美語訓(xùn)練班119

　　B: Welcome to American English Mosaic, I'm Mike Bond!

　　A: And I'm Lin Yang.

　　B: Do you often work over time? Are you addicted to stress? Do you know what Karoshi means?

　　Let's take a closer look at this modern day disease and give you some tips on how to balance your work and social life.

　　A: 我們還要來看看特技演員的生活，還有男性和女性對待閑暇時間有什么不同!

　　B: Then in words and idioms we will learn what "rack one's brain" and "rant and rave" means!

　　A: All coming up on American English Mosaic!

　　B: Now let's go into our first segment, Learn a word!

　　Learn A Word 1804 stunt double

　　今天我們要學(xué)的詞是stunt double. Stunt is spelled s-t-u-n-t, stunt, and double, d-o-u-b-l-e, double, stunt double. Stunt double 意思是特技演員，替身演員。 A former stunt double for Angelina Jolie launched a lawsuit against News Corp. 安吉麗娜.朱莉以前的一個替身演員對新聞集團(tuán)提出起訴。超人“鋼鐵之軀”劇組主要演員之一克里斯托弗.梅洛尼在一次采訪中說，He almost shot his stunt double. 他差點開槍誤傷他的替身演員。Bruce Willis' long-standing stunt double Larry "the Ripper" launched the "Die Hard Workout." 長期飾演布魯斯.威利斯替身的拉里.瑞賓克羅伊格推出了“虎膽龍威”健身法。今天我們學(xué)習(xí)的詞是 stunt double, stunt double, stunt double...

　　B: Maybe I should go be the stunt double for superman! you know... a lot of my friends say that I kinda look like him from the side.

　　A: You have REALLY sweet friends then. 做人要有自知之明...

　　B: Hmm...yeah I can't argue with you when you are right.

　　A: Haha, well, 你還是有優(yōu)點的嘛! I really envy your great memory! You have a memory like an elephant, and I have a memory like an ant...I racked my brain today and I still couldn't recall my online bank password...

　　B: That happens to everybody! With everything going electronic these days, it's impossible to keep it all straight! What you need to do is write them down on a piece of paper and keep the paper in a safe place.

　　A: What if I forget where I keep the paper?

　　B: Haha, then I can't help you anymore! Anyways, you just mentioned an idiom: rack one's brain, let's check it out in today's word's idioms!

　　Words and Idioms 859 RACK ONE’S BRAIN(S)

　　美國習(xí)慣用語 第 859 講

　　我最近發(fā)現(xiàn)自己還沒上年紀(jì)，就已經(jīng)開始健忘了。昨天，一個接受采訪的專家向我推薦了一家很有介紹價值的機構(gòu)，今天本想搜集點資料，可是那家機構(gòu)的名字卻死也想不起來了。如果你有類似經(jīng)歷的話，那你一定會喜歡今天要學(xué)的習(xí)慣用語，

　　M: Rack one's brain. Rack is spelled r-a-c-k, and brain; b-r-a-i-n. Rack-one's-brain.

　　大家都知道，Brain 是頭腦的意思，前面加上動詞 rack 意思就是挖空心思地努力想要記起、理解，或是解決某件事情。今天一大早，我就一直在努力回憶昨天那個專家推薦的機構(gòu)的名稱，I've been RACKING MY BRAIN ever since this morning, 可死活就是想不起來。我們一起聽聽下面這個人有什么高招。

　　M: "You probably have passwords for a wide variety of purposes, right? From a personal identification number to access your bank account to secret codes for your e-mail, webpage, and other on-line affiliations, your list keeps growing. But why struggle to remember all of these? Write them down in one secure place and then you won't have to RACK YOUR BRAIN anymore!"

