美語訓練班第7課:"猶豫不決"用英語怎麼說?
A: 歡迎大家來到美語訓練班！我是王怡茹。
B: And I'm Donny. 怡茹，今天我們都教些什麼啊？
A: 今天這節課，我們要去公司裏，把一個不稱職的高管趕下臺，還要和朋友聚聚，聊聊自己的感情生活，要告訴大家用美語怎麼說女孩子的“真命天子”， 還要去看棒球比賽，教大家怎麼......
B: 加油？
A: 不對，是起鬨!
A: 哈哈，聽着不錯吧？ 好，下面咱們還是按照老規矩，先花一分鐘，學一個詞!
Learn A Word: on the fence
今天我們要學的詞是 on the fence, fence is spelled f-e-n-c-e, on the fence. On the fence 猶豫不決的。Many potential home buyers are still on the fence, waiting for the housing market to reach rock bottom. 很多想買房的人還在猶豫不決，等待房地產市場觸底。Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is still on the fence about whether or not she wants to run for President. 阿拉斯加州前州長佩林在是否要參加總統大選的問題上依然猶豫不決。Meanwhile, many Republican voters are still on the fence in terms of which candidate to support. 與此同時，很多共和黨選民在支持哪位候選人的問題上還是拿不到主意。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 on the fence, on the fence, on the fence.
A: Donny, 剛纔咱們聽的這個on the fence 是猶豫不決的意思。可是，"fence"不是粉絲嘛？就是追星族？
B: No, Yiru, that's another word. "On the fence"裏面的fence，是f-e-n-c-e, 意思是圍牆，柵欄。
A: 難怪on the fence 表示騎牆，猶豫不決。
B: 沒錯。你說的歌迷影迷在英文裏是fan, f-a-n, fan. 複數加s，變成fans. 也就是中國人常說的“粉絲”。
A: 這下我明白了!
B: 明白就好! Now let's move on to our next program--words and idioms.
Word and Idioms: Bear the brunt
各位聽衆，現在播送<美國習慣用語>第 935講。我是楊琳。
我是 Douglas Johnson.
昨天，我和一個朋友聊天。她向我訴苦說，三年前，她父親去世了，而幾個哥哥都不想照顧年邁體弱的母親，所以她這個家裏最小的女兒這三年就一直擔負着照料母親的責任，感覺壓力很大，特別累。我覺得她那幾個哥哥實在很不應該，很自私。同時，我也想到了一個習慣用語，那就是：
Bear the brunt. Bear is spelled b-e-a-r, and brunt; b-r-u-n-t. Bear the brunt.
Brunt 的意思是“衝擊力，壓力”，bear the brunt 就是指承受最大的壓力，應對最糟糕的局面。我朋友就是這樣，哥哥們不願意讓體弱的媽媽搬來同住，She has little choice but to bear the brunt. 她別無選擇，只得硬着頭皮接過這個責任。
在下面這段話中，郵遞員們要承擔很大壓力，我們來聽一聽是怎麼回事：
"The postal workers were fed up with low wages and increased hours. That's what led to the strike. Their protest didn't get much sympathy from citizens. Every day that they chose not to deliver the mail, they heard more and louder complaints. They had to BEAR THE BRUNT of the public's anger."
這段話是說：郵局職工受夠了低工資和長工時，於是他們決定罷工。可是他們的抗議行爲並沒有得到公衆的同情。郵局一天不送信，公衆對它的抱怨就更強烈。郵遞員們不得不承受公衆憤怒所帶來的壓力。
我倒覺得，公衆壓力可能對郵局有利。郵政癱瘓，時間一長，真正要bear the brunt--承受壓力的人就不是郵局，而是政府了。政府頂不住壓力就可能妥協，郵局工作人員的要求也就能達成啦! 好了，我們再來聽聽剛纔那段話：
"The postal workers were fed up with low wages and increased hours. That's what led to the strike. Their protest didn't get much sympathy from citizens. Every day that they chose not to deliver the mail, they heard more and louder complaints. They had to BEAR THE BRUNT of the public's anger."
在下面這段話中，整個城市，不，差不多半個國家都處在壓力之下，咱們來聽聽是怎麼回事：
"The winter of 2010 will be remembered for terrible weather. A February blizzard buried several states in the mid-Atlantic region under 2-3 feet of snow. Three days later, a second massive snowstorm dumped another 1-2 feet. Washington, D.C. was among the cities that BORE THE BRUNT. It was paralyzed, suffering the snowiest winter in its history."
