英语听力练习 - 每日五句 #39.5

你现在能听懂我说的每一个字、每一句话、每一个短语，这很简单。但当你开口时，是否曾感到一丝迟疑？仿佛知道想说什么，却总差那么一点无法准确表达。

You can understand me right now. Every word, every sentence, every phrase. It's easy. But when you speak, do you ever feel a tiny hesitation? Like you know what you want to say but the words just don't come out quite right.

这正是我全新推出的C1课程要改变的状况。它专为帮助你超越单纯理解，实现轻松、自信、流畅的英语表达而设计——就像用母语做真实的自己。为庆祝这门重磅课程上线，你不仅能节省100美元，还可获得12个月的Teacher AI克隆账号，进行无限口语练习。此优惠周日截止，点击节目说明中的链接即可参与。

That's the feeling that my brand new C1 course is here to change. It's designed to help you move beyond simply understanding to speaking with ease, trust and confidence. Like being yourself, but in English. And to celebrate the launch of this tremendous course, you can save yourself $100 plus get twelve months of access to my clone on Teacher AI for unlimited speaking practice. This offer closes on Sunday, so click on the link in the show notes.

因为英语不该是你的绊脚石，而应是铺路石。大家好，欢迎收听「像母语者一样说英语」播客。我是安娜，您现在收听的是第二季《每日五词》第39周第五天。今天我们将整合本周重点学习的所有词汇——共计20个深度解析的词汇项。

Because your English shouldn't get in your way, it should pave your way. Hello, and welcome to the English Like a Native podcast. My name is Anna, and you're listening to week 39, day five of your English five a day, the second season. Today is the day when we bring together all the vocabulary that we've been focused on this week. So there are 20 items that we've deep dived into.

你们已经听过许多小故事，而今天我们要把所有词汇融入一个完整故事中。这个故事取材于我的亲身经历，希望你们喜欢。现在请放松身心，聆听这个关于「牛排困境」的故事。

And you've heard many short stories. Well, today, we bring all those items together into one big story. Now, this story is based on one of my experiences. I do hope that you enjoy it. So sit back, relax, and listen to a steaky situation.

这是漫长的一周。安娜被工作、母亲职责、膳食计划和各种琐事淹没。周五晚上终于到来时，她正在厨房清理蜡笔和米饼的残局，这时伴侣尼克像《超市大赢家》的参赛者般，得意地拎着几大袋鼓鼓的购物袋晃了进来。「搞定，」他把袋子砰地放在台面上，「晚餐有着落了。」

It had been a long week. Anna was up to her eyeballs in work, mom life, meal planning, and general plate spinning. Friday evening finally rolled around, and she was in the kitchen clearing up a tornado of crayons and rice cakes when Nick, her partner, strolled in, proudly balancing a few bulging supermarket bags like a contestant on Supermarket Sweep. Right, he said, dropping the bags on the counter with a thud. Got us dinner?

安娜挑起眉毛：「别告诉我又是蛋白奶昔配水煮蛋。」尼克咧嘴一笑：「不，正经大餐。我这周馋牛排想疯了——牛排配蔬菜，纯爷们燃料，增肌必备。」

Anna raised an eyebrow. Please don't tell me it's another protein shake and boiled eggs situation. Nick grinned. Nope. Proper food.

安娜宠溺地翻了个白眼。最近他沉迷增肌训练，像对待全职工作般投入，梦里恐怕都在数着组数和次数。

I've been craving steak all week. Steak and greens, man fuel, gains, baby. Anna rolled her eyes affectionately. He'd been on a serious muscle building kick recently, throwing himself into training like it was a full time job. He was practically dreaming in sets and reps.

每一餐都必须精心策划，富含蛋白质，优化搭配。她开始拆开购物袋。西葫芦、牛油果、红薯、菠菜，然后在一盒蓝莓和一袋冷冻豌豆之间，她发现了它们。'牛排'，她举起包装宣布道，'真正的牛排。'

Every meal had to be strategic, protein packed, optimized. She started unpacking the bags. Courgettes, avocados, sweet potatoes, spinach, and then nestled between a punnet of blueberries and a bag of frozen peas, she found them. Steak, she announced, holding up the package. Actual steak.

