B: Well, if you are talking about the most popular guy on social media who ever lived you don't have to look anywhere else! (咳咳...)
A: Exactly! Only on social media, never in real life! (笑; B: Hey!) 好了好了, 不开玩笑了,我们言归正传,赶快来进入第一个单元,learn a word!
Learn A Word 1590 stressful
今天我们要学的词是 stressful. Stressful is spelled s-t-r-e-s-s-f-u-l, stressful. Stressful 意思是压力很大的。Starting a new job can be exciting and stressful at the same time. 开始一份新工作可能既令人兴奋,又让人倍感压力。有调查显示,Law enforcement agents, taxi drivers, and corporate executives are among the most stressful jobs in the country. 执法人员,出租车司机和公司主管属于美国各种职业中压力最大的行业。美国新闻周刊公布了2012年度压力最大的25所大学的排行榜。在排行榜中,Washington University at Saint Louis is ranked as the most stressful university in the country. 圣路易斯的华盛顿大学被列为全美国学生压力最大的学校。好的,今天我们学习的词是stressful, stressful, stressful...
A: 说起压力大,最近工作真多,I'm so stressed out!
B: Awww...I'm sorry yanglin! You know what? I hear that making food for others can help you release stress. As a very compassionate friend, I will help you. You can bake me some cookies!
B: Exactly! I'm the same way! Last night I spent 4 hours cleaning my room, it was covered in flotsam and jetsam! No wonder I've been so stressed this week!
A: 对啊! 环境整洁,心情也更好! 不过你刚才提到一个很好的词儿, flotsam and jetsam ! 咱们现在就来学学这个习惯用语的用法吧!
M: Flotsam and jetsam. Flotsam is spelled f-l-o-t-s-a-m, and jetsam; j-e-t-s-a-m. Flotsam-and-jetsam.
这两个词都不太常见,flotsam意思是船沉没以后漂浮在水面上的废物,而jetsam是指因为担心船会沉,所以扔到水里的废物,以便减轻船上的载物量。大家可能猜到了,flotsam and jetsam, 连起来就是没有价值的物品。就像上面的例子中,在我朋友的大学笔记本里: There wasn't any important information written down, it was all FLOATSAM AND JETSAM. 里面没有什么重要信息,全都没什么用。在下面的例子里,我们要看看一个人在他爷爷去世后整理遗物时发现了什么:
M: "After my grandfather died, I went to clean out his garage. I found piles of yellowed newspapers and magazines, empty bottles, pieces of used furniture, and broken tools and sports equipment. There was nothing of any value. It was nothing more than flotsam and jetsam."
其实大家经常会在车库里堆些没有用的东西,久而久之也就忘记了。比如我,我每年就得清理一次我的衣橱,能发现好多我再也不会穿的衣服,把他们捐给慈善机构。I clean my closet once a year, and there are always some flotsam and jetsam. 好的,我们再来听听刚才那段话:
M: "After my grandfather died, I went to clean out his garage. I found piles of yellowed newspapers and magazines, empty bottles, pieces of used furniture, and broken tools and sports equipment. There was nothing of any value. It was nothing more than flotsam and jetsam."
Flotsam and jetsam 这个短语,除了指没有价值的物品以外,还有另外一个意思,就是不受重视的人。下面的例子里,一个记者就要来给我们讲讲当地居民关注的问题,我们来听听看:
M: "Citizens who want more upscale living areas have been pleading with the City Council. They want to see more of the poorer neighborhoods redeveloped. They're tired of seeinghomeless people wandering around. To them, such FLOTSAM AND JETSAM needs to be removed. "
这也是可以理解的,谁不想要一个安全的居住环境呢?我最近听我们小区的人说,当地学校校长决定启动一个项目,帮助那些问题学生。He believed it was time to pay greater attention to the FLOTSAM AND JETSAM. And, truthfully, it is those struggling students that need more help. 他认为应该给那些不受重视的学生更多关怀。确实,那些问题学生需要更多的帮助。好了,我们再来听听刚才那段话:
M: "Citizens who want more upscale living areas have been pleading with the City Council. They want to see more of the poorer neighborhoods redeveloped. They're tired of seeinghomeless people wandering around. To them, such FLOTSAM AND JETSAM needs to be removed. "
今天我们学习的习惯用语是flotsam and jetsam, 意思是毫无价值的物品,或者不受重视的人。好的,这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束,我是杨琳,我是Dan Markus。
A: This term totally reminds me of facebook! Some of my friends put everything up there. There is so much flotsam and jetsam on their Facebook page! 都是没用的信息!
B: You can say that again. I really don't need to see 100 photos of a cat wearing a hat; or a status about someone's bodily functions, or a huge paragraph detailing your fight you just had with your girlfriend....
B: Yeah, it's all about how you use it. Social media is a great thing to connect with friends who are far from you, but you really need to watch out how much information you share.
Professor: That's right. And did you notice how Chloe called the pictures "pics"? On the Internet, photographs are often called p-i-c-s, "pics".
噢," pics" 就是照片。
Chloe: Alright. Next we need to set your status to say that you're in a relationship.
Matt: Wait a minute, I don't have a girlfriend.
Chloe: I know! But you see, Matt, women only want what they can't have. Being unavailable will only make you more attractive to them.
Matt: But what happens after a girl starts to like me? If I ask her out on a date when I have a girlfriend, she will think I'm a creep.
Chloe: Don't worry. Then you just change your status to "It's Complicated" and tell her that you're going through a painful breakup, and that you need someone to talk to.
Chloe: Alright, the next thing we have to do is get you a lot of friends. You should send everyone you have ever met a message inviting them to be your friend on MyFace.
Matt: But what if I haven't talked to them in years? Isn't that kind of weird?
Chloe: Matt, that's not the point! The important thing is that when people look at your MyFace page, they see how popular you are because you have at least 500 friends.
Matt: Five hundred friends? But I don't have 500 friends. In fact, I think it's impossible for anyone to have 500 friends.
Chloe: Well then, invite people you don't like to be your friends too. It doesn't matter.
Matt: Invite people I don't like to be my friends? Man, this social networking stuff is really weird.