美語訓練班128

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

　　A: And I'm Lin Yang.

　　B: Are you a good bargainer? Do you want to know the secrets of bargaining? We will offer you some tips in today's business etiquette.

　　A: 如何用能源來幫助人們增加收入? 我們在下面的節(jié)目中為你介紹。

　　B: And in words and idioms, we will learn what "stumbling block" and "swallow one's pride" means!

　　A: All coming up on this edition of American English Mosaic!

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

　　Learn A Word 1851 to the tune of

　　今天我們要學的詞是 to the tune of. Tune is spelled t-u-n-e, tune. To the tune of 有總計的意思。近年來，美國很多州石油和天然氣產(chǎn)量出現(xiàn)增長。最新數(shù)字顯示，Higher energy production in the states is boosting people's energy bottom line to the tune of $1200 per household per month. 這些州增加能源產(chǎn)量，讓每戶居民每個月的收入多了1200美元。可再生能源的使用要以基礎設施的存在為前提。有研究說，The amount of investment required for new energy infrastructure, through 2030, will be something to the tune of $11 trillion. 到2030年，建設新能源設施需要的投入大約要11萬億美元。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 to the tune of, to the tune of, to the tune of...

　　A: I think new energy is the way to go if China wants to solve big city pollution. I really hope we can see the blue sky again in Beijing like we used to.

　　B: True dat! But it's going to take a very long time to tackle the issue. You know, it took London 40 years to deal with the famous "London fog".

　　A:Yep, it's always hard to find a balance between protecting the environment and developing the economy. But now pollution is a stumbling block for China, I don't think we can hold any important international event until we get rid of the Beijing smog.

　　B:And...you mentioned a good idiom: stumbling block. Let's listen to today's words and idioms and check it out!

　　Words and Idioms 879 Stumbling Block

　　美國習慣用語第 879 講

　　我先生準備在家開派對，請朋友來一起看世界杯總決賽。他早早就把客人名單和購物清單都列好了，現(xiàn)在剩下的唯一障礙就是-我。今年春節(jié)我們在家開派對，結(jié)果我整整做了一天的飯，又花了一天的時間打掃衛(wèi)生。這就是為什么我堅決抵制在家開派對。這也讓我想起一個可以跟大家分享的習慣用語，叫：

　　M: Stumbling block. Stumbling is spelled s-t-u-m-b-l-i-n-g, and block; b-l-o-c-k. Stumbling-block.

　　Stumbling block 意思是障礙物，絆腳石。就象剛才說的，我先生想在家開派對，請朋友一起看世界杯，我是他計劃的唯一絆碉d石，I am the only stumbling block. 最后他沒辦法，只好同意，承擔所有打掃衛(wèi)生的工作。在下面這個例子里，一個汽車修配廠的車間主任，開會討論如何才能繞過限制加班的規(guī)定，我們一起聽。

　　M: "If there's any possibility of working overtime, we're going to have to get a change in our contract. As it is, we aren't allowed to put in more than 40 hours per week. That rule remains a STUMBLING BLOCK. Let's discuss a strategy for dealing with it at our next union meeting."

　　這個人說：要想有加班的可能性，我們就必需修改合同。按照目前的規(guī)定，我們每星期的工作量不得超過四十個小時。這項規(guī)定是我們的絆腳石，咱們下次工會開會的時候，可以討論采取什么樣的策略，解決這個問題。

　　我八歲的侄女覺得，只要撒嬌就能說服她媽，允許她去扎耳朵眼兒。我知道，在這個問題上，我妹妹可不會輕易答應，我妹夫則是更難搬掉的 stumbling block，他絕不會同意八歲的女兒帶耳環(huán)。好的，讓我們再來聽聽上面那段話。

　　M: "If there's any possibility of working overtime, we're going to have to get a change in our contract. As it is, we aren't allowed to put in more than 40 hours per week. That rule remains a STUMBLING BLOCK. Let's discuss a strategy for dealing with it at our next union meeting."

　　在下面的例子中，一個大學生正在考慮去哪兒度春假，讓我們聽聽他有些什么選擇：

　　M: "My friends and I are sick of all the winter weather. That's why we're thinking about heading down to Florida for spring break. But none of us have much money or a car. Those are a couple of STUMBLING BLOCKS we'll have to get around. Maybe we can pick up part-time jobs and earn some money and then rent a car!?"

