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A: 美語訓練班上課啦！我是楊琳！
B: 我是 Kat！楊琳，今天咱們都教些什么呢？
A: 今天，咱們要設計一個不容易被人破解的密碼，要聊聊管教孩子的問題，要去看冰球比賽，還要告訴大家怎么用美語說“酒后駕車”。
B: Sounds good!
A: 不過咱們還是先來learn a word！
Learn A Word #1386 up someone's alley
今天我們要學的詞是 up someone's alley. Up is spelled u-p, up; and alley, a-l-l-e-y, alley; up someone's alley. Alley是小徑的意思，而 up someone's alley 意思是正合某人胃口。今天是美國感恩節后的第一個星期一，店家在網上大打折扣，叫做網絡星期一。If you hate walking endlessly on Black Friday, then Cyber Monday may be right up your alley. 如果你不想在黑色星期五那天去實地搶購，那么網絡星期一可能正合你的胃口。If you love funny sitcoms, then the new show Modern Family might be right up your alley. 如果你愛看幽默的情景喜劇，那么摩登家庭可能正合你的胃口。 好的，今天我們學習的詞是up someone's alley, up someone's alley, up someone's alley.
A: Christmas is just around the corner. 這就意味著，It'shopping season now!
B: I know shopping is right up your alley!
A: 沒錯，過節了，要給親朋好友挑選適合每個人的禮物，要讓大家喜歡，價格又得是自己承受得起的，其實選禮物也是一門學問??！
B: Exactly! That's why some Americans start their Christmas shopping way ahead of time.
A: 對，早點開始采購年貨，這樣就有足夠的時間挑選合適的禮物。
B: But there are always those who hit the mall at the last minute to do holiday shopping, right before the mall closes.
A: ?。可虉雠R關門前才沖進去開始挑選禮物？那得多趕??！正好，在今天的美國習慣用語里，我們要教 burning question，是十萬火急的意思，一起來聽吧。
B: Let's listen!
Words and Idioms #949
各位聽眾，現在播送美國習慣用語第949講。我是楊琳。
我是Douglas Johnson.
最近我們家決定買房子，但是看了三個月，一直沒看到什么讓我滿意的。恰恰好現在租的房子租約就要滿了，需要決定要不要繼續租下去，情況可真夠緊急的! 這也讓我想到一個習慣用語，那就是：
Burning question. Burning is spelled b-u-r-n-i-n-g, and question, q-u-e-s-t-i-o-n. Burning question.
Burning 字面上的意思是正在燃燒的。那么burning question 都燒起來了的問題! 引伸下來就是“十萬火急的問題”，通常也指人們熱烈討論的問題。比如我現在就面臨著一個這樣的問題。It's a burning question for me to decide weather or not to continue the current lease. 決定是否要續租目前的房子對我來說就是一個十萬火急的問題。下面的例子里，種植柑橘的農民面臨什么棘手問題? 我們來聽聽看:
"Last year freezing temperatures ruined Florida's citrus industry. Millions of dollars worth of produce were lost. Now weather forecasters are calling for severe cold. Industry analysts and farmers desperately want to know what they should do if another catastrophe occurs. That's the BURNING QUESTION."
[這段話是說：去年嚴冬低溫重創佛羅里達的柑橘業，損失高達數百萬美元?，F在天氣預報又預報可能出現嚴冬。業內分析人士和農民都迫切地想要知道，如果再次發生氣候災難，他們該怎么做。這是目前人們都在討論的緊迫問題。]
是啊，農民們可真不容易! 他們得擔心像天氣這種自己根本無法控制的問題。最近美國龍卷風頻繁，像災后密蘇里州喬普林市就遭受了一次這樣的襲擊，而如何重建也成為十萬火急的問題。The reconstruction of the city of Joplin, Missouri has become a burning question. 喬普林市的重建現在是人們熱烈討論的重要話題。好，讓我們再來聽聽剛才那段話。
"Last year freezing temperatures ruined Florida's citrus industry. Millions of dollars worth of produce were lost. Now weather forecasters are calling for severe cold. Industry analysts and farmers desperately want to know what they should do if another catastrophe occurs. That's the BURNING QUESTION."
在美國，高中結束時的prom畢業舞會，是畢業班學生一直盼望的。下面例子里，這名男孩對于畢業舞會有什么心急如焚的問題呢? 我們來聽聽看:
"Sharon's among the most popular girls in my senior class. So it's no surprise that I'm not the only guy who asked her to go to the prom. She said she'd let me know by the weekend. Will she be my date? It's a BURNING QUESTION. I'm dying for her to give me her answer. "
[這段話是說：莎倫是我們高中最受歡迎的女生之一。所以我知道，我肯定不是唯一一個邀請她去參加畢業舞會的人。她說她會在周末給我答復。她會當我的女伴嗎? 這真讓我心急如焚，我迫切地希望她把最后決定告訴我。]
在美國，畢業舞會對高中畢業生是非常重要的，能請到自己喜歡的女孩子去參加畢業舞會，才不會留下遺憾。難怪這個男孩子迫不及待地想知道Sharon是否會接受他的邀請。It's a burning question. 好的，我們再來聽聽剛才那段話:
"Sharon's among the most popular girls in my senior class. So it's no surprise that I'm not the only guy who asked her to go to the prom. She said she'd let me know by the weekend. Will she be my date? It's a BURNING QUESTION. I'm dying for her to give me her answer. "
B: 楊林，Have you noticed there are a lot more cops on the road during holiday season?
A: Yes! 一到節假日，街上的警察就比平時多很多。Can you tell me why?
B: Well, one of the most obvious reasons is that there tend to be more car accidents on holidays because people go to holiday parties and they get DRUNK!
A: 哦！對！過年過節大家聚會，免不了喝酒助興，這時候，酒后駕車的特別多，路上更容易出事故，所以警察自然也比平時多嘍！
B: Exactly. 酒后駕車 is very dangerous.
A: Of course! 在下面的“美語怎么說”里，咱們就來看看就“酒駕”怎么說。
