A: 歡迎大家來到這期的美語訓練班! 我是楊琳!
B: 我是Mike! 楊琳，來告訴大家今天都要學什麼?
A: 沒問題! 今天，咱們要來去體驗一下刺激的賽車比賽，聊聊繼續深造學習，還要告訴你怎麼説飛速完成!
B: Yeah, considering the currently poor economic environment, further education is definitely a hot topic these days . A lot of people are going back to school since they got laid off from work.
A: 對呀! 不過回去上學也不錯，充充電，整裝待發嘛! 咱們現在也來充電，趕快來進入第一個單元，Learn a Word!
Learn A Word 1556 noteworthy
今天我們要學的詞是 noteworthy. Noteworthy is spelled n-o-t-e-w-o-r-t-h-y, noteworthy. Noteworthy意思是值得注意的，值得引起重視的。雅虎公司宣佈，年僅37歲的邁耶將擔任雅虎公司首席執行官。Her selection is noteworthy both because she is one of only a few woman CEOs in the tech world, and because she is expecting her first child. 她的任命引起了外界的極大關注，不光是因為她是高科技業界為數不多的女性首席執行官之一，而且也因為她正懷著自己的第一個孩子。The results of a new study are noteworthy for the fact that online donors jumped nearly 60 percent compared to two years ago. 最新研究顯示，在網上捐錢的人數增加了近60%，這一研究結果值得引起人們的重視。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 noteworthy, noteworthy, noteworthy…
B: So 楊琳，did you do anything noteworthy over the weekend?
A: 讓我想想….哦對了對了，I hiked for 6 miles!!!!!
B: What? That’s not noteworthy, that’s a piece of cake! I run 6 miles EVERY SINGLE DAY!
A: But I was fast and furious! Just like a professional hiker!
B: Why do I find that hard to believe? I mean, the only time I can imagine you being fast and furious is when you go SHOPPING!
A: At least I’m not fast and furious at eating, unlike someone I know!
B: 好了好了，不跟你鬥嘴! 剛才我們都用到了一個詞， fast and furious, 趕快帶著聽眾朋友去聽聽這個習慣用語的用法吧!
Words and Idioms #981
現在播送美國習慣用語第 981講。我是楊琳。
M：我是Dan Markus.
隔了一個長週末去上班，我發現辦公樓對面一座20層的大樓好像一夜之間忽然消失了。老闆告訴我，一個爆破小組在幾天之內完成了全部的爆破、清掃和整理工作。這也讓我想到了一句習慣用語，那就是：
M：Fast and furious. Fast is spelled f-a-s-t, and furious; f-u-r-i-o-u-s. Fast-and-furious.
這 個短語由兩個簡單的單詞構成：fast 快速的; furious 憤怒的。連起來，fast and furious，意思變成了“飛快地，很快完成”。上面説到，我們辦公室旁邊的大樓爆破瞬間就完成了。The demolition was FAST AND FURIOUS. It’s as if the building just vanished overnight! 人間蒸發了。在下面的例子裏，一名青少年的天資被快速挖掘出來，讓我們來聽聽他爸爸對此怎麼評價：
M: “Ever since my son won the national math competition, requests have been coming in FAST AND FURIOUS. Suddenly hundreds of kids and their parents want his advice, interviewers are begging for his story, and colleges across the country are offering him four-year scholarships.”
這段話是説：[自從我兒子贏了全國數學競賽之後，對他的邀請就接踵而至。忽然之間，成百名孩子和他們的家長都希望向他取經，記者都想要採訪他，而全國各地的大學也紛紛表示願意為他提供大學四年的獎學金。]
一夜成名不一定是好事，我記得以前一個談話節目中，一個人談到了他中彩票之後的經歷。Once his name was announced on television, attention on him was FAST AND FURIOUS. 自從他的名字出現在電視上之後，對他的關注就撲面而來。他的手機永遠在響，銷售商向他推銷各種産品和服務。最可怕的是，凡是沾得上點邊的親戚和朋友都跑來 跟他借錢！所以説，什麼事情都有兩面性。好了，讓我們再來聽聽剛才那段話：
M: “Ever since my son won the national math competition, requests have been coming in FAST AND FURIOUS. Suddenly hundreds of kids and their parents want his advice, interviewers are begging for his story, and colleges across the country are offering him four-year scholarships.”
