美语训练班 050课

A: 大家好! 欢迎来到这期的American English Mosaic! 我是杨琳！

B: 我是Kat! 杨琳，今天咱们学什么呢?

A: 今天，咱们要接着跟 Toby找工作，去听听如何跟同事表白，学学怎么安慰别人，还要告诉大家怎么用美语说“无语”和“扫货”。

B: 扫货! That's one of my favorites!

A: Me too!! 不过这个咱们等会再说，先赶快来进入第一个单元，Learn a Word!

Learn A Word whopping

今天我们要学的词是whopping. Whopping is spelled w-h-o-p-p-i-n-g, whopping. Whopping的意思是巨大的，程度惊人的。美国股市爆出好消息：道琼斯工业指数今年一季度创下1998年以来最佳同比表现，同时 The Nasdaq rose a whopping 19% since New Year's Day. 纳斯达克指数从一月一号到现在已经实现了百分之19的巨大增长。Android game App Temple Run gets a whopping 1 million downloads in three days. 安卓版游戏应用程序“神庙逃亡”推出三天来下载量惊人，达到一百万。Many US airlines charge a whopping $150 fee for changing tickets for domestic flights. 许多美国航空公司对国内航 班都收取150美元的高额机票改期费。好，今天我们学习的词是whopping, whopping, whopping.

A: 前一段时间美国人人都在谈论Mega millions, 在我们附近就有三个学校工作人员中奖了! They each won a whopping 35 million dollars after taxes! 每个人赢了3千五百万!

B: That IS a lot of money. I remember how everybody was talking about what they would do if they won that much money! I'd buy a MASSIVE boat!

A: hmmm, 要是我中奖了，我就先环游世界，然后再去商场扫货，把我喜欢的好看衣服全买下来! 哈哈!

B： Haha, you are the shopping queen! 不过你刚才提到的扫货, 在美语里也有类似的说法，我们一起来听一听!

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。今天是吴琼要问的：扫货。

Jessica: Wuqiong, 明天我们去吃火锅好不好？

WQ: 火锅儿？好吃! 可...我没钱.

Jessica: No money? You told me you got a scholarship!

WQ: 奖学金是拿了，可我一高兴就拿去扫货啦!

Jessica: 扫货？

WQ: 就是 buy a lot of things!

Jessica: Oh! You went on a shopping spree!

WQ: shopping spree?

Jessica: Right! Spree is spelt s-p-r-e-e. Going on a shopping spree means you spend a lot of money during a single shopping trip. 头脑发热，看什么都买。

WQ: 对! I went on a shopping spree after getting my scholarship money! 我那天疯狂扫货，一分钱都没留下!

Jessica: But do you really need all the things you bought on the shopping spree?

WQ: 说实话，好多东西都用不着，可我当时就是那么烧包！烧包你懂么？就是看着手里的钱难受，非把它花出去!

Jessica: Haha! Actually, in English, we have a similar expression--your money was burning a hole in your pocket.

WQ: My money was burning a hole in my pocket? 钱把衣服兜烧了个窟窿？这的确跟“烧包”很像!

Jessica: Wuqiong, next time your money is burning a hole in your pocket, take me with you! I'll make sure we only go window shopping!

WQ: Window shopping? 买窗户？

Jessica: (Chuckle) No. Window shopping means we only look at the window displays, without really buying anything!

WQ: 哦，就是光看不买! 这个好，省钱!

Jessica: 对! Now tell me what you've learned today!

WQ: 第一，扫货叫go on a shopping spree；

第二，烧包叫money is burning a hole in one's pocket；

第三，光看不买是window shopping!

这次的"美语怎么说"就到这里了。如果你也有不会说的词，请写信给 Jessica, 电邮请寄meiyu@VOAnews.com

A: 所以说嘛， if I ever won the lottery, I could stop window shopping and go on a real shopping spree!

B: You know what, I remember seeing something about this. There was an interview with this guy who won the lottery and he said he wished he had never won it! 有钱了以后，好多人来跟他借钱，弄得亲情友情都变了味!

A: 这倒也是! 不过就算没有朋友和亲人，你还是可以买个豪宅，置办个游艇什么的嘛!

B: Well, if you have all the nice things in the world but nobody to share them with, I would say those things are just cold comforts. 赶快来听听下面的Words and Idioms 你就明白了!

Words and Idioms

女：各位听众，现在播送<美国习惯用语>第 961讲。我是杨琳。

M：我是 Steve Baragona.

