The english we speak(BBC教學)第108期:Dragon 母老虎
Neil: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil. Presenting the programme with me today is Li. She hasn't arrived at the studio yet and I must say that I'm a bit nervous about her arrival. Something's happened to her recently... she's so unfriendly and even frightening. A real dragon!
尼爾：大家好，歡迎來到BBC英語教學頻道的《地道英語》節目。我是尼爾。今天和我一起主持節目的是李。她現在還沒有來到演播室，我必須要說，我對她的到來感到有點緊張。她最近發生了些事……所以她不太友好，甚至有點可怕。她真是個母老虎！Li: (Bursts into the studio) What are you saying? Why Neil, why are you not waiting for me? This guy, honestly... right, come on. I haven't got all day. Give me the script... (reads a bit out) Ahh hello, I'm Li... blah, blah, blah... this is rubbish as usual.
李：（突然跑進演播室）你在說什麼？尼爾，你爲什麼不等我？說實話，這個人真是……好了，快開始吧。我沒那麼多時間。把臺本給我……（讀出了一點臺詞）大家好，我是李……等等等等……這臺本跟往常一樣差。Neil: Li, what's the matter with you?
尼爾：李，你到底怎麼了？
Li: What do you mean? Can we get on with this please?
李：你什麼意思啊？我們能不能繼續做節目了？Neil: What a dragon!
尼爾：真是個母夜叉！Li: What did you say?
李：你剛纔說什麼？Neil: I said that you're a dragon, Li.
尼爾：李，我說你是個母老虎。Li: No I'm not, I'm a rooster.
李：不，我不是，我是雄雞。Neil: No, I'm not talking about your Chinese zodiac sign, I mean your personality.
尼爾：不是，我不是在說你們中國的生肖，我是說你的性格。Li: Oh! Oh, thanks!
李：哦！哦，謝謝！Neil: What?
尼爾：你說什麼？Li: I said thank you.
李：我說謝謝你。Neil: Li, I called you a dragon. That's not a compliment.
尼爾：李，我說你是母老虎。那可不是讚美。Li: Neil called me a dragon. To us Chinese this is a great compliment, but he says it's not. I wonder what he means...
李：尼爾剛剛說我是龍。對我們中國人來說，這可是極大的讚美，可是他說那並不是讚美。我想他的意思是……Neil: Listen to these examples and see if you can get the meaning.
尼爾：來聽聽這些例子，看一下你是否能明白這個詞的意思。A: I'm never going to make my deadline with this report.
A：我肯定不可能按時交這份報告了。B: You should speak to Kate to get an extension.
B：你應該和凱特談談，尋求延期。A: But I'm too scared of Kate–she's such a dragon.
A：可是我太怕凱特了，她就是一個母夜叉。B: That's true. She's so unfriendly and scary. She'll probably shout at you.
B：的確是。她不友善又可怕。她可能會衝你大喊。A: (coughing)
A：（咳嗽）B: Oh that doesn't sound good. You should go to the Doctor's.
B：哦，那聽上去可不好。你應該去看醫生。A: I can't face dealing with that dragon at reception. She's always so rude and aggressive.
A：我沒辦法和接待處的那個母老虎打交道。她總是那麼粗魯又咄咄逼人。B: Yeah, she's the last thing you want to deal with when you're ill.
B：沒錯，她是你生病時最不想打交道的人。Li: Ah, now I see that to call someone a dragon in English means something very different to Chinese. In those examples we have just heard they were using it to describe unfriendly and frightening women. Can this be right? Neil, are you calling me unfriendly and scary?
李：現在我明白了，在英語中稱某人爲daragon和中文的意思完全不同。在剛剛的例子中，我們聽到他們用這個詞來形容一個不友善又可怕的女人。這麼說對嗎？尼爾，你是說我不友好又可怕？Neil: Erm... yes. Recently.
尼爾：額……是的。最近你是這樣的。Li: Not strong, courageous and determined? This is what we mean in Chinese when we call someone a dragon.
李：不是說我強壯、有勇氣、有決心？這是我們在中文裏稱一個人是dragon的意思。Neil: No, I'm afraid not. We use 'dragon' to describe a woman who is unfriendly and frightening.
尼爾：恐怕不是。我們用dragon來形容不友好又可怕的女性。Li: Oh, that's very interesting.
李：哦，那真有意思。Neil: Yes it is, isn't it?
尼爾：很有意思，不是嗎？Li: Hang on, hang on. What do you mean I'm unfriendly? How dare you call me unfriendly!
李：等等，等一下。你說我不友善是什麼意思？你怎麼敢說我不友好？Neil: Well, not usually but recently you have been.
尼爾：不是說平常現象，只是你最近是這樣。Li: You just wait. I will get my revenge on you for this, you little upstart. Who do you think you are?
李：你等着瞧。我會報復你的，你這個狂妄自大的新人。你以爲你是誰啊？Neil: Now you're getting scary!
尼爾：你現在越來越可怕了！Li: I'll show you what a dragon can do!
李：我會告訴你母老虎會做什麼的！Neil: OK, Li I think I'm going to leave now before you start breathing fire.
尼爾：李，我認爲在你噴火之前我最好現在就離開。Li: Breathing fire!? I'll burn you till you're toast!
李：噴火？我會把你燒成灰的！重點講解：
1. burst into
突然闖進；
eg. She rushed downstairs and burst into the kitchen.
她衝下樓闖進廚房。
eg. He burst into our meeting and got sent away with a flea in his ear.
我們正在開會他闖了進來，大家把他轟走了。
2. read out
（大聲）讀出；朗讀；
eg. He's obliged to take his turn at reading out the announcements.
輪到他大聲宣讀通知了。
eg. Shall I read them out?
要我大聲讀出來嗎？
3. get on with
繼續做；開始做；
eg. Jane got on with her work.
簡繼續幹她的工作。
eg. I think we might all be seated and get on with business.
我想我們大家都坐下來開始談正事吧。
4. be scared of
驚恐的；恐懼的；害怕的；
eg. I'm certainly not scared of him.
我當然不怕他。
eg. Most people are scared of radiation.
一般人對輻射都存有恐懼。
5. cannot face sth./doing sth.
接受；容忍；
eg. My children want me with them for Christmas Day, but I can't face it.
我的孩子們想要我跟他們一起過聖誕節，但我辦不到。
eg. I couldn't face seeing anyone.
我無法見任何人。
6. deal with
打交道；應付；
eg. We often deal with him.
我們經常與他打交道。
eg. I think we should work out a strategy to deal with this situation.
我想我們應該制訂出一項行動計劃，用來應付這種情況。
7. how dare you
（表示震驚和憤怒） 你竟敢，你怎麼敢；
eg. How dare you pick up the phone and listen in on my conversations!
你竟敢拿起電話偷聽我的談話！
eg. Suddenly the peace was destroyed by someone shouting, 'Get back! Go away! How dare you!'
突然平靜被打破了，就聽見有人在喊：“滾回去！滾開！大膽！”