上面我們講到了fast and furious, 飛快的。冬天的阿拉斯加向來是非常寒冷的。 不過，今年的嚴寒似乎格外嚴酷，讓我們來聽聽看：
M: ” The residents in Alaska are used to bad weather in winter. But they weren’t prepared for all the snow they recently got. That’s because the storm moved in FAST AND FURIOUS. Within a few short hours, towns became overwhelmed by mountains of snow.”
這段話是説：冬天的嚴寒天氣對阿拉斯加居民來説司空見慣，但他們還是沒有為最近的大雪做好充足的準備，因為這次風暴來得又快又猛。短短幾個小時內，很多城鎮都完全被大雪所覆蓋。
我聽説，今年有些地方的積雪多達60英寸。還記得兩年前，美國首都華盛頓也經歷了同樣的大雪，天氣預報裏説要下大雪後，The sales at grocery stores were going FAST AND FURIOUS! 人們都去商店搶購商品，以儲備好食物以應對大雪的到來。好的，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話：
M: ” The residents in Alaska are used to bad weather in winter. But they weren’t prepared for all the snow they recently got. That’s because the storm moved in FAST AND FURIOUS. Within a few short hours, towns became overwhelmed by mountains of snow.”
music bridge
今天我們學習的習慣用語是fast and furious ，意思是“飛快的”。好的，這次[美國習慣用語]就到此結束，我是楊琳，我是Dan Markus。謝謝各位的收聽。
B: This episode reminds me of a famous movie when I was a teenager. It’s literally called “the fast and the furious”, and of course it’s about street racing.
A : Street racing? 哦，飆車啊?
B: Right! street racing is just one type of car racing though, the most popular kind of car racing in America is stock car racing, 賽車!
A: That’s interesting! 那，你喜歡看賽車嗎?
B: Not really. I mean, it’s boring to watch someone driving around the circle for 6 hours. I would much rather watch college football!
A: 同意！賽車另外還特危險! 這不，在今天的Go English裏，Roger為了報復Daphne，要帶她去賽車! 咱們一起去聽聽吧!
Hiking: Advanced
今天我們為您播出“美語三級跳”節目“遠足旅行”單元的高級課程。
Professor: Daphne took Roger on a camping trip, but Roger had a terrible time because he is from the city and isn’t used to being in nature.
沒錯，Roger還説，Daphne讓他在野營時受罪，他一定要報這個仇。
Professor: Right. So today, he is taking Daphne to a car race.
A car race? 賽車？賽車很精彩啊! 這算什麼報仇？
Daphne: Roger, do you really find car races fun to go to? It’s incredibly boring just watching the cars go around and around the track, and I can hardly breathe because of all the smoke and fumes!
Roger: You aren’t having fun? Daphne, car racing is the most popular sport in America.
Daphne: I hate cars. They make so much pollution, which is creating holes in the ozone layer. And the environmental problems are only getting worse with global warming!
Roger: Daphne, cars are a part of American culture. Americans have always relied on cars instead of making do with public transportation.
哈，看來Daphne非常討厭賽車，就像Roger討厭露營一樣!
Professor: Right. Why doesn’t Daphne like cars?
她説，汽車污染環境，傷害ozone layer–臭氧層。不過Roger説， Americans don’t make do with public transportation，這是什麼意思呢？
Professor: When you “make do” with something, that means you accept it reluctantly.
哦，make do with something， 就是勉強接受某事。
Professor: Right. For example, “I really wanted to see the new horror movie that just came out. But because it was sold out, I had to make do with another movie, which wasn’t very good.”
Daphne: Roger, It’s often difficult to see how your lifestyle impacts the world. But we need to prevent pollution by driving cars less and investing in renewable energy.
Roger: Why do you like the environment so much? It’s full of mosquitoes that want to bite you, and bears that want to eat you!
Daphne: If you’re not nice to nature, nature won’t be nice to you. If the polar ice caps melt, ocean levels will rise and flood the coastal cities.
Roger: Oh Daphne, that isn’t going to happen. You watch too many movies.
我真想知道Daphne和Roger是怎麼成朋友的，這倆人的看法相差十萬八千里! Daphne説， 人們應該儘量少開車，而且應該開發renewable energy–可再生能源。
Professor: Right. But what does Roger say?
