英语听力精选进阶版 6599

Jo: This is Real English from BBC¹ Learning² English, the programme where we look at words and expressions that you might not find in your English textbooks.

Oliver: 没错儿，地道英语和大家一起学习现代英式英语中经常出现的流行词汇和实用表达。节目当中介绍的词汇会让你的英语更加地道。大家好，我是 Oliver.

Jo: And I'm Jo. And today's expression is 'a chip on your shoulder'. To have a chip on your shoulder.

Oliver: 嗯?和 chips 有什么关系？你是在说我们常吃的薯条吗？

Jo: Actually not potato chips at all. Let me explain what the expression means³. If you have a chip on your shoulder, it means you seem kind of angry because you feel you're maybe not as good as other people or you feel you haven't been treated fairly⁴.

Oliver: 也就是说这个俚语的意思是你觉得很生气，因为自己不如别人；或者是因为觉得自己受到了不公正的待遇。

Jo: You would never talk about yourself as having a chip on your shoulder because it's not a good thing to admit about yourself but you would say it if you were talking about someone else, he's got a bit of a chip on his shoulder. She's got a chip on her shoulder.

Oliver: 让我们来听听具体的例子。

Example:

A: How's your English coming along? Are you getting much practice with the native speakers at work?

B: Well I try to speak a lot but one colleague⁵ in particular is awful. He keeps on telling me my English isn't very good. I didn't think I was that bad!

A: Don't worry. I think he's got a chip on his shoulder because his Chinese isn't as good as your English!

Oliver: 哇哦，听起来有点儿复杂，但是最起码如果再在别人的谈话里听到这个俚语，你会大概知道是什么意思了。

Jo: So there you go. Today's expression: to have a chip on your shoulder.

Jo: See you again soon.

Oliver: From everyone one here at Real English. Bye.

1 BBC   

abbr.（=British Broadcasting Corporation）英国广播公司

参考例句：

• She works for the BBC.她为英国广播公司工作。
• The BBC was founded in 1922.英国广播公司建于1922年。

2 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。

3 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。

4 fairly   

adv.公正地，正当地；相当；完全，简直

参考例句：

• I think I was quite fairly treated by the police.我认为警察对我非常公正。
• It fairly destroyed the machine.它将那部机器完全毁了。

5 colleague   

n.同僚，同事

参考例句：

• He is a colleague of mine.他是我的同事。
• The professor paid a return visit to his American colleague.教授回访了他的美国同事。