Learn English with a Short Story: Roller Coaster Day! (British English Podcast)

Hello, and welcome to The English Like a Native Podcast, the listening

您好，欢迎来到“像母语一样的英语播客”，这是

resource for intermediate to advanced level English learners.

面向中级到高级英语学习者的听力资源。

My name is Anna and today we are learning English through a short story.

我叫安娜，今天我们通过一个短篇故事来学习英语。

We all enjoy a good story.

我们都喜欢好故事。

As children, we often beg our parents to read another book and at bedtime, we

作为孩子，我们经常恳求父母再读一本书，在睡前，我们

can't possibly close our eyes and settle down until we've had a bedtime story.

不可能闭上眼睛安定下来，直到我们听完睡前故事。

My children often want three, four, five, six stories at bedtime.

我的孩子们在睡前经常想听三、四、五、六个故事。

So, we settle for one story each and then I sometimes will tell them an extra

所以，我们每个人讲一个故事，然后有时

story once they're tucked up in bed.

当他们上床睡觉时我会再给他们讲一个故事。

But stories don't just stop with children and childhood.

但故事不仅仅局限于儿童和童年。

We enjoy stories throughout our lives in many different forms.

我们一生都喜欢以多种不同形式讲述故事。

We enjoy reading books and we enjoy getting little glimpses of people's

我们喜欢读书，也喜欢 在杂志、YouTube 和社交媒体上

personal stories in magazines, on YouTube, on social media.

瞥见人们的 个人故事。

We also enjoy stories in the form of film, or on the radio, or in podcast form.

我们还喜欢电影、广播或播客形式的故事。

We like stories because it takes us on a journey.

我们喜欢故事，因为它带我们踏上旅程。

Sometimes, we learn something new.

有时，我们会学到新东西。

Sometimes, it verifies a thing we already know.

有时，它验证了我们已经知道的事情。

Sometimes, it challenges us to consider another point of view or to change

有时，它会挑战我们考虑另一种观点或改变

our own minds and points of view.

我们自己的想法和观点。

And often they are heartwarming; they are thought-provoking; they are frightening.

他们常常是温暖人心的；它们发人深省；他们很可怕。

They provide us with some form of outlet or escape from our own lives.

它们为我们提供某种形式的出口或逃离自己的生活。

And so, stories can be beneficial in so many ways.

因此，故事可以在很多方面发挥作用。

We used stories back in the early times, back when we were, you know, making

我们在早期就使用故事，当我们生火、

fire and wearing loincloths, we were telling stories to one another as a way

缠腰布的时候，我们互相讲故事，作为一种

to teach, as a way to pass down lessons and story is just as powerful today as

教学方式，作为一种传承教训的方式，而故事在今天同样具有强大的力量。与

it was back then, just as important.

当时一样，同样重要。

So, when it comes to learning, especially learning English, it's much more powerful

所以，当谈到学习，特别是学习英语时，

to learn structures, vocabulary, within a story than it is out of context.

在故事中学习结构、词汇比脱离上下文更有效。

So, if you're trying to onboard lots of professional English vocabulary so that

因此，如果您想学习大量专业英语词汇，以便

you can use it in the workplace, it's much better to learn that vocabulary in context

在工作场所使用它们，那么在故事背景的上下文中学习这些词汇

in the setting of a story than it is to try and just look at the list and onboard

比尝试仅查看列表要 好得多 并在船上

that to remember that list of words.

记住该单词列表。

So, with that said, today I'm going to be sharing with you a short story, and

所以，话虽如此，今天我要和大家分享一个小故事，

this is called "Roller Coaster Day".

这个故事叫做“过山车日”。

And I hope you'll enjoy it.

我希望你会喜欢它。

So, without further ado, let me introduce you to this little story.

那么，话不多说，让我向您介绍这个小故事。

What a day it has been!

这是多么美好的一天啊！

You know the ones when everything feels like a roller coaster ride?

你知道当一切都感觉像坐过山车时的那些吗？

Well, today has been just that, full of ups and downs and surprises.

嗯，今天就是这样，充满了坎坷和惊喜。

The first couple of hours at work were a piece of cake.

