評論
打印
Donny:Exactly, but they are very important, as well.
WQ:賺錢少，工作時間又長，真的很辛苦，而且他們中很多人其實都很多才多藝。
Donny:You're right. As a matter of fact, many famous actors started out as extras.
WQ:沒錯，很多大腕兒都是從跑龍套開始。對了，"大腕兒" 美語怎么說?
Donny:大腕兒是 Big Shot. B-I-G, big, S-H-O-T, shot， big-shot.
WQ:Big shot! 這個好記。唉，我也好想當明星啊！可是以我這樣的條件，最多也只能當個替身。那 Donny,替身又該怎么說呢？
Donny:替身是 "stunt-double." Stunt-doubles are used when special skills are needed for a performance, for example, playing the piano, dancing or car racing.
WQ:stunt是特技，所以 stunt-double 就是替身。糟糕，這些特技我一個都不會，看來，我連替身演員 stunt-double 都做不成！
Donny:別這么說，你可以跟我學好美語，做為你的才藝啊！Now let's see what you've learned today.
WQ:第一，跑龍套的/群眾演員是extra 或者walk-on.
第二，大腕兒是 big shot.
第三，替身是 stunt-double.
這次的“美語怎么說”就到這里了。如果你也有不會說的詞，請寫信給Donny, 電郵請寄meiyu@voanews.com
A:沒錯，a lot of big shots started as extras. 好多大明星都是從跑龍套開始的！現在看老電影，經常能發現成名前的大明星在里面演路人甲什么的。
B:Some of them also started as stunt doubles.
A:對！我覺得替身演員比跑龍套的更不容易，他們經常做些危險的事。If you asked me to choose, I'd choose to be an extra, not a stunt double.
B:What if I asked you to be an extra, but you had to play a dead body?
A:啊？演死人？這可有點晦氣！不干！
B:But what if I told you this was for CSI?
A:CSI?!犯罪現場？！那可是很牛的美劇，讓我演什么都行！
B:Haha, I bet a lot of people would love to be seen on CSI!
A:對啊，今天的美語三級跳里也要講這個電視劇，咱們來聽一聽！
GoEnglish:TV Advanced
各位聽眾，大家好！今天我們為您播出“美語三級跳”節目“電視節目”單元的高級課程。
Professor:Will and Jane are on a date and talking about what kind of TV shows they like to watch, and it so happens that Will loves TV crime dramas.
Winnie:Crime drama 就是“偵破片”，Professor Bowman, 我聽說最近幾年，crime drama 已經是美國最受歡迎的電視劇了。這是為什么呢？
Professor:Let's see what Will and Jane have to say about it.
Jane:So Will, you really like crime dramas, huh? Why are you so into them?
Will:I really want to become a lawyer one day, so I think watching shows like "Law and Order" is pretty good preparation for my future career.
Jane:Oh come on... that show is so boring. Each show has the same plot. The police arrest someone for a crime, and then he goes to trial.
Will:No way! It's totally interesting the way it shows how the American justice system works. If it were so boring, why would there be so many spinoffs?
Jane:Well that's one thing we can agree on. There are definitely a lot of cookie-cutter spinoffs.
Winnie:"Law and Order"——“法律與秩序”， 講的是警察偵破罪案，法庭審案的故事。Will喜歡看這個片子，因為他可以從中學到關于美國司法系統的一些知識。
Professor:That's right. Will likes it, but what does Jane think about the show?
Winnie:Jane覺得這片子沒意思。不過，Will說，如果這片子不吸引人，就不會有那么多spinoffs——仿照它所拍的同類型電視劇了。
Professor:Exactly. You know, you can call other things spinoffs too. For example, "The new Italian restaurant was so popular that there were soon three other spinoffs, all exactly the same, on the same block. "
Winnie:對了，Jane還用到了cookie cutter這個詞，cookie cutter就是做餅干時切面的模子。Professor, 在這里，cookie cutter 是不是指“千篇一律的東西”呢？
Professor:Yes! For example, I could say that I never believe my students when they give me cookie-cutter excuses for why they didn't do their homework, like saying that their dog ate it.
Jane:Well what are some of the other crime dramas you like?
Will:Do you know the show Crime Scene Investigation? We usually call it CSI. It's about a team of police. investigators solving crimes in Las Vegas.
Jane:Sure, I've heard of CSI. What other shows do you like?
Will:There are lots of other great crime dramas. There is also CSI New York and CSI Miami.
Jane:Will ... can't you see that those are all the same show! They just happen in different cities!
Will:No way! They're all totally different. And besides, they all get really good ratings and rave reviews.
Winnie:CSI——“犯罪現場調查”，也是個非常紅的電視劇！后來的CSI New York 和CSI Miami就是最初那版CSI的spinoffs。
Professor:That's right. But what does Will say?
Winnie:他說，這些電視劇都得到了good ratings——高收視率，還有rave reviews——非常好的評論。
Professor:That's right, Winnie. The word "rave" is often used as a verb, meaning to praise something highly.
Winnie:rave 通常是動詞，意思是“極力贊揚”。您能舉個例子嗎？
Professor:Well, I decided to take my next vacation in Greece after my sister came back from her visit there raving about how great it was.
Will:You know, all this talk reminds me that CSI Miami is coming on pretty soon. Do you mind if I cut our date short so I can get home to watch it?
Jane:You want to end our date early just so you can go home and watch TV? Was the last episode a real cliffhanger, and you have to see tonight's episode?
Will:Yeah! I can't wait to get home so I can see the sequel.
Jane:Well I hope you enjoy it, Will, because there will definitely not be a sequel to this date!
Winnie:Will居然要提前結束約會，趕回家看今晚播出的CSI Miami？我看這只是個借口吧! 不過，Professor, Jane提到一個詞——cliffhanger，這是什么意思？
Professor:A "cliffhanger" is a chapter of a book or an episode of a TV show that ends without resolving the plot.
Winnie:哦，我明白了，cliffhanger這個詞由兩個部分組成：cliff——懸崖，hanger——懸掛物，所以，cliffhanger就好比是有人在懸崖邊，命懸一線! 指的是書和電視中那種有懸念、令人緊張的情節!
A:現在電視劇都愛跟風，If one show gets high ratings and rave reviews, the market will be flooded with cookie-cutter spinoffs.
B:沒錯! That's why original ideas are so precious.
A:不過，要想作出有創意的東西，員工要對工作有熱情，而公司領導也得鼓勵創新，不然好的創意永遠不能被發現，也不能變成好的產品。
B:That's very true! Now let's listen to "Business Etiquette". Lisa is complaining that her good ideas are not taken seriously by the company.
Business Etiquette:Looking for a change II
