【大紀元2011年12月02日訊】
A: 大家好，歡迎收聽美語訓練班！我是楊琳！
B: 我是Kat！楊琳,今天我們教什麼呢？
A: 今天，咱們要去找路, 去划船，要聊聊買新車還是二手車, 還要告訴大家怎麼用 美語說“掛羊頭賣狗肉”。
B: 狗肉？Er….I have a dog. I don’t want to….
A: 哈哈，別緊張，這只是個說法而已。
B: Okay. My dog will be happy to know that!
A: 讓他放心吧！哈哈！好，節目一開始，咱們還是先來學個詞兒！
Learn A Word #1356 set aside
今天我們要學的詞是set aside. Set is spelled s-e-t; and aside, a-s-i-d-e, aside; set aside. Set aside有留出，撥出的意思。比如，He set aside $200 each week and put it in his rainy day fund. 他每週都留出200美元存起來，以備不時 之需。I always set aside time to exercise no matter how busy I am. 不管多忙，我都要留出鍛煉身體的時間。在美國運通信用卡公司的宣導下，Every November, one Saturday is set aside as Small Business Saturday, to encourage people to buy from small businesses. 每年11月都會有一個星期六是“小企業日 ”，鼓勵消費者買小企業生產的產品。好的，今天我們學習的詞是set aside, set aside, set aside.
A: I set aside time to go for a walk every day no matter how busy I am. 我不管多忙，每天都要出去散散步。
B: Good for you! I hope I could do that too, but I have so much work to do. I’m breaking my back to impress my boss.
A: 啊？為了給領導留下好印象，你只好把後背給扭了？
B: Stop teasing me, 楊林！You know what I meant by “breaking my back!”
A: 呵呵，我是知道，可是很多聽眾可能還不明白，所以咱們就來聽聽今天的美國習慣用語吧！
Words and idioms 946
女：各位聽眾，現在播送<美國習慣用語>第 946講。我是楊琳。
M：我是 Douglas Johnson.
女：昨天我接到我妹妹的電話。她告訴我，她男朋友這才第一個星期到諮詢公司上班 ，就已經忙得見不到人了！她說這間公司把人女人當男人用，男人當牲口用，她男朋 友每天都工作到晚上12點，還得把工作帶回家，非常辛苦。這讓我想到了一個習慣用 語，那就是：
M：Break one’s Back. Break is spelled b-r-e-a-k, and back; b-a-c-k. Break one’s Back.
女: 我們知道，Break這個詞本身是“打碎”的意思，而Break one’s back,背都打碎了，引申的意思就是“非常辛苦地工作”。我妹妹的男朋友工作非常 辛苦，Working as a consultant in this company will break your back. 在這間諮詢公司上班非常辛苦。下麵這個例句是一個兒子談到他媽媽為子女所作的犧 牲，讓我們來聽聽看：
M: “Mom always wanted my sister and me to enjoy a better life than she had. That meant working two jobs for many years to afford what we needed. She BROKE HER BACK. But, as a result, I became a surgeon and my sister, a concert pianist. We would never have become so successful without our mother’s great sacrifices. ”
這段話是說：[媽媽一直希望我和妹妹能過上比她更好的生活。她多年來一直身兼兩 份工作來滿足我們的所需。她一直非常辛苦。但是現在，我成了一名外科醫生，而我 妹妹成了一名鋼琴演奏家。如果沒有媽媽的犧牲，我們絕不可能取得這樣的成功。]
女：是啊。母親為孩子的犧牲真的很讓人感動。這也是美國很多第一代移民的處境。 他們為了讓子女享受到他們沒有享受到的生活，一生都非常辛苦地工作。The parents of immigrant families are willing to BREAK THEIR BACKS in order to give their kids a better life. 移民家庭的父母非常辛苦地工作, 想讓孩子過上更好的 生活。 好，讓我們再來聽聽上面那段話。
M: “Mom always wanted my sister and me to enjoy a better life than she had. That meant working two jobs for many years to afford what we needed. She BROKE HER BACK. But, as a result, I became a surgeon and my sister, a concert pianist. We would never have become so successful without our mother’s great sacrifices. ”
女：上面我們談到很多人辛勤工作，但是啊，也有恰恰相反的人。有些人，從來都不 願意付出一點努力。我們來聽聽下面這個例子：
M: “My neighbor across the street is one of the laziest people I know. Just about every day, he’s out drinking beer on his front porch. Yet his house is falling apart and his yard is full of junk. It would take a lot of effort to get the place in good condition. Unfortunately, I can’t imagine him ever BREAKING HIS BACK.”
