美語訓練班第12課:"質量差"和"守財奴"怎麼說?
A: 歡迎大家來到美語訓練班！我是楊琳!
B: And I'm Donny. 楊琳，今天咱們學什麼？
A：今天，我們要去學擊劍, 要和朋友聊聊大學住宿和party，琢磨一下去哪裏踏春, 還要告訴大家怎麼用美語說“質量差”和“守財奴”。
B: 守財奴？我就想當守財奴!
A: 啊？爲什麼啊？
B: 楊琳，you know, the economy is bad now, and a lot of people have gone bankrupt and lost all of their savings. 所以，能有財守是很讓人羨慕的!
A: 情況也沒那麼糟吧! 不信咱們來聽下面的Learn a Word, 看看大學生的就業狀況。
Learn A Word starting salary
今天我們要學的詞是 starting salary, starting is spelled s-t-a-r-t-i-n-g, salary is spelled s-a-l-a-r-y; starting salary. Starting salary 起薪。今年美國大學畢業生的就業市場將比去年好轉，化學工程專業學生薪水最高。The average starting salary for chemistry engineering graduates is $66,886. 化學工然b專業的畢業生平均起薪6萬6千886美元。就業專家建議，College graduates should focus on finding a job where they can grow and shouldn't be overly concerned about their starting salary. 大學畢業生應該更努力找一份有發展空間的工作，而不要過份在意起薪的多少。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 starting salary, starting salary, starting salary.
A: 什麼？化學專業的starting salary最高？嘿! 早知道我考大學的時候就報化學專業了!
B: Why didn't you?
A: 我那時候是文藝少女啊，就希望能找一個讓我成天讀詩看小說的專業，什麼物理化學，太枯燥了。
B: So you majored in what really interests you. What's wrong with that?
A: 畢業的時候就明白了! 人家理工科的學生找工作容易，待遇好啊! 唉! 我當時真該聽我爸媽的建議去學醫，不應該那麼固執，一根筋。
B: Yes, being open-minded and listening to others will surely do you good.
A: Open-minded? 這不是我們今天的流行美語裏要教的詞麼？
B: 沒錯，一起聽吧!
Popular American: To catch a show; open-minded
各位聽衆，現在播送「流行美語」。春天來了，Larry 和李華計劃到外面轉轉，享受春天的美景。他們會用到兩個常用語：to catch something 和open minded。
Larry: What wonderful spring weather! We should get out and enjoy it, Lihua.
LH: 沒錯，咱們踏春去!
Larry: There are a lot of music festivals around town these days. Would you be interested in catching an outdoor show somewhere?
LH: Catch a show? “Catch” 不是捕捉的意思嗎? 怎麼可能捕捉一個show呢?
Larry: Not that kind of catch, Lihua. Here, the word "catch" means to go to attend something, like a show.
LH: 哦，catch在這裏不是“捕捉”，而是“參加某項活動”的意思。 to catch a show就是去看一場表演。
Larry: That's right! We could catch a rock concert.
LH: 啊？搖滾演唱會？太吵了! Let's catch a classical music performance instead. 我們去欣賞一場古典音樂。
Larry: Classical music? With music that boring and weather this nice, I'd surely fall asleep!
LH: 聽古典樂你會睡覺？真是沒有藝術細胞! 好了，你還有什麼主意？
Larry: Well, we could always go catch a movie. There's a new action film that just came out.
LH: Catch a movie? 看電影？可那是在室內啊，可惜了這麼好的天氣!
Larry: That's OK. We can just enjoy the lovely weather-- as we walk to the movie theater.
LH: 可我不是很想看電影! I know! 我們去運動運動吧，I feel like catching a game of tennis. 去打網球吧!
Larry: Well, you can't "catch" a game of tennis if you are playing it. If you are watching other people play, however, then you can say you are "catching" the game.
LH: 哦，to catch something 是強調被動地，不需要費力就可以享受的那種參與。如果自己揮汗如雨地去打網球，就不能用catch, 可如果自己不用動，輕鬆地坐在一邊看網球賽，就可以說catch a game of tennis 了! 這樣吧 Larry, 咱們去博物館看藝術展，怎麼樣？
Larry: Ah, I guess we could go to the museum...
