美語訓練班第105課:討價還價 假警報
A: 歡迎大家來到這期的美語訓練班! 我是楊琳!
B: 我是Mike! 楊琳，來告訴大家今天都要學什麼!
A: 嗯! 今天，我們要一起來聊聊如何討價還價，看看怎麼說假警報，還要告訴大家怎麼說消滅在萌芽狀態!
B: Bargaining! That's the most important skill I picked up in China!
A: 哈哈沒錯! 我原來也特喜歡砍價，好像佔了多大便宜似的，特別高興!
B: Yeah, that sounds like you...(A:Hey!) Ok Ok, we will introduce you to more bargaining tips later in the show, for now let's go ahead with our first segment:
A: Learn a word!
Learn A Word 1769 record-breaking
今天我們要學的詞是record-breaking. record is spelled r-e-c-o-r-d, record, and breaking, b-r-e-a-k-i-n-g, breaking, record-breaking. Record-breaking 破記錄的。A record-breaking heat wave is raising the risk of fire in the Seattle area. 西雅圖出現破記錄的熱浪天氣，增加了火災的風險。The annual celebration is drawing a record-breaking crowd. 一年一度的慶祝活動吸引了衆多參觀者，人數衝破了往年的記錄。Iron Man 3 had a record-breaking opening weekend around the globe. 鋼鐵俠第三集上映的第一個週末，創下了票房新高。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 record-breaking, record-breaking, record-breaking......
A: Have you watched Iron Man 3? Gosh it is definitely the best movie I've watched this year so far! It's about....
B: Wowowoww, 楊琳，no spoilers! Don't ruin a film for me again!
A: Again? What do you mean again? the bad person is called the Mandarin...
B: (Interrupt) Stop it! Remember last weekend when you told me the whole plot of Game of Throne? You ruined it for me! Ruined it!
A: 我是讓你做好心理準備嘛!
B: Oh gosh you are enjoying this... I should have nipped this in the bud....
A: 哈哈! All right, all right, I will behave this time! But you just mentioned a very good idiom, nip in the bud! Let's check out today's words and idioms and see what it means!
Words and Idioms 843 NIP (STH) IN THE BUD
美國習慣用語第 843 講
我們辦公室新來了個製片助理。這個女孩子剛走出大學校園，帶着濃厚的工作熱情，而且很有創意。美中不足的是，喜歡工作時間聊大天。爲此，老闆今天把她叫去談話，希望儘早糾正她的這個壞習慣。這個例子用我們今天要學的習慣用語來描述十分貼切，叫：
M: Nip something in the bud. Nip is spelled n-i-p, and bud; b-u-d. Nip-something-in-the-bud. Nip something in the bud.
Nip 是掐斷的意思。Bud 是花蕾，萌芽的意思。nip something in the bud 這個習慣用語意思是將一件事物消滅在萌芽狀態，防微杜漸。你現在一定明白了，老闆找我們新來的那位製片助理談話，就是要儘早把她喜歡聊天的壞毛病扳過來。 He wants to NIP her behavior IN THE BUD. 以防日後發展到不可收拾的地步。
多年前，美國製藥業曾經遭受過一次沉重打擊，業界人士迅速採取行動，纔在最短時間內恢復了元氣。讓我們一起聽聽有關介紹。
M: "In 1982, someone poisoned bottles of aspirin, killing seven consumers. Fear spread across the country. Fortunately, drug manufacturers recalled all remaining stock and changed the packaging of their products to prevent tampering in the future. By NIPPING the crisis IN THE BUD, their sales rebounded within a year."
這段話說：1982年，有人在阿司匹林的藥瓶裏下毒，造成七名消費者死亡，引起全國恐慌。好在製藥公司召回了全部存貨，採用新的包裝方式，防止產品再被人下手腳。正是因爲他們及時採取措施，把危機消滅在萌芽階段，銷售量纔在短短一年內出現了反彈。
現在藥瓶瓶口上的鋁箔封口和塑料包裝就是爲了讓用戶對產品的安全放心。好的，讓我們再來聽聽上面那段話。
M: "In 1982, someone poisoned bottles of aspirin, killing seven consumers. Fear spread across the country. Fortunately, drug manufacturers recalled all remaining stock and changed the packaging of their products to prevent tampering in the future. By NIPPING the crisis IN THE BUD, their sales rebounded within a year."
雖然下面這個例子聽上去比較輕鬆，但是很多看似無關緊要的小事，也不能掉以輕心。讓我們一起來聽聽。
M: "Like a lot of puppies, mine liked to beg for food every time I sat down to eat. If I'd let her continue, she would have become uncontrollable. My friend suggested that I fill a can with coins and shake it whenever she started to bark at me. That really NIPPED IT IN THE BUD. She soon learned to stay quiet. Since then, Lucy has developed into a very well-behaved dog."
