Words and Idioms:A Case in Point

现在播送<美国习惯用语>第 952讲。我是杨琳。<美国习惯用语>

M:我是 Douglas Johnson.

女:我一直很想周游世界，了解各国文化，尝遍各国美食，还能学习各个国家的语言。星期天我认识了一个新朋友，她的生活简直就跟我梦寐以求的生活！她是一个外交官，所以每两年她就能换一个新国家，体验新鲜的风土人情。我真羡慕她！这也让我想到一个习惯用语，那就是:

M:A case in point. Case is spelled c-a-s-e and point; p-o-i-n-t. A case in point.

我们知道，case是例子的意思，a case in point, 意思就是恰当的例子。我的外交官朋友过着我描述的梦想生活。It's a case in point. 再比如，我们全家性格都很内向，但是也有例外。My niece is a case in point. 我侄女就一个典型的例子。

大家都认为百万富翁应该会过着很不一样的生活，但事实是否如此呢？我们来听听看下面这个例子:

M:"People assume that the super wealthy live extravagant lifestyles. But you can find exceptions. My cousin is A CASE IN POINT. He's worth several million dollars. Still, he drives the same used car he's had for years, rents a modest apartment, and donates most of his money to charity. "

[这段话是说: 人们认为特别有钱的人都应该过着奢侈的生活，但实际上是也有例外。我的堂兄就是个例子。他身价好几百万美元，可还是开着那辆开了好多年的旧车，租着一间普通公寓，把赚来的绝大部分钱都捐给了慈善机构。]

这听起来很像我认识的一个朋友耶！她也非常有钱，可是她认为，成就感和美好的回忆比钱更重要。A case in point was her belief in living here and now. 一个恰当的例子就是她相信要活在当下。梦想是重要的，但是也不能错过享受眼前的时光。这对我们也是个提醒呢！好了，我们再来听听刚才那段话。

M:"People assume that the super wealthy live extravagant lifestyles. But you can find exceptions. My cousin is A CASE IN POINT. He's worth several million dollars. Still, he drives the same used car he's had for years, rents a modest apartment, and donates most of his money to charity. "

现在我们的生活与科技息息相关。但是有些人偏偏就要反其道而行，试图不让现代技术扰乱自己的生活。下面的这名作家就是一个例子，我们来听听看:

M:"It' true. I'm no fan of technology. Not only do I avoid computers and personal communication devices, but so do the characters in the short stories I write. My latest best-seller is A CASE IN POINT. There are no references to e-mails, blogs, the Internet or even cellphones. How's that for an example of what I believe? "

[这段话是说: 没错，我确实不是新科技的粉丝。我从来不使用电脑和任何个人通讯装置，而且我写的短篇小说里的人物也不会使用这些玩艺。我最新出版的畅销小说就很能说明问题。里面的人物完全脱离了电子邮件，博客，网络，甚至手机。听起来是不是我的理念的充分体现呢？]

女:我们管这种人啊叫Luddite, 就是反对科技创新的人。A case in point was a man named Lud. 最恰当的例子就是一个叫Lud的人。他是19世纪早期的一名纺织工，曾经焚毁纺织机器，因为他觉得这些机器威胁到了他的生计。这也就是Luddite, 反对科技创新者，这个词的来历。好的，我们再来听听刚才那段话:

M:"It's true. I'm no fan of technology. Not only do I avoid computers and personal communication devices, but so do the characters in the short stories I write. My latest best-seller is A CASE IN POINT. There are no references to e-mails, blogs, the Internet or even cellphones. How's that for an example of what I believe? "

女:各位听众，今天我们学习的习惯用语是A CASE IN POINT，意思是“恰当的例子”。好的，这次[美国习惯用语]就到此结束，我是杨琳，我是 Douglas Johnson。谢谢各位的收听。