【大紀元2012年02月23日訊】A: 大家好! 歡迎來到美語訓練班, 我是楊琳！
B：我是Kat, 楊林，快介紹一下節目內容吧！
A: 好! 今天，咱們要見識一下冰球守門員的風采，想想要不要僱個婚禮策劃師，學學中國風水學在商務場合中的作用，還要告訴大家怎麼說「炒作」。
B: Sounds good! But first, let’s learn a word.
Learn A Word prone to
今天我們要學的詞是 prone to. Prone is spelled p-r-o-n-e, prone; and to, t-o, to; prone to. Prone to 傾向於。Our newly-recruited quarterback is known for being prone to injury. 大家都知道，我們新簽的這個四分衛動不動就容易受傷。最近一項研究發現，工作時間與抑鬱有直接關係。與每天正常工作8小時相比，The study found that employees who stay in the office for over 10 hours appear to be more prone to depression. 研究發現，每天待在辦公室超過10個小時的員工更容易患上抑鬱症。與此同時，Heavy Facebook users are also more prone to depression. 嚴重依賴臉譜網站的用戶也更容易患抑鬱症。好的，今天我們學習的詞是prone to, prone to, prone to.
A: Kat, 聽見沒有，經常在Facebook上掛著容易得憂鬱症!
B: I don’t understand the link between them. Isn’t social network supposed to help you stay in touch with your friends, hence become happier?
A: 說得也是啊。可能這說的是那些天天悶在屋裡，掛在網上的宅男奼女吧？老不出去和真正的世界接觸，不和別人打交道，就容易變得 depressed.
B: Maybe. But anyway, I don’t know any Facebook user who are depressed!
A: 我認識的人裡也沒有這樣的。看來，這樣的報導如果想讓咱倆信服，最好是能舉出一個真實生活中的例子。
B: Yeah, we need a case in point!
A: 還是先來學學甚麼叫 a case in point 吧。
Words and Idioms: A Case in Point
現在播送<美國習慣用語>第 952講。我是楊琳。
M：我是 Douglas Johnson.
女：我一直很想周遊世界，瞭解各國文化，嚐遍各國美食，還能學習各個國家的語言。星期天我認識了一個新朋友，她的生活簡直就跟我夢寐以求的生活！她是一個外交官，所以每兩年她就能換一個新國家，體驗新鮮的風土人情。我真羨慕她！這也讓我想到一個習慣用語，那就是：
M：A case in point. Case is spelled c-a-s-e and point; p-o-i-n-t. A case in point.
我們知道，case是例子的意思，a case in point, 意思就是恰當的例子。我的外交官朋友過著我描述的夢想生活。It’s a case in point. 再比如，我們全家性格都很內向，但是也有例外。My niece is a case in point. 我姪女就一個典型的例子。
大家都認為百萬富翁應該會過著很不一樣的生活，但事實是否如此呢？我們來聽聽看下面這個例子：
M: “People assume that the super wealthy live extravagant lifestyles. But you can find exceptions. My cousin is A CASE IN POINT. He’s worth several million dollars. Still, he drives the same used car he’s had for years, rents a modest apartment, and donates most of his money to charity. “
[這段話是說：人們認為特別有錢的人都應該過著奢侈的生活，但實際上是也有例外。我的堂兄就是個例子。他身價好幾百萬美元，可還是開著那輛開了好多年的舊車，租著一間普通公寓，把賺來的絕大部分錢都捐給了慈善機構。]
這聽起來很像我認識的一個朋友耶！她也非常有錢，可是她認為，成就感和美好的回憶比錢更重要。A case in point was her belief in living here and now. 一個恰當的例子就是她相信要活在當下。夢想是重要的，但是也不能錯過享受眼前的時光。這對我們也是個提醒呢！好了，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話。
M: “People assume that the super wealthy live extravagant lifestyles. But you can find exceptions. My cousin is A CASE IN POINT. He’s worth several million dollars. Still, he drives the same used car he’s had for years, rents a modest apartment, and donates most of his money to charity. “
現在我們的生活與科技息息相關。但是有些人偏偏就要反其道而行，試圖不讓現代技術擾亂自己的生活。下面的這名作家就是一個例子，我們來聽聽看:
M: “It’ true. I’m no fan of technology. Not only do I avoid computers and personal communication devices, but so do the characters in the short stories I write. My latest best-seller is A CASE IN POINT. There are no references to e-mails, blogs, the Internet or even cellphones. How’s that for an example of what I believe? “
[這段話是說：沒錯，我確實不是新科技的粉絲。我從來不使用電腦和任何個人通訊裝置，而且我寫的短篇小說裡的人物也不會使用這些玩藝。我最新出版的暢銷小說就很能說明問題。裡面的人物完全脫離了電子郵件，博客，網絡，甚至手機。聽起來是不是我的理念的充分體現呢？]
女: 我們管這種人啊叫Luddite, 就是反對科技創新的人。A case in point was a man named Lud. 最恰當的例子就是一個叫Lud的人。他是19世紀早期的一名紡織工，曾經焚燬紡織機器，因為他覺得這些機器威脅到了他的生計。這也就是Luddite, 反對科技創新者，這個詞的來歷。好的，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話:
M: “It’s true. I’m no fan of technology. Not only do I avoid computers and personal communication devices, but so do the characters in the short stories I write. My latest best-seller is A CASE IN POINT. There are no references to e-mails, blogs, the Internet or even cellphones. How’s that for an example of what I believe? “
女：各位聽眾，今天我們學習的習慣用語是A CASE IN POINT，意思是「恰當的例子」。好的，這次[美國習慣用語]就到此結束，我是楊琳，我是 Douglas Johnson。謝謝各位的收聽。
A: Kat, 最近新上了好幾部電影，你去看了麼？
B: 還沒有。Have you?
