美語(yǔ)訓(xùn)練班130

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

　　A: And I'm Lin Yang.

　　B: What kinds of topics should you avoid in conversations? Do you know the social faux pas in western culture? We will offer you some tips in today's business etiquette.

　　A: 實(shí)體店會(huì)不會(huì)在未來(lái)生活中消失? 我們?cè)谙旅婀?jié)目中為你介紹。

　　B: And in words and idioms, we will learn what "out of hand" and "take a turn for the better" 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 1860 showroom

　　今天我們要學(xué)的詞是 showroom. Showroom is spelled s-h-o-w-r-o-o-m, showroom. Showroom 是陳列室，展示廳的意思。日本東京獲得2020年夏季奧運(yùn)會(huì)主辦權(quán)后，The number of visitors to apartment showrooms in the area where the Olympic Village will be built saw a big jump. 計(jì)劃籌建奧運(yùn)村的地區(qū)，去看公寓樣品房的人數(shù)大增。我們現(xiàn)在日常生活中的哪些東西在不久的將來(lái)會(huì)消失呢?美國(guó)一家研究未來(lái)發(fā)展趨勢(shì)的機(jī)構(gòu)就此發(fā)表報(bào)告，報(bào)告中提到，Brick-and-mortar stores as we know them will likely become nothing more than showrooms. 現(xiàn)在生活中的實(shí)體店將來(lái)很可能也就起個(gè)展示商品的作用。好的，今天我們學(xué)習(xí)的詞是 showroom, showroom, showroom...

　　A: I totally prefer shopping in a real store to shopping online. I never really trust what I’m getting unless I can see it first hand, especially when it comes to clothes.

　　B: I think E-commerce is extremely convenient. You just look online and pick whatever you want.

　　Buying is just a click away! A lot of times you don’t even have to pay for shipping!

　　A: But it’s also really easy to let things get out of hand. Sometimes when you are shopping online, you feel like you are not spending very much, but you end up maxing out your credit cards!

　　B: I guess that’s something I need to pay attention to. And…you just mentioned a good idiom: out of hand. Let's listen to today's words and idioms and check it out!

　　Words and Idioms 883 out of hand

　　美國(guó)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)第 883 講

　　每次家里人聚會(huì)，最高興的就是孩子。我有好幾個(gè)侄子、侄女，都是八、九歲上下。小時(shí)候，他們總要鬧得雞飛狗跳，但是這兩年好多了，更懂事，更聽(tīng)話了。這也讓我想起一個(gè)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)，叫：

　　M: Out of hand. Out is spelled o-u-t. Out. Hand is spelled h-a-n-d. Hand. Out of hand.

　　大家都知道，hand 是手的意思。out of hand 這個(gè)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)就是很難管，很難控制的意思。比如說(shuō)，幾個(gè)半大不小的孩子在一起，鬧得天翻地覆，就可以說(shuō)是 out of hand. 再比如，開(kāi)會(huì)的時(shí)候兩個(gè)人唇槍舌戰(zhàn)，最后吵了起來(lái)，就可以說(shuō)當(dāng)時(shí)的局面 got out of hand. 在下面這個(gè)例子中，一群大學(xué)生開(kāi)派對(duì)，最后為什么招來(lái)了警察?我們一起聽(tīng)。

　　M: "Everything was going fine until these guys got into a fight for some reason, then their drunk friends all joined in, then some idiot threw a chair through a window. It really got OUT OF HAND. The police had to come by and break it up."