　　這個人說：我跟我那些朋友都煩死冬天的天氣了，所以想去佛羅里達過春假?？墒俏覀冞@群人誰都沒有錢，也沒有車。這是我們必需解決的兩大障礙。興許我們可以去打點零工，賺錢租輛車。

　　這倒是個不賴的主意，不過，除了車，他們還得考慮住宿、吃飯、汽油費、和玩的開銷。交通工具固然重要，但是這個學生好象沒有考慮到其它這些 stumbling blocks. 好，我們再來聽一下上面那個例句。

　　M: "My friends and I are sick of all the winter weather. That's why we're thinking about heading down to Florida for spring break. But none of us have much money or a car. Those are a couple of STUMBLING BLOCKS we'll have to get around. Maybe we can pick up part-time jobs and earn some money and then rent a car!?"

　　stumbling block 這個習慣用語早在十六世紀初期就開始出現(xiàn)了。不難想象，如果你在樹林里散步，遇到被砍倒的樹，不小心，可能會被剩下的一節(jié)樹樁絆倒，這不就是 stumbling block 嗎?

　　好的，這次美國習慣用語就到此結(jié)束了。

　　M: Until next time.

　　下次節(jié)目再見。

　　M: This has been Words and Idioms.

　　A: During the government shutdown, the lack of manpower was a stumbling block for producing our show.

　　B: You can say that again. With this whole shutdown thing being over, I really hope the two parties can work together and keep us from going through the same thing ever again.

　　A: 嗯! 好了，不談政治了，我們接著來看看下面的內(nèi)容!

　　B: You will totally love this topic Yang Lin. In today's business etiquette, we will teach you how to bargain!

　　A: Ha, my favorite! Let's check it out!

　　禮節(jié)美語 Bargaining I

　　Gina帶美國老板Jason去購物。

　　Gina: Good morning, Jason. How did you sleep?

　　Jason: Pretty well, thanks. Still feeling the effects of jet lag a bit, but last night I got at lease six hours of rest.

　　G: Great! So, are you ready for a full day of shopping?

　　J: Yep. Let's do it. I'm pretty excited!

　　G: I know a place that should be perfect. It's called the "China Friendship Shopping Center" and it's pretty much like an American mallexcept with more variety. You can even buy a live chicken there if you want.

　　Jason雖然有時差，但晚上睡得不錯，做好了去購物的充分準備。Gina 要帶他去“中國友誼購物中心”，It's just like an American mall. 跟美國的購物中心很象，mall is spelled m-a-l-l, mall, mall 是美國購物中心的通稱，mall 里有很多店家，出售各種商品。

　　J: Live chicken? (Chuckle) Thanks, but no thanks. So....tell me about bargaining. How can I do it like a local?

　　G: Well. I'll be honest and say you'll never be as good at bargaining as a local person. You're a foreigner and the sellers can see that. But...if you're smart, you can get bargains that are not too far away from the "local price."

　　J: Cool! Teach me!

　　Jason聽說購物中心還能買到活雞，覺得很好笑，說 thanks, but no thanks，意思是謝謝，但不必了。Jason讓Gina教他討價還價，bargain is spelled b-a-r-g-a-i-n, bargain, 是砍價的意思，Gina 說，你長一張老外臉，不可能 as good at bargaining as a local person. 意思是不可能象本地人一樣砍價，local is spelled l-o-c-a-l, local 意思是當?shù)厝?。不過如果懂行的話，還是能拿到跟本地人差不多的價格的。

　　G: For starters, you want to do a lot of scouting first. You've got to know what things cost.

　　J: Someone told me to go to a convenience store and see how much a soft drink or a tube of toothpaste costs. The idea is that by comparing the prices of those items, you can figure out the relative prices of everything else.

　　G: That could be helpful. But when you go into a shopping center...prices become very flexible. You have to be able to read the market.

　　Gina說，Jason首先要去摸清情況， scout is spelled s-c-o-u-t, scout, scout 是搜集信息的意思。有人曾告訴Jason, 可以找個便利商店，a convenience store, 看看飲料、牙膏等生活用品的價格，了解大概齊的價格標準。但是 Gina 說，到了購物中心，價格彈性就會變得很大，所以還是要學會 read the market 弄懂市場行情。

　　A: 老板Jason準備去購物，Gina說，要先scout，搜集信息，找個便利店, a convenience store, 看看基本生活用品的價格，以便figure out the relative prices of everything, 了解相對價格。

　　B: It's hard to read the market as a foreigner. When I was in China, I thought everything was so cheap, but it turned out I always paid twice as much as the locals!

　　A: I know! It's the same everywhere! I got ripped off by a car mechanic because apparently he could tell that I'm not a local...

　　B: I'm sorry 楊琳! Next time bring a car expert, aka me, with you. I'm sure you won't get ripped off!

　　A: Ha thanks! I'll take it! 好了，我們接著來聽聽Gina的建議吧!

　　禮節(jié)美語 Bargaining II

　　Gina帶美國老板Jason去購物，Jason讓Gina教他砍價。

　　Jason: So what's the general amount that they mark up by? Thirty percent? Forty?

