A: 大家好! 欢迎来到美语训练班, 我是杨琳！
B：我是Kat, 杨林，快介绍一下节目内容吧！
A: 好! 今天，咱们要见识一下冰球守门员的风采，想想要不要雇个婚礼策划师，学学中国风水学在商务场合中的作用，还要告诉大家怎么说“炒作”。
B: Sounds good! But first, let’s learn a word.
Learn A Word prone to
今天我们要学的词是 prone to. Prone is spelled p-r-o-n-e, prone; and to, t-o, to; prone to. Prone to 倾向于。Our newly-recruited quarterback is known for being prone to injury. 大家都知道，我们新签的这个四分位动不动就容易受伤。最近一项研究发现，工作时间与抑郁有直接关系。与每天正常工作8小时相比，The study found that employees who stay in the office for over 10 hours appear to be more prone to depression. 研究发现，每天待在办公室超过10个小时的员工更容易患上抑郁症。与此同时，Heavy Facebook users are also more prone to depression. 严重依赖脸谱网站的用户也更容易患抑郁症。好的，今天我们学习的词是prone to, prone to, prone to.
A: Kat, 听见没有，经常在Facebook上挂着容易得忧郁症!
B: I don’t understand the link between them. Isn’t social network supposed to help you stay in touch with your friends, hence become happier?
A: 说得也是啊。可能这说的是那些天天闷在屋里，挂在网上的宅男宅女吧？老不出去和真正的世界接触，不和别人打交道，就容易变得 depressed.
B: Maybe. But anyway, I don’t know any Facebook user who are depressed!
A: 我认识的人里也没有这样的。看来，这样的报导如果想让咱俩信服，最好是能举出一个真实生活中的例子。
B: Yeah, we need a case in point!
A: 还是先来学学什么叫 a case in point 吧。
Words and Idioms: A Case in Point
现在播送<美国习惯用语>第 952讲。我是杨琳。
M：我是 Douglas Johnson.
女：我一直很想周游世界，了解各国文化，尝遍各国美食，还能学习各个国家的语言。星期天我认识了一个新朋友，她的生活简直就跟我梦寐以求的生活！她是一个外交官，所以每两年她就能换一个新国家，体验新鲜的风土人情。我真羡慕她！这也让我想到一个习惯用语，那就是：
M：A case in point. Case is spelled c-a-s-e and point; p-o-i-n-t. A case in point.
我们知道，case是例子的意思，a case in point, 意思就是恰当的例子。我的外交官朋友过着我描述的梦想生活。It’s a case in point. 再比如，我们全家性格都很内向，但是也有例外。My niece is a case in point. 我侄女就一个典型的例子。
大家都认为百万富翁应该会过着很不一样的生活，但事实是否如此呢？我们来听听看下面这个例子：
M: “People assume that the super wealthy live extravagant lifestyles. But you can find exceptions. My cousin is A CASE IN POINT. He’s worth several million dollars. Still, he drives the same used car he’s had for years, rents a modest apartment, and donates most of his money to charity. “
[这段话是说：人们认为特别有钱的人都应该过着奢侈的生活，但实际上是也有例外。我的堂兄就是个例子。他身价好几百万美元，可还是开着那辆开了好多年的旧车，租着一间普通公寓，把赚来的绝大部分钱都捐给了慈善机构。]
这听起来很像我认识的一个朋友耶！她也非常有钱，可是她认为，成就感和美好的回忆比钱更重要。A case in point was her belief in living here and now. 一个恰当的例子就是她相信要活在当下。梦想是重要的，但是也不能错过享受眼前的时光。这对我们也是个提醒呢！好了，我们再来听听刚才那段话。
M: “People assume that the super wealthy live extravagant lifestyles. But you can find exceptions. My cousin is A CASE IN POINT. He’s worth several million dollars. Still, he drives the same used car he’s had for years, rents a modest apartment, and donates most of his money to charity. “
现在我们的生活与科技息息相关。但是有些人偏偏就要反其道而行，试图不让现代技术扰乱自己的生活。下面的这名作家就是一个例子，我们来听听看:
M: “It’ true. I’m no fan of technology. Not only do I avoid computers and personal communication devices, but so do the characters in the short stories I write. My latest best-seller is A CASE IN POINT. There are no references to e-mails, blogs, the Internet or even cellphones. How’s that for an example of what I believe? “
[这段话是说：没错，我确实不是新科技的粉丝。我从来不使用电脑和任何个人通讯装置，而且我写的短篇小说里的人物也不会使用这些玩艺。我最新出版的畅销小说就很能说明问题。里面的人物完全脱离了电子邮件，博客，网络，甚至手机。听起来是不是我的理念的充分体现呢？]
女: 我们管这种人啊叫Luddite, 就是反对科技创新的人。A case in point was a man named Lud. 最恰当的例子就是一个叫Lud的人。他是19世纪早期的一名纺织工，曾经焚毁纺织机器，因为他觉得这些机器威胁到了他的生计。这也就是Luddite, 反对科技创新者，这个词的来历。好的，我们再来听听刚才那段话:
M: “It’s true. I’m no fan of technology. Not only do I avoid computers and personal communication devices, but so do the characters in the short stories I write. My latest best-seller is A CASE IN POINT. There are no references to e-mails, blogs, the Internet or even cellphones. How’s that for an example of what I believe? “
女：各位听众，今天我们学习的习惯用语是A CASE IN POINT，意思是“恰当的例子”。好的，这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束，我是杨琳，我是 Douglas Johnson。谢谢各位的收听。
A: Kat, 最近新上了好几部电影，你去看了么？
B: 还没有。Have you?
