P: Very funny, Winnie. So, what does Eric think of the cover band's name--Chocolate Ice?

Winnie: 他觉得这个名字太俗了，肯定会被人笑话。

Eric: You know guys, I'm not sure I can play in your group. The problem is that ... rap music is violent and demeaning to women. I wouldn't feel comfortable playing it.

Beth: That's not true! Some rappers talk about violence, but a lot of them just talk about money.

Eric: I know... and that's bad too! Who wants to listen to someone rap about how much money he has?

Beth: Well, if it were about nothing but guns and money, why does it appeal to so many young people?

Ernie: I agree with Beth. Besides, hip hop goes way beyond music. It's a whole culture.

Winnie: Eric说他不喜欢嘻哈音乐，因为这种歌的内容充满暴力，而且侮辱女性。Professor Bowman, Eric不是DJ么？他怎么会不喜欢时下流行的嘻哈音乐呢？

P: Well, it sounds like he may be pretending not to like hip hop music so he doesn't have to be in the group.

Beth: Well you know Eric, our group isn't just going to be about music. Ernie is an amazing hip hop dancer. Ernie, show him your dance moves!

Ernie: Sure!

[Music]

Eric: Wow Ernie, your dance moves are so ... um ... unique. I've definitely never seen dancing like that before.

Ernie: Thanks. Want me to teach you how to dance like me?

Eric: Uh, maybe another time. Ok guys, I'll join your group on one condition.

Beth: Great, what's that?

Eric: Can I play at gigs with a bag over my head?

Winnie: 看来，Eric对Ernie的热舞不敢恭维。不过Eric说他可以加入乐队，不过有个条件，他说的gig是什么意思啊？

P: A gig is a performance, usually a small and informal one. You can also call any small or informal job a gig. Eric wants to wear a bag over his head when he plays gigs because he is embarrassed to be seen with this band.

Winnie: 哈，原来如此。我明白了，gig在这里就是演出。Eric说演出时要把头遮住，以免丢人，我现在倒真想看看他们的表演呢！

A: 哈哈！我明白你的意思了，Eric如果拒绝加入这个傻乎乎的Vanilla Ice cover band，就会得罪朋友，可如果加入的话，everyone will be laughing at him, 大家肯定都会笑他！所以他是怎么着，都不划算！

B: So he decided to join the band---but he's not willing to show his face at the gigs!

A：对！ 我想，Ernie and Beth听他这么一说，可能也就明白了──他根本不喜欢他们的乐队。这么说来，Eric还是选择了得罪朋友。

B: I guess so. Every now and then, you have to make some hard decisions that will make some people unhappy.

A: 可不是，这世上没有十全十美的事儿。比如在下面的"礼节美语"中，Lisa 又想上班，有收入，又想上学，实现自己的梦想。能有这么两全其美么？

B: 听听就知道了！

Business Etiquette: Continuing education II

Lisa请Shirley吃饭，说自己想回学校去读个硕士或是博士学位，征求Shirley的意见。Shirley说，

Shirley: I got my Master's in Business Management. It's helped my career, but it took several years of hard studying. If I didn't have a supportive family and a husband with a good job, I don't think I could have done it.

L: So you're counseling me against this idea?

S: Not necessarily, but I do recommendtaking a slow approach. Can you take some night classes or find some way to keep working while you go back to school?

L: Might be difficult.

Shirley念的商业管理硕士学位，她觉得，自己之所以能读下来，靠的是家人的支持，和老公的高收入。Lisa问Shirley是不是劝她放弃这种想法，so you're counseling me against it? to counsel someone against something意思是劝说某人不要做某事。Shirley说，not necessarily那也不一定。她建议Lisa慢慢来，take a slow approach, 看能不能边工作边选课。Lisa觉得不太实际。

S: Maybe you could get an MBA or something more marketable.

L: That's worth considering.

S: I got my BA from Brown University. My major was Environmental Studies but that hasn't been as useful as the business courses I took.

L: Or maybe I should just take some courses that I'm interested in, but skip the Master's.

S: That's another idea, but if you really have a dream, don't let anything stop you from going for it! Going back to school is hard, but it's not impossible.

