美語訓(xùn)練班074

A: 歡迎大家來到這期的美語訓(xùn)練班! 我是楊琳!

B: 我是Mike! 楊琳，來告訴大家今天都要學(xué)什么?

A: 沒問題! 今天，我們要跟著Helen去瞧瞧心理醫(yī)生管不管用，經(jīng)歷一次特別的面試，還要告訴你怎么說緊跟潮流!

B: Are you talking about therapists?

A: Yep! I feel like therapists and anti-depression drugs are very common in America. In China, no one would admit they are depressed since it's a sign of weakness!

B: I think Americans are generally more open with this issue. And yes, anti-depression drugs are pretty common here.

A: 好! 等會再讓你給大家介紹! 現(xiàn)在，咱們先趕快來進入第一個單元，Learn a Word!

Learn A Word - 1573 foolproof

今天我們要學(xué)的詞是 foolproof. Foolproof is spelled f-o-o-l-p-r-o-o-f， foolproof。 Foolproof的意思是“簡單有效的”“不會出錯的”。Social networks whose target audience is kids, acknowledge that there may be no foolproof way to block online predators. 那些以兒童為主要消費者的社交網(wǎng)站承認，能完全阻止網(wǎng)絡(luò)人身侵害的方法也許并不存在。As governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney once proposed a foolproof death penalty law that guaranteed only the guilty could be executed. 美國共和黨總統(tǒng)候選人米特•羅姆尼在當(dāng)麻州州長時曾提起一項死刑法，據(jù)說可以萬無一失地確保只有真正犯罪的人才被處決。好的，今天我們學(xué)習(xí)的詞是 foolproof， foolproof， foolproof...

A: Speaking of foolproof, Mike，你不是把手機摔了之后一直要買新手機嗎? Did you get a new one? Is it foolproof? I mean, you need something at your level of tech savvy.

B: Hahaha, oh you're just a riot aren't you? I'll have you know I always have my finger on the pulse of new technology. But seriously, everywhere I go, people are talking about the new iPhone 5. I really don't see the appeal, its only slightly thinner and longer than the iPhone 4s!

A: Yep. And I heard iPhone 5 has a battery life problems. When you start to download a lot of data, the battery drains out super fast.

B: Hey! Seems like we both have our fingers on the pulse of the newest apple products! !

A: 那當(dāng)然! 你剛才提到了一個很好的詞兒 have one's finger on the pulse, 咱們來聽聽這個習(xí)慣用語的用法吧!

Words and Idioms 984

美國習(xí)慣用語第 984講。我是楊琳。

M：我是Steve Baragona.

最近我們給園藝社社長舉辦了一個慶功會!她在一次地區(qū)園藝大賽上獲得了杰出成就獎。其實這也不奇怪，她經(jīng)常參加全國各地的園藝大會和比賽，而且一直緊跟園藝界最新走向。她對園藝的這種熱情執(zhí)著，我們可以用一個詞來形容，那就是：

M: Have one's finger on the pulse. Finger is spelled f-i-n-g-e-r, and pulse; p-u-l-s-e. Have one's finger on the pulse.

大家都知道，finger是手指的意思，pulse 脈搏，have one's finger on the pulse, 手指放在脈搏上，意思就是緊跟最新動態(tài)。上面例子里，When it comes to gardening, our club president seems to HAVE HER FINGER ON THE PULSE. 我們園藝社社長對園藝的走向簡直是了如指掌。在美國，Superbowl 超級杯一向都是全民關(guān)注的重點。而中場表演嘉賓也備受矚目。今年的表演者是Madonna 麥當(dāng)娜，讓我們來聽聽下面這位娛樂記者的介紹：

M: "Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide. She's also recognized as the top-selling female rock artist of the 20th century. How did she become so immensely popular? She continuously reinvented her music and image based on what the public was looking for. Especially during the 1980s and 90s, Madonna always HAD HER FINGER ON THE PUILSE. "

這段話是說：麥當(dāng)娜光碟的全球銷量已經(jīng)超過3億張。她被公認是20世紀銷量最好的女性搖滾歌手。她是怎么變得如此深受歡迎的呢? 原因是，她不斷根據(jù)市場需求，變換曲風(fēng)和形象，特別是八、九十年代，麥當(dāng)娜對潮流走勢一直了如指掌。]

做明星確實得緊跟時尚潮流。不過愛美之心人皆有之，女孩子都喜歡去逛商店，或者看服裝展，了解最新潮流動向。I keep my finger on the pulse of fashion through window shopping or watching fashion shows. 好的，讓我們再來聽聽剛才那段話：

