【大紀元2011年11月10日訊】B：Hello, everyone! This is American English Mosaic! 我是Jessica!
A：歡迎來到美語訓練班，我是楊林！
B: 楊林，介紹一下今天的節目吧！
A：好！今天，我們要去打保齡球， 聊聊受大家歡迎的電視節目, 抱怨一下對公司和領導的不滿，還要告訴大家用美語怎麼說「跑龍套的」。
B: 不過咱們還是先花一分鐘，學一個詞兒！
Learn a word Announce
今天我們要學的詞是announce. Announce is spelled a-n-n-o-u-n-c-e, announce. Announce, 宣佈。蘋果公司宣佈iPhone5即將上市。Apple announced that it will be introducing the new features of the iPhone 5 on October 4th. 蘋果公司宣佈，10月4日正式介紹iPhone 5的新功能。After months of speculation, Amazon announced it’s new Kindle Fire, a tablet with a $199 price tag. 經過數月的等待，亞馬遜公司宣佈，平板電腦Kindle Fire即將上市，售價199美元。U.S. insurance companies announced that health care benefit costs will go up 5.4% next year. 美國的保險業公司宣佈，明年的健康保險費用將上漲5.4%。好的，今天我們學習的詞是announce, announce, announce.
A: 蘋果和亞馬遜都夠忙乎的，現在新產品發佈的消息真是此起彼伏。
B: Well, they need to keep consumers excited. That’s how they lure you into their stores and make you spend money.
A: 沒錯！新產品總是能激起大家的購買慾。
B: Actually, in this sluggish economy, companies have to go out of their ways to stimulate consumer spending.
A: 是啊，不是都說刺激消費就能讓經濟復甦麼！用咱們下面要教的短語來說，就是 Consumer spending will help the market bounce back，對不對？
B: That’s right. Now let’s listen to Words and Idioms!
Word and idioms: bounce back
女：各位聽眾，現在播送<美國習慣用語>第 945講。我是楊琳。
M：我是 Douglas Johnson.
女：昨天我朋友跟我說，她打算去佛羅里達墨西哥灣的海邊渡假!大家都還記得去年墨西哥灣的原油洩漏事件，結果讓原本是旅遊聖地的佛羅里達遊客量銳減。不過我朋友告訴我，現在清理工作已經完成，那裏的旅遊業正在慢慢復甦。這讓我想到了一個習慣用語，那就是：
M：Bounce back. Bounce is spelled b-o-u-n-c-e, and back; b-a-c-k. Bounce-back.
女: Bounce 這個詞本身是「彈回」的意思，而Bounce back作為一個詞組意思是「恢復原狀，復甦」。我們可以說，This region starts to bounce back after the oil disaster. 這個地區在漏油災難之後漸漸恢復過來。Bounce back 也可以用來形容人。我們來聽聽下面這個例句:
M: “Grandma’s fall on the ice last winter resulted in a badly broken leg. She spent months in a cast. Then she underwent weeks of physical therapy. Now her doctors say that she can resume normal activities. Nobody could be happier than Grandma that she’s finally BOUNCED BACK.”
這段話是說：[我奶奶去年冬天在冰上把腿摔骨折了。她帶了幾個月的石膏，之後又做了好幾個星期的理療。現在醫生說她能恢復正常活動了。奶奶終於恢復健康了，她比所有人都要高興。]
女：是啊。老人身體恢復健康不容易。去年我爺爺得了感冒，足足過了兩個月才痊癒。My grandpa finally bounced back after two months of coughing. 我爺爺的咳嗽足足兩個月才好。 好，讓我們再來聽聽上面那段話。
M: “Grandma’s fall on the ice last winter resulted in a badly broken leg. She spent months in a cast. Then she underwent weeks of physical therapy. Now her doctors say that she can resume normal activities. Nobody could be happier than Grandma that she’s finally BOUNCED BACK.”