这是进步。但有东西引起了她的注意。确切地说，是两样东西。每包真空密封的牛肉上都附着一个巨大的硬质防盗标签。那种通常会触发警报，需要店员用专用工具才能取下的标签。

This is progress. But something caught her eye. Two things, in fact. Attached to each vacuum sealed packet of beef was a large, rigid security tag. The kind that typically sets off alarms and requires a member of staff with a special gadget to remove it.

她对着它们眨了眨眼。'尼克？'他从拆蛋白质棒的地方抬起头。'嗯？''你付钱买这些了吗？'

She blinked at them. Nick? He looked up from where he was unwrapping a protein bar. Yeah? Did you pay for these?

他嗤之以鼻。'当然付了，你把我当什么人了？'她微微转动牛排。'因为除非维特罗斯超市在搞什么‘带着标签烹饪’的新潮流，否则我们就有麻烦了。'

He snorted. Of course, I paid. What'd you take me for? She turned the steak slightly. Because unless Waitrose is doing some kind of new cook it with a tag on trend, we've got a problem.

尼克走过来，仔细看了看牛排，然后夸张地拍了下额头。'哦，这就解释得通了。'安娜双臂交叉。'到底解释了什么？''嗯，我离开商店时警报响了，但你知道的。'

Nick walked over, peered at the steaks, and then slapped his forehead dramatically. Oh, that explains it. Anna folded her arms. Explains what exactly? Well, when I left the shop, the alarm went off, but you know how it is.

那些东西总为这个或那个人哔哔叫。没人多看一眼，所以我就继续走了。安娜盯着他。'你就没想过检查下袋子，或者，我不知道，返回店里看看？'

Those things are always beeping for someone or other. Nobody looked twice, so I just kept walking. Anna stared at him. And you didn't think to check your bags or oh, I don't know. Go back inside?

'我以为是别人触发的，'他辩解道，'老实说，整个地方像弹球机一样哔哔响。'她摇摇头，既觉得好笑又有些恼火。'你连税都没付是怎么拿到这些的？''我确实在自助结账扫描了。'

I thought it was someone else, he said defensively. Honestly, the whole place was beeping like a pinball machine. She shook her head, part amused, part exasperated. How did you even get these without the tax being removed? I did scan as a shop.

啊，所以你完全没人监督？没错。这就是梦想。你不需要和任何人说话。安娜皱起了眉头。

Ah, so you were totally unsupervised? Exactly. It's the dream. You don't have to speak to a single soul. Anna frowned.

是的，不过完全独立的缺点是，有时你会带着仍然附着在西冷牛排上的防盗装置离开。他们决定无论如何都要烹饪牛排。尼克试图用螺丝刀取下塑料标签，但用一把旧剪刀更成功。他把标签和工具留在一边，看起来像是小犯罪现场的遗物。安娜半开玩笑地说，这些东西看起来像是有人试图通过过于雄心勃勃的退货政策来洗白的那种。

Yes, well, the downside of total independence is that you sometimes leave with anti theft devices still attached to your sirloin. They decided to cook the steaks anyway. Nick tried to remove the plastic tags with a screwdriver, but had more luck with an old pair of scissors. He left the tags and the tools on the side, looking like artifacts from a minor crime scene. Anna half joked that they looked like the sort of things someone might try to launder through an overambitious returns policy.

