VOA英语教学：美语训练班 121

 　　B: Welcome to American English Mosaic, I'm Mike Bond!

　　A: And I'm Lin Yang.

　　B: Need to know how to prepare for an important trade expo? We will give you some insights in today's business etiquette.

　　A: 给小费是美国的社交礼仪，到底给多少合适呢? 我们在下面的节目中为你介绍。

　　B: And in words and idioms, we will learn what  "give someone a run for one's money" and "run into the ground" means!

　　A: All coming up on today's American English Mosaic!

　　B: Now let's go into our first segment, Learn a word!

　　Learn A Word 1810 etiquette

　　今天我们要学的词是etiquette. Etiquette is spelled e-t-i-q-u-e-t-t-e, etiquette.  Etiquette 是礼节，规范的意思。Talking loud over the phone in public places is a major breach in basic etiquette. 在公关场合大声讲电话是基本社交礼仪的大忌。

　　A judge ordered rapper Meek Mill to enroll in a social media etiquette class. 法官裁决，要求说唱歌手米克.米尔去上社交媒体礼仪课程。在美国，给小费是一种常规礼节。不过，Even within the U.S., tipping etiquette tends to change over time and across regions. 然而，美国国内给小费的规范，也会因为时间和地域的改变而存在差异。好的，今天我们学习的词是 etiquette, etiquette, etiquette...

　　A: 我刚来美国的时候就特别困惑，完全不知道该怎么给小费!

　　B: Yeah, tipping is definitely an important aspect of American culture.

　　A: What's the standard tipping etiquette?

　　B: It's about 15% for lunch and 20% for dinner. Of course, it all depends on your personal experience.

　　A: Yeah but there are so many different tipping situations, like taking a taxi, staying in a hotel, or getting a haircut. I need detailed instructions for all these!

　　B: I guess the general rule is 15%-20%, with a smile and a Thank you!

　　A: Ha, that's cool! All right, enough about tipping. Let's go ahead with our class.

　　B: Let's listen to today's words and idioms!

　　Words and Idioms 865 Give Somebody a Run for One's Money

　　美国习惯用语第865讲

　　我最近一直在忙园艺俱乐部的事情。一年一度的玫瑰节要到了。周围地区很多园艺俱乐部都要大显身手，竞争相当激烈。我们俱乐部虽然规模不大，资金也不充沛，但是非常有创意，所以别小瞧我们哦。这也让我想起了一个习惯用语，

　　M: Give somebody a run for one's money. Run is spelled r-u-n, and money; m-o-n-e-y. Give-somebody-a-run-for-one's-money.

　　To give somebody a run for one's money 意思是对竞争对手构成挑战。我们俱乐部就打算在玫瑰节的比赛中挑战其它参赛俱乐部，绝不能让他们轻松获胜。We plan to GIVE THEM A RUN FOR THEIR MONEY. 下面例子里的这个水手看来也是个不甘示弱的家伙。

　　我们一起听听他是怎么说的：

　　M: "Parker loves to remind me how badly he beat me in last year's regatta. Since then, I've been spending every weekend rebuilding my sailboat and practicing maneuvers. I'm determined to GIVE HIM A RUN FOR HIS MONEY next time. He's going to be surprised by how competitive I'm going to be."

　　他说：帕克老是喜欢提醒我，去年帆船大赛他把我赢得多惨。那次输了以后，我把每个周末的时间都花在改造帆船、练习各种动作上。我决心，下次比赛一定要给他点儿颜色看看。他看到我的竞争实力，一定会大吃一惊。

　　我 女儿跟她小表哥Jimmy在一个学校读书。二年级学校汇演，Jimmy是重要角色，而我女儿只是个跑龙套的。她后来一定让我带她去上唱歌跳舞的才艺班，结 果三年级再汇演，一下子成了主要演员之一。She GAVE HER COUSIN A RUN FOR HER MONEY. 成了表哥 Jimmy 的竞争对象。让我们再来听听上面那段话。

　　M: "Parker loves to remind me how badly he beat me in last year's regatta. Since then, I've been spending every weekend rebuilding my sailboat and practicing maneuvers. I'm determined to GIVE HIM A RUN FOR HIS MONEY next time. He's going to be surprised by how competitive I'm going to be."

　　从上面的例子里，我们可以看出，绝不能满足于过去的成绩，一定要戒骄戒躁。让我们一起听听下面这家公司的经验。

　　M: "Our motorcycle company's enjoyed being the industry leader. But lately one of our rivals has been GIVING US A RUN FOR OUR MONEY. Their technical innovations and bold designs have proven surprisingly popular with younger riders. We realize how competitive the market has become."

