美語訓(xùn)練班098

A: 歡迎大家來到這期的美語訓(xùn)練班! 大家猜猜我是誰?

B: And........楊琳，welcome back!! How was China?

A: It was great! 終于在北京過了一次春節(jié)，年味兒好濃呀! Plus I ate tons of delicious Chinese food, including your favorite 串兒! Here, 給你張我吃串兒的照片看看!

B: I should have known you would torture me like this! But I'm glad you had a good time! We'll talk about your stories later in the show. Now let's see what we are going to learn today, shall we?

A: 沒問題! 今天我們要一起來聊聊正式場合該如何著裝，看看怎么表達(dá)維系生活，還要告訴你怎么吃飯最健康!!

B: Finding out the dress code is really important for attending an event. I remember this one time that I wore Jeans and sneakers to a formal event, it was just so embarrassing....

A: For you? I'm not that surprised.

B: Hey....

A: 哈哈，好啦! 不開玩笑了! 現(xiàn)在，咱們趕快先來進入第一個單元，learn a word!

Learn A Word 1669 intern

今天我們要學(xué)的詞是 intern, intern is spelled i n t e r n, intern. Intern 實習(xí)生。不久前，A Senate intern was found to be an illegal immigrant and a registered sex offender. 美國國會參議院的一個實習(xí)生被發(fā)現(xiàn)是非法移民，而且還是記錄在冊的性犯罪者。Facebook interns make between $5,600 to $6,300 a month, the equivalent of $65,000 to $75,000 a year. 臉譜網(wǎng)的實習(xí)生每個月可以拿到5千6到6千3百美元，相當(dāng)于一年6萬5到7萬5千美元。不過，別以為實習(xí)生都能賺那么多錢，現(xiàn)在就業(yè)市場不景氣，Many college graduates are working as unpaid interns. 很多大學(xué)畢業(yè)生都在做沒有酬勞的實習(xí)生。好的，今天我們學(xué)習(xí)的詞是 intern, intern, intern...

A: Wow, Facebook interns can get more than 6000 dollars a month? A lot of full time jobs don't even pay that well!

B: Yeah, IT companies like Facebook or Google pay their employees really well. I heard they usually throw in a signing bonuses of $50k 100k.

A: Wow, are you serious? So if you are a software engineer at Facebook, you will never have to worry about keeping your head above water!

B: Exactly! Hey, you just mention a phrase: keep your head above water. Let's listen to today's words and idioms and find out what it means!

Words and Idioms 817 KEEP ONE'S HEAD ABOVE WATER

美國習(xí)慣用語第 817講

我們家隔壁住著一位老奶奶，八十多歲，孤苦伶仃，沒有人照顧。如今，物價漲得這么厲害，她的生活一天比一天困難。好在，我們左鄰右舍經(jīng)常都會幫她一把。她的處境讓我想起了一個習(xí)慣用語，那就是：

M: Keep one's head above water. Head is spelled h e a d, and water; w a t e r. Keep one's head above water. Keep one's head above water.

head 腦袋。water 水。把頭放在水面上，這樣就不會嗆水了。因此說，Keep one's head above water 這個習(xí)慣用語就是說，在艱難的處境下維系，克服生活、工作和財務(wù)上的困難。說到我們鄰居的那位老奶奶，She's scarcely able to keep her head above water.

Keep one's head above water 這個習(xí)慣用語很實用。讓我們聽聽下面這位餐館老板最近的生意如何。

M: "Before the new highway was built, I could easily fill every table in my restaurant. These days, with fewer diners, it's become a struggle to stay in business. I'm barely KEEPING MY HEAD ABOVE WATER. I don't know how much longer I can afford to stay open."

這位餐館老板說，沒有那條高速公路的時候，我的餐館里總是坐得滿滿的?？墒侨缃?，客人少多了，錢越來越難賺，能維持收支平衡就已經(jīng)很不容易了。我真不知道還能堅持多久。

看來，這條高速公路真是斷了這個餐館老板的財路。他肯定特別懷念以前生意興隆的日子。在英語里，我們說生意開在了黃金地帶，黃金地帶就是 goldmine, goldmine, goldmine, 金礦。好的，讓我們再來聽聽上面那段話。

M: "Before the new highway was built, I could easily fill every table in my restaurant. These days, with fewer diners, it's become a struggle to stay in business. I'm barely KEEPING MY HEAD ABOVE WATER. I don't know how much longer I can afford to stay open."

