听播客学英语 32 没关系

 　　You have probably come across the English word “matter”. It is one of those difficult words that seem to mean different things in different contexts¹. An easy way to learn words like this is to memorise² a few common expressions which contain them, and that is what we are going to do with the word “matter”.

　　First, we have the expression “what is the matter?” If we see someone who is angry or upset, and we say to them “What is the matter?” we mean “What is wrong? What is the problem?”

　　Second, if we say that something “matters”, we mean simply that it is important or serious.

　　And now, if you are clear about these explanations, lets go and see how Kevin and Joanne are.

　　The football season has begun. This means³ that on Saturday afternoons when United⁴ are playing at home, Kevin goes to the football ground to watch the match. On Saturdays when United are playing away, however, Kevin watches the match on TV. Today United have gone to London to play against Fulham, and Kevin is slumped⁵ on the sofa in front of the television, hoping that this week United will win.

　　In the first half, things go well. United’s striker scores a brilliant goal after about 20 minutes. But in the second half, Fulham play much better. They score a lucky goal when one of the United defenders⁶ makes a mistake. And they score again in the last minute of the game.

　　Kevin is not happy. “Oh no!” he shouts, and adds some words which I could not possibly repeat on a family podcast show like Listen to English. Joanne, who is doing some work on her computer in the kitchen, runs in. “What’s the matter?” she asks. “What has happened?” Kevin tells her that United have lost 2-1.

　　“Is that all?” asks Joanne unsympathetically. “Never mind. Its only a football match. It doesn’t matter which side wins.” But Kevin has a different view. “Of course it matters”, he says. “United have lost their last three matches. If this goes on, they will be bottom of the table by Christmas.”

　　At this moment, there is a loud crash in the kitchen. Joanne rushes back to see what has happened. She finds the cat sitting on the kitchen table. The cat has walked over the computer keyboard and added⁷ several lines of random⁸ letters to the end of the email which Joanne had been writing. The cat has then – somehow – managed to send the email to Joanne’s boss. Finally, she (the cat, that is) has knocked over a mug⁹ of coffee which Joanna had left on the table beside the computer. The coffee has gone all over the computer keyboard, and the mug is lying broken on the floor.

　　“Oh no”, says Joanne. “What’s the matter?” asks Kevin. Joanne explains what has happened. “It doesn’t matter,” says Kevin. “We can dry the computer with a cloth”.

　　“Of course it matters, you idiot,” says Joanne. “Liquids ruin computer keyboards. You can’t just dry them with a cloth. And what is my boss going to think about the email. She will think I am crazy!”

　　Kevin and Joanne look at each other, and realise¹⁰ how ridiculous¹¹ the situation is. They start laughing. “You’re right,” says Kevin. “It really doesn’t matter about the football.” “It doesn’t matter about the computer either,” says Joanne. “I know someone at work who can fix it. And my boss never reads her emails anyway.”

　　The cat sits on the table and looks at them. “What is the matter with humans?” she thinks. “First they get upset. Then they start laughing like idiots¹². They don’t understand that food and sleep are the only things that really matter in life.”

1 contexts   

上下文( context的名词复数 )； 背景； 投资环境； 设备场境

参考例句：

• Even seemingly innocuous words are offensive in certain contexts. 甚至看似毫无恶意的言辞在某些语境下都会引起冒犯。
• Handheld devices are used in a variety of specific contexts. 手持设备会用在各种各样的具体情境下。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

2 memorise   

vt.记住，熟记

参考例句：

• An actor must be able to memorise his lines.演员须善于熟记台词。
• I shall try to memorise all these phrases.我要熟记所有这些词组。

3 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

4 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

5 slumped   

大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下]

参考例句：

• Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
• The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。

6 defenders   

n.防御者( defender的名词复数 )；守卫者；保护者；辩护者

参考例句：

• The defenders were outnumbered and had to give in. 抵抗者寡不敌众，只能投降。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• After hard fighting,the defenders were still masters of the city. 守军经过奋战仍然控制着城市。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 added   

adj.更多的，附加的，额外的

参考例句：

• They have added a new scene at the beginning.在开头他们又增加了一场戏。
• The pop music added to our enjoyment of the film.片中的流行音乐使我们对这部电影更加喜爱。

8 random   

adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动

参考例句：

• The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
• On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。

9 mug   

n.大杯(有柄的)

参考例句：

• What colour is the mug?这个杯子是什么颜色的？
• Place one tea bag in your favorite mug.把茶叶袋子放在你喜欢的杯子里。

10 realise   

v.觉悟；明白；实现；兑现

参考例句：

• Wish you realise your dreams as early as possible!祝愿您早日实现自己的梦想！
• How much did you realise on the house?这所房子你们出售后赚了多少钱？

11 ridiculous   

adj.荒谬的，可笑的；荒唐的

参考例句：

• It is simply ridiculous to attempt such a thing.试图干这种事，简直可笑。
• It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life.这是我有生以来听到的最为荒唐可笑的事。

12 idiots   

傻子，笨蛋( idiot的名词复数 )； 白痴

参考例句：

• "How I hate them-those idiots in charge of the town! “我恨极了，那班混账东西！ 来自子夜部分
• 'May the Devil carry away these idiots! “但愿魔鬼把这些白痴都抓了去！ 来自英汉文学 - 双城记