A: 大家好! 我是楊琳, 歡迎來到這期的美語訓練班!
B: 大家好，我是Kat! 今天的節目中，我們要去看看如何求職寫簡歷，聊聊三振出局 ，要去參加一次銷售人員的頭腦風暴，還要告訴大家怎麼用美語說”美容覺”。
A：不錯嘛，Kat! 中文有進步哦！
B: 嘿嘿，謝謝！其實我發現學語言，最好的就是多聽多練，比如學英語吧，就該多聽聽我們的美語訓練班…
A: 呀，節目一開始你就做上廣告了？
B: Woops! 你怎麼不配合我呀！Alright, time for the real class! Let’s go to our first episode─learn a word！
Learn A Word catch-22
今天我們要學的詞是catch-22. Catch is spelled c-a-t-c-h. Catch-22 就是”catch”這個詞後面加上阿拉伯數字22，意思是無法解決的難題，左右為難的局面。剛畢業的大學生不好找工作，The college graduates find themselves in a typical catch-22 situation where employers won’t hire them because they lack experience, but without that first job they can’t get experience. 大學畢業生面臨的就是這種無法擺脫的困境：雇主都不願意雇缺乏工作經驗的新人，可是找不到第一份工作，經驗就無從談起。在城市發展中，常會出現這樣的現 象：Retailers are hesitant to invest in areas where there aren’t sufficient consumers, but many people also don’t want to move to areas where retailers are not easily accessible. That’s the catch-22 of urban development. 零售商不願意去消費者少的地方投資，大家又不願意搬到買東西不方便的地方去。這就是城市發展的一個兩難困境。好的，今天我們學習的詞是catch-22, catch-22, catch-22.
A: 我真有同感！Fresh college graduates often face a common catch-22. 公司都要有經驗的人，可是沒有第一份工作，經驗又從哪里來呢？
B: That’s why a lot of people get part time jobs while attending college- working part-time helps pay for tuition and you can get some real world experience.
A: 嗯，大學出去打工確實不錯！我當時上大學光學習了，沒出去好好積攢經驗，所以找工作的時候， I got stuck in the same catch-22 situation! This episode hits close to home!
B: But it turned out fine in the end! 你看，你現在不是有幸和著名節目主持人──我──一起主持節目嗎？
A：呃。好吧，著名節目主持人。不過大家可能還不知道我剛才說的”close to home”是什麼意思，今天的words and idioms, 我們就來學學這個短語的用法！
W&I
現在播送<美國習慣用語>第 960講。我是楊琳。
M：我是 Douglas Johnson.
我剛剛從一個採訪現場回來。我們的嘉賓介紹了她有關中東地區衝突的一本新書。拍攝完成後，我注意到，攝像師的情緒好象特別低落，我這才想起他是退伍軍人， 在戰場上失去過很多戰友，一定是嘉賓談到戰場上的傷亡，勾起了他很多痛苦的回憶，這也讓我想到了一個習慣用語，那就是：Close to home. Close is spelled c-l-o-s-e, and home; h-o-m-e. Close-to-home.