　　G: They could mark it up seventy percent or even one hundred! That's why you've got to have an in-depth working knowledge of local pricesthat way, if they quote an outrageous price, you can just laugh.

　　Jason 想知道購物中心商品標價一般要比合理價格高出多少，mark up 是把抬高價格的意思，相反的，mark down 則是減價銷售。Gina 說，有時價格會故意標高70%，甚至100%，這也就是為什么要了解當?shù)氐膬r格行情，have an in-depth working knowledge of something 是深度了解的意思，in-depth is spelled i-n in, and d-e-p-t-h, depth, in-depth，這樣如果別人 quote an outrageous price, 抬出宰人的高價，outrageous is spelled o-u-t-r-a-g-e-o-u-s, outrageous, 意思是超乎尋常的，另外需要注意的，要價動詞用的是 quote, q-u-o-t-e, quote.

　　J: In America we generally can't get away with bargaining in many shops. The prices are listed on the price tag and that's that. Sometimes you can get a discount, but it's usually never more than ten percent or so.

　　G: In China, pretty much all prices are negotiable. Some vendors tell me they actually respect buyers who can drive a hard bargain.

　　J: That's interesting.

　　Jason說，在美國，商店都是明碼標價，The prices are listed on the price tag. Price tag 是價格標簽的意思，有時也能享受優(yōu)惠discount, discount 是減價、打折的意思，但是一般很少超過百分之十。Gina 說，在中國，幾乎所有價格都可以砍，negotiable is spelled n-e-g-o-t-i-a-b-l-e, negotiable是可以商量的意思。有些賣主甚至更瞧得起會砍價的買主，drive a hard bargain 是固定用法，意思是會砍價。

　　G: Yes...but of course the seller will always try to win the bargaining battle...that's the nature of the game.

　　J: Yeah, it is like a game, isn't it? Both people are bluffing, just like in poker.

　　G: That's right. But you have to get a sense of where the bottom line is. After a while you learn to recognize a look in the seller's eyes that says: I'm really not going to go any lower.

　　確實，砍價就象打牌，討價還價的雙方都要虛張聲勢，bluff is spelled b-l-u-f-f, bluff, bluff 是虛張聲勢的意思。Gina 說，沒錯，關鍵是要識別賣主的底線，bottom line, 要能從賣主的眼神里看出，他真的不會再降價了。砍價還有其他招數(shù)嗎?我們下次繼續(xù)聽。

　　A: I totally enjoy bargaining at 秀水街! All the prices are negotiable.

　　B: I think I enjoy the American style. The prices are listed on the price tag, and you normally don't get ripped off.

　　A: 沒錯! 我們接著來聽Gina給Jason支招吧!

　　禮節(jié)美語 Bargaining III

　　Gina帶美國老板Jason去購物，Jason讓Gina教他砍價。

　　Jason: What about walking away? Some friends back home told me if I don't like the price, just walk away and the vendor will run out and give me their best price.

　　G: (Chuckle) Oh...the vendors know that tactic as well! The shopkeeper will only chase you if they are 99.9 percent sure you'll buy something. They have a knack of knowing who is serious and who isn't.

　　J: So, what's our first purchase of the day going to be?

　　Jason問，如果覺得賣主是在宰自己，轉(zhuǎn)身就走這招管不管用。Gina 說， 這種策略賣主早就知道，tactic is spelled t-a-c-t-i-c, tactic 是策略的意思，賣主只有在覺得你百分99.9會在他那買東西的情況下才會追出來，而且他們一眼就能看出誰是真心要買，knack is spelled k-n-a-c-k, knack, have a knack of doing something, 是十分擅長做某事的意思。他們今天先要去買什么呢?

　　G: I think we should start with some silk items. First, I'll make sure it's the genuine article and not a fake. Then we'll start bargaining.

　　J: Can I pay with a credit card?

　　G: In an established store, sure. But when we go into the area with lots of little stalls, they generally only take cash. Also when they see cash in your hand...prices do come down a bit more.

　　Gina 建議去買絲綢制品，她要先確認產(chǎn)品是真貨，不是fake,假貨，然后開始砍價。Gina 還說，在 established store 正規(guī)的大商店里，Jason 可以用信用卡付費，pay with a credit card, 但在小店里，就要用現(xiàn)金了，而且賣方看到你手里拿著現(xiàn)金，the prices do come down a bit more 價格能降得更低些。

　　J: We have an expression in English: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

　　G: Oh...I think I get it. That means it's better to have something tangible, even if it's not as exciting as other possibilities.

　　J: That's right. You know something, Gina? I think I like China's way of doing business. It's a little wild, but it's a challenge and much more interesting than shopping back home.

　　G: Ah...there's the store. Now let's get down to business.