　　这段话说的是：我们公司在摩托车行业一直占据主导地位，但是最近一段时间里，我们的一家竞争对手对我们构成了威胁。没想到，他们的科技创新和大胆设计深受年轻人的喜爱，我们这才意识到，现在的市场竞争越来越激烈了。

　　To give somebody a run for their money 最早出现在十九世纪中期，是从赛马比赛来的。最初的时候，是指某个人虽然赛马赢不了多少钱，但是能看到一场竞争激烈的比赛，也还是很开心，后来逐渐发展成 了今天的意思。好的，我们再来听一下上面那个例句。

　　M: "Our motorcycle company's enjoyed being the industry leader. But lately one of our rivals has been GIVING US A RUN FOR OUR MONEY. Their technical innovations and bold designs have proven surprisingly popular with younger riders. We realize how competitive the market has become."

　　好的，这次美国习惯用语就到此结束了。

　　M: Until next time.

　　下次节目再见。

　　M: This has been Words and Idioms.

　　A: In today's competitive market, you need to constantly improve your products and customer service. Or else your competitor could give you a run for your money.

　　B: True to that. And one of the best way to expand your customer pool is to attend an trade fair!

　　A: Exactly! In today's business etiquette, we will go see how to prepare for an international trade expo.

　　A: Let's listen!

　　礼节美语A Trade Expo I

　　公司开会， 经理 Nick 高兴地宣布，

　　Nick: Well folks...I've got good news! Everything is finalized and we will be setting up a booth at the trade fair in Frankfurt!

　　(Sound of people clapping)

　　Elaine: That's great news! The application process was so difficult, but I'm glad we made it!

　　Mark: The trade show in Frankfurt is the biggest textile show in the world so it's great that we can have a presence there!

　　公司在法兰克福纺织品博览会上申请到了一个展台 we will be setting up a booth。法兰克福纺织品博览会是世界上规模最大的纺织品展示会，能去参加，有个 presence，当然是好消息。presence is spelled p-r-e-s-e-n-c-e, presence 在这里是出席、在场的意思。

　　N: But...now comes the hard part. We're going to need to do a lot of preparation work before we leave.

　　E: I was thinking about a new brochure. I'm not really fond of the old one...It looks a little drab.

　　M: Yeah, I agree. Let's get our design team to create a new one.

　　N: Sounds good. We want the brochure to be really eye-catching. It's got to capture your attention right away.

　　展台申请到了，now comes the hard part. 意思是现在剩下不好办的事情了。出发前有很多准备工作要做。Elaine 建议重新设计一个宣传小册子，因为原来的看起来有些 drab. Drab is spelled d-r-a-b, drab 意思是枯燥、乏味。经理 Nick 表示赞成，因为宣传小册子必须 eye-catching 吸引眼球。So it can capture your attention right away. 立刻引起人的注意。

　　M: That's one thing about trade fairs; there are so many items on display it's easy for our products to blend into the background. We need to think about how to arrange our booth so we don't get lost in the crowd.

　　E: Good thinking! I'll talk to the designers about how we can make our booth stand out.

　　N: We'll be sending two teams to the trade show. One team will be the face of our operation and the other team will provide support.

　　Mark说，博览会上展台多，让人看得眼花缭乱，自己的产品很容易就会淹没在汪洋大海之中。在这里，Mark 用了两种说法，一个是 to blend into the background 另外一个是 to get lost in the crowd, 意思都是跟别人差不多，放那儿就找不着了。 Elaine说，应该让设计展台的人想办法，to make our booth stand out. 让我们的展台与众不同。Nick 同意，决定派两班人马去参展，一组人做门面，be the face of our operation, 另外一组人提供后勤保障。

　　A: 经理Nick很高兴，原因是他们公司在最大的纺织品交易会上得到一个展台。Now comes the hard part, 现在剩下不好办的事情了，他们需要an eye-catching brochure, 一个吸引眼球的宣传册，还要make our booth stand out, 让展台与众不同。

　　B: Preparing for an expo can be quite challenging. There are so many details to attend to, and you need a fresh and unique idea to make your products stand out.

　　A: Yep, people's first impression of your booth might make or break a deal. Let's keep listening and see how this is going to play out!

　　礼节美语A Trade Expo II

　　公司开会，经理Nick宣布，他们要在法兰克福的纺织品博览会上设展台，大家头脑激荡，看需要做哪些准备。Elaine说，

　　E: I think we should have a little pow-wow with the team who will be manning the booth. They need to understand how important their role is. First impressions are crucial!

