B: Welcome to American English Mosaic, I’m Mike Bond!
A: And I’m Lin Yang.
B: Do you know how to shop for the best, the most unique souvenirs? We will offer you some tips in today’s business etiquette.
A: 在菜单上标上卡路里好不好? 我们在下面的节目中为你介绍。
B: And in words and idioms, we will learn what “to give one’s best shot” and “stop cold” means!
A: All coming up on this edition of American English Mosaic!
B: Now let’s go into our first segment, Learn a word!
Learn A Word 1845 in a pinch
今天我们要学的词是 in a pinch. Pinch is spelled p-i-n-c-h, in a pinch. In a pinch 意思是在必要的时候可以做为替补之用。感冒是学生缺课的主要原因，新学年开始之际，医生建议孩子们在学校要注意多洗手，如果条件不允许的话，Hand sanitizer works in a pinch. 免水洗手液也可以做为替代品。咖啡提神谁都知道，不过，A cup of coffee should only be used in a pinch, rather than as a substitute for adequate sleep. 必要的时候可以靠咖啡提神，但是咖啡不能取代足够的睡眠。好的，今天我们学习的词是 in a pinch, in a pinch, in a pinch…
A: For me, adequate sleep and coffee are both extremely important. Otherwise I’m ineffective for the whole day.
B: Well, that explains some things…. (A: Ugh…) Kidding, kidding! I do think plenty of shut-eye is very important. People today tend to trade health for money!
A: I know! Did you hear about the Accenture analyst who died at his office desk and it took his co-worker 5 days to discover the body? That’s terrifying.
B: I know. A lot of young people will give their best shot in hopes of climbing the corporate ladder, but you got to listen to your body at the same time.
A: That’s a valid point. 你正好提到了一个用法，give one’s best shot. 我们来听听今天的美国习惯用语，学学这个短语的用法!
Words and Idioms 877 to give one’s best shot
美国习惯用语第 877 讲
我朋友 Mark 受到我去跑马拉松的鼓舞，最近也报名参加业余铁人三项比赛，包括游泳、骑车和长跑，他知道自己不可能赢，但他告诉我说，He will give it his best shot. 他一定会尽力而为。这也是我们今天要学习的习惯用语。
M: To give one’s best shot. Give is spelled g-i-v-e. Give. Best is spelled b-e-s-t. Best. To give one’s best shot.
大家都知道，give 是给；best 是最好的。to give one’s best shot 意思是不管会不会成功，都会尽力而为。我朋友 Mark 去参加业余铁人三项比赛，他不太看重结果，但是 He will give it his best shot. 他会努力发挥出自己最好的水平。在下面这个例子里，一位男子正鼓足勇气，准备邀请一个漂亮姑娘出去约会。我们一起来听听他是怎么说的。
M: “She probably has a boyfriend. Or even if she doesn’t, she probably likes rich guys or tall guys. Then again, who knows? Ah, what the heck. I might as well GIVE IT MY BEST SHOT. If one thing’s for sure: I have no chance if I don’t ask her.”
这个人说：她八成已经有男朋友了。就算还没有，可能也会喜欢那种有钱的，或是高个子的男生。不过，也不一定。嗨，不管那么多了，我还是要努力去试试看。起码有一点是肯定的，如果我不去邀请她的话，那就一点机会都没有了。
没错。很多女孩子都喜欢自信、有男子汉气概的男生，有时候，这一点比金钱和外表还要重要。好的，让我们再来听听上面那段话。
M: “She probably has a boyfriend. Or even if she doesn’t, she probably likes rich guys or tall guys. Then again, who knows? Ah, what the heck. I might as well GIVE IT MY BEST SHOT. If one thing’s for sure: I have no chance if I don’t ask her.”
To give one’s best shot 这个习惯用语是从十九世纪中期开始流行的，因为 shot 有尝试和努力的意思。
我前天晚上车突然坏了，到修车铺，修理工告诉我，两天后来取。可我第二天还急等着用，经过百般恳求，他最后才同意，He will give it his best shot. 最后晚上加班到九点多，终于帮我把车修好了。在下面这个例子中，一个参加世界杯足球赛的队员对比赛结果十分痛心，但是他同时又说：
M: “We have no regrets. Of course it hurts to lose but we GAVE IT OUR BEST SHOT and you can’t do more than that. This time the other side was just too good.”