Close to home這個短語跟家其實沒什麼關係，它的意思是”觸及痛處”。上面的例子中，新書作者談到中東衝突的慘狀，觸及了攝像師心裏深層的記憶。For him, they were CLOSE TO HOME. 對攝像師來說，這段採訪觸及了他的痛處。下面這個例子中，我們的法律記者要帶我們去看看一個叫M.A.D.D., MADD的組織，咱們去聽聽是怎麼回事：
M: “M.A.D.D. is an organization committed to stopping drunk driving and supporting victims of this terrible crime. It was started in 1980 by a mother who had strong feelings about such issues. Her daughter had been killed by a repeat drunk driver. As with many of MADD’s members, this tragedy is very CLOSE TO HOME. ”
這段話是說：”反對醉駕母親協會”這個組織致力於防止醉酒駕車，並幫助遭遇不幸的受害者。一位元母親1980年創建了這個組織，她女兒就是被一名多次醉酒駕車的人撞死的。對於這個組織的成員來說，他們每個人都對這類悲劇有著切身的感受。
MADD 這個組織的全稱是Mothers Against Drunk Driving, 所以縮寫是MADD。對於這位母親來說，The issue of drunk driving is close to home since her own daughter was killed by a drunk driver. 她對醉酒駕車的害處深有感觸，因為她女兒就是被一名醉酒駕車的人撞死的。正是由於這個協會的努力，美國對醉駕的容忍度變小了，懲罰也更為嚴厲。好的，讓我們再來聽聽上面那段話。
M: “M.A.D.D. is an organization committed to stopping drunk driving and supporting victims of this terrible crime. It was started in 1980 by a mother who had strong feelings about such issues. Her daughter had been killed by a repeat drunk driver. As with many of MADD’s members, this tragedy is very CLOSE TO HOME. ”
你有沒有過這種經歷呢？有時候別人無意中說的一句話，做的一件事，談論的某個話題都會觸及你的痛處。下面例子裏的這名父親在跟兒子談話時就遇到了這樣的情形，我們來聽聽看：
M: ” I wondered what my son was laughing about. He was watching a competition show on TV involving severely heavy people trying to lose weight. I explained to my son how I felt hurt. It was too CLOSE TO HOME. I had been very overweight growing up. And I remembered all the ridicule I suffered years ago. ”
[這段話是說：我正納悶我兒子在笑什麼，原來他是在看一個電視真人秀節目，講的是很多嚴重肥胖的人比賽減肥。我告訴兒子說，他觸及了我的痛處，因為我小時候就特別胖，我清楚地記得怎樣被別人嘲笑。]
這確實挺難受的。不過這位爸爸正好利用這個機會教育自己的孩子怎麼面對與自己不一樣的人。在這裏，我們還可以在這個短語前面加上動詞hit, h-i-t, hit. TO HIT CLOSE TO HOME 也是一樣的意思。好，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話:
M: ” I wondered what my son was laughing about. He was watching a competition show on TV involving severely heavy people trying to lose weight. I explained to my son how I felt hurt. It was too CLOSE TO HOME. I had been very overweight growing up. And I remembered all the ridicule I suffered years ago. ”
今天我們學習的習慣用語是CLOSE TO HOME ，意思是”觸及痛處”。好的，這次[美國習慣用語]就到此結束，我是楊琳，我是 Douglas Johnson。謝謝各位的收聽。
A: Oh my gosh! This episode hits close to home AGAIN! 我原來就是個小胖墩，所以一上生物課講到脂肪那一段我就緊張，怕同學笑我！
B: Aww you poor thing! 可現在你不已經苗條了？
A: 呵呵，可是想到以前的胖墩經歷還是覺得close to home! 觸及痛處！話說我昨天在報紙上看到，每天保證9個小時的睡眠，還可以減肥耶！
B: That’s actually true. 也許這就是大家說的美容覺的功效吧！
A: 哈哈，沒錯! 在下面的How to say it 裏面，我們就要來看看這個美容覺用美語怎麼說!
Beauty Sleep
Jessica 在北京學中文，她的中國朋友要是遇到了不知道用美語怎麼說的詞，就會來請教她。今天是怡茹要問的：美容覺。
Jessica：Hey 怡茹，I haven’t seen you in ages! How’s it going?
YR: 很好很好！就是工作太忙。How are you doing?
Jessica: I’m good! Speaking of which, some of us are going to Karaoke tonight, you’ve got to come with us!
YR: Hmm, I really wanna. 但我明天得見一個大客戶，我們又是公關公司，得保持好形象。所以我今天得早點回家，睡個美容覺。
Jessica: Beauty sleep? You don’t need a beauty sleep, Yiru, you are always beautiful!
YR: 哈！原來美容覺就是 beauty sleep! 真好記。說真的，前一段時間為了搞定這個大客戶，我整天加班，睡也睡不好！所以，我得回家補補覺！對了，這個補覺用美語要怎麼說呀？
Jessica: Let me see….you can say you need to catch up on some Zs.
