美語訓練班第42課:"虎媽"用英語怎麼說?

A: 大家好！我是楊林，歡迎來到美語訓練班！

B: 我是Kat.

A: Kat，上次我不在，聽說是你介紹的節目內容？

B: 對啊！

A: 那今天還你來吧！

B: 好! 今天，咱們要去美國大學的籃球聯賽， 吃頓全素席，要聊聊怎麼戒賭，還要告訴大家用美語怎麼說“虎媽”。

A: 不過在節目一開始，咱們先來學個詞兒！

Learn A Word #1454 long-standing

今天我們要學的詞是long-standing. Long-standing is spelled l-o-n-g-s-t-a-n-d-i-n-g, long-standing. Long-standing 形容詞，意思是長期存在的。Former South African president Nelson Mandela has been released from the hospital after a surgical procedure for a long-standing abdominal condition. 南非前總統曼德拉由於長期腹痛接受手術後出院。在英國城市普利茅斯, With over 66% of the adult population overweight, obesity continues to be a long-standing health issue for Plymouth. 普利茅斯66％的成年人口超重，肥胖問題是這個城市長期面臨的健康問題。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 long-standing, long-standing, long-standing.

A: 我有個朋友，最近就解決了個long-standing issue，長期以來一直存在的問題。

B: What's the issue?

A: 學歷問題！他這個人工作能力強，人緣也好，就是學歷低，所以在公司升不上去，現在好了，學歷拿到了，前途光明瞭。

B: Good for him! I hope he didn't get his Degree from one of the schools that we call "degree mills."

A: Degree mills? 學歷磨坊？

B: That's right. It's the kind of school that churns out graduates as fast as possible without really paying attention to the quality of their education.

A: 哦，你說的就是“文憑工廠”！而且你還用到了一個習慣用語：churn out，咱們現在就來聽聽這個短語的用法。

Words and Idioms #957

現在播送<美國習慣用語>第 957講。我是楊琳。

M: 我是 Douglas Johnson.

女: 昨天我去書店買書，看到浪漫小說那裏多出了一大排，看起來是相同作者寫的一系列叢書。我隨便翻了兩三本，發現內容大同小異，情節也沒有什麼特別吸引人的地方。這讓我想到一句習慣用語，那就是：

M: Churn out. Churn is spelled c-h-u-r-n, and out; o-u-t. Churn out.

Churn 作爲動詞，本身有大量生產的意思。加上out，這個短語的意思就是ǒ不顧質量地粗糙生產；大量炮製ō。就像上面的例子中，這些浪漫小說內容相差不多，而且一本接着一本地上市。這讓我覺得這些書質量不高，完全是爲了賺錢而批量生產。下面這個例子裏的旅行者可不一樣，讓我們來聽聽他是如何選擇紀念品的:

M: "When I travel to a country I'm always looking for a souvenir to take back home with me. Many times, I try to find a local artisan who produces something unique. I don't want some factory-produced trinket. Why would I care for what's been CHURNED OUT by the millions?"

[這段話是說: 每次我去國外旅行的時候，我都會尋找特別的紀念品帶回家。很多時候，我會找一名當地的匠人，讓他製作一些特別的東西。我不想要那些工廠生產的小紀念品，那種成千上萬一模一樣的東西完全不吸引我。]

說起TRINKET，我的朋友經常帶給我這種東西，像鑰匙鏈，冰箱貼之類的。但其實我跟上面例子中的人觀點一樣，I would much prefer a good story than something churned out by the millions. 相比起那些批量生產的紀念品，我更想聽一個好故事。好了，讓我們再來聽聽剛纔那段話:

M: "When I travel to a country I'm always looking for a souvenir to take back home with me. Many times, I try to find a local artisan who produces something unique. I don't want some factory-produced trinket. Why would I care for what's been CHURNED OUT by the millions?"

我的小侄女最近正在研究要申請哪所大學。選擇非常多，她該選擇一所有名氣的大學，還是離家近的? 是在城市，還是在郊區?是私人大學，還是公立大學? 需要考慮的因素很多。下面例子裏談到了一所大學，讓我們來聽聽看:

M: "It's true that Acme University is less expensive than many other schools. And it offers classes on-line and at several campuses throughout the country. But the instruction it provides isn't very high-quality. It seems more concerned with CHURNING OUT as many graduates as possible each year. "

[這段話是說: 與其他大學相比，Acme大學的學費確實不高。它還提供網上課程，而且全國各地有很多校區。但是這所大學的教學質量可不高，而是更在乎每年ǒ炮製ō出盡量多的畢業生。]