女：其實，Bounce back 除了指身體恢復健康以外，也可以指情緒上，情感上的恢復。在下面這個例子裡，我們來聽聽Carlos跟女朋友分手後做了甚麼:
M: “Some guys have a hard time getting over a break-up with a girlfriend. That’s not the case with Carlos. He doesn’t get depressed or become withdrawn. In fact, no sooner does he end one relationship than he begins another. He BOUNCES BACK quickly. “
這段話是說：[一些人在與女朋友分手之後一蹶不振。但卡洛斯可不是這樣。他絕不會抑鬱或者就此變得沉沒寡言。實際上，每當他結束一段戀情之後馬上就會開始新得戀情。他很快就能恢復過來。]
女: 這也太快了吧! 或許是卡洛斯提出分手的。He doesn’t need a lot of time to bounce back after the breakup. 他分手之後很快就能恢復過來。我們看到，bounce back可以用來形容很多種情況，比如說: 財政困難之後的經濟恢復，身體復原，或者情感上的恢復。好，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話:
M: “Some guys have a hard time getting over a break-up with a girlfriend. That’s not the case with Carlos. He doesn’t get depressed or become withdrawn. In fact, no sooner does he end on relationship than he begins another. He BOUNCES BACK quickly. “
女：各位聽眾，今天我們學習的習慣用語是Bounce Back，意思是「恢復原狀，復甦」。好的，這次[美國習慣用語]就到此結束，
A：說到bounce back, 前幾天我看雜誌，說到一個幾年前在拍戲時被燒傷的女演員，現在終於復出了，真令人感動──The actress’ story of bouncing back from the horrible accident is so inspiring!
B: I’m so happy for her!
A：這個女演員也真夠不容易的，從跑龍套的做起，熬了很多年才紅的。
B: 跑龍套？ You have to explain to me what that means.
A：聽下面的節目你就知道啦！
How to say it: Extra
Donny 在北京學中文，他的中國朋友要是遇到了不知道用美語怎麼說的詞，就會來請教他。今天是吳瓊要問的：跑龍套/群眾演員。
Donny: Hey，吳瓊，did you watch the 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony?
WQ: Yes, I did. What about you?
Donny：No, but I heard it was awesome. Did you like it?
WQ: 嗯，我挺喜歡的，但是我真替那些跑龍套的覺得累。
Donny: 跑龍套的？you mean the extras or the walk-ons?
WQ: 對， 就是參加表演，但鏡頭不多的群眾演員。還真挺形象的，extra–多餘的，walk-on–在台上走來走去的，就是跑龍套的。
Donny: Exactly, but they are very important, as well.
WQ: 賺錢少，工作時間又長，真的很辛苦，而且他們中很多人其實都很多才多藝。
Donny: You’re right. As a matter of fact, many famous actors started out as extras.
WQ: 沒錯，很多大腕兒都是從跑龍套開始。對了，”大腕兒” 美語怎麼說?
Donny: 大腕兒是 Big Shot. B-I-G, big, S-H-O-T, shot， big-shot.
WQ: Big shot! 這個好記。唉，我也好想當明星啊！可是以我這樣的條件，最多也只能當個替身。那 Donny,替身又該怎麼說呢？
Donny: 替身是 “stunt-double.” Stunt-doubles are used when special skills are needed for a performance, for example, playing the piano, dancing or car racing.
WQ: stunt是特技，所以 stunt-double 就是替身。糟糕，這些特技我一個都不會，看來，我連替身演員 stunt-double 都做不成！
Donny: 別這麼說，你可以跟我學好美語，做為你的才藝啊！Now let’s see what you’ve learned today.
WQ: 第一，跑龍套的/群眾演員是extra 或者walk-on.
第二，大腕兒是 big shot.
第三，替身是 stunt-double.
這次的「美語怎麼說」就到這裡了。如果你也有不會說的詞，請寫信給Donny, 電郵請寄meiyu@voanews.com
A: 沒錯，a lot of big shots started as extras. 好多大明星都是從跑龍套開始的！現在看老電影，經常能發現成名前的大明星在裡面演路人甲甚麼的。
B：Some of them also started as stunt doubles.
A：對！我覺得替身演員比跑龍套的更不容易，他們經常做些危險的事。If you asked me to choose, I’d choose to be an extra, not a stunt double.
B：What if I asked you to be an extra, but you had to play a dead body?
A：啊？演死人？這可有點晦氣！不幹！
B: But what if I told you this was for CSI?
A：CSI?!犯罪現場？！那可是很牛的美劇，讓我演甚麼都行！
B: Haha, I bet a lot of people would love to be seen on CSI!
A：對啊，今天的美語三級跳裡也要講這個電視劇，咱們來聽一聽！
GoEnglish: TV Advanced
各位聽眾，大家好！今天我們為您播出「美語三級跳」節目「電視節目」單元的高級課程。
Professor: Will and Jane are on a date and talking about what kind of TV shows they like to watch, and it so happens that Will loves TV crime dramas.
Winnie: Crime drama 就是「偵破片」，Professor Bowman, 我聽說最近幾年，crime drama 已經是美國最受歡迎的電視劇了。這是為甚麼呢？
Professor: Let’s see what Will and Jane have to say about it.
Jane: So Will, you really like crime dramas, huh? Why are you so into them?
Will: I really want to become a lawyer one day, so I think watching shows like “Law and Order” is pretty good preparation for my future career.
Jane: Oh come on …. that show is so boring. Each show has the same plot. The police arrest someone for a crime, and then he goes to trial.