YR: 啊？Catch up on some Zs?
Jessica: 對啊，here we use the capital letter Z. It refers to the sound you make when you are asleep. Zzzz….you know?
YR: 哈哈，太形象了！Catch up on some Zs, 就是補覺的意思！那睡得不踏實，翻來覆去，又要怎麼說呢？
Jessica: We call that toss and turn. Toss is spelled t-o-s-s, toss; and turn, t-u-r-n; toss and turn! 這個片語的意思就是輾轉反側，難以入眠!
YR: 我最近因為要給這個客戶寫商業計畫，老是睡不好。I’ve been tossing and turning all night lately.
Jessica: Oh poor girl! You know what? I think you need to go home and get some shut-eye, we will hang out some other time!
YR: Wait..get some shut-eye? 這難道是休息眼睛的意思嗎？
Jessica: It’s close! Actually to get some shut-eye also means to catch up on some sleep, 也是睡覺的意思！
YR: 哈！Catch up on some Zs, get some shut-eye, 這些說法真形象！ Ok, I will go home now and get a 10-hour sleep!
Jessica: Sounds good! Before you go, tell me what you’ve learned today!
YR: 第一，美容覺叫做 beauty sleep;
第二，補覺，睡覺可以說 catch up on some Zs, 或者get some shut-eye;
第三，輾轉反側，叫做 toss and turn!
A: 讓我也來造個句：I went to three parties this week, so I really need to catch up on some Zs this weekend!
B: 什麼？你這個禮拜去了三個party! 怎麼沒叫上我？
A: 你不是下周有一個重要的面試麼？I thought you would be home preparing!
B: Yeah, I was actually. Gosh, finding a new job can be really stressful!
A: 對啊！找工作真不容易！想起原來我找工作的時候，在第一步–寫簡歷上就卡殼了！在今天的美語怎麼說裏，我們就要來學學如何變成文字殺手，讓你的簡歷別出心裁！
B: Wooo…we need this! 我們趕快來聽吧！
Job Application Dialogue: Beginner
今天我們為您播出美語三級跳節目”找工作”單元的初級課程。
Toby 剛剛大學畢業，急著找工作，不過他遇到了一個大問題，我們一起聽聽看。
Denise: Hi Toby, how are you doing? You don’t look very well.
Toby: Hey Denise. I’m just sad because I can’t find a job.
Denise: Yeah, it’s hard to find a job right now. You need to have a really great resume.
Toby: That’s the problem. I don’t have a resume yet!
Denise: Really? Well that’s OK. I’ll help you make one.
原來，Toby 目前最大的障礙是沒有一份出色的resume, r-e-s-u-m-e, resume, 簡歷!
Professor: Yes, Winnie, without a resume he can’t find a job. That’s why he said he’s upset.
不過，Denise 真夠朋友，立刻主動提出願意幫助Toby，給他支支招，寫出一份好簡歷。
Denise: First I need you to tell me what kind of experience you have.
Toby: Well I just graduated from college, so I don’t have much work experience.
Denise: Did you have any part-time jobs in college?
Toby: Well, I worked at the campus book store one day per week.
Denise: Great! You can say you have lots of sales experience.
Professor: So Winnie, how does Toby describe his work experience?
他說，自己剛剛大學畢業，沒什麼工作經驗。不過他以前曾經在學校書店有個 part-time job，打過零工，一個禮拜上一天班。
Professor: Exactly. Students have to study a lot, so usually they don’t have time for full-time jobs.
不過，Denise好象是個寫簡歷的老手，特別懂得寫簡歷的秘訣!
Prof: And what’s that?
一個字—吹! 寫簡歷的時候最忌諱謙虛。雖然Toby一個禮拜只上一天班，可Denise卻讓他在簡歷中寫自己有 ǒextensive experience in salesō–豐富的銷售經驗!