這段話是說：2010年冬天最大的特點就是天氣特別糟糕。二月份一場大風暴把美國東部的幾個州埋在了兩三英尺厚的大雪下。就在三天後，第二場大雪又帶來了一到兩英尺的降雪。首都華盛頓就是受大雪影響最嚴重的城市之一。整個城市癱瘓，在其歷史上降雪量最大的寒冬中瑟瑟發抖。
這個大雪不斷的冬天我是親身經歷了。交通不便，水電被中斷，還有人員死亡和財產損失。恐怕除了不用上學，可以痛快玩雪的孩子，沒人欣賞這個白茫茫的冬天。好了，我們再來聽聽剛纔那段話：
"The winter of 2010 will be remembered for terrible weather. A February blizzard buried several states in the mid-Atlantic region under 2-3 feet of snow. Three days later, a second massive snowstorm dumped another 1-2 feet. Washington, D.C. was among the cities that BORE THE BRUNT. It was paralyzed, suffering the snowiest winter in its history."
各位聽衆，今天我們學習的習慣用語是bear the brunt，意思是“應對最糟糕的局面，頂住最大的壓力”。好的，這次[美國習慣用語]就到此結束，我是曉北，我是 Douglas Johnson。
A: Bear the brunt，承受最大的壓力。說起這個，當年我剛來美國留學的時候，一個人孤孤單單，舉目無親，精神壓力特大。
B: I feel you, Yiru. When I was studying Chinese in Beijing, the first several months were very stressful.
A: 咱們真是同病相憐! 好在我後來遇到了我老公，他對我特別好，給我家的溫暖，He changed my life!
B: Hmm, that's a story of meeting the right person at the right time.
A: 是哦! 我在恰當的時候遇到了合適的人。
B: 正好，咱們今天的“美語怎麼說”就要教大家說這個“合適的人”。
How to say it in American English: Mr. Right
Jessica 在北京學漢語，她的中國朋友要是遇到了不知道用美語怎麼說的詞，就會來請教她。今天是楊林要問的：真命天子
YL: Jessica! 跟你說件事兒。
Jessica: Go ahead.
YL: 我不久前碰到高中時同桌的男生，和他聊得特投機! 我們一起看電影，吃飯，跳舞......太開心了! 我好象喜歡上他了!
Jessica: You mean you "developed a crush on him?" Crush is spelled c-r-u-s-h, crush. It means a temporary love.
YL: 哦，crush 就是一時迷戀，動心。Jessica, I think I developed a major crush on him.
Jessica: 楊林，你不是有男朋友麼？
YL: 呃......我也爲這事兒發愁呢，不知道誰是我的真命天子。
Jessica: 真命天子？那不是皇帝麼？
YL: 哈哈，是皇帝沒錯。可一個女生的真命天子就是她真正的伴侶。這用英文怎麼說呢？
Jessica: Oh, you're talking about "Mr. Right"! Mr. Right refers to the perfect man for you.
YL: Mr. Right? right是“對，正確”，所以 Mr. Right 就是各方面都跟我特別合適的男人， 我的真命天子!
Jessica: Exactly! So who looks like your Mr. Right, your boyfriend or this high school classmate?
YL: 我也不知道! 你說我該選擇哪個呢？
Jessica: Well, I think you should choose the one who is your soul mate.
YL: soul mate? s-o-u-l, soul是靈魂的意思，mate 是伴侶，所以soul mate 就是靈魂伴侶嘍？
Jessica: 沒錯! Your soul mate is the person with whom you have deep and natural love. It's very spiritual.
YL: 和那人心有靈犀一點通，這感覺太美好了!
Jessica: 好了，Let's see what you've learned today!
YL: 第一：對某人產生好感，to develop a crush on someone；
第二：女孩子的真命天子， Mr. Right;
第三：靈魂伴侶，soul mate
A: soul mate, 靈魂伴侶，My husband and I are soul mates.
B:Yeah yeah yeah, he's totally your Mr. right.
A: Donny, 你不要嫉妒我們這種愛情甜蜜的人嘛! Have you found your soul mate yet?
B: Ar...I'm still looking.
A: 我看，你是選擇太多，所以，You're on the fence, aren't you?
B: Thanks for your understanding, Yiru. Sometimes I wish I weren't this popular.
A: 嘿!說你胖你就喘! 好了，我們還是來聽聽下面的美語三級跳吧，看看怎麼向朋友介紹你的感情生活！
GoEnglish: Relationship -- Beginner
各位聽衆，大家好！今天我們爲您播出“美語三級跳”節目“戀愛”單元的初級課程。
Professor: Kevin and Emily are friends. They have come home from college for the holiday, and are talking about their relationships at school.
Winnie: 兩個好朋友放假時聚在一起，當然得聊聊各自的感情生活了，快聽聽吧!
Emily: Hi Kevin, how was your year at college?
Kevin: It was great! How was your year?
Emily: It was good. Do you have a girlfriend at school?
Kevin: Yes, I'm dating someone. Her name is Amanda.
Winnie: 怪不得Kevin在大學裏過得這麼高興，原來是交了女朋友!