這個養狗的人說：跟其他小狗一樣，每次我坐下吃東西，Lucy 就來要吃的。如果我聽其自然，肯定早就管不了了。我朋友建議我拿一罐硬幣，她一叫，就搖罐子，這招還真管用，改掉了她的壞毛病，讓她學會安靜。從那以後，Lucy 已經成了一隻很懂規矩的狗。
這招還真靈，因爲狗不喜歡噪音，所以用搖硬幣的辦法來馴狗十分奏效。另外還有馴狗師建議，往狗臉上噴水也是馴狗的好辦法。好的，我們再來聽一下上面那個例句。
M: "Like a lot of puppies, mine liked to beg for food every time I sat down to eat. If I'd let her continue, she would have become uncontrollable. My friend suggested that I fill a can with coins and shake it whenever she started to bark at me. That really NIPPED IT IN THE BUD. She soon learned to stay quiet. Since then, Lucy has developed into a very well-behaved dog."
我真希望有什麼好辦法能讓我侄子知趣點。自從上個月搬來我家住，他就一直無所事事，整天看電視，我暗示他出去找個工作，但是至今，I haven't been successful at NIPPING his laziness IN THE BUD. 我還是沒能把他懶散的壞毛病改掉。看來只好改變策略。
好的，這次美國習慣用語就到此結束了。
M: Until next time.
M: This has been Words and Idioms.
A: My mom always tells me to nip any sign of sickness in the bud. Whenever you feel under the weather, take the day off, let your body relax before it turns into something more severe.
B: Really? Sounds like you should nip your laziness in the bud. (A: Say that again?) Ok kidding kidding. You are one of the most hardworking people I've ever met!
A: 這還差不多!
B: Well, let's continue with our class!
A: In today's business etiquette, 公司主管Fred要來跟客戶討價還價! Let's listen and check out some useful bargaining tips!
禮節美語Raising PricesPart I
MicroMax 公司銷售部主管Fred 給客戶Tom打電話，討論漲價的事情。
Susan (secretary): Hello, Tom Grossman's office. How may I help you?
Fred Lim: Hi, Susan. This is Fred Lim from MicroMax. Is Tom available for a second?
Susan: One moment, please. I'm connecting you now.
Tom: Hey, Fred. What's up?
F: Well, I was going to send you an email, but I thought it might be better for me to call.
T: Uh, oh. Sounds serious.
祕書Susan幫Fred接通Tom的電話。Tom拿起電話來問，Hey, Fred, What's up?這是熟人之間見面，或是打電話一上來很常見的說法。直截了當，又很親切。Fred 說，本想發個電子郵件，後來覺得還是電話裏說好，是什麼重要的事呢？
F: It's about the last order your company placed with us.
T: Let's mean the order for six containers of chipboards?
F: Yep, that's the one. Now I know we originally agreed on the price, but there's a little problem. Yesterday one of our major suppliers notified us that they are raising prices.
T: That's never good.
原來是關於最近一批訂貨，訂貨要用動詞 place, to place an order. 供貨商昨天電話通知Fred的公司，要漲價 They are raising prices.這可不是好消息。
F: Also, due to recent jumps in energy prices, our shipping agent is also upping fees. I guess what I'm getting at is that we just can't offer our product at the original price anymore.
T: But Fred, this order is already in! I made it two weeks ago! You can't change prices on me like this.
F: I understand your position, Tom. But if we fill your order as is, we lose money. If we can't find some kind of compromise, I'm afraid our company might have to cancel the order all together.
漲價也可以說 to up the fees。Fred 抱怨說，油價貴了，運費也水漲船高，What I'm getting at is that....歸根結底要漲價。Tom 不同意，因爲 The order is already in. 貨已經定好了，怎麼還能漲價呢？Fred 表示，if we fill your order as is, 如果按原樣供貨，就會賠錢。如果談不攏，就只好 cancel the order 取消定單。
T: Well, how much more are you asking for?
F: We need to ask for another 25%.
T: 25%! That's a huge increase, Fred!
F: Tom, you are one of our most valued customers. Your business is important to us, but this situation is out of our hands.
T: I understand that your company needs to make a profit. But it's going to be very hard for me to pass on these increases to our customers.