女：今天报纸头版刊登了本地棒球队比赛的一张照片。比赛进行到第三局时，球赛解说专门提到在场的受伤军人，观众纷纷起立为他们喝彩。可我觉得，对一个在战争中失去双腿的士兵，别人的喝彩固然令人欣慰，但他可能更希望自己有一天能再站起来。这让我想到了一句习惯用语，那就是:

M: Cold comfort. Cold is spelled c-o-l-d, and comfort; c-o-m-f-o-r-t. Cold-comfort.

女：大家都知道，Cold 是冷的意思，comfort是安慰，连起来，cold comfort, 意思是“不起作用的安慰”。就像上面的例子里，一位失去双腿的士兵当然很高兴大家记得他为国家做出的牺牲，但是He may also felt it was COLD COMFORT since he could no longer walk. 毕竟他再也不能走路了，别人的喝彩可能只是“不起作用的安慰”。在下面例子里，一名员工谈到了大家是怎样认同他的工作成绩的，我们来听一听：

M: "Two weeks ago, I got the news that my factory would be relocating overseas. As I sat at home wondering what I was going to do for work, I glanced up. There on the wall was the award I had received for "Employee of the Year." It seems COLD COMFORT for what I have to deal with now."

这段话意思是说：“两个星期前，我得知我工作的工厂要整个搬到海外去作业。我坐在家里，想着以后要怎么办的时候，抬头正好看到墙上挂的‘年度优秀员工奖’的奖状。这张奖状对于目前身处困境的我来说，丝毫起不到安慰的效果。”

女：真是的！饭碗都要丢了，看到曾经得的奖状恐怕只是徒增烦恼。我想起上次我朋友的女儿在数学竞赛里得了第二名，虽然评委不停说她也很出色，可是她看起来还是十分沮丧。To her, it was COLD COMFORT. 对她来说，这一点也无法让她高兴起来。好了，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

M: "Two weeks ago, I got the news that my factory would be relocating overseas. As I sat at home wondering what I was going to do for work, I glanced up. There on the wall was the award I had received for "Employee of the Year." It seems COLD COMFORT for what I have to deal with now."

女: 上面我们讲了cold comfort 不起作用的安慰。下面的例子里，历史学家要告诉我们一场惨剧的一些不为人知的细节。我们一起来听一下：

M: "In 1963, members of an African-American church in Alabama were attending Sunday church services. Suddenly, a bomb exploded, killing four young girls. The tragedy shocked the nation. And it helped create new laws to end discrimination. For the parents who lost their children, though, that was COLD COMFORT."

这段话是说：“1963年，阿拉巴马一个非洲裔美国人教堂里，人们正在进行周日祷告。忽然，一个炸弹爆炸，四名女孩被炸死。这场悲剧震惊了全国，并最终推动美国确立了禁止歧视的法律。但是对于那些失去了孩子的家长来说，这并不能解决什么问题。”

女: 真是太可怜了。我无法想像失去孩子，将要如何去面对。说到非洲裔美国人，我想大家最熟悉的就是Martin Luther King 马丁.路德.金了。华盛顿刚刚建成马丁.路德.金的雕像，奥巴马总统也到场祝贺。奥巴马当选本身，就证明了美国在民权上的长足进步。好的，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

M: "In 1963, members of an African-American church in Alabama were attending Sunday church services. Suddenly, a bomb exploded, killing four young girls. The tragedy shocked the nation. And it helped create new laws to end discrimination. For the parents who lost their children, though, that was COLD COMFORT."

女：各位听众，今天我们学习的习惯用语是COLD COMFORT，意思是“不起作用的安慰”。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: 我也来造个句，美国每年4月15号是交税截止期. I have to pay a huge amount in taxes, so my boyfriend took me out for dinner last night! But still, compared to what I had to pay, that free dinner was a cold comfort.

B: 哈哈， I feel you, 杨琳! But think of it this way, you are paying taxes because you have a job. 想想那些没工作的人吧! 是不是觉得自己幸福多啦?

A: 嗯，这么一说我就舒服多了! 说起找工作，今天的美语三级跳里面，懒惰的Toby 竟然得到了面试的机会! 咱们赶快来听一听!

GoEnglish

Job Application: Advanced

今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“找工作”单元的高级课程。

Professor: Toby has applied for a job at a company, and today he has his first interview with Jack, the head of human resources.

  Toby 在简历上把自己吹得神乎其神，今天可有好戏看啦!

Professor: So let's see if Toby's "people skills" can get him a job he might not be qualified for.

Jack: Hi Toby, my name is Jack Wilson, and I'm the head of human resources here.

Toby: Hello Mr. Wilson, thanks for taking the time to see me.

Jack: Sure. I see on your resum□that you've done a lot with computers, sales and customer service. Can you tell me a little bit about your experience?

Toby: Of course. As it says on my resum□ my main experience is working in retail sales at a book store.