M: "Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide. She's also recognized as the top-selling female rock artist of the 20th century. How did she become so immensely popular? She continuously reinvented her music and image based on what the public was looking for. Especially during the 1980s and 80s, Madonna always HAD HER FINGER ON THE PUILSE. "

說起潮流，不光是時裝界，各行各業(yè)的人都得了解自己行業(yè)的潮流走向，才能成功。下面的例子中，一名公司職員就談到了如何更好地了解顧客群，以服務(wù)顧客。讓我們來聽聽他是怎么說的：

M: "It's clear to me why our company is falling behind our competitors. We need to understand our younger customers. They're much more familiar with communications, media and digital technologies. If we want to be successful, we have to show that we HAVE OUR FINGER ON THE FULSE of modern life. "

[這段話是說：目前很清楚，我們公司為什么會在與競爭對手的較量中落后。我們需要更好地了解年輕顧客群。他們更熟悉通訊，媒體和電子技術(shù)。如果我們想成功，我們就得做到緊跟現(xiàn)代生活的變遷。]

他說得確實很對。像前一段時間柯達公司破產(chǎn)，就是因為如今很少有人需要沖洗相片了，讓他們失去了顧客群。Companies need fresh ideas in order to keep their fingers on the pulse of the market. 公司不斷需要有新觀念，緊跟市場潮流。好的，讓我們再來聽聽剛才那段話:

M: "It's clear to me why our company is falling behind our competitors. We need to understand our younger customers. They're much more familiar with communications, media and digital technologies. If we want to be successful, we have to show that we HAVE OUR FINGER ON THE FULSE of modern life. "

今天我們學(xué)習(xí)的習(xí)慣用語是have one's finger on the pulse, 意思是緊跟最新動態(tài)。好的，這次[美國習(xí)慣用語]就到此結(jié)束，我是楊琳，我是Steve Baragona。

A: 讓我也來造個句: I have my finger on the pulse of whatever is happening in the office. And I can tell Mike that you are stressed out!

B: What? How can you tell!!! I have so many things to do! I need to get up at 5 every day to come to work, I need to go to the gym to keep this awesome body of mine fit, I need to shop for food, do laundry, find health insurance....I'm worn out!!!

A: You know what? You should talk to me, after all the 'girl talk' sessions I've had with my friends, I'm basically a professional therapist. Maybe I can give you a discount...

B: Yeah, as if I would ever do that!

A: 哈哈哈，好了好了，今天Helen就聽醫(yī)生的話去看了看心理醫(yī)生，咱們一起跟著她去看看!

Health: Advanced

今天我們?yōu)槟コ?ldquo;美語三級跳”節(jié)目“醫(yī)藥”單元的高級課程。

Professor: Helen hasn't been feeling well lately, and in the last episode the doctor told her that the cause might be mental stress. So today she is going to talk to a therapist.

哎，如果Helen有心事，可以找朋友、男友或者家人聊聊啊，何必非找心理治療師呢，多貴啊!

Helen: Thank you for seeing me, doctor. I've been having a lot of mental stress which I think may be affecting my physical health.

Therapist: Of course. Can you tell me a little bit about what has been upsetting you?

Helen: Well, I had a dog named Herman. He died a couple months ago and I've been feeling really down ever since .

Therapist: I see. Were you and Herman close?

Helen: We were the best of friends (sobbing). Whenever things weren't going well for me, I used to share all my problems with him. He was a great listener.

怪不得Helen情緒如此低落，原來她的狗Herman對她這么重要，不僅是寵物，還是她最好的朋友呢。

Professor: That's right, Winnie. Why does Helen say Herman was so great to talk to?

Helen說她有心事都跟狗狗說，因為Herman總是很認真地聽她傾訴。

Therapist: Have there been problems in your life recently that you've needed to talk about with someone?

Helen: Yeah, so many problems. I've been really stressed out at work ever since my boss gave me a huge new project, and I've been going through a rocky period with my boyfriend.

Therapist: Does your stress level interfere with your work or home life?

Helen: Yeah, when I'm under a lot of pressure it's difficult for me to fall asleep, which makes me tired and unproductive at work the next day.

Therapist: Well, being under a lot of mental pressure like that can have an effect on the body.

Professor: So Winnie, what has been causing Helen so much stress lately?

她的老板交給她a big new project，一份規(guī)模很大的新項目，而且她和男友關(guān)系好像有問題，Professor Bowman, 她說正和男友go through a rocky period，這大概不是什么好事兒吧?

