A: 美语训练班开班授课啦!
这是我们美国之音节目改版后的第一期美语教学节目! 我是王怡茹!
B: And I’m Donny. Starting today，我们把美国之音的精品教学节目集中起来播出，成立一个美语训练班，每堂课25分钟，25 minutes! 让你一次学个够!
A: 哎？Donny, 你怎么能让大家一次就学够了呢？咱们节目这么精彩，人家肯定是听不够才对啊!
B: 哈哈，对。看来我的中文还不够好。
A: 你谦虚了。Your Chinese is better than my English!
B: 怡茹, 言归正传，我们今天教什么？
A: 那可多啦! 我们会带大家去租房子，射箭，识别投资诈骗 , 还要告诉您怎么用英文称赞别人“真牛”。
B: Sounds like a lot! 大家能记得住么？
A: 呃…That’s a good question. 这样吧，咱们先学个简单的，就花一分钟，学一个词!
Learn A Word: age limit
今天我们要学的词是age limit, age is spelled a-g-e; limit is spelled l-i-m-i-t; age limit. Age limit 年龄限制。社交网站脸书网并不是任何人都能注册帐户的。Facebook enforces an age limit of 13 years or older to register an account. 脸书网规定，只有满13岁的人才能注册帐户。Despite the efforts to enforce the age limit policy, many younger children still join the site by lying about their age. 尽管脸书网努力执行年限规定，但很多不满13岁的孩子还是谎报年龄，蒙混过关。Facebook removes about 20,000 users daily who are below the age limit. 脸书网每天取消大约两万个年龄低于最低年限的帐户。好的，今天我们学习的词是 age limit, age limit, age limit.
B: So怡茹, do you remember the word from 学个词儿？
A: 那当然了!刚听完嘛! age limit年龄限制.
B: That’s right! Next, we’re going to learn an expression that describes a situation everyone could face, regardless of age.
A: 哦？你是说我们下面要学的这个词可以形容任何年纪的人都会遇到的一种情况？I’m getting curious.
B: 让我们收听“美国习惯用语”
现在播送美国习惯用语第 932讲。我是晓北。
我是 Douglas Johnson.
我的小表妹大学毕业，正在实习。她是学会计的，本以为学校里学到的东西足以能让自己胜任实习的工作。没想到，第一天下来就累得直哭! 还说第二天要去辞职。当然，她最终还是坚持下来，圆满完成了两个月的实习。她的这个经历，让我想到一个习惯用语:
Baptism by fire. Baptism is spelled b-a-p-t-i-s-m, fire; f-i-r-e. Baptism by fire.
baptism是受洗仪式，fire则是火，所以，baptism by fire就是火的洗礼，一般指刚做某事时受到的严峻考验。我表妹本来没觉得实习的工作会有多难，谁知，It proved to be much more demanding than she anticipated. That was her baptism by fire. 工作比她想像的难得多，她一上来就受到了严峻的考验。
我表妹只是在会计师行当个小实习生，已经有点吃不消。其实和下面这段话中的见习医生相比，她的工作已经轻松许多了，我们来听一听:
“After I graduated medical school, I worked as an intern in an emergency room. Nothing I’d learned in school prepared me. Every day I confronted a constant series of challenges that tested everything I’d ever studied. The little sleep I had to function on also contributed to this being the greatest test of my life. What a BAPTISM BY FIRE!”
这段话是说: 从医学院毕业后，我在急诊室做见习医生。在学校所学的一切都无法让我轻松胜任这个工作。每天我都会遇到一个接一个的挑战，检验我在学校所学的全部知识。而且我每天只能睡一小会儿觉。这一切使实习医生的岁月成为我人生中最严峻的考验。真是火的洗礼啊!
我的一个朋友，在父亲过世后被迫接下了家里开的买卖。她完全没有经验，公司的雇员也不熟悉她的做事风格，It was a baptism by fire not only for her, but also the employees. 结果双方都经历了痛苦的磨合，最终，我的朋友还是缺乏领导能力，公司解散了。 好了，我们再来听听刚才那段话:
“After I graduated medical school, I worked as an intern in an emergency room. Nothing I’d learned in school prepared me. Every day I confronted a constant series of challenges that tested everything I’d ever studied. The little sleep I had to function on also contributed to this being the greatest test of my life. What a BAPTISM BY FIRE!”