A: 我本来想去看其中一部，因为这个电影宣传了很久，排场很大。可昨天一个朋友跟我说，她看了，没意思。
B：所以这个电影是吹牛喽？
A：也许吧。起码是炒得太过火!
B：炒？吵架么？Why did they fight?
A: 不是吵架，是炒作! 听听“美语怎么说”你就明白啦!
JESSICA 在北京学汉语，她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。今天是怡茹要问的：炒作。
YR: JESSICA, 你看，这两个电影明星被偷拍到一起吃饭逛街。
JESSICA: Hmm, interesting. So, are they dating?
YR: 杂志说他们约会，可他俩不承认。我看，这一定又是炒作，因为他们一起拍的电影快上映啦! 哎？“炒作”美语怎么说啊？
JESSICA: We call that a “publicity stunt”. Publicity is spelled p-u-b-l-i-c-i-t-y; and stunt, s-t-u-n-t. A publicity stunt.
YR: Publicity 是“宣传”， stunt 是“特技”，放在一起，a publicity stunt，“为了宣传而使出的绝招”，这就是炒作!
JESSICA: Right. 炒作是为了票房。I bet that this is a publicity stunt to make the movie a box office hit.
YR: 哦~~box office 就是票房。 卖座好，票房高的电影就是 a box office hit. 不过 JESSICA, 我听说这部要上映的片子还真不错，要不咱们也买张票去看看，支持一下他们的 box office?
JESSICA: No, I’m not going! YR, 现在很多电影都没有宣传的那么好，they’re promoted too excessively!
YR: 你是说好多电影被吹过头了？
JESSICA: Right. We have a word for that—overhyped, o-v-e-r-h-y-p-e-d.
YL: overhyped 就是名不副实，吹嘘过头。那我如果说，The movie star’s performance in this comedy was overhyped. –这个明星在这部喜剧中的表演被吹过头了。对不对？
JESSICA: That’s correct. Now let’s see what you’ve learned today!
YR: 第一：炒作叫 a publicity stunt; 第二，票房叫 box office; 第三，形容吹嘘过头，可以用 overhyped.
B: Overhyped movies rarely meet your expectations.
A: 不光是电影。有时出去吃饭，在网上看餐厅的reviews, 说得天花乱坠，可去了感觉也就一般。
B: 没错! Sometimes, reviews are inflated. But, you know, it’s all about personal taste. For example, a lot of people like Paris and say it’s the most attractive city in the world, but some say it’s the most overhyped tourist destination.
A: 对，这可能是因为萝卜白菜，各有所爱。
B: What? You just mentioned some vegetables and I don’t have a clue what you meant.
A：哈哈! 待会儿我解释给你听，咱们还是继续听节目吧。Let’s listen to GoEnglish!
Go English Wedding: Intermediate
大家好！今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“婚礼”单元的中级课程。
Professor: John and Carmen decided to have their wedding in a small church in Carmen’s home town. Today, they are planning the details.
John本想到拉斯维加斯去结婚，可最后还是听了 Carmen的话，在Carmen的家乡办传统婚礼。不知道在筹划婚礼的过程中，John是不是还会处处迁就Carmen。
Professor: Let’s listen.
Carmen: Gosh, John, I just love being back in my home town. It’s the perfect place to get married.
John: Yeah, I guess it’s pretty good. I can’t wait for the wedding. It’s going to be a great party!
Carmen: A party? John, this wedding is supposed to be a romantic event for you and me.
John: Yeah that’s fine. But I’m also definitely going to party with the groomsmen at the wedding reception!
