A: 大家好! 欢迎来到这期的美语训练班! 我是杨琳！

B: 我是Kat! 杨琳，今天咱们学什么呢?

A:今天，咱们要看看宠物心理医生靠不靠谱，分析一下打高尔夫的好处，走神放空一下，还要告诉大家怎么用美语说"跑腿"和"放鸽子"。

B: 我保证，我们的节目绝对不会放大家鸽子！

A: 哈哈，那是当然！好了，闲话少说，我们先赶快来进入第一个单元，Learn a Word!

Learn A Word # 1494

今天我们要学的词是immune. Immune is spelled i-m-m-u-n-e, immune. Immune的意思是免疫的，比如，immune system就是指免疫系统， immune disease 则是免疫系统疾病。Immune还可以指"免除的","不受影响的". Apple's OS X, which has long been considered immune to viruses, was recently hit by a malicious software called Flashback. 苹果电脑的OS X操作系统一向被认为百毒不侵，可是最近，该系统遭到一种名叫Flashback的恶意软件的袭击。The IMF says Africa's economy is expanding, but it is not immune to global slowdown. 国际货币基金组织说，非洲经济整体有所发展，但并不能完全不受全球经济放缓的影响。好的，今天我们学习的词是
immune，immune，immune...

A: 听见没有，You have to upgrade your Macbook! Mac is no longer immune to viruses. Kat, kat, kat! 你想什么呢？

B：Oh...Oh what? I'm sorry what?

A: 瞧你这走神的！认真点！我正在说给macbook下补丁呢！

B：对对, I spaced out there for a second! 不过正好，下面的Popular American里面，我们就要来学学走神要怎么说！

Popular American

各位听众，现在播送《流行美语》。Larry和李华明天要考试，今天一起复习，但李华一直没法专心。她今天会学到两个常用语：zone out和now you're cooking with gas。

LL: So Reaganomics were the economic policies of U.S. President Ronald Reagan---Li Hua? Are you listening?

LH: (Pause) 嗯？发生什么事了？

LL: Li Hua! How can you zone out when your final is tomorrow?

LH: Zone out? 你在说什么啊Larry?

LL: To zone out means to lose concentration and to not notice what's happening around you.

LH: 喔，你是说我分心吗？

LL: Yes. A 'zone' is an area. If you 'zone out', you mentally drift away from the place you are currently at, and go off into empty, dreamy space.

LH: 所以zone是指一个区域, zone out 就是走神。

LL: Yup. So stop zoning out! We still have a lot of studying to do!

LH: 好吧。那你告诉我，什么是supply-side economics？

LL: Supply-side economics argues that economic growth can be most effectively created by lowering barriers for people to produce goods and services (supply)--

LH: 比如说降低所得税。

LL: Hey! Now you're cooking with gas!

LH: Cooking--cooking with what?

LL: Now you're cooking with gas! It means now you understand what I'm talking about.

LH: 啊。Now you're cooking with gas 是指我终于跟上了，了解你在说什么。是啊，我还是懂一点点的。不过now you're cooking with gas和了解一件事情怎么能扯得上关系呢？

LL: This comes with a little bit of history. In the 1930's cooking became more convenient as the kitchen evolved from the old coal/wood range into the wood/gas combination. So when we say 'now you're cooking with gas', it means you've crossed the barrier and progressed!

LH: 真有意思。原来是1930年代煮饭从依靠炭和木头进化成依靠天然气，生活方便了许多。所以说now you're cooking with gas就代表我进步了。

LL: Yes, that is correct. Wow you're really cooking with gas now! Learning so fast.

LH: 哈哈对呀。我现在精神好多了。还是学习英文俚语比较有趣。

LL: But we have to keep going with Economics, or else we're both going to fail the exam tomorrow.

LH: 是啊。But if we keep talking about boring Economics, I'm going to zone out again!

LL: Hmm what should we do then...

LH: 要不这样！你先教我zone out 和now you're cooking with gas 的用法，让我变得有精神之后，我们再继续看经济学，怎么样？

LL: I guess that could work. Hmm....you seem to be able to use these two phrases already. Do you have any questions?

LH: 当然有。如果分心是zone out, 那很专注的时候就是I'm really zoned in, right?

LL: That's interesting. But no one says it that way. A lot of phrases are only used in one direction. Therefore, you can only say zone out, but there is no such thing as zone in.

LH: 啊，原来如此。分心是zone out, 但注意力集中时不能反过来说zone in.