刚才说到我朋友接过家族生意后，领导不来，最终生意失败。经营一个企业尚且这么难，那如果是管理一个国家呢？咱们来听一听下面这段话:
“One of the most respected U.S. presidents was Franklin D. Roosevelt. When he died abruptly, Vice-President Harry Truman had to assume responsibility for ending World War II. That meant making one of the hardest decisions in U.S. history – to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. It was a BAPTISM BY FIRE.”
这段话意思是: 美国最受人爱戴的总统之一是福兰克林.罗斯福。罗斯福突然去世后，当时的副总统杜鲁门临危受命，他必须做完罗斯福未竟的工作，那就是结束第二次世界大战。这意味着他要作出美国历史上最艰难的决定 – 向日本投下原子弹。这真是个万般艰巨的考验。
在1963年，另外一位副总统也面临了baptism by fire, 他就是约翰逊总统。在肯尼迪总统遇刺身亡后，约翰逊要让美国走出悲痛，要指挥在越南的战争，还要实现一系列社会改革目标。这对他来讲，可以说是极大的考验。好，我们再来听听刚才那段话:
“One of the most respected U.S. presidents was Franklin D. Roosevelt. When he died abruptly, Vice-President Harry Truman had to assume responsibility for ending World War II. That meant making one of the hardest decisions in U.S. history – to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. It was a BAPTISM BY FIRE.”
今天我们学习的习惯用语是baptism by fire，意思是“痛苦的磨合，初期的严峻考验”。好的，这次美国习惯用语就到此结束，我是晓北，我是 Douglas Johnson。
This has been Words and Idioms.
A: Baptism by fire， 火的洗礼，严峻考验。
B: So,怡茹, have you had any experiences that can be described as baptism by fire?
A: 当然了! 唉，回想我坎坷的人生啊，拍成电视剧都不过份…
B: 你吹牛呢吧？
A: 哈哈，你中文不错啊，还会说”吹牛”呢! 那我考考你，把“吹”字去掉，就说“牛”，美语怎么说？
B: 牛？不就是…
A: 别跟我说是cow啊!还是听听下面的“美语怎么说”吧!
How to say it: awesome
Donny 在北京学汉语，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。今天是方方要问的: 牛。
Donny: FF, I heard you went to a ballroom dance competition yesterday. How did it go?
FF: 我进决赛啦! 怎么样，牛吧？
Donny: 牛？ a cow?
FF: 不是，“牛”就是特别厉害，very good!
Donny: I got it. In English, we use the word “awesome”, a-w-e-s-o-m-e, awesome.
FF: 哦，awesome就是说特牛。
Donny: You can also use the word “ballin”. b-a-l-l-i-n, ballin. It also means “cool or very good”.
FF: 哦，Ballin 也是“很牛”的意思。Donny, 那天的跳舞比赛上还真有不少高手。在这种情况下，我可以跟他们说，You’re awesome! 或者 You’re ballin! 对么？
Donny: That’s right. You can also say “you rule” or “you rock!”
FF: rule, r-u-l-e, rule; rock, r-o-c-k, rock, 这两个词也可以形容某人或某事很牛，不过它们都是动词，对不对？
Donny: Exactly! For example, 如果你看了一场特别牛的演唱会，you can say “it rocks!” or “it rules!”
FF: 明白了。不过那天也有一些人在比赛前一副不可一世的样子，可真跳起来，也不怎么样，真不知道他们有什么好牛的！对了，形容这些人，也用 awesome 或是 ballin 么？
Donny: No! You can use “cocky” c-o-c-k-y, cocky， to describe these kind of people.
FF: 哦，说一个人牛气哄哄的，就是cocky.
Donny: Now, FF, If you can tell me what you’ve learned today, I’d say your English 很牛!
FF: 好！第一，说人或事很牛，用形容词 awesome 或 ballin；
第二，说人或事很牛，还可以用动词 rule 或者 rock；
第三，形容某人傲慢，牛气哄哄，可以用 cocky!
这次的美语怎么说 就到这里。
A: Yeah! Awesome! You rock!
B: 你也很牛…!对了，你开始时不是说带大家去租房子嘛？
A: 马上就去啊!
Renting: Beginner
大家好！今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“找房”单元的初级课程。
Winnie: Jeff is at an apartment building. He’s meeting the landlord to ask about renting an apartment.
Professor Bowman, landlord 这个词由是 land – 土地，和 lord – 主人组成的，应该就是房主的意思吧？
Professor: That’s right, Winnie. Now listen for the word “vacancy,” which means “open” or “available.”