Shirley劝Lisa考虑其他更容易找高薪工作的专业。不过，她同时也鼓励Lisa说，if you really have a dream, don't let anything stop you from going for it! 如果这真是你的梦想的话，那就不要让任何事情阻挡你。

L: You're right! I need to decide if this is truly what I want.

S: And take your time. You're still young. Maybe there's even a correspondence course you can take during your free time.

L: Yeah! Then I could slowly build up credits and maybe later transfer into a university program.

S: There you go! That's some clear thinking.

L: I guess I just love learning! I remember the day my SAT test scores came back....I was so excited!

S: I don't remember loving school quite so much....most of the time I was either bored or totally stressed out. But like I said earlier, if you have a dream, don't let anything hold you back!

Shirley说，Lisa甚至可以抽空先选几门correspondence course函授课程，这样可以慢慢积攒一些学分credits, 以后如果真想读学位，也可以用得上。她再次强调说，If you have a dream, don't let anything hold you back. 意思是有梦想，就不要让任何事情拉你的后腿。

A: Shirley的建议不错，工作为主，同时take a slow approach, 慢慢积攒学分，等条件成熟了，再考虑全职读书。

B: I'm always amazed by people like Lisa who truly enjoy learning!

A：哈哈，我看你和Shirley差不多，提起上学就头疼，不是觉得没劲，就是觉得太累！

B：I'd rather spend more time relaxing and having fun. 比如，打高尔夫球！

A: 上次咱们不是去打了么，play putt putt!

B: 那是mini golf, Today, let's play some real golf.

American sports English: golf

Y: 大家好。我是杨晨。

M: 我是Mark.

Y: Mark是个真正的高尔夫球好手。不像Partrick, 只会带我去打put-put golf，迷你高尔夫。Mark,

I'm really excited to play regular golf today.

M: I enjoy play regular golf too. Any sport that let's you drive around in little cars and smoke cigars while you're playing has got to be awesome.

Y: I know! No physical exercise required at all! 可是还要smoke cigars抽雪茄?

M: You don't have to if you don't smoke. Are you ready to tee-off (T-E-E O-F-F)?

Y: Let's tee-off..

M: You could say that your boss teed-off a meeting by making an opening speech.

Y:能不能不提我的老板。It's the weekend and I want to forget about work.

M: OK your're right, let's just play. This course is a par 72.

Y: A what 72?

M: A par 72. The par P-A-R of a golf course is the number of strokes it should take to complete it.

Y: Par72就是高尔夫球术语里的标准72杆。

M: Right. If you are 5 under par, that means you used five shots less than the average to finish the course.

Y: 那 under par 在高尔夫球里是好事，对不对?

M: Exactly! But in everyday usage, being under par is not a good thing. If something is not as good as it should be, you can say that it is sub-par (S-U-B P-A-R). For example, my Chinese skills are sub par.我的中文说得不好。

Y: Don't be so hard on yourself. 大多数老美还不会说中文呢。

M: That's true. Actually, you could say that in America, not speaking Chinese is par for the course. When something is par for the course, that means that it is normal, or average.

Y: I see. "Par for the course" 就是正常的， 理所当然的。我可不可以说 being lazy is par for the course for Patrick.

M: Ha, well I guess you're right. But we shouldn't talk behind his back.

A: 看来，从体育中起源的日常用语还真不少，今天又学了两个，一个是 sub-par 差劲，另一个是 par for the course 常有的，普遍的。

B: Let me teach you another one. On a par with 相同的，不相上下的。

A: 那我要说，我和Donny高尔夫打得都很臭，糟糕程度不相上下，是不是可以说 I'm on a par with Donny in my lack of golfing skills?

B: 句子对，可不符合事实！

A：对！事实是你比我更差！好了，今天的节目时间差不多了。这次的撰稿人是晓北，编辑是蔚然。同学们，我们下次的美语训练班再见!

