美语训练班034讲

A: 美语训练班上课啦! 我是杨琳！

B: 我是 Kat! 杨琳，今天咱们都教些什么呢？

A：今天，咱们要设计一个不容易被人破解的密码，要聊聊管教孩子的问题，要去看冰球比赛，还要告诉大家怎么用美语说"酒后驾车"。

B: Sounds good!

A: 不过咱们还是先来learn a word！

Learn A Word #1386 up someone's alley

今天我们要学的词是 up someone's alley. Up is spelled u-p, up; and alley, a-l-l-e-y, alley; up someone's alley. Alley是小径的意思，而 up someone's alley 意思是正合某人胃口。今天是美国感恩节后的第一个星期一，店家在网上大打折扣，叫做网络星期一。If you hate walking endlessly on Black Friday, then Cyber Monday may be right up your alley. 如果你不想在黑色星期五那天去实地抢购，那么网络星期一可能正合你的胃口。If you love funny sitcoms, then the new show Modern Family might be right up your alley. 如果你爱看幽默的情景喜剧，那么摩登家庭可能正合你的胃口。 好的，今天我们学习的词是up someone's alley, up someone's alley, up someone's alley.

A: Christmas is just around the corner. 这就意味着，It' shopping season now!

B: I know shopping is right up your alley!

A: 没错，过节了，要给亲朋好友挑选适合每个人的礼物，要让大家喜欢，价格又得是自己承受得起的，其实选礼物也是一门学问啊！

B: Exactly! That's why some Americans start their Christmas shopping way ahead of time.

A：对，早点开始采购年货，这样就有足够的时间挑选合适的礼物。

B：But there are always those who hit the mall at the last minute to do holiday shopping, right before the mall closes.

A：啊？商场临关门前才冲进去开始挑选礼物？那得多赶啊！正好，在今天的美国习惯用语里，我们要教 burning question，是十万火急的意思，一起来听吧。

B: Let's listen!

Words and Idioms #949

各位听众，现在播送美国习惯用语第949讲。我是杨琳。

我是Douglas Johnson.

最近我们家决定买房子，但是看了三个月，一直没看到什么让我满意的。恰恰好现在租的房子租约就要满了，需要决定要不要继续租下去，情况可真够紧急的! 这也让我想到一个习惯用语，那就是：

Burning question. Burning is spelled b-u-r-n-i-n-g, and question, q-u-e-s-t-i-o-n. Burning question.

Burning 字面上的意思是正在燃烧的。那么burning question 都烧起来了的问题! 引伸下来就是"十万火急的问题"，通常也指人们热烈讨论的问题。比如我现在就面临着一个这样的问题。It's a burning question for me to decide weather or not to continue the current lease. 决定是否要续租目前的房子对我来说就是一个十万火急的问题。下面的例子里，种植柑橘的农民面临什么棘手问题? 我们来听听看:

"Last year freezing temperatures ruined Florida's citrus industry. Millions of dollars worth of produce were lost. Now weather forecasters are calling for severe cold. Industry analysts and farmers desperately want to know what they should do if another catastrophe occurs. That's the BURNING QUESTION."

[这段话是说：去年严冬低温重创佛罗里达的柑橘业，损失高达数百万美元。现在天气预报又预报可能出现严冬。业内分析人士和农民都迫切地想要知道，如果再次发生气候灾难，他们该怎么做。这是目前人们都在讨论的紧迫问题。]

是啊，农民们可真不容易! 他们得担心像天气这种自己根本无法控制的问题。最近美国龙卷风频繁，像灾后密苏里州乔普林市就遭受了一次这样的袭击，而如何重建也成为十万火急的问题。The reconstruction of the city of Joplin, Missouri has become a burning question. 乔普林市的重建现在是人们热烈讨论的重要话题。好，让我们再来听听刚才那段话。

"Last year freezing temperatures ruined Florida's citrus industry. Millions of dollars worth of produce were lost. Now weather forecasters are calling for severe cold. Industry analysts and farmers desperately want to know what they should do if another catastrophe occurs. That's the BURNING QUESTION."

在美国，高中结束时的prom毕业舞会，是毕业班学生一直盼望的。下面例子里，这名男孩对于毕业舞会有什么心急如焚的问题呢? 我们来听听看:

"Sharon's among the most popular girls in my senior class. So it's no surprise that I'm not the only guy who asked her to go to the prom. She said she'd let me know by the weekend. Will she be my date? It's a BURNING QUESTION. I'm dying for her to give me her answer. "

[这段话是说：莎伦是我们高中最受欢迎的女生之一。所以我知道，我肯定不是唯一一个邀请她去参加毕业舞会的人。她说她会在周末给我答复。她会当我的女伴吗? 这真让我心急如焚，我迫切地希望她把最后决定告诉我。]

在美国，毕业舞会对高中毕业生是非常重要的，能请到自己喜欢的女孩子去参加毕业舞会，才不会留下遗憾。难怪这个男孩子迫不及待地想知道Sharon是否会接受他的邀请。It's a burning question. 好的，我们再来听听刚才那段话:

"Sharon's among the most popular girls in my senior class. So it's no surprise that I'm not the only guy who asked her to go to the prom. She said she'd let me know by the weekend. Will she be my date? It's a BURNING QUESTION. I'm dying for her to give me her answer. "

B: 杨林，Have you noticed there are a lot more cops on the road during holiday season?

A：Yes! 一到节假日，街上的警察就比平时多很多。Can you tell me why?

B: Well, one of the most obvious reasons is that there tend to be more car accidents on holidays because people go to holiday parties and they get DRUNK!