我絕對不相信這種快速教育能教出優秀的畢業生。這也讓我想到我妹妹的婚禮策劃師。我看過他的很多作品，可是看起來新人的裝束，花束的選擇，還有婚禮流程，全都一模一樣! He seems to be churning out wedding ceremonies like a factory makes widgets. 他策劃婚禮就像工廠生產零件一樣，大量炮製。好的，我們再來聽聽剛纔那段話:

M: "It's true that Acme University is less expensive than many other schools. And it offers classes on-line and at several campuses throughout the country. But the instruction it provides isn't very high-quality. It seems more concerned with CHURNING OUT as many graduates as possible each year. "

今天我們學習的習慣用語是CHURN OUT，意思是ǒ不顧質量地大量炮製ō。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, 我剛纔提到的那個朋友可不是在文憑工廠混的學歷，人家是到全美排名前5的名校讀的！

B: Hmm, I'm not really obsessed with top schools. I think most rankings are skewed one way or anotherr.

A: I agree. Ranking is not as important as some people think it is. 不過我這個觀點好多父母就不贊同，就拿我媽來說，從我剛上小學開始，她就一直跟我說，以後一定要考上名牌大學，還要當全班第一。

B: Sounds like you have a demanding mom——虎媽！

A: 可不是麼！正好，今天咱們的美語怎麼說就要教這個詞兒!

Jessica 在北京學中文，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。今天是吳瓊要問的: 虎媽。

Jessica: Hey 吳瓊！你怎麼看起來無精打采的！怎麼啦？

WQ: 別提了。還不是我男朋友，他什麼都告訴他媽媽，連我們吵架都說，我真是受不了了，簡直就是個沒長大的孩子嘛！

Jessica: Oh yeah, mama's boy can be hard to deal with.

WQ: Wait a second...你說，mama's boy?

Jessica: Yep. Mama's boy is used to describe a guy who is excessively attached to his mother.

WQ: 哦，就是什麼都要聽媽媽的話的那種男生！簡直就是我男朋友的寫照嘛's boy! 那，什麼都聽父母話的女生要怎麼說？

Jessica: We call that kind of girl Daddy's little girl. 爸爸的小女兒。

WQ: Mama's boy, Daddy's little girl, 真形象！其實我覺得，孩子有這種依賴性，家長也有責任！

Jessica: Yep. I've seen some helicopter parents. They are pretty scary.

WQ: Helicopter parents?直升機家長？

Jessica: That's right. Helicopter parents refer to those who always hover over their children even when they've already grown up. 就是對孩子過度保護的家長。

WQ: 哦！helicopter parents 直升機家長，是說家長像直升機一樣一直在你頭頂上嗡嗡嗡地盤旋！對了，前段時間還出了個ǒ虎媽ō，你記得嗎！虎媽要怎麼說？

Jessica: Of course. 虎媽 is called Tiger Mom.

WQ: 哈哈，對，現在大家都管這種對子女管教特別嚴厲的媽媽叫做 tiger mom 虎媽！Thank goodness! My mom is not a tiger mom!

Jessica: Good for you! 好，現在看看你今天都學了什麼吧！

WQ: 第一，形容對家長嚴重依賴的孩子，男孩可以用 mama's boy, 乖乖女可以叫 daddy's little girl;

第二，過份關心孩子的直升機父母是 helicopter parents;

第三，管教嚴厲的母親，叫 tiger mom!

這次的"美語怎麼說"就到這裏了。如果你也有不會說的詞，請寫信給Jessica, 電郵請寄

A: I don't want to date a mama's boy, 他們太不獨立了！不過，I, on the other hand, want to be daddy's little girl, 希望能永遠被人寵着!

B: 啊？你這是不是叫“寬以律己，嚴以待人”？

A: 嘿！你最近中文進步不少啊，Kat!

B: Thanks! Okay, daddy's little girl, do you think you can cook for your boyfriend if he wants a homemade meal?

A: 你可問着了，別的不行，做飯我在行啊！給男朋友做頓愛心晚餐，不在話下！

B: Really? I'd have to see it to believe it.

A: 你不信？哪天我給你露一手。不過說到女友下廚做飯，今天的美語三級跳講的就是這個!

GoEnglish

Food: Advanced

大家好！今天我們爲您播出ǒ美語三級跳ō節目ǒ食物ō單元的高級課程。

Professor: Today Robert is going over to Liz and Doug's apartment for dinner party, but he is about to find out that his tastes in food are very different from theirs.

Robert: Hey Doug! Hey Liz! Thank you so much for inviting me over for dinner.

