Dragon
Neil: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English. I'm Neil. Presenting the programme with me today is Li. She hasn't arrived at the studio yet and I must say that I'm a bit nervous about her arrival. Something's happened to her recently... she's so unfriendly and even frightening. A real dragon!
欢迎收听BBC学习频道的地道英语节目。 我是Neil， 今天和我一起主持节目的事Li。 她还没有到录音棚呢。我得说我挺怕她来的。 最近她发生了一些变化——很不友好，并且挺吓人的。 简直像个母老虎！
Li: (Bursts into the studio) What are you saying? Why Neil, why are you not waiting for me? This guy, honestly... right, come on. I haven't got all day. Give me the script... (reads a bit out) Ahh hello, I'm Li... blah, blah, blah... this is rubbish as usual.
（闯进工作间）你说什么呢？ Neil，你干嘛不等我？ 这家伙……说实在话，好吧，快点开始吧， 我可没有一整天的时间来浪费。 把文稿给我……（大声念了一点内容）啊，你好，我是Li……哇啦哇啦……就像往常一样废话连篇！
Neil: Li, what's the matter with you?
Li，你到底怎么了嘛？
Li: What do you mean? Can we get on with this please?
什么意思？我们可以开始工作了没？
Neil: What a dragon!
简直是个母夜叉！
Li: What did you say?
你说什么？
Neil: I said that you're a dragon, Li.
Li，我说你是个母夜叉！
Li: No I'm not, I'm a rooster.
才不是，我才不是！我属鸡！
Neil: No, I'm not talking about your Chinese zodiac sign, I mean your personality.
不是，我说的不是你的中国式的属相。我是在说你的性格。
Li: Oh! Oh, thanks!
哦！哦！谢谢！
Neil: What?
什么？
Li: I said thank you.
我说谢谢！
Neil: Li, I called you a dragon. That's not a compliment.
Li，我可是称你为母夜叉耶！ 那可不是什么称赞你的话呀。
Li: Neil called me a dragon. To us Chinese this is a great compliment, but he says it's not. I wonder what he means... Neil
Neil把我叫龙女， 对于我们中国人来说，这可是一个极高的赞美啊，但是他却说不是这个意思， 那他到底是什么意思呢？
Neil: Listen to these examples and see if you can get the meaning.
来听一下这些例子？
A: I'm never going to make my deadline with this report.
我永远也不可能在截止日期内完成这份报告的。
B: You should speak to Kate to get an extension.
你应该跟Kate说一下，延长期限！
A: But I'm too scared of Kate - she's such a dragon.
但是我很怕跟Kate说话……她太凶了！
B: That's true. She's so unfriendly and scary. She'll probably shout at you.
这是事实。 她对人不友善并且很吓人。 她有可能会向你大嚷大叫的！
A: (coughing)
咳嗽声
B: Oh that doesn't sound good. You should go to the Doctor's.
哦，听起来不对劲啊。 你应该去看医生。
A: I can't face dealing with that dragon at reception. She's always so rude and aggressive.
前台的小姐太凶了，我招架不了。 那女人总是粗鲁且咄咄逼人！
B: Yeah, she's the last thing you want to deal with when you're ill.
是呀。病的时候，最不想见就是那女人了。
Li: Ah, now I see that to call someone a dragon in English means something very different to Chinese. In those examples we have just heard they were using it to describe unfriendly and frightening women. Can this be right? Neil, are you calling me unfriendly and scary?
啊，我明白了，在英语里，称呼一个人Dragon，跟中文的理解完全不同。 在那些例句中，我们听到了他们用Dragon来形容不友善并且凶恶的女人。 不是吧， Neil，也就是你在说我不友善且很凶恶咯？！
Neil: Erm... yes. Recently.
呃，是的， 只是最近吧。
Li: Not strong, courageous and determined? This is what we mean in Chinese when we call someone a dragon.
难道不是强壮，勇敢，果断的意思么？ 在我们中文中，称一个人Dragon，就这样理解的。
Neil: No, I'm afraid not. We use 'dragon' to describe a woman who is unfriendly and frightening. Li: Oh, that's very interesting. Neil: Yes it is, isn't it?
不是。我恐怕不是这个意思。 我们用龙来描述不友善且凶恶的女人。 哦，这可挺有趣的。 是呀，不是吗？
Li: Hang on, hang on. What do you mean I'm unfriendly? How dare you call me unfriendly!
等一下，等一下。 你说我不友善到底是什么意思？ 你竟敢说我不友善？！
Neil: Well, not usually but recently you have been. Li: You just wait I will get my revenge on you for this, you little upstart. Who do you think you are?
呃，你也不是经常这样的，只是最近有点这样。 你等着！ 我迟早抱这个仇，你这个自以为是的家伙！ 你以为你是谁呀？
Neil: Now you're getting scary!
瞧吧，你现在就挺吓人的了！
Li: I'll show you what a dragon can do! Neil: OK, Li I think I'm going to leave now before you start breathing fire. Li: Breathing fire!?
我会让你知道母夜叉到底都能干什么的！ 好吧，我还是在你喷火之前马上闪人吧。 喷火？