　　M: That's a good idea, Elaine. Seeing as I will be leading the team, I think I'll get everyone together before departure and go over these points. It's really true that first impressions can make or break a deal.

　　Elaine建议跟负责展台的人 have a little pow-wow. pow-wow is spelled p-o-w-w-o-w, 意思是碰头会，因为他们在展台接待客人 man the booth, 是公司门面，而且 first impressions are crucial. 第一印象是非常关键的。Mark同意Elaine的看法，因为第一印象 can make or break a deal. 既能促成交易 make a deal, 又能 break a deal 让交易泡汤。

　　N: That's another thing to stress to your team, Mark. We should remind them to never judge a book by its cover. The guy wandering around our booth might not look like a major buyer, but you never know!

　　E: Looks can be deceiving!

　　N: That's right. We need to treat each person who stops by our booth as a potential customer. Many times I've met someone who didn't look like a major player, but then they pull out their business card and they turn out to be the vice-president of a huge company.

　　经理Nick说, 负责展台的人必须记住，never judge a book by its cover. 不要以貌取人。Elaine 也说，looks can be deceiving，外表有时是有欺骗性的，外表其貌不扬的人，说不定却是个大人物，a major player. 因此，不论什么人从展台旁边走过，都必须把他当做 a potential customer 潜在的客户来对待。

　　M: These are all good points, but we also have to be aware of industrial espionage. Some of the people milling around could be spies!

　　N: Yes...there are always people trying to steal ideas. We do need to be careful. We should let our staff know what kind of information they can give away and what kind of information they should not make public.

　　Mark提醒大家，参加商品博览会要小心 industrial espionage. industrial is spelled i-n-d-u-s-t-r-i-a-l, industrial 工业的, espionage is spelled e-s-p-i-o-n-a-g-e, espionage 间谍。连在一起，industrial espionage 就是工业间谍。在展台附近游荡的人 those who are milling around the booth, 很可能是寻找机会 to steal ideas 盗取别人的想法，所以必须让负责展台的员工知道，什么信息可以公开，什么信息不能公开。

　　A: Nick说，never judge a book by its cover,  不要以貌取人，把每个前来展台参观的人都当作potential customer, 潜在的客户。但是呢同事也要小心 industrial espionage, 工业间谍，小心对待那些总在展台附近游荡的人，确保他们不会steal ideas, 盗取公司的秘密。

　　B: Sounds like a lot of work! I mean, competitors can wander around your booth and steal your ideas, but it's also a great opportunity for a company to learn the market trends and maybe take a look at what others are doing!

　　A: 哎，你跟公司老板Nick想的一样耶!

　　B: Great minds think alike! (A: Ugh...) Let's keep listening and see what else they need to prepare!

　　礼节美语 A Trade Expo III

　　公司开会，经理Nick宣布，他们要在法兰克福的纺织品交易会上设展台，大家头脑激荡，看需要做哪些准备。Mark说，

　　M: The booth staff shouldn't give away too much info about our manufacturing process. Basically the only things they should make public are our company profile and our product line.

　　E: But...let's not forget to do a little spying of our own! We won't do anything illegal of course, but we should walk around and see what new trends are on the market. We want to stay on the cutting edge of our industry.

　　Mark认为，负责展台的人不能过多泄露公司的生产程序，只能向参观的人介绍 our company profile 公司概况和 product line 产品系列。Elaine 建议，他们也应该设法在博览会上了解一下市场最新动向。the new trends on the market. 因为公司必须力争 stay on the cutting edge of our industry. 走在纺织工业的最前沿。cutting edge 意思是最新的，最先进的。

　　N: Absolutely! I'm definitely going to be checking out our competitors!

　　M: We should have a chat with the support staff since they have an important role to play. They'll be setting up the booth each morning and logging the contact info of all the potential customers we meet. I want them to scan every business card into our database so we don't lose any contacts.

　　N: Great idea, Mark! That should make our follow-up effort much easier.

　　经理Nick说，他一定会利用这次机会 to check out our competitors 看看竞争对手的产品和实力。在这里，to check out something or someone 意思是检查，查看。Mark 说，负责后勤服务的人员也很重要，他们每天要把收集到的名片输入数据库。经理 Nick 觉得这是个好主意，It should make the follow-up effort much easier. 以后跟这些潜在的客户联系可以方便很多。

　　E: I'm so excited! I think this expo will really boost our sales! Plus, Frankfurt is a really cool city.

　　M: Yeah, after the show I'll definitely explore Frankfurt. Maybe we can take a day or two off after the expo for some R&R!

　　N: Sounds like a plan! Ok, folks...let's get busy! We have a lot to do.