Professor: Winnie, you can call something "rocky" if it is difficult, or not going smoothly. In this case, Helen is saying her relationship with her boyfriend has been experiencing trouble lately.

我明白了，rocky就是困難重重的意思，我想到一個詞， b-u-m-p-y, bumpy，意思一樣嗎?

Professor: Yes, they're the same.

唉，可憐的Helen, 有這么多煩心事。不知道心理治療師有什么好建議。

Therapist: There are some things you can do to relieve your stress. First, you need someone to talk to about your feelings so that they don't get bottled up inside.

Helen: Hmm .... I guess you're right. Do you think I should get another dog?

Therapist: No, it's much better if you pay $200 per hour to talk to me once per week.

Helen: Oh .... but what if spending all that money causes me to worry about my bank account?

Therapist: Don't worry, if you start feeling even more stressed because of your finances, you can come in twice per week for more therapy.

Professor: Winnie, do you understand what the therapist means when he tells Helen not to bottle up her emotions inside?

Bottle是瓶子的意思，所以我想醫(yī)生是讓Helen不要把情緒都憋在心里。

Professor: That's right.

Professor, 我覺得這個心理治療師幫不了Helen, 他一小時收200塊錢，Helen 說這么大的花銷會讓自己有更大壓力，可治療師似乎盼的就是這個，這樣Helen就需要看更多次醫(yī)生，他就可以賺更多錢了!

Helen: I don't know, doctor. I think I really just need to blow off some steam every once in a while. I'm not sure I need all this therapy.

Therapist: In my professional opinion, Helen, you may be very ill. We need to discuss an integrated treatment plan, with therapy sessions and anti-depression medications.

Helen: Anti-depression medications? Now I'm sure I don't want all that.

Therapist: But Helen, this may be the only way to make you happy again.

Helen: Actually, now I know what will make me happy. A trip to the pet store!

Helen很聰明，治療師讓她多看病，還讓她吃抗抑郁藥，可Helen沒上當(dāng)! 她說，她只需要blow off some steam every once in a while - 時不時給自己減減壓，就可以了!

Professor: Yes. I guess Helen, like everyone else, just needs a shoulder to cry on sometimes.

A: 原來，Helen最近壓力很大，小狗死了，工作繁忙，而且going through a rocky period with her boyfriend, 跟男友的關(guān)系也不好。心理咨詢師跟她說不能 bottle up her emotions, 積攢不良情緒，而且要她制定integrated treatment plan，綜合治療方案，而且還得take anti-depression medications, 吃抗抑郁的藥物。這個心理醫(yī)生怎么聽起來像騙人的啊?

B: That treatment plan sounds a little drastic to me. I think Helen just need a shoulder to cry on.

A: Yeah, I don't take stress very well. 我記得有一次面試的時候，面試官問我受壓能力怎么樣，我本來就緊張，他一問我就更緊張了!

B: Well, I don't blame you. Not a lot of people have the ability to handle stress as well as me. That's why I'm the top dog! (A: ugh...) kidding kidding. Honestly though, nothing makes me more stressed than a Job interview, especially if it's an interview for a job that I really want!

A: 對呀! 在今天在Business Etiquette里， David就在接受他夢寐以求的求職面試，咱們一起來聽聽看!

禮節(jié)美語 - Job Interview - Part I

David Tang 到 PLAYERS 雜志社求職面試，考官是雜志社經(jīng)理 Fred Dixon。

F: Hello Mr. Tang. Take a seat.

D: Thanks Mr. Dixon. Call me David, please.

F: Ok, David...call me Fred. How are you this morning?

D: Very well, thanks. Actually, I'm quite excited.

F: Oh?

D: I've been a big fan of PLAYERS Magazine for many years now. I love what you do here. I love the witty writing, the clever features and even the layout.

David 多年來一直是 Players 雜志的忠實讀者，很欣賞雜志的 witty writing, clever features and even the layout. 風(fēng)趣的文風(fēng)，巧妙的特寫，甚至是版面設(shè)計。

F: Nice of you to say. We've been working hard to try to keep the magazine as current and relevant as possible. So...I've looked over your resume. You're bilingual, right?

D: Yes. Actually, technically Chinese is my mother tongue...my parents immigrated to Canada when I was seven years old. Later on I went to school in the States and Europe as well.

F: Well, being bilingual is always a plus. We are thinking about expanding our operations and ━ of course -- China is a huge market. Anyway...let's see here...can you tell me why you think you'd be a good fit for our organization?