这个队员说：我们无怨无悔。输了比赛心里当然很难过，但是我们已经尽了自己的全力了。这次实在是对手实力太强了。
我同意。其实，不管是什么比赛，输赢都是次要，as long as you gave it your best shot.
但是，如果输了比赛，下来后捶胸顿足，因为明知自己本来可以做得更好的话，那才是最让人遗憾的。
不久前，女儿要去参加地区性小学组的钢琴大赛。她准备了好几个月，但是比赛前还是紧张得不行。我告诉她说，输赢不要紧。Just give it your best shot. 弹出自己的最高水平就行了。好的，我们再来听一下上面那个例句。
M: “We have no regrets. Of course it hurts to lose but we GAVE IT OUR BEST SHOT and you can’t do more than that. This time the other side was just too good.”
大家不要忘记，学习英语口语首先要学会张嘴，大胆说出口，不要顾及发音和语法的对错。Just give it your best shot! 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.
B: That’s the best way to learn a foreign language. You got to give it your best shot! Try to speak as much as possible, and don’t worry about your accent and grammar too much.
A: True! That’s what I did when I was learning English! Well…I’m still learning…
B: Ha, you are pretty good! My Chinese was way better when I was in China when I had to speak it everyday! I miss China so much…
A: Ha, I bet! In today’s business etiquette, we will take you to China, and introduce you to all the interesting souvenirs you can get there!
B: Let’s check it out!
礼节美语Souvenir Shopping I
公司副总裁 Jason 到上海，由Gina接待。
Jason: Hello Gina! We’ve spoken so many times on the phone but’s it’s so good to finally meet you in person!
G: Hello sir. Good to meet you, too.
J: Oh, please don’t call me “sir.” Just call me Jason.
G: Ok, Jason. So how was the flight?
J: Pretty good. There was a bit of turbulence while we were over the Pacific Ocean but it wasn’t too bad. The worst thing was the guy behind me. He snored all through the night!
G: Really? But you were in first class! Nobody woke that guy up?
Jason和Gina以前只在电话上沟通过，Jason说，it’s so good to finally meet you in person. 见到你本人很高兴。寒暄过后，Gina问Jason路上是否顺利，Jason说，飞机在太平洋上空遇到气流有些颠簸，turbulence is spelled t-u-r-b-u-l-e-n-c-e, turbulence 是气流的意思。但最糟糕的是，坐在Jason后面的人打了一夜呼噜。
J: The stewardess said it’s not company policy to wake people up for any reason.
G:That’s terrible! So you didn’t get any sleep?
J: Not much…but that’s ok…I’m a night owl anyway.
G: So, aside from visiting our factory and offices, are there any other things you want to accomplish while you’re in China?
J: I’d love to squeeze in a trip to the Great Wall.
G: That’s not a problem. We can have a company car take you there. It’s only about a two hour drive.
空服拒绝把打呼噜的人叫醒，因为 it’s not company policy 不符合公司规定。Jason说，自己反正是 a night owl 夜猫子，所以问题不大。除了视察工作外，Jason 说还想抽时间去爬长城，I’d love to squeeze in a trip to the Great Wall. Gina说，长城不远，只要两小时车程，所以没问题。
J: Also…I’d like to do some shopping while I’m here.
G: Well, you’ve come to the right place! China is a shopping paradise. Name it–we’ve got it.
J: To be honest, I’m not really sure what I’m looking for. But I need gifts for my wife, kids and I should bring something back for the senior partners of my firm as well.
G: Hum…I’d recommend silk for your wife. Maybe a bathrobe or perhaps a shawl. Silk dresses and shirts are good, too.
J: Yeah…that sounds good. But my wife is picky so I’ll need your help to choose the right one. It should be classy and not too flashy.
G: I think I know just the store to visit. Leave it to me.
