VOA英语教学：美语训练班 109（打印版）

　　A: 好! 今天，我们要一起来聊聊环保有什么好方法，看看如何用地道美语表达符合标准，还要告诉你怎么说上当受骗!

　　今天我们要学的词是 fall for. Fall for, fall is spelled f-a-l-l, fall, for is spelled f-o-r, for, fall for. To fall for 有上当的意思，过去时是 fell for。Don't fall for that! He is just playing a prank on you. 他在拿你恶作剧，别上当。That was such an old trick. I cannot believe I actually fell for it. 这是老把戏了，简直不敢相信我居然会上当。有统计数字显示，美国有两千五百多万成年人都曾被骗局迷惑，成为受害者。The Internet is the most common place for victims to fall for scams. 互联网是受害者上当受骗最多的地方。好的，今天我们学习的词是 fall for, fall for, fall for...

　　B: You can say that again. One time I got involved with this online charity to help kids in Africa, and I donated 5% of my paycheck for 6 months. When I was getting ready to go to Africa with the group, the contact person just disappeared! That's was the moment of the truth. It was a total scam.

　　A: Aww...I'm sorry Mike. Yeah, things like that make me think twice about doing things on the Internet. 不过啊，你这个不幸的经历倒是说出了一个美国人常用的俗语: the moment of the truth! 咱们来听今天的美国习惯用语，看看这个词儿的用法!

　　上星期，是我婆婆七十大寿。我专门给她烤了一个生日蛋糕。因为第一次做，心里一点谱都没有，虽然蛋糕看上去样子还不错，但是吃到嘴里味道如何，就不知道了。这么关键时刻在英语里叫

　　Moment 在中文里是时刻，truth 在中文里是真相。moment of truth 就是说最终得知一件事情是否会如愿成功的意思，特别是指一件你投入了极大努力的事情。所以，对我来说，第一口蛋糕吃到嘴里的那一刻，就是 the moment of truth. 还好，我初战告捷，蛋糕香浓可口，受到了公婆的一致表扬。下面例子里这个高中生，正用急切的心情等待 the moment of truth. 让我们一起听听看。

　　M: "Algebra didn't come easy to me. But I knew I had to pass the class in order to graduate. Throughout the semester, I met my teacher after school for extra help and studied real hard for tests. My MOMENT OF TRUTH came when my grades arrived. I got a B, which was good enough to earn my diploma!"

　　这个学生说：代数对我来说很难，但是我知道，要想毕业，代数考试就一定得及格。整个一个学期，我下课后都要找老师补习，为准备考试做出了很大的努力。考试成绩发下来的关键时刻到了，结果我得了个 B，让我顺利过关，拿到了毕业证书。

　　这就叫工夫不负有心人。我有个朋友，用了大半年的时间帮她爸爸造船。船刷好漆后，就等着下水了。I was there for their MOMENT OF TRUTH. 结果竟然大功告成。去年夏天，我还跟他们一起出去远航过好几次呢！好的，让我们再来听听上面那段话。

　　我们上面谈到的几个例子，关键时刻 MOMENT OF TRUTH 来到的时候，结果都是令人满意的。但是下面这个例句里的小伙子，却碰了一鼻子灰。让我们一起听听他的遭遇。

　　M: "I'd been going out with Kerry for months. We seemed to share similar interests and values. In my mind, she was the perfect woman for me. So I decided that the time had come to ask her if she'd marry me. It was the MOMENT OF TRUTH; a day I'll never forget because she turned me down."

　　这个人说：我跟凯莉约会已经好几个月了。我们好象有很多共同的爱好和价值观。我觉得，她是最适合我的女人。所以我决定，鼓起勇气，向她求婚。这可是紧要关头。我永远也忘不了这一天，因为她拒绝了我。

　　Ouch! 太残忍了。或许这个女孩子还没有做好安定下来的准备。我妹妹就是这个样子，总是朝三暮四。有一次，她心血来潮买了一条金鱼回家养，结果到家后才意识到，原来养鱼是一份很大的责任，所以马上把金鱼退了回去。我们再听一下上面的例句。

　　M: I'd been going out with Kerry for months. We seemed to share similar interests and values. In my mind, she was the perfect woman for me. So I decided that the time had come to ask her if she'd marry me. It was the MOMENT OF TRUTH; a day I'll never forget because she turned me down."

　　Moment of truth 这个习惯用语其实是从西班牙语翻译过来的，美国著名作家海明威在1932年出版的小说《午后之死》里第一次用到了这个习惯用语。如今，你又多掌握了一个习惯用语，可以把它用在口头、写作和电子邮件里。只要多学多练，you're sure to sound like a native when your MOMENT OF TRUTH arrives. 到了关键时刻，你的英语听上去绝对地道。

　　A: Exactly! 这就是我们中国人说的，台上一分钟，台下十年功嘛! 欢迎同学们每期关注我们的美语训练班，这样....