Will: No way! It’s totally interesting the way it shows how the American justice system works. If it were so boring, why would there be so many spinoffs?
Jane: Well that’s one thing we can agree on. There are definitely a lot of cookie-cutter spinoffs.
Winnie: “Law and Order”–「法律與秩序」， 講的是警察偵破罪案，法庭審案的故事。Will喜歡看這個片子，因為他可以從中學到關於美國司法系統的一些知識。
Professor: That’s right. Will likes it, but what does Jane think about the show?
Winnie: Jane覺得這片子沒意思。不過，Will說，如果這片子不吸引人，就不會有那麼多spinoffs–仿照它所拍的同類型電視劇了。
Professor: Exactly. You know, you can call other things spinoffs too. For example, “The new Italian restaurant was so popular that there were soon three other spinoffs, all exactly the same, on the same block. “
Winnie: 對了，Jane還用到了cookie cutter這個詞，cookie cutter就是做餅乾時切麵的模子。Professor, 在這裡，cookie cutter 是不是指「千篇一律的東西」呢？
Professor: Yes! For example, I could say that I never believe my students when they give me cookie-cutter excuses for why they didn’t do their homework, like saying that their dog ate it.
Jane: Well what are some of the other crime dramas you like?
Will: Do you know the show Crime Scene Investigation? We usually call it CSI. It’s about a team of police
investigators solving crimes in Las Vegas.
Jane: Sure, I’ve heard of CSI. What other shows do you like?
Will: There are lots of other great crime dramas. There is also CSI New York and CSI Miami.
Jane: Will … can’t you see that those are all the same show! They just happen in different cities!
Will: No way! They’re all totally different. And besides, they all get really good ratings and rave reviews.
Winnie: CSI–「犯罪現場調查」，也是個非常紅的電視劇! 後來的CSI New York 和CSI Miami就是最初那版CSI的spinoffs.
Professor: That’s right. But what does Will say?
Winnie: 他說，這些電視劇都得到了good ratings–高收視率，還有rave reviews–非常好的評論。
Professor: That’s right, Winnie. The word “rave” is often used as a verb, meaning to praise something highly.
Winnie: rave 通常是動詞，意思是「極力讚揚」。您能舉個例子嗎？
Professor: Well, I decided to take my next vacation in Greece after my sister came back from her visit there raving about how great it was.
Will: You know, all this talk reminds me that CSI Miami is coming on pretty soon. Do you mind if I cut our date short so I can get home to watch it?
Jane: You want to end our date early just so you can go home and watch TV? Was the last episode a real cliffhanger, and you have to see tonight’s episode?
Will: Yeah! I can’t wait to get home so I can see the sequel.
Jane: Well I hope you enjoy it, Will, because there will definitely not be a sequel to this date!
Winnie: Will居然要提前結束約會，趕回家看今晚播出的CSI Miami？我看這只是個藉口吧! 不過，Professor, Jane提到一個詞–cliffhanger，這是甚麼意思？
Professor: A “cliffhanger” is a chapter of a book or an episode of a TV show that ends without resolving the plot.
Winnie: 哦，我明白了，cliffhanger這個詞由兩個部份組成：cliff–懸崖，hanger–懸掛物，所以，cliffhanger就好比是有人在懸崖邊，命懸一線! 指的是書和電視中那種有懸念、令人緊張的情節!
A：現在電視劇都愛跟風，If one show gets high ratings and rave reviews, the market will be flooded with cookie-cutter spinoffs.
B：沒錯! That’s why original ideas are so precious.
A：不過，要想作出有創意的東西，員工要對工作有熱情，而公司領導也得鼓勵創新，不然好的創意永遠不能被發現，也不能變成好的產品。
B： That’s very true! Now let’s listen to “Business Etiquette”. Lisa is complaining that her good ideas are not taken seriously by the company.
Business Etiquette: Looking for a change II
Lisa告訴同事Emily新年過後準備辭職，因為她覺得眼下的工作很無聊，沒有升職的機會，她還說：
Lisa: The other problem is that I think the company is really set in its ways.
Emily: What do you mean?
L: In other words, I think management is resistant to change. I’ve given great proposals to my section chief and I’ve even sent emails with ideas on how to streamline operations to the big boss, but the reaction is always the same.
E: What do they say when you offer suggestions?
L: Usually something like: “We’ll take a look and get back to you.” But that’s the last I’ll ever hear from them.
