How to say it in American English

Donny 在北京学汉语，他的中国朋友要是遇到了不知道用美语怎么说的词，就会来请教他。今天是吴琼要问的：看热闹。

Donny: Wuqiong, I heard you got your driver's license!

WQ: 是啊，昨天我已经开车上路啦!

Donny: So how did it go?

WQ: 唉，别提了！我开的那条路上出车祸，结果，开车的、骑车的、走路的，都想看热闹，最后，整条街都堵住了！对了Donny，这些看热闹的人，用英文怎么说呢？

Donny: 英文叫 rubberneck.

WQ: rubberneck? 我知道 rubber 是橡胶，neck 是脖子。那rubberneck不就是橡胶脖子么？

Donny: 你想啊，那些看热闹，围观的人，they stretch their necks to watch what's happening, right?

WQ: 哦……我明白了，伸长脖子看热闹的人好像长了橡胶脖子，所以叫他们rubberneck! 哈哈，真形象！

Donny: Right! rubberneck 也可以当动词。你刚才说，大家看热闹，整条街大堵车，在英文里就是 The traffic was bumper-to-bumper because of rubbernecking.

WQ: bumper-to-bumper? b-u-m-p-e-r，bumper, 不是汽车保险杠么？

Donny: Exactly! So bumper-to-bumper means cars are moving so slowly that their bumpers are almost touching.

WQ: 我明白了，bumper-to-bumper， 汽车一辆紧挨着一辆，慢慢往前拱。这□ '5c说，I was stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic，郁闷死了！

Donny: Wuqiong, 那车祸到底严不严重？

WQ: 特严重！六辆车撞在一起了！

Donny: Ouch... a six-car pileup!

WQ: pileup? p-i-l-e, pile, 再加上 up, pileup 就是连环车祸么？

Donny: That's Right!

WQ: 我跟你说，这个pileup里，有两辆奥迪，一辆奔驰，一辆宝马，好像还有……

Donny: Wuqiong, 你看得这么清楚，真不愧是 a good rubberneck! Okay, new driver, tell me what you've learned today!

WQ: 第一，看热闹的人叫rubberneck；

第二，堵车可以说bumper-to-bumper；

第三，连环车祸是pileup, p-i-l-e-u-p!

这次的美语怎么说 就到这里。如果你也有不会说的词，请写信给 Donny, 电邮请寄meiyu@voanews.com

A: Bumper to bumper, 太形象了！北京三环上的那个堵绝对可以称得上是bumper to bumper! 保险杠贴着保险杠！

B: Yeah...this is one of the biggest reasons why I don't want to live in big cities forever...I hate being stuck in traffic! I feel like a caged animal!

A: That's true! 不过我已经习惯了，现在呢，我就会买各种好吃的早餐，被堵的时候可以吃个好吃的嘛……

B: 哈哈，Yanglin, if the world was ending but I gave you a cupcake, I don't think you would care. Sometimes I forget how much you love to eat.So, this should interest you: in today's Go English, we are going to check out all the delicious food served at a potluck!

A: Mhmm yummy- Let's listen!

GoEnglish Food (Advanced)

今天我们为您播出“美语三级跳”节目“食物”单元的高级课程。

Professor: Today Robert is going over to Liz and Doug's apartment for dinner party, but he is about to find out that his tastes in food are very different from theirs.

Robert: Hey Doug! Hey Liz! Thank you so much for inviting me over for dinner.

Liz: Oh, it's our pleasure! We haven't had company in a long time so we're really excited you could make it. Hey, what's that dish you brought?

Robert: Well, Doug told me we were going to have a potluck dinner, so I cooked up some of my famous steak and brought it over. I hope you like it.

Liz: Oh my gosh Doug! He brought a dead animal into our house! What are we going to do?

Robert: Uh ... Doug? What's the problem? Doesn't Liz like steak?

Doug: Jeez ... I totally forgot to tell you. Liz is a vegetarian because she thinks eating meat is like murdering animals. Don't worry honey, tomorrow I'll take the steak outside and bury it.

原来Liz是个vegetarian——素食主义者，觉得吃肉就是谋杀动物。难怪她看到Robert带牛排来那么生气。

Professor: Exactly, Winnie. And did you hear Liz talk about "having company"? When you have company, that means you invite guests over to your house. For example, "I can't go to the movies on Friday night because I'm having company."

哦，have company 就是“有客人在”的意思。对了，professor, potluck dinner 是什么意思？

Professor: At some dinner parties the host prepares all the food for the guests. But at a potluck dinner, all the guests each bring a dish to share with the other guests.

我明白了，potluck dinner就是客人都自己带菜，大家一起吃的聚餐。

Doug: Don't worry Robert! Even though we can't eat the steak, we've got lots of other good stuff to eat. Come and sit down at the table.

Robert: Great! I'm starving. What are we having?

Liz: I really hope you like it! I've prepared a three-course meal for you. For our appetizer we're having carrots, for the entree we're having chicken, and for the desert we're having chocolate cake.

Robert: Well that sounds great .... but did you say we're having chicken for the main course? I thought you didn't eat meat!

Liz: Oh don't be ridiculous! It's not real chicken. It's fake chicken, made from tofu.

Robert: Doug, did she say we're having fake chicken made from tofu?

Doug: That's right. Trust me, it sounds pretty weird, but I'm sure you're going to love it.

Professor Bowman, 什么叫 three-course meal?

Professor: When you go to dinner in America, each dish is served one after another. Each dish is called a "course," so if there is a three-course meal, that means three dishes are being served and they are "appetizer", "entree", and "desert".

哦，原来这就是由“头台”“主菜”和“甜点”这三道菜组成的大餐。对了， Liz还说，主菜是豆腐做的素鸡，这个菜可不好做!

Professor: Well now they have finished eating, so let's see what Robert thought.

Liz: So Robert, how did you enjoy your meal? It looks like you barely touched any of your chicken.

Robert: It was ... umm ... interesting. It's just that I'm not feeling so well. I think tofu chicken might be an acquired taste.

Doug: Believe me buddy, that's what I said when I first had it. But I'm telling you, once you get used to it you'll never go back to eating real chicken.

Liz: You know Doug, if tofu chicken really is an acquired taste, we should just put the leftovers in a doggie bag to give to Robert to take home. Then he can keep eating it all week! Professor, 什么叫acquired taste?

Prof: It means a preference that is only acquired after considerable experience. 我明白了，acquired taste 就是慢慢培养出来的爱好。哈，Robert 客气地说，吃素鸡是 acquired taste，其实就是表示自己不爱吃这道菜。

Prof: That's right! But Liz offers to let him take the leftovers home so he would fall in love with it someday!

A: 其实说到吃，my dream is to open a bakery one day! I LOVE baking cakes just as much as I love eating them! 我就不爱老坐在办公室前面对着电脑，特别无聊!

B: I'm the same! Luckily, I'm horrible with interviews, I always panic—so no office jobs for me. Instead, I'll have a fulfilling career as your professional cupcake taster! eh? eh?

A: 我看可以！不过面试呀，接受采访呀，都是挺让人紧张的事。这不，在下面的business etiquette里，这个公司主管就特地为接受媒体采访搞培训呢!

B: 咱们赶快来听听吧!