　　A: 没错! 对了对了，上次咱们说到节能，我回家就把我们家的灯泡都换了! The moment of truth is going to come when I get my utility bill this month....

　　B: I'm sure it'll be fine! In today's business etiquette, we will continue this topic. Now let's follow Tim for some useful tips in branding your company as "Green"!

　　Tim: Morning everyone. As promised, we are returning to our topic from a fortnight ago: How can we make this firm more "green?" I'm sure you all remember environmental consultant Henry Peterson who has joined us here today.

　　H: Thanks. Great to see you all. As a quick re-cap, last time we discussed ways to save electricity and reduce office waste. And we also talked about buying carbon credits when traveling on business trips.

　　根据两周前的约定，from a fortnight ago，公司总裁 Tim 再次邀请节能专家 Henry 参加会议，商讨公司节能措施。Henry 简要回顾了上次讨论的内容，包括省电、减少办公物资的浪费，购买碳信用额弥补环保损失等。Henry 说的 a quick re-cap, r-e-c-a-p, re-cap 意思是总结概述。

　　F: Yeah, I've already started implementing those ideas in my division. It's only been two weeks, but I'd say most people are getting the hang of it.

　　Faith 说，她已经开始试行一些措施，短短两个星期，most people are getting the hang of it. 大多数人已经慢慢习惯。to get the hang of it 是掌握的意思。Henry 问，have you done your homework? 有没有事先做好准备，意思是有没有想到更多的节能措施。

　　D: I want to talk about packaging. We use some very nice-looking plastic clamshell packaging, but I'm thinking we could cut down on the packaging and cut both our expenses and our carbon footprint.

　　H: Yes, I see what you mean. These days many products are over-packaged. But if you can accept using fewer materials or use mainly recycled materials you could then advertise how "green" your company is.

　　Dana 提到产品包装，她觉得，如果简化包装，不用 plastic clamshell packaging 硬塑料壳包装，就能减少开支和污染。Henry 补偿说，如果公司采用回收材料 recycled materials，还可以用环保做宣传。

　　H: This is a company. Companies need to make a profit. I believe there is business sense in going green and telling the world about it. Many customers will appreciate your efforts and might even pay a tad bit more if they really believe your company is doing its best to help the environment.

　　Faith 提出，在广告里打环保牌是否符合行业道德。总裁 Tim 觉得没有问题，只要内容属实，as long as the claim is verifiable. Verifiable 是可以证实的意思。Henry 也说，There is business sense in going green and telling the world about it. 采取环保措施，并且加以宣传是符合商业理念的。很多顾客会认可你的努力，appreciate your efforts, 即使你的产品比别人贵一点，也没有关系。They might even pay a tad bit more. A tad bit 是一点的意思。

　　A: 公司总裁Tim请了节能专家Henry来给大家出谋划策，短短两个星期的节能实践，people are getting the hang of it, 大家已经掌握了节能的生活方式。Henry提议说，可以在包装上做文章，采用recycled material，回收材料，这样公司还可以用环保来宣传。

　　A: 没错。就拿我自己来说，如果我看见一件皮衣写明没有使用动物皮毛做成，我愿意出更高的价钱来买。也是这个道理!

　　B: Yep. In the following episode, Henry is talking about giving people some incentives to live a more environmental- friendly life. Let's check it out!

　　H: Ah! But now we come to a problem. How do we convince people to sign up for a program that will ━ at least mildly─inconvenience them?

　　Faith 提议，可以考虑拼车计划 carpooling program。Henry 指出，拼车会给大家带来不便，inconvenience them, 问题是如何说服大家加入。sign up for something 是报名参加的意思。

　　H: Bingo! For the past few years, several companies have been experimenting with paying employees a tiny fee to carpool, use public transport or cycle. One organization in Florida pays twenty cents a mile.

　　总裁 Tim 说，I get your point. 我明白你的意思了。Henry 是说要给大家一些好处 incentive 。Henry 说，Bingo! 这在口语里很常用，意思是没错！对了！他说，过去几年，一些公司试着用小额奖金的方式，鼓励员工拼车，坐公车或是骑车上班。 Dana 觉得这个主意不错，从员工的角度看，既锻炼了身体，又能拿奖金。

　　H: Yeah! The company has to consider the fee as an investment in carbon reduction and in workers' health. Less driving means less stress.

　　H: It might seem like a lot of hassle and in the end you might only get a few people to change their commuting habits, but just to put it into perspective, here's a fact from planetgreen.com: If every commuter car in the U.S. carried just one more person, the nation would save 8 billion gallons of gas.