　　這個人說： 你八成有很多各種各樣的密碼吧?從進(jìn)入銀行帳戶、到登陸電子郵件信箱、網(wǎng)頁等等，密碼清單越來越長。干嘛非得都記在腦子里呢?把它們寫下來，放在一個安全的地方不就完了?那就再也不用絞盡腦汁去記密碼了。

　　這倒是個好主意，我甚至聽說，有專門的網(wǎng)站讓用戶存放密碼。不過，要登陸這個網(wǎng)站，想必也一定需要密碼。HA HA! 好的，讓我們再來聽聽上面那段話。

　　M: "You probably have passwords for a wide variety of purposes, right? From a personal identification number to access your bank account to secret codes for your e-mail, webpage, and other on-line affiliations, your list keeps growing. But why struggle to remember all of these? Write them down in one secure place and then you won't have to RACK YOUR BRAIN anymore!"

　　我老公經(jīng)常亂放東西，每天早上上班出門前不是找這就是找那，最常找不到的是鑰匙，還好有我在。不過，下面這個例子中的人可就沒這么幸運了。我們一起聽。

　　M: "When I went to pick up my girlfriend, there was a note on the door. She wrote that she didn't want to see me anymore. Huh?! How could our relationship be over? I've been RACKING MY BRAIN trying to recall everything I've done and said lately. Instead of making me struggle, couldn't she at least let me know how I upset her?"

　　這個人說： 我去接我女朋友，發(fā)現(xiàn)門上有張條。條上說，她不想跟我交往下去了。我們怎么會就這么結(jié)束了呢?我絞盡腦汁，回想最近自己是不是做錯了什么事，說錯了什么話。她至少可以告訴我我什么地方得罪了她，讓我不用這么百思不得其解。

　　我對此人深表同情，不管發(fā)生了什么，跟別人分手也應(yīng)該有個說法。Rack one's brain 這個習(xí)慣用語可以追溯到十六世紀(jì)。Rack 是一種刑具，有點象五馬分尸。除了 rack one' brain 外，大家還會經(jīng)?？吹?w-r-a-ck, wrack one's brain, 或是 rack one's brains, brains 用復(fù)數(shù)，意思其實都是一樣的。好的，我們再來聽一下上面那個例句。

　　M: "When I went to pick up my girlfriend, there was a note on the door. She wrote that she didn't want to see me anymore. Huh?! How could our relationship be over? I've been RACKING MY BRAIN trying to recall everything I've done and said lately. Instead of making me struggle, couldn't she at least let me know how I upset her?"

　　好的，這次 美國習(xí)慣用語 就到此結(jié)束了。

　　M: Until next time.

　　M: This has been Words and Idioms.

　　A: 哎，這個亂放東西真是說到了我心上，我每天不是在找鑰匙，就是在找手機，不然就是在找錢包....

　　B: You certainly need to find a better system for managing your personal effects. The fast pace of lifestyles of today makes things even harder. When there's no work-life balance, you are more likely to mess things up.

　　A: True. 壓力大是現(xiàn)代白領(lǐng)的通病，好多人就這樣一直處于亞健康狀態(tài)!

　　B: Yep, but what does stress do to your mental and physical health?

　　A: Let's find it out in today's Business Etiquette!

　　禮節(jié)美語 Working Overtime I

　　星期五晚上，Jason 和 Wanda 準(zhǔn)備下班，跟同事 Larry 說再見。

　　Jason: Goodnight, Larry! I'm heading home. It's been a long day.

　　Larry: Goodnight, Jason. Have a good evening.

　　Wanda: You're not going home, Larry?

　　L: Na...thought I'd try and finish up this project I've been working on.

　　J: But it's already 9:30! How many more hours do you plan to work?

　　L: Oh, I'd say this project will be done in six hours or so.

　　W: So you're going to work through the night? Larry...have you ever heard of "karoshi?"

　　Jason 準(zhǔn)備下班回家，I'm heading home. Larry 卻說要把手頭項目做完 finish up the project. 當(dāng)時已經(jīng)九點半了，Larry 估計還要六個小時才能完事，所以一定要熬夜，work through the night. Wanda 問 Larry 聽沒聽說過 karoshi.