　　這段話意思是：本來(lái)一切都是好好的，可是這幫人后來(lái)不知道為什么原因打了起來(lái)，他們那些喝醉了的哥們兒也都過(guò)來(lái)幫忙，不知哪個(gè)傻瓜居然把椅子從窗戶扔了出去。當(dāng)時(shí)的情況真是徹底失去了控制，最后只好叫警察來(lái)，才把他們拉開(kāi)。

　　聽(tīng)起來(lái)真是夠亂的。It really got OUT OF HAND. 我家對(duì)面的房子就出租給了幾個(gè)大學(xué)生，每到周末都開(kāi)派對(duì)，有時(shí)半夜三更還有人唱歌。

　　說(shuō)起局面失控，我昨天看到兩個(gè)拳擊選手比賽前開(kāi)記者會(huì)，結(jié)果當(dāng)場(chǎng)差點(diǎn)兒打起來(lái)。The situation almost got out of hand. 好在雙方教練馬上把他們拉開(kāi)了。好的，讓我們?cè)賮?lái)聽(tīng)聽(tīng)上面那段話。

　　M: "Everything was going fine until these guys got into a fight for some reason, then their drunk friends all joined in, then some idiot threw a chair through a window. It really got OUT OF HAND. The police had to come by and break it up."

　　Out of hand 這個(gè)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)由來(lái)已久，大約八百年前，就有人開(kāi)始說(shuō) in hand, 意思是處于掌控之中。后來(lái)，大約十六世紀(jì)的時(shí)候，又出現(xiàn)了跟 in hand 意思恰恰相反的 out of hand, 意思是失去了控制。

　　這一輪經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退，使很多人都開(kāi)始反省美國(guó)人的信用卡消費(fèi)文化。讓我們一起聽(tīng)聽(tīng)下面這個(gè)人是怎么說(shuō)的。

　　M: "My wife and I had to cut up our credit cards. We kept buying things we couldn't afford and our credit debt was getting OUT OF HAND. Now we're just trying to pay everything off."

　　這個(gè)人說(shuō)：我和太太不得不把我們所有的信用卡都剪掉。我們沒(méi)完沒(méi)了地買(mǎi)那些根本負(fù)擔(dān)不起的東西，因?yàn)樗⒖ǘ废碌膫鶆?wù)已經(jīng)失去控制了。我們現(xiàn)在要努力把欠的錢(qián)都付清。

　　刷卡真的很容易一發(fā)不可收拾 get out of hand，尤其是信用卡債務(wù)一般都有很高的利息，用不了多久，就能欠一大筆錢(qián)。這次經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退，讓很多美國(guó)人意識(shí)到理財(cái)?shù)闹匾?，知道了不能讓信用卡上的債?wù)變得 out of hand. 好，我們?cè)賮?lái)聽(tīng)一下上面那個(gè)例句。

　　M: "My wife and I had to cut up our credit cards. We kept buying things we couldn't afford and our credit debt was getting OUT OF HAND. Now we're just trying to pay everything off."

　　每年年底前后，我都會(huì)接二連三地開(kāi)派對(duì)，體重也跟著往上躥。所以一過(guò)元旦，我就要開(kāi)始控制飲食，加緊鍛煉，為的就是不讓體重 get out of hand. 好的，這次美國(guó)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)就到此結(jié)束，去健身房的時(shí)間也到了。

　　M: Until next time.

　　下次節(jié)目再見(jiàn)。

　　M: This has been Words and Idioms.

　　A: I do think using cash will help you save. It helps make you more aware of how much you are spending, so it’s easier to make adjustment if you overspend in one particular area.

　　B: I agree. But for me…I’m just so easily tempted by food! If I see something exotic, I desperately want to try it. Unfortunately, dining in DC is expensive.

　　A: That’s true. Look at those love handles…

　　B: Let me remind you again, talking about weight is a very sensitive topic in western culture…

　　A: I’m kidding, kidding! Speaking of sensitive topics, we will talk about some social faux pas in today’s business etiquette!

　　B: So you won’t make inappropriate comments. Let’s go check it out!

　　禮節(jié)美語(yǔ) BE-255 Sensitivity Training Money I

　　晚宴結(jié)束，Jason跟同事Harold一起往外走。Jason說(shuō)：

　　Jason: That was a lovely party, wasn't it?

　　Harold: Yes, it was. The food was pretty good, too.

　　J: I was a little puzzled about something, though.

　　H: What was that?

　　J: At one point in our conversation, Mr. Jones gave me a really funny look...it was almost like I'd broken some sort of a rule.