David 是雙語 bilingual，中文是母語 mother tongue. Fred 承認， bilingual is always a plus. 雙語當(dāng)然更好。plus 在這兒是優(yōu)勢的意思。Fred 問 David 為什么覺得自己適合雜志社的工作。a good fit for the organization。David 說自己年輕、思維敏銳、精力充沛，and I'm always looking for that next big thing. 隨時準備迎接新的時尚和潮流。

F: That's good. Ok...here's a question that might seem kind of off the wall. If you were a car...what kind of car would you be and why.

D: Hmmm...interesting question. I'd say I'd be one of those Japanese sports cars. Not too big...not too flashy on the outside, but lots of power under the hood. You're asking this to get a sense of my personality, right?

F: Yeah, that's the idea. So you're saying you are reliable and quietly powerful...is that it?

D: Yeah...that's a good way of putting it.

Fred 問 David 假如是一輛車的話，會是什么車?這個問題確實有些 "off the wall," 出人意料，不同尋常。David 說愿意是一輛日本跑車 sports car，不以大小和外表取人，但是馬力十足 lots of power under the hood. Fred 理解為 David 是一個可靠而且 quietly powerful 不聲不響、但干勁十足的人，David 回答說，That's a good way of putting it. 這話說不錯。to put it 是表達的意思。面試還有哪些問題，我們下次繼續(xù)聽。

A: David has a talent for two languages, 雙語人才，而且自己年輕，有沖勁， always looking for that next big thing. 隨時準備迎接新的時尚和潮流。So Mike, what do you think is the most important thing when it comes to your dream job?

B: Well as you know, my dream job is to do nothing and still get paid.

A: AHH?

B: Hahaha, ok ok. Let's be serious. I think for a good job you need to have a high level of satisfaction, freedom to implement your own methods, and meshing well with your team is extremely important because your work environment plays a major role as well.

A: Oh,You must be so thankful for your current job then!

B: And why is that?

A: Duh! Because you are working with me! (Mike tries to say something but Lin interrupts) 好了! 我們言歸正傳，接著去聽聽David的面試過程吧!

禮節(jié)美語 - Job Interview - Part II

David Tang 到 PLAYERS 雜志社求職面試，考官是雜志社經(jīng)理 Fred Dixon。

F: Ok...what do you think are your biggest weaknesses?

D: Hmm...I'd say that my biggest weakness is a tendency to be a bit of a perfectionist. Sometimes I get too close to the project and need to step back to get the whole picture.

F: All right. How would you say you react under pressure?

D: I've had to make a lot of major adjustments in my life such as moving to a new country, learning a new language and making new friends. I'd say it was all quite stressful but I faced each challenge as it came and step-by-step things got better. For me I think the key is not to let things pile up but instead to face each problem as it comes and attack it head-on.

David 說自己最大的缺點是有點 perfectionist 萬事追求完美。有時過份投入，get too close to something, 需要退一步縱觀全局 to step back to get the whole picture. David 承受壓力的能力也不差，他覺得關(guān)鍵是不能讓問題積累起來，not to let things pile up 而是遇到一個解決一個，attack it head-on 迎頭痛擊。

F: Ok. So what would you say is the one thing that's most important to you in your job?

D: I'd say having good direction from my supervisors but also a high degree of freedom to implement creative ideas. I need guidance, but I don't want my creativity to be stifled.

F: Can you tell me why you left your last job?

D: Well, I needed a challenge. I felt like I was in a comfort zone and I needed to shake things up in my life. I enjoyed my time at my last job, but I feel like I'm ready for the major leagues.

David 說，他想換工作是因為感覺自己是在一個各方面都駕輕就熟的地方 I was in a comfort zone, 需要變化 to shake things up. 他覺得 I'm ready for the major leagues. 應(yīng)該更上一層樓了。Major League 是職業(yè)棒球大聯(lián)盟，代表棒球最高水平，高于 minor league 小聯(lián)盟。

F: I noticed that you have recommendation letters from each of your previous supervisors. Their comments are all quite positive.

D: I'm honored that they value my work. I've found that I generally get along well with co-workers. I'm just not really into drama and I'm pretty easy-going.

F: Well...thanks for coming in today, David. We will be reviewing your info and you'll get a callback within a week.

D: Great! And thanks for your time, Fred. I'll be looking forward to your call.

David以前的上司都給他寫了很好的推薦信。他說自己 not into drama 不喜歡惹事生非，pretty easy-going 很好相處。Fred 聽上去對David很滿意，說一周內(nèi)給他回音。

B: Ok, I'll admit that you are easy-going, but apart from that...

A: At least I'm not a drama queen like certain people I know... Michael Scott Bond.

B: I see, so what do you call all that time you spend gossiping among that little gang of yours?