The english we speak(BBC教學)第291期:White collar worker/blue collar worker 白領和藍領

Callum and Feifei explain colour expressions that describe different types of jobs and professions. What kind of colour would Feifei like her job to be described as? Listen to the programme to find out.

卡勒姆和菲菲對用顏色來描述不同種類的工作和職業進行了解釋。菲菲喜歡用哪種顏色來描述她的工作？請收聽本期節目並找出答案。

Callum: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Callum.

卡勒姆：大家好，歡迎收聽地道英語。我是卡勒姆。

Feifei: And I'm Feifei.

菲菲：我是菲菲。

Callum: Feifei, what kind of workers are we — would you describe us as blue-collar workers or white-collar workers?

卡勒姆：菲菲，我們做的是哪種工作，你會用藍領還是白領來形容我們的工作？

Feifei: Well, looking at our clothes, you are a T-shirt-no-collar worker and I'm a yellow-with-polka-dot-collar worker. How about that?

菲菲：嗯，看看我們的衣服，你是無領T恤一族，我是黃色圓點領一族。這個怎麼樣？

Callum: Come on, Feifei, you know that this has nothing to do with fashion! It's about colours and what they represent when we're talking about the world of work.

卡勒姆：別鬧了，菲菲，你知道這和時尚沒有關係！我說的是在談論各種工作時顏色所代表的意義。

Feifei: I know — just joking. A blue-collar worker is an expression we use to describe someone who does manual work. Someone who works in a factory, for example, who wears a uniform.

菲菲：我知道，我只是開個玩笑。藍領一族形容的是那些從事體力勞動的人。就是那些身穿工作服在工廠裏工作的人。

Callum: In the early 20th century, they usually wore clothing which was sturdy, cheap and didn't show dirt easily. Their uniform was made of blue fabric like denim.

卡勒姆：20世紀早期，他們通常會穿結實、便宜又禁髒的衣服。他們的工作服是用牛仔布等藍色面料製成的。

Feifei: People who worked in offices, doing administration or managerial tasks — clerks for example — were referred to as white-collar workers. It's because of the white shirts they wore.

菲菲：在辦公室做行政或管理工作的辦事員等工作被稱爲白領一族。這是因爲他們經常穿白襯衫。

Callum: And this way of describing people's jobs has continued — even though people often wear whatever colour collar they like!

卡勒姆：這種形容人們職業的方法還在繼續使用，不過現在人們喜歡穿什麼顏色的衣服就穿什麼！

Feifei: You can also say blue-collar job or white-collar job.

菲菲：還可以說藍領工作和白領工作。

Examples

例句

When the company went bankrupt many white-collar workers found themselves looking for blue-collar jobs.

那家公司破產時，許多白領發現他們要去找藍領工作。

Some popular folk songs reflect the aspirations and struggles of blue-collar workers.

一些流行民歌反映了藍領一族的抱負和奮鬥。

Feifei: Well, we have two colours there, but it's good to point out that you might also hear the expression pink-collar worker, which refers to low-paid jobs performed mostly by women — jobs such as a secretary or a nurse.

菲菲：我們已經說了兩種顏色，要指出的是，大家可能還聽過粉領族，指主要是女性從事的低收入工作，比如祕書和護士。

Callum: But pink-collar worker and other classifications with colours are less common. The ones most used are blue-collar and white-collar.

卡勒姆：不過粉領族和其他用顏色分類的工作不太常見。最常用的是藍領和白領。

Feifei: What a pity! I quite like striped-dark-blue-and-pale-yellow-designer-collar worker.

菲菲：太遺憾了！我非常喜歡深藍條紋一族和淺黃設計師一族。

Callum: You might like that, but nobody would understand what you meant. But don't worry, you'd look good in white or blue. It brings out your tan, works well in contrast with the colour of your eyes... and with your hair...

卡勒姆：雖然你喜歡，不過沒有人理解那是什麼意思。不過不用擔心，你穿藍色的白色都很適合。能突出你棕褐色的皮膚，和你眼睛以及頭髮的顏色形成對比，非常好……

Feifei: Oh, stop it Callum!

菲菲：哦，別再說了，卡勒姆！

Both: Bye!

二人一起：再見！

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重點講解：
1. be made of （由…）構成的；（由…）製成的；
例句：There is an ornament made of shells on the wall.
牆上有一個貝殼做成的裝飾品。
2. even though 即使；儘管；縱然；
例句：Even though she knew the answer, she did not respond.
即使她知道答案，她也不回答。
3. point out 指出，說出（事實或錯誤）；
例句：I beg to point out that your facts are incorrect.
恕我指出你所講的情況不真確。
4. bring out 使（某種通常不易顯露的行爲或情感）顯現；激發；
例句：He is totally dedicated and brings out the best in his pupils.
他全身心地投入，最大限度地激發學生的潛能。
5. in contrast with 和…成對比；與……相比；
例句：Flowers and fruit have been rendered conspicuous by brilliant colours in contrast with the green foliage.
花和果由於鮮豔的色彩和綠葉形成醒目的對照。