　　H: Oh, yes...well you did ask him how much he paid for his apartment.

　　J: And? What's wrong with asking someone how much they paid for a piece of property? Back in China everybody talks about buying and selling apartments.

　　Jason是從中國(guó)來(lái)的，在晚會(huì)上問(wèn)東道主Mr. Jones公寓是多少錢(qián)買(mǎi)的。Mr. Jones gave me a really funny look. Mr. Jones 看他的表情有些奇怪，好象他這樣問(wèn)犯了什么大忌。a funny look意思是說(shuō)不清楚的奇怪表情。Jason 說(shuō)，在中國(guó)，大家見(jiàn)面就是談房子，因此他不懂，What's wrong with asking someone how much they paid for a piece of property? 問(wèn)別人買(mǎi)房子花了多少錢(qián)有什么不妥呢?Harold解釋說(shuō)：

　　H: Yeah, I know....but in many Western societies, talking about money in public is a faux pas.

　　J: What's a faux pas?

　　H: It's a French term that means a social blunder. Questions like that are considered a little bit impolite.

　　J: Really? I had no idea. Back in China, it's not generally a problem to ask about how much something costs.

　　H: I know you meant no offense. When I was assigned to Guangzhou for 6 months, people frequently ask me how much my monthly salary is.

　　Harold解釋說(shuō)，在很多西方國(guó)家，公開(kāi)談錢(qián)是 faux pas, faux pas is spelled f-a-u-x, faux and pas p-a-s, pas, faux pas 也就是 social blunder 在社交上忌諱做的事，屬于失禮的行為。Jason聽(tīng)了覺(jué)得很出乎意料，說(shuō)自己完全不知情，I had no idea. 因?yàn)樵谥袊?guó)，詢(xún)問(wèn)財(cái)物的價(jià)錢(qián)完全不是問(wèn)題。Harold說(shuō)，I know you meant no offense. 我知道你不是故意冒犯 Mr. Jones. Harold說(shuō)自己派駐廣州半年時(shí)，就經(jīng)常有人問(wèn)他每個(gè)月的工資是多少。Jason說(shuō)：

　　J: That's funny, because Western society seems so open. People talk about all kinds of private things that we wouldn't bring up in China. Buy money is a no-no, huh?

　　H: If your Western friend buys something for a really good price, he or she might mention it to you by saying something like, "Take a look at this camera that I got on sale for only $99 dollars." But unless the person is a close friend, we almost never ask how much something costs.

　　J: So, do you avoid talking about money so that people with less money don't feel bad?

　　Jason 覺(jué)得很有意思的是，西方社會(huì)如此開(kāi)放，對(duì)很多中國(guó)不敢涉獵的私人問(wèn)題都可以拿到臺(tái)面上來(lái)說(shuō)，但是 money is a no-no. 錢(qián)的問(wèn)題卻是個(gè)禁區(qū)。no-no 兩個(gè)no連在一起，中間加個(gè)連接線，是一種非正式用法，名詞，意思是不可以，不被接受的事情。西方人回避談錢(qián)，是因?yàn)榕麓碳](méi)錢(qián)的人嗎?我們下次繼續(xù)聽(tīng)。

　　A: Jason說(shuō)，東道主Mr. Jones gave him a funny look，看他的表情很奇怪。Harold說(shuō)，這是因?yàn)镴ason問(wèn)他房子是多少錢(qián)買(mǎi)的，在西方國(guó)家，隨便談錢(qián)是a faux pas, 社交禁忌，雖然很多其他事情都可以談, but money is a no-no,錢(qián)的問(wèn)題是個(gè)禁區(qū)。

　　B: When I was in China, I got asked about how much I make or how much I pay for rent, like ALL THE TIME. At first it was annoying, but later I just tried to answer briefly and change the topic to something more interesting.

　　A: I guess you have to develop some canned answers for certain questions like that if you spend enough time in a foreign country.