LH: 你好像不太情願啊!
Larry: Well, it's just that I had my mind set on going to that rock concert for awhile now.
LH: 真不明白，那麼吵鬧的搖滾樂，有什麼好聽的。
Larry: Come on, Lihua. I think you should be more open-minded when it comes to music.
LH: open-minded? 什麼意思？
Larry: To be open-minded means to be open to new ideas or experiences.
LH: I get it. To be open minded 就是寬容，思想開放的意思。這麼說起來，Larry, 你就不是個 open-minded，思想開放，勇於嘗試的人。
Larry: No way! I am very open-minded, Lihua. I've done all sorts of crazy things with you that I wouldn't normally do.
LH：比如呢？
Larry: Well, like playing Mahjong with your friends. Even though I had to learn from scratch, I still kept an open mind and tried to have fun.
LH: 哈哈，你打麻將那次還真是出糗呢!
Larry: And I went camping last year with your friends. And even though it was cold and raining the entire time, I was open-minded and tried to enjoy myself.
LH: 好啦，我承認你是個優秀的男朋友!
Larry: Of course I am! And I'm not close-minded.
LH: Close-minded？ 我知道了，一定是open-minded的反義詞，就是思想保守的。對不對？
Larry: That's right. You shouldn't be so close-minded to this rock concert thing.
LH: 那好，我們來個妥協。咱們先去看博物館看藝術展，然後再去聽搖滾樂，怎麼樣？我夠open-minded了吧？
Larry: Great! Let's go!
各位聽衆，今天李華學了兩個常用語，一個是to catch something，意思是“觀看觀賞”；另一個是open-minded，意思是“思想開放的，肯接受新鮮事物的”。
A: Hmm, I've always wanted to catch a Broadway show. I heard they're fantastic.
B: Go ahead! What's stopping you?
A: 票價啊! 百老匯歌舞劇的票太貴了，動不動上百美元，我覺得有點宰人。
B: I don't know. I saw "Phantom of the Opera" once, and I really liked it. I think it's worth the money. 物有所值。
A: It better be! 花那麼多錢，當然不想看不入流的表演。
B: 說到不入流，質量差，咱們正好聽一下"How to say it in American English", 教的就是這個詞。
How to say it: rip off
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。今天是方方要問的：宰人。
JESSICA: 方方，Your new cell phone is so cool!
FF: 那是，這可是最新型的智能手機!
JESSICA: 這手機很貴吧？
FF: 商店裏賣5000塊呢!
JESSICA:啊？ That price gives me sticker shock.
FF: sticker shock? sticker, s-t-i-c-k-e-r, sticker, 是商品的價籤，shock表示吃驚，sticker shock就是說看到價簽上的價格，被嚇到了，對不對？
JESSICA: That's correct.
FF: 說起來，那天我去商場裏買手機，When I saw the price, I got major sticker shock. 那價格讓我大跌眼睛。這麼貴，純屬宰人! 對了，“宰人”在美語裏怎麼說呢？
JESSICA: We use the word "rip-off". r-i-p-o-f-f. If something gives you sticker shock, you can say "This is a rip-off".
FF: This is a rip-off, 這是宰人價!
JESSICA: You can also say rip someone off.
FF: Rip someone off？我明白，就是“衝某人要高價，宰人一刀”。那我要是說“我被人宰了”，就是 I was ripped off，對不對？
JESSICA: Exactly! Fangfang, Don't you think you were kinda ripped off ? This phone is really pricey!
FF: There's no way I got ripped off! 這手機是網上買的，才1000塊!
Jessica: Wow! That's a really good deal!
FF: 那是! 哎？怎麼回事？手機怎麼不動了？Jessica 你看看，what's wrong with my phone?
Jessica: Let me see phone is dead. It's broken.
FF: 啊？壞了？我，我昨天才買的!
Jessica: It seems like you bought a shoddy phone. Shoddy is spelled s-h-o-d-d-y. If something is of poor quality, you say it's shoddy.
