The english we speak(BBC教学)第89期:It's a joke 荒唐可笑
Helen: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak from BBC Learning English, I'm Helen. With me today is quite a frustrated-looking Neil. Neil, what are you doing to that mobile phone?
海伦：大家好，欢迎来到BBC英语教学频道的我们说的英语节目，我是海伦。今天我们请到了尼尔，他看上去非常生气。尼尔，你拿着手机做什么呢？Neil: Argh, I can't get it to make a phone call. It does everything else: it takes photos, it connects to the internet, it even irons my shirts but it won't make a call!
尼尔：哎哟，我不能打电话。这部手机其它的功能都有：可以拍照，可以上网，甚至可以熨衬衫，可它就是不能打电话！Helen: Your mobile phone irons your shirts?
海伦：你的手机可以烫衬衫？
Neil: No, not really, but honestly it does everything apart from the one thing I want it to do–make a phone call. It's a joke!
尼尔：不，实际上不是，说实话，它什么功能都有，除了我希望它有的功能——打电话。真是荒唐！Helen: A joke? But you're not laughing. It can't be a very funny joke.
海伦：玩笑？可是你并没有笑啊。那并不是个有趣的玩笑。Neil: Well if you say something is a joke in English it can also mean that it's not very good or not worthy of respect.
尼尔：嗯，英语中如果你说某件事很荒唐，可以是指那并不是很好，或者是不值得重视的事情。Helen: Yes, 'joke' has a second meaning.
海伦：对，joke这个词还有其它意思。Example:
例子：The investigation into police corruption was a complete joke. Everyone knows the officers were taking money but they were let off.
对有关警察腐败问题的调查简直荒唐可笑。所有人都知道警察收受贿赂了，可是他们却被放走了。The weather forecast was a total joke. It said it would be warm and sunny but it's freezing and raining.
天气预报真是可笑。天气预报说今天会是温暖的明天，可是其实却是个寒冷的雨天。Helen: As you heard there in the example, the person described an investigation into police corruption as a joke. This doesn't mean it was funny. It means it wasn't serious. Also the weather forecast was so bad it was described as a joke.
海伦：就像你在例子中听到的，人们形容对警察腐败问题的调查荒唐可笑。这并不是说那很有趣。而是说那并不严谨。同样天气预报也很糟糕，所以也可以形容为可笑。Neil: Notice that you can add words before 'joke' to make the meaning even stronger. It's a complete joke.
尼尔：我们注意到你可以在可笑前加形容词使意思更加强烈。这非常荒唐。Helen: A complete joke.
海伦：非常荒唐。Neil: It's a total joke.
尼尔：可笑透了。Helen: A total joke.
海伦：可笑透了。Neil: It's an absolute joke.
尼尔：绝对是荒唐的事情。Helen: Anyway Neil, why don't you just read the instructions for your new mobile phone? Then you'll probably be able to work out how to make a call.
海伦：不管怎样，尼尔，你为什么不看看新手机的说明书呢？然后你可能就知道怎么打电话了。Neil: I looked at the instructions but they're an absolute joke.
尼尔：我看过说明书了，可是那简直荒唐透顶。Helen: Oh really?
海伦：哦，真的吗？Neil: Well for a start they are in about 17 languages apart from English.
尼尔：首先，说明书上有17种语言，但就是没有英语。Helen: What a joke!
海伦：真是可笑！Neil: Yeah I know.
尼尔：对，我知道。Helen: Well we've heard lots of jokes in today's programme but there hasn't been much laughing.
海伦：今天我们在节目中听了很多可笑的事，不过其实并不是很有趣。Neil: Argh, what a useless piece of …
尼尔：哎哟，真是一个没用的……Helen: Let's hope Neil finally works out how to use his phone.
海伦：我们希望尼尔最后能弄明白如何使用他的手机。Neil: Argh, this is beyond a joke, it really is…
尼尔：哎哟，这真是让人无法接受，它真的是……Helen: Join us again for The English We Speak.
海伦：欢迎大家收看下期我们说的英语节目。Neil: Argh, mobiles…
尼尔：哎哟，手机……重点讲解：
1. let off
对…宽大处理；
eg. Because he was a Christian, the judge let him off.
由于他是基督徒，法官便对他从轻发落。
eg. When police realised who he was, they asked for an autograph and let him off with a warning.
警察知道他是谁后，便向他要了签名，然后只给了他个警告就放他走了。
2. be worthy of
值得…的；应该获得…的；
eg. We esteem him to be worthy of trust.
我们认为他值得信任。
eg. His spirit of assiduous study is worthy of emulation.
他刻苦钻研的精神，值得效法。
3. for a start
首先；第一；
eg. You must get her name and address, and that can be a problem for a start.
你必须先打听到她的姓名和地址，而那可能就是第一个难题。
eg. It comes as a surprise to be reminded that he is 70. For a start, he doesn't look it.
有人提醒我他 70 岁了，这很令人惊讶。首先，他看上去不像。
4. apart from
除…外；此外；
eg. I have nothing more to ask you about apart from these questions.
除了这些问题，我没有别的要了解了。
eg. Apart from my host, I didn't know a single person there.
除了主人外，那里的人我一个也不认识。
5. beyond a joke
（恼人或令人担心的事）不可理喻，使人无法接受；
eg. Giving an arsonist a lighter is beyond a joke.
把打火机交给纵火犯简直是不可理喻。
eg. I'm not afraid of a fair fight but this is beginning to get beyond a joke.
“我不怕公平地打上一架，但是这玩笑有点儿开过头了。”