　　L: Karaoke?

　　W: No...karoshi, the Japanese word for death by overwork! You've been putting in overtime every night this week!

　　J: You know, Wanda has a point. We all need some down time. If you put in too many hours, it can hurt your body and it can affect your work.

　　L: So people in Japan actually die from working too hard?

　　W: Yep. It's becoming a big problem. More than 100 people die from overwork in Japan every year.

　　原來，karoshi 是個日本詞，意思是工作過度而死，俗稱過勞死，Wanda 說，日本每年有一百多人過勞死，勸 Larry 不要太玩命 put in too many hours, 工作太長時間。Jason 也說，We all need some down time. 所有人都要勞逸結(jié)合，down time 就是放松的時間。

　　L: But I have so much to do, it seems the best way to get it all done is to plow through it until it's complete!

　　J: Well, that might seem like a smart way but you might be shooting yourself in the foot.

　　W: These days we are connected to each other with computers, cell phones and email...and that means work can find us at any time. If you're not careful, you'll never get time off!

　　Larry 說，自己永遠(yuǎn)有做不完的事，只能一點點去做完。Jason 警告他說，you might be shooting yourself in the foot. 這樣做可能是在搬起石頭砸自己的腳，因為現(xiàn)在有電腦、手機，工作隨時隨地會找上門來，如果不小心，you'll never get time off. 就永遠(yuǎn)沒有時間休息。

　　J: Scientists say rest is one of the most important things a human brain needs. Did you know you will have more creative ideas if you are well-rested?

　　L: These days I hardly have any good ideas. I drink a lot of coffee and I always finish my work, but I'm not having many creative ideas.

　　W: Maybe that's because your brain is overloaded. You know how you have to "defragment" your computer? Well, sometimes our brains need some defragmenting, too!

　　科學(xué)家說，大腦需要休息，休息好了，就能有更多的創(chuàng)意，creative ideas. Wanda 也表示，不能讓大腦負(fù)荷過重，overload, 人腦跟電腦一樣，也需要 defragmenting清理清理。

　　A: Larry呢是個工作狂，經(jīng)常put in too many hours, 工作時間過長。Jason說，大腦需要休息，人呢也need some down time, 需要放松的時間。Work overtime，加班是現(xiàn)代社會的一個問題，日本就有很多人Karoshi，因為工作過勞死。

　　B: That's terrifying. I try to separate my work and home lives. I try not to think about work while I'm hanging out with friends, and vice versa.

　　A: That's the ideal situation. But I find it hard to do considering how connected we are with emails, cell-phones, social media now. Work always finds its way to you.

　　B: Then it's time to turn off some of that technology when it's your down time! Let's keep listening to Jason and Wendy and see what tips they have!

　　禮節(jié)美語--Working Overtime II

　　星期五晚上，Jason 和 Wanda 勸同事 Larry 不要老加班，應(yīng)該勞逸結(jié)合。Larry 卻說，手頭總有做不完的工作。

　　L: But I feel like I'm wasting time if I go home and watch TV...even if I'm reading a good book I still feel like I should be working!

　　J: You know Larry; you might be addicted to work.

　　L: Really? A person can get addicted to work?

　　J: Well, maybe it's not the same as being addicted to drugs, but many people believe you can get addicted to stress.

　　W: Yeah. If you find that you can't enjoy being at home and relaxing, it might be a problem.

　　Larry 說，如果回家去看電視、讀書，就會覺得自己是在浪費時間。Jason 和 Wanda 都覺得，他簡直是個工作狂 addicted to work。原來，除了毒品會讓人上癮，addicted to drugs, 工作和疲勞同樣會讓人上癮，addicted to work and addicted to stress.

　　L: I guess I am a bit of a perfectionist. It irritates me when things aren't perfect.

　　J: Maybe you are too hard on yourself. If you were your own boss, would you demand such long hours?

