美語(yǔ)訓(xùn)練班112

A: 歡迎大家來(lái)到這期的美語(yǔ)訓(xùn)練班! 我是楊琳!

B: 我是Mike! 楊琳，來(lái)告訴大家今天都要學(xué)什么!

A: 嗯! 今天，我們要一起聊聊在跨國(guó)企業(yè)中如何應(yīng)對(duì)不同的文化，看看如何表達(dá)毫無(wú)概念，還要告訴你如何說(shuō)本能!

B: Yeah, I went through major culture shock when I first went to China! People kept asking me about my salary...I mean, we almost never ask someone about that in the West!

A: Yeah, money is an acceptable topic in daily conversation among some Asian cultures. It took me a good two years to get used to American customs as well. First of all, hugging! Americans love to hug, but it kinda creeps me out!

B: (laughing) we'll run out of time for the show if we keep on talking about this. Why don't we start our class first, and then we will discuss some more cultural differences later in the show!

A: 好主意! 同學(xué)們，我們趕快先來(lái)進(jìn)入第一個(gè)單元，Learn a word!

Learn A Word 1777 instinct

今天我們要學(xué)的詞是instinct. Instinct is spelled i-n-s-t-i-n-c-t, instinct. Instinct 是本能，直覺(jué)的意思。Survival instinct 生存本能。Animal instinct 動(dòng)物本能。The offer was too good to be true. My instincts told me it must be a scam. 這事好得簡(jiǎn)直令人難以置信，我的直覺(jué)告訴我，這一定是個(gè)騙局。龍卷風(fēng)來(lái)襲之前，奧克拉荷馬州的一個(gè)媽媽毅然決定，不讓孩子藏在衣櫥里，開(kāi)車(chē)出去避難，結(jié)果幸免于難，回來(lái)時(shí)房子已被夷為平地。Her maternal instincts saved her kids and herself. 她的母性直覺(jué)救了孩子的命，也救了她自己的命。好的，今天我們學(xué)習(xí)的詞是 instinct, instinct, instinct...

A: I got to say, sometimes your instincts are the best thing you can rely on.

B: I mean, you are a good judge of character, so your gut feeling about a person is usually right. But for me....it's a different story.

A: Well, that's why we are friends! I can always help you out, for a small fee!

B: Ahh...I was wondering when the real Yang Lin was going to come out...

A: Haha, actually, there's only one rule to judging character: when something seems too good to be true, it must be fake or a scam. It applies to both things and people.

B: Yeah, I guess...I just have a very trusting personality! I always choose to look on the bright side and trust others!

A: OKOK...let's stop this overflow of self-esteem . 我們趕快從吹牛大王這逃走，接著來(lái)聽(tīng)美國(guó)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)吧!

Words and Idioms 845 NOT KNOW BEANS

(sound effect: tweet, tweet).

大家肯定都聽(tīng)過(guò)鳥(niǎo)叫，英語(yǔ)里形容鳥(niǎo)叫的相聲詞是 tweet, t-w-e-e-t, tweet. 你知道嗎，現(xiàn)在有個(gè)網(wǎng)站叫 twitter, 可以用電腦或是手機(jī)在上面發(fā)送字?jǐn)?shù)不超過(guò)140個(gè)字的短信。我也是最近才從年輕同事那里知道這個(gè)網(wǎng)站的，但還是不知道具體怎么操作。今天我們要學(xué)的習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)恰恰可以用來(lái)形容這種情況，那就是：

M: Not know beans about. Beans is spelled b-e-a-n-s. Not-know-beans-about. Not know beans about.

說(shuō)一個(gè)人NOT KNOW BEANS ABOUT一件事情，意思就是對(duì)一件事情一無(wú)所知，毫無(wú)概念。就拿我來(lái)說(shuō)吧，如果你讓我上網(wǎng) tweet 你，那我簡(jiǎn)直就是丈二和尚摸不著頭腦，因?yàn)?I do NOT KNOW BEANS ABOUT it.

奧巴馬夫婦入主白宮后，第一夫人米歇爾多次成為頭版新聞。就在前不久，她在白宮開(kāi)墾了一個(gè)菜園子。讓我們聽(tīng)聽(tīng)下面這篇報(bào)道是怎么說(shuō)的。

M: "First Lady Michelle Obama recently started a vegetable garden at the White House. It's a reflection of the many gardens that are sprouting up in backyards across the county. Even Americans who doN'T KNOW BEANS ABOUT farming are trying it. Soon enough these absolute beginners are enjoying their own delicious and healthy produce."

