ESL Podcast 854 – Singing Christmas Carols

 　　Andrea: What are you doing?

 

　　Stephanie: I’m coming up with a list of Christmas carols to sing when we go caroling.

 

　　Andrea: Can I come?

 

　　Stephanie: Uh, I don’t think...

 

　　Andrea: What? You don’t think I can sing in tune¹?

 

　　Stephanie: No, it’s not that...

 

　　Andrea: You think I’m going to forget the lyrics²?

 

　　Stephanie: No, it’s not that either...

 

　　Andrea: I know what it is. You think I’m too good. I’ll outshine the other singers. Don’t worry. I don’t mind hiding my light under a bushel, just this once.

 

　　Stephanie: Well, it’s not that either. I just don’t think you’re a good fit for our group.

 

　　Andrea: Not a good fit? I’m very knowledgeable³ about music and know all of the traditional carols. I’ve even composed some original ones that you might consider adding to your list.

 

　　Stephanie: I know you’re very knowledgeable about music, but in our group, it’s all about the singing voice.

 

　　Andrea: What’s wrong with my singing voice? Listen to this [sung loudly and poorly]: “Jingle⁴ bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...”

 

　　Script by Dr. Lucy Tse

1 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

2 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

3 knowledgeable   

adj.知识渊博的；有见识的

参考例句：

• He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.他对戏剧很有心得。
• He made some knowledgeable remarks at the meeting.他在会上的发言颇有见地。

4 jingle   

n.叮当声，韵律简单的诗句；v.使叮当作响，叮当响，押韵

参考例句：

• The key fell on the ground with a jingle.钥匙叮当落地。
• The knives and forks set up their regular jingle.刀叉发出常有的叮当声。