美語訓練班第91課:如何買車 陷入停頓
A: 歡迎大家來到這期的美語訓練班! 我是小北!
B: 我是Mike! What are we going to teach today, Xiaobei?
A: 今天，我們要和大家聊聊買車，還要告訴你怎麼說陷入停頓。
B: But first, let's learn a word!
Learn A Word 1667 extended
今天我們要學的詞是 extended, extended is spelled extended, extended. Extended 是形容詞，延長的，長期的。He has been on extended sick leave since this summer. 他因爲生病，從今年夏天就開始休長假。聖誕節前，Many retail stores are offering extended hours to meet the need of lastminute shoppers. 很多零售商家都延長營業時間，滿足拖到最後一刻纔來採購的顧客們的需要。extended warranty 延長的保修期。Experts say in most cases buying extended warranties are bad ideas. 專家說，大多數情況下，購買商品的長期保修其實並不划算。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 extended, extended, extended...
B: You know what, Xiaobei? Yanglin wechatted me the other day and said she might take an extended vacation and come back 2 weeks late, which means you'll have to continue hosting the show with me for a while.
A: 啊？楊林假期延長兩週？憑什麼啊？不管，我已經代班這麼久了，下週你自己主持吧!
B: You want me to go solo?
A: I have faith in you.
B: You must be kidding! This show would grind to a halt if it was just me doing it! Think of our poor dedicated listeners Xiaobei!
A: Grind to a what? I don't think I've ever head of that idiom before, let's listen to Words and Idioms to find out what it means. 先聽一聽!
Words and Idioms 815 GRIND TO A HALT
美國習慣用語第815講。
華盛頓的天氣最近特別熱。只有這種時候，大家才能體會到空調的好處。如果沒有空調，真不知道怎樣才能工作。這倒讓我想起了一個有趣的習慣用語，這就是我們今天要學的：
M: Grind to a halt. Grind is spelled Grind, and halt; halt. Grindtoahalt. Grind to a halt.
Grind 是動詞，有嘎嘎作響的意思。Halt 是名詞，停頓的意思。Grind to a halt 這個習慣用語就是慢慢停下來，無法繼續前進。大家現在明白了吧，我剛纔說最近天氣特別熱，如果沒有空調，Work would grind to a halt. 工作就會陷入停頓。
你們肯定還記得，上個世紀末的時候，因爲擔心從二十世紀邁入二十一世紀，電腦無法正常工作，世界各地都在吵 Y2K 的問題。讓我們聽聽下面這個歷史學家的介紹。
M: "Before the new century began, there was a lot of discussion of Y2K. That's the name of the software problem that was feared when the clocks rolled over into the year 2000. But despite terrible predictions, the world didn't GRIND TO A HALT. Most computers continued to work just fine."
這個歷史學家說，進入新世紀之前，出現了很多圍繞 Y2K 的討論，指的是鐘錶敲響 2000年的時候，電腦軟件可能會出現狀況。儘管有很多聳人聽聞的預測，但世界並沒有因此而陷入停頓。大多數電腦都照常運轉，並沒有出現問題。我還記得，當時所有人都如釋重負。
就在上週末，我去參加外甥的畢業典禮。他們這屆學生特別多，所以決定在室外舉行。出席畢業典禮的學生、家長和老師大約有1000人。可就在嘉賓講話的時候，忽然陰雲密佈，瓢潑大雨劈頭蓋臉地下了起來。不用說，The program ground to a halt. 畢業典禮告一段落。我們只好開車回家，但是因爲路上能見度太差，The traffic started to grind to a halt. 路上的車流開始陷入停頓。好的，讓我們再來聽聽上面那段話。
M: "Before the new century began, there was a lot of discussion of Y2K. That's the name of the software problem that was feared when the clocks rolled over into the year 2000. But despite terrible predictions, the world didn't GRIND TO A HALT. Most computers continued to work just fine."
去年，美國好萊塢的劇作家協會罷工，給娛樂業帶來了巨大的困擾。讓我們一起來聽聽下面這個記者的報導。
M: "Last season's strike by writers in Hollywood had a significant impact. Without scripts, production on most television series and movies GROUND TO A HALT. It took months of negotiations before a settlement was reached and filming started again."