Tom 聽說要取消定單，口氣軟了下來，但覺得漲25%還是太多。Fred解釋說，the situation is out of our hands. 目前的情況已經不是我們所能控制的了。Fred和Tom接下來如何討價還價，我們下次再聽。
A: 銷售主管Fred給客戶Tom 打電話，表示訂單需要漲價。Tom說，the order was placed two weeks ago, 兩週前就下了訂單，漲價太不合理了。Fred說，由於油價飛漲，everyone is upping the fees, 各方都在漲價，所以the situation is out of their hands, 他們也控制不了。
I can't believe these just pushed their responsibilities on to others and left the customers hanging there!
B: That's true for some bad companies, but some companies has great customer service. My iPhone and kindle both broke this week. Amazon fixed my kindle within 48 hours and Apple replaced my phone in 20 minutes flat. I'm remarkably impressed with both companies for how quickly they got their devices back into my hands.
A: Wow that's great! Maybe some of that good karma is coming back to you...
B: Ha, maybe! Well, let's keep listening to Tom and Fred, and learn how the bargaining goes in the business world!
禮節美語Raising PricesPart II
MicroMax 公司銷售部主管Fred 給客戶Tom打電話，討論漲價的事情。Fred要漲25%，Tom嫌太多。
F: I feel your pain, Tom. We are also in hot water these days. The global financial crisis is hitting all of us hard.
T: Is there anyway we could cut costs in other areas? Could we find a new shipping agent?
F: Yes, we could do that. But in the end it still comes down to protecting our bottom line.
對別人表示理解，可以說 I feel your pain. 不過，Fred話鋒一轉說，We are also in hot water. 我們日子也不好過。in the end it still comes down to protecting our bottom line.歸根結底我們還是要保證公司利潤。the bottom line 意思是贏利。
T: Look, I understand that prices for everything are going up these days. It's a tough time to be in business. My company had to lay off over 100 employees last summer; but 25% is just too much.
F: You and I go a long way back, Tom. I'll do everything in my power to be about 22%?
T: It's still too high. Our board of directors is already going to give me a hard time over this. Can you do better?
Tom同意漲價，但不肯接受25%. Fred跟Tom拉關係，You and I go a long way back.咱倆可是老交情了，然後問Tom22%怎麼樣。Tom還是嫌多，說董事會會give me a hard time繞不了我。
F: Tom, seeing as I've known you for over 10 years and because this price increase really came out of the blue, I think I can go down to 20%. But that's really the best I can do.
T: How about this: I'll pay 15% more for this shipment. Then for the next order we'll boost it up to 18%.
F: You certainly know how to drive a hard bargain. about 18% for this one and a 21% increase for next time?
T: I think I can do that. , you've got yourself a deal.
Fred降到20%，並表示，That's really the best I can do.不能再低了，他肯這樣做，是因爲the increase really came out of the blue這次漲價的要求確實很突然。Tom 還是不肯點頭。Fred 說，you certainly know how to drive a hard bargain. 意思是真會殺價。最後兩人同意這批貨漲18%，下批貨漲21%。 Tom 說，Fred, you've got yourself a deal. 意思是成交。成交後當然還要寒暄一下。
F: I appreciate your understanding, Tom. And I'm sorry for the trouble this has caused you.
T: Ah, that's all right. I know it's not your fault. Prices for everything these days are insane.
F: Still, I appreciate your understanding. Let's get together for lunch next time you're in town.
T: Sure thing. And say hi to your lovely wife, Katrina.
F: Will do. Thanks again, Tom.
A: Fred向Tom解釋說, we are also in hot water, 處境也不容易。Tom說，如果這麼漲價，董事會會 give me a hard time, 繞不了我。兩個人談了很久，Tom同意這次漲價20%. Fred說Tom，You drive a hard bargain, 意思是你很會砍價。
B: That's something I learned at 秀水街 in China. You start by asking for half the price and bargain up from there, and it usually works!
A: You know what? This is why Chinese people are good at numbers, because we started practicing when we were kids!
B: I can't argue with that! You definitely are better at calculating tips than me...
A: Haha, ok! Let's move on to another segment of our class now!
Learn A Word 1771 false alarm
今天我們要學的詞是false alarm. False is spelled f-a-l-s-e; and a-l-a-r-m, alarm。False alarm的意思是烏龍，假警報。美國德州遭受龍捲風襲擊，據說，On average, roughly 70% of all tornado warnings are false alarms. 平均來說，大約有百分之70的龍捲風警報都是虛驚一場。報假火警會浪費公用資源，Some cities in the U.S. are considering starting to issue fines for false alarms. 美國的一些城市在考慮，對報假火警的人予以罰款。美國聯邦參議員萊文的辦公室收到可疑信件，Preliminary FBI testing shows that the letter was not contaminated with poison and was a false alarm. FBI 的初步化驗顯示信件並沒有被下毒，是虛驚一場。好的，今天我們學習的詞是 false alarm, false alarm, false alarm...
