評論
打印
How to say it in American English
Donny 在北京學漢語，他的中國朋友要是遇到了不知道用美語怎么說的詞，就會來請教他。今天是吳瓊要問的：看熱鬧。
Donny: Wuqiong, I heard you got your driver's license!
WQ: 是啊，昨天我已經開車上路啦!
Donny: So how did it go?
WQ: 唉，別提了！我開的那條路上出車禍，結果，開車的、騎車的、走路的，都想看熱鬧，最后，整條街都堵住了！對了Donny，這些看熱鬧的人，用英文怎么說呢？
Donny: 英文叫 rubberneck.
WQ: rubberneck? 我知道 rubber 是橡膠，neck 是脖子。那rubberneck不就是橡膠脖子么？
Donny: 你想啊，那些看熱鬧，圍觀的人，they stretch their necks to watch what's happening, right?
WQ: 哦……我明白了，伸長脖子看熱鬧的人好像長了橡膠脖子，所以叫他們rubberneck! 哈哈，真形象！
Donny: Right! rubberneck 也可以當動詞。你剛才說，大家看熱鬧，整條街大堵車，在英文里就是 The traffic was bumper-to-bumper because of rubbernecking.
WQ: bumper-to-bumper? b-u-m-p-e-r，bumper, 不是汽車保險杠么？
Donny: Exactly! So bumper-to-bumper means cars are moving so slowly that their bumpers are almost touching.
WQ: 我明白了，bumper-to-bumper， 汽車一輛緊挨著一輛，慢慢往前拱。這□ '5c說，I was stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic，郁悶死了！
Donny: Wuqiong, 那車禍到底嚴不嚴重？
WQ: 特嚴重！六輛車撞在一起了！
Donny: Ouch... a six-car pileup!
WQ: pileup? p-i-l-e, pile, 再加上 up, pileup 就是連環車禍么？
Donny: That's Right!
WQ: 我跟你說，這個pileup里，有兩輛奧迪，一輛奔馳，一輛寶馬，好像還有……
Donny: Wuqiong, 你看得這么清楚，真不愧是 a good rubberneck! Okay, new driver, tell me what you've learned today!
WQ: 第一，看熱鬧的人叫rubberneck；
第二，堵車可以說bumper-to-bumper；
第三，連環車禍是pileup, p-i-l-e-u-p!
這次的美語怎么說 就到這里。如果你也有不會說的詞，請寫信給 Donny, 電郵請寄meiyu@voanews.com
A: Bumper to bumper, 太形象了！北京三環上的那個堵絕對可以稱得上是bumper to bumper! 保險杠貼著保險杠！
B: Yeah...this is one of the biggest reasons why I don't want to live in big cities forever...I hate being stuck in traffic! I feel like a caged animal!
A: That's true! 不過我已經習慣了，現在呢，我就會買各種好吃的早餐，被堵的時候可以吃個好吃的嘛……
B: 哈哈，Yanglin, if the world was ending but I gave you a cupcake, I don't think you would care. Sometimes I forget how much you love to eat.So, this should interest you: in today's Go English, we are going to check out all the delicious food served at a potluck!
A: Mhmm yummy- Let's listen!
GoEnglish Food (Advanced)
今天我們為您播出“美語三級跳”節目“食物”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帶牛排來那么生氣。
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“有客人在”的意思。對了，professor, potluck dinner 是什么意思？
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, 什么叫 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“頭臺”“主菜”和“甜點”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, 什么叫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: 其實說到吃，my dream is to open a bakery one day! I LOVE baking cakes just as much as I love eating them! 我就不愛老坐在辦公室前面對著電腦，特別無聊!
B: I'm the same! Luckily, I'm horrible with interviews, I always panic—so no office jobs for me. Instead, I'll have a fulfilling career as your professional cupcake taster! eh? eh?
A: 我看可以！不過面試呀，接受采訪呀，都是挺讓人緊張的事。這不，在下面的business etiquette里，這個公司主管就特地為接受媒體采訪搞培訓呢!
B: 咱們趕快來聽聽吧!
