美语训练班 054

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礼节美语 EARLY ADOPTERS I

Sara在公司走廊上看到同事Henry.

Sara: Hi Henry, how was your weekend?

Henry: Excellent! I went down to the mall and got myself one of those new minicomputers.

S: You mean the new Orange SuperCom 4? I've seen ads for those on TV! They look really cool.

H: They are pretty cool. It has Wi-Fi, a huge memory and super fast processor. Plus, it's so small it fits in a shirt pocket....look, here it is.

S: Wow...it's so thin! Hey Mark, check out Henry's new toy!

Henry 情绪很好，因为周末他去买了一个最新款的迷你电脑，the new Orange SuperCom4, 有无线宽带，大容量存储，超快处理器。而且，体积小到能装在衬衫口袋里。Sara看了觉得很酷，叫同事Mark过来，check out Henry's new toy. 看看Henry的新玩具。Mark说：

M: Ah....the Orange SuperCom 4, eh? It's all the rage these days.---Must've cost you a pretty penny.

H: Actually it was a tad bit expensive. I signed up for an early waiting list, but because demand was so strong, I did have to shell out a couple extra hundred dollars for it.

M: I saw news reports that people were lining up around the block in front of Orange Computer stores. Some people were even camping out overnight waiting for the store to open!

Mark不用看就知道Sara说的是Orange SuperCom4, 因为 It's all the rage these day. 这是现在最潮的。说一件事情是 all the rage 意思是时下最流行的。比如 Skinny jeans are all the rage. 时下最流行穿细腿牛仔裤。Mark猜，It must've cost you a pretty penny. 你一定花了不少钱。cost a pretty penny 是价格不菲的意思。Henry 承认，因为订购的人多，I did have to shell out a couple extra hundred dollars for it. 我确实不得不多交了几百美元。to shell out 意思是出钱。Mark说，新闻里说，为了买这款新电脑，不少人在Orange SuperCom电脑专卖店前大排长龙，甚至有人 camp out overnight 夜里在商店门口露宿。Henry说：

H: I didn't camp out, but I did have to stand in line for about four hours.

S: Is it really worth all the effort? I'm not that devoted to anything. If the wait is longer than 15 minutes, count me out.

M: Some people are "early adopters" of technology. They just have to get their hands on the latest product.

H: Yep, that's me...I got my first computer when I was 14, and from that day onward I was hooked. Every time a major new product comes on the market, I've just got to get it! I'll bet I've spent tens of thousands of dollars on IT products over the years.

Henry说，自己虽然没彻夜露宿，但确实排了四个小时的队。Sara表示不解，说不管买什么，如果要排十五分钟以上的队，count me out. 我就免了。Mark说，有些人就是科技“潮人”，early adopters of technology. 有什么新产品，他们都得在别人前面用上。They have to get their hands on the latest product. 这里所说的 to get their hands on something 意思是得到。Henry承认自己就是这种人，14岁有了自己的第一部电脑后，I was hooked. 我就着迷了。这么多年，不知道在科技产品上花了多少钱。

A: 这些科技发烧友们可真够呛! How do they keep up with all the new gadgets?? New things come out every day!

B: Well, it can certainly be overwhelming, but I can't imagine life without my smartphone! What if I got lost? What if I didn't check my email 18 times a day? What if I didn't stalk 阿信 on weibo??? HE WOULD MISS ME.

A: He definitely would miss you Kat. 现代人生活忙得四脚朝天，要是没有科技的帮忙，估计就疯了! 不过正好，说到繁忙，咱们来听听这个词儿用美语怎么说!

Donny 在北京学中文。他的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词，就会来请教他。今天是杨琳要问的：忙。

Donny：Hi 杨琳，what's up? I haven't seen you in ages.

YL: 别提了，我最近特别忙，I am really busy! 忙得四脚朝天，怎么说...four feet up!

Donny: four feet up? I can imagine. But in English, we don't say that....You can say I'm up to my neck in work.

YL: I'm up to my neck... in work ? 工作太多，堆到和脖子一样高?被工作压得喘不过气来。这个说法太形象了! 还有别的吗?

Donny: There is another expression that also has to do with body parts. It is "I've got my hands full".

YL: I've got my hands full。我明白了，就是说两手都没闲着。

Donny: Exactly. Oh, I just thought of another one---"I have a lot on my plate".

YL: I have a lot on my plate? plate, p-l-a-t-e, plate 不是盘子么?说盘子里有很多东西，那一定是...忙着吃呢吧?

Donny:That's possible! Anyway, when you say you have a lot on your plate, it means you're busy.

YL: 我知道了。哎呀，我快迟到了，快，再教最后一个。

Donny: Okay, this one will be easier to remember-- I've got a million things to do!

YL: 太夸张了吧! I've got a million things to do! 有一百万件事情等着我去做。

Donny: Right! Now, Yang Lin, tell me what you've learned today!

YL: 今天学到的还真不少。形容特别忙可以说，I'm up to my neck in work，工作堆到脖子了;I've got my hands full, 两手都占着呢;I have a lot on my plate，盘子里堆得满满的。哎呀! 我得赶紧走人了，I've got a million things to do!

这次的“美语怎么说”就到这里结束了。如果你也有不会说的词，请写信给Donny, 电邮请寄meiyu@voanews.com

A: 现代人的生活总是这么忙碌，这不是，之前有好几起年轻人猝死的事件，就是因为压力太大，工作太累了!

B: Yeah, I heard those reports too. That's a reminder for us, 杨琳! In the interest of our health, we should definitely take it easy with all this serious hosting and take a break to go have some fun!

A: 哈哈，我只好听你的喽! 好，这次节目时间就到这里。同学们，如果你对我们的节目有什么建议，或者想提什么问题，请发电子邮件到meiyu@voanews.com.

B: Tune in next time for American English Mosaic!

A: See you next time!