Jack: What were the day-to-day responsibilities for this job?

Toby: I did a lot of market research. Since we sold a lot of newspapers and magazines, I spent a lot of time reading news stories online.

 这个Toby，真能胡扯！他上班的时候明明在网上瞎逛，却说这是market research--市场研究!

Professor: Well what do you expect? In a tough job market you have to exaggerate your skills a little bit. The most important thing is not to sell yourself short.

面试的时候谦虚当然行不通，可是，像Toby这样胡乱吹嘘自己的能力，早晚会露馅儿啊!

Jack: Do you have any experience in customer service?

Toby: Of course. I'm very goal oriented, so whenever a customer asked me for something, it was my goal to help him find it so I could go back to surfing the Internet.

Jack: You mean your "market research"?

Toby: Oh right.... of course I meant my market research.

Jack: I see. And do you work well as part of a team?

Toby: Oh yes! I'm really a team player. It's important for all the members of the team to pull their weight.

  “Goal oriented”指做事有明确目标，可Toby的目标就是能上班偷懒! 他还说自己是team player--有团队精神，说团队里的每个人都应该pull their weight--作好自己那份工作，其实，他根本就不干活，把工作都推给别人了!

Professor: Exactly. Now in the next section, listen for the phrase "think outside the box," which means "to think about problems in a new or unique way."

Jack: We need all our employees to be pro-active. How would you describe your work ethic?

Toby: I have a really good work ethic. But in addition to that, I pride myself on always thinking outside the box.

Jack: Can you give me an example of how you have come up with a new solution to a problem?

Toby: Umm ... you know, I can't think of one at the moment. But trust me, whenever there is a problem I can always think on my feet and come up with a solution.

 哈哈，露馅儿了吧! Toby夸口说，自己善于 think outside the box--想出别出心裁的点子，可是人家让他举例的时候，他就没词儿了!

Professor: That's right. When you go to an interview you should be ready to give examples of your accomplishments, not just talk generally about your work ethic or creativeness.

不过，professor Bowman, 什么是“thinking on your feet?”

Professor: Thinking on your feet is quickly thinking of solutions to unexpected problems. For example, a politician needs to think on his feet during a debate in order to respond to attacks from his opponent.

 哦，就是“反应敏捷迅速”的意思。

Jack: Well Toby, I appreciate you coming in. Right now we have to interview a few more applicants, so we will get back to you when we make a decision.

Toby: Thanks for your time. Can you tell me when you would want me to start if I'm selected?

Jack: Frankly, Toby, I wouldn't worry about that too much.

Ouch! Toby 问人家自己什么时候开始上班，人家却说，这个问题您就不用管了! 看来，这份工作肯定没戏了!

Professor: It sounds like Toby might be working at the campus book store for a while longer.

A: Toby在面试的时候，把自己上网瞎逛说成market research, 还强调自己非常goal-oriented, 目标明确，是个team player, 有团队精神，而且can think outside the box, 拥有创造性思维。

B: But it sounds like the interviewer totally saw through Toby's exaggerations.

A: 对啊! 要是Toby这样的人能得到好工作，那我可真无语了!

B: That's true! 你刚才说到无语，咱们来看看这个词儿用美语怎么说!

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。今天是小北要问的：无语。

Jessica; Xiaobei! You look upset. What happened?

Yiru: 别提了！我有个朋友欠钱不还，拖了好长时间了，每次都找各种理由搪塞我！气死我了，以前我还和她理论，现在我简直是简直是无语了我！

Jessica: I see. You're so tired of your friend's excuses that you are speechless.

XB: Speechless？ 原来这就是无语的意思。

Jessica: Yes. For example, you can say “she was speechless after learning her boyfriend was dating another woman.”

XB: 哦，知道男友跟别的女生交往后，她气得说不出话来。

Jessica: Exactly. Basically, you can use “speechless” to mean something so bad or so surprising that you don't know what to say.

XB: I see. 跟你说，我认识一个女生，她特别虚伪，总是假惺惺地称赞别人，转过头来就说人坏话。Every time I see her being so fake, I'm speechless!

Jessica: I bet you also roll your eyes!

XB: Roll my eyes?

Jessica: If you roll your eyes, you're showing that you don't believe someone or you aren't interested in what they're saying.

XB: 哦，就是因为不相信或者不耐烦而翻白眼。这个说法真形象! 就在今天早上，I got an email saying I was selected to win 5 million dollars. It also asked for my bank account.

Jessica: That's fishy! It must be a scam!

XB: 我当然知道这是诈骗邮件了！I rolled my eyes when I read it! 不过你说，要是我哪天我真中了500万

Jessica: That would blow me away! Meaning I'd be really amazed!