報(bào)道說(shuō)：第一夫人米歇爾•奧巴馬最近在白宮開(kāi)了個(gè)菜園。眼下，這樣的菜園子在全美各地象雨后春筍一樣紛紛出現(xiàn)。就連對(duì)種植一竅不通的美國(guó)人也躍躍欲試。沒(méi)過(guò)多久，這些初次“務(wù)農(nóng)”的人就能?chē)L到自己種出來(lái)的可口健康的水果和蔬菜了。

我和老公就是從去年開(kāi)始種菜的，去年第一次嘗試，We did NOT KNOW BEANS ABOUT IT. 所以只種了西紅柿、黃瓜和韭菜，結(jié)果大豐收。你別說(shuō)，自己種的菜味道就是不一樣，又有利環(huán)保，絕對(duì)是一舉兩得。好的，讓我們?cè)賮?lái)聽(tīng)聽(tīng)上面那段話。

M: "First Lady Michelle Obama recently started a vegetable garden at the White House. It's a reflection of the many gardens that are sprouting up in backyards across the county. Even Americans who doN'T KNOW BEANS ABOUT farming are trying it. Soon enough these absolute beginners are enjoying their own delicious and healthy produce."

常聽(tīng)人說(shuō)，愛(ài)情可以戰(zhàn)勝一切，真是這樣嗎?聽(tīng)聽(tīng)下面這個(gè)例子，你就會(huì)得出答案。

M: "When Brenda was first introduced to Jack, she was intimidated by his knowledge. When it came to his field, astrophysics, she frankly didN'T KNOW BEANS. But over several dates, she fell in love with his enthusiasm for galaxies and electromagnetism. It's amazing how much she understands now."

這個(gè)人說(shuō)：布蘭達(dá)第一次經(jīng)人介紹跟杰克認(rèn)識(shí)的時(shí)候，杰克的博學(xué)多才讓她有些無(wú)地自容。對(duì)于杰克研究的天文物理學(xué)，布蘭達(dá)可以說(shuō)是一無(wú)所知。但是幾次約會(huì)下來(lái)，她就被杰克對(duì)宇宙和電磁的熱情折服了?，F(xiàn)在她懂得越來(lái)越多，簡(jiǎn)直不可思議。

有趣的是，NOT KNOW BEANS 的另外一種說(shuō)法是 NOT KNOW JACK. 因此，在上面這個(gè)例子里，我們可以說(shuō)，對(duì)于天文物理學(xué)，Branda doesn't know Jack. 這里的 Jack 指的就不是 Jack 這個(gè)人了。好的，我們?cè)賮?lái)聽(tīng)一下上面那個(gè)例句。

M: "When Brenda was first introduced to Jack, she was intimidated by his knowledge. When it came to his field, astrophysics, she frankly didN'T KNOW BEANS. But over several dates, she fell in love with his enthusiasm for galaxies and electromagnetism. It's amazing how much she understands now."

大家也許會(huì)問(wèn)，為什么要說(shuō) beans 豆子呢?或許恰恰是因?yàn)槎棺有?，微不足道吧。這個(gè)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)早在十九世紀(jì)早期就已經(jīng)出現(xiàn)了，一直沿用到今天。

好的，這次美國(guó)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)就到此結(jié)束了。

下次節(jié)目再見(jiàn)。

M: This has been Words and Idioms.

A: Modern technology has been developing so fast. I remember just a year ago, when my friends introduced me to wechat, no one knew beans about it. But today everyone in China is using it!

B: That's true. All this modern technology makes the world a smaller place. International businesses is everywhere now!

A: True. But it's also a big challenge to understand how all these different cultures interact in the business world, and in your daily life.

B: In today's business etiquette, we will get some tips about how to interact with your customers from different countries! Let's check it out!

禮節(jié)美語(yǔ)Cross-Cultural SensitivityPart I

Jim 和 Emily 是一家跨國(guó)公司從中國(guó)聘用的新雇員，公司人事部的 Paula 對(duì)他們進(jìn)行文化差異的培訓(xùn)。

Paula: Hello and good morning. I'm Paula Higgins and I've been asked to help prep all of you for your new positions.

J&E: Good morning.

P: Well, let's get right down to business, shall we? Each of you will be traveling to business meetings, attending fairs and exhibitions as well as receiving clients from abroad. It's therefore very important that you make a good impression. Let's start with how to greet people.

Paula自我介紹后，馬上展開(kāi)培訓(xùn) get right down to business. Paula 說(shuō)的，to prep someone for his or her new position 指就職前的培訓(xùn)。做為跨國(guó)公司雇員，要經(jīng)常出去開(kāi)會(huì)，參展，接待外國(guó)客戶，因此給別人的第一印象很重要。It's important to make a good impression.

