[1] Spot-Dictation
[2] Statements
[3] Talks & Conversation
[4] Talks & Conversation
[5] Passage Translation
Spot-Dictation
今年是令十三亿中国人骄傲自豪的奥运年，而与时俱进的中级口译考试当仁不让地将奥运作为了第一大题Spot-Dictation的主题。这可是众所周知的考试热点。不过，考试是结束了，但奥运尚未开始，让我们再来回味一下吧!
本文介绍了奥林匹克的渊源，最初是为了祭祀希腊神话中的众神之王宙斯，然后慢慢失去了地方特色而演变为全球性的重大活动(lost its local and national characters, and became first a national event)。虽然没有人知道奥林匹克具体追溯到哪一年，但它从公元前776年开始有了记录。古代奥运会从第一届开始，直到公元前724年，都只有一个项目---200米短跑(200-metre dash)。公元前708年，Pentathlon出现了。即时考生不认识这个字，也可以根据它的前缀pent---"五"，以及后文对其的定义"5- event match, which consisted of running, wrestling, leaping, throwing the discus and hurling the javelin"猜出"五项运动"的意思。
古代奥运会从公元前776年到公元后394年，每4年举行一次，共延续了1170年。之后，历史中断了，直到1896年现代奥运会(the first of the modern summer games)的兴起，它才再次绽放辉煌。奥林匹克不再局限于希腊一个国家，而在世界各地轮流举行，由主办国负责提供运动场馆和运动员食宿(The host country provides vast facilities such as stadiums and living accommodation)。新的项目也被不断地添加进奥运会，比如马拉松。每届奥运会的前奏，就是从奥林匹亚山上采集的火种，经过无数火炬手的传递，点燃开幕式上硕大的主火炬塔。圣火象征着古希腊人奥林匹克运动理想的延续(The Olympic flame symbolizes the continuation of the ancient Greek athletic ideal)，将一直燃烧到本次奥运会闭幕(and it burns throughout the games until the closing ceremony)。另外，奥运旗帜上的五环紧紧相扣(5 interlocking rings)，代表着参加比赛的五个大洲。
Statements
1. Diana is working as a sales-person for an insurance company this summer, it is a tough job and she gets to be outdoors from time to time. But the pay is decent.
本句是个转折题，尽管句子的前半形容Diana在保险公司做销售的工作很辛苦，但句子的重心还是出现在but的后面，即报酬丰厚上。
2. Please don't get annoyed over what I said now. I'm just worried about the delay. In no way do I blame you for what happened. You have tried your best.
本句用in no way的倒装结构表达出否定的意味，显示出说话者的态度并非指责对方。
3. Mrs. Green called the after-sale service agency and had her almost-new refrigerator repaired for free because it was still under warranty.
有意思的是，昨天正巧是"三·一五"消费者维权日，这句话描述的就是在under warranty---保修期内，消费者找售后服务修冰箱的事情。
4. George is a true pal. He is ready to offer any kind of assistance whenever you are in need. Friends like him are few and far between.
本句出现词组few and far between，"稀少，很少见"的意思，曾经在托福考试中出现过。即时考生不知道词组的含义，也能根据前文的内容判断出来。
5. Unless the whole production cost could be reduced to a reasonable limit, the company would have to double its budget by next year.
作为条件句的一种，unless句型在历年考试中出现的并不多。"除非把产品成本降到合理极限，否则明年前公司不得不将预算翻倍"，也就是说，成本降不下来的话，预算就必须翻倍。
6. If the goods could not arrive in time for the Christmas rush, good quality and competitive price would mean nothing at all.
圣诞购物高峰前货物到达不了的话，再高的质量和再有竞争力的价格都于事无补。这句话还是比较容易理解的。
7. Well, I'm sure we can work something out but it's almost dinner time. May I suggest that we come back tomorrow, say 9 o'clock, to continue the talk?
我们在新东方的口译课上强调过小词用法的重要性，考生应经常在词典上翻阅诸如work, get, take等词后接不同介词的意思及用法。本句中词组"work things out"的意思---解决问题。
8. If our products are to compete on the international market, advanced technology is a key element. The higher the technology, the better the products and the greater the competitiveness.
