美語(yǔ)訓(xùn)練班125

　　B: Welcome to American English Mosaic, I'm Mike Bond!

　　A: And I'm Lin Yang.

　　B: Need to know how to negotiate for a business loan? We will offer you some tips in today's business etiquette.

　　A: 完美主義會(huì)對(duì)你的生活產(chǎn)生什么影響? 我們?cè)谙旅娴墓?jié)目中為你介紹。

　　B: And in words and idioms, we will learn what "have a soft spot for" and "square away" 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 1834 perfection

　　今天我們要學(xué)的詞是 perfection. Perfection is spelled p-e-r-f-e-c-t-i-o-n, perfection. Perfection 意思是完美，盡善盡美。The lamb chop was cooked to perfection. 這羊排做得無(wú)懈可擊。She is a workaholic, who always strives for perfection. 她是個(gè)工作狂，而且做什么事都追求盡善盡美。皮尤研究中心的統(tǒng)計(jì)數(shù)字顯示，2011年美國(guó)人里只有51%處于已婚狀態(tài)，遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)低于1960年時(shí)的72%。 Experts say part of the reason is that some people are demanding an unrealistic degree of perfection from their partners. 有專(zhuān)家認(rèn)為，部分原因是有些人很不現(xiàn)實(shí)地要求自己的伴侶是完美的化身。好的，今天我們學(xué)習(xí)的詞是 perfection, perfection, perfection...

　　A: Guilty as charged. I always want to find someone who's perfect, but now I realize that's just unrealistic.

　　B: Yep, we all need to learn how to be tolerate and accept the flaws of our partners.

　　A: Knowing you, a girl could easily win your heart as long as she's good at cooking. Food is the way to your heart, ha?

　　B: Haha, you know me! I do have a soft spot for gourmet food. Luckily for me my girlfriend is a gourmet chef!

　　A: Good for you! 你剛才提到了一個(gè)說(shuō)法，have a soft spot for. 我們來(lái)聽(tīng)聽(tīng)今天的美國(guó)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)，學(xué)學(xué)這個(gè)短語(yǔ)的用法!

　　Words and Idioms 873 Have a Soft Spot For

　　美國(guó)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)第 873 講

　　周末朋友從外地來(lái)華盛頓玩，我陪他們?nèi)⒓右蝗沼巍？蓱z的導(dǎo)游，一看就是新手，被七嘴八舌的游客問(wèn)得難以招架。我年輕的時(shí)候也當(dāng)過(guò)導(dǎo)游，所以感同身受，深知她的苦衷。這也讓我想起一個(gè)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)可以跟大家分享，那就是：

　　M: Have a soft spot for. Soft is spelled s-o-f-t, and spot; s-p-o-t. Have a soft spot for.

　　to have a soft spot for something or someone 意思是因?yàn)橄矏?ài)，所以對(duì)某個(gè)人或是某件事心軟。比如說(shuō)，Grandpa has a soft spot for Jimmy, his first grandson. 爺爺偏愛(ài)長(zhǎng)孫 Jimmy. 在剛才的例子中，正因?yàn)槲乙郧白鲞^(guò)導(dǎo)游，所以很能理解那個(gè)年輕導(dǎo)游的感受，I have a soft spot for tour guides.

　　下面例子中的這個(gè)人談到了自己一個(gè)表面冷酷無(wú)情、其實(shí)內(nèi)心善良的叔叔，讓我們聽(tīng)聽(tīng)他是怎么說(shuō)的。

　　M: "Uncle Phil has a reputation as a tough guy who's unfeeling. But what most people don't know is that he can be quite caring. He's donated a lot of time and money to charities that help those less fortunate than him. Clearly, he HAS A SOFT SPOT FOR the underprivileged."