A: 哦！对！过年过节大家聚会，免不了喝酒助兴，这时候，酒后驾车的特别多，路上更容易出事故，所以警察自然也比平时多喽！

B: Exactly. 酒后驾车 is very dangerous.

A: Of course! 在下面的"美语怎么说"里，咱们就来看看就"酒驾"怎么说。

DAN在北京学汉语，他的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词，就会来请教他。今天是吴琼问的：酒后驾车。

DAN: 吴琼, 你怎么无精打采的？

WQ: 别提了！昨天晚上让警察给抓了！

DAN: What happened? Who did you kill?

WQ: 杀人？DAN你就别损我了，我哪会杀人，就是酒后驾车了，在美语里就是driving after drinking 对么？

DAN: Actually it's called drunk driving. WQ, drunk driving is no trivial matter. You really shouldn't do it.

WQ: 你就别教育我了，我知道错了！其实我也是第一次酒驾，以前我都很注意的！昨天实在没人开车了，我在一帮人里算喝得最少的了，就想....

DAN: You took a chance and thought you'd get lucky, right?

WQ: 是。我觉得就这一次，肯定出不了事，也肯定不会被抓到，谁知道....

DAN: You got pulled over by a cop?

WQ: Pull over?

DAN: Yea. When a cop asks you to stop the car on the side of the road, that's called getting pulled over.

WQ: 明白了，警察 pull someone over, 就是示意司机把车停靠在路边。Yes, I got pulled over by a traffic police. 我本来还想装作没事，结果人家警察叔叔一下就看出我喝了酒，一点情面也没留，罚了我1000块！

DAN: 1000块？酒驾罚款不是200么？

WQ: 上礼拜才改的新规定！都让我赶上了！

DAN: Sounds like you had a tough break!

WQ: To have a tough break 就是倒霉吧？我的确是够倒霉的！

DAN: WQ, I'm sorry you had a tough break, but it's no excuse for drunk driving. Next time you go out drinking with a bunch of friends, don't forget to have a designated driver!

WQ: Designate? D-E-S-I-G-N-A-T-E, designate是指定的意思，designated driver就是专门负责开车送朋友们回家的人喽！

DAN: 没错！

WQ: Next time we'll definitely have a designated driver!

DAN: Good idea! Now let's see what you've learned today.

WQ: 酒后驾车是drunk driving; 警察示意路边停车是pull someone over; 倒霉，运气差，是have a tough break; party结束后专门负责开车送大家回家的人是the designated driver.

B：Which friend of yours is the designated driver, 杨林？

A：Haha, I'm lucky. A friend of mine is allergic to alcohol, so she's the perfect candidate for designated driver!

B: Oh, poor her! She must be really busy driving around taking you guys home!

A：哈哈！没错！这个朋友因为对酒精过敏，所以滴酒不沾，当然是designated driver的最佳人选喽！大家只要在party上看到她在，就可以开怀畅饮了！

B: Gosh! She should start charging fees.

A: Hey! Don't give her ideas!

B: Haha!

A：好了，咱们来听下面的节目吧。

B: Okay! Let's listen to ǒGo Englishō.

GoEnglish: Play Date: Intermediate

各位听众，大家好！今天我们为您播出"美语三级跳"节目"带孩子"单元的中级课程。

Hannah 晚上要和老公出去看电影，所以雇了临时保姆Elliot来家里照顾女儿Amber。

Professor: During the last episode at the playground Amber hit another child and stole the ball he was playing with. She sounds like a troublemaker, doesn't she?

可不是嘛! 看来Elliot今晚有得忙了!

Hannah: Hi there, Elliot. Thanks for being on time. We're just about to leave for the movie.

Elliot: Hi Hannah. You know, I love kids. I think I will have a lot of fun with Amber.

Hannah: That's great, but I should warn you: Amber can be a handful.

Elliot: Don't worry, I'm a very patient person. Even if Amber misbehaves I'm sure she won't get on my nerves.

Professor, Hannah 提醒 Elliot, 说 "Amber is a handful," 这是什么意思呢？

Professor: You can say someone is "a handful" if he or she gives you lots of trouble. For example, "Paul's girlfriend is really a handful. He has to call her 10 times per day or she complains he doesn't care about her."

原来，a handful 就是那些非常难伺候，总惹麻烦的家伙。不过，Elliot说，自己很有耐心，即便Amber不听话，也不会get on his nerves--惹他生气。

Hannah: First, let me give you some basic rules. Amber has to finish all her dinner. If she doesn't, she can't watch TV.

Elliot: What should I cook for her? Is she a picky eater?

Hannah: I left her dinner in the refrigerator. Make sure you stand on the other side of the room when she eats.

Elliot: Why do I have to do that?

Hannah: Sometimes if Amber doesn't like the food I make her, she screams and throws it at me.

天呀，Hannah说， 如果Amber不喜欢吃什么东西，就会大喊大叫，还会把吃的扔出去! 如果让我看这种孩子，我每小时得要100美金!

Professor: I agree. But Winnie, can you guess what a "picky eater" is?

Hmm...picky是 "挑剔"的意思，所以 "picky eater"应该是"挑食的人。"

Professor: Correct. And what does Hannah say will happen if Amber doesn't eat her dinner?

她说，如果Amber不把饭吃完，就不许看电视。

Elliot: She might throw her food at me? Alright ... what should I do with her before dinner?

Hannah: Before dinner you have to help her do her homework. But watch her very carefully when she is holding the pen.

Elliot: Why?

Hannah: If she doesn't know the answer she gets really mad and draws all over the wall.

Elliot: What? Well it's good she is so serious about doing her homework, I guess....

啊？Amber不会做作业，就会发脾气，在墙上乱画？! 这孩子太可怕了，我要是Elliot，现在就拍屁股走人!