本次考试关于商务类的内容考得非常多，这句话牵涉到"科技是第一生产力"的问题，技术越高，产品越好，越有竞争力。
9. The fact that Mr. Parkinson is a high-ranking CEO doesn't mean that he can advise you about finance and investment questions.
句子虽长，但应抓住主干The fact...doesn't mean...，就算是CEO也不一定能给你关于金融投资问题正确的建议。
10. In this country, the total number of people over 65 years old is 23 million today, but it will swell to 45 million by the year 2020.
唯一的一道数字题，即时出现的数字不一定每个都考，但应作好笔记。2千3百万和4千5百万，一看就知道是2倍的关系。
Talks & Conversation
第一篇对话的主题是租房。文中出现的房租都是整数，难度略低，记录的时候注意其区别在于房子的大小，即卧室的多少。当租房者提及在Station Street有一房源时，求租者的应答是"Oh yes, I know Station Street quite well"，此处他的重复意味的后面的内容是可能的考点。不出意外地，第12题就问：What does the man know about the Station Street? 若听的时候提高警惕，不难发现求租者认为"It's very convenient for transportation and shopping." 另外，文中女士提到...that's the best part, 400 pound a month...我在新东方的课上讲过，当听到类似"the best"的强调词时，要注意之后出现的内容。
第二篇文章介绍的是橙子对人身体的益处。作为健康食谱必不可少的一部分，橙子富含维生素C和钙质，能增强人的免疫力并能增加牙齿和骨骼的坚固度，能维持正常血压，能使肌肉功能正常发挥，还能降血脂，预防肾结石......。第15题考的是主题，从文章前3句话中不难听出。第16题问到世界上最受欢迎的口味是什么，从文章中"Today, the flavor of orange is the world's third favorite flavor, next to chocolate and vanilla"这句话里就能找到答案，这也是我们上课提到过的"听到最高级，记下修饰对象"原则。
第三篇对话发生在一个学生和他寄宿的home-stay主人之间。一开始大家就应从女士的话中(George, as a university student, you...)注意到男生的身份，这也是第19题所问到的。本文比较贴近生活，让考生很有兴趣跟随对话发展。女士一开始问到"What are your favorite English dishes?"男生的回答"Well, first of all, I think the quality of your food is excellent. Your dairy products are so fresh and your meat is usually so tender. "让人听出他其实并不喜欢英国菜，而是在用客套话使女主人听起来舒服些。女士其实也听出了男生的画外音，随即问到"Yes, but what English dish do you particularly like or don't you like any of them? "你到底喜欢具体哪道菜?还是根本什么都不喜欢?男生便招出了实情"Well, I'm a little tired of your fish and chips. And roast beef and Yorkshire pudding is good only when properly cooked at home. I don't like the way you cooked your vegetables either, and..."其实这个也不喜欢那个也不喜欢......女主人愠怒" So you don't really like any of our food, do you? "男生马上话锋一转"Oh, no. I didn't say that. I'm very fond of the steak and kidney pudding you make, and I like your apple pies."其实你做的牛排肾布丁和苹果派还是挺好吃的，最后点出关键" You know, all the home-made stuff."还是自制的最好吃，而这个关键，也成了第22题Why does the man like the steak and kidney pudding的答案。
第四篇文章讲述的是对每个考生都很现实的听力问题，此处的听力不仅限于英语的听力，而是一种重要的能力。Good listening is a valuable skill. It is one of the top management skills needed for successful business.大多数人能容忍外界事物分散自己的注意力，并因此经常会走神，是被动听者(passive listener)。而我们应通过pay consistent attentions, follow the speaker's movements, take notes以及ask question的方式，学会成为有效的主动听者(active listener)。第24题问到passive listener的特点，既可以根据记忆直接去选，也可以排除active listener的特点选出剩下的。
第五篇是对一个艺术家的访谈。考生可以从一开始主持人的介绍中发现这个人的身份，第27题就能找到答案。他讲述了自己的艺术生涯中风格的几次转变，从一开始的chunky organic brush style，(注意记录my first book: My Dollar)，到linear style(注意记录My Run on the Little Cat, my second series)，经过一系列的尝试，到现在的more graphic look。当主持人问他是否保持特立独行而不受他人影响时，他认为合作是人的天性。第30题问到艺术家对签约公司有何看法，从文中他最后It's a great place to be and I'm honored they keep renewing my contract的话里不难发现。
Sentence Translation
1. Most people are too anxious during tests. Such anxiety makes them less efficient than normal. As a result, their scores are much lower than they expected.
