The english we speak(BBC教學)第259期:In good nick 處於良好狀態

Neil's made a great saving by going to a car boot sale and stocking up on all his kids' presents for next year! Let's hope they don't find out! He also picked up an old coin which looked almost new but did he get a bargain? Listen out for the phrase he uses to mean it's in good condition.

尼爾去了趟舊貨市場，把他家孩子明年的禮物都買了，省了不少錢！希望孩子們不要發現！他還買了枚看上去很新的古幣，不過他真的買到便宜貨了嗎？請聽他用來表示狀況良好時所用的短語。

Helen: Hello and welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Helen and joining me today is Neil.

海倫：大家好，歡迎收聽地道英語節目。我是海倫，今天和我一起主持節目的是尼爾。

Neil: Hello everyone.

尼爾：大家好。

Helen: So Neil, where did you go last weekend?

海倫：尼爾，你上週末去哪兒了？

Neil: I went to a car boot sale near my home. There were lots of sellers getting rid of unwanted Christmas presents.

尼爾：我去了我家附近的舊貨市場。那裏有很多賣家在處理他們不需要的聖誕禮物。

Helen: So did you manage to pick up any bargains?

海倫：那你買到便宜貨了嗎？

Neil: Plenty, I got presents for my kids to last the rest of the year. And I picked up this little gem. Look!

尼爾：我買了很多，我把今年要給我家孩子的所有禮物都買了。我還買了這塊小寶石。看！

Helen: What is it?

海倫：這是什麼？

Neil: It’s an old silver English coin.

尼爾：這是一枚英國古銀幣。

Helen: Is it real? It looks quite new to me.

海倫：是真的嗎？我覺得看起來很新啊。

Neil: It does, doesn’t it? I had a close look and it’s in good nick.

尼爾：是啊，難道不是嗎？我仔細地看過了，這枚古幣完好無損。

Helen: Good Nick? Who's Nick?

海倫：好尼克？誰是尼克？

Neil: Oh, I don’t mean Nick as a person’s name. When British people say ‘it’s in good nick’, we mean ‘it’s in good condition’, especially if it’s something that’s very old but still looks new. Here are a few examples:

尼爾：哦，尼克在這裏並不是個人名。英國人說it’s in good nick的意思是情況良好，尤其是指某樣東西雖然很舊，但是看上去仍很新。下面是例句：

Examples

例句

I picked up a set of silver plates from an antique shop and they were in pretty good nick.

我從古董店買了一套銀盤子，這些盤子品質很好。

My grandpa loves his 1960s motorbike and has worked very hard to kept it in good nick.

我爺爺非常喜歡他那輛上世紀60年代的摩托車，他非常努力地使那輛車保持良好狀態。

Neil: I know it sounds a bit strange to use a word that’s like a person’s name in this phrase, but it’s very authentic colloquial British English. ‘Nick’ here is slang for ‘condition’.

尼爾：我知道在把人名用在詞組裏感覺有點奇怪，不過這是一個很古老的英國英語的口語表達。Nick在這裏是“情況”這個詞的俚語說法。

Helen: I see. Can we use the phrase to describe anything else in good condition?

海倫：我明白了。我們能用這個短語形容其他情況良好的事物嗎？

Neil: Absolutely, how about my grandmother, she’s 96 and still does her own shopping, she’s in good nick.

尼爾：當然可以，以我奶奶來舉例怎麼樣，她今年96歲了，現在還可以自己去購物。她現在狀態良好。

Helen: That’s impressive. I hope I'll be in good nick when I get to her age.

海倫：真了不起。我希望我到她那個年齡時也能保持良好狀態。

Neil: Keep fit and eat well!

尼爾：保持健康，吃得營養！

Helen: Bye.

海倫：再見。

Neil: Bye.

尼爾：再見。

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重點講解：
1. stock up on 大量貯備；囤積；
例句：The authorities have urged people tostock up onfuel.
當局已經敦促人們儲備燃料。
2. get rid of 擺脫；甩掉；
例句：We have toget rid ofthese old newspapers.
我們必須把這些舊報紙處理掉。
3. pick up 買；
例句：We managed to pick up a few bargains at the auction.
我們從拍賣場買到了幾件便宜貨。
4. in good nick 處於良好狀態；
例句：His ribs were damaged, but other than that he'sin good nick.
他的肋骨受了損傷，但除此之外一切都還好。
5. how about （用於提出建議或邀請）怎麼樣好嗎；
例句：You want Jeannie to make the appointment for you?How aboutthe end of next week?
你想讓珍妮幫你預約嗎？下週末怎麼樣？