LL: Right. What about "now you're cooking with gas?" Can you give me an example using that phrase?

LH: Even though I was zoning out at the beginning of this review session, I began to cook with gas.

LL: Hmm. The phrase 'now you're cooking with gas' is usually used together as one, so no words are changed. Therefore, we don't say that someone begins to cook with gas.

LH: 好麻烦。所以说，Now you're cooking with gas. 得要整句一字不露地用。通常是一个人对另一个人说，Now you're cooking with gas. 而不是用来形容第三者的。

LL: That's right. Now you're really cooking with gas! Do you think we can go back to Economics?

LH: 啊！我要回家了。今晚是美国偶像American Idol的决赛。拜拜！

LL: Wait! Li Hua!

今天李华从Larry那儿学到两个常用语，一个是zone out, 是走神，发呆的意思；另一个是now you're cooking with gas. 指一个人开始进入情况了。这次《流行美语》播送完了，谢谢收听，下次节目再见。

A: Kat, 我可要批评你了，How could you zone out in the middle of the show?

B: I'm really sorry! I was thinking about all the things I want to say to my supervisor! 他今天早晨又让我去帮他买咖啡！我又不是给他跑腿的小时工！

A: 原来是这样！也许你可以跟他谈谈，说不定他根本就没觉得这是个事儿呢！

B：If he asks me to buy coffee again, I will throw it in his face! Yeah, yeah! I will do that! 不过大家先拿我当个模版，咱们来看看跑腿儿用美语怎么说！

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。今天是方方要问的：跟班打杂的。

Donny: Hey, Fang Fang, what's up? Do you like your new job?

FF: 啊，还行吧。就是初来乍到，专业一点都用不上，尽打杂了。

Donny: 打杂？What do you do everyday?

FF: 无非就是复印文件，取东西，接电话什么的。哎？美国人怎么形容这种工作啊？

Donny: Oh! Someone who does small and unimportant tasks at work is called a go-for. g-o-f-o-r, go-for.

FF: 哦! 这么说，go-for 就是公司里的小弟小妹! go-for 的主要工作就是跑腿儿。那"跑腿"又怎么说呢？

Donny: We say they "run errands for others." Run is spelled r-u-n, errands is spelled e-r-r-a-n-d-s. The word "errand" means a short trip that's taken to finish a necessary task.

FF: Errand 差事，复数加s, errands, 所以 run errands for others 就是替别人"跑腿"的意思。

Donny: That's right. I guess you don't really like running errands for your boss, right?

FF: 是啊，我想做有意义的工作，可老板总让我干些没用的活儿。

Donny: She gives you a lot of busy work, I'm assuming? The phrase "busy work" refers to tasks that keep people busy but are not very useful.

FF: 哦! 原来，busy work 就是花时间，但没意义的工作。老板给我 busy work，并不是因为这些工作重要，而是因为她不愿意看我闲着!

Donny: That's right! Fangfang, a lot of people start as go-fors and work their way up. I'm sure you'll do just fine. Now let's see what you've learned today!

FF: 公司里跑腿打杂的小弟小妹叫 go-for；

跑腿是 run errands for others；

消磨时间，但是没意义的工作是 busy work.

这次的"美语怎么说"就到这里结束了。如果你也有不会说的词，请写信给 Donny, 电邮请寄meiyu@voanews.com

B: See, I'm such a go-for at work! I hate that they make me do all this busy work!

A: 怎么可能！你可是我们的优秀主持人！上次还有听众说最喜欢Kat的幽默风格呢！

B: haha, you know how to cheer me up, girl! Thanks! 好了，咱们接下来说点好玩的，Today Tom is taking his dog to a pet psychologist!

A： 宠物心理医生？这真的靠谱吗？咱们赶快去听一听！

Cats and Dogs: Advanced

大家好！今天我们为您播出"美语三级跳"节目"宠物"单元的高级课程。

Tom和Mindy养的狗不听话，今天带它去看 pet psychologist---宠物心理医生。

Tom: Thank you so much for seeing us today, Doctor. Our dog is having some mental problems and needs a professional evaluation.

Psychologist: Of course. I understand that you are very concerned about your dog's mental health. What's the problem?

Tom: Well you see, he is always running around wild, tearing the furniture up and breaking things.

Psychologist: Is that it?

Tom: Well... he also doesn't listen when I give him commands, and he tries to eat the food off of the table. He is really wreaking havoc in our house.

Psychologist: I see ...