這個記者說，上一季好萊塢劇作家的罷工產生了非常大的影響。因爲沒有劇本，所以大部分電視連續劇和電影的製作都陷入了停頓。經過好幾個月的談判，雙方纔達成協議，讓拍攝工作得以恢復。
值得一提的是，grind to a halt 這個習慣用語還有另外一種說法，是 come to a grinding halt. 意思完全一樣。所以我們可以說，Work would have come to a grinding halt without air conditioning. 假如沒有空調，工作恐怕就得停下來了。The world didn't come to a grinding halt because of Y2K. 世界沒有因爲 Y2K 而陷入停頓。或是 Hollywood productions came to a grinding halt. 好萊塢劇目的製作陷入了停頓。好的，讓我們再聽一下上面的例句。
M: "Last season's strike by writers in Hollywood had a significant impact. Without scripts, production on most television series and movies GROUND TO A HALT. It took months of negotiations before a settlement was reached and filming started again."
美國習慣用語真是太多了，所以大家不用擔心，Our show won't grind to a halt.
M: Until next time.
下次節目再見。
M: This has been Words and Idioms.
B: See? If you desert the show next week, and Yanglin's not back yet, our show will grind to a halt! Then 領導 gets mad, and we all get fired!
A: 說得也對。所以不管楊琳會不會來，咱們都還是老實幹活吧。
B: Yep. Besides, Yanglin hasn't finalized her plan yet, so she might be back on time.
A: 好吧，咱們繼續聽節目吧，今天的禮節美語要聊聊買車。
禮節美語215 Buying a Car I
Chris告訴同事Jason, 準備買輛新車。
Jason: Hey there Chris, what are you up to?
Chris: I'm just poring over some brochures about various car models.
J: Oh, so you're thinking about buying a new car?
C: Yeah, it looks that way. My wife has been bugging me about it. I thought we could probably survive without one, but with a baby on the way, maybe it is time to get a car.
J: So this would be your first automobile?
C: That's right. For quite a few years, I rode a bicycle to work. Then I got a motorbike.
Chris太太懷孕，所以不得不考慮買車。Chris說，my wife has been bugging me about it. 意思是我太太一直在軟磨硬泡要說服我，to bug someone是沒完沒了煩某人的意思，比如說，Stop bugging me. 意思就是別煩我了。這是Chris的第一輛車，他以前都是騎自行車或是騎摩托車上班，但現在 with a baby on the way 眼看就要有孩子了，所以只好考慮買車。Jason表示理解。
J: Yeah, I think I can understand your wife's position. Asking her to ride on a motorcycle when she's pregnant is a tall order.
C: Oh...I don't let her ride with me. It's just too dangerous. She takes the bus to work, but it is sometimes difficult to get a seat and it's crowded and hot.
J: So it's time to buy your very first car! Wow, that's exciting!
C: Yes, but it's also a pretty big financial responsibility.
J: Yeah. I still remember my first car. It was an old clunker that my dad gave me when I turned 17. I drove it around for a couple of years until I scraped together enough money to buy a better secondhand car.
Jason說，讓太太挺着大肚子坐Chris的摩托車確實有點強人所難，It's a tall order. tall order 意思是很難完成的任務或要求。Christ解釋說，其實太太不坐他的摩托車上班，但是擠公交車也很辛苦，所以才必須買車。Jason說，他的第一輛車是 17歲過生日時老爸送的，It was an old clunker. clunker is spelled clunker, clunker, clunker 是老破車的意思，開了幾年後，攢夠了錢才自己買了輛稍微像點兒樣的 secondhand car 二手車。Chris 說，
C: I'm having a hard time deciding which model is best for us.
J: Yeah, it is a tough call. Each one has its pros and cons. Are you looking for a sedan?
C: Yes, I'd like a Jeep, but my wife says we have to get a comfortable sedan for long drives home to see her relatives.
J: I'd advise you to listen to your wife. She will be sitting in the back taking care of the kids so whatever she prefers is probably the best choice.
Chris說，拿不定主意應該買什麼型號的車。Jason承認，It's a tough call. tough call意思是很難做的決定。他還說，不同型號的車有各自的優缺點，pros and cons 是指一件事情的正反面，pros 是優點，正面的，cons 是缺點，負面的。Chris想買吉普車Jeep，但他太太堅持要買轎車sedan, 因爲sedan開長途坐着更舒服些。買車還要考慮其他哪些因素呢？我們下次繼續聽。
A: 我覺得等到孩子生出來，轎車也不夠大，最好直接來個SUV!
