美語訓(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: 實體店會不會在未來生活中消失? 我們在下面節(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年夏季奧運會主辦權(quán)后，The number of visitors to apartment showrooms in the area where the Olympic Village will be built saw a big jump. 計劃籌建奧運村的地區(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會消失呢?美國一家研究未來發(fā)展趨勢的機(jī)構(gòu)就此發(fā)表報告，報告中提到，Brick-and-mortar stores as we know them will likely become nothing more than showrooms. 現(xiàn)在生活中的實體店將來很可能也就起個展示商品的作用。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

　　美國習(xí)慣用語第 883 講

　　每次家里人聚會，最高興的就是孩子。我有好幾個侄子、侄女，都是八、九歲上下。小時候，他們總要鬧得雞飛狗跳，但是這兩年好多了，更懂事，更聽話了。這也讓我想起一個習(xí)慣用語，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 這個習(xí)慣用語就是很難管，很難控制的意思。比如說，幾個半大不小的孩子在一起，鬧得天翻地覆，就可以說是 out of hand. 再比如，開會的時候兩個人唇槍舌戰(zhàn)，最后吵了起來，就可以說當(dāng)時的局面 got out of hand. 在下面這個例子中，一群大學(xué)生開派對，最后為什么招來了警察?我們一起聽。

　　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：本來一切都是好好的，可是這幫人后來不知道為什么原因打了起來，他們那些喝醉了的哥們兒也都過來幫忙，不知哪個傻瓜居然把椅子從窗戶扔了出去。當(dāng)時的情況真是徹底失去了控制，最后只好叫警察來，才把他們拉開。

　　聽起來真是夠亂的。It really got OUT OF HAND. 我家對面的房子就出租給了幾個大學(xué)生，每到周末都開派對，有時半夜三更還有人唱歌。

　　說起局面失控，我昨天看到兩個拳擊選手比賽前開記者會，結(jié)果當(dāng)場差點兒打起來。The situation almost got out of hand. 好在雙方教練馬上把他們拉開了。好的，讓我們再來聽聽上面那段話。

　　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 這個習(xí)慣用語由來已久，大約八百年前，就有人開始說 in hand, 意思是處于掌控之中。后來，大約十六世紀(jì)的時候，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，使很多人都開始反省美國人的信用卡消費文化。讓我們一起聽聽下面這個人是怎么說的。

　　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."

　　這個人說：我和太太不得不把我們所有的信用卡都剪掉。我們沒完沒了地買那些根本負(fù)擔(dān)不起的東西，因為刷卡而欠下的債務(wù)已經(jīng)失去控制了。我們現(xiàn)在要努力把欠的錢都付清。

　　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。這次經(jīng)濟(jì)衰退，讓很多美國人意識到理財?shù)闹匾?，知道了不能讓信用卡上的債?wù)變得 out of hand. 好，我們再來聽一下上面那個例句。

　　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，我都會接二連三地開派對，體重也跟著往上躥。所以一過元旦，我就要開始控制飲食，加緊鍛煉，為的就是不讓體重 get out of hand. 好的，這次美國習(xí)慣用語就到此結(jié)束，去健身房的時間也到了。

　　M: Until next time.

　　下次節(jié)目再見。

　　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 BE-255 Sensitivity Training Money I

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

　　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是從中國來的，在晚會上問東道主Mr. Jones公寓是多少錢買的。Mr. Jones gave me a really funny look. Mr. Jones 看他的表情有些奇怪，好象他這樣問犯了什么大忌。a funny look意思是說不清楚的奇怪表情。Jason 說，在中國，大家見面就是談房子，因此他不懂，What's wrong with asking someone how much they paid for a piece of property? 問別人買房子花了多少錢有什么不妥呢?Harold解釋說：

　　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，在很多西方國家，公開談錢是 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聽了覺得很出乎意料，說自己完全不知情，I had no idea. 因為在中國，詢問財物的價錢完全不是問題。Harold說，I know you meant no offense. 我知道你不是故意冒犯 Mr. Jones. Harold說自己派駐廣州半年時，就經(jīng)常有人問他每個月的工資是多少。Jason說：

　　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 覺得很有意思的是，西方社會如此開放，對很多中國不敢涉獵的私人問題都可以拿到臺面上來說，但是 money is a no-no. 錢的問題卻是個禁區(qū)。no-no 兩個no連在一起，中間加個連接線，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，是因為怕刺激沒錢的人嗎?我們下次繼續(xù)聽。

