The english we speak(BBC教學)第123期:playing up出問題;疼痛

Rob: Hello and welcome to the English We Speak. My name is Rob.

羅布：大家好，歡迎收看地道英語節目。我是羅布。

Helen: And hello, my name is Helen.

海倫：大家好，我是海倫。

Rob: Hold on Helen, hold on. We can't hear you properly. I think your microphone is playing up.

羅布：海倫，等等，等一下。我們聽不清你說的話。我想你的麥克風有問題。

Helen: Playing up?

海倫：有問題？

Rob: Sorry, I didn't quite catch that.

羅布：抱歉，我沒聽清楚。

Helen: Let me just push this button. There! Hello. Now, you said the microphone was playing up?

海倫：讓我來按一下這個按鈕吧。嗨。你剛說麥克風有問題？

Rob: That's right. It wasn't working properly. If something isn't working as it should be, we sometimes say it's playing up.

羅布：沒錯。麥克風出現問題了。如果某樣東西沒有像本應該的那樣運作，我們就會說它出故障了。

Helen: Up–not down?

海倫：是用up，不是用down嗎？

Rob: Nope. Playing down is a different expression that means something totally different.

羅布：不是。Playing down是另一個完全不同的表達，表示的是完全不同的意思。

Helen: OK. So as the picture on my TV at home is flickering, I can say my TV is playing up?

海倫：好。就像我家裏那臺電視的畫面一直在閃爍。那我就可以說我的電視出問題了。

Rob: Exactly. Let's hear about some other things that are playing up…

羅布：完全正確。我們再來聽一些這個表達的其他例句……

I don't think I'll be able to give you a lift to work today, my car's been playing up.

我想我今天不能載你去上班了，我的車壞了。

My phone keeps playing up. Every time I dial a number, it just switches itself off.

我的電話一直有問題。每次我撥號碼，它都會關機。

Helen: That sounds like my phone! So if something isn't doing what is should do then it's misbehaving?

海倫：聽起來和我電話的問題一樣！所以，如果某樣東西不像以前那樣正常運行，就是出問題了？

Rob: Ha Ha! Well, you could say that. It's just like people. When they misbehave we can say they're playing up. Like this…

羅布：哈哈！你也可以那麼說。就像人一樣。當他們不適的時候，就是他們感到了疼痛。就像這樣……

Sorry but I'm going to be late. The children have been playing up and I've still got so much to do.

抱歉，不過我要遲到了。孩子們一直不舒服，可是我還有很多事要做。

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BBC英語教學節目

Helen: Children are very good at playing up2; it's usually because they want attention.

海倫：孩子們很不聽話；通常是因爲他們希望被關注。

Rob: Now, Helen, could I have your attention now please because playing up is also something you can say to describe a part of your body that's not working properly.

羅布：海倫，現在請你聽我說好嗎，因爲playing up這個表達也可以用來形容你身體的一部分感到不適。

Ow! I'm going to have to lie down; my back's playing up again.

噢！我要躺下來休息。我的後背又疼了。

Count me out of this weekend's football match; my leg's playing up so I need to rest it.

這週末的足球比賽我就不參加了；我的腿很疼，我需要休息。

Helen: So it seems playing up refers to anything that's not working or behaving as it should. Now Rob, my leg's also been playing up so I wonder if you could give me a lift home in your car?

海倫：看來這個表達指任何不正常的工作或是行爲。現在，羅布，我的腿也很疼，所以我在想能不能搭你的順風車回家？

Rob: No way - oh it looks like my microphone's playing up now!

羅布：沒門，看起來現在我的麥克風壞了！

Helen: No Rob, it's you who's playing up - now switch it back on!

海倫：不，羅布，是你在搞破壞，現在把麥克風開開！

Rob: Oh, oh OK then Helen!

羅布：哦，哦，好的，海倫！

Helen: Let's go then. Bye!

海倫：那我們走吧。再見！

Rob: Bye.

羅布：再見。

重點講解：
1. playing up
（機器、身體部位等）（給…）製造麻煩，（使）痛苦；
eg. The engine had been playing up.
發動機一直有問題。
eg. It was his back playing him up.
是他的後背在作痛。
2. play down
降低…的重要性；貶低；淡化；
eg. He has tried to play down his involvement in the affair.
他極力淡化與該事的瓜葛。
eg. She tried to play down his part in the affair and play up her own.
她極力貶低他在這一事件中的作用而擡高自己的作用。
3. give sb. a lift
搭便車；搭順風車；
eg. He had a car and often gave me a lift home.
他有車，經常讓我搭他的車回家。
eg. He gave me a lift to the station in his car.
他讓我搭他的車去火車站。
4. switch off
關掉，關上；
eg. Please switch off the lights when you leave.
出門時請隨手關燈。
eg. In case of operation failure, please switch off the power.
如發現異常或操作有任何問題，請務必先切斷電源。
5. play up2
（小孩）淘氣，不聽話；
eg. Patrick often plays up when he knows I'm in a hurry.
帕特里克常常明知我手忙腳亂還要調皮搗蛋。
eg. The children are very active, but never play up.
這些孩子很活潑，可是從不淘氣。
6. lie down
躺下（休息或睡眠）；
eg. He had to lie down for a while to rest his legs.
他得躺下一會兒讓腿休息一下。
eg. A fit of dizziness came over her so she had to lie down.
她突然感到頭暈，不得不躺下來。
7. count out
不把…算入；不包括；
eg. If this is the standard to which I have to drop to gain membership, then count me out!
如果要加入就得降低到這一標準的話，那我就不參加了。
eg. You can count me out of your plan.
你們的計劃可以不把我包括進去。
8. no way
沒門兒；不可能；
eg. Mike, no way am I playing cards with you for money.
邁克，我是決不會和你玩牌賭錢的。
eg. That was not the life Jack Hewitt planned to live. No way!
那不是傑克·休伊特想要的生活，絕對不是！
9. switch on
打開，開啓（電燈等）；
eg. She emptied both their mugs and switched on the electric kettle.
她把他們倆的杯子倒空，燒上了電水壺。
eg. The video is programmed to switch on at ten o'clock.
電視機設定在10點鐘自動打開。