生活英语对话 Episode 47: A call from Germany

本单元是关于从德国打来的电话的对话

Helen: Hello?

Alice: Gutenmorgan. Hi Helen, it's Alice.

Helen: Hey, how are you? What's Germany like? Are you having fun?

Alice: I'm fine, it's fab and yes, yes, yes! How are things back home?

Helen: Great. We've just come back from Brighton and Michal was a complete star!

Alice: Oh how so?

Helen: Well this guy stole my purse while we were on the beach and he ran after him like a bat out of hell, caught him and got my purse back! He was a real hero!

Alice: Oh quite the Superman, I'm sure! So have you made up with him then?

Helen: What do you think? Of course ... Oh, her money must have run out.

Vocabulary:(字汇)

like a bat out of hell (idiom): (跑得飞快)

run very quickly

make up: (重修旧好)

become friends again after having a disagreement or fight

run out: (用完，用光，殆尽)

come to the end of something, have no more of something left

a legend: (传奇)

a story that is passed down from generation to generation. Most people regard the story as truthful but there is usually no historical basis for it

本单元的语言点是文学作品中的人物，我们经常使用故事书，电影，电视里面的虚构人物来形容一些行为相同的真实人物。举例来说，Michal 的行为非常勇敢，因此 Alice 说" Oh quite the Superman, I'm sure!" ，因为虚构人物"超人"的行为也很勇敢。下面介绍一些书中或电影里面比较让人熟知的虚构人物，他们的出处以及人物个性。

Fictional characters

Some fictional characters from books, films and TV are so familiar that their names are used to describe people who have similar characteristics or who behave in similar ways. For example, Michal acted very bravely so Alice said " Oh quite the Superman, I'm sure!" because the fictional character Superman is known for his courageous actions.

Here are some more well-known characters, the book, film etc. they are from and their key characteristics.

按照字母顺序排列

Name: Big bad wolf (大野狼)

Origin: Children's story "The Three Little Pigs"

Characteristics: Evil, sly and dangerous

Name: Big brother (老大哥)

Origin: The Novel "1984" by George Orwell

Characteristics: Closely monitoring or supervising the work or activities of others in a secretive way

Name: Cinderella (灰姑娘)

Origin: Children's fairy story "Cinderella"

Characteristics:Poor, unloved and overworked. Rescued by a great love

Name: Dracula (吸血鬼德古拉)

Origin: The Novel "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

Characteristics: Like a vampire. Sucking ideas or enthusiasm from people

Name: Homer Simpson (荷马·辛普森)

Origin:American cartoon TV series "The Simpsons"

Characteristics: Badly behaved, has bad manners

Name: Jekyll and Hyde

Origin: The novel "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde" by Robert Louis Stevenson

Characteristics: Unpredictable. Tends to have mood swings - sometimes very nice, other times very angry and violent

Name: The Mad Hatter

Origin: Children's story "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll

Characteristics: Unconventional, strange, crazy

Name: Peter Pan (小飞侠彼得潘)

Origin: Children's novel and stage play "Peter Pan" by J M Barrie

Characteristics: Childlike, refuses to grow up and act maturely

Name: Pinocchio (小木偶皮诺切)

Origin: Children's novel "The Adventures of Pinocchio" Carlo Collodi

Characteristics: Tells lies

Name: Robin Hood (罗宾汉)

Origin: The legend of Robin Hood

Characteristics: Like an outlaw, wants to take money from the rich and give it to the poor. Concerned with issues of justice

Name: Scrooge

Origin: From the novel "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens

Characteristics: Mean, ungenerous, doesn't want anyone to have any fun

Name: Sherlock Holmes (侦探福尔摩斯)

Origin: From the detective novels, including "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", by Arthur Conan Doyle

Characteristics: Observant and logical

Name: Walter Mitty

Origin: From the short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by James Thurber

Characteristics: A day-dreamer, fantasizes about having great adventures

Name: Wonder Woman

Origin: The comic book "Wonder Woman" and TV series of the same name

Characteristics: Confident and physically powerful