美语训练班024讲

A: 美语训练班上课啦！我是杨林！

B：我是Jessica! 杨林，让我来告诉大家今天的节目内容，怎么样？

A：没问题，go ahead!

B: 今天，我们要去打拳击 - boxing!， 回顾经典美剧--六人行, 谈谈换工作的事儿，还要告诉大家用美语怎么说"电灯泡"。

A: 电灯泡是light bulb，这个大家都知道，我猜，今天我们要教的是那种打扰情侣约会的"电灯泡"，对不对？

B: You'll have to listen and find out. 现在，咱们还是先来学个词儿吧！

Learn a word Career Path

今天我们要学的词是career path. Career is spelled c-a-r-e-e-r, career; and path, p-a-t-h, path; career path. Career path 职业生涯。求职顾问建议大家尝试不同种类的工作。Having a nonlinear career path can make you more interesting to potential employers. 有非直线职业生涯的人在雇人老板眼里更有吸引力。According to a new study by the UK Office for National Statistics, the birth month of infants can indicate what career path they will take in the future. 英国国家统计局的一项研究发现，出生月份将决定一个人未来的职业发展方向。好的，今天我们学习的词是 career path, career path, career path.

B：So the month in which I was born will affect the kind of job I have in the future? That's interesting!

A: 对啊。Jessica, 你是几月份生的？

B：February. So what does that say about my career path?

A: 恭喜，According to the study, 二月出生的人最可能成为艺术家！

B: Wow! that's nice!

A: 你说这和星座有关么？我不是特相信这些东西。

B: I don't know, but sometimes the predictions do come true, and when they do, it boggles the mind!

A: Boggle the mind? 你又说到大家听不懂的词了，咱们快来教一下吧！

Word and idioms: boggle the mind

女：各位听众，现在播送第 944讲。我是晓北。

M：我是 Douglas Johnson.

女：那天我去看微雕，真的很厉害!小小的一块木头上雕刻了整整一本红楼梦! 太不可思议了! 真的惊叹于雕刻师的精湛手艺。这让我想到一个习惯用语:

M: Boggle the mind. Boggle is spelled b-o-g-g-l-e, and mind; m-i-n-d. Boggle-the-mind. Boggle the mind.

女: boggle本身有吃惊的意思，而mind是思想，头脑。Boggle the mind, 意思就是"令人惊叹的"。雕刻师在小小的一块木头上雕了整整一本书，令人惊叹! 这换了我绝对不行。我们再来看一个例子。大家都知道最初计算机非常沉笨，而现在电脑做得越来越轻便，像最新的I-pad 2 还不到80克! 让我们来听听这令人惊叹的科技进步:

M: "Fifty years ago, the fastest computers ever made took up the space of a football field. Their many vacuum tubes and mechanical parts required constant maintenance. Amazingly, the computing devices we now hold in our hands can do so much more in only a fraction of the time. That BOGGLES THE MIND."

这段话是说：[50年前，世界上运作最快的电脑占地要达到整个一个足球场那么大。其中有很多电子管和机械零件，需要经常维修。可现在，我们手中拿的小电脑能在短得多的时间里做多得多的事情。]

女：这确实令人惊叹。想想我们现在不以为然的很多东西，摩天大楼，超音速飞机，基因工程，都是令人惊叹的人类发明。50年前，谁能想到现代社会根本就离不开电脑呢? 好，让我们再来听听刚才那段话：

M: "Fifty years ago, the fastest computers ever made took up the space of a football field. Their many vacuum tubes and mechanical parts required constant maintenance. Amazingly, the computing devices we now hold in our hands can do so much more in only a fraction of the time. That BOGGLES THE MIND."

女：Boggle the mind. 令人惊叹的。 在下面这个例子里，Linda 在事业上取得了令人惊叹的成就。而她的同事George 却有别的看法。让我们来听听看:

M:" George was shocked when Linda became his supervisor. She seemed to lack any of the necessary skills to manage employees. Her reports were often inaccurate and she did nothing to improve productivity. How she ever got her promotion BOGGLED HIS MIND. She must have known somebody important at the factory."

这段话是说：[乔治得知琳达变成他的上司之后十分吃惊。她完全没有管理员工的能力。她的报告经常出现纰漏，而且她完全没有做任何事情来增加生产力。她是如何晋升的着实令人吃惊。她肯定认识工厂里的什么重要人物。]

女: 在乔治眼里，没有实际能力的琳达能够晋升令他吃惊。Boggle his mind。大家注意，在boggle the mind 中，我们可以把"the"换成任何人称代词，boggle sb's mind， 令某人吃惊。在这里，George was so baffled by Linda's promotion that it boggled his mind. 琳达的神秘升职令乔治吃惊。好，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

M:" George was shocked when Linda became his supervisor. She seemed to lack any of the necessary skills to manage employees. Her reports were often inaccurate and she did nothing to improve productivity. How she ever got her promotion BOGGLED HIS MIND. She must have known somebody important at the factory."