B: Or a mini van! Some of my friends have had kids, and whenever they take a trip with their kids they have to carry tons of baby stuff along with them. So no car is too big for parents with kids!
A: 是啊，所以咱們繼續聽聽，看看Chris會不會考慮更大的車。
禮節美語 216 Buying a Car II
Chris準備買輛新車，向同事Jason徵求意見。
Chris: What do you think about this one? a look.
Jason: I like it. It's quite stylish. 's also pretty small.
C: That's OK. We are only a family of three.
J: This model has a 1.3 liter engine. With a small engine, you'll save a lot of money on gas.
C: That's one of the reasons I'm considering this one. It gets good gas mileage and overall has good value.
J: When I was young, having a car was all about power, prestige and fashion. But today, everything is about economy, value and savings.
C: The world has changed.
Chris看中了一款車，徵求Jason的意思。Jason說，車外觀還是挺有形的，但就是有點小。Chris覺得，小點沒關係，因爲他們就三口人，a family of three, 小點也夠用了。Jason說，這款車引擎是1.3公升的，省油，是優點。Chris承認，這也是他看中這款車的原因之一，It gets good gas mileage and overall has good value. 意思是說這輛車油耗低，總體上說很划算。Jason大發感慨，說自己年輕那會兒買車就是爲了馬力，時尚，如今大家考慮的卻都是實用和省錢。
J: Have you considered getting a secondhand car?
C: My wife rejected that idea. She says that you never know if the car dealer is unscrupulous. The car could be water damaged or could have been involved in an accident.
J: She makes some good points. Anyway, having a new car is a great experience.
C: I'm also trying to decide if I should take the three or fiveyear payment option.
J: If I can make a suggestion: go with a threeyear plan. The fiveyear might look easier, but in the end, the interest payments are not worth it.
Chris不準備買二手車，因爲他太太擔心碰上個缺德的二手車車行老闆，把出過車禍的車買回家，上面所說的 unscrupulous is spelled unscrupulous, unscrupulous, unscrupulous 意思是沒有道德操守的。Jason覺得，she makes some good points. 她說的很有道理。在貸款方面，Chris不知道應該三年還清還是五年還清，Jason建議他做三年的貸款，因爲五年貸款每個月付的錢看上去雖然少些，但其實把交的利息都算進去，就不值了。
C: I'll go home and do the math, but you're probably right.
J: How about the color?
C: Blue is my lucky color, so I'll pick blue if possible. My wife says we should consider black because it doesn't look dirty so quickly.
J: Cool! Well, let me know when you decide. I'd love to check out your new car!
C: Sure, Jason. Thanks for the input.
Chris說，我回家算算 I'll go home and do the math. Do the math 是口語裏很常用的一種說法，意思是算算清楚，特別是指明擺着的事情，比如：We cannot afford that house with our salaries. You do the math. 咱們的工資買不起那棟房，你自己算算吧。在顏色選擇上，Chris說，藍色是自己的幸運色，而太太覺得黑色經髒。Jason最後說，I'd love to check out your new car! 買了新車別忘了給我看看。
A: 這個準爸爸也太小氣了，車買得不夠大，又怕費油，要不是老婆攔着，他弄不好還想買個二手車!
B: I don't blame him. With a baby on the way, a father needs to be a bit frugal.
A: 也是，咱們沒孩子，體會不到現在養一個孩子要花多少錢。不過，對父母來說，孩子都是無價寶，容易爲這個小傢伙衝動購買。
B: That's right. But looks like Chris is still quite coolheaded. Okay, now let's listen to another episode of Learn a word.
Learn A Word 1668 substitute
今天我們要學的詞是 substitute, substitute is spelled substitute, substitute. Substitute 名詞，是替代，替補的意思。A substitute teacher is heir to a trove of gold coins worth more than $7 million. 一名代課老師繼承了很多珍貴的金幣，價值七百多萬美元。Across the country, a lot of people are using a drug called Spice as substitute for marijuana. 美國各地有不少人吸食一種叫Spice的毒品，做爲大麻的替代品。Pure maple syrup is the perfect sugar substitute in a variety of dishes, including desserts and baked food. 純楓樹糖漿在做菜時是糖的絕佳替代品，包括甜點和烘烤食物。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 substitute, substitute, substitute...學習的詞是 substitute, substitute, substitute...