這段話是說：[住在對面的鄰居是我見過的最懶的人。他每天在門口走廊上喝啤酒， 可房子卻是東倒西歪，院子裏堆滿了垃圾。要把那裏清理乾淨得花好大功夫。不過， 我可無法想像他會辛苦地去整理。]
女: 自己家的院子都不願意收拾，可真夠懶的！在這裏，我們也可以用 neck, n-e-c-k 來代替，”BREAK ONE’S NECK” 一樣也是辛苦工作的意思。I can’t imagine him break his neck for anything! 我想沒有什麼能讓他去辛勤工作。好，我們再來聽聽剛才 那段話:
M: “My neighbor across the street is one of the laziest people I know. Just about every day, he’s out drinking beer on his front porch. Yet his house is falling apart and his yard is full of junk. It would take a lot of effort to get the place in good condition. Unfortunately, I can’t imagine him ever BREAKING HIS BACK.”
各位聽眾，今天我們學習的習慣用語是Break one’s Back，意思是“非常辛苦地工作 ”。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：I don’t want to be breaking my back everyday! I want some easy money!
B: But there’s no free lunch, unless….
A：Unless 什麼？快說快說!
B：Unless you win the lottery! 中彩票！
A: 誒呀，我還以為是什麼好辦法呢。買彩票也太不靠譜了吧，我從來沒中過，純屬 騙人的把戲！
B: 可是別人中過啊！你運氣不好吧。
A: 也有可能，不過有些抽獎，有獎購物什麼的，我真懷疑是騙你消費的把戲，就是 節目開始時說的掛羊頭賣狗肉！聽聽今天的美語怎麼說，你就明白我的意思了！
How to say it: catch
Donny 在北京學漢語，她的中國朋友要是遇到了不知道用美語怎麼說的詞，就會來請教他。今天是吳瓊要問的是：掛羊頭賣狗肉。
Donny: Hey 吳瓊, 你看，買這個可以贏200塊現金獎！
WQ: 200塊?！ 哪有這種好事？I mean….It’s too…too 什麼來著？
Donny: It’s too good to be true!
WQ: 沒錯，It’s too good to be true. 哪有這種好事? 你仔細看看，抽獎細則裏一 定有什麼附加條件。Donny, 這種附加條件英文怎麼說？
Donny: It’s called “catch.” You can say: It’s too good to be true. What’s the catch?
WQ: Oh, catch, C-A-T-C-H, catch. What’s the catch? 就是“有什麼附加條件”？
Donny: 對。Now 吳瓊, tell me how I can win this.
WQ: 你就別想了! 你看，你要先花五百塊買這件產品，然後再去抽獎，中獎率千分之 三！這根本就是掛羊頭賣狗肉！
Donny: 掛羊頭賣狗肉！這種說法好，英文裏叫：false advertising!
WQ: 假廣告？沒錯，就這意思。你別被忽悠啊！
Donny: I can’t believe I almost got bamboozled!
WQ: Bamboo…竹子什麼?
Donny: 是 Bamboozle, B-A-M-B-O-O-Z-L-E, 就是騙人。
WQ: 換句話說，Bamboozle 就是忽悠別人嘍?
Donny: Exactly. I almost got bamboozled. 我差點就被忽悠了。
WQ: 是啊，不是說 There is no such thing as a free lunch. 天下沒有免費的午餐嘛!
Donny: Yea, you’re right! Let’s see what you’ve learned today.
第一，哪有那麼好的事是 it’s too good to be true;
第二，隱含的附加條件是 catch, as in “What’s the catch?”
第三，掛羊頭賣狗肉是 false advertising;
第四，忽悠是 bamboozle!
B: 楊林，Do you want to go to a penthouse party with me this weekend? It’s a very fancy party at my friend’s place.
A: 有好吃的麼？
B: Sure! A high-end restaurant will do the catering.
A：這麼好！So….what’s the catch?
B: 哈哈，你倒會現學現賣！There is no catch. My friend got a super good job and he’s throwing this party to celebrate.
A: Wow! Good for him! 不過你可得提醒他，頭天上班可別迷路！
B: Where does that come from?!
A：你聽下面的節目就知道啦！
GoEnglish: Transportation-intermediate
各位聽眾，大家好！今天我們為您播出“美語三級跳”節目“出行”單元的中級課程。
MC: Craig 剛搬來紐約，第一天到新公司上班，卻迷路了，只好向別人問路。
Professor: That’s right, Winnie. In this first part, Craig stops to ask a policeman for help.
Craig: Excuse me, I’m looking for number 250 on East 97th Street. Can you tell me how to get there?
Policeman: Ninety-seventh street? Wow, that’s pretty far away. I hope you’re not in a hurry.
Craig: Actually, I’m late for my first day of work. What’s the fastest way to get there?
Policeman: Do you have a car or are you taking public transportation?
Craig: I’m on foot.
