Cats and Dogs: Intermediate
大家好!今天我們為您播出“美語三級跳”節目“寵物”單元的中級課程。
Tom說服了Mindy,倆人養了一只狗,可是這狗很不聽話,經常惹麻煩,所以,Tom和Mindy打算訓練訓練它。
Professor: Right Winnie. Some dogs are so bad, they need to be trained by a professional.
Mindy: Gosh Tom, why did I ever agree to get this dog? It's so badly behaved!
Tom: It's OK, honey. We just have to train him. In a couple of weeks he's going to be totally obedient.
Mindy: In a couple of weeks? Tom, he will have totally destroyed our new house by then!
Tom: I know he's a little wild right now. But trust me, before you know it, he's going to obey every one of my commands.
Professor Bowman, Tom 還挺樂觀的,他向Mindy保證,自己肯定能把狗訓乖,讓它很快就obey every one of his commands, 對主人言聽計從。
Professor: What do you think? Will Tom be able to make the new dog obedient before it destroys their new house? 這可不好說。不過,剛入住的新家如果被狗弄得亂七八糟,哪個主人不心疼啊?
Tom: OK, the first thing I need to teach him is how to shake hands.
Mindy: That's the first trick he needs to learn? Tom, he isn't even house broken, and this morning he ripped apart all the pillows on the couch!
Tom: So... you think I should teach him something else first? Like how to sit?
Mindy: Yes, Tom. That would be a good start. Then you can teach him how to heel.
如果換成我,第一件事就是要讓狗"house broken",也就是說,在經過訓練后,能夠到指定地點大小便,從而保持家里的整潔。
Professor: That's true. Teaching your dog how to shake hands isn't the number one priority. Professor, Mindy 說的"teach the dog how to heel"是什么意思呢?
Professor: It means to make the dog obey you. You can also say that you bring a person to heel. For example, "At first the boss couldn't control her employees. But after she threatened to start firing people, they all came to heel." 我明白了,come to heel就是聽話,服從的意思。
Mindy: Tom, the dog is never going to obey you unless you punish him. When he misbehaves, you have to spank him.
Tom: You want me to hit our beloved dog, who is a member of our family? How can you be so cruel?
Mindy: Tom, that dog isn't going to be a member of our family much longer unless he learns to behave.
Tom: Well, I prefer to reward him for doing something good instead of punishing him for doing something bad.
Mindy好像已經失去耐心了。她說,如果這只狗還不聽話,就不能繼續住在這里了。
Professor: Right. But Mindy and Tom have different ways of training the dog, right? 是啊,Mindy說,如果狗不聽話,就要spank,打屁股,可是Tom說這種懲罰太殘忍。
Professor: So what does Tom say they should do? Tom認為應該采取鼓勵的方法,也就是說,如果狗狗表現得好,就reward獎勵它。
Mindy: Tom, this dog is really out of control. Maybe we should take him to the veterinarian to see if he has some health problem.
Tom: He doesn't need to go to the vet. He needs to go to a doctor who can cure him psychologically.
Mindy: Oh no Tom, you're not talking about a ......
Tom: Yes, Mindy. We have to take him to a pet psychologist. Tom 要帶狗去看pet psychologist-寵物心理醫生?美國真有這種醫生么?
Professor: I guess so.可是寵物又不會開口說話,這些心理醫生怎么能知道寵物的想法呢?八成是騙人的! 對了,Professor, veterinarian,v-e-t-e-r-i-n-a-r-i-an 是獸醫的意思,是不是和vet, v-e-t,是一回事?
Professor: Yes. The whole word is veterinarian, but most people in America just call them vets. 嗯,我倒很想見識見識這個寵物心理醫生,看看他是不是真能讀懂狗狗的心聲!
Professor: Well, we'll have to listen next time to find out!
A: 所以說,教會寵物如何"house broken"特別重要。It's the top priority!
B: It's SO important- I wish I could have had some help house-breaking my ex-boyfriend...
A: What? What do you mean?
B: I had to teach him how to not behave like a caveman...for example, I had to educate him about the importance of doing dishes, picking up his dirty socks and washing his clothes. If I had had some help, maybe we could have worked out!
A: 哈哈哈! 訓練男友! 沒錯! 我現在也在對我男友進行野人改造訓練!
B: You are doing the right thing, 楊琳! 好了好了,咱們來換個話題, 在下面的business etiquette里,咱們要去學一個高級運動,Golf!