女：各位听众，今天我们学习的习惯用语是BOGGLE THE MIND，意思是"令人惊叹的"。好的，这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束，我是杨琳，我是 Douglas Johnson。谢谢各位的收听。

M: Until next time.

女：下次节目再见。

M: This has been Words and Idioms.

B: 杨琳, Let me tell you something that's really mind-boggling: a friend of mine got a Ferrari for her birthday! Isn't that something?

A：生日礼物是法拉利？够牛的。男朋友送的？

B: Yes! I joined them for a drive. It was fantastic!

A：人家情侣开车兜风你非要跟着，真是电灯泡。

B: 哈哈，They don't seem to mind. 不过说到电灯泡，Let's find out how to say it in American English!

How to say it: The third wheel

Donny 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。今天是琼燕要问的：电灯泡。

QY: Happy Friday， Donny! 你今天晚上有什么计划吗？

Donny: Hmm, not yet. What do you have in mind?

QY: Let's go salsa!! 我今晚要跟两个朋友去跳salsa, 可他们俩是一对，我可真不想夹在中间，当大电灯泡--very bright light bulb!

Donny: I see. You don't want to be the third wheel.

QY: The third wheel?

Donny: Yep! Wheel is spelled w-h-e-e-l. The third wheel, 第三个轮子, it's a very colloquial way of saying a third person joining a couple in a social context.

QY: 没错！我就是不想当 the third wheel!

Donny: Exactly, you wouldn't want to bother any love birds, right?

QY: Wait! Love birds? 爱的鸟儿？

Donny:Yep! In English, we often use the word love birds to refer to a couple who are openly affectionate, especially in public. 就是大庭广众之下卿卿我我。你不想打扰这对love birds吧?

QY: 可不是吗！不过这两个人很配！They are a great match!

Donny: Oh that's nice! You can also say, they are a match made in heaven.

QY: A match made in heaven？ 那不就是中文里说的天生一对嘛！

Donny: There you go! Since you don't want to be the third wheel, I will go with you! But first, let's see what you learned today!

QY: 第一：电灯泡叫做：the third wheel;

第二，如胶似漆的情侣 ，可以说 love birds;

第三，"天生一对"是，a match made in heaven.

A: A match made in heaven 天生一对儿。不过，虽说缘分天注定，有时也得寻觅好多年才能碰上合适的人。

B：That's okay as long as you find the one. The process itself will teach you what love really is. Don't you think so?

A：You're right! 而且这个过程越曲折，爱情故事就越动人。电视剧就是这么编出来的。

B: Speaking of TV shows, let's listen to GoEnglish. Today, Will and Jane will talk about my favorite sitcom, Friends.

GoEnglish: TV intermediate

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

Winnie:: Will 和 Jane在约会时聊天，谈到了"sitcom"， 也就是situation comedy - 情景喜剧。

Professor: Hey Winnie, have you ever watched any American sitcoms?

Winnie:: 我以前看过Friends--"六人行"，这算是个sitcom吧？

Professor: That's right! Now let's see what sitcoms Will and Jane like to watch.

Will: So Jane, I know that you like watching reality TV. But what about sitcoms?

Jane: I used to watch Friends religiously! I cried when it went off the air in 2004.

Will: Oh yeah, Friends was a really popular sitcom. But wasn't it pretty unrealistic? None of the characters worked very often, but they had a huge apartment in New York city.

Jane: Who cares? Sitcoms are supposed to be funny. They're not supposed to be like real life.

Winnie:: 原来，Jane也是"六人行"的粉丝! 她说得对，sitcom追求的是搞笑、好玩儿，谁会在乎情节的真实性啊! 对了，professor, Jane说她以前 watch Friends "religiously"，这是什么意思呢？

Professor: It means she was very serious about watching the show.

Winnie:: 哦，我明白了，如果做什么事情是本着"religiously"的态度，就表明你是雷打不动，一直在很认真地做。Jane看"六人行"一定是集集不落! 她还说，2004年这个节目 went off the air--"停播"的时候，她都哭了!

Professor: Exactly! Winnie, the opposite of "off the air" is "on the air". You could say that Friends was so popular that it was able to stay on the air for 10 seasons.

Winnie:: 哦，off the air的反义词是on the air, 也就是"播出"的意思。

Will: Why did you like Friends so much? Did you think it was really funny?

Jane: Yeah, it was really funny, but it also had a great storyline. All the different episodes were part of the same plot.

Will: That's true. I also thought that the dialogue was really good too.

Jane: Oh yeah, the dialogue was great. I thought everything the characters said to one another was really funny.