工作的头几个小时简直就是小菜一碟。

I work for a publishing company, and I have to deal with a lot of

我在一家出版公司工作，我必须处理很多

requests, deadlines and demands.

请求、截止日期和要求。

I managed to finish everything ahead of schedule, and it felt great to

我设法提前完成了所有事情，

breeze through my to-do list without too many interruptions or distractions.

在没有太多干扰或分心的情况下轻松完成我的待办事项列表 感觉很棒

This doesn't happen very often, believe me!

。 这种情况并不经常发生，相信我！

Later in the morning though, I received an email that completely changed my day.

不过，早上晚些时候，我收到了一封电子邮件，彻底改变了我的一天。

It was from my boss, notifying me that I had been selected to attend a prestigious

这是我老板发来的，通知我已被选中参加

industry conference next month.

下个月举行的一次著名的行业会议。

This was a golden opportunity to network with professionals, to gain

这是与专业人士建立联系、获得

valuable insights, and showcase our publishing company on a larger stage.

宝贵见解并在更大的舞台上展示我们出版公司的绝佳机会。

She said she had passed on my contact details to the organisers and that I

她说她已经将我的联系方式传递给了组织者，我

should expect to hear from them soon.

应该很快就会收到他们的消息。

Lucky me, eh?

我很幸运，是吗？

However, I soon got a follow-up email from the conference organisers stating that

然而，我很快就收到了会议组织者的后续电子邮件，说

I had only been selected as a reserve; there had been some miscommunication,

我只是被选为候补；由于沟通不畅，

and I would only attend in the case that a colleague of mine was unable to.

只有在我的同事无法参加的情况下我才会参加。

To add to my frustration, I then found out that a key project I had been working

更让我沮丧的是，我发现我

on diligently for weeks had hit a major snag; one of our partners had gone back

辛勤工作了数周的一个关键项目遇到了重大障碍；我们的一位合作伙伴背弃了

on a promise to support us financially, putting the entire project at risk.

为我们提供经济支持的承诺，使整个项目面临风险。

At lunchtime, I seriously considered giving up on the

午餐时间，我认真考虑放弃这

day and going home to work.

一天并回家工作。

I had the flexibility to be able to do this, but I decided

我可以灵活地做到这一点，但我决定

I would stick things out.

坚持下去。

Maybe after a good lunch at the pub around the corner I'd have a change of luck.

也许在拐角处的酒吧吃了一顿丰盛的午餐后我的运气会有所改变。

I usually order the same thing, steak and kidney pie, but one of the specials

我通常点同样的东西，牛排和腰子派，但当天的特色菜之一

of the day was chicken tikka masala.

是鸡肉咖喱。

Well, I thought to myself,

好吧，我心想，

"If I have a hot curry then I'll have the perfect excuse to order a pint of beer."

“如果我有一份热咖喱，那么我就有一个完美的借口来点一品脱啤酒了。”

I don't normally have a drink until the evening, but I needed to put the events

我通常要到晚上才喝酒，但我需要把

of this morning well and truly behind me!

今天早上发生的事情彻底抛在脑后！

The curry was great, the beer too!

咖喱很棒，啤酒也很棒！ 当我的手机响起时

I started wondering whether I could get away with ordering

，我开始想是否可以再订购

another, when my mobile pinged.

一份。

It was my boss again.

又是我的老板。

She'd realised that she'd jumped the gun when she told me that I'd be going to the

当她告诉我我要去参加会议时，她意识到自己操之过急

conference, and she wanted to apologise.

，她想道歉。

I'd come in here to forget all about that, and now I was

我来到这里是为了忘记这一切，现在我

thinking about it all over again.

又开始思考这一切了。

She was still trying though, and I tried to predict what she would say.

但她仍在尝试，我试图预测她会说什么。

Maybe she would give me a high-profile author to work with, or perhaps she'd

也许她会给我一个高调的作家来合作，或者也许她会

find out that I was at the pub and want to join me to discuss the new project.

发现我在酒吧并想和我一起讨论新项目。

It was a long message, and as she kept on typing I got fed up of just looking at the

这是一条很长的信息，当她继续打字时，我厌倦了只看屏幕

screen, and I got up to settle my bill.