晚餐后，他们笑着谈论邻居们如果看到他们拿着牛排和螺丝刀会怎么想。这种行为肯定会让他们的一些高端朋友感到惊讶。一周后，安娜完全忘记了这些标签，直到一个沉闷的星期一早晨。她匆匆忙忙地出门，像往常一样迟到了，手里拿着购物清单和半杯冷咖啡，当她爬进车里时，她发现了它们。那些标签。

After dinner, they laughed about what the neighbors would think if they saw them with a stake and a screwdriver. This behaviour would certainly raise a few eyebrows among some of their upmarket friends. A week later, Anna forgot about the tags completely until one dull Monday morning. She was rushing to get out of the door, running late as usual, armed with a shopping list and half a cold coffee when she climbed into the car and spotted them. The tags.

就那样坐在副驾驶座位上，嘲笑着她。她呻吟了一声。哦，天哪，尼克。很明显发生了什么。他把它们放在那里，让她下次去商店时归还。

Just sitting there on the passenger seat, mocking her. She groaned. Oh, for goodness sake, Nick. It was obvious what had happened. He'd put them there for her to return the next time she was heading to the shop.

逻辑大概是，反正你也要去那边。当然，归还任何东西给商店都很尴尬，但归还防盗标签，那又是另一回事。安娜开车去超市时，越来越感到不安。当她驶入停车场时，她的思绪已经开始混乱。如果他们不相信我怎么办？

The logic presumably being, you're going that way anyway. Of course, returning anything to a shop is awkward, but returning security tags, that's another level. Anna drove to the supermarket in a state of growing unease. As she pulled into the car park, her mind was already spiraling. What if they don't believe me?

如果他们以为我在试图掩盖盗窃行为怎么办？如果他们叫来保安，我最终上了某个内部监视名单怎么办？她在那里坐了几分钟，引擎关闭，手里拿着标签，权衡着她的选择。计划A，自信地走进去，把它们交出来。诚实是最好的策略。

What if they think I'm trying to cover up a theft? What if they call security and I end up on some internal watch list? She sat there for a few minutes, engine off, tags in hand, weighing up her options. Plan a, walk in confidently and hand them over. Honesty is the best policy.

计划B，谨慎地处理掉它们。计划C，假装这一切从未发生过，把它们塞进手套箱里永远不再理会。计划B很诱人。也许她可以把它们留在楼梯间。但当她环顾停车场时，她意识到到处都是摄像头。

Plan b, dispose of them discreetly. Plan c, pretend this never happened and shove them in the glove compartment for eternity. Plan b was tempting. Maybe she could leave them in a stairwell. But as she peered around the car park, she realized there were cameras everywhere.

计划C本很现实，但每次她伸手去拿手套箱时都会因此心神不宁。还是执行计划A吧。她深吸一口气，把标签塞进包里，大步走向入口。刚跨过门槛，意料之中的事发生了——防盗警报刺耳地响起。

Plan c was realistic, but then she'd be haunted by them every time she reached into the glove box. Plan A it was. She took a deep breath, shoved the tags in her bag and marched towards the entrance. As she crossed the threshold, the inevitable happened. The security alarm blared.

她僵住了一瞬间，陷入那种尴尬的境地：是该停下还是装作无事发生？没人上前。没有店员。没有关切的目光。她继续往前走。

She froze for a split second caught in that awkward, do I stop or do I act like nothing happened limbo. No one approached. No staff. No concerned glances. She kept walking.

果然，她苦涩地想，唯一一次希望有人注意到的时候，他们全都在忙着整理苹果。她径直走向收银区，扫视着工作人员。其中一位女士看起来和蔼可亲，或许是位祖母辈的人？

Of course, she thought bitterly. The one time I want someone to notice, they're all busy rearranging apples. She made a beeline for the checkout area and scanned the staff. One woman looked warm, approachable. Possibly a grandma?

就选她了。她排在一名购买三罐汤料和一包消化饼干的老人后面。老人略显邋遢，像是曾经境况不错但如今落魄的样子。终于轮到她时，她微微前倾身子，压低声音说道："您好，抱歉..."

That would do. She queued up behind an elderly man buying three tins of soup and a packet of digestive biscuits. He had the slightly rumpled look of someone who might once have been better off, but was now a bit down and out. When it was finally her turn, she leaned in slightly, lowered her voice and said, hi. Sorry.