XB: 哦，to blow someone away就是使人大吃一惊，不过，这应该是用在形容什么好事儿的时候吧？

Jessica: Exactly. For example, My new computer ran so fast it blew me away!

XB: Or Jessica has so much cash hidden under her bed it blows me away!

Jessica: What? Me? Cash? Now I'm rolling my eyes, xiaobei!

XB: 我来总结一下今天学的词：因为厌恶或者吃惊而无语，用speechless; 因为不耐烦或不相信而翻白眼是roll one's eyes; 某些好事让人大吃一惊用blow someone away.

B: I heard something this morning that totally blew me away...

A: What? What happened?

B: Remember Bob and Amanda in my office? They are GETTING MARRIED!

A: 什么? 我记得一年前，Bob 还在发愁怎么跟Amanda 讲话呢! 真为他们高兴!

B: Absolutely! Congrats Bob and Amanda! And to celebrate, let's discuss a similar topic for today's business etiquette: having a crash on your co-worker!

Business Etiquette

King 跟同事 Dan 聊天，发现 Dan 心不在焉。King 说，

King: The trip was pretty good except for the flat tire we got on the way home. I was going to change it myself but then...hey Dan, are you even listening to me? Dan?

Dan: Oh sorry, I spaced out there for a second.

K: Who were you looking at? Wait a second...you were looking at Julie!

D: All right, I confess! I'm busted. I have a big crush on Julie.

K: That's wonderful! Julie is a great woman, and you're a great guy! So have you asked her out yet?

D: No. I'm not really sure it's appropriate.

King正在给Dan讲自己最近的一次旅行，他们回家路上车胎爆了。We got a flat tire. 正说得高兴，King发现Dan根本没在听自己说话。Dan很不好意思，承认 I spaced out for a second. 我走神了。space out 是走神的意思，形容心不在焉，走神，还可以用 daydream, 所以刚才那句话也可以说 I was daydreaming for a second. King发现，Dan走神是在看女同事 Julie。 Dan只好承认说，I'm busted. I have a big crush on Julie. I'm busted. 意思是我被抓住了，被发现了，暴露了。他说自己确实在偷偷喜欢Julie，但又不敢 ask her out 约她出去，不知道这样做是否合适 appropriate。King 说，

K: I think lots of people meet their "significant other" in the workplace. It's not like she's your boss...go ask her out!

D: I don't know...what if she says 'no?'

K: Have you ever heard the old expression: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained?" What if she says 'yes?'

D: I've always had a really hard time approaching women. I get tongue-tied and start sweating. I don't want to come across as too aggressive, but I also don't want to appear too passive...It's really hard to get it right!

King说，很多人都是在工作场所遇到自己另一半的，significant other 是伴侣的意思，也可以说是自己的 better half. Dan 害怕被拒绝。King 告诉他说：Nothing ventured, nothing gained. 不去冒险尝试，就绝不会有收获。Dan 说自己在追女人方面特别不在行，I get tongue-tied and start sweating. 我说话会结结巴巴，直冒冷汗。Dan 还说，既不想显得太主动，也不想显得太被动，It's really hard to get it right. 很难把握好分寸。King 劝他说：

K: If there's one thing I've learned in my life it's that you never lose by trying. You never know unless you try! Getting rejected isn't the end the world!

D: But how do I make the initial approach? Should I try to come up with some clever or witty remarks?

K: There are a lot of guys out there who think they're Casanova, but in my experience, women don't go for cheesy pickup lines. I suggest being sweet, straightforward and sincere.

D: So what should I say?

King说，最糟糕也不过是被拒绝。Getting rejected isn't the end the world! 被拒绝也并非世界末日，没什么大不了的。Dan问，要不要come up with some clever or witty remark 想出一些俏皮话，King告诉他，约女人出去，直截了当些就好，很多男人都以为自己是 Casanova, 卡萨诺瓦是十八世纪的一个意大利探险家和作家，也是一个风流倜傥的情圣，在英语里是大众情人的代名词。King 还说，其实，women don't go for cheesy pickup lines. cheesy is spelled c-h-e-e-s-y, cheesy 意思是俗气的，肉麻的；pick up lines 是指男人跟女人搭讪时说的俏皮话。Dan会鼓起勇气约 Julie 出去吗？我们下次继续听。

A: 我喜欢这个3S策略: sweet, straightforward and sincere! I hope a sweet, straightforward and sincere man would come and ask me out today!

B: 哈哈，你完了，我要去告诉你的男朋友...

A: oops...善解人意的Kat, 等会我们来讨论一下封口费的问题吧...

B: Hush money? 可以呀! 好了， 这次节目时间就到这里。Tune in next time for American English Mosaic!