，于是我起身结账。

I didn't carry a lot of cash with me as I pay for everything with my mobile these

我没有带太多现金，因为这些

days, but I wanted to leave a tip as the chicken tikka had been a hit with me.

天我用手机支付所有费用，但我想留下小费，因为鸡肉烤鸡很受我欢迎。

I took out my wallet and scrambled around for a couple of

我拿出钱包，四处寻找几

quid to stick in the tips jar.

英镑塞进小费罐里。

My mobile pinged again and, assuming it was my boss, I wanted to see what

我的手机再次响起，假设是我的老板，我想看看

she had been taking so long to type.

她花了这么长时间才打字。

I started juggling the coins and the mobile, and trying to do too

我开始摆弄硬币和手机，并试图

much at the same time, I ended up knocking the jar off the counter.

同时做太多事情，最终我把柜台上的罐子碰掉了。

"Oh!"

As I tried to catch it, I lost control of my mobile, dropped it and everything

“哦！”

当我试图抓住它时，我的手机失去了控制，它掉了下来，所有东西

ended up crashing to the floor.

最终都摔到了地板上。

Obviously, I attracted the attention of everyone in the pub.

显然，我引起了酒馆里所有人的注意。

The staff came running over and tidied up the mess, separating the

工作人员跑过来收拾残局，把硬币

coins from the pieces of broken jar.

和破罐子碎片分开。

They jokingly asked me if I was trying to take the tip's money

他们开玩笑地问我是否想拿小费

in order to pay for my meal!

来支付餐费！

I apologised and produced a ten-pound note to cover the

我道歉并拿出一张十英镑的钞票来支付

tip and the price of a new jar.

小费和新罐子的价格。

"I'll stick to the steak and kidney pie next time,"

“下次我会坚持吃牛排和腰子派，”

I said, and I went back to work.

我说，然后继续工作。

In the commotion, I'd forgotten about the message, and I was just getting back to

在一阵骚动中，我忘记了这条消息，正当我回到

my office when my phone started ringing.

办公室时，我的电话响了。

I answered and heard my boss's excited voice,

我接了电话，听到老板兴奋的声音：

"Well what do you think?!"

“那你觉得怎么样？！”

The message!

消息！

I hadn't read it, of course, so I had to ask her what was in it before

当然，我没有读过它，所以我必须先问她里面写了什么，然后

I could tell her what I thought.

才能告诉她我的想法。

She told me that she'd just heard back from the organisers of the

她告诉我，她刚刚收到会议组织者的回信

conference and that there would be a place for me there after all.

，毕竟那里会有我的位置。

I think she had pulled a few strings so that I could go, but I didn't ask any

我想她是为了让我走而做了一些安排，但我没有问任何

questions; I was just as pleased as punch!

问题。我简直高兴极了！

The rest of the afternoon was unremarkable.

下午剩下的时间没什么特别的。

But, on my way home, my car started playing up.

但是，在我回家的路上，我的车开始出现故障。

I had to take it to the garage where the mechanic hit me with the bad news.

我不得不把它带到车库，机械师向我报告了这个坏消息。

It would cost me an arm and a leg to fix the issues.

解决这些问题要花我一条胳膊和一条腿。

They gave me a courtesy car to use while they worked on my own.

他们给了我一辆礼宾车，让我在自己工作时使用。

An automatic!

自动的！

Oh, it was going to be hard for me to get used to the non-manual system.

哦，我很难适应非手动系统。

On the way home I pulled over as I got a video call from my friend Morgan.

在回家的路上，我把车停在路边，接到朋友摩根的视频电话。

He was grinning like a Cheshire cat, and I knew something exciting was coming.

他像柴郡猫一样咧着嘴笑，我知道令人兴奋的事情即将发生。

"Come on, Morgan!

“来吧，摩根！

Spill the beans!"

泄露秘密！”

I insisted.

我坚持说。

They'd got the job they'd been after.

他们得到了他们一直在寻找的工作。

I was genuinely chuffed for them, and their good news cheered me

我真的为他们感到高兴，他们的好消息让我

up while I tried to remember how to operate the courtesy car.