　　英語里有種說法叫 a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush 一鳥在手勝過兩鳥在林，意思是現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)有的，要比追求更多而失去一切強。Jason說，他覺得中國人討價還價的購物方式比明碼標價更有意思，更具挑戰(zhàn)性。正說著，商店到了，Gina 說，let's get down to business. 開始了，意思是咱們開始殺價吧。

　　A: I think using cash can help you save money. Whenever I have my credit card in hand, I always overspend!

　　B: Well, you can use it like a debit card and be sure to pay it back every month! Never carry too much debt, it will eat you up in the end!

　　A: True, true! I don't want to end up like you! (B: Hey...) 好了，砍價就到這里，我們來聽今天的最后一個單元，學學swallow one's pride 這個短語是什么意思!

　　Words and Idioms 880 Swallow One's Pride

　　美國習慣用語第 880 講

　　我昨天跟同事爭得面紅耳赤。美國聯(lián)邦最高法院明明是11位大法官，可她非說只有9個，我還理直氣壯地說人家連這點基本常識都沒有，結(jié)果一查，才知道，原來真是9個，是我自己錯了。這也讓我想起一個可以跟大家分享的習慣用語，叫：

　　M: Swallow one's pride. Swallow is spelled s-w-a-l-l-o-w, and pride; p-r-i-d-e. Swallow-one's-pride.

　　Swallow 是吞咽，pride 是驕傲，從字面上看，swallow one's pride 意思是吞下自己的驕傲，引伸為放下自尊，忍氣吞聲。本來嘛，最高法院明明只有9個大法官，我卻很無知地非說有11個，最后也只好忍氣吞聲地承認自己錯了。 I had to swallow my pride and admitted that I was wrong. 在下面這個例子里，意大利廚師羅伯特好象跟我有類似遭遇，不過人家處理得可比我強多了。我們一起聽。

　　M: "Chef Roberto has received almost every honor for his Italian cooking. Yet, despite his years of experience, he accidentally cut his finger on live television last week. He could have pretended that nothing had happened. Instead he SWALLOWED HIS PRIDE, joking that even he makes mistakes from time to time."

　　這段話意思是：羅伯特廚師憑借一手意大利廚藝，幾乎贏過所有烹調(diào)比賽。盡管他有如此豐富的經(jīng)驗，上星期還是不小心在電視上切破了手指。他本來可以裝得若無其事，可他沒有這樣做，而是放下自尊心，開玩笑說，就連他，也會時不時犯點兒錯誤。

　　或許，這樣做反而更能得到大家的尊重。不久前，日本豐田汽車公司發(fā)現(xiàn)，已經(jīng)出廠的數(shù)百萬輛汽車都有毛病，于是， They SWALLOWED their PRIDE，宣布召回這些車輛，免費檢修。好的，讓我們再來聽聽上面那段話。

　　M: "Chef Roberto has received almost every honor for his Italian cooking. Yet, despite his years of experience, he accidentally cut his finger on live television last week. He could have pretended that nothing had happened. Instead he SWALLOWED HIS PRIDE, joking that even he makes mistakes from time to time."

　　我打電子游戲，早就不是八歲女兒的對手了，認輸成了家常便飯，但是下面例子里這個當舅舅的，下棋輸給七歲的侄子，卻感到十分意外。讓我們聽聽他是怎么說的：

　　M: "When my seven-year-old nephew begged me to play chess, I indulged him. My plan was to let him take out a few of my pieces to build his confidence. Imagine when he checkmated me within four moves! That was humiliating. I'm not used to SWALLOWING MY PRIDE, but I had to admit defeat and congratulate him.

　　這個人說：我七歲的侄子求我跟他下棋，我同意陪他下一盤。我本來打算讓他幾個子兒，幫他建立點自信心。誰知道，他只走了四步，就將了我的軍。太丟人了。我雖然不習慣忍氣吞聲地放下自尊，但還是不得不認輸，并向他表示祝賀。

　　這不算什么。我有個朋友，準備求婚的前一天，被女朋友甩了，He had to swallow his pride and return the engagement ring. 他不得不放下自尊，回到珠寶店，把訂婚戒指退掉。好，我們再來聽一下上面那個例句。

　　M: "When my seven-year-old nephew begged me to play chess, I indulged him. My plan was to let him take out a few of my pieces to build his confidence. Imagine when he checkmated me within four moves! That was humiliating. I'm not used to SWALLOWING MY PRIDE, but I had to admit defeat and congratulate him."

　　好的，這次美國習慣用語就到此結(jié)束了。

　　M: Until next time.

　　下次節(jié)目再見。

　　M: This has been Words and Idioms.

　　A: Mike, I think I need to swallow my pride and admit that your are more critical to the show than I am.

　　B: WHAT? REALLY?

　　A: No, but you could imagine! 好了同學們，這次節(jié)目時間就到這里了。

　　A: See you next time!