美語訓練班第76課:美國辦公室的着裝標準
A: 歡迎大家來到這期的美語訓練班! 我是楊琳!
B: 我是Mike! 楊琳，來告訴大家今天都要學什麼?
A: 沒問題! 今天，我們要聊聊隨大流，看看美國辦公室的着裝標準，還要告訴你怎麼說能說會道!
B: Oh you mean good at negotiating? Dear audience, you don't have to look anywhere else...
A: 哈哈，就你? 你不是才問我怎麼跟領導談漲工資嗎?
B: Hey! Don't give out my secret!
A: 好了好了不開玩笑了! 我們言歸正傳，趕快來進入第一個單元，learn a word!
Learn A Word 1599 donor
今天我們要學的詞是 donor. Donor is spelled d-o-n-o-r, donor. Donor 是捐贈者的意思。Mitt Romney's campaign offered some supporters the opportunity to fly with the candidate on his charter plane as a donor prize. 羅姆尼競選團隊說，某些支持者可以乘坐羅姆尼的專機，做爲對競選捐贈者的獎勵。在美國，More than 100 million Americans are registered organ donors, but it's not enough to keep up with the demand. 註冊登記的器官捐贈者有一億多人，但還是供不應求。Sixteen states offer tax incentives to organ donors, but a recent study found that these sweeteners aren't working. 美國有16個州對器官捐贈者提供稅收方面的優惠，但是最近有研究發現，這些鼓勵機制沒有作用。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 donor, donor, donor....
A: 哇! 美國總統候選人爲了競選，真是不惜血本呀! I would totally want to ride in Romney's charter plane!
B: That's for sure! But you've got to be a major donor for that to happen!
A: Yeah...I will leave that task for rich folks. 不過話說回來，你的漲工資任務進行的怎麼樣了?
B: Oh that...I mean, I think I should ask, but I don't think I'm the most persuasive guy here....I always hesitate before I go into Sasha's office...
A: 哈哈，我就知道! 今天我特地挑了一集美語怎麼說來教教你怎麼變得能說會道! 趕快來聽吧!
How to say it in American English
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，就會來請教她。今天是瓊燕要問的：能說會道。
Jessica: Hi, Qiong Yan! I heard there was a riot in your office...
QY: Riot? 哈哈，沒那麼嚴重，其實就是我們這些小白領一塊兒找經理談判，要求漲工資!
Jessica: And did you get the raise?
QY: Yes! I didn't expect management to give in,不過我們的談判代表是一個特別能說會道的人，我估計，經理是被他侃暈啦! 哈哈! 對了，在美語中要怎麼形容一個人能說會道呢？
Jessica: You can say someone has a silver tongue, or someone is silver-tongued. It means a person can clearly and effectively express himself and convince other people.
QY: I see. So, thanks to my silver-tongued co-worker, we got the raise!
Jessica: Congratulations!
QY: 其實，仔細想想，這次也不全是因爲這個同事能說會道。經理以前老說大家工作努力，應該漲工資，可都是光說不練! 所以他這次也自覺理虧!
Jessica: So he'd been paying lip service to you!
QY: Pay lip service? Lip 不是嘴脣麼？我知道了，pay lip service 就是用空話安撫別人，對麼？
Jessica: That's right. Managers at your company must have said how much they appreciated all your hard work, but if they're really impressed by what you've done, they should have given you a raise already! Their insincere appreciation is lip service.
QY: 沒錯! 以前經理還老說公司財政緊張，所以大家都應該支持公司，暫時不要漲工資，可我聽說，他自己的工資漲得可帶勁了!
Jessica: Ah! This is a textbook example of "talk the talk, but not walk the walk." 說一套，做一套。
QY: 真氣人，If they talk the talk, they should walk the walk! 怎麼能搞雙重標準呢？
Jessica: Well, I'm just happy you guys got what you wanted. You should be proud of yourselves!
QY: 今天我們學了，形容一個人能說會道，用silver tongue; 說空話是pay lip service; 說一套，做一套是talk the talk, but not walk the walk.
B: Yeah. I have this friend back home who works in the banking industry. One time he got a speeding ticket from the policeman, but ended up selling the policeman a saving account at his bank! Now THAT is a silver-tongued dude.
