为在女生要求上礼仪课希望为社交活动做准备后，男生们也希望有这样的课程。或者像John Parry所说的，男生们表示也想参与其中。换句话说，他们也想被包括进来。
And what special event are they all preparing for?
那么他们在为什么特殊活动做准备呢？
The Year 11 Leavers’ Ball. A ‘ball’ is big formal party and a leavers’ ball is held at the end of the school year, when students are leaving the school. John describes them as being ‘sophisticated events’.
毕业舞会。ball是指大规模的正式舞会，a leavers’ ball则指学生毕业时举行的舞会。John把这种舞会描述为高级复杂的活动。
Have you ever been to one of these?
那你参加过毕业舞会么？
Yes actually. When I left school we were one of the first years to have a leavers’ ball and it was a very glamorous event and quite sophisticated too.
当然参加过。我毕业那会，学校刚开始举行不几年。让我现在来形容那场舞会，那简直是相当复杂，魅力无穷啊。
Let’s listen to John Parry again.
我们再来听听John Parry的话。
The way it came about was that a group of girls actually wanted a course to prepare them for the Year 11 Leavers’ Ball which is, which is something which most schools do these days.They’re pretty sophisticated events, and the boys said, actually you know what, we want a piece of that as well.
此想法的灵感来源于一群女孩子。其实是她们想上礼仪课好为毕业舞会做准备。如今，大多学校都会举行毕业舞会。这些舞会很高级，很复杂，所以男生们提议他们也应上礼仪课。
Who is helping with the etiquette lessons? What are the kinds of things they are learning, and how do the boys feel about it? Here’s John Parry again.
那么谁来给学生上礼仪课？他们在学习哪些知识，对这门课又有怎样的评价呢？一起来听听John Parry怎么说。
We work very closely with a, with a local hotel who are teaching the boys, you know, all about etiquette, all about how to dress, how to act with confidence and so on. It’s gone down extremely well with the boys.
我们同当地一家酒店密切合作，由他们教授学生如何穿着打扮，如何充满信心等社交礼仪。目前来看，男孩的礼仪课很顺利。
Jennifer, who is helping the lessons and what are they learning?
Jennifer，谁在给学生们上课，他们又在学习什么？
A local hotel is helping them out and teaching them things like how to dress and how to act with confidence.
一家当地酒店。它教学生们如何穿着打扮，如何自信行事等内容。
Has it been popular?
那么这门课受欢迎么？
Yes, John said that it’s ‘gone down extremely well’ with the boys. If something ‘goes down well’ it means that it’s been liked.
当然，John说男孩的礼仪课进展很顺利。如果说什么事情goes down well，也就是指它很受人喜欢。
So what do you think of this Jennifer, do you think these are useful things for school boys to learn or does it seem maybe a bit old-fashioned?
那么Jennifer，你怎样看待这门课呢？你觉得它对学生有益，还是有点过时呢？
I don’t think it’s old-fashioned. I think it’s useful for school boys and perhaps school girls to learn these manners and etiquette.It’s really nice when people hold doors open for you. It’s a very polite thing to do so I think everybody could do with a bit of education.
我觉得并不过时。相反，让男孩和女孩学学这些礼仪反倒对他们有好处。当有人为你开门时感觉真的不错。这是很礼貌的事情，所以我觉得只要受点教育的人都可以做到这一点。
Yes, I completely agree. I’m just being polite there, you know. In the case of this school though, it’s not all about impressing girls at parties.Headmaster John Parry also believes there is a strong practical reason for learning etiquette. He thinks it can help overcome some of the problems that universities and employers have with young people. He explains more:
恩，我完全同意。刚刚我是在和你客气呢。福伊学校为男生开设礼仪课，并不仅仅为了让他们在舞会上给女孩留下好印象。校长John Parry认为，让学生学习礼仪还有个很实际的原因，即可以帮助学生克服某些大学和雇主给他们提出的问题。对此他这样解释：
One of the criticisms they make of students is that they know a lot of knowledge, they’re very good in their exams but sometimes their social skills let them down.And we wanted our students to, you know, walk with confidence, you know, hold their head up high in any given social situation; whether that’s, you know a ball, as we’re doing, or whether that’s going for a university interview, a job interview.
有些大学和雇主批评学生，称他们虽知识渊博、成绩优异，但其社交技能却很令人失望。而且我想让我的学生自信前进，不管在什么社交场合，毕业舞会也好，大学面试、工作面试也罢，我都希望他们能昂首挺胸。
So Jennifer, how can these classes help, apart from helping them with girls?
Jennifer，礼仪课除了能帮助男孩与女孩交往，还有什么其他好处？
Well, by helping to build their confidence it can give them a better chance when applying for jobs or university places.He mentioned that even though students may be good at exams, they also need to have good social skills, they need to be confident. That could make the difference between their getting a job or not.
可以帮助树立自信心，这样他们在找工作或申请大学时就会有更好的机会。John Parry还提到尽管学生们擅长考试，但也需要学习良好的社交技巧，对自己树立信心。因为这可能决定他们能否找到工作。
Yes, as he put it, he wants the students to be able to ‘hold their heads up high.’ An expression which means to be proud and confident. Let’s listen again.
是啊，正如他所说，他希望学生们能昂首挺胸。hold their heads up high，即骄傲自信的意思。让我们再来听一遍。
One of the criticisms they make of students is that they know a lot of knowledge, they’re very good in their exams but sometimes their social skills let them down.And we wanted our students to, you know, walk with confidence, you know, hold their head up high in any given social situation; whether that’s, you know a ball, as we’re doing, or whether that’s going for a university interview, a job interview.
有些大学和雇主批评学生，称他们虽知识渊博、成绩优异，但其社交技能却很令人失望。而且我想让我的学生自信前进，不管在什么社交场合，毕业舞会也好，大学面试、工作面试也罢，我都希望他们能昂首挺胸。
Well that’s just about all we have time for today. Before we finish, the answer to today’s question. When faced with a number of different knives and forks at a formal meal, which ones do you start with? Jennifer, you said?
好了，时间也差不多了。结束前让我们来看看本期问题的答案。在正式餐会用餐时面前总会有很多不同的刀叉，那么我们应先使用哪套呢？Jennifer，你刚刚选的是？
Outside-in, the ones furthest from your plate.
从外向内，先用离餐盘最远的刀叉。
That’s exactly right, yes.
完全正确。
Hooray!
哇，万岁！
Well done, well done. So thank you very much Jennifer and goodbye.
回答的不错嘛。本期节目到这里就结束了。谢谢你，Jennifer，再见。
Goodbye.
拜拜~~