除了观光，Jason还想购物，给太太、孩子和公司合伙人买礼物。Gina 建议Jason 给太太买丝绸制品。Jason说太太很 picky，picky is spelled p-i-c-k-y, picky，picky 是挑剔的意思，衣服要典雅 classy, 不能过于招摇，flashy. Gina说，leave it to me. 包在我身上。
A: 老板Jason第一次来中国，除了工作，他想squeeze in a trip to the Great Wall，抽时间去趟长城。他还需要给家人和合伙人买礼物，他说太太很picky，挑剔。Gina说，leave it to me, 包在我身上，建议他买silk dress or silk bathrobe, 丝制裙子或者睡袍。
B: There are so many thing you can get in China! When I went to China for the first time, everything seemed so exotic to me!
A: For example?
B:The hand-carved stone seals! I couldn’t believe I could get a hand-made piece of art for so little!
A: Alright, let’s keep listen and see what Gina is going to suggest!
礼节美语Souvenir Shopping II
公司副总裁 Jason 到上海出差，由Gina接待。Jason让Gina帮忙选礼物。
Jason: Hey! You know what might be good gifts for my business associates? Chinese antiques!
G: Well, we certainly have lots of antique art, statues and carvings, but in most cases it’s not legal to take genuine antiques out of China.
J: Oh, I see. That makes sense. You have to preserve your heritage.
G: But there are many reproductions of antiques for sale.
J: you mean fakes?
G: A fake is when the dealer lies and says the piece is ancient. A reproduction is legal and they can be quite beautiful.
Jason 想给同事买中国古董 antiques 做礼物，但是Gina告诉他，古董不能带出中国，建议Jason考虑买reproduction复制品。Jason 以为 Gina 是指 fake 假货，Gina 解释说，fake 假货是商人故意欺骗顾客，以假乱真，而复制品则是合法生产和出售的。
J: Yeah! That would look cool. Maybe some scrolls or traditional paintings.
G: Good idea. Scrolls with Chinese cursive calligraphy look great on an office wall. And…they might even bring you luck!
J: You can’t beat that! But what about the kids?
G: Humm…that’s a bit trickier. There are of course, lots of counterfeit goods available like software or music, but buying them isn’t recommended.
J: No, I don’t buy counterfeits. Besides…my sons have loads of computer games and CDs.
Gina 建议 Jason 买中国国画或是书法作品，挂在办公室墙上很气派，但是给孩子买什么礼物呢，Gina 说, that’s a bit trickier. 这可有些麻烦。Jason 说，他不愿意给儿子买盗版软件或音乐，counterfeit is spelled c-o-u-n-t-e-r-f-e-i-t, counterfeit, counterfeit 是盗版的意思。
G: Hey! I know. You could have old-style Chinese suits custom-made for them! They can go around looking like little Chinese emperors! I know a great tailor!
J; Ha! Perfect! They’d like that for sure. Wow Gina.. You’re full of great ideas. I should tell your boss to give you a raise.
G: But you are my boss!
J: (Chuckle) Right! Then I’ll make a note to myself! Really though… I can’t thank you enough for all your help.
G: Not at all. Just demonstrating some traditional Chinese hospitality.
Gina 突然来了灵感，说可以找裁缝给孩子量身定做中国的传统衣服，custom-made 是定做的意思，把他们打扮成中国小皇帝的样子。Jason对Gina的建议非常满意，说要告诉Gina的老板，给她涨工资，give someone a raise 是给某人涨工资的意思。Gina笑着提醒Jason说，你就是我的老板啊，我不过是表现一下中国人的传统好客罢了。
A: Gina建议说，给生意伙伴可以买reproduction of antiques, 古董复制品，而给孩子们呢，可以买custom made old-style Chinese suits, 也就是定制的中山装。Jason觉得这些建议很好，他说: I can’t thank you enough for all your help, 意思是十分感谢。
B: Yep! With an informed local to guide you around and give you advice on what to get for souvenirs, it’s hard to go wrong!
A: 没错! 咦，你提到了一个词儿，informed, 我们再来听听learn a word,学学这个词儿要怎么用!