P: Yes, Emily?

E: Why do some Europeans kiss each other when they say hello? I've even seen men kiss each other!

P: Yes, in some places in Europe such as France, people do give each other a light kiss on the cheek. It's considered friendly and is not sexual in any way.

J: But Americans wouldn't do that, would they?

P: No, it's highly unlikely that an American would offer a kiss.

歐洲人見(jiàn)面喜歡在臉頰上蜻蜓點(diǎn)水地親一下，a light kiss on the cheek. 那美國(guó)人呢?Paula 說(shuō)，It's highly unlikely that an American would offer a kiss. 就是說(shuō)美國(guó)人幾乎絕對(duì)不可能這樣做。

J: But Americans seem to like to hug each other frequently.

P: That's true. In recent years it has become more popular to hug. But usually it's people who have met before and perhaps haven't seen each other in a while that might hug. At a first meeting, a hug would be very unlikely.

E: Hugs kind of creep me out! I don't really like to be touched by strangers.

美國(guó)人似乎很喜歡擁抱。Paula 解釋說(shuō)，其實(shí)，只有很久不見(jiàn)的熟人才會(huì)彼此擁抱，初次見(jiàn)面一般不會(huì)。Emily 說(shuō)自己不喜歡陌生人碰她。Hugs kind of creep me out! 擁抱讓她渾身不自在。

P: Fair enough. I'd say hugging is not usually appropriate in a business situation. Some people are a bit overly friendly. But if the person initiates it, I'd recommend you grit your teeth and go along with it, otherwise people might think you are rude.

J: So the same rule would apply to getting a kiss from a European: if they initiate it, just go along and be friendly, right?

P: Yes. As the saying goes: "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." In other words: follow the local customs.

Paula 也承認(rèn)，擁抱并不適合商業(yè)場(chǎng)合，但有些人確實(shí)會(huì) overly friendly 過(guò)份友好。在這種情況下，她建議員工 to grit your teeth and go along with it. 咬咬牙，硬著頭皮去應(yīng)和。 grit is spelled g-r-i-t. 常言說(shuō)，When in Rome, do as the Romans do. 入鄉(xiāng)隨俗。

A: Paula說(shuō)，歐洲人喜歡a light kiss on the cheek, 見(jiàn)面時(shí)行親吻禮，而美國(guó)人呢則更習(xí)慣hug，擁抱。她說(shuō)，有些人確實(shí)over friendly，過(guò)于熱情，但是如果是在商業(yè)場(chǎng)合，you have to grit your teeth and go along with it, 得咬咬牙，硬著頭皮去迎合。

B: Yep, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

A: 沒(méi)錯(cuò)! 入鄉(xiāng)隨俗。So Mike, what was the biggest culture shock you encountered when you were in China?

B: That would have to be how Chinese girls behave around each other. You know, Chinese girls like to walk hand in hand, or feed each other food, etc. In America, girls would NEVER, EVER do that unless they are a couple. So...that always confused me until a friend set me straight.

A: 沒(méi)錯(cuò)沒(méi)錯(cuò)! 這倒是真的! 而且啊，東西方文化中還有很多談話的禁忌也是不同的。我們接著來(lái)聽(tīng)Paula是怎么說(shuō)的!

禮節(jié)美語(yǔ)Cross-Cultural SensitivityPart II

Jim 和 Emily 是一家跨國(guó)公司從中國(guó)聘用的新雇員，公司人事部的 Paula 對(duì)他們進(jìn)行文化差異的培訓(xùn)。Emily 說(shuō)，

E: I know that we will be expected to chat and make small talk with our customers, but I'm worried I'm going to put my foot in my mouth.

P: There are a couple of topics that are considered "no-nos" in Western culture. It's best to avoid discussions on politics, religion and money.

J: Why is religion a sensitive topic?

聊天兒，to chat, 也可以說(shuō) to make small talk. Emily 擔(dān)心跟客戶聊天的時(shí)候會(huì) to put my foot in my mouth, 意思是說(shuō)話不得體，講錯(cuò)話。Paula 說(shuō)，在西方文化中，確實(shí)有一些話題是 "no-nos" 最好不要涉及的領(lǐng)域，包括政治、宗教和金錢(qián)。宗教為什么是敏感話題?

P: Well, there are a lot of religions and each one thinks very differently. Overall, it's an area that could cause trouble; so it's best to stay away from it.

J: When I visited Italy last year, I noticed a sign at a church asking people to remove their hats. Why is this necessary?