Denise: So Toby, can you tell me exactly what you did at the book store?
Toby: There wasn’t much work for me to do, so I just played on the Internet all day.
Denise: Oh! So you have strong computer skills! What else did you do?
Toby: Hmm …. I also talked with my co-workers a lot.
Denise: Great! Strong communication and people skills!
Professor: So Winnie, did you hear what Toby did at his job?
他說書店那份工作其實很悠閒，沒什麼事可做，所以他就成天上網。
Professor: Right. But I’m not sure he should put that on his resume.
這個您就別擔心啦! 沒聽Denise說麼，在網上瞎逛代表 ǒgood computer skills”–擅長使用電腦。唉，這牛吹的!
Professor: I agree. What else did Toby do at his job?
他還老跟同事聊天。不過到了Denise 嘴裏，這也成了優點，叫 good communication and people skills—良好的溝通和人際交往能力! 我看等這份簡歷寫出來，連Toby自己都不敢相信自己竟然真的這麼出色!
Denise: Alright, now tell me about your educational experience.
Toby: I majored in English.
Denise: Well … did you learn anything about business when you were at college?
Toby: Hmm …. well when I graduated, I sold some of my old books to a friend.
Denise: Perfect! You have done some sales and have experience in customer service.
Toby: Wow! I never realized I had so much work experience!
Toby 在大學的專業是ǒ英文ō。這麼說他應該沒有學過什麼商業管理的知識吧。
Professor: That’s true. But did he learn about business in another way?
我可不覺得！不過，Denise真是很會扯，她聽說Toby在畢業的時候把幾本舊書賣給了朋友，就說他有sales and customer service experience—銷售和客戶服務經驗!
Professor: Well do you think this resume will help Toby get some interviews?
簡歷寫得這麼唬人，得到面試的機會八成沒問題！不過，等用人單位發現Toby只是在簡歷上吹牛的時候，大概就離炒他魷魚不遠了!
A: 這簡歷可真有點唬人： Denise聽說Toby曾經在書店打零工，就寫上了extensive experience in sales 豐富的銷售經驗，玩電腦變成了strong computer skills 擅長使用電腦，跟同事聊天竟然是good communication and people skills, 良好的溝通和人際交往能力！這牛吹的都沒邊了！
B: Hahaha, that’s a little bit too much. But in the business world, you really DO need to know how to sell yourself! With a resume like this, I bet Toby can at least make it out to a real interview.
A: Yeah that’s true. 找工作是第一步，要是真的進入商業界，誠信很重要，不過銷售技巧也很重要！今天的business etiquette裏，銷售人員繼續進行他們的brainstorm,頭腦風暴，我們趕快來聽聽看！
禮節美語 – Boosting Sales II
公司副總裁Lisa找到銷售部經理Frank，商量如何提高產品銷量。
Lisa: What about our pricing? Are we competitive?
Frank: Actually, we are roughly 15% more expensive than our closest competitors. But it’s going to be hard to cut costs any further, seeing as we are already operating on a very slim margin.
L: There’re always ways to cut costs, we just have to think outside the box. Perhaps we should consider re-locating one of our factories to a more cost-efficient country.
F: We can also talk to our vendors about where they place our products. Perhaps if they’re placed in a more prominent location in stores, they’ll catch the eye of more customers.
在價格方面，Frank說，他們的產品比競爭對手高出大約15%, 但要想進一步削減成本，恐怕很難，因為他們本來就沒有多少利潤，we’re already operating on a very slim margin. Lisa說，要降低成本，一定有辦法，必須 think outside the box 用創造性思維，比如考慮把工廠遷到成本更低廉的地方去。Frank說，也可以看看，銷售商能否把產品放在商店裏更顯眼的地方，catch the eye of more customers.吸引更多顧客的注意。
L: Would it help if we offered a mega sale to clear out some of our inventory? We might not make a lot of money, but we might gain some brand awareness.
F: That’s a great idea. Getting people talking about our brand would be a big boost.