"这事有点奇怪。我伴侣上周用自助扫码购物时不小心把这些带回家了。他付过钱但忘了让消磁。"她从包里掏出标签，动作如同上交违禁品。收银员对她眨了眨眼，又眨了眨。

This is a bit odd. My partner did scan as you shop last week and accidentally took these home. He paid but forgot to get them removed. She reached into her bag and produced the tags like they were contraband. The cashier blinked at her and then blinked again.

"哦，"收银员说，"这样啊...谢谢。"安娜露出窘迫的微笑："我真不知道该怎么处理它们。"

Oh, she said. Right. Thanks. Anna offered a sheepish smile. I didn't really know what to do with them.

那位女士接过标签，略显困惑地放到一旁。安娜快步离开，本以为万事大吉，却听见收银员招呼同事："桑德拉，这东西我们该怎么处理？"安娜能感觉到——那些目光如芒在背的灼烧感。

The woman took the tags, looked mildly confused, and set them aside. Anna quickly walked away. She thought she was in the clear until she heard the cashier call over a colleague. Sandra, do we do anything with these? Anna could feel it, The unmistakable burn of eyes on her back.

她拐进水果通道，开始以法医专家般的专注检查一根香蕉。我为什么要装无辜？我本来就清白。我又不是罪犯。这太荒谬了。

She turned into the fruit aisle and started inspecting a banana with the intensity of a forensic expert. Why am I trying to look innocent? I am innocent. I'm no criminal. This is absurd.

她继续购物，试图表现得正常，但脸颊始终微微发烫。她几乎随时准备被拉到刺目的灯光下盘问，解释为何将违禁的牛排标签带入全国连锁超市。她还略带苦涩地想到，有些人如何利用自助结账系统偷带商品，甚至钻忙碌员工的空子，把诚信机制变成小额诈骗的机会。这让她庆幸自己确实试图做正确的事。但始终无人上前。

She carried on shopping, trying to act normal, though her cheeks remained slightly flushed the entire time. She half expected to be pulled aside at any moment, interrogated under harsh strip lighting, and asked to explain why she'd brought contraband steak tags into a national supermarket chain. She also found herself thinking, with a little grimness, about how some people discreetly exploit self-service systems to slip goods out or even prey upon busy staff turning honest setups into opportunities for small time scams. It made her glad she'd actually tried to do the right thing. But no one approached.

没有警报响起。没有保安在油桃区将她按倒。最终她付完货款，走出超市，未被标记，回到车上。她坐了片刻，心脏仍因整件事的荒唐而狂跳，随后突然大笑起来。好吧，她想，至少我做对了，尽管当时像个疯子。

No alarms went off. No security guards wrestled her to the ground near the nectarines. Eventually, she paid for her groceries, walked out, untagged, and got back in the car. She sat there for a second, heart still racing from the ridiculousness of it all, and then burst out laughing. Well, she thought, at least I did the right thing, even if I looked like a lunatic doing it.

这段稍加渲染的经历将我们带到本期节目的尾声，也是第三十九周的结束。难以置信吧？下周我们将开启第四十周。《每日五词》的四十周。你每周都收听了吗？

And that slightly exaggerated version of my experience brings us to the end of today's episode and to the end of week thirty nine. Can you believe it? Next week, we'll start week 40. Forty weeks of the five a day. Have you listened every week?

非常感谢今天借给我你的耳朵。衷心希望你觉得既有趣又有益。别忘了，我们每周深入探讨的所有词汇都记录在免费数据库《每日五词》总表中。我会在节目备注里留下链接。下次见，请务必照顾好自己。

Well, thank you so much for lending me your eardrums today. I do hope you found it enjoyable and useful, of course. Remember, all the vocabulary that we've deep dived into this week and every week is recorded in our free database, the master sheet of the five a day. I'll leave a link to that in the show notes. Until next time, take very good care of yourself.

再见。

And goodbye.