　　A: Jason說，東道主Mr. Jones gave him a funny look，看他的表情很奇怪。Harold說，這是因為Jason問他房子是多少錢買的，在西方國家，隨便談錢是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,錢的問題是個禁區(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 BE-256 Sensitivity Training Money II

　　晚宴結(jié)束，Jason跟同事Harold一起往外走。Jason是從中國來的，對西方人交往時回避談錢的問題感到不解，問這樣做是不是為了不去刺激那些沒什么錢的人。Harold回答說：

　　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Jason, you hit the nail on the head. 你說得一點沒錯。to hit the nail on the head 意思是一下子就說到了點子上，還有兩種類似的說法，一種是 you are right on. 另外一種說法是 you are right on the money. 都是同樣的意思。Harold說，因為西方很多人不喜歡炫富，有些人還會因為自己太有錢，而其他人生活貧苦而感到內(nèi)疚。Harold 說：

　　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，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 end up setting up charity organizations 成立慈善機(jī)構(gòu)，把錢捐出去。雖說比爾.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. 他在正確的時間出現(xiàn)在了正確的地方，類似中文里說的天時地利人和。Jason很欣賞這種心態(tài)，因為 hard work and good luck often go hand-in-hand. 勤奮和運氣二者往往必須兼?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，在西方，除非別人主動告訴你，否則不要問人家賺多少工資，有多少存款，買東西花了多少錢這類問題，可以夸別人的東西好，但不要詢問價錢，免得彼此尷尬。

　　A: Harold解釋說，在西方, 富人一般don’t show off不會炫富，很多成功的企業(yè)家都會set up charity organizations,成立慈善機(jī)構(gòu)。所以除非主人主動提起，一般不要get into specifics, 不要具體問一個東西多少錢。

　　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。美國房地產(chǎn)市場仍然波動頻繁，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)市場以每年0.9%的速度增長。營養(yǎng)專家建議，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. 專家建議應(yīng)該吃應(yīng)季的食品，因為我們的身體在不同季節(jié)需要不同的營養(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. 像我們中國人說, 冬季吃羊肉進(jìn)補(bǔ)，夏季吃羊肉上火，就是這個意思!

　　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: 我們來聽今天的美國習(xí)慣用語，學(xué)學(xué)這個短語的用法!

　　Words and Idioms 884 take a turn for the better

　　美國習(xí)慣用語第 884 講

　　今天我總算是松了口氣! 昨天，我姑姑突然覺得胸口疼、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，我還想起了一個習(xí)慣用語，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“情況好轉(zhuǎn)”。比如說，我姑姑原本生病，但后來身體逐漸恢復(fù)，我就可以說 Her health took a turn for the better. 在下面這個例子中，一個失業(yè)的人守得云開見月明。我們一起來聽。

　　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)六個月沒工作了，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，情況出現(xiàn)了轉(zhuǎn)機(jī)。有個獵頭打來電話，他幫我聯(lián)絡(luò)到了一家會計公司，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。只要找到正確的門路，你得到工作的前景就會TAKE A TURN FOR THE BETTER. 好的，讓我們再來聽聽上面那段話。

　　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，人生不如意事十之八九。 所以，遇到挫折時千萬不要放棄希望，因為生活可能會突然 TAKE A TURN FOR THE BETTER， 讓我們來聽聽下面這個人的故事：

　　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."

　　這個人說：我從沒想過自己會孤單地生活?？墒牵瑑赡昵?，癌癥奪走了我太太。所有的快樂都離我而去，也讓我失去了生活的目標(biāo)。可是，幾個月前，有個朋友給我介紹了Carrie。從我們第一次約會開始，我的人生就完全改觀了。她給我?guī)砹穗y以置信的快樂。

　　這個人真幸運，迎來了愛情的第二春，他一定和新女友有很多甜蜜的約會。不過，并不是所有約會都是美好的。有一次，我和先生去餐館吃飯，過結(jié)婚周年，開頭挺浪漫的，可服務(wù)員上菜時一個不留神，把整盤菜扣在了我的新裙子上! 約會徹底砸了! 在這個時候，你就可以說 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，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。我們再來聽一下上面那個例句：

　　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)過的習(xí)慣用語，只要堅持，你的英語水平就能 TAKE A TURN FOR THE BETTER! 好的，這次美國習(xí)慣用語就到此結(jié)束，

　　M: Until next time.

　　下次節(jié)目再見。

　　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)目時間就到這里了。

　　B: Tune in next time for American English Mosaic!

　　A: See you next time!