MC: 第一天上班就可能遲到，Craig 肯定急死了，可員警告訴他，到公司還有很遠的 路呢！
Professor: That’s why the policeman hoped Craig was not “in a hurry”. If you’re late for something, you can also say that you’re “in a rush”. It means the same thing.
MC: 哦，in a hurry 和 in a rush 都是“來不及”、“趕著做什麼事”的意思。P rofessor, “public transportation”是指公車、地鐵這樣的公交系統麼？
Professor: That’s right.
MC: 可是Craig 既沒有開車、也不坐公車、地鐵，而是 on foot–走著去。我真擔心 他會遲到！
Policeman: Well if you’re walking, the fastest way to get there is to go through Central Park.
Craig: Central Park? How do I get there?
Policeman: Follow this road straight for three blocks until you see 97st street. Then take a left.
Craig: OK, I’ll go straight on this street and take the third left. Then what?
Policeman: Follow 97th street until you get to the other side of Central Park. Number 250 will be four blocks ahead on your left.
Craig: Great! Thanks for your help.
Professor: So Winnie, what does the policeman tell Craig to do?
Winnie: 員警說，沿著這條街走三個街區，看到97街後左轉。
Professor: Exactly. And then what does he have to do?
Winnie: 然後，他要一直沿著97街走，直到穿過整個中央公園為止。然後，再走四個 街區，公司就在路的左邊。
Professor: Exactly. In this next section, one hour has passed and Craig has come back to talk to the policeman again.
Winnie: 啊？一個小時之後Craig又回來向這個員警問路，那一定是迷路了！
Craig: Officer, I followed the directions you gave me, but I didn’t find the address! I think you gave me the wrong directions.
Officer: What? That’s impossible. I told you the right way to get to 250 West 97th street.
Craig: West 97th street? No, I told you East 97th street! You mean I walked all the way there for nothing?
Officer: You’re going to East 97th Street? Oh no, I must have told you how to get to West 97th street! East 97th street is just around the corner. You can get there in five minutes.
MC: 原來是這麼回事! Craig要去東97街，可是員警聽成了西97街，難怪Craig走了大 半天，還是找不到公司！
Professor: Yes, Craig is having some bad luck this morning. But at least his destination is only five minutes away now.
MC: 對，好在員警說，東97街 is just around the corner，就在附近，一拐彎就到。
Craig: Alright officer, can you please tell me how to get to 250 EAST 97th street?
Policeman: Of course. Just go back to 97th street, and instead of turning left, turn right. The building will be on your left-hand side.
Craig: Ok. Is that the fastest route? I’m really late now.
Policeman: There is a short cut, but since you don’t know the city well, it’s probably best to take the easiest route so you don’t get lost.
MC: 原來，問題就出在左拐還是右拐上。如果到了97街後右轉，馬上就能到公司！C raig為了趕時間，問員警有沒有shortcut–近路，可員警怕他走丟，讓他還是走最好 走的路線。
Professor: That’s right, Winnie. Do you think Craig’s new boss will be mad at him for being late?
MC: 我們下次節目就知道啦!
A: 又是東又是西的，我聽得都暈了。
B: 你是路癡，肯定得暈啊。
A: 幸好我開車上班，而且有GPS領路，那天我的GPS壞了，我就慘了。對了，Kat, 上次不是說到給你買車麼，你有什麼新的想法嗎？
B: No, I don’t. I still think the disadvantages of owning a car outweighs its advantages.
A: 你不想買，我倒是被說動了，想換車。
B: Really? What do you have in mind?
A: I want my car to be good-looking, fuel efficient, roomy and affordable. I haven’t found the perfect combination yet.
B: I don’t think you can have it all.
A: 我也這麼覺得，最後還是要做出取捨。咱們接下來聽聽今天的“禮節美語”，看 看Chris打算挑個什麼車，也許能給我一些靈感呢！
Business Etiquette: buying a car II
Chris準備買輛新車，向同事Jason徵求意見。
Chris: What do you think about this one? Here….take a look.
Jason: I like it. It’s quite stylish. But….it’s also pretty small.
C: That’s OK. We are only a family of three.
J: This model has a 1.3 liter engine. With a small engine, you’ll save a lot of money on gas.
C: That’s one of the reasons I’m considering this one. It gets good gas mileage and overall has good value.
J: When I was young, having a car was all about power, prestige and fashion. But today, everything is about economy, value and savings.
C: The world has changed.
Chris看中了一款車，徵求Jason的意思。Jason說，車外觀還是挺有形的，但就是有 點小。Chris覺得，小點沒關係，因為他們就三口人，a family of three, 小點也夠用了。Jason說，這款車引擎是1.3公升的，省油，是優點。Chris承認，這 也是他看中這款車的原因之一，It gets good gas mileage and overall has good value. 意思是說這輛車油耗低，總體上說很划算。Jason大發感慨，說自己年輕那會 兒買車就是為了馬力，時尚，如今大家考慮的卻都是實用和省錢。
J: Have you considered getting a secondhand car?
