生活英语对话 Episode 28: The year of the dog

本单元是关于中国狗年的对话

Alice: Happy Chinese New Year Helen! What are you doing?
Helen: Reading about our Chinese astrology signs.
Alice: Oh do tell.
Helen: Well, I was born in '86 so I'm a tiger. I have an air of authority and am courageous¹ but I'm also prone² to emotional outbursts and react poorly under stress.
Alice: Oh, what am I?
Helen: You are 3 years older than me so you're a pig.
Alice: A pig? Charming!
Helen: No, it's different in Chinese culture. A Chinese pig is magnanimous and highly intelligent. You're a perfectionist but venomous if you're crossed.
Alice: It's all true! What about Michal?
Helen: Well, he's 21 so he's an ox. He's dependable, methodical, honest, unbiased but introverted too.
Alice: Ooh, so does that bode³ well for you two or not?


Vocabulary （词汇）:

Does that bode well for you two?:
Is that a sign that you will have a good future together? (对你们俩的未来来说，这是个主吉的预兆吗？)

astrology (n): (占星术)
the belief that the movement of the stars and planets affect people and their behaviour

本单元的语言点是描述人，在描述某人的性格或特征时，我们可以使用下面这些词和短语

Describing people 描述人

To talk about people's personality or characteristics we can use the following words and phrases:

Positive characteristics （积极的特征）

She has an air of authority （有权威的气息）
Other people believe her and listen to her opinions (其他人都相信她，并听取她的意见)

She's courageous （勇敢的，无畏的）
She's brave (她很勇敢)

They're magnanimous （宽宏大量的，高尚的）
They're very generous (他们很大气)

She's very dependable （可靠的）
If she says she'll do something, she does it. She always keeps her promises. (如果她说了要做什么事，她就会去做的。她总是信守诺言。)

He's honest （诚实的）
He always tells the truth. You can trust him. (他总是讲实话。你可以信赖他。)

He's unbiased （不偏不倚的；无偏见的）
He's neutral or impartial⁴. He can see both sides of an argument or disagreement. (他是中立的或无偏见的。他了解双方的争论或不同意见。)


Negative characteristics （消极的特征）

He's prone to emotional outbursts （容易情绪化发作）
He often reacts with very strong emotions (for example, an outburst of anger or tears) 他很容易情绪化发作（比如，勃然大怒或眼泪夺眶而出）

She reacts poorly under stress （她在压力下表现糟糕）
She reacts badly under stress （她在压力下表现很差）
She doesn't deal with stress well. She cries or gets very angry when she's in a stressful situation (她不善于应对压力。遇到紧张的情况，她要么哭泣，要么发火。

He's so venomous （恶意的，怀恨的；有毒的
He's extremely hateful or angry (他充满仇恨或愤怒)
Neutral characteristics （中性特征）
She's such a perfectionist （完美主义者）
She likes everything to be perfect. She has very high standards for herself (她喜欢事事完美。她为自己定下了很高的水准。)

He's introverted （内向型性格的）
He's very shy and doesn't like talking to new people (他很害羞，也不喜欢结识他人。)

Note: Both these characteristics can be thought of as negative. It depends on the context of the sentence （注意：这两种性格都可以被看作是消极的性格。具体用法要看句子的上下文。）


Making negative characteristics sound more positive （使消极特征听起来更积极些）

To make a negative comment about someone sound a bit more positive you can say （使用下面的句型，可使针对某人的消极性说法听起来更积极些）:

not very + positive adjective

She's not very generous = She's mean （她很自私）
He's not very dependable = He's unreliable （他不可靠）
They're not very honest = They're untrustworthy （他们不值得信赖）

1 courageous   

adj.勇敢的，有胆量的

参考例句：

• We all honour courageous people.我们都尊重勇敢的人。
• He was roused to action by courageous words.豪言壮语促使他奋起行动。

2 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

3 bode   

v.预示

参考例句：

• These figures do not bode well for the company's future.这些数字显示出公司的前景不妙。
• His careful habits bode well for his future.他那认真的习惯预示著他会有好的前途。

4 impartial   

adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的

参考例句：

• He gave an impartial view of the state of affairs in Ireland.他对爱尔兰的事态发表了公正的看法。
• Careers officers offer impartial advice to all pupils.就业指导员向所有学生提供公正无私的建议。