我朋友的孩子從醫(yī)學(xué)院畢業(yè)，如今在醫(yī)院里做實習(xí)生。他抱怨說，每天要在醫(yī)院里待十幾個小時，到了家疲憊不堪，按照他的話說，I can barely keep my head above water. 雖說在美國，醫(yī)生賺得多，但是看來，他們也是要付出艱苦代價的。

眼下，越來越多的美國人都從東北地區(qū)搬走，住到南方去。不過，現(xiàn)在房地產(chǎn)市場不景氣，在買房和賣房之間一定要協(xié)調(diào)好，否則的話，就會出現(xiàn)跟下面這對夫婦同樣的狀況。

M: "My wife and I are excited about furnishing our new house in North Carolina. But since we still haven't sold our old place back in Massachusetts, it's been a huge financial challenge. So far we've KEPT OUR HEADS ABOVE WATER. We only hope we can find a buyer soon! "

這位先生說，我跟太太正在裝修北卡羅來納州的新房子，興奮極了。但是因為我們在麻薩諸塞州的舊房子還沒有脫手，所以財務(wù)上壓力很大。到目前為止，我們還能勉強支撐著，真希望能盡快找到買主。

設(shè)身處地想想看，要同時負(fù)擔(dān)兩棟房子的按揭，ouch! 真夠他們受的。如果暫時賣不掉，把房子租出去也是一種選擇。我姑姑姑父就把自己的公寓租了出去，因為地點好，從來都不愁找不到房客。They not only keep their heads above water, 他們不僅不愁付不出按揭，而且還能小賺一筆，投資有了回報。好，我們再聽一下上面的例句。

M: "My wife and I are excited about furnishing our new house in North Carolina. But since we still haven't sold our old place back in Massachusetts, it's been a huge financial challenge. So far we've KEPT OUR HEADS ABOVE WATER. We only hope we can find a buyer soon! "

大家肯定已經(jīng)猜到了，keep one's head above water 這個習(xí)慣用語是從游泳來的。沒錯，這個習(xí)慣用語最早是十八世紀(jì)初出現(xiàn)的，意思就是讓頭露出水面，不要被淹死。

好的，這次美國習(xí)慣用語就到此結(jié)束了。

M: Until next time.

下次節(jié)目再見。

M: This has been Words and Idioms.

A: 這次我回中國也有體會。The housing prices in Beijing are insane! Some of my friends told me that between a mortgage and inflation, it's really hard to keep their heads above water.

B: I think that's the situation in all big cities. I don't even have a mortgage and I wish I could earn a little bit more!... life in DC is really expensive.

A: Yeah! But big cities have more interesting things to offer! Speaking of which, my friends invite me to go with them to the opera this Saturday. I've never been before, what should I wear?

B: Hmm, That sounds like a black tie event to me! And you are in luck...that's the topic of today's business etiquette. Let's listen and see if you can get some useful tips!

禮節(jié)美語 BE 220 Attending a Black Tie Event I

Jim在走廊上碰見同事Gary。

Jim: Gary, did you hear about my upcoming trip to New York?

Gary: I think I did hear something about it. You and Henry are attending some kind of function, right?

J: Yeah. It's an anniversary celebration for one of the companies we do a lot of work with, you know, Walcon Electronics.

G: Right! Walcon is one of our biggest clients.

J: It's Walcon's 120th anniversary and they're throwing a big party.

Jim馬上要出差，到紐約去。Gary說，他聽說了Jim的 upcoming trip. upcoming is spelled upcoming, upcoming, upcoming是即將發(fā)生的意思，Gary還知道，他們這次是要去參加什么活動，function 在這里指正式的社交活動。公司最大的客戶之一 Walcon Electronics 慶祝成立120周年，they're throwing a big party. 他們要辦個大派對。英語里說辦派對，經(jīng)常會用動詞 throw, t h r o w, throw.

G: Walcon Electronics is 120 years old?

