The english we speak(BBC教學)第76期: Finding your feet適應新環境
Helen: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. Rosie and I are doing a salsa class tonight. It's my favourite Latin American dance and I love the music!
海倫：大家好，歡迎來到我們說的英語節目。羅茜和我今晚要學習薩爾薩舞。這是我最愛的拉丁舞種，我喜歡這種音樂！Rosie: Yes, and it's not easy… One, two, three! Oh, I'm not very good yet – I'm still finding my feet.
羅茜：對，但這並不容易……一、二、三！哦，我跳的還不是很好——我還在適應。Helen: You're still finding your feet? No wonder you're so bad. How can you dance if you don't know where your feet are?
海倫：你還在找你的腳？難怪你跳得這麼差。如果你不知道你的腳在哪裏，要怎麼跳舞啊？
Rosie: I do know where my feet are, Helen. When you say you're finding your feet in English, it means you're becoming confident at something.
羅茜：我知道我的腳在哪裏，海倫。英語中說找你的腳的意思是，你漸漸地對某件事充滿信心。Helen: So if I say I'm still finding my feet, it means I'm still getting used to a new situation… which might not have anything to do with feet?
海倫：那如果我仍在找我的腳，意思就是我還在適應新環境……這和腳可能沒有什麼關係？Rosie: That's right. And when you say you've found your feet, it means you've become familiar with a situation.
羅茜：沒錯。而且，如果你說你找到了你的腳，意思就是你已經熟悉環境了。Helen: Let's have a look at some examples then:
海倫：下面咱們來看幾個例子：Lauren has only been at her new job for four days, so she's still finding her feet.
勞倫的新工作剛剛做了四天，所以她仍在適應新環境。My daughter started secondary school two weeks ago, but she's already found her feet. She's made loads of new friends and really likes her teachers.
我女兒兩週前升上初中了，而她已經適應新環境了。她交了很多新朋友，而且她也很喜歡她的老師。“I've been living in Egypt for a year but I still can't speak Arabic very well.” “I'm sure you'll find your feet soon.”
“我在埃及生活一年了，但是我的阿拉伯語說得仍不是很好。”“我確定你很快會適應的。”Helen: So finding your feet has nothing to do with your actual feet – you can use it when you start a new job or when you're doing something new.
海倫：所以“適應新環境”這個短語實際上跟腳沒有任何關係——你可以在開始新工作或者是嘗試新鮮事物時使用這個短語。Rosie: That's right… And I feel like I'm getting quite good at salsa now.
羅茜：好的……我感覺現在我的薩爾薩舞跳得很好了。Helen: Really? It looks like you're still finding your feet…
海倫：真的嗎？看起來你還在適應……Rosie: I might ask someone to dance with me, Helen. That guy over there is pretty good. Hi, would you like to dance?
羅茜：也許我應該請某人和我一起跳舞，海倫。那邊那個男子不錯。你好，能請你跳支舞嗎？Man: Oh, OK.
男：哦，好的。Rosie: Oooooh this is fun. One, two, three… Oops sorry! Did I step on your foot?
羅茜：哦，這很有趣。一、二、三……哦，對不起！我是不是踩到你了？Man: Ouch!
男：哎喲！Helen: It looks like Rosie's doing more than finding her feet - she's finding other people's feet and stepping on them too!
海倫：看上去羅茜做到的事情可不僅僅是找到她的腳——她找到了其他人的腳而且踩在了上面！重點講解：
1. find one's feet
站穩腳跟；變得自信；能獨立行動；
eg. I don't know anyone in England but I am sure I will manage when I find my feet.
我在英格蘭不認識什麼人，但是我相信自己一旦站穩腳跟就可以獨當一面。
eg. Once he had found his feet he was able to deal with any problem.
他一旦變得自信了就能夠處理任何問題。
2. no wonder
難怪；怪不得；
eg. No wonder my brother wasn't feeling well.
難怪我兄弟感覺不舒服了。
eg. No wonder he felt so raw and alone.
難怪他感到那麼陰鬱和孤獨。
3. get used to sth./doing sth.
開始習慣於某事；
eg. This is how we do things here. You'll soon get used to it.
我們這裏就是這麼做事的。你很快就會習慣的。
eg. You quickly get used to using the brakes.
你很快就會習慣使用剎車的。
4. have nothing to do with sth.
與……無關；
eg. I'll have nothing to do with him from now on.
從今以後，我跟他一刀兩斷。
eg. I have nothing to do with this.
我與此事毫無關係。
5. be good at
擅長的；精通的；能幹的；
eg. She is good at describing things or expressing ideas.
她善於描述事物或表達思想。
eg. He is good at masking his real character behind an assumed manner.
他善於用僞裝的舉止來掩飾其真正的性格。
6. step on
踩；踏；跨步；邁步；
eg. This was the moment when Neil Armstrong became the first man to step on the Moon.
就在此刻，內爾·阿姆斯特朗成了首位登上月球的人。
eg. She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train.
她在擁擠的通勤列車上不小心踩到了他的腳。