FF: Shoddy 就是形容質量低劣。嘿! 氣死我了! 買了個劣質品。
Jessica: You know what they say, Fang Fang, you got what you paid for.
FF: You got what you paid for? 便宜沒好貨! Jessica, 你損我是吧？
Jessica: 哈哈，別生氣了。Let's see what you've learned today!
FF: 第一，宰人是rip-off, 當動詞是rip someone off;
第二，形容價格高可以說 something gives me sticker shock；
第三，形容質量低劣可以用shoddy.
A：Donny, 除了rip someone off，我們以前好像還教過一個說法，也是宰人的意思，對不對？
B: Yes! 我們教過的那個是 to take someone for a ride.
A: 對! 我記得好像是在講，找房子的時候，房東欺負租客剛來美國，不懂行情，所以把價格開得高高的，He took her for a ride. 對不對？
B: Wow, Yanglin, I'm impressed.
A: Thanks! 不過說到找房子，咱們就來聽聽今天的GoEnglish, 看看美國大學生怎麼解決住宿問題，室友們又會怎麼相處。
B: Let's listen!
GoEnglish: College─Advanced
各位聽衆，大家好！今天我們爲您播出“美語三級跳”節目“大學生活”單元的高級課程。
Winnie: Eric 和 Patty 是大學同學，倆人聊起了住宿情況。
Professor: Listen for the word "lousy," which means "bad."
Eric: So Patty, are you planning on living on campus this year, or are you going to go for an apartment?
Patty: Well, housing is included in my scholarship, so I have to live on campus. The food is lousy, but there are other things I like about it.
Eric: What are the good things about living in a college dorm?
Patty: There are lots of advantages to living in the dorms. For example, I like studying and hanging out with my floormates. We all go out to parties together.
Eric: Wow, it sounds like the people in your dorm are pretty close.
Patty: Yeah, we really are. I love the dorms because you make friends that last all through college.
Winnie: 看來，雖然食堂飯不好吃，但 Patty 還是挺喜歡住校的，跟宿舍樓裏的人很合得來。對了，Professor Bowman, roommate是室友，那麼Patty說的floormate是住在同一層的人麼？
Professor: That's right, Winnie! A floormate is someone who lives on the same floor.
Winnie: 也就是“層友”！ 我們來聽聽Eric住在哪裏吧。
Patty: How about you, Eric? Are you living on campus?
Eric: Right now I live in an apartment off campus. I didn't like living on campus because the people in my dorm always had their doors closed and were studying. It wasn't much fun.
Patty: That's too bad. It sounds like the people in your dorm weren't as close as the people in my dorm.
Eric: No, you're right. Living off campus is OK, but I feel like I miss out on all of the fun stuff that happens on campus.
Patty: Have you ever thought of joining a fraternity? I hear that all the brothers in the frat houses are really close.
Eric: Yeah, I've thought about joining a frat. But the frat houses are just so dirty! I'm not sure I could take it.
Winnie: Professor Bowman, "fraternity"是兄弟會嗎？
Prof: Exactly. And the "frat house" is the house that the people in the fraternity live in. Sometimes fraternities are called the "Greek system." If you join a fraternity, you can say that you "go Greek."
Winnie: 加入兄弟會可以說“Go Greek"，真有意思！那我猜，既然有兄弟會，一定也有“姐妹會”吧？
Professor: Yes! In the next section, listen for the word "sorority," which is a fraternity for women.
Eric: What about you? Have you ever thought about joining a sorority?
Patty: No way. I've heard a lot of horror stories about Greek life. Plus, I'm not a big drinker and I decided it's better to keep a clear head and focus on my studies.
Eric: You're totally right. I like to go to parties, but I don't want to wake up in the morning surrounded by empty beer bottles!
Patty: Yeah, partying in the place you live is a bad idea. Plus, all the hazing seems really stupid.
Eric: Yeah, some of my friends joined fraternities and they said the hazing was really bad.