A: 阿，真是! 我覺得那些在銀行裏工作的人都是這樣! 個個能把死的說成活的! Isn't this how the financial crisis started?
B: Exactly! Plus, since the banking industry is very profitable, a lot of people were trying to follow suit and get rich.
A: 哈哈，也沒那麼誇張吧! 不過呢，你剛纔提到了一個很好的詞兒，follow suit! 咱們來聽聽今天的words and idioms, 學學這個習慣用語怎麼用!
Words and Idioms 989
美國習慣用語第 989講。我是楊琳。
M：我是Steve Baragona.
今天中午我忽然想吃麥當勞，由於很久沒去，我看到他們的菜單時有些吃驚。我印象裏的麥當勞都是些不健康的快餐，漢堡，薯條什麼的，但是現在，菜單裏多了全麥麥片，水果片，沙拉等等選擇。這種改變可以用一個習慣用語來形容，那就是:
M: Follow suit. Follow is spelled f-o-l-l-o-w, and suit; s-u-i-t, suit. Follow suit.
大家都知道，follow是跟隨的意思，而suit，可以指撲克牌四種花色裏的任意一種，兩個詞連起來 follow suit，跟着出同樣的花色，引伸爲“效仿，跟着做”。就像上面的例子裏，隨着人們健康意識的提高，越來越多的餐廳紛紛推出健康的低卡路里菜單，連麥當勞都沒落下。All the restaurants started to offer healthy food items. McDonald felt they needed to FOLLOW SUIT. 在下面例子裏，我們要講講casual Friday的來歷，讓我們一起來聽一聽:
M: "Who wants to have to wear formal business clothes every day? For many employees, Friday is when you can dress casually. You might even be allowed to wear jeans. It seems the trend began in California in the late 1990s. Before long, workplaces throughout the U.S. copied the practice. Other countries have been FOLLOWING SUIT ever since. "
[這段話是說: 誰想每天都穿正裝上班呢? 對很多人來說，星期五就是能穿便裝的日子，或許你還能穿牛仔褲呢！這個潮流似乎是90年代末從加利福尼亞州興起的。不久，美國各地的公司都開始實行這種做法，其他國家也紛紛效仿。]
這個Casual Friday就是星期五便裝日! 誰都不希望每天西服革履的。由於燃油價格上漲，美國的西南航空公司最近宣佈，往返機票價格上漲4到10美元。業內觀察人士說，其他航空公司很可能會follow suit 跟着漲價。好的，我們再來聽聽剛纔那段話:
M: "Who wants to have to wear formal business clothes every day? For many employees, Friday is when you can dress casually. You might even be allowed to wear jeans. It seems the trend began in California in the late 1990s. Before long, workplaces throughout the U.S. copied the practice. Other countries have been FOLLOWING SUIT ever since. "
人身攻擊在美國社會是一件絕對不被接受的事情。在下面的例子裏，咱們要去看看一個廣播主持人中傷別人之後，給他自己帶來了什麼樣的後果:
M: "The radio entertainer made a habit of making rude comments. Perhaps that's why his talk show was so popular. But when he insulted a woman repeatedly on the air, people from across the country complained loudly. Before long, one of his advertisers withdrew its support. Then another FOLLOWED SUIT. Soon the majority had done the same, leaving the show with few sponsors. "
[這段話是說：這名廣播節目主持人一貫以言辭犀利著稱，也許這就是爲什麼他的談話節目那麼受歡迎。不過當他多次在節目中對一名女士出口不遜後，很多地方的聽衆都表示不滿。沒過多久，他的一個廣告商就不再支持他了，隨後，另一個也撤走了對節目的贊助。很快，大多數廣告商都選擇退出，整個節目沒剩幾個贊助人了。]
不久前，美國著名體育頻道ESPN就解僱了一名員工，原因就是他使用了侮辱性的語言來形容冉冉升起的亞裔籃球明星林書豪。這確實說明，言論自由是要在有框架內的自由，並不是毫無限制的隨便亂說。好的，讓我們再來聽聽剛纔那段話:
M: "The radio entertainer made a habit of making rude comments. Perhaps that's why his talk show was so popular. But when he insulted a woman repeatedly on the air, people from across the country complained loudly. Before long, one of his advertisers withdrew its support. Then another FOLLOWED SUIT. Soon the majority had done the same, leaving the show with few sponsors. "
今天我們學習的習慣用語是follow suit, 意思是效仿，照做。
A: 原來，casual Friday是在加州興起的! 加州人民的風格確實很隨性! 我原來就在加州上學，記得畢業的時候，校長穿着 flip flop，人字拖就來給我們頒學位了! 這也許就是加州風吧!