B：Bye!

severe [si´viə]   a.严厉的；苛刻的   (初中英语单词)

competition [,kɔmpi´tiʃən]   n.比赛；竞争   (初中英语单词)

equally [´i:kwəli]   ad.相等地；平等地   (初中英语单词)

talented [´tæləntid]   a.天才的；能干的   (初中英语单词)

estate [i´steit]   n.财产；庄园；等级   (初中英语单词)

survive [sə´vaiv]   vt.幸存；残存   (初中英语单词)

musical [´mju:zikəl]   a.音乐的；悦耳的   (初中英语单词)

everyone [´evriwʌn]   pron.=everybody 每人   (初中英语单词)

violent [´vaiələnt]   a.强暴的；猛烈的   (初中英语单词)

violence [´vaiələns]   n.猛烈；暴力(行)   (初中英语单词)

amazing [ə´meiziŋ]   a.惊人的；惊奇的   (初中英语单词)

definitely [´definitli]   ad.明确地；绝对   (初中英语单词)

performance [pə´fɔ:məns]   n.履行；行为；工作   (初中英语单词)

willing [´wiliŋ]   a.情愿的，乐意的   (初中英语单词)

management [´mænidʒmənt]   n.管理；处理；经营   (初中英语单词)

career [kə´riə]   n.经历；生涯；职业   (初中英语单词)

recommend [,rekə´mend]   vt.推荐；使受欢迎   (初中英语单词)

working [´wə:kiŋ]   a.工人的；劳动的   (初中英语单词)

counsel [´kaunsəl]   n.商议；劝告；律师   (初中英语单词)

transfer [træns´fə:]   v.&n.迁移；调动；转让   (初中英语单词)

physical [´fizikəl]   a.物质的；有形的   (初中英语单词)

opening [´əupəniŋ]   n.开放；开端 a.开始的   (初中英语单词)

actually [´æktʃuəli]   ad.事实上；实际上   (初中英语单词)

normal [´nɔ:məl]   a.正规的 n.正常状态   (初中英语单词)

learned [´lə:nid]   a.有学问的，博学的   (高中英语单词)

classic [´klæsik]   a.第一流的 n.杰作   (高中英语单词)

appeal [ə´pi:l]   vi.&n.请求；呼吁；上诉   (高中英语单词)

dancer [´dɑ:nsə]   n.舞蹈者，舞蹈演员   (高中英语单词)

unique [ju:´ni:k]   a.唯一的 n.独一无二   (高中英语单词)

decided [di´saidid]   a.明显的；决定的   (高中英语单词)

necessarily [´nesisərili]   ad.必定，必然地   (高中英语单词)

correspondence [,kɔri´spɔndəns]   n.通信；符合；相当   (高中英语单词)

loving [´lʌviŋ]   a.爱的，有爱情的   (高中英语单词)

everyday [´evridei]   a.每日的，日常的   (高中英语单词)

elderly [´eldəli]   a. 较老的，年长的   (英语四级单词)

warning [´wɔ:niŋ]   n.警告；前兆 a.预告的   (英语四级单词)

competitive [kəm´petitiv]   a.竞争的，比赛的   (英语四级单词)

scholarship [´skɔləʃip, ´skɑlər-]   n.学术成就；学问   (英语四级单词)

lesser [´lesə]   a.较小的；次要的   (英语四级单词)

informal [in´fɔ:məl]   a.非正式的，非正规的   (英语四级单词)

totally [´təutəli]   ad.统统，完全   (英语四级单词)

weekend [´wi:kend, ,wi:k´end]   n.周末休假   (英语四级单词)

humidity [hju:´miditi]   n.湿气；湿度   (英语六级单词)

landing [´lændiŋ]   n.登陆；降落；楼梯平台   (英语六级单词)

inviting [in´vaitiŋ]   a.动人的   (英语六级单词)

vanilla [və´nilə]   n.香草属，香草精   (英语六级单词)

bowman [´bəumən]   n.(弓箭)射手   (英语六级单词)

etiquette [´etiket]   n.礼仪，礼节；规矩   (英语六级单词)

taking [´teikiŋ]   a.迷人的 n.捕获物   (英语六级单词)

speaking [´spi:kiŋ]   n.说话 a.发言的   (英语六级单词)