The english we speak(BBC教學)第196期:water off a duck's back 毫無影響
Feifei is upset because her mother-in-law is always criticising her. She goes to the park with Finn, who gives her some good advice. Listen to the programme to find out what this is.
菲菲很沮喪，因爲她婆婆總是批評她。她和芬恩一起去了公園，芬恩給了她一些好的建議。請收聽本期節目看看芬恩提了哪些建議。(Feifei and Finn are in the park feeding the ducks.)
（菲菲和芬恩正在公園裏餵鴨子）Feifei: It's so nice to be here in the park, Finn.
菲菲：芬恩，來公園真好。
Finn: Yes, it is Feifei. I love coming here and feeding the ducks.
芬恩：是啊，菲菲。我喜歡來這裏餵鴨子。Feifei: Being here helps take my mind off things. I had a fight with my mother-in-law yesterday.
菲菲：來這裏讓我可以忘掉那些煩心事。我昨天和我婆婆吵了一架。Finn: What was it about?
芬恩：因爲什麼事吵架？Feifei: Well, she is always criticising everything I do. Last night it was my cooking!
菲菲：嗯，我做的所有事她都會批評。昨天是因爲做飯！Finn: Well, don't take too much notice of it, Feifei. My mother-in-law is the same. But it's just like water off a duck's back to me.
芬恩：菲菲，不要太在意那些。我岳母也一樣。不過那對我來說毫無影響。Feifei: A duck's back?!
菲菲：鴨子的背部？！Finn: Yes, in English the phrase 'water off a duck's back' means that criticisms or negative things have no effect on you — they're just like water off a duck's back — we don't let them upset or affect us.
芬恩：對，在英語中water off a duck's back這個短語的意思是批評或是消極的事情對你沒有任何影響，那些事毫無作用，我們不能因爲那種事而沮喪或是受影響。Feifei: What an unusual expression!
菲菲：真是個特別的表達方式！Finn: Yes, it is but, you know, it makes sense. Look at those ducks in the water...
芬恩：是啊，不過你知道，這可以說得通。看看水裏的這些鴨子……Feifei: Ah, I get it! They have oily feathers and water can't get through them — it doesn't affect them — so I shouldn't let the criticism affect me and make me upset.
菲菲：啊，我明白了！它們有油性的羽毛，所以水不會沒過它們，不會影響到它們，所以我不應該讓那些批評影響到我，也不應該爲此感到沮喪。Finn: That's right. And the phrase 'water off a duck's back' is what we're teaching today in The English We Speak. Now, let's listen to some examples of how it's used.
芬恩：沒錯。water off a duck's back就是今天地道英語節目要學習的短語。現在我們來聽一些例句，看看這個短語如何使用。Examples
例句I won't give up on my singing career just because someone said I'm no good. Criticism is water off a duck's back to me!
我不會因爲有人說我唱得不夠好而放棄我的歌唱事業。指責對我毫無影響！I told John not to drive so fast but it was like water off a duck's back. Last week he crashed his new car. Thankfully nobody was hurt.
我告訴約翰不要開太快，不過那根本沒起作用。上週他的新車撞壞了。幸運地是沒有人受傷。Finn: Feifei, which dish was it that you cooked that your mother-in-law didn't like? I'm making dinner tonight and I need a recipe...
芬恩：菲菲，你婆婆不喜歡你做的哪道菜？我今晚要做飯，我需要個食譜……Feifei: Well, this is probably not the place to mention it...
菲菲：嗯，現在可能不適合說……Finn: Oh, I'm intrigued. Can't you tell me?
芬恩：哦，我很感興趣。你不能告訴我嗎？Feifei: I cooked Peking Duck. You'll need pancakes, spring onions, a nice juicy roast duck...
菲菲：我做的是北京烤鴨。你需要準備薄餅、蔥、一隻美味多汁的烤鴨……Finn: Oh, the ducks are not happy!
芬恩：哦，鴨子們不高興了！Feifei: I don't think they like my recipe at all. Let's go Finn. I can give you a good chicken recipe instead.
菲菲：我認爲它們一點都不喜歡我的食譜。我們走吧，芬恩。我還是給你一份雞肉的食譜吧。Finn: I'd like that. My mother-in-law is coming for dinner too. Bye.
芬恩：這個我喜歡。我岳母也要過來吃晚餐。再見。Feifei: Bye.
菲菲：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. take one's mind off sth.
使暫時忘記（某一問題或不愉快的情況）；
eg. 'How about a game of tennis?' suggested Alan. 'That'll take your mind off things.'
“打一場網球怎麼樣？”艾倫建議說，“那樣會讓你暫時忘掉煩心事。”
eg. Hard work always takes your mind off domestic problems.
工作一勞累就使人不再想着家庭問題了。
2. take notice of
注意；關注；
eg. We want the government to take notice of what we think they should do for single parents.
我們希望政府能夠關注單親父母，爲他們做一些應該做的事。
eg. I hope you'll take notice of what I'm going to tell you.
我希望你會注意我要告訴你的事情。
3. water off a duck's back
毫無效果的；不起作用的；
eg. All the criticism is water off a duck's back to me.
批評對我來說左耳進右耳出，毫無影響。
eg. The doctors tell us it's dangerous to smoke, but such good advice rolls off some people like water off a duck's back.
醫生告訴我們抽菸有害。可是這樣好的勸告對有些人來說毫無作用。
4. make sense
可以理解；講得通；
eg. I can't follow these instructions — they don't make sense.
我不理解這些指示，根本講不通嘛。
eg. Up to a point , Prof Goldstein's results make sense.
到此爲止，哥爾斯坦教授的實驗結果都合情合理。
5. give up on
對…絕望；對…不抱希望；
eg. This is the point at which many patients give up on therapy.
就是因爲這一點，許多病人放棄治療。
eg. And I guess a kind of lesson from my life so far is to never give up on your friends.
我想，至此我從生活中獲得了教益，即永遠不要放棄自己的朋友。