　　這個(gè)人說(shuō)：菲爾叔叔一直以冷酷無(wú)情的硬漢形象著稱(chēng)?？墒?，大多數(shù)人并不了解的是，他是一個(gè)很關(guān)心別人的人。他向一些慈善機(jī)構(gòu)捐贈(zèng)了很多時(shí)間和金錢(qián)，幫助那些不如他幸運(yùn)的人。顯然，他很同情那些弱勢(shì)人群。

　　這也讓我想起2009年剛?cè)ナ赖拿绹?guó)政治家泰德•肯尼迪。他是美國(guó)前總統(tǒng)約翰•肯尼迪的弟弟，在國(guó)會(huì)參議院當(dāng)了46年參議員。雖然他生長(zhǎng)在一個(gè)富有的政治世家，Ted Kennedy had a soft spot for people who didn't grow up with the advantages he had. 泰德•肯尼迪對(duì)生長(zhǎng)環(huán)境不如他優(yōu)越的人格外關(guān)心。他將自己畢生的精力用于爭(zhēng)取民權(quán)、消費(fèi)者利益和醫(yī)療保健。好的，讓我們?cè)賮?lái)聽(tīng)聽(tīng)上面那段話(huà)。

　　M: "Uncle Phil has a reputation as a tough guy who's unfeeling. But what most people don't know is that he can be quite caring. He's donated a lot of time and money to charities that help those less fortunate than him. Clearly, he HAS A SOFT SPOT FOR the underprivileged."

　　美國(guó)人非常關(guān)心動(dòng)物。在下面的例子中，一位婦女開(kāi)辦了一個(gè)服務(wù)中心，為狗尋找溫暖的家。讓我們聽(tīng)聽(tīng)她先生是怎么說(shuō)的。

　　M: "My wife started an adoption service for dogs. What started out with finding a home for one unwanted puppy became a full-time occupation. Thanks to her, over 200 dogs have been rescued. She could have chosen a job that's easier and higher paying. But she HAS A SOFT SPOT for dogs in need. It's very fulfilling."

　　他說(shuō)：我太太辦了一個(gè)狗收養(yǎng)中心。最初只是要給一只沒(méi)人要的小狗找個(gè)家，后來(lái)居然變成了全職工作。在她的幫助下，已經(jīng)有兩百多只狗被救。她本可以選擇一個(gè)更容易做、工資更高的工作，但是她看見(jiàn)那些需要幫助的狗就會(huì)心軟。這份工作讓她很充實(shí)。

　　我一直想去動(dòng)物收容所做義工，可我老公不同意，因?yàn)樗?，I have a soft spot for kittens. 我特別喜歡小貓咪，一定會(huì)帶一堆回家。不過(guò)，如果我女兒提出養(yǎng)貓，那就另當(dāng)別論了，因?yàn)?My husband has always had a soft spot for our daughter. 我老公特別疼愛(ài)女兒，對(duì)她百依百順。好的，我們?cè)賮?lái)聽(tīng)一下上面那個(gè)例句。

　　M: "My wife started an adoption service for dogs. What started out with finding a home for one unwanted puppy became a full-time occupation. Thanks to her, over 200 dogs have been rescued. She could have chosen a job that's easier and higher paying. But she HAS A SOFT SPOT for dogs in need. It's very fulfilling."

　　好的，這次美國(guó)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)就到此結(jié)束了。

　　M: Until next time.

　　下次節(jié)目再見(jiàn)。

　　M: This has been Words and Idioms.

　　A: I totally have a soft spot for cute doggies! When they look at me with their watery eyes, my heart just melts! But then comes the responsibility of feeding them, petting them, and taking them out for walks...

　　B: I know! A lot of people get puppies when they don't have the time or energy to take care of them. But I guess you can do it now since you got your own place!

　　A: 呵呵，I think I should focus on paying off my mortgage for now.

　　B: Yeah...loans, gah and numbers are so complicated!

　　A: Not for Asians! (笑) Actually in today's business etiquette, we will discuss this exact topichow to take out a loan!

　　B: Let's check it out!