Professor: That's right, Winnie. If you have a boyfriend or a girlfriend, you can say that you're dating someone.
Winnie: 哦， 如果我有男朋友，就可以說 "I have a boyfriend"或者說"I'm dating someone"。那我現在沒有男朋友，該怎麼說呢？
Professor: Then you can say that "I'm single."
Winnie: 哦，"I'm single"就是說我沒戀愛，還是隻身一人。
Professor: That's right, Winnie. Now let's hear how Kevin met his girlfriend.
Emily: How did you meet your girlfriend?
Kevin: I met Amanda through a friend.
Emily: That's great. Did you start dating right after you met, or did you become friends first?
Kevin: We started dating right away.
Professor: Winnie, did you hear where Kevin met his girlfriend?
Winnie: 他們是通過朋友介紹認識的，而且立刻開始約會! 不知道他們交往多久了。
Professor: Well, let's listen and find out!
Emily: When did you and Amanda meet each other?
Kevin: I met her about one year ago.
Emily: So you met her right after you got to school?
Kevin: That's right. We've been dating since last September.
Winnie: 他們倆人從去年九月開始約會，這麼說他們在一起一年了! 看起來他們對這份感情還挺認真的。
Professor: That's right, Winnie. They sound like a serious couple.
Winnie: 像Kevin這樣專一的男生現在可不多了，不知道怎樣才能找到這麼好的男生。
Emily: So you said you and Amanda met through a mutual friend. How did it happen?
Kevin: Well, my roommate was friends with Amanda, so he introduced us.
Emily: Did he tell you what she was like first?
Kevin: Yes, he described her to me, and she sounded like my type.
Winnie: Professor Bowman, Kevin說 Amanda 聽起來是他的"type," 這是什麼意思?
Professor: Your "type" is the kind of person that you like to date.
Winnie: 哦，原來 your type 就是你喜歡的那種人。Kevin 的室友一跟Kevin描述Amanda, Kevin就覺得，這個女孩正是他心目中的理想女友!
Emily: So Kevin, what is your type?
Kevin: I like girls who like to have fun, and aren't too serious.
Emily: I agree. I like guys that can make me laugh.
Kevin: That's true. Having a very serious boyfriend or girlfriend can be boring.
Winnie: 其實Kevin和Emily聽上去倒是挺班配的。
Professor: Yes, they both like people who like to have fun and make them laugh.
Winnie: Kevin跟Amanda交往那麼久，兩人一定很合得來，就是不知道是不是一見鍾情。
Professor: Let's listen and find out.
Emily: How did you first meet?
Kevin: My roommate invited both of us to dinner.
Emily: Was it love at first sight? Did you fall in love with her the first time you met her?
Kevin: Yes! The first time I saw her I knew we would fall in love.
Winnie: 果然是一見鍾情! 好浪漫哦! 不過，還多虧了Kevin室友這個月下佬幫忙!
Professor: That's true, Winnie! Match people are important! Do you know computers now can work as match makers?
Winnie: 哦， 您說的是專門替人找對象的網站吧! 的確，很多人現在用這種online dating來尋找伴侶，只要在電腦上輸入your "type", 電腦就會幫你找到你的另一半。不過真交往起來並不一定合適。
Professor: That's true. Winnie, we've heard a lot about Kevin's relationship. Now let's find out about Emily.
Kevin: What about you, Emily? Have you dated anyone recently?
Emily: I started to date someone recently, but it didn't work out.
Kevin: That's too bad. What happened?
Emily: Well ... that's a long story.
Winnie: 唉， 可憐的Emily，最近交了個男朋友，可後來卻分手了。怎麼會這樣呢？
Professor: Let's listen next time and find out!
A: 啊! 甜蜜的校園戀情。Kevin和Amanda是love at first sight--一見鍾情。倆人都愛說愛笑，They're made for each other.-- 他們簡直就是天造地設的一對。
B: But Emily isn't so lucky. Her relationship didn't work out.
A: 她還說，That's a long story--說來話長。
B: Yes. Sometimes you really can't pinpoint what went wrong in a relationship. You just know the person isn't right for you.
A: 可不是麼! 談戀愛要靠感覺，是很玄妙的。不過要是換到別的人際關係上，可就不能光憑感覺辦事兒了。
B: That's true. For example, if your boss wants to fire you, he can't say "oh, it's not your fault. I just don't like you."
A: 對，公司裏的人事變化是要有事實做理由的，否則就沒有規矩了。下面咱們來聽聽“禮節美語”，說的就是這個。
Business Etiquette: Vote of No Confidence II
公司董事 David 和 Ken談話，覺得公司CEO Vincent 不稱職。David說，
David: One of Vincent's biggest problems is his tendency to micro-manage everything. He sticks his nose into everything instead of leaving the day-to-day decisions to the guys who know what they're doing.
K: That's true. He also seems rather uncertain and indecisive about many things.