C: My wife rejected that idea. She says that you never know if the car dealer is unscrupulous. The car could be water damaged or could have been involved in an accident.
J: She makes some good points. Anyway, having a new car is a great experience.
C: I’m also trying to decide if I should take the three or five-year payment option.
J: If I can make a suggestion: go with a three-year plan. The five-year might look easier, but in the end, the interest payments are not worth it.
Chris不準備買二手車，因為他太太擔心碰上個缺德的二手車車行老闆，把出過車禍 的車買回家，上面所說的 unscrupulous is spelled u-n-s-c-r-u-p-u-l-o-u-s, unscrupulous, unscrupulous 意思是沒有道德操守的。Jason覺得，she makes some good points. 她說的很有道理。在貸款方面，Chris不知道應該三年還清還是五年還 清，Jason建議他做三年的貸款，因為五年貸款每個月付的錢看上去雖然少些，但其 實把交的利息都算進去，就不值了。
C: I’ll go home and do the math, but you’re probably right.
J: How about the color?
C: Blue is my lucky color, so I’ll pick blue if possible. My wife says we should consider black because it doesn’t look dirty so quickly.
J: Cool! Well, let me know when you decide. I’d love to check out your new car!
C: Sure, Jason. Thanks for the input.
Chris說，我回家算算 I’ll go home and do the math. Do the math 是口語裏很常用的一種說法，意思是算算清楚，特別是指明擺著的事情，比如：We cannot afford that house with our salaries. You do the math. 咱們的工資買不起那棟房，你自己算算吧。在顏色選擇上，Chris說，藍色是自己的 幸運色，而太太覺得黑色經髒。Jason最後說，I’d love to check out your new car! 買了新車別忘了給我看看。
B: I don’t think Chris’ case is of any help to you. He’s a married man with a baby on the way, so his priority is quite different from yours.
A: 嗯，也對！不過有一點一樣，那就是We both have to do the math! 都得算計算計自己的收入能負擔什麼價位的車！
B: So used cars are out of the question?
A：那也不一定！我現在這輛車就是二手車，我覺得還不錯。不過Chris的擔心也對， 買二手車風險確實要大一些。
B：好了，咱們不說買車了。換個話題吧。
A：不買車買船吧！
B: 啊？
A：來聽體育美語，去劃帆船！
American sports English: sailing
P: Let’s go sailing, Yang Chen.
Y: Sailing，玩帆船，太棒了。
Aiya, 是要坐這條破船去嗎? This boat looks like it’s 100 years old!
P: No, it’s not a 破船. You see, it only has a few small holes. And besides, I have you to help me bail it out.
Y: Bail it out? 你是說，因為這條船上有窟窿， a few small holes，所以要我一直不停地往外舀水。You are not serious.
P: I’m. Bail b-a-i-l out. Bailing out a boat is using a bucket to throw out the water that has leaked to keep the boat from sinking. But you can also say you bailed someone out any time you help them avoid disaster.
Y:沒錯。bail someone out 就是救某人於危難之中，比如美國有些銀行要倒閉，政 府就bailed them out.
P: That’s right. Or, if your car broke down and you couldn’t get to work and I gave you a ride, you could say I really bailed you out.
Y: You bailed me out? 我不記得了。哎，我們的船上還有一面旗子。
P: A boat’s flag is called its colors. The flag gives other boats information about what kind of boat it is, like where it is from.
Y: Hmmm, 那我們應該掛一塊破布。
P: Why our flag should be be a piece of trash, 為什麼?
Y: 因為我們是條破船。
P: Very funny. Let me tell you something about flags. You know, sometimes pirate boats put up a fake flag to disguise themselves. Then when they attack, they put up a pirate flag, which is their true colors.
Y: Oh! 我知道了，所有有個說法叫”show your true colors”!讓人看到你的真面目。
P: Exactly. When people pretend to be one way, but then reveal their true character, you can say they showed their true colors.
Y: Hey, Patrick, I have a good idea. 我們掛一面海盜旗怎麼樣?
P: Hmmm, a pirate flag, are you going to attack another ship?
Y: No. I just want to show my true colors.
B: Roe roe roe your boat….
A: 呵呵，我也會唱，讓我們蕩起雙槳….
B: I’ve never heard of that song.
A: 這是很老的歌兒了，我媽小時候那個年代的。
B：Wow, but it sounds nice.
A：因為我唱的好唄！不過話說回來，以後咱們可以一起去划船。
B: Sounds like a plan!
A: 好，it’s a date! 今天的節目時間差不多了。這次的撰稿人是曉北，編輯是蔚然 。同學們，我們下次的美語訓練班再見!
B: Bye!