A: I've been a substitute for Yanglin for quite a few weeks. 不知道聽衆朋友喜不喜歡我主持。
B: I think you did well. Even Yanglin spoke highly of your performance on the show!
A: Really? 難道她就不擔心被我徹底取代 ？
B: Ha! She probably is worried. The phrase we're teaching next describe her concern to a T. Let's listen.
Words and Idioms 816 Has Had one's Day
我先要考考大家。你們都知道，一美元等於一百美分。誰能說出一美分 one cent 的另外一個名字？
(Tickers, and Buzzer Sound) 時間到！如果你說的是 penny, penny, 那就對了。Penny 以前還挺值錢的，可如今，早就沒人想要了，很多美國人甚至主張讓美分退休。這倒提醒了我。今天我們學習的習慣用語就是：
M: Has had its day. Hashaditsday. Has had its day.
如果說什麼東西 has had its day, 意思就是這種東西已經沒什麼用，不再受歡迎，不象以前那麼成功了。換句話說，就是過時了。什麼是你最喜歡的交通工具？讓我們聽聽下面這個記者的報導。
M: "Until very recently, travelers in the U.S. have chosen to get on an airplane for quick and affordable transportation. So HAS the train HAD ITS DAY? Maybe not. Because of increased security at airports and higher airfares, many passengers have shown a renewed interest in rail service. It may become popular once again."
這個記者說，直到最近一段時間，很多美國人出門旅遊，還喜歡坐飛機，因爲飛機速度快，價錢又不貴。那是不是說火車已經過時了？這可不一定。由於機場加強安檢，機票又不斷漲價，很多遊客又開始轉向火車了。沒準火車會重新受到歡迎呢！
沒錯，我就喜歡坐火車。雖然火車不如飛機快，但是坐火車很舒服，而且現在飛機的燃料價格不斷上升，都轉嫁到了乘客的身上，機票越來越貴。好的，讓我們再來聽聽上面那段話。
M: "Until very recently, travelers in the U.S. have chosen to get on an airplane for quick and affordable transportation. So HAS the train HAD ITS DAY? Maybe not. Because of increased security at airports and higher airfares, many passengers have shown a renewed interest in rail service. It may become popular once again."
還有什麼東西是 has had its day 過時的呢？比如說，電報，肯定大家都同意。Telegram has had its day. 再比如說，報紙。 估計有一部分人同意。那 Internet 因特網呢？因特網如日中天，正火呢，肯定不能說 it has had its day. 還有啊，現在大家都上網購物，Shopping mall 購物中心是不是過時了呢？那恐怕也不盡然。
Has had its day 這個習慣用語也可以用在人身上，比如說早已沒人提起的老電影明星，我們就可以說 She has had her day. 下面讓我們聽聽一名消防隊員是怎麼說他的老隊長的。
M: "I have the greatest respect for the fire chief. Over the last thirty years, he's been a courageous leader. But, frankly, he HAS HAD HIS DAY. Firefighting has changed and it's time we appoint a successor who can take on new challenges."
這個消防隊員說，我對我們隊長有着無限的敬意。過去三十年來，他一直是我們的領導，勇氣過人。但是坦率地講，他那一套已就過時了。消防工作日新月異，他需要一個能夠接受新挑戰的接班人。既然有過輝煌的事業，那麼急流勇退也沒有什麼不好。我昨天晚上看電視，是兩個喜劇表演的老搭檔。我從小就是看他們的節目長大的，可是40年過去的，同樣的笑話他們今天還在講。I really believe they have had their day. 好，我們再聽一下上面的例句。
M: "I have the greatest respect for the fire chief. Over the last thirty years, he's been a courageous leader. But, frankly, he HAS HAD HIS DAY. Firefighting has changed and it's time we appoint a successor who can take on new challenges."
大家可能會問，這種說法是從哪裏來的？ Has had its day 這個習慣用語最早可以追溯到16世紀。Every dog has its day. 意思是所有人都會有得意的日子，也就是我們常說的風水輪流轉。
M: Until next time.
下次節目再見。
M: This has been Words and Idioms.
A: Yanglin, you've had your day! Come back quickly, otherwise the job is mine.
B: I'll relay the information to her. I'm sure it will help her decide to come back as soon as possible.
A: 咱倆可真夠壞的! 好了，不開玩笑了，今天節目時間又到了，咱們得說再見啦!
B: If you have any questions or comments, please email us at . Tune in next time for American English Mosaic!
A: See you next time!