Liz: Oh, it's our pleasure! We haven't had company in a long time so we're really excited you could make it. Hey, what's that dish you brought?

Robert: Well, Doug told me we were going to have a potluck dinner, so I cooked up some of my famous steak and brought it over. I hope you like it.

Liz: Oh my gosh Doug! He brought a dead animal into our house! What are we going to do?

Robert: Uh ... Doug? What's the problem? Doesn't Liz like steak?

Doug: Jeez... I totally forgot to tell you. Liz is a vegetarian because she thinks eating meat is like murdering animals. Don't worry honey, tomorrow I'll take the steak outside and bury it.

原來Liz是個vegetarian——素食主義者，覺得吃肉就是謀殺動物。難怪她看到Robert帶牛排來那麼生氣。

Professor: Exactly, Winnie. And did you hear Liz talk about "having company"? When you have company, that means you invite guests over to your house. For example, "I can't go to the movies on Friday night because I'm having company."

哦，have company 就是ǒ有客人在ō的意思。對了，professor, potluck dinner 是什麼意思？

Professor: At some dinner parties the host prepares all the food for the guests. But at a potluck dinner, all the guests each bring a dish to share with the other guests.

我明白了，potluck dinner就是客人都自己帶菜，大家一起吃的聚餐。

Doug: Don't worry Robert! Even though we can't eat the steak, we've got lots of other good stuff to eat. Come and sit down at the table.

Robert: Great! I'm starving. What are we having?

Liz: I really hope you like it! I've prepared a three-course meal for you. For our appetizer we're having carrots, for the entree we're having chicken, and for the desert we're having chocolate cake.

Robert: Well that sounds great .... but did you say we're having chicken for the main course? I thought you didn't eat meat!

Liz: Oh don't be ridiculous! It's not real chicken. It's fake chicken, made from tofu.

Robert: Doug, did she say we're having fake chicken made from tofu?

Doug: That's right. Trust me, it sounds pretty weird, but I'm sure you're going to love it. Professor Bowman, 什麼叫 three-course meal?

Professor: When you go to dinner in America, each dish is served one after another. Each dish is called a "course," so if there is a three-course meal, that means three dishes are being served and they are "appetizer", "entree", and "desert". 哦，原來這就是由ǒ頭臺ōǒ主菜ō和ǒ甜點ō這三道菜組成的大餐。對了，Liz還說，主菜是豆腐做的素雞，這個菜可不好做!

Professor: Well now they have finished eating, so let's see what Robert thought.

Liz: So Robert, how did you enjoy your meal? It looks like you barely touched any of your chicken.

Robert: It was ... umm .... interesting. It's just that I'm not feeling so well. I think tofu chicken might be an acquired taste.

Doug: Believe me buddy, that's what I said when I first had it. But I'm telling you, once you get used to it you'll never go back to eating real chicken.

Liz: You know Doug, if tofu chicken really is an acquired taste, we should just put the leftovers in a doggie bag to give to Robert to take home. Then he can keep eating it all week! Professor, 什麼叫acquired taste?

Prof: It means a preference that is only acquired after considerable experience. 我明白了，acquired taste 就是慢慢培養出來的愛好。哈，Robert 客氣地說，吃素雞是 acquired taste，其實就是表示自己不愛吃這道菜。

Prof: That's right! But Liz offers to let him take the leftovers home so he would fall in love with it someday!

A: 怪不得這家很久沒人來做客了，東西那麼難吃，客人都被嚇跑了！

B: So Yanglin, would I be in the same boat as Robert if I visited your place and tried your cooking?

A: 什麼？你是說我做的飯和Liz做的東西一樣難吃，你會像Robert一樣可憐？

B: Haha, I'm just teasing you.

A: 哼，哪天讓你試試我的手藝，保準你心服口服！

B: I look forward to that!

A: 言歸正傳，咱們來聽今天的business etiquette.

禮節美語——BE-230 Gambling II

Patricia和同事Kelly要去澳門出差，準備去賭場試試手氣。另一個同事John提到，自己有個朋友嗜賭成性，傾家蕩產。Patricia問:

P: So what happened to Joe? How is he holding up?

J: Joe is in Gamblers Anonymous right now. He sent me an e-mail the other day and he says he's doing recovering from any addiction is a long process.

K: What's Gamblers Anonymous?

P: Have you ever heard of Alcoholics Anonymous or AA?

K: Not really.

J: Alcoholics Anonymous is an organization that tries to help people with alcohol problems overcome their addiction. Gamblers Anonymous does the same thing for gamblers.

K: I see, so it's sort of like rehab.