　　B: True. Let’s keep listen to Harold and see how he’s going to explain this to Jason!

　　禮節(jié)美語(yǔ) BE-256 Sensitivity Training Money II

　　晚宴結(jié)束，Jason跟同事Harold一起往外走。Jason是從中國(guó)來(lái)的，對(duì)西方人交往時(shí)回避談錢(qián)的問(wèn)題感到不解，問(wèn)這樣做是不是為了不去刺激那些沒(méi)什么錢(qián)的人。Harold回答說(shuō)：

　　Harold: Yes, I think you hit the nail on the head. Also, I think many Westerners believe that if you're rich, you should be quiet about it. In fact, I believe many wealthy people in the West feel a little bit guilty.

　　J: Why would they feel guilty?

　　H: Because so many other people work very hard, but never become successful. When the wealthy turn on TV, they see so much pain and suffering.... but their own lives are so comfortable.

　　J: Ah....I can understand that. If I were a wealthy person I think I'd feel the same way.

　　Harold說(shuō)Jason, you hit the nail on the head. 你說(shuō)得一點(diǎn)沒(méi)錯(cuò)。to hit the nail on the head 意思是一下子就說(shuō)到了點(diǎn)子上，還有兩種類(lèi)似的說(shuō)法，一種是 you are right on. 另外一種說(shuō)法是 you are right on the money. 都是同樣的意思。Harold說(shuō)，因?yàn)槲鞣胶芏嗳瞬幌矚g炫富，有些人還會(huì)因?yàn)樽约禾绣X(qián)，而其他人生活貧苦而感到內(nèi)疚。Harold 說(shuō)：

　　H: It's interesting that some of the most successful entrepreneurs such as John D. Rockefeller and Bill Gates ended up setting up charity organizations and giving away a large portion of the money they made.

　　J: So you're saying that Bill Gates, for example, doesn't necessarily think he deserves all the money he made....he knows a part of it was luck, right?

　　H: Yeah. Bill Gates is a computer genius, but he was there at the right place and the right time.

　　J: That's a good attitude. It's good to remember that hard work and good luck often go hand-in-hand. Okay, so one more time....what's the etiquette when it comes to talking about money with Westerners?

　　Harold說(shuō)，這也就是為什么比爾.蓋茨和洛克菲勒這種成功的企業(yè)家最后都會(huì) end up setting up charity organizations 成立慈善機(jī)構(gòu)，把錢(qián)捐出去。雖說(shuō)比爾.蓋茨是電腦天才，但他的成功在很大程度上也是靠機(jī)遇，He was there at the right place and the right time. 他在正確的時(shí)間出現(xiàn)在了正確的地方，類(lèi)似中文里說(shuō)的天時(shí)地利人和。Jason很欣賞這種心態(tài)，因?yàn)?hard work and good luck often go hand-in-hand. 勤奮和運(yùn)氣二者往往必須兼?zhèn)洳拍艹晒Α?/p>

　　H: If the person doesn't volunteer information about how much something costs...don't bring it up. Don't ask about personal savings or salary.

　　J: Is it OK to comment on or praise someone's possessions? If you have a really nice car, can I say, "Wow...nice car?"

　　H: Yes, that's fine. It only gets complicated when you start talking about specific prices.

　　J: I see your point. Topics like that could lead to embarrassment.

　　H: Exactly. Maybe Mr. Jones' apartment was really expensive, but his company paid for it...or maybe he overpaid and got a bad deal....in either case, it's easier for everyone if we don't discuss it in public.

　　Harold最后總結(jié)說(shuō)，在西方，除非別人主動(dòng)告訴你，否則不要問(wèn)人家賺多少工資，有多少存款，買(mǎi)東西花了多少錢(qián)這類(lèi)問(wèn)題，可以夸別人的東西好，但不要詢(xún)問(wèn)價(jià)錢(qián)，免得彼此尷尬。

　　A: Harold解釋說(shuō)，在西方, 富人一般don’t show off不會(huì)炫富，很多成功的企業(yè)家都會(huì)set up charity organizations,成立慈善機(jī)構(gòu)。所以除非主人主動(dòng)提起，一般不要get into specifics, 不要具體問(wèn)一個(gè)東西多少錢(qián)。

　　B: I agree. You can complement someone on their personal possessions, but unless you are talking to your best buddy, don’t bring up the topic of money.