P: In some religious centers it's considered impolite to wear hats. Many Western people also think you should remove your hat when dining or in a more formal setting.

Paula 解釋說(shuō)，不同宗教信仰的人，如果話不投機(jī)，就很容易出問(wèn)題。So it's best to stay away from it. 所以最好遠(yuǎn)離這個(gè)話題。Jim 問(wèn)，為什么意大利有的教堂要大家摘掉帽子。Paula 解釋說(shuō)，某些宗教認(rèn)為戴帽子很不禮貌，it's considered impolite to wear hats, 而且在西方，正式場(chǎng)合和飯局一般都要把帽子摘下來(lái)。

J: You said money is off-limits as well. Can you explain?

P: In some parts of Asia, discussing salary amounts or how much you paid for something is an acceptable conversation topic, but in the West, people get very uncomfortable when discussing money.

E: That makes sense. Money can be a tricky subject.

金錢(qián)也是 off-limits 禁區(qū)。在亞洲某些地方，工資收入可以是聊天的話題，但是在西方，問(wèn)別人賺多少錢(qián)，往往會(huì)讓人覺(jué)得不舒服。所以說(shuō)，Money can be a tricky subject.

P: Ok...a couple more important points: In some Asian societies, when you meet someone and you notice they have put on weight, you might say "Hey! You've gained weight!" But in the West, it's almost never appropriate to comment on someone's appearance.

J: But why? It's not a criticism; it's just an observation.

P: In the West it is viewed as a criticism. So don't comment on age or weight.

E: I think it's best to simply say, "You look well."

P: Yes....that would be perfect. Thank you all for your attention and we will meet again next week.

還有一點(diǎn)至關(guān)重要，見(jiàn)面千萬(wàn)別說(shuō)，“你發(fā)福了!”That's a no-no. 西方人幾乎從來(lái)不討論別人的外表，還有年齡!Don't comment on age or weight.

A: Emily 擔(dān)心跟客戶聊天的時(shí)候會(huì)put my foot in my mouth,意思是說(shuō)話不得體，Paula說(shuō)，在聊天中，不要涉及宗教，金錢(qián)和政治，it's best to stay away from it. 而且don't comment on age or weight,不要評(píng)價(jià)別人的外表還有年齡。But...but I always comment when you gain any weight!

B: Yeah...now you know. It's considered very inappropriate in the western society.

A: But it's common to comment on other people's appearance in China! Like....you seemed to have put on a little bit of weight recently... Mike

B:You little...

A: Haha, its culture difference, so...you can't blame it on me! (B:Ugh...) (笑) 好了同學(xué)們，我們接著來(lái)聽(tīng)下面的learn a word!

Learn A Word 1779 runner-up

今天我們要學(xué)的詞是runner-up. Runner is spelled r-u-n-n-e-r, runner, and up, u-p, up, runner-up. Runner-up 比賽里的第二名。Jason came in as the runner-up in the 200-meter hurdles. 詹森在200米跨欄中名列第二。在美國(guó)國(guó)家地理小蜜蜂比賽中，12-year-old Sathwik Karnik got all five questions right in his one-on-one duel with the runner-up to clinch the title. 12歲的卡爾尼克在跟亞軍的一對(duì)一對(duì)決中，五道問(wèn)題全部答對(duì)，贏得冠軍頭銜。American Idol Season 12 runner-up Kree Harrison says that she has no regrets about her time on the show. 美國(guó)偶像第12季亞軍克里.哈里森說(shuō)，參加這個(gè)節(jié)目的全過(guò)程，她沒(méi)有一絲遺憾。好的，今天我們學(xué)習(xí)的詞是 runner-up, runner-up, runner-up...

A: In the competition between you and me, You are always the runner-up Mike

B: Whoa, Whoa, Whoa...hold on Yang Lin. Remember that time when we had the "president of the show" election, and you just ignored the results because you lost? I still have the evidence....I think Someone's number is up!

A: Er...hmm....oh, you just mentioned a very good idiom, sb's number is up! Let's check it out first!

Words and Idioms 846 SB'S NUMBER IS UP

美國(guó)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)第846講

在美國(guó)，一到星期五，很多公司里的員工都會(huì)輪流帶多納圈到辦公室，跟同事分享，我們辦公室也不例外。老實(shí)說(shuō)，我本人并不喜歡多納圈，太甜，而且離我家最近的一家多納圈專賣(mài)店開(kāi)車(chē)二十分鐘才能到，很不方便。你猜，明天輪到誰(shuí)帶多納圈?沒(méi)錯(cuò)，又輪到我了。這倒讓我想起一個(gè)有趣的習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)，叫：

M: Somebody's number is up. Number is spelled n-u-m-b-e-r. Somebody's-number-is-up. Somebody's number is up.

