The english we speak(BBC教學)第170期:Pie in the sky 難以實現的美夢

Li: I'm so happy you invited me to come to the woods to do some bird-watching with you, Finn.

莉：芬恩，我很高興你邀請我來森林裏和你一起賞鳥。

Finn: I'm glad you came along, Li. It's a very British hobby. We love nature and the different species of birds. That one, for example, is a swallow.

芬恩：我也很高興你和我一起來。這是一個英國人的傳統愛好。我們喜歡大自然，喜歡不同種類的鳥。比如，那只是燕子。

Li: Oh. Pass me the binoculars please.

莉：哦。請把雙筒望遠鏡遞給我。

Finn: Can you see how beautiful it is?

芬恩：你能看到它有多漂亮嗎？

Li: Oh, I can see it clearly. It's tiny. It must be a young one. It's good that the mayor has promised to preserve these woods, Finn.

莉：哦，我可以看得很清楚。它很小，一定是隻雛鳥。芬恩，市長承諾保護這些森林真是太好了。

Finn: I wish they would stop building shopping centres everywhere. But preserving all these areas is pie in the sky, Li.

芬恩：我希望他們能阻止在各地建造購物中心的計劃。但是莉，保護這些地區希望渺茫。

Li: Pie in the sky? Where? These binoculars are good but I can't see any pie!

莉：天上的餡餅？在哪兒啊？這個雙筒望遠鏡很不錯，可是我沒看到餡餅啊！

Finn: No, there is no actual pie up there, Li. In English, we use the expression 'pie in the sky' to talk about something good that we would like to happen but which is unlikely to.

芬恩：不是，並沒有餡餅，莉。在英語中，我們用pie in the sky這個表達方式來形容我們希望某件好事發生，但實際上那並不可能發生。

Li: So you think the idea of preserving these woods is good but they might end up building a shopping centre here.

莉：所以你認爲保護這些森林的計劃很好，但是這裏最終可能還是會改建成購物中心。

Finn: Exactly. Unfortunately, I think these businesses are too powerful.

芬恩：沒錯。很不幸，我認爲這些企業太強大了。

Li: Let's not lose hope, Finn.

莉：芬恩，我們不要放棄希望。

Finn: Well, 'pie in the sky' is the expression in this edition of The English We Speak. Now let's hear some examples of how it is used.

芬恩：嗯，pie in the sky就是本期地道英語節目要學的表達。我們來聽一些例句，學習這個短語的用法。

When my bank manager says the stock market is sure to recover by the end of the year, that's clearly pie in the sky.

我的銀行經理說股市在年底前肯定會好轉，很明顯希望渺茫。

Mary's plans to live a life of luxury are just pie in the sky. She doesn't have much money.

瑪麗計劃過奢侈的生活，那根本是異想天開。她沒有那麼多錢。

Li: Well, I must admit that the idea of pie has made me hungry.

莉：嗯，我必須承認，說起餡餅讓我感覺餓了。

Finn: Yeah, I'm hungry too. Let's go back to town and find a place where they serve tasty pies.

芬恩：是啊，我也餓了。我們回城裏找個地方吃些美味的餡餅吧。

Li: Yes! I love cherry pie! Bye bye little birdies!

莉：好啊！我喜歡櫻桃派！小鳥們，再見了！

Finn: Yum yum. Bye.

芬恩：那很美味。再見。

重點講解：
1. invite sb. to do sth.
（正式）邀請，請求，要求；
eg. I invite every citizen to carefully study the document.
我請每位市民都仔細研讀該文件。
eg. Businessmen often invite famous sportsmen to appear in advertisements.
商人們經常請著名的運動員爲他們作廣告。
2. pie in the sky
難以付諸實施的構想（或計劃）；渺茫的希望；空口的許諾；
eg. The true regeneration of devastated Docklands seemed like pie in the sky.
遭毀壞碼頭區的真正重建看起來希望渺茫。
eg. He can't help thinking it's all just 'pie in the sky' talk.
他禁不住想所有這些不過是“畫餅充飢”的空話而已。
3. would like to do sth.
（表示願意）想要；
eg. I really would like to understand how you really feel.
我非常想知道你們真實的想法。
eg. Martine says she would like to retire but cannot afford to.
瑪特說她也很想退休，但是又不得不做。
4. be unlikely to do sth.
不太可能的；未必會發生的；
eg. As with many technological revolutions, you are unlikely to be aware of it.
就像諸多的技術革命一樣，你可能不太會注意到它。
eg. Such conduct is unlikely to advance your interests.
這樣的行爲不太可能給你帶來利益。
5. end up (in) doing sth.
最終；結果；到頭來；
eg. It may end up having the opposite effect.
這或許會以適得其反而告終。
eg. If you hang around with colleagues all the time you just end up talking shop.
如果整天和同事泡在一起的話，你最終就會變得開口閉口都是工作。
6. be sure to do sth.
（事情的發生）一定，必然；
eg. We are sure to see more steps backwards and forwards before all of this comes to fruition.
這一切成爲現實之前，我們肯定還會看到更多的反覆和起伏。
eg. That news is sure to make one indie band very happy.
這個新聞絕對會讓某個獨立品牌非常開心。