美语训练班016讲

A: 又到了"美语训练班"的时间了! 我是杨琳.

B: 我是Donny！杨琳, 给大家介绍一下今天要学什么吧。

A: 没问题! 今天，我们要聊聊一边工作一边上学是不是可行, 要看看被朋友硬拉进一个不靠谱的乐队会有多惨，要去打真正的高尔夫球, 还要告诉大家怎么用美语说"纠结"和"宁当鸡头，不当凤尾"。

B: 啊？什么鸡头和凤爪？好吃么？

A: 什么啊，不是吃的！待会儿你一听节目就明白了。

B: 好吧！不过现在，咱们还是先花一分钟，学一个词！

Learn A Word Severe

今天我们要学的词是severe. Severe is spelled s-e-v-e-r-e, severe. Severe 严重的，严峻的。最近美国大部分地区陷入酷暑之中。The elderly and the young are the most vulnerable to severe heat and humidity. 老年人和小孩子是最难以承受高温和湿热天气的人群。It's estimated that nearly four million people in Somalia are in danger of severe malnutrition. 据估计，索马里有将近400万人面临严重的营养不良。The weather service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for our area. 气象预报发出警告，说我们这个地区会有暴风雨。 好的，今天我们学习的词是severe, severe, severe.

A: Severe, 严重，严峻。Donny，要是我说，现在就业市场竞争激烈，是不是可以用severe competition?

B: That's right. You can say "recent graduates have a hard time landing a high-paying job because of the severecompetition in the job market."

A: 这句话的意思就是，由于就业市场竞争激烈，新毕业的学生很难抢到高薪工作。对么？

B: 对。其实，就业市场也有竞争不那么激烈的，比如去中小城市。

A: 可是大家都愿意往大城市去，一来那里工作机会多，二来，在大城市开阔眼界，打拼，也比较有成就感吧！

B: It depends. In some cases, being the big fish in a small pond can result in an equally successful career.

A: 你说的big fish in a small pond， 小池塘里的大鱼？有些听众可能不明白了，咱们赶紧在下面的Words and Idioms中给大家解释一下！

Words and Idioms: Big fish in a small pond

各位听众，现在播送<美国习惯用语>第 939讲。我是晓北。

我是 Douglas Johnson.

记得大学毕业时，我们班同学纷纷找机会留在大城市或者出国，可是有个男生却毅然决然回到自己的家乡就业。我们问他为什么，他说自己的学历和能力回家乡肯定能受到重用，可是留在大城市里就显不出来了，因为这里人才扎堆，竞争太激烈。他的这种心态，让我想到一个习惯用语：

Big fish in a small pond. Pond is spelled p-o-n-d. Big fish in a small pond.

Big fish是大鱼， small pond 则是小池塘。Big fish in a small pond 小池塘里的大鱼， 其实就是形容小地方的大人物，小圈子里的杰出者。我同学就是这样，He has no interest in living in large, competitive cities. He'd rather be a big fish in a small pond. 他不愿意住在竞争激烈的大城市，他宁当鸡头，不作凤尾。

我尊重这位同学的选择，我想，他选择去小地方发展应该就是不想经历下面这段话所描述的情景。我们来听一听：

Of the 60 students in her graduating class, Tania ranked number one. She received many honors, including a scholarship to one of the top universities in the country. Once there, Tania found it difficult adjusting to classmates who were all as talented as she was. That's because she had been used to being a BIG FISH IN A SMALL POND.

这段话是说：[在毕业班的六十名学生里，塔尼亚的成绩是全班第一。她得到了很多荣誉，包括一所全国顶尖大学的奖学金。可是到了那所大学后，塔尼亚发现，其他同学都和她一样出色，她觉得自己很难适应这样的情况，因为她已经习惯在小圈子里当佼佼者。]

人到了新的圈子里难免要渡过一段不太舒服的适应期，尤其是对当惯了尖子的人。有人觉得宁当鸡头不当凤尾，但也有人到哪里都要力争出类拔萃，全看个人心态。好，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

Of the 60 students in her graduating class, Tania ranked number one. She received many honors, including a scholarship to one of the top universities in the country. Once there, Tania found it difficult adjusting to classmates who were all as talented as she was. That's because she had been used to being a BIG FISH IN A SMALL POND.

要提醒大家，Fish这个词的复数形式还是fish，所以我们形容一个人是小地方的大人物，说 He's a fish in a small pond。那要是几个人呢？就是They are fish in a small pond。下面这个例句就讲到这样的两个人，我们来听一听：

Everyone at our real estate office knows the Kims. They've been successful sellers at the firm for several years. They could easily join a much larger staff at a more prestigious office. But then they'd no longer be BIG FISH IN A SMALL POND. And that wouldn't interest them.

这段话是说：[我们房地产办公室的人都知道金姆夫妻俩，多年来，他们一直是公司里相当成功的房地产销售员。他们如果想跳槽到更有名气的公司，加入更大的销售团队，绝对不是问题。不过那样一来，他们就没法再像现在一样当办公室里的风云人物了。所以他们对跳槽没兴趣。]

big fish in a small pond 里的 fish 也可以用 frog--青蛙--这个词来代替。所以，我同学去家乡发展，愿意当 a big frog in a small pond，小地方的杰出人才，金姆夫妇愿意留在现在的地产公司，当 big frogs in a small pond, 小公司里的红人。好，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

Everyone at our real estate office knows the Kims. They've been successful sellers at the firm for several years. They could easily join a much larger staff at a more prestigious office. But then they'd no longer be BIG FISH IN A SMALL POND. And that wouldn't interest them.