Lisa 還覺得公司運作墨守成規，set in one’s ways 是指生活方式或做事方法一成不變，類似的說法還有 stuck in a rut, rut is spelled r-u-t, rut 是指車轂轆留下的印兒，to stuck in a rut 陷在車轂轆印裡，也是墨守成規，一成不變的意思。Lisa 說自己向部門經理和公司老闆提出過很多好建議，但都沒有得到重視。得到的回答一般都是：We’ll take a look and get back to you. 我們看一下再答覆你，然後就再也沒有任何消息了。
E: So, do you have any job prospects lined up?
L: I’ve been sending out resumes and I’ve gotten a couple of bites.
E: I see….so you’ve pretty much made up your mind to quit then?
L: I think so. I’ll miss seeing you everyday.
E: I’ll miss you, too. Can I make a suggestion?
L: Sure!
E: Don’t burn any bridges when you make your move.
L: What do you mean?
Emily問她工作找得怎麼樣了，Do you have any job prospects lined up? Lisa說自己發了一些簡歷，已經有一些公司對她表示有興趣了，I’ve gotten a couple of bite. bite, b-i-t-e, bite 在這裡是上鉤的意思，意思是她的簡歷已經引起了一些公司的興趣。看起來Lisa去意已定，Emily好心地建議Lisa, Don’t burn any bridges. 辭職的時候不要把事做絕，最後給自己留條後路。Emily進一步解釋說：
E: I mean, don’t tell the boss you hate your job or him. Simply inform them that you plan to resign from your position and do your best to train your replacement. That way, this company can remain a back-up option for you.
L: You make a good point. I’ll try to be as professional about this as possible. Thanks Emily! Talking to you makes me feel much better.
E: Sure! Now let’s eat!
Emily勸Lisa不要burn any bridges 斷了自己的後路，不用告訴老闆對公司有多不滿意，而且還要 do your best to train your replacement 盡力把交接工作做好，這裡所說的replacement 指的是接替Lisa工作的那個人。Emily說，這樣的話，現在的公司還能是Lisa的候補選項 back-up option. Lisa覺得Emily這番話很有道理，並保證自己在處理這件事的時候，I’ll try to be as professional as possible. 這裡的professional是專業的，as professional as possible意思是儘可能按照職場的慣例去做。
A：Don’t burn your bridges 這句話說得好，We all need back-up plans，得給自己留條後路。
B: Well, that maybe true, but sometimes you need to burn the bridges and put yourself against the wall, and only by that way you can fully committed into doing something.
A：你是說自己斷了後路，背水一戰？That’s too risky! Don’t be too hard on yourself!
B：No pains no gains!
A：好了，咱們別爭論了! 還是輕鬆一下吧，Now let’s go bowling!
ASE: bowling
P: Hey Yang Chen, Let’s go bowling.
_
Y: 我不會打保齡球。
P: Well don’t worry, you are in good hands. I’ll teach you how to bowl.
Y:那你可要耐心點兒。Be very patient with me.
P: No problem. First you need to learn how to hold the bowling ball. Well, first hold the ball in your left hand.
_
Y: Whoa, 好重啊，差點閃了我的腰。
_
P: It’s not that heavy. Well, now put the first and second fingers of your right had in the top two holes and your thumb in the bottom hole.
_
Y: OK, Patrick, I’m ready! Now what do I do?
P: Walk up to the line at the top of the bowling lane with the ball and center yourself in the lane.
Y: Okay, 站到bowling lane保齡球道中間。
_
P: Now, hold the ball with your right hand only. Swing it behind you, and then swing it forward and let it go.
_
Y: Here it goes!
P: Oh No, Yang Chen. Your ball went into the gutter.
Y: A gutter?
P: Yep, those long troughs on both sides of the bowling lane are gutters G-U-T-T-E-R-S. And when your ball goes in the gutter it is called a gutter ball.
Y: 保齡球掉到旁邊的溝裡，就叫gutter ball溝球。
P: And since you didn’t hit anything, you don’t get any points, but you do get another chance.
Y: Okay, let me try again. 我再來一次。(Sound of ball hitting lane and going in the gutter) Rats! I got another gutterball.
P: It is pretty common to get gutterballs when you first start bowling. You just need practice.
Y: Okay, then let me try again. (Sound of ball hitting lane and going into gutter). Aiya! 又一個gutter ball!
P: Practice makes perfect!
A：打保齡球時扔出gutterball最丟人了！
B: 多練練就沒事啦！
A: But it’s so embarrassing!
B：If you’re afraid of losing face, you can practice bowling at home. For example, you can play blowing video games.
A：在家裏用保齡球遊戲模擬練習，這個主意好！Do you want to join me?
B: Sure!
A：那咱們就比試一下！好，今天節目時間差不多了，這次節目的撰稿人是嘵北，編輯是蔚然，同學們，咱們下次的美語訓練班節目再見！
B: Bye!