B: Haha, that definitely sounds like it! I guess in public schools there's usually no strict dress code. But things change when you come into the workplace!
A: Exactly! 特別是DC! 一上地鐵一片黑藍灰! 每個人都穿西裝!
B: Yeah, we are lucky that we don't have to wear business formal in our office! In today's business etiquette, the management team is talking about proper dress code in the company, let's go and take a look!
禮節美語Dress Code I
公司高層開會，老闆 Frank 建議，規定着裝標準，不能太隨便。
Frank: Good morning everyone. Thanks for being on time.
Gary & Penny: Good morning, Frank.
F: We've got a whole bunch of topics to go over today, but let's start with a simple one: our company's dress code.
G: We have a dress code?
F: we didn't have one before, I'm instituting one, starting now.
P: What exactly does this mean?
公司老闆 Frank 說，首先討論着裝要求，dress code。Gary 覺得奇怪，不知道公司什麼時候有了 dress code. Frank表示，以前沒有沒關係，I'm instituting one starting now. 就從現在開始定。
F: I've become concerned that we are getting a bit too casual. I was walking through the office the other day and some people were wearing shorts and T-shirts! I don't think that is appropriate office wear.
P: It's true. Our standards have been going down. It used to be that we wore casual clothes only on Fridays, but these days it seems we do it almost everyday.
Frank 原來是看到員工穿得太隨便，a bit too casual. T恤衫，短褲，什麼都有，不合適上班穿。Penny 承認，着裝標準是有些下降，原來只有星期五不用穿得太正式，也就是常說的 Casual Friday, 可如今大家每天都穿得很隨便。
G: But Frank, don't you think maybe this isn't such a big issue? I mean, why does it matter what we are wearing? I think productivity is more important!
F: Actually, I agree with you, Gary. Productivity is the most important thing. But I think what we wear is linked to productivity.
P: In what way are they linked?
F: Police officers wear uniforms, right? It's a symbol to both them and the public that they are serious about what they do.
Gary覺得，穿着並不重要，重要的是工作效率，productivity. Frank 卻認爲，穿着跟效率之間也有密切聯繫。比如警察穿制服，就是一個象徵，a symbol, 告訴自己，也告訴大衆，他們覺得自己的工作很重要。
G: You're the boss, Frank, so of course it's your I have to say, I'm not so keen on this idea. I think neckties cut off blood circulation. I'm much more in favor of a relaxed workplace environment.
F: And for some companies a relaxed atmosphere might work. At Google they let you bring your dog to work! But we are a serious financial company with an image to uphold.
Frank 的工作態度論並沒有說服Gray. 他說，you're the boss. It's your call. 你是老闆，你說了算，但我還是主張有一個輕鬆的工作環境 I'm in favor of a relaxed workplace environment. Frank 看來已經拿定主意，說輕鬆的工作環境適合某些公司，但他們是一家嚴謹的金融公司，with an image to uphold. 要保持公司形象。新的 dress code 是什麼呢？我們下次繼續聽。
A: 原來，公司經理Frank覺得公司的dress code 着裝標準太過隨意，a bit too casual. 作爲一家嚴謹的金融公司，they have an image to uphold,要保持公司形象，而且他認爲 what we wear is linked to productivity, 穿着與效率有密切關係。What do you think, Mike?
B: I definitely agree with this manager, that's why I dress up for work everyday. I feel like when you are in business casual, you feel more like you are working. While in a T-shirt, you just feel you are chilling.
A: Yeah, I guess what you wear IS linked to productivity for certain people. 像我這種自制力這麼強的人，穿什麼都效率高嘛!
B: Riiiighhttttt. But seriously, almost everyone judges by what they see on the outside.
A: Yep, beauty is skin deep, but first impressions do make a difference. 我們接着來聽聽老闆Frank能不能說服大家吧!
