The english we speak(BBC教學)第180期:Beat the drum 熱烈支持

Neil: Hello, Li. Are you ready?

尼爾：你好，莉。你準備好了嗎？

Li: Yes, Neil! We're going to that event for the protection of turtles, aren't we Neil? Where is it happening again?

莉：是的，尼爾！我們要去參加一個保護海龜的活動，對吧，尼爾？在哪兒舉辦的來着？

Neil: By the beach. They're going to make speeches and then release some small turtles into the sea.

尼爾：在海灘旁邊。他們要進行演講，然後把一些小海龜放生大海。

Li: How sweet! I love baby turtles!

莉：真是太好了！我喜歡海龜寶寶！

Neil: Yes, they're lovely, aren't they? Let's go and join all the scientists, animal lovers and campaigners and beat the drum for the cause!

尼爾：是啊，它們很可愛，是不是？我們走吧，加入到那些科學家、動物愛好者和活動人士的行列中，爲這個事業搖旗吶喊！

Li: Beat the drum? Will there be drums there?

莉：敲鼓？那裏有鼓嗎？

Neil: No. I don't think so...

尼爾：沒有。我想沒有。

Li: But if you think we need to drum, I have one here. We can beat the drum, like this...

莉：可是如果我們要敲鼓，我這裏倒是有一個。我們可以像這樣敲鼓……

Neil: You're a great drummer Li, but sadly no need for drums. It might scare the baby turtles.

尼爾：李，你真是個很棒的鼓手，不過很遺憾，我們並不需要鼓。那可能會嚇壞海龜寶寶的。

Li: But why are you talking about drums then?!

莉：那你剛纔爲什麼要說敲鼓呢？

Neil: I'll tell you. In English, when we say 'to beat the drum' or 'to bang the drum' we mean to speak with enthusiasm about an idea in order to persuade or convince other people to support it.

尼爾：我來告訴你。在英語中，我們用to beat the drum或者to bang the drum來表示積極熱烈地支持一種觀點，以便說服更多的人也來支持。

Li: Ah! I see. No real drums, then...

莉：啊！我明白了。其實並沒有鼓，那……

Neil: No. 'Beat the drum' is our expression in this edition of The English We Speak. Now let's hear some examples of how it's used.

尼爾：嗯。Beat the drum就是今天地道英語節目要學的表達方式。現在我們來聽一些例句，看看如何使用這個短語。

Part of the job of a prime minister is to visit other nations and beat the drum for your country, to support business and jobs.

首相工作的一部分是對其他國家進行國事訪問，爲你們國家搖旗吶喊，支持商業和就業。

Mary is shy but her colleagues keep telling her: "If you don't beat the drum for your own ideas, who will?"

瑪麗很害羞，但是她的同事一直告訴她：“如果你不爲自己的想法搖旗吶喊，那誰來做呢？”

Li: OK, Neil. I'm ready to beat the drum for turtle conservation!

莉：好的，尼爾。我準備好爲保護海龜搖旗吶喊了！

Neil: Great, we'd better go. We'll be late.

尼爾：太好了，我們最好現在就出發。不然我們會遲到的。

Li: OK. Ready? One, two, one, two...

莉：好的。準備好了嗎？一、二，一、二……

Neil: You are quite keen on this instrument, aren't you? You're not taking it with you... are you?

尼爾：你很喜歡這個樂器，是不是？你不會帶着去吧？

Li: Of course not. I don't want to frighten the animals. But I might end up forming a band. How about The Baby Turtles?

莉：當然不會。我不想嚇到那些動物。但是我可能會組個樂隊。樂隊名字就叫海龜寶寶怎麼樣？

Neil: Yeah, that's a good name! Let's go. Bye.

尼爾：好啊，這名字真不錯！我們走吧。再見。

Li: Bye.

莉：再見。

重點講解：
1. beat the drum/bang the drum
竭力鼓吹；搖旗吶喊；
eg. The sociologists beat the drum for full employment.
這些社會學家極力主張充分就業。
eg. The trade secretary disagreed but promised to 'bang the drum for industry'.
貿易部長並不同意，但是答應會“爲產業界搖旗吶喊”。
2. in order to
爲了；以便；目的在於；
eg. Most people have no objection of these various restrictions, who in order to live have been used to sitting down under it.
多數人對這些沒有絲毫不滿，爲了生存，人們已習慣逆來順受。
eg. People often put money aside in order to save up enough to make one major expenditure.
人們常常爲了一筆大的開銷而存錢。
3. be keen on sth./doing sth.
渴望的；熱切的；熱衷的；
eg. I was really keen on studying for a year in Great Britain.
我真渴望去英國學習一年。
eg. I'm not at all keen on that sort of job. It makes me crazy.
我根本不喜歡那種工作，它簡直使我發瘋。
4. end up (in) doing sth.
最終；結果；到頭來；
eg. He never dreamed that he would end up owning such a lot of property.
他做夢也沒想到他最後會擁有這麼一大筆財產。
eg. Sooner or later most writers end up making books about the torments of being a writer.
或早或晚，大多數作家最終都會著書講述身爲作家的苦惱。