美语训练班009讲

B: 欢迎大家来到美语训练班！I'm Donny.

A: 大家好！我不是王怡茹！

B: 那您是....?

A: 我是杨琳！怡茹请假，我来代班。Donny, 请多多关照哈！

B: No problem, 杨琳. I'm sure you'll do just fine!

A: 希望如此。咱们要先介绍这节课学什么，对不对？

B: Yes! 今天，我们要讨论公司上市有哪些风险, 听朋友讲一次糟糕的约会，聊聊锻炼身体时要注意些什么, 还要告诉大家怎么用美语说"小气鬼"和"白费力"。

A: But we always learn a new word before anything else, right?

B: 没错，咱们先花一分钟，学一个词！

Learn A Word: wind down

今天我们要学的词是 wind down, wind is spelled w-i-n-d, down is spelled d-o-w-n, wind down. Wind down 是逐渐结束的意思。美国总统奥巴马宣布，今年七月开始从阿富汗撤军，他对全国人民说: "It was the beginning, but not the end, of our effort to wind down this war." 这是我们逐渐结束这场战争的开始，而不是结束。The federalstimulusprogram is starting to wind down in the state of Wyoming. 怀俄明州的联邦经济刺激项目渐渐落下帷幕。The party is winding down after four hours of craziness. 经过四个小时的狂欢后，派对渐渐进入尾声。好的，今天我们学习的词是wind down, wind down, wind down.

B: Hmm, why would people ever want to let the party wind down if everyone's having fun? At my parties, the good times never end.

A: Donny，你可真是个party animal! 我就不行，我习惯早睡早起。上个周末，我邻居家开party, and it showed no sign of winding down even at 3 o'clock in the morning! 音乐声，说话声，吵得我没法睡觉！

B: That's no good. Did you tell them to keep it down?

A: I did! Three times! 我去邻居家讲了三次，先是客气地说，后来板着脸说，最后几乎要报警了！可等我一走，他们就该干嘛干嘛，一切照旧！

B: Sounds like you've been beating your head against the wall.

A: 用头撞墙？我看差不多了！大夜里没法睡觉真能把人逼疯。

B: Actually, to beat one's head against the wall has another meaning. Let's listen and find out.

Words and Idioms: Beat one's head against the wall

各位听众，现在播送<美国习惯用语>第 936讲。我是杨琳

我是 Douglas Johnson.

我想去买辆新车，为了获得最好的价格，我带了一个朋友陪我同去。这位朋友很懂车，同时又很会砍价。结果，在我挑好车后，这位朋友上阵杀价了。她把自己肚子里和汽车有关的知识都用上了，可是，卖车的这位销售员也相当厉害，愣是不松口。我朋友说得嘴都干了，也没把价砍下来。这让我想到了一个习惯用语，那就是：

Beat one's head against the wall. Beat is spelled b-e-a-t, head; h-e-a-d, and wall; w-a-l-l.

Beat-one's-head-against-the-wall.

To beat one's head against the wall 意思是白费力气，徒劳无功。因为汽车销售员不愿意降价，我这个朋友花了好长时间讲价，可是，All she managed to do was to beat her head against the wall. 她完全是白费唇舌。

在下面这段话中，一个遇到感情问题的女孩很希望挽回男友的心，但她这么做是不是有用呢？我们来听一听：

"My sister hasn't had much luck with relationships lately. She dated a guy for a couple of months, but he broke up with her and got back together with his old girlfriend. My sister couldn't get over it. She spent weeks thinking about what she could have done differently. Why bother? I hated seeing her BEAT HER HEAD AGAINST THE WALL."

这段话是说：[我妹妹最近感情生活颇为不顺。她和一个男人交往了几个月，但是这个人却提出分手，和他的前女友复合了。我妹妹怎么也放不下，几个星期以来，她总是在想自己当初是否做错了什么，导致男友离开她。其实何必这样呢？她完全是在浪费感情，我不想看到她这个样子。]

在感情问题上，最忌讳拖泥带水，苦苦不放手。男友的心不能挽回，就当是俩人有缘无份吧! 继续浪费时间，只可能错过真正适合自己的人。好了，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

"My sister hasn't had much luck with relationships lately. She dated a guy for a couple of months, but he broke up with her and got back together with his old girlfriend. My sister couldn't get over it. She spent weeks thinking about what she could have done differently. Why bother? I hated seeing her BEAT HER HEAD AGAINST THE WALL."

小时候，家长老师常常教育我们说，要不怕失败，百折不挠，还总用科学家的事例来鼓励我们。虽然最后我们很多人都无法成为科学家，但是相信大家在追求自己梦想的过程中都会有一些意外的收获，就好像下面这个人：

"History is filled with examples of inventors who were BEATING THEIR HEADS AGAINST THE WALL. Like the pharmacist in Atlanta, Georgia who was frustrated when he couldn't find a cure for a headache. Then he created something accidentally that made him world-famous: Coca-Cola."