禮節美語Dress Code II
公司高層開會，老闆 Frank建議，嚴格員工的着裝標準，穿得不能太隨便。公司主管 Penny 說，
P: I'm inclined to agree with Frank. You know that old saying: "Don't judge a book by its cover?" Well, almost everyone DOES judge by what they see on the outside. I think we do need to present a more professional image.
F: Some of the ladies may also have to tone down their attire as well. Clothes that are too revealing are not appropriate either.
G: What exactly is acceptable and what is not?
俗話說，Don't judge a book by its cover. 人不可貌相，可實際上，Penny 表示，幾乎所有人都難免以貌取人 judge by what they see on the outside, 因此公司需要樹立專業形象。Frank又說，女員工穿着也要 tone down 收斂，不能過於暴露，revealing, r-e-v-e-a-l-i-n-g, revealing 是暴露的意思。 那到底什麼樣兒才符合要求呢？
F: Well, for the men it's pretty simple. They should wear a button-down shirt with a collar and preferably a tie as well. Jeans are not acceptable.
P: For the women I'd say professional looking skirts or dresses that go down to at least the knee are acceptable. And blouses or shirts should not show too much skin.
F: And of course, no sandals or flip-flops. Shorts are NEVER acceptable.
P: Do you think members of the board should try to dress especially well?
F: Yes I do. We are representatives of the company and we need to be a good example. I'd say the men should try to wear a full business suit when possible.
男人簡單，無非是襯衫領帶，不穿牛仔。女人則要穿職業女裝，裙子過膝，上衣不能太露，一個字，professional looking 看上去要職業化。此外，涼鞋、拖鞋和短褲是萬萬不能穿的。Frank 還說，理事會成員代表公司，要以身作則，穿得更正式。
G: Can we still have "Casual Fridays?"
F: (Chuckle) Sure, 's keep that tradition. But "casual" can't be too casual. I'd say jeans are OK on Fridays, but no T-shirts. Polo shirts or short-sleeved sports shirts are OK.
G: So I guess we are going to need to send out a memo with these new guidelines. Some people aren't going to be very happy about this.
F: Well, we in management can lead by example.
P: Actually, I kind of enjoy getting dressed up! It's fun!
G: And I guess I'll get used to the new rules. I do look pretty good in a suit.
F& P: (chuckle)
Frank 同意保留星期五隨意着裝的傳統，但不能太過份，牛仔褲可以穿，帶領子的馬球衫 Polo shirts 和短袖襯衣可以穿，但是沒領子的T恤衫還是不行。Gary 最後無可奈何地說，I guess I'll get used to the new rules. 我想我會慢慢習慣新規矩的。
A: 老闆Frank說，男士應當穿 a button-down shirt with a collar and preferably a tie，襯衫領帶，女士應當穿dresses that go down to at least the knee，及膝裙，總之一個字, professional looking, 看起來要職業化。
B: See, Yanglin, you should be taking some notes from the episode and start to dress up for work!
A: I repeat: for really smart people, it doesn't matter what they wear, it's all about the brain. Thank you.
B: I think someone may be getting a little too self confident!
A: 哈哈，開玩笑開玩笑! 節目最後，我們再來學個詞，一起來聽吧!
Learn A Word 1601 undocumented
今天我們要學的詞是 undocumented. Undocumented is spelled u-n-d-o-c-u-m-e-n-t-e-d, undocumented. Undocumented 形容詞，沒有合法證件的。Mitt Romney riled Latino voters early this year when he said "self-deportation" is the best way to deal with the millions of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. 羅姆尼今天年初時說，自我驅逐時解決美國數以百萬計非法移民的最好辦法，這種說法激怒了拉美裔選民。與此同時，奧巴馬六月宣佈新政策。Under President Obama's new policy, undocumented students can avoid deportation if they meet certain requirements. 根據奧巴馬的新政策，沒有合法身份的在校學生只要符合特定條件，就可以避免被驅逐出境的命運。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 undocumented, undocumented, undocumented....
B: lin, you are not undocumented immigrant, are you?
A: Yes, I am. Woops, now you know my deepest secret, which means I can't let you live...
B: Woops....
A: 哈哈， 好了同學們，這次節目時間就到這裏了。