　　禮節(jié)美語(yǔ) Taking Out a Loan I

　　三角洲通訊公司老板John Smith到銀行申請(qǐng)貸款，接待他的是銀行負(fù)責(zé)人 Ted Johnson。

　　Ted Johnson: Hello, Mr. Smith. Thanks for stopping by.

　　Smith: Hello, and call me John.

　　Ted: Sure...but only if you call me Ted.

　　J: Done.

　　T: So you are the CEO of Delta Communications. What exactly does your firm make?

　　J: We are the leading supplier of walkie-talkie radios and other shortwave communication devices.

　　John Smith 和 Ted Johnson 相互問(wèn)候，彼此堅(jiān)持要對(duì)方用 first name 稱(chēng)呼自己，以便拉近距離，不會(huì)顯得太客氣。史密斯是三角洲通訊公司的CEO, Chief Executive Officer 首席執(zhí)行官，這家公司主要生產(chǎn)對(duì)講機(jī)等短波通訊工具。walkie-talkie 是中文里說(shuō)的對(duì)講機(jī)。

　　T: Ah...I see. How's business these days?

　　J: Actually, not bad. We landed a couple of major contracts in Southeast Asia recently and in spite of the recession, we're humming along quite nicely.

　　T: That's good to hear. It's been a rough couple of years. I've had to deny hundreds of loan applications and we've had to take legal action to recover loans as well.

　　史密斯說(shuō)，他們公司的業(yè)務(wù)沒(méi)有受到經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)的影響，剛在東南亞簽了幾個(gè)重要合同。we're humming along quite nicely. 生意蒸蒸日上。 hum is spelled h-u-m, hum 有忙忙碌碌的意思。Ted 則抱怨說(shuō)，最近兩年貸款很不好做 It's been a rough couple of years，rough, r-o-u-g-h, rough 在這里是困難的意思。不僅很多貸款申請(qǐng)不符合標(biāo)準(zhǔn)被退回，而且還不得不采取法律手段追繳貸款。

　　J: That sounds tough.

　　T: It is! No one wants to be the bad guy and people have a stereotype of bankers as unfeeling and cruel. But contracts are contracts and I have to run my business, right?

　　J: Yeah. You know what they say: business is business-it's not personal.

　　T: Well, I do sympathize with people's difficulties. But there's really nothing I can do.

　　Ted 說(shuō)，No one wants to be the bad guy 誰(shuí)都不想當(dāng)惡人，大家對(duì)銀行家有成見(jiàn)，成見(jiàn) stereotype is spelled s-t-e-r-e-o-t-y-p-e, stereotype，普遍認(rèn)為銀行家冷血，不盡人情 unfeeling and cruel，但是做生意是為了賺錢(qián)，contracts are contracts合同就是合同，或者說(shuō)，business is business. It's not personal. 這是做生意，不是針對(duì)任何人。Ted 同時(shí)也表示，他很理解和同情大家的難處，但又沒(méi)有辦法。這里用的 sympathize is spelled s-y-m-p-a-t-h-i-z-e, sympathize 是同情。

　　A: Ted說(shuō)，現(xiàn)在經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)， It's been a rough couple of years, 近幾年來(lái)生意不好做，他們需要對(duì)很多人追債。大家都對(duì)銀行家有成見(jiàn)，people have a stereotype of bankers, 但是 business is business, it's not personal, 生意就是生意，不是針對(duì)任何人。

　　B: Guilty, I often think of businessmen as being heartless and cruel, but it's a stereotype, and it's not fair to everyone.

　　A: Yep, 親兄弟明算賬嘛! Let's keep listening to John and see how he's going to ask for a loan!

　　禮節(jié)美語(yǔ) Taking Out a Loan II

　　三角洲通訊公司老板John Smith到銀行申請(qǐng)貸款，接待他的是銀行負(fù)責(zé)人Ted Johnson，Johnson 抱怨最近兩年經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)，貸款很難做，經(jīng)常會(huì)迫不得已走法律程序，追繳貸款。

　　T: I do sympathize with people's difficulties. But if I don't foreclose on mortgages or call in bad loans. I'll go bankrupt, too!