Jeff: Hello, do you have any vacancies?
Landlord: Yes, something just opened up.
Jeff: What kind of apartment is it?
Landlord: It’s a one-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment.
Winnie: 我知道，”vacancy, v-a-c-a-n-c-y, vacancy”就是指等待出租的空房。
Professor: Exactly. “Vacant” means “empty.”
Winnie: 哦，vacant是vacancy的形容词，意思是“空的”。现在Jeff 就是要找a vacant apartment. 房主说有一个一室一卫的公寓，听起来不错，可是不知道租金贵不贵。
Professor: Let’s listen and find out.
Jeff: How much is the rent?
Landlord: The rent is $1500 per month.
Jeff: And how much is the deposit?
Landlord: The deposit is $500.
Winnie: 一个一居室的公寓每月要 1500 美元？够贵的！而且，为什么Jeff 还要交一笔deposit“押金”呢？
Professor: Well, if Jeff breaks something in the apartment, the landlord uses the deposit money to fix it. In addition, he may have to pay utilities too. Let’s listen.
Jeff: Are utilities included in the rent?
Landlord: Gas and water are included.
Jeff: Do I have to pay for electricity myself?
Landlord: Yes, electricity is not included in the rent.
Winnie: 哦，看来Jeff 要自己负担一部分utilities, u-t-i-l-i-t-i-e-s, – “水电杂费”，因为房主说，房租里包括煤气费和水费，但是电费要单付。
Professor: Winnie, if the landlord says “all utilities are included,” then the cost of gas, water and electricity will all be included in the rent. Remember, you don’t have to say “gas utility” or “water utility.” You can just say “gas” or “water.”
Jeff: Hmmm … This apartment seems a little expensive. Do you have any cheap studios?
Landlord: Actually, the one-bedroom is the only vacant apartment right now.
Jeff: Do you think any studios will open up soon?
Landlord: No, not for a few months.
Winnie: A “studio”? 我知道 Jeff 想找个便宜点的地方，可租这种卧室、起居室合二为一的单间小公寓，把女孩子带回家多没面子！
Professor: I don’t know. You wouldn’t date a guy living in a studio?
Winnie: 找个租studio的男朋友？那也没什么不行，但他起码得有辆特别 cool 的车！我们还是言归正传，看看Jeff 租没租那间公寓吧。
Jeff: When can I see the one-bedroom apartment?
Landlord: There’s an open house this weekend.
Jeff: What time does the open house start?
Landlord: It starts at 11AM in the morning.
Professor Bowman, 什么叫open house?
Professor: Winnie, an “open house” is when the landlord opens the apartment and anybody can just walk in and take a look.
Winnie: Open house这段时间里什么人都可以随便来看。那要不是open house，就得和房主约时间喽？这个房主也真懒，让人家看一眼不就得了。
Professor: I agree. Maybe Jeff should rent a different apartment because this landlord is not very good. Now Jeff is going to ask how long the lease is.
Jeff: What kind of lease is it?
Landlord: It’s a one-year lease.
Jeff: Can I have a month-to-month lease? I only want to rent the apartment for five months.
Landlord: No, all the leases are for one year. We don’t have month-to-month leases.
Jeff: Well then I don’t think this would be a good apartment for me. Thank you anyway.
Landlord: You’re welcome.
Winnie: 唉，看来是不行了。Jeff只想租5个月，可房主非要签一年的租约。这可怎么办？
Professor: Well, I guess Jeff’s friend Sarah will have to help him look for another apartment. Tune in next time to see what happens!
A: 怎么样，我们这个美语三级跳节目非常实用吧？我学了Vacancy, utilities, open house还有好多有用的词!
B: 没错! Now let’s move from an apartment building to an office.
A:对，Office, 上班和同事们交流时用的英语，这也非常实用!咱们来收听礼节美语。
礼节美语 – PONZI SCHEME I
Ken早上在饮水器旁见到同事 Dan 和 April.
K: Good morning, Dan. Good morning, April.
D&A: Hi, Ken. Good morning.
K: So…have you heard the big news?
A: No! Tell us!
K: Well, you know Jason Smith?
D: You mean our company’s Chief Financial Officer?
That Jason Smith?
K: Yep…that’s the one. He got arrested yesterday.
A: No way! What for?
Ken问同事 Dan和April，Have you heard the big news? 你们听没听说公司里的大新闻。原来是公司财务总裁 Jason Smith 被抓起来了。April 觉得难以置信，说 No way! 不可能！what for? 因为什么？
K: Seems our Mr. Smith was running a Ponzi scheme.