　　A: It’s indeed fascinating to see how different western and eastern cultures are.

　　B: That’s what makes the world a more interesting place, diversity! Alright, enough about faux pas, let's go ahead with our class.

　　A: Let's listen to another learn a word!

　　Learn A Word 1862 Seasonally

　　今天我們要學(xué)的詞是 seasonally. Seasonally is spelled s-e-a-s-o-n-a-l-l-y, seasonally. Seasonally，受季節(jié)影響地。美國(guó)房地產(chǎn)市場(chǎng)仍然波動(dòng)頻繁，但是 Overall, housing market rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 0.9%?？紤?b季節(jié)調(diào)節(jié)因素，房地產(chǎn)市場(chǎng)以每年0.9%的速度增長(zhǎng)。營(yíng)養(yǎng)專(zhuān)家建議，我們應(yīng)該吃應(yīng)季的食物。Experts suggest eating seasonally because our bodies require different nutrients throughout the differing seasons. 專(zhuān)家建議應(yīng)該吃應(yīng)季的食品，因?yàn)槲覀兊纳眢w在不同季節(jié)需要不同的營(yíng)養(yǎng)成分。好的，今天我們學(xué)習(xí)的詞是seasonally, seasonally, seasonally.

　　A: Eating seasonally is healthy; your body needs different kind of nutrients at different times of the year. 像我們中國(guó)人說(shuō), 冬季吃羊肉進(jìn)補(bǔ)，夏季吃羊肉上火，就是這個(gè)意思!

　　B: True. But I totally prefer frozen meals. You just slap it in the microwave! It’s super easy and saves a lot of time!

　　A: That’s why you still have those love handles, Mike! Eating fresh is going to help you get better nutrients and maintain a good shape! You should learn how to cook, take a turn for the better…

　　B: Haha, luckily my girlfriend is so good at cooking! And you just mentioned what we are going to learn next: take a turn for the better.

　　A: 我們來(lái)聽(tīng)今天的美國(guó)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)，學(xué)學(xué)這個(gè)短語(yǔ)的用法!

　　Words and Idioms 884 take a turn for the better

　　美國(guó)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)第 884 講

　　今天我總算是松了口氣! 昨天，我姑姑突然覺(jué)得胸口疼、頭暈、想吐，結(jié)果被送到了急救中心! 還好，醫(yī)生給她檢查完之后，她已經(jīng)不那么難受了。在放心之余，我還想起了一個(gè)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)，那就是：

　　M: Take a turn for the better. Turn is spelled t-u-r-n, and better; b-e-t-t-e-r. Take-a-turn-for-the-better. Take a turn for the better.

　　大家都知道，Turn是“轉(zhuǎn)變”的意思，而better表示“更好”，所以“take a turn for the better”就是說(shuō)“情況好轉(zhuǎn)”。比如說(shuō)，我姑姑原本生病，但后來(lái)身體逐漸恢復(fù)，我就可以說(shuō) Her health took a turn for the better. 在下面這個(gè)例子中，一個(gè)失業(yè)的人守得云開(kāi)見(jiàn)月明。我們一起來(lái)聽(tīng)。

　　M: "After being unemployed for 6 months, I was getting desperate. Nobody seemed to be hiring and my bank account was running low. Then my job search TOOK A TURN FOR THE BETTER. A recruiter called me and managed to set me up with an interview at an accounting firm. Now I'm working again."

　　這段話意思是：我已經(jīng)六個(gè)月沒(méi)工作了，心情沮喪極了?，F(xiàn)在，好像所有的公司都不雇人了，我銀行里的存款也快用光了。就在這時(shí)，情況出現(xiàn)了轉(zhuǎn)機(jī)。有個(gè)獵頭打來(lái)電話，他幫我聯(lián)絡(luò)到了一家會(huì)計(jì)公司，讓我去面試?，F(xiàn)在，我又有工作啦!