各位听众，今天我们学习的习惯用语是big fish in a small pond，意思是"小地方的大人物，小圈子里的杰出者"。好的，这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束，我是晓北，我是 Douglas Johnson。谢谢各位的收听。

A: Donny, 这些宁愿在小地方当大人物的人，就是我在节目开头时提到的那种心态──宁当鸡头，不当凤尾。

B: 哦，这下我明白了。不过我看，最好是当凤凰的头，当big fish in a big pond!

A: 哪那么容易啊。不过，If you're not in a big pond in the first place, you will never know whether you can survive in one，let alone become a big fish. 如果连试都不试，那就肯定没机会了！所以说，到底应该在什么环境里发展，真是让人纠结！

B: 说到"纠结"，咱们来听听 How to say it in American English, 今天就教这个词！

How to say it: on the fence

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。今天是吴琼要问的：纠结。

Donny: Hey 吴琼, congratulations! I heard you got a job offer.

吴琼: 没错，我昨天刚接到的通知！ 这可是我梦寐以求的工作。

Donny: That's great! You must be very excited.

吴琼: 不过啊，我还真有点犹豫。公司要我去美国待两年，我舍不得离开这的朋友，可又不愿意放弃这个难得的机会， 实在很纠结。Donny, 纠结英文怎么说?

Donny: 你可以说，I am torn, t-o-r-n, torn.

吴琼: Torn? 那不是被撕裂的意思?

Donny: Well, 一边是熟悉的生活，另一边是难得的机会，两个你都不想放弃，it's like your heart is being torn in two different directions, right? 你也可以说 I'm on the fence.

吴琼: Fence? 篱笆?

Donny: 对，中文里说举棋不定，英语里说 on the fence 就好像骑在一堵围墙上，不知道该向哪边倒。

吴琼: 我明白了。那你觉得我该怎么做呢?

Donny: Maybe you should ask yourself which is the lesser of two evils. Is it worse to give up your dream job or be away from your family and friends?

吴琼: The lesser of two evils? 两害相权取其轻?

Donny: That's right. Maybe when you think about it that way the answer will dawn on you.

吴琼: Dawn on me? D-a-w-n，不是"黎明"的意思么？

Donny: dawn on me 好象黎明驱走黑夜，让你把问题看清楚。

吴琼: 啊，所以我可以说 it suddenly dawned on me. 恍然大悟。

Donny: Bingo. Now let's see what you've learned today.

吴琼: 第一：纠结，拿不定主意可以说 I'm torn. 或是 I'm on the fence;

第二， 两害相权取其轻是 the lesser of two evils.

第三：恍然大悟是 It suddenly dawned on me.

B: 杨琳，Do you have any experience choosing the lesser of two evils?

A: 我想想啊....啊，对了！我过生日的时候，有个朋友送了我一大盒巧克力，还有个朋友送了我一个大芝士蛋糕，两个都会让我发胖，于是我只能先吃了热量比较小的那个.....

B: Er....I'm not sure if that's choosing the lesser of two evils. I think it's more like you doubled your fun.

A: 这个嘛.....不说我了，咱们还是来听"美语三级跳"，这集里的Eric才是真的要choose the lesser of two evils!

GoEnglish: Music─advanced

各位听众，大家好！今天我们为您播出"美语三级跳"节目"音乐"单元的高级课程。

P: Ernie and Beth are two students at college and they are starting a musical group together. Today Beth and Ernie are talking to Eric, who is a DJ, to ask him if he wants to join their group.

Winnie: 如果我是 Eric，一定拒绝。Beth 跟 Ernie的音乐品味可不怎么样。

P: Let's see what Eric says about this.

Eric: Hey guys, thanks for inviting me to join your group. I'm pretty interested, but first I just want to know a little bit more about what you're going to play.

Beth: Eric, it's going to be really great! We want to be a Vanilla Ice cover band!

Eric: Umm ... did you say you want to start a Vanilla Ice cover band? You're kidding, right?

Ernie: What? Of course not! And we want you to be our DJ.

Winnie: Professor Bowman, 什么叫cover band?

P: Winnie, a cover band is a musical group that only plays the songs from one really famous band.

Winnie: 噢，cover band 专门翻唱某个著名乐队的歌。所以Beth和Ernie的Vanilla Ice cover band就只唱Vanilla Ice的歌喽！这多没创意啊。看来Eric对这个想法也不是很感兴趣。

Eric: Umm ... you know guys, Vanilla Ice hasn't been popular since the early 1990s. And even then he was pretty terrible. What about playing something more up-to-date?

Beth: You know, I like to think of him as classic. His music never really goes out of style.

Eric: Right ... well what are you going to name the group?

Ernie: We're going to call it Chocolate Ice. Get the joke? Chocolate Ice instead of Vanilla Ice?

Eric: Don't worry, I get the joke. And if there's one thing that's certain, it's that everyone will be laughing at you.

Winnie: 哎呀，Beth还说Vanilla Ice的歌从不过时-- "never goes out of style"! 我觉得，他的歌就从来没有时髦过，he was never "in style" to begin with!