　　J: Yep...that's just how it goes.

　　T: So John, you mentioned in your email that you're thinking about taking out a loan.

　　J: Yes. You see, my company has been expanding quite rapidly and I'd like to construct a new warehouse.

　　Ted 說(shuō)，他很同情大家的困難，但是如果他不去沒(méi)收貸款抵押的財(cái)產(chǎn)權(quán)，不清理呆帳，自己就會(huì)破產(chǎn)。上面說(shuō)的 foreclose is spelled f-o-r-e-c-l-o-s-e, foreclose 是銀行沒(méi)收抵押產(chǎn)權(quán)的意思，to call in 意思是收回，bad loan 指無(wú)力償還的呆賬。倆人的對(duì)話(huà)接下來(lái)切入主題。John因?yàn)楣緮U(kuò)大規(guī)模，打算加蓋一個(gè)倉(cāng)庫(kù)，所以需要貸款。

　　T: Well, you came to the right bank. We have a long tradition of supporting young entrepreneurs like yourself. What kind of figure are we looking at here?

　　J: I think 200,000 dollars is the estimate for construction costs.

　　T: Well, that shouldn't be a problem. Your company is worth a lot more than that amount.

　　Ted 說(shuō)，他們銀行一貫支持象史密斯這樣的年輕創(chuàng)業(yè)者，entrepreneur is spelled e-n-t-r-e-p-r-e-n-e-u-r, entrepreneur 是企業(yè)家的意思。John Smith 說(shuō)，工程費(fèi)大約需要二十萬(wàn)。Ted 覺(jué)得，that shouldn't be a problem. 應(yīng)該沒(méi)問(wèn)題，因?yàn)槭访芩构镜膬r(jià)值要遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過(guò)這個(gè)數(shù)字。

　　J: Yes, but because we're a public company with shareholders, it's hard to get proposals passed. I was thinking of taking out a personal loan.

　　T: Ah...a personal loan. That is a bit more complicated. Can I ask what kind of collateral you could offer?

　　J: Well, I have my personal stock in the company and our family has a yacht as well.

　　T: Sounds like that should cover it. I'll need you to bring in the original deeds and certificates.

　　J: Sure. I can stop by on Friday.

　　原來(lái)，John的公司是上市公司，a public company, 讓股東們通過(guò)提案太麻煩，所以他希望以個(gè)人身份貸款，to take out a personal loan. 個(gè)人貸款需要 collateral is spelled c-o-l-l-a-t-e-r-a-l collateral抵押物品。John 說(shuō)自己手里有公司股份，還有一艘私人游艇，yacht, y-a-c-h-t yacht. Ted 覺(jué)得這些就夠了，讓John把產(chǎn)權(quán)證拿來(lái), deed is spelled d-e-e-d deed 是產(chǎn)權(quán)、所有權(quán)證書(shū)的意思。

　　A: Ted說(shuō)，他們的銀行 have a long tradition of supporting young entrepreneurs，一項(xiàng)支持年輕的企業(yè)家，John說(shuō)，他想以個(gè)人的身份貸款，take out a personal loan, 以 personal stock in the company, 手里的公司股份，和yacht，游艇，來(lái)做collateral，抵押物品。

　　B:That's why your credit score and credit history is so important if you live in America. It determines what kind of interest rate you can get for a loan, or if you can get a loan at all!

　　A: That's true. 咱們接著來(lái)看看John和Ted談得怎么樣吧!

　　禮節(jié)美語(yǔ) Taking Out a Loan III

　　三角洲通訊公司老板John Smith到銀行申請(qǐng)貸款，接待他的是銀行負(fù)責(zé)人Ted Johnson。史密斯想申請(qǐng)個(gè)人貸款，用來(lái)修建公司的新倉(cāng)庫(kù)。Ted Johnson說(shuō)，除了需要物品抵押外，還有一個(gè)要求。

　　T: I know this can be a problem, but we generally require at lease one guarantor.