A: 我本來想去看其中一部，因為這個電影宣傳了很久，排場很大。可昨天一個朋友跟我說，她看了，沒意思。
B：所以這個電影是吹牛嘍？
A：也許吧。起碼是炒得太過火!
B：炒？吵架麼？Why did they fight?
A: 不是吵架，是炒作! 聽聽「美語怎麼說」你就明白啦!
JESSICA 在北京學漢語，她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。今天是怡茹要問的：炒作。
YR: JESSICA, 你看，這兩個電影明星被偷拍到一起吃飯逛街。
JESSICA: Hmm, interesting. So, are they dating?
YR: 雜誌說他們約會，可他倆不承認。我看，這一定又是炒作，因為他們一起拍的電影快上映啦! 哎？「炒作」美語怎麼說啊？
JESSICA: We call that a “publicity stunt”. Publicity is spelled p-u-b-l-i-c-i-t-y; and stunt, s-t-u-n-t. A publicity stunt.
YR: Publicity 是「宣傳」， stunt 是「特技」，放在一起，a publicity stunt，「為了宣傳而使出的絕招」，這就是炒作!
JESSICA: Right. 炒作是為了票房。I bet that this is a publicity stunt to make the movie a box office hit.
YR: 哦~~box office 就是票房。 賣座好，票房高的電影就是 a box office hit. 不過 JESSICA, 我聽說這部要上映的片子還真不錯，要不咱們也買張票去看看，支持一下他們的 box office?
JESSICA: No, I’m not going! YR, 現在很多電影都沒有宣傳的那麼好，they’re promoted too excessively!
YR: 你是說好多電影被吹過頭了？
JESSICA: Right. We have a word for that—overhyped, o-v-e-r-h-y-p-e-d.
YL: overhyped 就是名不副實，吹噓過頭。那我如果說，The movie star’s performance in this comedy was overhyped. –這個明星在這部喜劇中的表演被吹過頭了。對不對？
JESSICA: That’s correct. Now let’s see what you’ve learned today!
YR: 第一：炒作叫 a publicity stunt; 第二，票房叫 box office; 第三，形容吹噓過頭，可以用 overhyped.
B: Overhyped movies rarely meet your expectations.
A: 不光是電影。有時出去吃飯，在網上看餐廳的reviews, 說得天花亂墜，可去了感覺也就一般。
B: 沒錯! Sometimes, reviews are inflated. But, you know, it’s all about personal taste. For example, a lot of people like Paris and say it’s the most attractive city in the world, but some say it’s the most overhyped tourist destination.
A: 對，這可能是因為蘿蔔白菜，各有所愛。
B: What? You just mentioned some vegetables and I don’t have a clue what you meant.
A：哈哈! 待會兒我解釋給你聽，咱們還是繼續聽節目吧。Let’s listen to GoEnglish!
Go English Wedding: Intermediate
大家好！今天我們為您播出「美語三級跳」節目「婚禮」單元的中級課程。
Professor: John and Carmen decided to have their wedding in a small church in Carmen’s home town. Today, they are planning the details.
John本想到拉斯維加斯去結婚，可最後還是聽了 Carmen的話，在Carmen的家鄉辦傳統婚禮。不知道在籌劃婚禮的過程中，John是不是還會處處遷就Carmen。
Professor: Let’s listen.
Carmen: Gosh, John, I just love being back in my home town. It’s the perfect place to get married.
John: Yeah, I guess it’s pretty good. I can’t wait for the wedding. It’s going to be a great party!
Carmen: A party? John, this wedding is supposed to be a romantic event for you and me.
John: Yeah that’s fine. But I’m also definitely going to party with the groomsmen at the wedding reception!