听到这句话，原本正双手颤抖心动过速紧张答题的考生会不禁莞尔一笑，也会不经意地在自己接下去考试中稳定情绪。的确，焦虑只会导致自己在考场中发挥失常。本句虽有3个分句，但难度不大，翻译的时候注意翻出因果关系和对比内容。
2. The office of Mr. Arthur Tiger, the prominent industrialist, was broken into during the weekend. A small amount of money was taken and the office itself was left in a terrible mess.
本句一开始提到了人名，若考生没有听清或无法记录，千万不能因此而打乱思路。课上我们曾经强调过，得分的关键不是人名，而是身份，之后作为插入语的身份一定要翻出来。若不认识prominent(卓越的)也不要紧张，只要抓住中心词industrialist(企业家)即可。边听可以边联想入室抢劫的场景---钱被偷了，屋内一片狼籍---以加深记忆。
3. A job interview works both ways. On the one hand, employers measure short-listed candidates during the conversation. On the other, prospective employees can decide whether the job in question is right for them.
课上我们特别提过"一方面。。。另一方面。。。"的记录方法，也特别解释过short-listed candidates，想必同学们不会再陌生。另外，大部分的考生都接触过求职这一话题，因此本句话还是比较贴近生活的。
4. The Stock Exchange Index was 998 in June 2005. Yesterday, it reached 5960, which is the highest in history and almost six times higher than two years ago.
本句主要考察的是数字的记录，出现了股指、倍数、时间以及年份。课上我们就这个专题进行过详细讲解及训练，绝大多数同学应该能够驾轻就熟了。自去年以来，股市已经成为一个全民话题，相信句中提到的数字大家也不陌生吧～
5. By far, the most serious economic problem in Britain is that of inflation, now being accelerated by overheated investment in capital and property and threatened further by possible wage explosion.
与奥会话题成为本次Spot-Dictation的主题一样，目前的考试越来越与时俱进。笔者在今年考前，特别在邱邱老师的博客上写过关于通货膨胀的热点追踪，这次考试果然就考到了。在房地产和资本市场的过度投资加速了在英国本来就已经很严重的通胀，且可能的薪酬暴涨会进一步加剧这一现象，前者属于需求拉动型，而后者属于成本推动型通货膨胀。在考前对此背景略有掌握的话，这最后一句听译中应该能拿到不错的分数。
Passage Translation
1. Water is great medicine, needed to maintain a healthy body and a clear mind. About 60% of your body is water, and you must constantly re-supply it. The standard recommendation is to drink at least eight glasses a day. When you are exercising, you need even more water, because you are sweating and losing water. Of course, warm temperatures also increase water loss. Just walking for an hour on a warm day may increase your requirement by two glasses or more.
2. Some people might think that being a foreign student is an easy task to do. It is not true. We live between two worlds. One, a world of memories, a world of the past where we get our strength to deal with the difficulties of growing up and adapting to new places. A world that nobody here knows. Two, the world of the present, strange and unfamiliar, a world where only we can take care of ourselves, a world where the rules and values are so different from the ones I was born to.
本次的段落听译没有出现任何难词，而且话题非常贴近生活，一篇为水的重要性，另一篇为留学生对于身处异乡的真切体会。只要心平气和地听，适时用缩写来记录关键字，拿到理想的分数并非遥不可及。
第一篇中，需要记录的有：medicine, healthy body, clear mind; 60%, re-supply; recommendation(注意：类似的长单词我们在课上讲过记录方法，即记下其动词的recommend，然后在右上方加上小的n表示其名词),8; exercise(记其标志性的前4个字母即可),more, because(用数学里常用的三点来表示), sweat, lose; warm temperature(同exercise，记前几个字母); walk, 1h(表示an hour), increase(用上升箭头表示), >2 glasses。
第二篇中，需要记录的有：think, foreign, student(取前三个字母), easy; not true; 2 world; 1. memory, past, strength, difficulty, grow up, adapt; nobody know; 2. present, strange, unfamiliar, take care 自己, rule, value, different。这一段的结构相当清晰，考生务必边听边理清脉络，分层记录。
（责任编辑:allen）