Professor Bowman, groomsmen 是婚礼伴郎么？
Professor: That’s right, Winnie. The groom’s friends are called the groomsmen, and the bride’s friends are called the bridesmaids.
MC: 哦，伴娘就是bridesmaids。那么，reception又是什么呢？
Professor: The reception is the dinner after the wedding ceremony.
哦，reception就是喜宴! 怪不得John说，婚礼是个大派对，他等不及跟伴郎们在喜宴上大吃大喝呢!
Carmen: That’s right, we have to plan the reception too. How many people do you think will come?
John: I don’t know… but we have a pretty big wedding party, and I have a really big family.
Carmen: That’s true! I don’t think I will be able to remember the names of all my in-laws.
John: Don’t worry. I often forget some of their names too!
这个John，三句话不离”party”! Carmen问他喜宴会有多少客人，可他只会说“We have a pretty big wedding party.”
Professor: Actually, Winnie, in this case the wedding party is the people who are directly participating in the wedding.
哦，原来这个wedding party不是婚礼派对，而是“婚礼团”，也就是双方父母，伴郎伴娘等婚礼中的关键人物!
Professor: Yes. Carmen says John’s family is so big that she won’t remember the names of all her “in-laws”.
嗯，in-laws 就是配偶的家里人，包括岳父，婆婆，小姑等等。
Carmen: Say John, do you know who your best man is going to be?
John: No, I haven’t decided yet. I’ll probably choose whichever friend can give the best toast. What about your maid of honor?
Carmen: I haven’t had time to decide because I’ve been so busy thinking about all the other planning. We haven’t even talked about the rehearsal dinner yet!
John: Don’t worry. The groom’s family is supposed to plan the rehearsal dinner.
Professor: So Winnie, how is John going to pick his best man? Best man就是主伴郎，或者叫男傧相。John说他会让那个give the best toast–最会致祝酒词的朋友当他的best man.
Professor: Right. And what about Carmen? Has she picked her maid of honor?
Maid of honor就是主伴娘，女傧相，Carmen忙着筹备婚礼，还没想好让谁当maid of honor. 对了，professor Bowman, 什么是rehearsal dinner？
Professor: The day before the wedding, everyone in the wedding party practices what they have to do. Afterward they all have dinner together at the rehearsal dinner.
哦，我明白了。婚礼前，婚礼团的人会把所有仪式彩排一遍，然后一起吃饭，这顿饭就叫”rehearsal dinner”.
Professor: Yes, that is the tradition.
John: I know, let’s just get a wedding planner to do all the work for us.
Carmen: A wedding planner? No way! I don’t want a stranger planning our wedding.
John: Well if you don’t want to get a wedding planner, my mother said she would be happy to help you plan the wedding.
Carmen: Your mother? You know, John, maybe a wedding planner isn’t such a bad idea after all.
哈，看来Carmen 不想让未来的婆婆策划自己的婚礼，所以她宁可请一位wedding planner—婚礼策划师来出谋划策。
Professor: You know, Winnie, I have to agree that even though a wedding planner is a stranger, having your mother-in-law planning your wedding could be a lot worse….
A: 原来 wedding party 指的是婚礼中的那些关键人物，就是新郎新娘最核心的亲友团。
B: That’s right. One thing worth pointing out is “wedding party” isn’t the “party” after the ceremony. That’s called the reception.
A: 对，婚宴是 reception. 在中国，婚宴一般是越盛大越好，最后搞成一个banquet, 宴席。
B: Wow, that’s a lot of work for the wedding planner.
A: 其实在婚宴上忙碌的主要是新人和双方父母！比如说，最直接的工作：排桌！
B: Arranging seats?
A：对啊！把哪个宾客安排在哪一桌，和谁坐在一起，离舞台有多远，这里面都是很有讲究的！
B：I don’t really care. I just want to enjoy some Chinese food at the reception.
A; 你真是个好客人。不过，别人可没你这么随和。说到安排座位，在工作场合，开会或吃饭的时候，座位的安排也有一些讲究，咱们来听一听!
礼节美语 Body Language IV
公司主管Andy又请专门研究肢体语言的Monica给公司销售员 Sara和James培训。Monica说：
Monica: Okay, so we talked about composure. Let’s go in the other direction now and talk about humor.
J: Ah, that’s something that’s always puzzled me. Is it a good idea to make jokes?
M: Research shows that people are more likely to accept an idea if it’s wrapped in humor. But the point isn’t about finding a really funny joke. Laughter is actually about bonding.
S: Yes….I’ve noticed that many times people at a meeting are all laughing about something that really isn’t all that funny.
