BBC Learning English – Ask About Britain About this script Please note that this is not a word for word transcript of the programme as broadcast. In the recording and editing process, changes may have been made which may not be reflected here. 关于台词的备注： 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对

节目做出的改变。

Writer/Producer Vicki Sullivan Presenters Chen Li and Vicki Sullivan

THIS IS BBC LEARNING ENGLISH Vicki: Hello and welcome to Ask About Britain, the programme where we

answer your questions about how British people live their lives. I’m

Vicki, and here to help me today is Chen Li.

Chen Li: 今天我们的问题，来自一个在英国留学的中国学生，他的名字叫He Jian,

Vicki: She asked us a question about punctuality.

Chen Li: 关于准时的问题。下面是他的提问。

INSERT He Jian: How important is punctuality in Britain? In China, sometimes they think it’s OK, just a few minutes late, but here, I think people take punctuality very seriously. Chen Li: 看来，想知道英国人对准时这个时间概念怎么看。那么我们就来问问那些平时

特准点的。

Vicki: Listen out for the adjective ‘punctual’.

Chen Li: 这是形容词，意思是准时的，下面我们来听一段采访片断，看看晚点这个词怎

么说。

Vicki: Late.

INSERT

Woman: I’m never late unless the trains are late – it’s the trains that make me late, not myself – I’m normally pretty good! Man: It’s very important. I just wish I could be punctual! I try to be, but I always tend to leave it till the last minute and then I get caught out, 5 or 10 minutes late.

Man: I’m usually on time. Man: I will go out of the way to make sure I am punctual for meetings, even to the extent of taking a train maybe a bit earlier than I actually need to just in case it’s cancelled or delayed or whatever. Woman: If I can be on time, why can’t they?

Vicki: So another way of saying punctual is ‘on time’. If you arrive on

time, you are not late. Most of those people said that they are

usually punctual – they don’t like being late. But there was one

man who admitted he always seems to be 5 or 10 minutes late.

Chen Li: 这当然就是他自己的过错了。

Vicki: Yes, he said he wished he could be punctual, but he always leaves

things ‘til the last minute.

Chen Li: Leaving things ‘til the last minute –总是要讲事情留到最后一分钟才去

做。有点像中文中的临时抱佛脚。

Vicki: So he gets caught out.

Chen Li: 可以解释为弄得很被动。

INSERT

I always tend to leave it ‘til the last minute and then I get caught out, 5 or 10 minutes late.

Chen Li: 但是有时候，有些情况是我们不能控制的，导致我们不能做到准时。

Vicki: That’s right, like if your train is late, it makes you late – that’s

usually what makes me late!

Chen Li: 但是最后一个被采访人说，他总是设法避免可能性的晚点。

Vicki: He goes out of his way to be punctual.

Chen Li: To go out of your way to do something – 给自己充足的时间。

Vicki: He takes an earlier train than he needs to just in case it gets

cancelled or delayed.

Chen Li: 注意一个有意思的表达， Just in case – 以防万一。他坐早一班的火车，仅

仅为了避免他真真需要乘坐的那班车可能被取消 cancelled。或者晚点。or

delayed.

INSERT:

Even to the extent of taking a train maybe a bit earlier than I actually need to just in case it’s cancelled or delayed or whatever.

YOU’RE LISTENING TO BBC LEARNING ENGLISH

Chen Li: 大家现在收听的是 BBC LEARNING ENGLISH。我们听到英国人谈论准时的

重要性。

Vicki: We’ve already heard some people saying that they are usually

punctual, or that they wish they were!

Chen Li: 那么，人们怎么看待那些迟到的人呢？

Vicki: They get annoyed…… they find it annoying… it annoys them.

Chen Li: 他们很恼火，注意他的形容词和动词形式是什么。

INSERT

Man: I get annoyed when my train is late in the morning, I get annoyed if somebody doesn’t turn up for a meeting. So yeah, punctuality is very important to me. Woman: It is quite annoying if other people are late, particularly if you’re not someone who is late yourself. Man: One thing that really annoys me is if people don’t apologise for being late.

Vicki: So, there’s the verb – to annoy – it annoys me when people are

late.

Chen Li: 这是动词，让人讨厌，苦恼的。

Vicki: Then the two adjectives. Annoying…

Chen Li: 这个形容词用来描述使人烦恼的事或人。

Vicki: For example, that noise is really annoying. And the other adjective

is – annoyed.

Chen Li: 这个形容词通常用来表述说话人自己，被弄得很烦恼，意思可以解释为让人烦

恼的。所以千万别混淆了他们的不同用法。

Vicki: Be careful – you don’t want to say ‘I’m annoying’, if you really

mean ‘I’m annoyed’.

Chen Li: 到这里，我们听到英国人不喜欢他人不准事。

Vicki: Especially if they don’t apologise for being late.

Chen Li: To apologise – 道歉。

Vicki: And one other thing….

INSERT

And at least now with mobile phones you can tell people if you’re running late.

Vicki: running late – that means you haven’t arrived yet, but you already

know you are going to be late. Well we’ve got no more time now!

We’ll have to stop otherwise we’ll be running late!

Chen Li: 如果你有和英国有关的任何问题，需要得到解答，请发电子邮件到

chinaelt@bbc.co.uk. 在我们说再见之前，Vicki, 让我们总结一下，准时对

英国人有多重要 。

INSERT

Man: It is extremely important to be punctual in whatever one does.

Man: Punctuality is very important to me.

Man: It’s very important, I just wish I could be punctual.

Woman: It is important I think.

Vicki: Well there’s your answer Chen Li – punctuality is very important to

British people!

Chen Li: 那么，So, make sure you’re on time to listen to our next

programme! Bye for now!

Vicki: Goodbye!

BBC LEARNING ENGLISH

Glossary

punctual 准时不误的 punctuality严守时间

cancelled取消 delayed延误

the last minute最后一刻 to get caught out被抓住了

to annoy使烦恼 annoying令人烦恼的

annoyed烦恼的 to apologise道歉

on time准时 running late迟到了