J: Yep. They started out as a shoe manufacturer and then branched off into electronics in the late 1960s.

G: That's a big change, moving from shoes to electronics. But you have to give the company's founder credit for thinking ahead.

J: Absolutely. Today they're one of the world's top home electronics brands.

G: Well, you'll have fun. New York is always a great place to visit.

J: Yeah, but I'm a bit worried. I've never attended a function like this before. Look, here's the invitation.

Walcon電器公司最開始是生產(chǎn)鞋的，60年代才改行生產(chǎn)電器。這里用到的兩個動詞詞組，一個是 start out 意思是起步，另外一個是 branch off 意思是改變前進的方向。Gary 說，You have to give the company's founder credit for thinking ahead. 咱們不得不佩服這個公司創(chuàng)始人有遠(yuǎn)見，to give someone credit for something 意思是肯定某人的做法。紐約是個好玩的地方，可Jim卻很擔(dān)心，他拿請柬給Gary看。

G: Oh my! It's a black tie event. That means you have to wear a tuxedo.

J: A tuxedo? I don't own a tux!

G: Not very many people do....you can rent one, though.

J: Oh wow. That means it's going to be a very formal event, huh?

G: A black tie event is about as formal as it gets. Men wear tuxedos and ladies wear evening gowns.

J: What else should I expect?

G: There will probably be a band playing soft music. Waiters will walk around serving drinks. Most of the guests will mainly stand around socializing with each other.

原來，這次活動是 a black tie event 參加者要穿禮服、打黑領(lǐng)結(jié)的正式活動，男賓要穿燕尾服，tuxedo, tuxedo is spelled t u x e d o, tuxedo, 女賓要穿 evening gown 晚禮服。Gary說，A black tie event is about as formal as it gets. 這基本上要算是最正規(guī)的活動了。as....as it gets 是指最徹底的表現(xiàn)，兩個as之間加形容詞。Jim會喜歡這種活動嗎?我們下次繼續(xù)聽。

A: 所以說，a black tie event is as formal as it gets! 給我們介紹一下美國公司不同的著裝標(biāo)準(zhǔn)吧!

B: Let me see. So let's begin with casual, which is basically a t shirt and jeans; and then there is business casual, which is a button down shirt or a polo and suit pants; and the last is formal, and that usually means a business suit.

A: It's so good that we don't have a strict dress code! It's nice to wear comfortable clothes at work.

B: yeah it's great for you.... it's the rest of us who have to see you in yoga pants that have to suffer....

A: Do you want to walk out of the office alive today?

B: Ok, I kid I kid! I've got a whole month of of teasing stored up since you have been away for so long! I need to get it out of my system, ...

A: 等會再跟你算賬! 聽眾朋友們，我們趕快來接著聽聽black tie event 到底該怎么辦吧!

禮節(jié)美語 BE 221 Attending a Black Tie Event II

Jim要去參加一次公司慶典活動，特別正式。他問同事Gary，參加這種社交活動有哪些注意事項。

J: Have you ever been to a black tie event?

G: Twice actually....and to be honest, it was a bit boring both times.

J: Aside from the tuxedo is there anything else I need to wear or take with me?

G: I suggest keeping all other accessories to a minimum.

J: I see. Any other tips or suggestions?

G: Keep your eyes open and just sort of do what everybody else does. And...don't get drunk or talk too loud or draw any attention to yourself!

J: Okay, good points.

Gary說，自己參加過兩次這種要穿禮服打領(lǐng)結(jié)的 black tie event, 覺得很無聊。他建議Jim, 最好 keep all other accessories to a minimum盡量少帶裝飾品，accessory is spelled a c c e s s o r y, accessory 是指手表、手袋等飾物，他還告訴Jim, 睜大眼睛看別人怎么做，特別要注意 don't get drunk 不要喝醉，don't talk too loud 說話聲音不要太大，don't draw any attention to yourself 不要讓別人注意到自己。

G: You and Henry are acting as representatives of the company so you're kind of like ambassadors.

J: Wow. Now I'm really stressed!

G: It's not that hard. Just be a good conversationalist and even more importantly, be a good listener. If someone makes a humorous remark, chuckle mildly; even if the comment isn't very funny. And remember, always smile!