D: need a leader who can inspire us. The CEO needs to be a coach, not a referee. You everyone is cut out to be a leader.
K: I think one of the primary skills a leader needs is the ability to listen.
David 覺得, Vincent 最大的問題之一是喜歡 micro-manage 管得太細。He sticks his nose into everything. 不論什麼事他都要插手，to stick one's nose into something 意思是插手某事。Ken 也說，Vincent 在很多問題上優柔寡斷，而且不會聽取意見。David 還說，not everyone is cut out to be a leader. 不是人人都能當領導的。to be cut out for something 意思是適合做某事。
D: Vincent is terrible at that. He frequently seems to completely misunderstand what we're trying to get across. Just between you and me, I've spoken to a few other board members and they say if there is a vote of no confidence, they'll vote "no."
K: But will Vincent be forced to resign if there is such a vote?
D: it will do one of two things: one, it will serve as a wake-up call and he might change his style ---or two: he might step down if he realizes he's lost the support of the board.
David 已經跟其他一些董事會成員打過招呼，他們都表示，如果有不信任案，他們會投不信任票。這樣可能會有兩種結果，it will either serve as a wake-up call. 要麼會給Vincent 敲響警鐘，讓他自覺改變管理風格，要麼會讓 Vincent 意識到，自己已經失去董事會的支持，自覺下臺。
K: Shouldn't we try to find a way to give him a chance to avoid embarrassment?
D: Yes we should. I'll be writing him a private letter next week and expressing our thoughts on the matter. I'd appreciate it if you would sign the letter as well.
K: , I guess that's the best way. We'll give him a chance to either improve or resign.
D: And if he rejects those options, we'll try a vote of no confidence.
K: Ok, David....I'm on board. Let's give it a shot.
Ken 建議 give him a chance to avoid embarrassment 設法避免讓 Vincent 難堪，David 表示贊同，決定先給 Vincent 寫封私人信件，闡述他們的意見，希望 Ken 能在上面聯署。Ken 承認，這可能是最好的方式，說，I'm on board. 算我一個，Let's give it a shot. 咱們試試看。
A: 我也覺得Vincent不是當CEO的料。他喜歡stick his nose into everything--什麼都插手，同時呢，He's uncertain and indecisive--他又憂柔寡斷，什麼事都拿不定主意。
B: Right. He's not cut out to be a leader.
A: 所以公司董事會要給他一個wake-up call, 敲警鐘。
B: But David will write to him first to let him know what other people are really thinking about his performance as CEO.
A: 是，這公司的人還是挺客氣的，給Vincent留着面子。在我們下面的“體育美語”節目中，觀衆席裏的人可就沒有這麼好的風度了。
B: Yeah. Let's listen.
American sports English: Heckling
Y: Patrick. 謝謝你帶我來看棒球比賽。
P: Hey, be quiet! Batta, batta, batta. Swing, batta!
Y: You be quiet! What are you doing, Patrick?
P: I'm heckling the players. Heckling H-E-C-K-L-I-N-G is when you yell at a player of the team you are not rooting for.
Y: 你這樣起鬨會影響運動員發揮的。I think it's very distracting.
P: It is distracting and it really is not good to yell at athletes you aren't rooting for- but in baseball, Yang Chen, it is a tradition.
Y: A tradition? 這還是個傳統啊？I don't believe you.
P: Well, you should. It's a common tradition and an easy one. All you say is: Batta, batta, batta. Swing, batta! I'm hoping that the batter, B-A-T-T-E-R, will miss the ball and get a strike, S-T-R-I-K-E.
Y: Oh, 你是在衝着那個batter 擊球手，給他起鬨。
P: Right. And if the batter swings three times and misses, it is three strikes. Three strikes and you are OUT!
Y: 三振出局。
P: Now this is what we want, Yang Chen. After three strikes, our team gets a chance to score.
Y: Hey, can you yell anything you want?
P: haha, good question but.... not really. You can't yell anything really mean or obscene.
Y: 我知道了，不可以罵人，不可以喊髒話，那這樣行嗎？─Hey, 大笨瓜，you are out!
P: Uh, no. or as they say in the movie, just a bit outside.
Y: Hey look! 你看那大笨瓜 struck out! 被三振出局了！This is fun!
A: 學了半天起鬨，那叫好加油怎麼說啊？
B: 加油可以用"cheer". For example, we all cheer for the home team.我們都爲主場隊伍加油。
A: I see. 對了Donny, 你週末不是常和朋友們打棒球嘛？這個週末打不打？
B: 打啊。Are you coming to cheer for me?
A:我只是想去練習一下今天學的heckling.
B: 啊？!
A: I'm kidding! 好，今天的節目時間差不多了。這次的撰稿人是曉北，編輯是蔚然。同學們，我們下次的美語訓練班再見!
B：Bye!
