【话匣子英语】采访艾米丽

今天来做客的嘉宾是艾米丽，艾米丽从事的工作是与医疗卫生有关的。

Maura: Now today’s episode¹ is a Chatterbox episode, and that is where we chat about all different kinds of topics and sometimes we also interview people. And that is what we’re going to do today. And today I’m super excited about our guest. Our guest today is my friend Emily, and she is originally² from Montreal, although she has lived in a lot of different places and she’s done a lot of travelling. And whenever she comes back from one of her stints³ abroad, she always has really great stories to tell, so I’m really excited for her to share some of that with you. Currently⁴, Emily is living and working in Montreal. And she trained as a nurse, and so a lot of her work has been done around nursing⁵ and public health. So, the first question I wanted to ask you, Emily, is what made you decide to become a nurse? How did you get interested in nursing?

 

Emily: I’m not sure exactly when I decided⁶ to become a nurse. I think it was just gradual⁷. I was always interested, when I was young, in the human body and how humans work and how we think. And eventually, when it became time to choose a program at university, I looked at all the things I was interested in and what’s important to me, and it became clear that that’s where I would start, with a degree in nursing ’cause I felt that I could continue my interest in health and biology. And we also do a lot of psychology⁸ in nursing, and teaching⁹, and health promotion¹⁰, things like that. So that’s… I ended up deciding that nursing would be the best fit for me.

 

Maura: OK. Cool. And after you finished your nursing degree, did you work around Montreal, or in Canada, or did you just take off right away?

 

Emily: I stayed in Ottawa at first, for 3 years. That’s where I attended university, and I worked there as a pediatric nurse for 3 years in different parts of the Children’s Hospital in Ottawa.

 

Maura: OK, OK. Then at some point after these 3 years, you decided that you wanted to move around and do nursing in the US. So I’m really curious how all that came about and how you decided that you wanted to go try working in America.

 

Emily: So going back, I guess, to why I became a nurse, that was also one of the reasons, was because I enjoy travelling and seeing other cultures. So after having a few years in one place to introduce myself to the profession and become more comfortable, I felt I was ready to try and work in a different place, a different setting¹¹, and also to explore another part, and I chose the United¹² States because I had some friends and colleagues¹³ who were also interested and I thought it would be a great way also to learn some more Spanish, ’cause I wanted to work on Spanish as well, and I know in a lot of parts of the United States that is the second language spoken and there’s a lot of opportunity to practice. And I also was interested in trying a different part of the continent, different climate from Montreal and Ottawa.

 

Maura: Well, now I’m curious, because I didn’t know that. Spanish? Did you actually get a chance to work on your Spanish while you were there?

 

Emily: I did, actually. I had taken some courses before moving… And before moving, yes, I had spent about 4 months in South America as well, where I was able to learn some more Spanish. And then I started working in California¹⁴, where the majority of the patients I would see every day were Spanish, and often Spanish-speaking only, so I was able to practice, and hopefully, I believe they did understand me a little bit, practice with patients and families and continue that part of my learning¹⁵.

 

Maura: Oh, cool. So, the first place that you went was California. And what other places in the US did you live and work?

 

Emily: Well, I was in California, on and off, for over… about 3 years. But in between, I did complete some contracts¹⁶ in Colorado and one in Massachusetts as well.

 

Maura: So, hmm. What was your favourite place in the US? Because unfortunately, there’s not enough time to ask you about every place, or I would. So which place was your favourite, and why?

 

Emily: Well, that’s difficult to answer, because I feel in a way it’s… Comparing cities and states is like comparing apples and oranges, as we say, because they’re quite different. And you might like something for a different reason.

 

So I really enjoyed my time in California. I lived in three different cites¹⁷: San Diego, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. And they are each quite different, but of course, I did enjoy living by the ocean and having that different type of climate and different type of culture from what I was used to in Montreal.

 

And Colorado I enjoyed for the Rockies, the mountains, the huge mountains, and all the outdoor activities. And Massachusetts was nice because it felt closer to home, and it was quite similar, but still a different culture, and I was able to see what the East Coast of the continent was like in one particular city.

1 episode   

n.（作品的一段）情节，插曲，系列事件中之一

参考例句：

• The episode was a huge embarrassment for all concerned.这段小插曲令所有有关人员都感到非常尴尬。
• This episode remains sharply engraved on my mind.这段经历至今仍深深地铭刻在我的心中。

2 originally   

adv.本来，原来，最初，就起源而论，独创地

参考例句：

• Originally I didn't want to go.我本意不想去。
• After much discussion they settled on the plan originally proposed.他们讨论了很久，然后确定了原来提出的那个计划。

3 stints   

n.定额工作( stint的名词复数 )；定量；限额；慷慨地做某事

参考例句：

• He stints himself in [of] sleep. 他节制睡眠。 来自辞典例句
• She never stints herself of money to buy books for her children. 她从不吝惜掏钱让子女们买书。 来自互联网

4 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

5 nursing   

n.看护，养育，授乳

参考例句：

• She takes up nursing as a career.她以看护为职业。
• They trained her for nursing.他们培训她做护理工作。

6 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。

7 gradual   

adj.逐渐的，渐增的，徐徐的；n.赞美诗

参考例句：

• The doctor noticed a gradual improvement in his patient.医生注意到病人在逐渐恢复健康。
• To learn a language we must follow the principle of gradual improvement.学习语言必须遵循循序渐进的原则。

8 psychology   

n.心理，心理学，心理状态

参考例句：

• She has a background in child psychology.她受过儿童心理学的教育。
• He studied philosophy and psychology at Cambridge.他在剑桥大学学习哲学和心理学。

9 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

10 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

11 setting   

n.背景

参考例句：

• The play has its setting in Vienna.该剧以维也纳为背景。
• Where and when a story takes place is called the setting.故事发生的地点和时间称为故事背景。

12 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。

13 colleagues   

n.同事，同僚( colleague的名词复数 )；同人

参考例句：

• He wanted to confer with his colleagues before reaching a decision. 他想与他的同事先商议一下再作出决定。
• She is held in high esteem by her colleagues. 她深受同事的敬重。

14 California   

n.加利福尼亚(美国)

参考例句：

• He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。
• We were driving on a California freeway.我们正沿着加利福尼亚的一条快车道驾车行驶。

15 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

16 contracts   

n. 合同，契约，婚约，合约 v. 订合同，缩短，缩小，感染（疾病），招致

参考例句：

• In conversational English "is not" often contracts to "isn't". 口头英语中is not常缩写为isn‘t。
• Our contracts are currently under review. 我们的合同正在复查。

17 cites   

引用( cite的第三人称单数 )； 传唤； 记起； [军事]传（或通）令嘉奖

参考例句：

• CITES is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. CITES是关于濒危野生动植物种国际贸易的国际公约。
• Great bustard (Otis tarda) is listed as a first-rating protected bird in China and CITES II. 大鸨(Otistarda)是国家级保护动物，CITES附录物种。