Roger卻覺得，什麼極地冰冠融化，海水淹沒城市都是嚇唬人的。他説，這些事情根本不會發生，Daphne是電影看多了，瞎操心。
Daphne: Roger, most scientists agree that global warming is real, and evidence shows that the polar ice caps have been melting.
Roger: Well what do you want me to do about it? I’m just one person. What can I do to make a difference?
Daphne: Well to start, you could buy more energy-efficient appliances. You could also think about buying an electric or hybrid car.
Roger: But I don’t have the money for all that!
Daphne 説，Roger應該從我做起，保護環境，所以要買more energy-efficient appliances–能源利用率更高的電器。Professor Bowman, Daphne的話使我想到，我應該把電腦關了，不寫作業了，這樣也可以為環保出力啊!
Professor: Nice try, Winnie!
Roger: Alright, Daphne. You’ve convinced me I need to do more for the environment. I’m going to stop washing my clothes in the laundry machine to save electricity, and stop taking showers to save water.
Daphne: What? Roger, there’s no need to go crazy, you know.
Roger: But Daphne, I have to do my part to save the environment! I’m going to “recycle” my dirty socks and wear them over and over again.
Daphne: Roger, in that case the disgusting gasses given off by your body are going to make a bigger hole in the ozone layer than all the cars in the world combined!
哈哈，Roger説，為了節約能源，他決定不洗衣服，不洗澡了，而且要 recycle his dirty socks–把髒襪子一穿再穿!
Professor: Sounds like a good plan! It’s nice that he is doing his part.
啊？您別開玩笑了! 如果Roger真這麼做，只會更加污染環境! 就像Daphne説的那樣，Roger身上發出的臭氣會讓臭氧層空洞變大的!
A: 就像Roger討厭野營一樣，Daphne特別討厭賽車。她覺得賽車不僅無聊，而且傷害ozone layer臭氧層，Daphne覺得人們應該少開車，開發renewable energy, 可再生能源，而且要多買more energy-efficient appliance, 能源利用率更高的電器。
B: I agree with Daphne. If you are not nice to nature, nature won’t be nice to you. Plus using energy saving appliances can save you a ton of money.
A: 對呀! 我覺得吧，為了自然，咱們就該都呆在家裏休息，這樣也沒人開車了，自然也沒污染了呀?
B: Haha, now I know what your dream job is: doing nothing and still get paid, right?
A: 恭喜你，答對了!
B: Well, with so many people out of work these days, I think we should do everything we can to keep our jobs!
A: 哎喲…對嘛對嘛，我就開個玩笑，不要那麼認真嘛! 不過，在今天的Business Etiquette裏， Jesse就被公司炒魷魚了，咱們來聽聽他的朋友是怎麼安慰他的!
禮節美語Getting Laid Off-part I
Paul 和 Sara 夫婦倆跟老朋友 Jesse 和 Miika 一起吃飯。
P: It’s so good to see you guys! It’s been forever!
M: We should try to set a monthly dinner date…we’ve missed you!
S: So what’s new?
J: Tracy just turned four. She’s growing ridiculously fast. Seems like yesterday she was a tiny infant in my arms.
S: Oh…that’s so sweet. Did she like the teddy bear we sent?
M: She loved it! She named it Puki and the two of them are inseparable!
S: Glad to hear it.
兩對夫婦很久不見。It’s been forever! 是誇張的説法，意思就是好久不見。 So what’s new? 有什麼新鮮事呢？Jesse 和 Miika 的女兒 Tracy 剛過四歲。She’s growing ridiculously fast. 長得太快了。Tracy 很喜歡 Paul 和 Sara 送的泰迪熊，走到哪都帶在身邊，The two of them are inseparable.
P: So how’s work these days, Jesse? Times are tough, huh?
J: You know, you guys are such old friends…I’m not going to beat around the bush. I got laid off last month.
經濟不好，Times are tough. Jesse 説，大家都是老朋友，我就不拐彎抹角了。I am not going to beat around the bush. Beat around the bush 是兜圈子的意思。I got laid off 我被裁員了。
S: Oh, that’s awful! But we should level with you too…the hospital cut me back to part-time.
M: I’m so sorry to hear that! You work such long hours! What explanation did they give?
S: They said they were outsourcing most of the hospital’s paperwork to India…it costs like a third of what they are spending now.
J: Makes sense from a business perspective, but it’s very unfortunate for you.