高兴起来，同时我努力记住如何操作礼宾车。

When I got home, I thought to myself that life has a funny

当我回到家时，我心里想，生活有一种有趣的

way of evening things out.

方式来解决事情。

One minute you're up, the next you're down, then you come back up again.

前一分钟你还站起来，下一分钟你就倒下了，然后你又站起来。

That's the roller coaster of life, like I said.

正如我所说，这就是生活的过山车。

And it wasn't over yet!

而且事情还没有结束！

The evening took an unexpected turn when I received a message

当我收到我最喜欢的作家的消息时，晚上发生了意想不到的转变

from my favourite author.

。

Out of the blue, they were readying a surprise book launch on Sunday!

出乎意料的是，他们正在准备周日的惊喜新书发布会！

Would you believe though?

你会相信吗？

Right after getting this message through, my daughter Taylor called me and

收到这条消息后，我的女儿泰勒立即打电话给我，并

dropped the bombshell; she had finally decided to leave the student flat which

抛出了这个重磅炸弹；她最终决定离开学生公寓

she had been sharing with a group of, well, good-for-nothings, I called them.

她一直在和一群我管他们叫“没出息”的人住在一起。

Anyway, she told them and they want her out ASAP!

不管怎样，她告诉了他们，他们希望她尽快出去！

I would have to get her out of there this weekend.

这个周末我必须带她离开那里。

Sod's law strikes again!

索德定律再次来袭！

Life keeps you on your toes, alright!

生活让你保持警惕，好吗！ 当我等待

I retired to the living room with a beer while I waited for

晚餐在烤箱里做饭 时，我喝了一杯啤酒回到客厅

dinner to cook in the oven.

。

I needed something to settle me down.

我需要一些东西让我安定下来。

No sooner had I plonked myself in the armchair than I heard a kerfuffle outside.

我刚一坐到扶手椅上，就听到外面传来一阵混乱的声音。

I got up and looked out of the window.

我站起来，看着窗外。

There seemed to be a bit of an issue with someone blocking

有人堵塞了 另一位居民的车道，

another resident's driveway.

似乎出了点问题

More concerning to me though, was that there was an unfamiliar

。但更让我担心的是， 我的停车位上

car in my parking space.

有一辆陌生的 汽车。

"What now?!"

“现在怎么办？！”

I cried, and I was half-way out of the front door before I remembered

我哭了，走出前门走到一半才想起

that my own car was at the garage.

我自己的车在车库里。

The strange car was my temporary wheels.

那辆奇怪的车是我的临时轮子。

After dinner, I decided to have an early night and hoped that the day

晚餐后，我决定早点睡，希望这一天

had finished with its surprises.

能以惊喜结束。

I hit the hay at 9 and slept like a baby until my alarm went off the next morning.

我九点钟就睡了，睡得像个婴儿，直到第二天早上闹钟响了。

And that rounds up today's episode.

今天的这一集就到此结束了。

Did you hear any interesting words or phrases that were unfamiliar to you?

您是否听到过任何您不熟悉的有趣单词或短语？

Well, if you would like to know more about some of those interesting words

好吧，如果您想了解更多有关其中一些有趣的单词

or phrases, then you can get a full vocabulary list for this podcast by

或短语的信息，那么您可以 通过单击描述中的链接

clicking on the link in the description.

来获取此播客的完整词汇列表 。

Now, normally vocabulary lists, and transcripts are available to Plus Members.

现在，通常情况下，Plus 会员可以使用词汇列表和成绩单。

We send out an email every Monday for Plus Members to get their bonus content, as

我们每周一都会向 Plus 会员发送一封电子邮件，以获取他们的奖励内容以及

well as transcripts and word lists, but today I'm making the word list available

成绩单和单词列表，但今天我将单词列表提供给

to everyone, so that you can all benefit.

所有人，以便大家都能受益。

But in future perhaps you'll consider supporting the podcast

但将来您可能会考虑

by becoming a Plus Member.

通过成为 Plus 会员来支持播客。

To get your hands on that vocabulary list, just click on the link in the description.

要获取该词汇列表，只需单击说明中的链接即可。

Until next time, take very good care and goodbye.

直到下次，好好照顾并再见。