D: Sorry…I’m not familiar with that term. What’s a Ponzi scheme?
A: Basically…it’s fraud.
K: But a very special kind of fraud.
A: See, what they do is offer investors a very high rate of return on their money. Then the schemer takes some of the money and pays some of the original investors a large dividend.
原来，Jason Smith 是因为涉嫌参与庞式骗局才被抓起来的。庞式骗局是 Ponzi Scheme. Dan 不知道什么是庞式骗局。Ken 和 April 解释说，Ponzi scheme 是一种特殊形式的诈骗，fraud，用高回报率 a high rate of return 来吸引投资者，把从他们那里骗来的一部分钱做为红利 dividend，分给最开始的那些投资者。
K: So of course the original investors think they’ve struck gold and they tell their friends about this great opportunity.
A: The friends pile their money in too and a few of them see big returns as well. Pretty soon, loads of people are “investing” their money with the bad guy and when he has enough…poof…he disappears.
这样一来，最早的一批投资者会觉得自己找到了金矿，they’ve struck gold, 马上介绍自己的亲戚朋友也来加入。这样越滚越大，等骗到了足够的钱以后，庞式骗局的谋划者就带着钱不知去向了。
A: The name comes from an Italian immigrant to America called Charles Ponzi. He was one of the biggest frauds in American history and ended up swindling thousands of people out of millions of dollars.
D: So Jason Smith was running a scheme like that?
K: Pretty much. He cooked his books so he wouldn’t get noticed, but these kinds of frauds almost always end up getting exposed because when no new money comes in…the pyramid collapses.
庞式骗局是以一个意大利移民 Charles Ponzi 的名字命名的。他是美国历史上最大的骗子之一。Swindle 是欺骗的意思。公司财务主管Jason Smith造了假账 cook the books，但最后还是被抓住了。Closing
A: 天啊，Ponzi scheme， 庞式诈骗，真可恨!
B: So what would you do if your money got swindled through a Ponzi scheme?
A: 敢诈骗我的钱？我拿箭射他!
B: 你以为你是射雕英雄传嘛？!
A: 哼，我现在就去学射箭!
American Sports English: Archery
Y: Hi, this is Yang Chen.
P: And I’m Patrick.
(Sound of arrow flying through the air and “plunking” into target)
Y: 今天我要学射箭archery。
P: Archery is the practice of using a bow to shoot arrows. It’s also an Olympic sport. Say, Yang Chen, do you have your bow and arrows ready?
Y: Yes, I do, Patrick. Here is my bow，我的弓； And here are my arrows，我的箭。Patrick，你看我这样拿着弓箭，象不像Robin Hood侠盗罗宾汉!
P: Wow, you look exactly like Robin Hood! Are you ready to take aim and shoot, Miss Robin?
Y: I sure am. 可是那个target目标好像太远了，能不能让我靠近点儿, Patrick.
P: The target in Olympic archery is 30 to 90 meters away. You are trying to shoot the arrow as close to the center of the target as possible.You can shoot three arrows.
Y: 我可以射三支箭。
P: And you have 40 seconds to shoot each arrow.
Y: 射一支箭的时间是40秒。Okay, here is my first shot! (Sound of pulling back bow, shooting arrow)
P: Hmm, Uh, well, It was a good try, Yang Chen.
Try again, Yang Chen. Maybe this time you can hit the bull’s eye.
Y: The “bull’s eye”不是牛眼睛，是靶心的意思。 I’ll try again, Patrick. Maybe I’ll get lucky. 这次一定射中 bull’s eye。
P: Okay, Yang Chen, you can do it! (Shooting sound again)
Y: Yea! I did it! I did it! I hit the Bull’s eye! 正中靶心！
P: No, Yang Chen….you didn’t even hit the target. You’re way off
Y: Oh, no! Let me try again.
P: Oh, Yang Chen, I think you killed a bird.
B: Wow, I can’t believe it’s almost been 25 minutes! We’re getting to the end of the show!
A: 是啊，希望大家这节课有所收获。
B: So 怡茹, what’s the word for 年龄限制again?
A: 哈哈哈，啊，age limit!
B: Bingo!
A: 好了，今天的节目就到这里。节目的撰稿人是晓北，编辑是蔚然。同学们，我们下次的美语训练班再见喽!
B: Bye!