　　J: Hummm....what kind of person would be best, a relative or a business associate?

　　T: Either one is OK, but most people pick a relative because it's usually a little easier.

　　J: Ok...I'm sure my brother won't mind helping me out.

　　Ted 說(shuō)，一般情況下，銀行還要求至少要有一個(gè)貸款擔(dān)保人，guarantor, g-u-a-r-a-n-t-o-r guarantor 是擔(dān)保人的意思，可以是 a relative 親屬，也可以是 a business associate 生意上的伙伴。John 想了想了說(shuō)，I'm sure my brother won't mind helping me out. 我哥哥一定不介意幫我。mind doing something 是介意做某事的意思;to help someone out 指幫某人的忙。

　　T: Good. So finally we need to discuss the terms of the loan.

　　J: What kind of interest do you charge?

　　T: It depends on how long you take the loan out for. If you plan to pay it back within two years, the interest rate is six percent. A four-year deal works out to seven and a half percent.

　　貸款申請(qǐng)符合要求后，就該具體談?wù)勝J款的條款了，the terms of the loan. John 想知道，what kind of interest do you charge? 貸款利率多少。Ted回答說(shuō)，貸款利率高低取決于貸款時(shí)間的長(zhǎng)短。如果是兩年還清，利率只要百分之六，如果是四年還清，則要百分之七點(diǎn)五。

　　J: I think two years should be fine. But six percent is a bit high. Is there any way to get a better rate?

　　T: Well, you've been a customer here for over a decade. I can't make any promises, but I'll try to get it down to five percent. How's that sound?

　　J: Five percent works for me. Ted, I can't thank you enough for your help.

　　T: Don't mention it! See you Friday.

　　John 說(shuō)，貸款兩年就應(yīng)該可以還清，這一點(diǎn)沒(méi)有問(wèn)題，但是他嫌百分之六的利率太高。John 是銀行的老客戶(hù)，使用這家銀行的服務(wù)有十幾年了，Ted 表示，對(duì)老客戶(hù)可以關(guān)照，I can't make any promises, 雖然不能保證做到，但是他會(huì)試試看把利率從百分之六降低到百分之五。John 聽(tīng)了很高興，說(shuō) Five percent works for me. 百分之五我可以接受，并對(duì) Ted 表示感謝，貸款就這樣談成了。

　　A: 個(gè)人貸款需要 guarantor, 擔(dān)保人，這既可以是a relative 親屬，也可以是a business associate 生意上的伙伴。John說(shuō)，他覺(jué)得他哥哥可以help him out, 幫他的忙。他們討論了terms of the loan, 貸款的條款，把interest rate, 利率訂在了5%。

　　B: Interest rates have been on the rise, but they are still pretty low these days. A lot of people are trying to get mortgages and financing before it rises again!

　　A:Yeah, I love now that I have a nice condo, but getting the Financing squared away was not fun at all.

　　B: I bet! But no pain, no gain! Aaaand, you just mentioned an idiom, square away, let's check it out in today's words and idioms!

　　Words and Idioms 874 Square Away

　　美國(guó)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)第 874 講

　　下個(gè)月我要跟老公一起去加勒比海坐豪華游輪，我現(xiàn)在是翹首以待，終于可以暫時(shí)逃離華盛頓的嚴(yán)寒，奔往陽(yáng)光和海水了。讓人頭疼的是，出發(fā)前有太多的事情需要處理，包括完成手頭的項(xiàng)目，付好所有賬單，租車(chē)開(kāi)到佛羅里達(dá)去等等。這也讓我想起一個(gè)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)可以跟大家分享，那就是：

　　M: Square away. Square is spelled s-q-u-a-r-e, and away; a-w-a-y. Square-away.