　　L: No way...I think it would be illegal anyway.

　　J: Well then maybe you need to treat yourself better. You have to believe that you deserve to relax!

　　W: You not only deserve it, you need it. You know, I find that sometimes I have my best ideas in the strangest places. The last time I had a really great idea, I was scuba diving on vacation!

　　Larry 說自己的問題可能是過于追求完美。perfection 意思是完美，后面加上-ist, perfectionist 就是追求、崇尚完美的人。Jason 說 Larry 對自己過于嚴(yán)格 too hard on yourself，應(yīng)該對自己好一些，treat yourself better.

　　L: But I want the boss to notice my devotion! The economy is not great these days and I don't want to get laid off!

　　W: Yeah, that's true. Some bosses do think the guy who puts in overtime is the most loyal. But smart bosses know that quantity is not as important as quality.

　　J: Besides, this is your job, not your life. You're too young to die of a heart attack!

　　L: Thanks guys! Your advice makes sense. I'm going to go home and have a nice long bath! See you on Monday!

　　Larry 說，自己加班也是為了讓老板注意到自己的敬業(yè)精神，my devotion. devotion is spelled d-e-v-o-t-i-o-n, devotion. Wanda 卻說，聰明的老板都知道，工作數(shù)量的重要性遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)趕不上質(zhì)量。Quantity is not as important as quality. 再說了，按 Jason 的話說，This is your job, not your life. 這畢竟是你的工作，不是你生活的全部。Larry 最后終于想通了，決定回家去，好好洗個熱水澡。

　　A: Larry說，自己是個perfectionist, 追求完美的人，所以經(jīng)常too hard on himself, 對自己要求過高。Jason說，他看起來addicted to work and addicted to stress, 是個工作狂，應(yīng)該treat himself better, 對自己好一些。

　　B: I think it helps if you develop a hobby. I enjoy running and am currently training for Marathon. Exercise helps me relax and having a goal to reach helps keep me going!

　　A: That's true. 好啦，你正好說到了leisure time，今天我們的Learn a word就要來教教你這個詞兒的用法!

　　B: Let's listen!

　　Learn A Word 1805 leisure time

　　今天我們要學(xué)的詞是leisure time. Leisure is spelled l-e-i-s-u-r-e, leisure, and time, t-i-m-e, time, leisure time. Leisure time 閑暇時間。皮尤研究中心的報告顯示，Although men and women spend roughly the same amount of time working each week, men tend to have more leisure time than woman. 雖然男性和女性每周工作時間大致相當(dāng)，但是男性的閑暇時間比女性多。Without young children at home, men spend about 5 more hours of leisure time than women. 如果家里沒有小孩子的話，男性比女性的閑暇時間多五個小時。When there are young children at home, the gap in leisure time drops down to three hours. 如果家里有小孩子的話，男性比女性多享受的閑暇時間就減少到了三個小時。今天我們學(xué)習(xí)的詞是 leisure time, leisure time, leisure time...

　　A: Men have more leisure time than women even if they work the same amount of hours? That's weird...

　　B: I know why. Take you for example, because you are a clean freak, you are constantly cleaning at home while I'm relaxing watching TV....

　　A: That's called not being a caveman!

　　B: Haha, all right, at least you never rant and rave! That consumes a lot of energy too, from what I can tell from my sister...

　　A: Hahaha, I bet it's because she's around you! 你剛提到了一個俗語:rant and rave, let's check it out!

　　Words and Idioms 860 Rant and Rave

　　美國習(xí)慣用語 第 860 講

　　昨天晚上我去參加一個社區(qū)居民大會，會上有位太太發(fā)言，反對在社區(qū)增設(shè)交通標(biāo)志，頗有一種控訴的感覺。我雖然主張大家各抒已見，可我覺得，任何事情都可以心平氣和地談。這位太太的表現(xiàn)讓我想起了一個可以跟大家分享的習(xí)慣用語。

　　M: Rant and rave. Rant is spelled r-a-n-t, and rave; r-a-v-e. Rant-and-rave.