　　公司要把这笔钱看成是减少废气排放，促进员工健康的投资。总裁 Tim 表示赞同，without an incentive, it's doomed to failure. 如果没有好处，这个项目一定会失败。 Henry 说，虽然听上去好象挺麻烦，It might seem like a lot of hassle 而且最后可能只有几个人会改变上班的交通方式，但如果美国每辆上班用的车里都多坐一个人的话，美国就能节省80亿加仑的汽油。It really adds up.

　　A: I think carpooling is the way to go in DC! The traffic here is terrible, but if you choose to carpool, you can drive in the carpool lane, which is way faster during rush hour!

　　B: Alright alright, I know you're trying to find a carpool buddy, but I'm not your guy. (A: Sigh) Now let's go ahead with our program, another learn a word!

　　今天我们要学的词是 nonstop. Nonstop is spelled n-o-n-s-t-o-p, nonstop. Nonstop 意思是不停歇的，不间断的。They have been working nonstop since this morning. 他们从今天早上开始，一直在不停地工作。The movie is packed with nonstop action. 这个电影从头到尾都是动作场面。The case received nonstop coverage by the media. 媒体对这起案件进行了毫不间断的报道。Delta Airlines will launch its first nonstop flight between Shanghai and Seattle in June. 达美航空公司六月份开启从上海到西雅图的直飞航线。好的，今天我们学习的词是 nonstop, nonstop, nonstop...

　　A: I don't know how I feel about nonstop flight. Last time I took the nonstop flight from DC to Beijing, I was stuck in the cabin for 14 hours! I think I prefer to stop somewhere and actually breathe for a bit.

　　B: I think the airline you choose also makes a difference. I flew with ANA one time. Everything was perfect, the meal was delicious, the seat was comfortable and the service was great. They definitely cut the mustard for nonstop flights!

　　上星期商店大甩卖，我买了个咖啡壶，样子虽然很好看，但是质量却不咋地。刚用不到一个星期，就开始漏水，而且煮咖啡的时候噪音也很大。我决定马上把它退回去。这倒让我想起了今天要学的习惯用语

　　动词 cut 在中文里是切割的意思，mustard 是芥末的意思。直译显然说不通。其实啊，cut the mustard 这个习惯用语的意思就是符合标准、符合要求。我刚买的那个咖啡壶，显然不符合我的要求。It simply does NOT cut the mustard. 下面这个例子里的消费者，对新买的手机很不满意，因为 it does not cut the mustard. 让我们听听他是怎么说的。

　　M: "The sales agent convinced me to buy my cell phone. But I haven't been impressed with its service. It drops calls and takes forever to recharge. What I really need is a phone that's much more dependable. This one just does NOT CUT THE MUSTARD."

　　他说：卖手机的推销员说服我买了这部手机，但是手机质量让我很不满意，电话打到一半经常断线不说，充电还需要很长时间。我需要一部随时可以靠得住的手机，这部手机不符合我的要求。

　　这个人错就错在不应该轻信那个推销员的话，结果跟我一样，买了个质量拙劣的产品。在美语里面，这种质量伪劣的产品有一种说法，叫 LEMON, l-e-m-o-n. 比如说，我姐夫的新车就是 LEMON。他因为贪图便宜，买了这辆车，结果开了不到半年，就大修了两次，花了很多钱。好在美国有专门的 LEMON LAWS，保护消费者利益。我姐夫恐怕要好好研究一下这些法律，因为 His car does not cut the mustard. 好的，让我们再来听听上面那段话。

　　不过，质量不过关的也并不都是产品，有的时候，不符合标准和要求的可能也会是某个人。让我们一起听听下面这个例子。

　　M: "After my niece had trouble finding work, I managed to get her a position as an administrative assistant at my office. What a mistake! Not only was she slow, but she was rather lazy. After two weeks, I had to let her go because she could NOT CUT THE MUSTARD."

　　这个人说：因为我侄女找不到工作，所以我就在自己的办公室给她安排了一个行政助理的职务。这简直是天大的错误。她不仅做事慢慢腾腾，而且懒得要命。两个星期过后，我只好请她走人，因为她无法达到我们的要求。

　　给亲戚朋友安排工作，很容易遇到这种棘手的状况。值得说明的是，cut the mustard 也可以用于肯定某个人或是某件事。比如说，我们公司的老板准备给一个在我们这里实习的学生转正，因为 He can really CUT THE MUSTARD. 他已经达到了正式员工的标准。好的，我们再来听一下上面那个例句。

　　很多人想知道，CUT THE MUSTARD 这个习惯用语的来历。在这个问题上，语言学家们众说纷纭。有人认为这个习惯用语来源于芥末的制作程序；另外一些人则认为是从 pass mustard 转变而来的。If those explanations are NOT CUTTING THE MUSTARD for you, you'll have to wait until we have conclusive research. 如果上面的解释不能让你满意的话，那你就只好等待更深入的研究后得出结论了。

VOA英语教学：美语训练班 109（在线收听）