Somebody's number is up 這個(gè)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)的意思是氣數(shù)已盡，要倒霉了。就好比我，雖然自己并不喜歡吃多納圈，而且又要繞道去買(mǎi)，但是輪到我了，沒(méi)辦法，在這種情況下，就可以說(shuō) My number is up! 不過(guò)，跟下面例子里的這些人相比，我恐怕還算是幸運(yùn)的。我們一起聽(tīng)下面這段話。

M: "We knew to expect another round of layoffs. So I had a bad feeling when my coworker got called in to meet with the boss. Sure enough, HIS NUMBER WAS UP. He and five other associates were given one hour to clean out their desks and turn in their office IDs. I'm just lucky I still have my position.

這個(gè)人說(shuō)：我們都知道，還要裁一批人。所以，我的同事被老板叫去談話，我就有一種很不好的預(yù)感。果不其然，輪到他倒霉了。他和另外五個(gè)人被要求在一個(gè)小時(shí)內(nèi)整理好自己的東西，交還工作證件。我的運(yùn)氣還不錯(cuò)，至今還有工作。

現(xiàn)在經(jīng)濟(jì)不景氣，誰(shuí)都可能會(huì)丟飯碗。更糟糕的是，很多失業(yè)的人付不出房屋貸款，最后連房子都會(huì)被銀行沒(méi)收，我的一個(gè)朋友就擔(dān)心，她老公如果在三個(gè)月內(nèi)找不到新工作的話，THEIR NUMBER WILL BE UP，他們就要慘了。好的，讓我們?cè)賮?lái)聽(tīng)聽(tīng)上面那段話。

M: "We knew to expect another round of layoffs. So I had a bad feeling when my coworker got called in to meet with the boss. Sure enough, HIS NUMBER WAS UP. He and five other associates were given one hour to clean out their desks and turn in their office IDs. I'm just lucky I still have my position.

不過(guò)，也不是所有人都這么倒霉。比如說(shuō)我的鄰居 Judy Allen 就剛剛當(dāng)選連任了市議員。我們一起來(lái)聽(tīng)聽(tīng)下面這段政治評(píng)論：

M: "Judy Allen's reelection to the city council confirms that HER NUMBER ISN'T UP yet. It's true that she may have made some political enemies in her first term. But the majority of voters still felt she did a good job. And what they want now is to see her build on her success."

這個(gè)人說(shuō)：Judy Allen 當(dāng)選連任市議員說(shuō)明，她的政治生涯還沒(méi)有走到盡頭。沒(méi)錯(cuò)，她在第一個(gè)任期內(nèi)確實(shí)樹(shù)了一些政敵，但是大多數(shù)選民還是覺(jué)得她干得不錯(cuò)。他們希望她能在成功的基礎(chǔ)上再接再勵(lì)。

我的另外一個(gè)鄰居可就沒(méi)這么走運(yùn)了。她兒子開(kāi)車(chē)回家的路上跟一個(gè)醉酒開(kāi)車(chē)的人撞上，結(jié)果車(chē)徹底報(bào)銷，人也受了傷，在醫(yī)院了躺了好幾天。按我鄰居的話說(shuō)，現(xiàn)在馬路上這么多危險(xiǎn)駕駛的司機(jī)，You never know when YOUR NUMBER WILL BE UP. 誰(shuí)也不知道什么時(shí)候會(huì)輪到自己倒霉。好的，我們?cè)賮?lái)聽(tīng)一下上面那個(gè)例句。

M: "Judy Allen's reelection to the city council confirms that HER NUMBER ISN'T UP yet. It's true that she may have made some political enemies in her first term. But the majority of voters still felt she did a good job. And what they want now is to see her build on her success."

大家也許會(huì)問(wèn)，這個(gè)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)是怎么來(lái)的呢?根據(jù)我的研究，這個(gè)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)最早是十九世紀(jì)早期出現(xiàn)的，NUMBER 當(dāng)時(shí)指的可能是沒(méi)中的彩票上的數(shù)字。也有人說(shuō)，Number 是指任何可以用來(lái)辨別某個(gè)人身份的數(shù)字，比如說(shuō)美國(guó)軍人脖子上掛的身份牌。

好的，這次美國(guó)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)就到此結(jié)束了。

下次節(jié)目再見(jiàn)。

M: This has been Words and Idioms.

B: So...huh? I guess there is no point in competing with me when you are not even in the same league!

B: Tune in next time for American English Mosaic!

A: See you next time!