　　這可真是柳暗花明又一村! 找不到工作的確很急人，不過(guò)你不要放棄希望，試著聯(lián)系一下以前的同事，他們可能知道一些雇人的信息。只要找到正確的門(mén)路，你得到工作的前景就會(huì)TAKE A TURN FOR THE BETTER. 好的，讓我們?cè)賮?lái)聽(tīng)聽(tīng)上面那段話。

　　M: "After being unemployed for 6 months, I was getting desperate. Nobody seemed to be hiring and my bank account was running low. Then my job search TOOK A TURN FOR THE BETTER. A recruiter called me and managed to set me up with an interview at an accounting firm. Now I'm working again."

　　俗話說(shuō)，人生不如意事十之八九。 所以，遇到挫折時(shí)千萬(wàn)不要放棄希望，因?yàn)樯羁赡軙?huì)突然 TAKE A TURN FOR THE BETTER， 讓我們來(lái)聽(tīng)聽(tīng)下面這個(gè)人的故事：

　　M: "I never expected to find myself alone. But two years ago, I lost my wife to cancer. All the joy I had known disappeared. I was lost until a friend introduced me to Carrie a few months ago. Ever since we went on our first date, my life has TAKEN A TURN FOR THE BETTER. I can hardly believe how happy I am thanks to her."

　　這個(gè)人說(shuō)：我從沒(méi)想過(guò)自己會(huì)孤單地生活?？墒?，兩年前，癌癥奪走了我太太。所有的快樂(lè)都離我而去，也讓我失去了生活的目標(biāo)?？墒牵瑤讉€(gè)月前，有個(gè)朋友給我介紹了Carrie。從我們第一次約會(huì)開(kāi)始，我的人生就完全改觀了。她給我?guī)?lái)了難以置信的快樂(lè)。

　　這個(gè)人真幸運(yùn)，迎來(lái)了愛(ài)情的第二春，他一定和新女友有很多甜蜜的約會(huì)。不過(guò)，并不是所有約會(huì)都是美好的。有一次，我和先生去餐館吃飯，過(guò)結(jié)婚周年，開(kāi)頭挺浪漫的，可服務(wù)員上菜時(shí)一個(gè)不留神，把整盤(pán)菜扣在了我的新裙子上! 約會(huì)徹底砸了! 在這個(gè)時(shí)候，你就可以說(shuō) THE DATE TOOK A TURN FOR THE WORSE。 這和TAKE A TURN FOR THE BETTER 正好相反，指的是情況變差。你還可以說(shuō)，公司的生意 TOOK A TURN FOR THE WORSE，業(yè)務(wù)一落千丈;或者和某人的戀情 TOOK A TURN FOR THE WORSE，感情亮起紅燈。我們?cè)賮?lái)聽(tīng)一下上面那個(gè)例句：

　　M: "I never expected to find myself alone. But two years ago, I lost my wife to cancer. All the joy I had known disappeared. I was lost until a friend introduced me to Carrie a few months ago. Ever since we went on our first date, my life has TAKEN A TURN FOR THE BETTER. I can hardly believe how happy I am thanks to her."

　　希望你能多練習(xí)我們學(xué)過(guò)的習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)，只要堅(jiān)持，你的英語(yǔ)水平就能 TAKE A TURN FOR THE BETTER! 好的，這次美國(guó)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)就到此結(jié)束，

　　M: Until next time.

　　下次節(jié)目再見(jiàn)。

　　M: This has been Words and Idioms.

　　A: Well, I think our show is going to take a turn for the better after the New Year!

　　B: Really? But I’m going on an extended leave right after the New Year.

　　A: Exactly…….好了同學(xué)們，這次節(jié)目時(shí)間就到這里了。

　　B: Tune in next time for American English Mosaic!

　　A: See you next time!