Monica接下来谈到了幽默在生意场上的作用。他说，有调查发现，用幽默的方式把一件事情说出来，更容易被对方接受。但关键不是要讲一个特别好笑的笑话，而是笑声能加强人与人之间的纽带。
M: That’s right! They are not really joking….they are attempting to bond.
A: So go ahead and throw in a funny comment or a clever remark…but there’s got to be some minefields we should avoid as well, right?
M: Yeah….don’t make dirty, sexist or racist jokes or comments. And of course don’t humiliate anyone.
J: I have a question. I’m never quite sure where to sit during a business meeting.
M: The ancient Chinese art of “Feng Shui” teaches that you should never sit with the door behind you—and actually there’s a scientific reason for that.
虽然及时讲个笑话，或是发表一点幽默的评论能有助于调节气氛，加强纽带，但讲笑话也有一些需要忌讳的地方，或者说是 minefield 雷区。Don’t make dirty, sexist or racist jokes or comments. Monica说，不要讲黄色笑话、性别歧视的笑话和种族歧视的笑话，而且不要 humiliate 羞辱别人。James问了一个很简单的问题，那就是，开会的时候应该坐在哪儿。Monica 说，按照中国风水里的讲究，后背不要对着门，这是有科学道理的，为什么呢？
M: When a person’s back is placed towards an open space he becomes stressed; his blood pressure increases and his heart beats faster.
S: That makes sense! People subconsciously worry about getting attacked if they don’t know what’s lurking behind them.
J: Interesting. I’ll be sure to sit facing the door from now on!
A: Monica, thank you for another great class! I think we all learned a lot today.
M: My pleasure! See you next time!
Monica 解释说，如果后背对着开放的空间，那这个人就容易有压力，血压升高，心跳加速，因为他们不知道身后可能会隐藏着什么危险，They don’t know what’s lurking behind them. 所以会下意识地感到不安全，因此在选择座位时，最好是脸冲着门。怎么样，大家是不是也学到了一些以前不知道的事情呢？
B: I don’t actually mind having a seat with the door behind me–as long as that’s not the default place for the person who pays the bill.
A: 哈哈! 你是说，只要不是负责结帐的人专门坐的位子就行？我同意！其实中国人饭桌是圆的，就是为了不分主次，所以坐哪儿都差不多。
B: 好了，After our business class, let’s take a break. Up next is American Sports English!
ASE Hockey -goalie
P: Hey Yang Chen.
Y: Hi Patrick, 你在看什么?
P: I’m watching the hockey game. Bruins vs. Islanders. It’s pretty intense.
Y: Oh yeah, it’s pretty intense，是不是因为你run out of snacks?
P: No Yang Chen, it looks like one of the players on the Bruins is about to score a hat trick.
Y: A hat trick?
P: A hat trick is when one player scores three shots in one game.
Y: Oh yeah, 我想起来了，你上次讲过: 一个队员进了三个球，然后大家都往球场扔帽子。
P: Right! So if it happens, people might throw their hats.
Y: Hmm, 你也应该score a hat trick.
P: And why is that Yang Chen?
Y:因为你的发型太奇怪了。You need a hat.
P: Sigh. Alright, can we just watch the game?
Y: Sure, 那今天谁要赢了?
P: It looks like the Bruins are going to win this one. Their goalie is a brick wall tonight.
Y: 什么是goalie?
P: The goalie is the person who stays at the goal and guards against the puck going in. In hockey, he wears the most pads.
Y: 噢， goalie就是守门员。 你刚才说他像一堵砖墙挡在那儿，a brick wall，对方没法进球，对不对?
P: That’s exactly right. Not a shot has gone in. He’s unstoppable.
Y: Hmm, 我觉得你也会是一个很好的 goalie .
P: Why?
Y 因为you have a big ego.
P: Now you’re starting to hurt my feelings Yang Chen.
Y: Oh I’m sorry Patrick.
P: You’re really “sticking” it to me. Get it? Stick, like hockey stick.
Y: Wow, 你是说我老是骚扰你”sticking” it to you。I said sorry already!
P:OK. Apology accepted. Oh man, Boston has the puck and it looks like they’re setting up the hat trick. Oh and he did it! Wow, that’s impressive. Oh well.
Y: Boston scored a hat trick， 那你该高兴啊。
P: I’m an Islanders fan.
A: The goalie is a brick wall! 守门员像铜墙铁壁一样! 听起来是没少挨球打。
B: 那可不容易! Ouch!
A: 台上三分钟，台下十年功啊!
B：Er… you’ll have to explain to me what that means.
A: 哈哈，没问题。好了, 这次节目时间到了。这次的撰稿人是小北，编辑是蔚然。同学们，我们下次再见！
B：See you !