Gary說，Jim跟Henry這次去參加晚宴，代表的是公司，you're kind of like ambassadors. 是公司使節(jié)。Jim聽后表示，壓力很大，Now I'm really stressed. Gary告訴他說，其實這項任務(wù)也不難完成，他們只要會聊天 be a good conversationalist，做個好聽眾就行了，別人講笑話，就算不好笑，也要chuckle跟著笑兩聲，臉上要隨時隨地保持笑容。

J: Can I rent the tux in New York?

G: Absolutely. Do some research before you go and find a good rental company. They will probably deliver it to your hotel. Make sure the tuxedo fits well....otherwise; you can end up looking pretty silly.

J: How much should I expect to pay to rent a tux?

G: I'd say roughly $100. You could probably find some cheaper options, but you want to look good.

J: Thanks Gary.... I really appreciate your help.

G: Not at all. It should be an interesting experience for you.

J: I hope so.

Jim想知道能不能到紐約去租tux, tux is spelled t u x, tux, tux是 tuxedo 的簡稱。Gary建議Jim事先查一下，找一家服務(wù)周到、能送貨上門的租賃公司，They can deliver it to your hotel. 他們可以把燕尾服送到 Jim下榻的旅店。Gary還建議Jim一定要穿上試試看，otherwise, you can end up looking pretty silly. 否則如果不合適的話，那你看上去會很傻的。Gary最后還告訴Jim, 燕尾服的租金應(yīng)該在100美元上下。

A: 去參加正式的black tie event, 男士要穿 tuxedo, 燕尾服，女士要穿 evening gown, 晚禮服。而且要keep all other accessories to a minimum, 盡量少帶裝飾品。Don't get drunk, don't talk too much. 別喝醉，別太多話。 Those are really good tips!

B: Yeah, if you just be yourself, you will totally be fine at these kinds of events!

A: I need to watch how much I'm eating though. I only have one evening gown and I bought it a long time ago when I was super slim....

B: Stop it!

A: 哈哈，好啦! 既然說到了intake, 咱們就來看看怎么吃才最健康吧!

Learn A Word 1670 intake

今天我們要學(xué)的詞是 intake, intake is spelled i n t a k e, intake. Intake 名詞，有攝取量的意思。家人一起吃飯，有助于幫助孩子養(yǎng)成健康的飲食習(xí)慣。Even if only once or twice a week, eating meals together as a family, increases children's daily fruit and vegetable intake. 即使每個星期只有一到兩次能一家人一起吃飯，也能提高孩子每天蔬菜和水果的攝取量。一項最新研究說，Curbing kids' salt intake could help fight childhood obesity. 控制兒童鹽分的攝取，可能有助于防止兒童肥胖。盤子的顏色也會影響人的食欲。曾經(jīng)有研究說，Eating from a red plate could increase your calorie intake by 25%。用紅顏色的盤子吃飯，卡路里攝取量會增加25%。好的，今天我們學(xué)習(xí)的詞是 intake, intake, intake....

A: 我也聽說過耶! 人在暖色系的環(huán)境中食物攝取量會增加! 怪不得好多餐廳都把他們的墻刷成紅色或者桔色的!

B: I think the color of the surroundings does have some effect on your caloric intake. But for a foodie like me, using a blue plate won't put the kibosh on my appetite at all!

A: 哈哈，這倒是真的! 你剛才提到了一個特別的詞兒，put the kibosh on, 我們來進入今天的最后一個單元，聽聽這個短語到底是什么意思吧!

B:Let's listen!

Words and Idioms 818 PUT THE KIBOSH ON

美國習(xí)慣用語第 818講

好，箱子總算打好了。我要到佛羅里達(dá)的歷史小城圣奧古斯丁去看朋友，現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)整裝待發(fā)了。天氣預(yù)報說，這幾天那邊可能有點涼，不過，我渡假的興致絕不會因此而降溫。這倒讓我想起了一個習(xí)慣用語，那就是：

M: Put the kibosh on. Kibosh is spelled k i b o s h. Put the kibosh on. Put the kibosh on.