　　Rant, r-a-n-t 和 rave, r-a-v-e, 都是指怒氣沖沖地大喊大叫。讓我無法理解的是，為什么有人情緒那么容易失去控制，比如上面說的那位太太，還有下面例子里的這個媽媽。讓我們一起聽聽她兒子是怎么說的。

　　M: "So I flunked a quiz in history; I don't know why mom had to get so angry. She could have been more understanding. But instead of being cool, she RANTED AND RAVED about how I wasn't studying hard enough and would never go to college, and blah, blah, blah..."

　　這個人說： 我只不過是歷史小測驗不及格，真不明白媽媽干嘛那么生氣。她本來應(yīng)該表示理解，冷靜一點兒，可她卻沒完沒了地罵我，說什么我學(xué)習(xí)不夠努力，肯定上不了大學(xué)之類的話。

　　還真不好說是誰的錯。也許是媽媽說話，兒子不聽;也有可能是媽媽脾氣過于暴躁。我侄子以前就常說，上了大學(xué)，離開家，就不用再挨他媽媽的罵了，可如今，She still rants and raves, only now by texting. 她還是會通過發(fā)短信責(zé)罵他?？磥?，下次我去練瑜珈得帶上姐姐，讓她學(xué)會放松，別動不動就上火。好的，讓我們再來聽聽上面那段話。

　　M: "So I flunked a quiz in history; I don't know why mom had to get so angry. She could have been more understanding. But instead of being cool, she RANTED AND RAVED about how I wasn't studying hard enough and would never go to college, and blah, blah, blah..."

　　在下面這個例子里，一個員工抱怨自己的上司脾氣不好，讓我們一起聽聽情況是如何出現(xiàn)好轉(zhuǎn)的。

　　M: "I'm glad our last foreman was let go. Every time some little thing went wrong on the assembly line, he was RANTING AND RAVING. The new guy is the complete opposite. He explains problems calmly, never getting agitated. I find his approach helps the team work a lot more effectively."

　　這個人說： 我們的上個工頭被解雇，我真是太高興了。每次組裝線出點兒什么小問題，他都要沒完沒了地罵了這個罵那個。新來的這個工頭完全兩樣，他總是心平氣和地說明情況，從不著急上火。我發(fā)現(xiàn)他的這種方式使我們的工作效率提高了許多。

　　別人發(fā)火的時候，有時候越勸越糟。上星期六，鄰居家開派對，一直鬧到夜里三點，我老公睡覺本來就輕，被吵醒了好幾回，更有甚者，其中一個客人的車竟然停在了我們家的私人車道上。星期天早上，My husband RANTED AND RAVED all morning. 我老公整個一上午都沒好氣。好的，我們再來聽一下上面那個例句。

　　"I'm glad our last foreman was let go. Every time some little thing went wrong on the assembly line, he was RANTING AND RAVING. The new guy is the complete opposite. He explains problems calmly, never getting agitated. I find his approach helps the team work a lot more effectively."

　　大家可能會問，既然 RANT 和 RAVE 是一個意思，為什么還有把兩個詞連在一起用呢。這可能是因為這兩個字都是 R 打頭，壓頭韻吧。英語里很多繞口令都是壓頭韻的，比如說 Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers. 大家要不要試著連起來說上幾遍?好的，這次 美國習(xí)慣用語 就到此結(jié)束了。

　　M: Until next time.

　　M: This has been Words and Idioms.

　　A: I've thought about trying to rant and rave at you to get more work done, but then I realize I can't change how a person naturally is.

　　B: Hmm, is that why you never come to work on time? Your just naturally late for everything?

　　A: 好了同學(xué)們，這次節(jié)目時間就到這里了。

　　B: Tune in next time for American English Mosaic!

　　A: See you next time!