Professor Bowman, groomsmen 是婚禮伴郎麼？
Professor: That’s right, Winnie. The groom’s friends are called the groomsmen, and the bride’s friends are called the bridesmaids.
MC: 哦，伴娘就是bridesmaids。那麼，reception又是甚麼呢？
Professor: The reception is the dinner after the wedding ceremony.
哦，reception就是喜宴! 怪不得John說，婚禮是個大派對，他等不及跟伴郎們在喜宴上大吃大喝呢!
Carmen: That’s right, we have to plan the reception too. How many people do you think will come?
John: I don’t know… but we have a pretty big wedding party, and I have a really big family.
Carmen: That’s true! I don’t think I will be able to remember the names of all my in-laws.
John: Don’t worry. I often forget some of their names too!
這個John，三句話不離”party”! Carmen問他喜宴會有多少客人，可他只會說「We have a pretty big wedding party.」
Professor: Actually, Winnie, in this case the wedding party is the people who are directly participating in the wedding.
哦，原來這個wedding party不是婚禮派對，而是「婚禮團」，也就是雙方父母，伴郎伴娘等婚禮中的關鍵人物!
Professor: Yes. Carmen says John’s family is so big that she won’t remember the names of all her “in-laws”.
嗯，in-laws 就是配偶的家裏人，包括岳父，婆婆，小姑等等。
Carmen: Say John, do you know who your best man is going to be?
John: No, I haven’t decided yet. I’ll probably choose whichever friend can give the best toast. What about your maid of honor?
Carmen: I haven’t had time to decide because I’ve been so busy thinking about all the other planning. We haven’t even talked about the rehearsal dinner yet!
John: Don’t worry. The groom’s family is supposed to plan the rehearsal dinner.
Professor: So Winnie, how is John going to pick his best man? Best man就是主伴郎，或者叫男儐相。John說他會讓那個give the best toast–最會致祝酒詞的朋友當他的best man.
Professor: Right. And what about Carmen? Has she picked her maid of honor?
Maid of honor就是主伴娘，女儐相，Carmen忙著籌備婚禮，還沒想好讓誰當maid of honor. 對了，professor Bowman, 甚麼是rehearsal dinner？
Professor: The day before the wedding, everyone in the wedding party practices what they have to do. Afterward they all have dinner together at the rehearsal dinner.
哦，我明白了。婚禮前，婚禮團的人會把所有儀式綵排一遍，然後一起吃飯，這頓飯就叫”rehearsal dinner”.
Professor: Yes, that is the tradition.
John: I know, let’s just get a wedding planner to do all the work for us.
Carmen: A wedding planner? No way! I don’t want a stranger planning our wedding.
John: Well if you don’t want to get a wedding planner, my mother said she would be happy to help you plan the wedding.
Carmen: Your mother? You know, John, maybe a wedding planner isn’t such a bad idea after all.
哈，看來Carmen 不想讓未來的婆婆策劃自己的婚禮，所以她寧可請一位wedding planner—婚禮策劃師來出謀劃策。
Professor: You know, Winnie, I have to agree that even though a wedding planner is a stranger, having your mother-in-law planning your wedding could be a lot worse….
A: 原來 wedding party 指的是婚禮中的那些關鍵人物，就是新郎新娘最核心的親友團。
B: That’s right. One thing worth pointing out is “wedding party” isn’t the “party” after the ceremony. That’s called the reception.
A: 對，婚宴是 reception. 在中國，婚宴一般是越盛大越好，最後搞成一個banquet, 宴席。
B: Wow, that’s a lot of work for the wedding planner.
A: 其實在婚宴上忙碌的主要是新人和雙方父母！比如說，最直接的工作：排桌！
B: Arranging seats?
A：對啊！把哪個賓客安排在哪一桌，和誰坐在一起，離舞台有多遠，這裡面都是很有講究的！
B：I don’t really care. I just want to enjoy some Chinese food at the reception.
A; 你真是個好客人。不過，別人可沒你這麼隨和。說到安排座位，在工作場合，開會或吃飯的時候，座位的安排也有一些講究，咱們來聽一聽!
禮節美語 Body Language IV
公司主管Andy又請專門研究肢體語言的Monica給公司銷售員 Sara和James培訓。Monica說：
Monica: Okay, so we talked about composure. Let’s go in the other direction now and talk about humor.
J: Ah, that’s something that’s always puzzled me. Is it a good idea to make jokes?
M: Research shows that people are more likely to accept an idea if it’s wrapped in humor. But the point isn’t about finding a really funny joke. Laughter is actually about bonding.
S: Yes….I’ve noticed that many times people at a meeting are all laughing about something that really isn’t all that funny.
