The english we speak(BBC教學)第131期:In the nick of time 最後一刻

Helen: Hello, and welcome to The English We Speak. My name is Helen.

海倫：大家好，歡迎收聽地道英語節目。我是海倫。

Rob: And I'm Rob. Helen, you look like you've been rushing. Here, have some water.

羅布：我是羅布。海倫，你看起來很匆忙。來喝點水吧。

Helen: Oh thanks. I'm a bit out of breath. My appointment at the bank took longer than expected.

海倫：哦，謝謝。我有點喘不過來氣。我在銀行辦事的時間比預期的長了些。

Rob: You got here just in the nick of time then.

羅布：你在最後時刻趕到了這裏。

Helen: Just in the nick of time? Shouldn't it be just in time?

海倫：in the nick of time？不是應該說及時嗎？

Rob: You can say both. It means at the very last moment. Let's hear how this phrase is used.

羅布：兩種說法都可以。意思是在最後一刻。我們來聽一下這個短語的用法。

The English We Speak from the BBC Learning English

這裏是BBC英語教學頻道的地道英語節目

Woman 1: Alice gave birth to a baby girl last night.

女1：艾麗絲昨晚生了一個女孩。

Woman 2: I thought she wasn't due for another three weeks.

女2：我以爲她的預產期還有三週呢。

Woman 1: It was early and they got to the hospital just in the nick of time.

女1：是早產，他們在最後一刻趕到了醫院。

Man: Sarah and I were on our way to see Beyonce in concert. But she left her mobile in the office, so we had to go back and get it.

男：薩拉和我在去看碧昂斯演唱會的路上，她突然想起來她的手機落在辦公室了，所以我們不得不返回辦公室去拿手機。

Woman: Did you miss the show?

女：那你們錯過演出了嗎？

Man: Thankfully not, we got there just in the nick of time.

男：幸運的是我們沒錯過演出，我們在最後一刻趕到了現場。

Helen: In the first example, we heard one woman got to the hospital just before her baby was born. And in the second example, a couple nearly missed their Beyonce concert.

海倫：在第一個例子中，我們聽到一名女性正好在生孩子前一刻趕到了醫院。而在第二個例子中，一對情侶差點就要錯過碧昂斯的演唱會了。

Rob: That would've been awful. You hear this phrase often used to suggest a disaster had been averted. If the action happened any later, then something awful could happen.

羅布：那會很糟糕的。你聽到了，這個短語通常用於說明不好的事情被避開了。如果這件事情發生了，那就會造成糟糕的結果。

Helen: I see. I have another question–is this phrase a British expression?

海倫：我明白了。我還有一個問題，這是一個英國表達方式嗎？

Rob: I don't think the phrase 'in the nick of time' is specifically British. It originated from the UK, but English speakers from all over the world use it.

羅布：我想這個短語並不是英式英語專用的。這個短語起源於英國，但是全世界以英語爲母語的人都會使用這個短語。

Helen: Let's listen to a few more examples then.

海倫：我們再來聽一些例子。

Man: We arrived just in the nick of time. Another five minutes, our plane would have left without us.

男：我們在最後一刻趕到了。再耽誤五分鐘，我們就要錯過飛機了。

Woman: Sam was experimenting with stir frying last night and the wok caught fire. Luke rushed in with the fire blanket just in the nick of time.

女：薩姆昨晚嘗試了爆炒，結果炒鍋着火了。盧克在關鍵時刻拿着滅火毯衝了進來。

Helen: That was close. Stir frying can get pretty hot sometimes. And it's good that Luke didn't try to put out the fire with water.

海倫：好險啊。爆炒有時會讓鍋的溫度變得非常熱。幸虧盧克沒用水去滅火。

Rob: That would have been a catastrophe. So Helen, are you the kind of person who likes to do things at the very last minute?

羅布：要是那樣就會變成災難了。所以海倫，你是那種喜歡在最後一刻做事情的人嗎？

Helen: Well, I'd like to think of myself as a person who can do things in the nick of time. Thanks for listening. Bye.

海倫：我認爲我自己是可以在最後一刻做事情的人。謝謝大家收聽節目。再見。

Rob: Bye.

羅布：再見。

重點講解：
1. out of breath
喘不過氣；上氣不接下氣；
eg. There she was, slightly out of breath from running.
她在那兒，跑得有點兒喘不過氣來。
eg. He ran so fast that he was out of breath.
他跑得太快，氣都喘不過來了。
2. in the nick of time
在事情正好發生的時候；關鍵時刻；
eg. Seems we got here just in the nick of time.
看來我們來得正是時候。
eg. News of interest cuts came in the nick of time for borrowers.
對借款人來說，減息的消息來得正是時候。
3. in time
及時；
eg. Firemen reached the house on fire in time.
消防隊員及時趕到那幢失火的房子。
eg. Disregarding all the difficulties, we arrived here in time.
儘管有那麼多困難，我們仍然及時地到達了這裏。
4. at the last moment
最後一刻；最後時刻；
eg. They changed their minds at the last moment and refused to go.
他們在最後一刻改變主意，決定不去了。
eg. I hope I can depend on you not to back out at the last moment.
我希望你絕對不會在最後的時刻變卦。
5. give birth
生（孩子）；分娩；生育
eg. She's just given birth to a baby girl.
她剛生了一個女孩。
eg. She's due to give birth at any moment.
她隨時可能分娩。
6. catch fire
着火；起火；開始燃燒；
eg. My home catches fire and everything is destroyed.
我家失了火，所有的東西都燒燬了。
eg. Paper is apt to catch fire.
紙容易着火。
7. put out
撲滅；熄滅；
eg. Firemen tried to free the injured and put out the blaze.
消防隊員努力救出傷者並撲滅大火。
eg. Smoke lingers in the air hours after cigarettes are put out.
菸頭熄滅後煙霧還會在空氣中停留數小時。