VOA美语咖啡屋 Lesson 81：Eric, Day of a Teenager

 

VOA美语咖啡屋 Lesson 81：Eric, Day of a Teenager

Eric, Day Of A Teenager 

J: Hello I'm Jody and welcome to American Cafe! 

Y: 大家好。我是杨晨。欢迎您到美语咖啡屋。Jody我们为什么放这个音乐？我现在觉得我到了太空一样。 

J: Because, Yang Chen, today we are visiting a different world. The world of teenagers!! 

Y: No! 我们能不能谈点儿别的？ 

J: Calm down, calm down. It'll be okay. Besides we were all teenagers once. Do you remember when you became a teenager? 

Y: 不记得了，好象太遥远了。 

J: It does feel like a long time ago. But it was only a mere¹ 10 years. 

Y: 十年前！ 你数学怎么学的？ 

J: Oh, never you mind. Anyway, today, we're going to revisit that awkward² time when you're no longer a child and not yet an adult. So, without further delay³ let's meet Eric, a student in Virginia who celebrates his birthday on New Year's Day. 

实录1: Eric: My name is Eric. I am thirteen. My birthday is January 1st, 1991. And I go to Hayfield Secondary⁴ School in Virginia. 

J: Eric's is a teenager alright. Can you hear how his voice is starting to change? 

Y: 没错，听得出来他的声音好象在变粗。唉，我很好奇一个13岁的男孩每天都作些什么？ 

J: That's just what we're going to find out. So, here's Eric as he walks us through a normal school day. 

实录2: Eric: I shower, get dressed and go downstairs, eat breakfast and get my stuff⁵ ready for school. 

Y: Eric刚才谈的是他到学校以前先洗澡，然后穿好衣服，然后到楼下吃饭，然后gets his stuff ready for school. "Stuff" 这个词好象特别有用。 

J: Very useful. 

Y: 那他到了学校以后都作些什么呢？ 

J: Well, Eric's classes include strings⁶, ah, which means⁷ his music lesson for viola. 

Y: 中提琴。 

J: Right. And Eric must really enjoy his strings class because he has trouble remembering what he has next. 

实录3: Eric: First thing I go to strings, then I run off to dra, no, civics, no, let me think real quick ... health or P.E., which will be P.E. when I get out of Winter Break. And then we have homeroom and then lunch. And then I have algebra⁸ everyday. And then I have English. And then I jump on a bus and go home and do stuff. 

Y: Jody 等一等。你得解释一下什么是P.E.? 什么是homeroom. 

J: Oh, right. P.E. stands for physical education. You know, gym class. 

Y: P.E. 是体育课的意思。 那homeroom该怎么理解呢？ 

J: Homeroom is difficult to explain. It's kind like a break. Or a study hall if you have a strict teacher. 

Y: 我还是不太明白。那我们就让 Eric 来解释一下，好不好？ 

实录4: Eric: Homeroom is where we can do whatever we want. But some teachers are mean and have you like read or do your homework. Oh, they let you do whatever you want; talk loudly, throw stuff things at people. 

Y: Eric刚才是不是还说他们有时候会 "throw stuff"? 

J: Again stuff. Yes. He did. But I think, Yang Chen, he was just joking. Or maybe not. I don't know how bad kids are these days. 

Y: Hmm, "do stuff" ... 上了一天的学，那他回家后都做些什么呢？ 

实录5: Eric: Well, I like to play video games and I say that about 75 percent of American teenagers play video games. 

Y: 说起电子游戏，其实不光是美国的小孩儿，全世界的小孩儿都迷电子游戏。 

J: Oh, most definitely⁹. According¹⁰ to Eric, some of the most popular video games these days are role playing video games. 

Y: 就是说玩的人可以扮演里面的人物。 

实录6: Eric: I like Baten Kaitos. Baten Kaitos is a game where you are trying to save the world from an evil¹¹ God and find out where the ocean has gone. 

Y: Wow, Eric 要从一个邪恶之神手中拯救世界，还要寻找一个迷失的海洋。他可真够忙的啊。 

J: Wow, he's a busy teenager. 

Y: 那我们就祝他好运吧。好，各位听众，谢谢大家收听美语咖啡屋，我们下次节目再见。 

J: See you next time on American Cafe!

1 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。

2 awkward   

adj.笨拙的，尴尬的，使用不便的，难处理的

参考例句：

• John is so shy and awkward that everyone notices him.约翰如此害羞狼狈，以至于大家都注意到了他。
• I was the only man among the guests and felt rather awkward.作为客人中的唯一男性，我有些窘迫。

3 delay   

v./ n.拖延，延误，延迟，延期；耽搁

参考例句：

• The strike caused a great delay in the delivery of the mail.这次罢工严重地延误了邮件的投递。
• I couldn't judge whether the delay was good or bad.我不能断定这样延迟是好还是坏。

4 secondary   

adj.中级的，中等的，次要的；n.次要位置，副手

参考例句：

• It's a question of secondary importance.这是个次要的问题。
• Secondary school means junior school and high school.中学是指初中和高中。

5 stuff   

n.原料，材料，东西；vt.填满；吃饱

参考例句：

• We could supply you with the stuff in the raw tomorrow.明天我们可以供应你原材料。
• He is not the stuff.他不是这个材料。

6 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

7 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。

8 algebra   

n.代数学

参考例句：

• He was not good at algebra in middle school.他中学时不擅长代数。
• The boy can't figure out the algebra problems.这个男孩做不出这道代数题。

9 definitely   

adv.一定地，肯定地；明确地，确切地

参考例句：

• The team will definitely lose if he doesn't play.如果他不参加比赛，这个队肯定会输。
• I shall definitely be home before six o'clock.6点以前，我一定回家。

10 according   

adj.按照，根据

参考例句：

• According to the Bible we are all the seed of Adam.根据《圣经》所说的，我们都是亚当的后裔。
• We must cut our coat according to our cloth this year.今年我们必须学会量入为出。

11 evil   

n.邪恶，不幸，罪恶；adj.邪恶的，不幸的，有害的，诽谤的

参考例句：

• We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
• Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。