Kibosh 的來歷我們先不去管它。Put the kibosh on 這個習(xí)慣用語的意思是防止一件事情，一項計劃的發(fā)生。我是鐵了心要去渡假，所有即使刮風(fēng)下雨，也不會改變計劃。Even lousy weather won't PUT THE KIBOSH ON my visit. 你說什么?颶風(fēng)?那就要另當(dāng)別論了。我給大家講個故事，這可是真事，就發(fā)生在我朋友身上。

M: "I was walking my dog in the park when it happened. A big dog got excited and leapt toward us, pushing me hard against a light pole. My back hurt so badly for the next two weeks, I could hardly get in and out of bed. That accident PUT THE KIBOSH ON all my normal activities."

他說，我當(dāng)時在公園里溜狗。一條大狗不知為什么，忽然間向我們沖過來，結(jié)果我撞在了電線桿子上，后背肌肉扭傷，過去兩星期，上下床都困難。這件倒霉事讓我停止了一切日?；顒印?/p>

Ouch! 好在他現(xiàn)在感覺好多了，不僅已經(jīng)回去上班，而且還準(zhǔn)備重新開始到健身房去鍛煉。

說到受傷，今年是我父母的金婚，大姐一直在籌備家庭聚會，給老倆口好好熱鬧熱鬧，但是媽媽的髖關(guān)節(jié)馬上要手術(shù)，That is putting the kibosh on the party. 我們只好等她老人家康復(fù)以后再說。

好的，讓我們再來聽聽上面那段話。

M: M: "I was walking my dog in the park when it happened. A big dog got excited and leapt toward us, pushing me hard against a light pole.

My back hurt so badly for the next two weeks, I could hardly get in and out of bed. That accident PUT THE KIBOSH ON all my normal activities."

上個周末，我們邀請了很多朋友來家里燒烤，誰知天公不作美，下起了瓢潑大雨。The rain put the kibosh on our barbecue plan. 沒辦法，只好改吃 pizza, 孩子們倒是很高興。

你見過能載人的氫氣球嗎?一百年前，這種本來前途無量的氫氣球，因為一場事故的發(fā)生，一下子被打入了冷宮。事故發(fā)生在一艘名叫“興登堡”的飛艇的身上。

M: "On May 6, 1937, a German airship had made another successful crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. As it was docking in New Jersey, it suddenly burst into flames. That tragedy effectively PUT THE KIBOSH ON such travel. But now the development of airships is once again being encouraged."

這位歷史學(xué)家說，1937年5月6號，一艘德國飛艇再次成功飛越大西洋，停在新澤西后突然起火。這場事故給飛艇旅行劃上了句號。但是如今，飛艇的研制和開發(fā)再次受到了鼓勵。

我聽說，現(xiàn)在有人考慮，用飛艇提供短程和中程的交通服務(wù)，其中也包括旅游。我想，能在大峽谷上空滑翔，一定美不勝收，但是我老公卻執(zhí)意要去做直升飛機，我已經(jīng)明確告訴他，我絕對不會擠到狹小的直升飛機里去。I've put kibosh on that idea!

好，我們再聽一下上面的例句。

M: "On May 6, 1937, a German airship had made another successful crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. As it was docking in New Jersey, it suddenly burst into flames. That tragedy effectively PUT THE KIBOSH ON such travel. But now the development of airships is once again being encouraged."

說了半天，大家一定想知道，put the kibosh on 這個習(xí)慣用語里的 kibosh 一詞的來源。有人說，這個詞是猶太語，意思是壓迫，也有人說，這個詞最早來自德語。也許，We should put the kibosh on further speculation. 我們沒必要繼續(xù)猜測了，最重要的是學(xué)會這個習(xí)慣用語的用法。

好的，這次美國習(xí)慣用語就到此結(jié)束了。

M: Until next time.

下次節(jié)目再見。

M: This has been Words and Idioms.

A: Mike, I think it's about time you put the kibosh on your dry humor...it's really not that funny.

B: Meh, its seems to be well received by my intelligent and well educated friends....

A: I. Am. Going. To. Hurt. You! 好了同學(xué)們，這次節(jié)目時間就到這里了。

B: Tune in next time for American English Mosaic!

A: See you next time!