Patricia問起Joe近況。John說，Joe現在加入了Gamblers Anonymous嗜賭者互誡協會。Gamblers Anonymous跟Alcoholic Anonymous嗜酒者互誡協會差不多，是幫助賭徒戒賭的組織。在英語裏，有某件事情上癮可以用problem這個字，比如，He has a drinking problem. 他酗酒成性。He has a gambling problem. 他賭博成性。因此說，嗜賭者互誡協會差不多就是一種戒賭組織，it's like a rehab. Rehab is spelled r-e-h-a-b, rehab 是戒毒，戒賭中心的意思。 John 接着說:

J: That's right. Gamblers Anonymous offers a support system to gamblers who have a problem.

K: Well, I hope your friend gets better soon. casino games do you usually play?

P: I've always liked card r, especially. I don't like slot machines because I don't think there are any skills involved.

J: I like poker and all kinds of table games, but my favorite is Blackjack. Blackjack is a nice mix of skill and luck.

嗜賭互誡協會爲賭博上癮的人提供了一個 support system 相互支持的系統。話說到這，Kelly問Patricia和John去賭場一般都玩些什麼。Patricia說自己一般都是玩card games玩牌，不喜歡拉老虎機slot machines, 因爲他覺得老虎機完全憑運氣，一點技術含量也沒有。John說，凡是table games他都喜歡玩。在賭場裏，table games除了撲克牌以外，還包括 craps輪盤骰子和羅萊特 Roulette等。John還說，但是他最愛玩的還是Blackjack, 21點。

K: I think I might be able to enjoy a game or two of Poker or Blackjack. Do you think I'll get addicted?

P: Kelly, I've known you for a few years and you have excellent self-control. I don't think you'll have a problem controlling yourself.

J: Besides, you only get to go to Macau once in a blue moon. What I suggest is you set yourself a reasonable budget of money that you can afford to lose. Don't go beyond that limit.

P: A little bit of legal gambling can be a lot of we have to know when to call it a night.

K: All right. You're on! Let's hit the casinos on Friday night.

Kelly 擔心自己賭錢上癮 get addicted. John建議她給自己設定一個合理的限度，set yourself a reasonable budget that you can afford to lose. 給自己定個輸得起的預算，不要超過那個限度。John還說，況且，You only get to go to Macau once in a blue moon. 去澳門的機會少之又少，once in a blue moon 是非常罕見的意思。Patricia 也說，we know when to call it a night. 我們知道什麼時候該打住。Kelly 在兩人說服下，最後說，You're on. Let's hit the casinos on Friday night. 星期五去賭場，我們就這麼說定了。

A: Wow, 賭場裏的名堂還真多，不過像我這種初級水平的，也就是拉拉老虎機。

B: Be careful! People can get addicted even when they're just playing slot machines.

A: 所以說少賭爲妙，而且得知道When to call it a night──什麼時候收手。好啦，下面咱們去運動運動，聽聽體育美語吧！

ASE March Madness

Y: 我是楊晨。

P: 我是 Patrick. Are you ready for March Madness?

Y: Yes, I am! And you?

P: I'm ready too.

Y: 你得解釋一下什麼是March Madness，三月瘋狂。

P: Our audiences might not know, March Madness is when all of America watches a huge, 65-team men's college basketball tournament that takes place in the month of March every year. It's madness!

Y: 一到了三月瘋狂，幾乎所有美國人都要看這65個隊的大學生籃球聯賽。很多人說比NBA還好看呢！

P: The most fun to watch are the Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, Final Four, and finally ? the championship.

Y: Sweet Sixteen 甜蜜的16歲？

P: No. It's the final sixteen teams that are left in the tournament.

Y: 這裏的Sweet Sixteen應該是甜蜜的16隊，也就是剩下的最後16支隊伍；Elite Eight是精英八強；Final Four最後四強；當然還有the championship，最後兩個隊爭奪冠軍。現在全美國都陷入了March Madness，我想那些在校大學生一定更瘋狂了。

P: When I was in college, my team made it/advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. We played the University of Kentucky, but we lost because of our poor shooting and because of Kentucky's strong defense.

Y: 自己是poor shooting，投籃不準，而對方有strong defense，強勁的防守。那還打什麼球啊？哈哈哈。

P: Well. Looks like someone has a case of March Madness. It's March Madness, baby!

A: 現在就是三月，March Madness 就要開始！能在電視上看那些又年輕又帥的大學男生灌籃，太過眼癮了！

B: Let's have a March Madness party at my place!

A: Good idea! It's gonna be a lot of fun! 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!