L: Are we harnessing the power of social network websites?
F: What do you mean?
L: I mean like setting up a Facebook page or using Twitter. It’s free to get online and set up an account. We might as well take advantage of these opportunities.
Lisa 建議清倉甩賣，增加 brand awareness 品牌知名度。此外也不能忽視社交網站的力量。We should harness the power of social network websites. harness is spelled h-a-r-n-e-s-s, harness 是駕馭的意思。Lisa說，公司可以在Facebook臉譜網和Twitter推特網上開帳戶，免費利用這些網站做宣傳。Lisa繼續說，
L: Another idea is for us to reevaluate where we are spending our advertising dollar.
F: Right now, we break it down between all the major media outlets. Television advertising gets 45% of our budget, 30% goes to print media, 20% goes to radio and 5% goes towards advertising online.
L: I think we should boost our online advertising. Online ads are cheap and they can reach a much wider audience.
F: All right, I’ll ask the ad department to make the changes.
L: If we can implement these new ideas by the end of this quarter, we might be able to reverse our sales slide and put ourselves in position for a major rebound come next year.
F: That would be great.
Lisa還主張在advertising dollar廣告開支的分配上進行調整，增加互聯網廣告投入，因為在網上做廣告不僅便宜，而且能 reach a much wider audience 能讓更多的人看到。她說，如果能在這個季度結束前把這些措施落實的話，公司就可能reverse our sales slide扭轉銷售量下滑的趨勢，為明年銷量翻身做準備。
A: 銷售人員建議進行一次mega sale 清倉大拍賣，以此raise brand awareness,增加品牌知名度。此外，還要harness the power of social networking websites, 重視社交網站的力量。這樣一來，銷售准能上去！
B: These are all great tips, especially the one about social networking websites.
A: That’s true! 好了，現在咱們是不是該換個話題，輕鬆一下？一起來聽今天的體育美語！
American Sports English
P: Hey Yang Chen, could you please give me our baseball tickets? The attendant needs to see them.
Y: Tickets? Yeah, no problem. Let me see ?
P: What? What’s the problem?
Y: I didn’t bring them. But I can show my ID!
P: Isn’t this the third time you’ve forgotten to bring tickets to the game? You know what? You aren’t allowed to be in charge of bringing the tickets anymore.
Y: 三次？Please give me another chance ? it makes me feel so important!
P: Enough. That’s three strikes, Yang Chen. You’re out!
Y: I don’t understand, Patrick ? 你說什麼Three strikes, you’re out! 我不懂。
P: How many baseball games do I need to take you to? In baseball, a strike S-T-R-I-K-E is when the pitcher throws the ball on the target to the batter and the batter either swings and misses the ball or lets the ball pass him. The umpire ?U-M-P-I-R-E yells, strike! Or more like, ‘streeeeeeikkkkkkkkkke!’
Y:我怎麼沒聽到過棒球裁判 umpire 喊‘streeeeeeikkkkkkkkkke!’
P: That’s because you are at the snack bar all the time during the games.
Y: Well, 那這個Three strikes, you’re out! 到底和我有什麼關係？
P: We have the general saying ‘three strikes and you’re out’ in American English to express when someone still hasn’t corrected a problem after three failed chances. When they’re ‘out’ it usually means that they no longer have the opportunity.
Y:其實我知道 Three strikes, you’re out! 就是棒球裏的”三振出局”，如果一個人同樣的錯誤犯三次，我們就說：
P: Three strikes, you’re out!
Y :Three strikes, you’re out!
A: Three strikes, you’re out! Three strikes, you’re out!
A&B: Three strikes, you’e out! Three strikes, you’re out!
B: Waitàwhat are we talking about here?
A: Hmmm, 沒什麼，就是練習一下咱們的三振出局氣勢！
B: 哈哈！這個留著以後用！好了， 這次節目時間就到這裏。這次的剪輯是小北，編輯是蔚然。同學們，我們下次的美語訓練班再見！
A： See you later!
