The english we speak(BBC教學)第256期:Potty 發瘋
You may have heard of the word ‘potty’, especially if there are babies around. But do you know what makes Neil ‘go potty’? Find out in the programme.
你可能聽過potty這個詞，尤其是在附近有小寶寶的情況下。但是你知道爲什麼尼爾“go potty”嗎？請收聽節目並找出答案。Helen: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Helen and joining me today is Neil.
海倫：大家好，歡迎收聽地道英語節目。我是海倫，今天和我一起主持節目的是尼爾。Neil: Hello everyone.
尼爾：大家好。
Helen: Neil, tell me about your first ever job.
海倫：尼爾，和我說說你的第一份工作吧。Neil: I worked in a supermarket stacking shelves when I was sixteen.
尼爾：我16歲的時候在超市整理貨架。Helen: How was it?
海倫：工作怎麼樣？Neil: It was quite boring: just moving things from one place to another. But I was very happy when I got my first week's pay.
尼爾：工作非常無聊：就是把貨物從一個架子搬到另一個架子上去。但是我拿到第一週的薪水時非常高興。Helen: And how long did you stay in your first job?
海倫：你第一份工作幹了多長時間？Neil: Not very long: about three months during the summer holiday. If I'd stayed there any longer, I would have gone potty.
尼爾：不是很長，大概在暑假期間做了三個月的時間。如果我在那裏待的時間再長一些，那我可能會瘋掉。Helen: What? Potty? Did you have to get permission to use the toilet?
海倫：什麼？上廁所？你用廁所還要經過允許嗎？Neil: Oh no, nothing like that. Nobody needed permission to go to the toilet.
尼爾：不是，不是這樣。不會有人上廁所還要經過允許的。Helen: Well, you said you would have gone potty. My baby son has to be reminded about his potty every day.
海倫：可是你剛纔說你要上廁所。我每天都要提醒我的小兒子上廁所。Neil: No, they are two very different things. If someone is potty or is going potty, that means they are crazy or going crazy. Here are a few examples:
尼爾：不是，這是兩回事。如果說某人potty或是go potty，意思是他們可能會發瘋。下面是例句：Examples
例句My boss wants me to work on New Year’s day for no extra money. He must be potty.
我的老闆希望我在新年那天工作，而且沒有加班費。他一定是瘋了。She’s potty to sell off her car so cheaply.
她要以這麼便宜的價格賣掉她的車，她一定是瘋了。Neil: There is another meaning to ‘potty’. If someone is really keen on something we can use the phrase ‘to be potty about something’. For example, I really like Japanese comic books, so I’m potty about them.
尼爾：potty還有另一個意思。如果某人非常熱衷於某事，我們可以用be potty about something這個詞組。舉例來說，我非常喜歡日本漫畫，我對日本漫畫很着迷。Helen: I see. I’m potty about miniature owls: I've got nearly one hundred of them at home.
海倫：我明白了。我對貓頭鷹模型很着迷：我家裏有近百個貓頭鷹模型。Neil: Well, I am glad we cleared up the meaning of that. It wouldn't do us any good if people heard us arguing over potties.
尼爾：我很高興我們解釋清楚了這個詞的意義。如果人們聽到我們就便盆爭論，對我們可沒什麼好處。Helen: Oh no. They’d think we've gone potty.
海倫：哦不。他們會以爲我們要上廁所。Neil: Bye.
尼爾：再見。Helen: Bye.
海倫：再見。
譯文屬僅供學習交流使用，未經許可請勿轉載
重點講解：
1. go crazy 發瘋；瘋掉；
例句：I need to let off steam or I'llgo crazy!
我必須發泄一下，不然我就要瘋了。
2. sell off 變賣；廉價出售；
例句：The company isselling offsome sites and concentrating on cutting debts.
該公司正在變賣幾塊地皮，全力削減債務。
3. be keen on sth. （對…）喜愛的，滿懷熱情的；
例句：I'mkeen onclassical architecture.
我對古典建築很感興趣。
4. clear up 解決（問題）；消除（誤會）；揭開（謎團）；
例句：We must multiply our efforts toclear upthe mystery.
我們必須加倍努力來澄清這一神祕的事件。