Monica接下來談到了幽默在生意場上的作用。他說，有調查發現，用幽默的方式把一件事情說出來，更容易被對方接受。但關鍵不是要講一個特別好笑的笑話，而是笑聲能加強人與人之間的紐帶。
M: That’s right! They are not really joking….they are attempting to bond.
A: So go ahead and throw in a funny comment or a clever remark…but there’s got to be some minefields we should avoid as well, right?
M: Yeah….don’t make dirty, sexist or racist jokes or comments. And of course don’t humiliate anyone.
J: I have a question. I’m never quite sure where to sit during a business meeting.
M: The ancient Chinese art of “Feng Shui” teaches that you should never sit with the door behind you—and actually there’s a scientific reason for that.
雖然及時講個笑話，或是發表一點幽默的評論能有助於調節氣氛，加強紐帶，但講笑話也有一些需要忌諱的地方，或者說是 minefield 雷區。Don’t make dirty, sexist or racist jokes or comments. Monica說，不要講黃色笑話、性別歧視的笑話和種族歧視的笑話，而且不要 humiliate 羞辱別人。James問了一個很簡單的問題，那就是，開會的時候應該坐在哪兒。Monica 說，按照中國風水裡的講究，後背不要對著門，這是有科學道理的，為甚麼呢？
M: When a person’s back is placed towards an open space he becomes stressed; his blood pressure increases and his heart beats faster.
S: That makes sense! People subconsciously worry about getting attacked if they don’t know what’s lurking behind them.
J: Interesting. I’ll be sure to sit facing the door from now on!
A: Monica, thank you for another great class! I think we all learned a lot today.
M: My pleasure! See you next time!
Monica 解釋說，如果後背對著開放的空間，那這個人就容易有壓力，血壓升高，心跳加速，因為他們不知道身後可能會隱藏著甚麼危險，They don’t know what’s lurking behind them. 所以會下意識地感到不安全，因此在選擇座位時，最好是臉衝著門。怎麼樣，大家是不是也學到了一些以前不知道的事情呢？
B: I don’t actually mind having a seat with the door behind me–as long as that’s not the default place for the person who pays the bill.
A: 哈哈! 你是說，只要不是負責結帳的人專門坐的位子就行？我同意！其實中國人飯桌是圓的，就是為了不分主次，所以坐哪兒都差不多。
B: 好了，After our business class, let’s take a break. Up next is American Sports English!
ASE Hockey -goalie
P: Hey Yang Chen.
Y: Hi Patrick, 你在看甚麼?
P: I’m watching the hockey game. Bruins vs. Islanders. It’s pretty intense.
Y: Oh yeah, it’s pretty intense，是不是因為你run out of snacks?
P: No Yang Chen, it looks like one of the players on the Bruins is about to score a hat trick.
Y: A hat trick?
P: A hat trick is when one player scores three shots in one game.
Y: Oh yeah, 我想起來了，你上次講過: 一個隊員進了三個球，然後大家都往球場扔帽子。
P: Right! So if it happens, people might throw their hats.
Y: Hmm, 你也應該score a hat trick.
P: And why is that Yang Chen?
Y:因為你的髮型太奇怪了。You need a hat.
P: Sigh. Alright, can we just watch the game?
Y: Sure, 那今天誰要贏了?
P: It looks like the Bruins are going to win this one. Their goalie is a brick wall tonight.
Y: 甚麼是goalie?
P: The goalie is the person who stays at the goal and guards against the puck going in. In hockey, he wears the most pads.
Y: 噢， goalie就是守門員。 你剛才說他像一堵磚牆擋在那兒，a brick wall，對方沒法進球，對不對?
P: That’s exactly right. Not a shot has gone in. He’s unstoppable.
Y: Hmm, 我覺得你也會是一個很好的 goalie .
P: Why?
Y 因為you have a big ego.
P: Now you’re starting to hurt my feelings Yang Chen.
Y: Oh I’m sorry Patrick.
P: You’re really “sticking” it to me. Get it? Stick, like hockey stick.
Y: Wow, 你是說我老是騷擾你”sticking” it to you。I said sorry already!
P:OK. Apology accepted. Oh man, Boston has the puck and it looks like they’re setting up the hat trick. Oh and he did it! Wow, that’s impressive. Oh well.
Y: Boston scored a hat trick， 那你該高興啊。
P: I’m an Islanders fan.
A: The goalie is a brick wall! 守門員像銅牆鐵壁一樣! 聽起來是沒少挨球打。
B: 那可不容易! Ouch!
A: 台上三分鐘，台下十年功啊!
B：Er… you’ll have to explain to me what that means.
A: 哈哈，沒問題。好了, 這次節目時間到了。這次的撰稿人是小北，編輯是蔚然。同學們，我們下次再見！
B：See you !
