听播客学英语 39 你值得吗

 　　Today, we meet the English word “worth”, and a famous cosmetics¹ company that tells us that we are “worth it”.

　　“Worth” means² simply the value that something has. Sometimes we use it in a literal³ way, to mean “how much money would people pay?” But often we use it figuratively, to mean “how much time and effort and energy would people pay?” Here are some examples:

　　Kevin is, as I am sure you know, a fan of the loudest punk rock group in the world “Futile Vendetta”. He has all their records and CDs. His collection of records and CDs is worth about ?300, which means that – if Kevin sold them – he might get ?300 for them. But he is not going to sell them. They are worth much more than ?300 to him.

　　Kevin’s friend George lives in a flat. George owns the flat – he does not rent it from a landlord⁴. George wants to move to another flat, closer to his work. The first thing he does is to ask an estate⁵ agent to look at his flat and tell him how much it is worth – that is, how much somebody might pay for it. When he knows this, George can work out how much he can afford to pay for a new flat.

　　Last summer, Kevin and Joanne went for a holiday in the Lake District in the north-west of England. They climbed a mountain called Scafell Pike. Scafell Pike is less than 1,000 metres high, but it is still the highest mountain in England. It was a long climb. After about an hour, their legs were tired and their feet were sore. They were out of breath⁶ and it had started to rain. Their clothes were wet, and Kevin had water in his boots. Eventually, they reached the top. Suddenly, the sun broke through the clouds. They could see all the way to the sea, far away to the west and the south. They could see the other mountains around, and the valleys and lakes far below. It was magic. It was worth the aching⁷ legs and the wet clothes. Or, as we often say in English, “it was worth it”.

　　If you say that something is “worth it”, you mean that that thing has a bigger value than the money you paid, or the work you did, or the time you spent, or the emotional⁸ upset which you had, in order to get that thing. Here are some other things which are “worth it” (or “not worth it”):

　　Kevin’s football team, United⁹, has paid ?10 million for a new striker. The first time he played for United, he scored twice. He was worth it.

　　Joanne wants to see a new film. But the only cinema which is showing it is on the other side of town. It would take nearly an hour to get there. “Is it worth it?” wonders Joanne.

　　George’s Dad grows vegetables in his garden. It is hard work, but George’s Dad says that fresh, home-grown vegetables are worth it.

　　Jimmy and Carole, whom we met in an earlier podcast, and who were doing fine the last time we saw them, have had a row. Joanne finds Carole in tears. “Don’t get so upset,” says Joanne. “He’s not worth it.”

　　And finally, we come to the French cosmetics company L’Oreal. L’Oreal sells industrial chemicals that people put on their bodies to make themselves look younger or smell sweeter. Some of their products are quite expensive. But, as L’Oreal tells us in their advertisements on TV, “You’re worth it.” They mean, “You are wonderful and beautiful. You want to stay wonderful and beautiful. So, it is worth spending lots of money on our products, and worth spending time putting them on your face and taking them off afterwards. Trust L’Oreal. You are worth it.”

　　There is a quiz¹⁰ on the website about the word “worth”. And that is the end of today’s podcast. I hope you think that it was worth it.

1 cosmetics   

n.化妆品

参考例句：

• We sell a wide range of cosmetics at a very reasonable price. 我们以公道的价格出售各种化妆品。
• Cosmetics do not always cover up the deficiencies of nature. 化妆品未能掩饰天生的缺陷。

2 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。

3 literal   

adj.照字面的，原义的，逐字的

参考例句：

• This word should not be taken in its literal sense.这个词不能按本义去理解。
• He made a literal interpretation.他逐字解释。

4 landlord   

n.地主，房东，(旅店)店主

参考例句：

• He is the landlord of this pub.他是这家酒店的店主。
• He used to be a long - term labourer for a landlord.他早先给地主扛过长活。

5 estate   

n.所有地，地产，庄园；住宅区；财产，资产

参考例句：

• My estate lies within a mile.我的地产离那有一英里。
• The great real estate brokers do far more than this.而优秀的房地产经纪人做得可比这多得多。

6 breath   

n.呼吸，气息，微风，迹象，精神，一种说话的声音

参考例句：

• I'm just going out for a breath of fresh air.我正要出去呼吸新鲜空气。
• While climbing up the stairs the old man always loses his breath.那老人上楼时总是气喘吁吁的。

7 aching   

adj.痛的，疼痛的，心痛的v.渴望( ache的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I'm aching all over. 我周身疼痛。
• There was an aching emptiness in her heart. 她的内心有一种隐隐作痛的空虚感。

8 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

9 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。

10 quiz   

n.智力竞赛；测验，小型考试

参考例句：

• They are having a quiz now.他们正进行小测验。
• He took part in a television quiz and won a prize.他参加了一个电视知识竞赛并得了奖。