Sara 也坦白地説，她在醫院的工作從全職改成兼職了。level with somebody 向某人坦白。part-time 兼職工作。醫院減少她的工作時間是為了節省開支，把大部分文書工作 paperwork 都外包到印度去了。Outsource 意思是外包。
S: How about you? Why did you get a pink slip?
J: The company is “restructuring”…which in this case is a fancy word for going bankrupt.
P: Well, you two are some of the most resilient people I know…so what’s the plan?
M: I’m taking more freelance writing work. I can do that from home and still watch Tracy. That way we save on daycare.
J: And I’m thinking I’ll go back to school and finish my Master’s Degree. Then when the economy picks up, I’ll be much more marketable.
pink slip 解雇通知。Jesse 説，自己失業是因為公司重組restructuring, 其實就是破産，還美其名曰重組，a fancy word for going bankrupt。Miika 説自己打算多做一些自由撰稿工作，freelance writing work. Jesse 則打算回去完成碩士學位，Master’s Degree ，等待市場回暖。
A: 原來, Times are tough ，經濟不景氣，Jesse 接到了pink slip，解雇通知書，got laid off, 被裁員了。他打算多做一些freelance work， 自由職業工作，而且還要去get a Master’s Degree, 完成碩士學位，等待市場復蘇。
B: I guess that’s what people usually do when the economy is bad. That’s why there’re so many people in school right now.
A: Are you considering going back to school for a Master degree some day?
B: Yeah, definitely. But I want to work for a few years first to figure out what I’m really interested in, and then go for a master program which suits my interests and will be useful in my career!
A: That’s smart! 我覺得真的應該先工作，再回去讀碩士學位，這樣你更了解自己的事業方向! 這不，Jesse和Miika就談起了這個問題，咱們一起來聽聽他們怎麼説!
禮節美語-Getting Laid Off-part II
Paul 和 Sara 夫婦倆人跟老朋友 Jesse 和 Miika 一起吃飯，Jesse 剛失業，打算回去完成碩士學位。
P: But that’s gonna take you at least two years to finish!
J: Actually, I can do it in 10 months by online correspondence course.
M: You know…distance learning. It used to be sort of dodgy, but in the last couple of years even the big-name schools are getting in on the act.
Jesse 説，通過網上教學，online correspondence course 十個月就能拿到碩士文憑。Miika 説，遠端教學原來好像不可靠 dodgy, 但是最近幾年，Even the big-name schools are getting in on the act. 就連很多名牌大學都加入了進來。big-name schools 名牌學校。get in on the act. 加入進來。
S: Yeah. I’ve done some research into online distance learning myself. I’m thinking I should get a nursing degree. All the career-guidance web sites say nursing is a field that’s definitely growing. They say millions more qualified nurses are going to be needed over the next 20 years.
Sara 説，她正在考慮去學護理，因為 nursing is a field that’s definitely growing. 護理絕對是一個正在成長的領域。今後二十年需要數百萬合格的護理人員。
P: But just getting by on Miika’s income isn’t going to be enough, no?
J: No, you’re right. I’m going to bite the bullet and take a part-time job with Miika’s dad. In tough times, pride is not a virtue.
S: Especially when you have a family to feed. Paul and I worry everyday that his firm might get into trouble.
光靠 Miika 一個人的收入肯定不夠。to get by 是勉強過日子的意思 。Jesse 準備 bite the bullet 忍辱負重，去給老丈人打工，因為 in tough times, pride is not a virtue. 困難時期，驕傲可不是什麼優點。
S: Well, I’m not worried about you. I think you both have exactly the right attitude and have made exactly the right plans to make it through these troubles.
J: Yeah! I’m pretty optimistic about things.
P: What’s that saying? Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger?
M: That’s the one!
S: Let’s do this again next month
J: It’s a date!
分手前，Sara 説 Jesse 和 Miika 一定能渡過難關，make it through these troubles. Paul 補充説，What’s that saying? 那句話是怎麼説的來著？Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger 殺你不死者會讓你變得更強壯，類似中文裏説的，大難不死必有後福。Sara 建議下個月再聚。Jesse 説 It’s a date. 一言為定。
A: 看他們的心態多好! What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!
B: That’s the truth! I figure after a couple more weeks of working with you I should be strong enough to compete in the Olympics!
A: (冷笑) Yeah, you’d better be fully prepared for tons and tons of challenges! 好啦不理他啦! 同學們，這次節目時間就到這裡了