　　会议结束前，大家都很兴奋。Elaine 觉得参加这次博览会一定会推动公司销量，而且法兰克福又是一个很好玩的城市。Mark 也说，准备交易会结束后，顺便请一、两天假，for some R&R. 这里的 R&R 代表 rest and relaxation 休息和放松。经理 Nick 最后说，sounds like a plan 意思是听起来不错。let's get busy 那就行动起来吧。

　　A: Mark说，在开展会的时候，公司也可以check out our competitors看看竞争对手的产品，以确保stay on the cutting edge of our industry, 走在工业界的最前沿。还要让展台工作人员把所有来参观的人的信息保存好，这样follow-up effort would be much easier, 以后联系也方便。

　　B: Plus after all that they are going to need some R&R, rest and relaxation! It's always a great idea to explore a city while you are on a business trip!

　　A: That's true! 好啦，博览会就到这里吧! 现在咱们来进入今天最后一个单元....

　　B: Let's listen to another words and idioms!

　　Words and Idioms 866 Run Into the Ground

　　美国习惯用语第866讲

　　前天晚上我去参加本地校董会的公开例会，大家一晚上都在谈责任的问题。学校管理人员说老师要为教学质量负责；家长说校董要为纳税人的钱负责；有些老师说 学生要为自己在学校里的表现负责，最后听得我头都大了。不过，这倒让我想起了一个习惯用语，叫

　　M: Run into the ground. Run is spelled r-u-n, and ground; g-r-o-u-n-d. Run-into-the-ground.

　　Run意思是跑。Ground意思是地面。Run into the ground 这个习惯用语的意思是彻底讨论或是去做一件事情。刚才说到，在校董公开例会上，所有人都大谈责任的问题，一直讲到没有什么好讲了为止。这就可以说 They had run it into the ground. 在下面这个例子里，一群抗议示威者也又类似表现。我们一起听报道：

　　M: "Protesters have been arguing for months that the mayor is a racist. They assert that that's why he doesn't have more minorities working for him. And why he doesn't deserve to be re-elected. They've talked about racism so often that they've RUN IT INTO THE GROUND! They need to find something new to say."

　　这个记者说：几个月来，抗议示威者一直指责市长种族歧视。他们指出，这就是为什么市政府里没有更多的少数族裔，因此他不配连任市长。他们已经把种族歧视的话题说烂了，得找点儿别的新鲜话题说说了。

　　也许他们没有意识到，一件事情说得太过头就会失去效果。我正在上高中的侄女最近一直吵着，说自己需要一个 iPhone. She's been RUNNING the topic INTO THE GROUND. 让我们再来听听上面那段话。

　　M: "Protesters have been arguing for months that the mayor is a racist. They assert that that's why he doesn't have more minorities working for him. And why he doesn't deserve to be re-elected. They've talked about racism so often that they've RUN IT INTO THE GROUND! They need to find something new to say."

　　今天学习的习惯用语 run into the ground 还有另外一个意思，指彻底摧毁某个人或是某件事。我们一起听下面这个员工讲述他所在的部门发生的事情。

　　M: "Kathy should never have been promoted to supervisor. Her bad decisions led to poor sales and the loss of many talented employees. She almost RAN the department INTO THE GROUND. Fortunately, a replacement was hired, who slowly returned us to profitability."

　　这个员工说：Kathy压根儿就不应该被提升为部门主任。她的一些错误决策造成了销售额的下跌和优秀员工的流失。她差点儿把这个部门搞垮。幸好换了个新领导，才慢慢让我们转亏为 盈。或许，这个Kathy给自己手下的员工压力太大，She RUN them INTO THE GROUND, 让他们疲惫不堪，这些人被逼无奈才会辞职。我的邻居 Tom 曾经告诉过我，他从来不会把开了几年的旧车卖掉，每次都是买新车，使劲开，He run it into the ground. 直到开不动了为止，然后索性扔掉。好的，我们再来听一下上面那个例句。

　　M: "Kathy should never have been promoted to supervisor. Her bad decisions led to poor sales and the loss of many talented employees. She almost RAN the department INTO THE GROUND. Fortunately, a replacement was hired, who slowly returned us to profitability."

　　好的，这次美国习惯用语就到此结束了。这次节目的制作人是胡小玲。谢谢各位的收听。

　　M: Until next time.

　　下次节目再见。

　　M: This has been Words and Idioms.

　　A: Mike, seriously, your laziness is running me into the ground! Either pick up the slack or I'm out!

　　B: Funny, your boyfriend was saying something very similar about you last night.......

　　A: 好了同学们，这次节目时间就到这里了。

　　B: Tune in next time for American English Mosaic!

　　A: See you next time!