　　大家都知道，square 是正方形的意思。to square away 意思是處理安排妥當(dāng)。比如說(shuō)，He is trying to get all his legal troubles squared away as soon as possible. 他努力把所有法律上的麻煩搞定。就好象剛才提到的，在啟程前往佛羅里達(dá)渡假之前，There is a lot I need to square away. 我有很多事情需要處理。

　　在下面這個(gè)例子里，一個(gè)怕冷的人想換個(gè)工作，搬到溫暖的地方去，可是走之前，有很多事情需要處理。

　　M: "My job interview went so well that I was offered the job in Arizona. I would love to move away from the long cold winter weather here in New York. But it's not that easy. To begin with, I'd have to get out of my contract with my company, and then sell my condo. It's only after I SQUARE those AWAY that I can focus on relocating."

　　這個(gè)人說(shuō)：我的求職面試非常成功，他們馬上讓我去亞利桑那上班。我也很想離開(kāi)紐約這里沒(méi)完沒(méi)了的寒冷冬天，但要走又沒(méi)那么容易。首先，我必需解除跟公司的合同，然后還得把我現(xiàn)在的公寓賣(mài)掉。只有等這些事情都處理妥當(dāng)了，我才能專(zhuān)心準(zhǔn)備搬家。

　　起碼，這個(gè)人聽(tīng)起來(lái)好象沒(méi)有拖家?guī)Э?，?lái)去一身輕，說(shuō)搬就可以搬，否則，不說(shuō)別的，就算只有個(gè)女朋友，也不是那么容易就能 square away 的。好的，讓我們?cè)賮?lái)聽(tīng)聽(tīng)上面那段話(huà)。

　　M: "My job interview went so well that I was offered the job in Arizona. I would love to move away from the long cold winter weather here in New York. But it's not that easy. To begin with, I'd have to get out of my contract with my company, and then sell my condo. It's only after I SQUARE those AWAY that I can focus on relocating."

　　Square away 這個(gè)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)常用于被動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài)。在接下來(lái)的例子中，一位老先生提出了如下建議。我們一起聽(tīng)：

　　M: "Take my advice. Don't wait until you're old to organize your will. What if something tragic happened, such as a fatal accident? Without a legal document to explain your wishes after you die, your loved ones could suffer unnecessarily. Make sure your plans are SQUARED AWAY."

　　他說(shuō)：聽(tīng)聽(tīng)我的建議吧。不要等老了再去定自己的遺囑，萬(wàn)一遇到車(chē)禍之類(lèi)的意外事件呢?如果沒(méi)有法律文件說(shuō)明你死后的愿望，你的親人們就要受不必要的罪。所有最好是盡快把遺囑處理好。

　　雖然誰(shuí)都不愿意去想死的事，但老人這番話(huà)確實(shí)有道理。我一個(gè)同事的祖母去世時(shí)就沒(méi)有留下遺囑，結(jié)果一家人不得不走法律程度，跟法院打了很長(zhǎng)時(shí)間的交道。好的，我們?cè)賮?lái)聽(tīng)一下上面那個(gè)例句。

　　M: "Take my advice. Don't wait until you're old to organize your will. What if something tragic happened, such as a fatal accident? Without a legal document to explain your wishes after you die, your loved ones could suffer unnecessarily. Make sure your plans are SQUARED AWAY."

　　我侄子那天開(kāi)著新車(chē)來(lái)看我。他前一段時(shí)間一直怕申請(qǐng)不到貸款。如今看他開(kāi)著新車(chē)，不用問(wèn)就知道，他一定是拿到了貸款。He must have managed to square away the financing.

　　好的，這次美國(guó)習(xí)慣用語(yǔ)就到此結(jié)束了。

　　M: Until next time.

　　下次節(jié)目再見(jiàn)。

　　M: This has been Words and Idioms.

　　A: Have you gotten everything squared away for your trip back to Ohio?

　　B: Meh, there's no rush. I've still got a couple hours before I leave. I'll just pack right before I leave.

　　A: 唉呀! Mike, Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance!

　　B: Prior Planning Prevents Fun!

　　A: 好了同學(xué)們，這次節(jié)目時(shí)間就到這里了。

　　B: Tune in next time for American English Mosaic!

　　A: See you next time!