A: I think 80% of the fire alarms in my apartment building are false alarms, so I never actually go downstairs...I just wait for the alarms to stop.
B: don't want to risk that. What if there really is a fire? Life is too precious to risk on something silly like that!
A: OK OK 's inue with our class!
Words and Idioms 844 NEITHER HERE NOR THERE
美國習慣用語>第 844 講我特別喜歡去電影院看電影，可是有時也會遇到一些不愉快的事情。比如說上個週末，我們後面坐的三個女孩子，從電影一開始就旁若無人地聊天。我後來實在忍無可忍，回頭請她們保持安靜，誰知其中一個女孩說，我們可是比你先坐在這兒的，讓我哭笑不得，因爲英語裏說：
M: Neither here nor there. Here is spelled h-e-r-e, and there; t-h-e-r-e. Neither-here-nor-there. Neither here nor there.
Neither here nor there 這個習慣用語的意思是無關緊要。我之所以這麼說，是因爲在電影院裏保持安靜是最起碼的禮貌，先來後到其實並不重要。換句話說，那個女孩子提出是她們先到的，完全就是 It was NEITHTER HERE NOR THERE.
在下面這個例子中，一名政客擅自挪用稅款，欺騙選民。讓我們一起聽聽他在爲自己做出辯護的時候是怎麼說的。
M: "Our senator was found guilty of taking tax money to pay for his summer home. When confronted, he reminded reporters that he had been serving the citizens for over 40 years. That remark was NEITHER HERE NOR THERE; he'd broken the law! Did he think that he could divert our attention from his crime?"
這段話說：我們的參議員已經被認定有罪，罪名是挪用稅款，給自己蓋夏季別墅。被問到這個問題時，他居然提醒記者說，他已經爲大衆服務四十多年了。從政多少年並不重要，重要的是，他違反了法律。他難道以爲這樣說，就能讓我們不再注意他的罪行嗎？
這倒讓我想到一件好笑的事情。每次我老公做錯事，只要我嗓門稍微一升高，他馬上就會誇我看上去年輕漂亮。What he's saying is NEITHER HERE NOR THERE. 他這麼說明擺着就是在轉移視線，避重就輕。好的，讓我們再來聽聽上面那段話。
M: "Our senator was found guilty of taking tax money to pay for his summer home. When confronted, he reminded reporters that he had been serving the citizens for over 40 years. That remark was NEITHER HERE NOR THERE; he'd broken the law! Did he think that he could divert our attention from his crime?"
我好幾個朋友的孩子都曾前往伊拉克作戰。最近，我跟一個馬上準備回來的孩子聊天，才發現，在這些軍人的心目中，什麼纔是最重要的。讓我們一起聽聽他是怎麼說的。
M: "My tour of duty is nearly over and my mom's busy planning my favorite meals. I really appreciate her thinking of me. But whatever she makes seems NEITHER HERE NOR THERE. It just isn't that important. What I care about is being home with my family again."
這個人說：我駐防的任務馬上就要結束了，媽媽正在準備做那些我最喜歡吃的菜。她能這麼惦記我，我當然高興，可其實，她做什麼飯菜並不重要，最讓我高興的是，我又能跟家人團聚了。
看來，戰場的磨鍊還真能讓人成熟。我哥哥的女兒其實跟上面這個男孩子差不多大。可她現在最關心的，卻是怎麼才能讓老爸給她買輛新車。她還專門把各款跑車的介紹從網上打印下來，拿給我哥看。不過，我哥說，她的這番努力是 NEITHER HERE NOR THERE 根本沒用。能開上家裏那輛十年的舊車，就已經算她好運了。好的，我們再來聽一下上面那個例句。
M: "My tour of duty is nearly over and my mom's busy planning my favorite meals. I really appreciate her thinking of me. But whatever she makes seems NEITHER HERE NOR THERE. It just isn't that important. What I care about is being home with my family again."
說到年紀，NEITHER HERE NOR THERE 這個習慣用語最早出現是在1583年。如果大家有任何問題，即使你覺得可能是 NEITHER HERE NOR THERE 無關緊要，也不妨跟我們聯繫，電子郵件可以寄到 。
好的，這次美國習慣用語就到此結束了。
M: Until next time.
下次節目再見。
M: This has been Words and Idioms.
A: Mike, stop making excuses for eating all my stop pretending you are trying to help me lose weight or something, it's neither here nor there...
B: Really? Because I'm pretty sure if you put on any more weight, Lingdao isn't going to let you appear on camera.......
A:.....好了同學們，這次節目時間就到這裏了。
B: Tune in next time for American English Mosaic!
A: See you next time!