这段话是说：[历史上有很多在开始时白费力气，走进死胡同的发明家。比如美国乔治亚州亚特兰大的一个药剂师，他一心想发明一种专治头痛的药，可是怎么也不能成功，就在他为此感到沮丧的时候，却意外地发明了一种饮料，并为此变得世界闻名，这个饮料就是可口可乐。]

不光是可口可乐，橡胶、青霉素、不沾锅等都是人们在无意中发现或者创造出来的。所以，有时候当你一再失败的时候，you're not necessarilybeating your heads against the wall. 你并不一定是在做无用功。好了，我们再来听听刚才那段话：

"History is filled with examples of inventors who were BEATING THEIR HEADS AGAINST THE WALL. Like the pharmacist in Atlanta, Georgia who was frustrated when he couldn't find a cure for a headache. Then he created something accidentally that made him world-famous: Coca-Cola."

各位听众，今天我们学习的习惯用语是beat one's head against the wall，意思是"白费精力，徒劳无功"。

A: 中国人说"不撞南墙不回头"，所以这个to beat one's head against the wall 就是"撞了南墙也不回头"喽！

B: Correct，所以说是白费力气。However, sometimes when other people think you're headed toward a dead end, they might be wrong.

A: 有道理！ 就拿我来说吧，上大学时，我施展个人魅力，坚决要让系里最帅、最聪明、最受欢迎的男生做我男朋友....

B: And people thought you were beating your head against the wall?

A: 没错！ But I proved them all wrong! 后来， 我发奋读书，坚决要考到全额奖学金来美国牛校读书....

B: And people thought you were, once again, beating your head against the wall. Right?

A: 没错！ But I proved them all wrong - again! 后来，我跟大家说，两年内挣到人生第一个100万....

B: And you proved you were NOT beating your head against the wall? 杨琳，你真牛，你....

A: 呵呵，这个......不好意思，这次失败了。

B: 咳！ 没关系，我看好你！

A: 行了，咱们继续听节目吧，下一单元："美语怎么说"。

How to say it in American English: cheapskate

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Jimmy要问的：抠门。

Donny: Nice suit, Jimmy! You clean up nicely.

Jimmy: 怎么样？我收拾收拾也挺帅吧!

Donny: You're going to a business dinner?

JIMMY: 对，我和一个朋友想作生意，要和投资人谈谈。可我那朋友特抠门，上次见投资人时去的麦当劳，还AA制! 对了，抠门怎么说？He's cheap?

Donny: Yes, you could say that. You could also say he's a cheapskate. c-h-e-a-p-s-k-a-t-e, cheapskate.

JIMMY: Cheapskate，抠门的人。My friend was such a cheapskate!

Donny:Yeah! I can't believe that investor's still interested in working with you after your partner was being so tightfisted!

JIMMY: 哎？ 你说 tightfisted? tight是"紧"的意思，fist是拳头，所以tightfisted就是手紧，舍不得花钱喽？

Donny: Correct.

JIMMY: 还好，My tightfisted partner changed his mind. 我那吝啬的朋友想通了，今天，我们要请投资人吃顿大餐!

Donny: That's nice. But don't act like spendthrifts. Spendthrift is spelled s-p-e-n-d-t-h-r-i-f-t. It refers to people who spend money like crazy.

JIMMY: 哦! spendthrift 指花钱无度，大手大脚的人。我原来有个室友，He was totally a spendthrift! 他女朋友多得数不过来，每个都向他要特贵的礼物。

Donny: That's a textbook case of a spendthrift attracting gold diggers!

JIMMY: Gold digger?

Donny: Yes. It refers to a woman whose primary interest in a relationship is material benefits.

JIMMY: 哦，那就是拜金女呗!

Donny: That's right! Let's see what you've learned today!

JIMMY: 第一，抠门可以说 tightfisted, 小气鬼则是 cheapskate

第二，大手大脚花钱的人是 spendthrift

第三，拜金女是 gold digger.

A：Donny, 你说要是我勒紧裤腰带，做cheapskate, 不大手大脚地花钱，不当spendthrift, 我那个100万的目标是不是能快点实现？

B: I guess so, but you're a woman, and women love shopping, so....

A: 也对，节衣缩食，什么都不买，太难受了。要不我当个gold digger? 找个有钱人当我的提款机？

B: 也不能不讲感情啊！

A: 这倒也是。再说，无数的电影小说都在教育我们：男人靠不住啊！

B: 呃.....也不全是吧。

A: 怎么不是？你听听下面的这个"美语三级跳"吧，又是一个不靠谱的男生！

GoEnglish: Relationship - Advanced

Relationship: Advanced

(取材于 goenglish.me)

各位听众，大家好！今天为您播出"美语三级跳"节目"恋爱"单元的高级课程。

Professor: Kevin set up his friend Emily on a date with another one of his friends. Today Kevin and Emily are meeting to talk about how the date went last night.

Kevin: So how did your date with my friend Paul go last night? Don't you think he's a really great guy?

Emily: Unfortunately, Kevin, I can't tell you anything about Paul.