Winnie: 看來，Patty對姐妹會不感興趣。可她說的"hazing"是什麼意思啊？
Professor: Sometimes when you want to join a club, the people in the club will make you do lots of crazy things to prove you really want to join. For example, a fraternity might haze one of the men trying to join it by making him wear a dress out in public.
Winnie: 啊？原來"hazing"就是整人啊！爲了考驗想加入兄弟會的男生，可能會讓他穿着裙子到大馬路上走一圈兒! 難怪Eric和Patty都討厭這些hazing的把戲!
Eric: You know, my friend is having a party this Saturday night at his apartment. Do you want to come?
Patty: Sure! That sounds like lots of fun!
Eric: Great. Bring all of your girlfriends!
Patty: Wait a minute. Are you inviting me just so that I will bring lots of other girls to the party?
Eric: What? Of course not! I'm inviting you because I need a designated driver!
Winnie: Eric請Patty去參加派對，但卻是爲了讓Patty在派對結束後當他的專用司機--"designated driver," 這是什麼朋友啊！
Professor: Well, if Patty is a true friend she will want to make sure Eric gets home safely, right?
Winnie: 那倒也是。我看Patty也是個講義氣的朋友呢!
B: I have first-hand experience of being hazed in college. It still gives me nightmares from time to time.
A: 你上大學時也爲加入兄弟會而被整過？快講講!
B: Er...往事不堪回首啊。But living in the frat house gave me the chance to attend some of the best parties of my life, and I was really close with my roommates.
A: 對啊，豐富的社交生活，室友間密切友好的關係，這就是加入兄弟會的好處。我們中國的大學沒有fraternity 或者 sorority, 男生也不能進女生宿舍.......
B: So where do you guys have parties?
A: 去飯館兒啊，KTV啊! 那時候大家都是窮學生，一起湊錢出去玩兒，可高興了! 不過，也有些人喜歡蹭飯，到交錢的時候就假裝上廁所什麼的。
B: 那不就是我們節目開始時說的“守財奴”？
A: 對啊! 我覺得錢是不能亂花，但也不能太摳門，要不然，不論在學校還是在公司，都會惹人討厭。
B: That's right. Let's listen to Business Etiquette, 看看怎麼才能既省錢又不被人討厭。
Business Etiquette: Birthday Bucks II
Sarah 向原來的同事 Amanda 訴苦，說剛換了新工作，就趕上三個人過生日，都要湊份子，感覺心理很不平衡。Amanda 勸她說，
A: If I were you, I would just bite the bullet and hand over the money. First impressions are important and it's not worth getting a reputation for being a Scrooge. Think about it this way: when your birthday comes around, you'll have at least one card and cake to look forward to.
S: A Scrooge is someone who is stingy with his money even though he has plenty, right? I wouldn't want my colleagues to think I am refusing to contribute to the pool even though I can, but this would put me way over my weekly budget.
Amanda 建議Sarah硬着頭皮湊份子， Bite the bullet 意思是硬着頭皮接受自己不願意做的事情。她說，first impressions are important, 第一印象很重要，不能爲了這點錢給別人留下“守財奴”的印象。 It's not worth getting a reputation for being a Scrooge. Scrooge is spelled s-c-r-o-o-g-e, scrooge 意思是討厭的守財奴。Sarah 說自己不是不肯出錢，contribute to the pool, 這裏的pool, p-o-o-l, pool 指的是大家湊的錢，可如果出錢，一星期的預算就會超出很多。
A: What about a compromise? Maybe you could sit down privately with the person in charge of collecting the money and explain that coming from a smaller department you've never had to deal with so many birthdays at once. Offer to give her
five dollars for each birthday instead, and promise that you will make your famous brownies for the celebration.
S: That sounds like a good plan. I hope they understand where I'm coming from and don't hold it against me.
Amanda 建議Sarah去找負責收錢的同事商量，try to make a compromise. 看能不能找到一個居中的妥協方案，把份子錢從十塊減少到五塊，但同時保證烤自己拿手的蛋糕，來慶祝同事的生日。Sarah覺得這個辦法不錯，希望同事能 understand where I'm coming from. 意思是能明白和理解我的本意，don't hold it against me 不要記恨我。
A: I'm sure they will understand. Lots of people have been in the same position before. And, maybe once you get to know them better, ten dollars won't seem like
such a big deal anymore.
