听播客学英语 180 Getting on

 　　Today’s podcast is about the expression “getting on”. What does it mean? Well, if I ask someone “How are you getting on?” I mean “How much progress have you made?”. It is easiest to explain with some examples.

　　Example number one. I ask my children, “How are you getting on with your homework?” I mean – how much homework have you done, have you started your homework, have finished your homework yet? And my children might reply – “I’m nearly finished”; or, “I’m getting on OK”; or, “go away and stop nagging¹ me”.

　　Example number two. I might ask you, “How are you getting on with your English?”. I mean – how much progress have you made in English; have you learned about the continuous tenses yet; can you read an English newspaper; can you understand a TV programme in English? And you might tell me that you are learning about passive verbs; or that you are reading a novel in English. Or you might tell me to go away and mind my own business.

　　Example three. I am decorating the living room. My wife asks me, “How are you getting on?” I might tell her that I have painted the ceiling; or that I have started cutting the wallpaper. Or I might give her a paint brush and ask her to help.

　　Example four is a bit different from the others. You have a new colleague at work. His name is John. I ask you, “How are you getting on with John?” I mean – how is your relationship with John. Is he a difficult person to work with, or an easy person. And you might tell me, “I get on well with John. He is a really nice person.” Or, “I have to be careful what I say to him. He is difficult to get on with”.

　　OK? Everything clear? Then let’s see how Kevin and Joanne are getting on.

　　You remember that Joanne had joined a gym. She said she would go every day and become super-fit. Well, she doesn’t go to the gym every day. She has too many other things to do. She goes about twice a week. But she is getting on well; she has lost weight and she is feeling fitter. At first she did not get on with the fitness trainer at the gym. Joanne though she was bossy² and had no sense of humour. But now she gets on with the trainer much better.

　　And how about Kevin? How is he getting on? Kevin decided³ not to join the gym. But he has started to play squash with his friend Scott. Squash is a game that you play in a big room with concrete walls. You hit a small rubber ball very hard with a racquet. You try to make it difficult for your opponent to hit the ball back. The first time Kevin was completely exhausted⁴ in 5 minutes. But now he has improved; he is getting on much better. Last week, he beat Scott for the first time ever.

　　Kevin is an easy-going guy. He gets on with everyone. Everyone? Well, everyone except Joanne’s Mum. He doesn’t like Joanne’s Mum and Joanne’s Mum does not like him. Joanne has to keep them apart. They do not get on together.

1 nagging   

adj.唠叨的，挑剔的；使人不得安宁的v.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的现在分词 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责

参考例句：

• Stop nagging—I'll do it as soon as I can. 别唠叨了—我会尽快做的。
• I've got a nagging pain in my lower back. 我后背下方老是疼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 bossy   

adj.爱发号施令的，作威作福的

参考例句：

• She turned me off with her bossy manner.她态度专橫很讨我嫌。
• She moved out because her mother-in-law is too bossy.她的婆婆爱指使人,所以她搬出去住了。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。