Learn A Word 1848 informed
今天我们要学的词是 informed. Informed is spelled i-n-f-o-r-m-e-d, informed. Informed 形容词，意思是知情的。More and more restaurants are listing calories next to items on their menus to help customers make informed decisions. 越来越多的餐馆开始在菜单上注明每道菜的卡路里热量，帮助顾客在知情的情况下，做出明智的决定。
Consumer Reports rated almost 2,500 hospitals for common surgical procedures, giving patients the information they need to make informed choices. “消费者报告”针对近2500家医院做例行手术的治疗效果打分，为消费者提供信息，帮助他们在选择医院时做出明智选择。好的，今天我们学习的词是 informed, informed, informed…
A: I hate to look at the calorie index on menus. All the dishes I want have high calories!
B: Well, it’s a universal fact that anything that tastes good has a lot of calories…..
A: I know! And once you start eating, you end up finishing the whole thing! Nobody can just stop cold when it comes to gourmet food.
B: Haha, I’m the same way! But you just mentioned a good idiom: stop cold, let’s check it out in today’s words and idioms!
Words and Idioms 878 Stop Cold
美国习惯用语第 878 讲
我星期二晚上在家烤蛋糕，参加女儿学校的义卖活动，结果材料都准备好了，电动搅拌机没用一分钟，却突然罢了工，没办法，只好改电动为手动，累得我胳膊都快折了。不过，这也让我想起一个习惯用语可以跟大家分享，那就是：
M: Stop cold. Cold is spelled c-o-l-d. Stop-cold.
Stop cold 意思是突然停止。我烤蛋糕的时候电动搅拌机突然坏了，就可以说 It stopped cold. 再比如，孩子跳舞表演，我兴致勃勃地拿着录像机，打算全程录下来，谁知道，The camcorder stopped cold five minutes into the program. 表演刚开始五分钟，摄像机就不工作了。原来是没电了。在下面这个例子里，一个公司经理被困在了电梯里，我们一起听听他的经历。
M: “I’ve rarely thought about the possibility of getting stuck in an elevator. Yet, as I was heading up to my office on the tenth floor, the elevator STOPPED COLD. There I was trapped with no way to get out. Finally, after about half an hour, it started moving again. Maybe it was a sign that I should take the stairs and get some exercise!”
这个人说：我几乎从没想到自己会被困在电梯里。可刚才，我上十楼去办公室，电梯中途突然停了。我被困在了电梯里面。差不多半个小时后，电梯才又恢复工作。这是在暗示我，应该去爬楼梯，多锻炼锻炼。
我侄子现在正处于青少年开始对异性产生朦胧意识的阶段，跟男同学在一起有说有笑，可是只要一有女孩子加入进来，他立刻就哑巴了。Girls just STOP him COLD. 好的，让我们再来听听上面那段话。
M: “I’ve rarely thought about the possibility of getting stuck in an elevator. Yet, as I was heading up to my office on the tenth floor, the elevator STOPPED COLD. There I was trapped with no way to get out. Finally, after about half an hour, it started moving again. Maybe it was a sign that I should take the stairs and get some exercise!”
我这个人虽然不是追星族，但如果真有个大明星突然出现在我眼前呢？有一次，我正在做采访，电影明星乔治·克鲁尼突然走进了演播室，我当时就晕了。His present stopped me cold.
下面例子中这只球队整个赛季过关斩将，我们听听队员是怎么说的：
M: “Many of the teams we’ve faced off against expected to advance to the finals. But they haven’t been able to beat us. We’ve got some excellent players this season. That’s why we’ve been STOPPING our opponents COLD. If we keep it up, we’ll make it to the finals!”
这个队员说：跟我们交手的很多球队都是想进决赛的强队，但谁也打败不了我们。这个赛季我们有很多优秀队员，这就是为什么对手都过不了我们这一关。照这样下去，我们一定能进决赛。
Stop Cold 这个习惯用语是十九世纪末出现的，因为 cold 除了寒冷以外，也有突然和彻底的意思。现在，大家知道这个习惯用语的意思了，下次如果有人用到这个词，你一定不会感到陌生和意外。It won’t stop you cold next time you hear it. 好，我们再来听一下上面那个例句。
M: “Many of the teams we’ve faced off against expected to advance to the finals. But they haven’t been able to beat us. We’ve got some excellent players this season. That’s why we’ve been STOPPING our opponents COLD. If we keep it up, we’ll make it to the finals!”
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.
B: So Yang Lin, I heard a rumor….
A: I’m going to stop you cold right there Mike.
B: Ok ok, have it your way!
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!