S: Thanks so much for your advice, I feel a lot better about the situation.
A: You're welcome. Let's make sure we keep in touch, Sarah!
S: Sure, I'll talk to you again soon and let you know how it goes. Enjoy your lunch!
Amanda 叫Sarah放心，一定有很多人遇到過這種情形，lots of people have been in the same position before. 她還說，等Sarah和同事們熟了以後，湊十塊錢的份子錢可能也就沒什麼大不了的了。
A: Amanda給Sarah出主意，讓她既不用bite the bullet, 硬着頭皮去湊份子，也不會被同事看成是Scrooge, 守財奴。她建議Sarah提出折中方案，make a compromise，讓Sarah少出點錢，做個蛋糕帶去。
B: That's right. Hopefully Sarah can leave a good first impression on her colleagues.
A: 不過Donny, 說到這個Scrooge，他是不是狄更斯小說“Christmas Carol"--"聖誕頌歌”裏的那個小氣自私的老頭子？
B: 沒錯! 楊琳，看來你對外國文學很瞭解啊!
A: 承蒙誇獎! 除了文學，我還喜歡外國電影。我小時候特崇拜俠盜“佐羅”!
B: 你喜歡Zorro? 那你一定喜歡下面這個運動？
A: 騎馬？
B: No! 是Fencing--擊劍! 讓我們來聽“體育美語”。
American sports English: Fencing
P: This music reminds me of pirate movies like 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' Why are you listening to that?
Y: Because I like sword fighting. Do you like it?
P: It's hard to say, Yang Chen. I guess I don't have anything against swords, but it seems a bit strange. Why do you ask?
Y: Because I want to try fencing! 擊劍！
P: Fencing F-E-N-C-I-N-G. Fencing is the official name for competitive and Olympic sword fighting.
But isn't fencing kind of dangerous, Yang Chen? And what ever happened to being a professional weightlifter?
Y: 我什麼時候說過我要練舉重嗎？
P: Just a few days ago.
Y: I don't remember it. But anyway. Fencing can be dangerous, but we are going to be very careful and wear protective gear ，防護服， 從頭到腳都要包起來。
P: Okay, I feel a little better knowing we are wearing masks, gloves and other protective gear that covers us from head to toe.
Y:這是你的劍， Patrick.
P: Cool! This is the foil F-O-I-L.
This foil looks like a real sword, but it doesn't have a sharp end.
Y: That's right. Foil 叫做鈍頭劍, 是用來練習的。
如果我擊中你，你不會受傷！
P: Ouch!
Y: Oh, don't be a wimp, Patrick.
P: It didn't hurt. It just surprised me, that's all.
Y: All right. Now that we have our protective gear on and our foils, let's start fencing. Ready? Avant garde!
P: Whoa, whoa, Chen, I'm not ready. I don't even know how to fence!
Y: I don't either.
P: Then why are we here?
Y: Because I think fencing is cool. 你不覺得擊劍很帥嗎？
P: Yang Chen, that 's not a good reason to go into fencing .
Y: It's not?
But I want to do it, 我要學會擊劍，和壞人鬥爭，我要拯救世界！
P: OK. Before you can save the world, let's go online to check the local gyms and find you a good coach.
Y: Great idea.
P: Ouch! Stick to weightlifting and Michael Phelps for now.
A: Yes! Fencing is so cool! 感覺好像是非常有風度的跳舞!
B: But still, it's dangerous. You shouldn't play with a sword unless you've had adequate training.
A: Donny, 我本來還想和你筆劃兩招呢! 我當佐羅，你呢，這麼膽小，只能當佐羅最親密的戰友了!
B: 那也不錯啊! 他的戰友是......？
A: 就是那匹大黑馬呀!
B: What?!
A: 哈哈! 好了，今天的節目就到這裏。節目的撰稿人是曉北，編輯是蔚然。同學們，我們下次的美語訓練班再見!
B: Bye!
