The english we speak(BBC教學)第261期:Hot potato 棘手的問題

Helen has been nominated for an important role on the Parents Association, but she's having nightmares about it. Neil comes up with a plan and tells her to drop it before it becomes ‘a hot potato'.

海倫獲得了在家長協會擔任重要職務的提名，但是她一直爲此做噩夢。尼爾提出了一個計劃，建議她在事情變棘手前推掉。

Neil: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Neil.

尼爾：大家好，歡迎收聽地道英語節目。我是尼爾。

Helen: Hello everyone. I'm Helen.

海倫：大家好，我是海倫。

Neil: Oh what's the matter, Helen? You look really tired.

尼爾：海倫，你怎麼了？你看起來很累。

Helen: Is it that bad?

海倫：我看上去有那麼糟嗎？

Neil: You've got very dark shadows under your eyes.

尼爾：你的黑眼圈很重。

Helen: Oh dear. Well, I've been pushed into a role and I don't really want it.

海倫：哦，天哪。是這樣的，有人給了我一個職務，可是我不想做。

Neil: What is it?

尼爾：什麼職務？

Helen: To be the treasurer for the school's parents association and you know I am hopeless with numbers.

海倫：擔任學校家長協會的會計，可是你知道，我看到數字就頭疼。

Neil: Sounds like it could turn into a hot potato for you.

尼爾：聽起來這對你來說可能會成爲棘手的問題。

Helen: Hot potato? Do you mean a jacket potato? No I am not hungry, I am nervous.

海倫：熱土豆？你是說烤土豆嗎？我現在不餓，我很緊張。

Neil: I'm not talking about food. I am talking about this job. I can see it's going to be a problem for you.

尼爾：我不是在說吃的。我說的是這份工作。我知道這對你來說會成爲問題。

Helen: I'm thinking the same.

海倫：我也是這麼想的。

Neil: You need to think about it very carefully before it becomes a hot potato. When something becomes a 'hot potato', it becomes a problem and difficult to handle.

尼爾：你要在事情變得棘手前仔細想清楚。如果某件事變棘手，那這個問題就很難解決了。

Helen: I see. You can't hold a hot potato in your hand. It would burn you.

海倫：我明白了。不能用手拿熱土豆。會被燙傷的。

Neil: Exactly, you've got it. A hot potato is a phrase we use to refer to difficult or tricky situations, or even people. Here are a few examples:

尼爾：沒錯，你已經理解了。我們用hot potato這個短語來形容困難或複雜的情況，也可以用來形容人。下面是例句：

Examples

例句

The shortage of housing supply is fast becoming a hot potato for the council.

住房供應短缺很快會成爲市議會的棘手問題。

The pay rise issue is a hot potato for management; I don't know how they are going to sort this one out between the staff, the union and the shareholders.

對管理層來說，漲薪是複雜的問題；我不知道他們要如何在員工、工會和股東之間解決這個問題。

Neil: Helen, my word of advice is…

尼爾：海倫，我的建議是……

Helen: Please, I'm listening.

海倫：請說吧，我在聽。

Neil: Just tell the school you can't do it. Drop it before it becomes a real hot potato for you.

尼爾：告訴學校你不做這份工作。在事情變棘手前推掉。

Helen: You are right. That's what I will do. Thanks.

海倫：你說的對。這就是我要做的。謝謝你。

Neil: You're welcome.

尼爾：不客氣。

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重點講解：
1. come up with 想出，提出（計劃、想法等）；
例句：I had a hard time trying tocome up withan idea.
爲了想出主意我苦思了半天。
2. hot potato 棘手的問題；燙手山芋；意見不一的複雜問題；
例句：The unemployment is a realhot potato.
失業真是個棘手的問題。
3. turn into （使）變成；（使）成爲；
例句：Jane isturning intoquite a skilled musician.
簡快要成爲一個技藝嫺熟的音樂家了。
4. sort out 解決（問題）；理清（細節）；
例句：I need tosort outmy own problems first.
我需要先把我自己的問題解決。