美語情景對話 第447期:The Big OE 海外大體驗

Todd: So Mark, when I was in London I saw so many people from New Zealand and actually everywhere in the world I meet so many people from New Zealand, but you have such a small population. Is anybody still in New Zealand?

託德：馬克，我在倫敦見過很多來自新西蘭的人，實際上世界各地都有很多來自新西蘭的人，可是你們新西蘭的人口很少。現在還有人在新西蘭嗎？

Mark: Yeah, I think the Kiwis and Aussies that you see in London and in other parts of England and Europe, many of them are young Kiwis doing what we call 'the big OE'.

馬克：是啊，我認爲你在倫敦和英國或歐洲其他地方看到的那些新西蘭人和澳大利亞人，有很多都是年輕的新西蘭人正在進行“海外大體驗”。

Todd: The big OE? What's that?

託德：海外大體驗？那是什麼？

Mark: 'The big overseas experience' or 'the big overseas excursion'. So, a lot of people, when they finish school or finish university, they take a year offand because New Zealand is located a long way from anywhere, instead of taking a trip from one country to another for a week, like many Europeans do, when young New Zealanders travel they tend to go backpacking a lot, get a part time job working in a pub or a restaurant in London to make more money and then they will travel for 3 or 4 months through Europe. They may go back to England and work a bit more and then see a few more countries, and then maybe after a year or so they'll start heading back towards home. That's 'the big OE'.

馬克：“海外大體驗”或者說“海外大考察”。有許多人在完成學業或是大學畢業之後，都會休息一年，因爲新西蘭離其他地方很遠，所以不能像歐洲許多國家那樣只用一週的時間就去其他國家旅行，一般新西蘭的年輕人會選擇揹包旅行，在倫敦的酒吧或者餐廳找份兼職的工作賺些錢，這樣他們就能在歐洲旅行三四個月。之後他們可能會回到倫敦繼續工作，然後再去其他的國家旅行，大概一年之後他們會結束旅行回家。這就是“海外大體驗”。

Todd: So did you do 'the big OE'?

託德：那你以前進行過“海外大體驗”嗎？

Mark: Sort of, yeah. After I'd finished work at…after I'd finished university I worked for a few months and yes, I did go to England. I'd applied for a job and then hadn't heard back so I started my OE and I did it for a few months and then I actually found out I'd got a job, so I cut the OE short to join the working world.

馬克：類似吧。我結束了工作……我大學畢業之後工作了幾個月的時間，然後我去了英國。當時我申請了一份工作但是沒有收到回覆，所以我就開始了“海外大體驗”，我大概旅行了幾個月的時間，然後找到了一份工作，所以我就結束了“海外大體驗”，開始了工作。

Todd: Ok, what countries besides London are popular for Kiwis to go and visit?

託德：好，那除了倫敦以外，新西蘭人還喜歡去哪個國家旅行？

Mark: Um, now…

馬克：這個……

Todd: Or what cities or places?

託德：或者是哪個城市和地方？

Mark: Now I think they're getting more adventurous. Before it used to be very euro-centric, but now a lot more people are going through Asia and going to more exotic locations: maybe South America, some people travel to Africa. The old ties to England are still there; I think that's still the first location for many people: save a bit of money and then see the rest of the world.

馬克：我覺得他們現在喜歡冒險。以前的旅行基本都集中在歐洲地區，但是現在越來越多人會去亞洲或者更具異國情調的地方旅行；也許是美國南部，也有一些人去非洲旅行。當然和英國的關係依然存在；我認爲英國仍然是大部分人的首選，因爲去那裏可以存些錢，然後還可以去世界其他地方走走看看。

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重點講解：
1. take off
請假；休假；告假；
eg. Mitchel's schedule had not permitted him to take time off.
米切爾的日程安排使他無法休假。
eg. She took two days off work.
她休了兩天假。
2. instead of
代替…；而不是…；
eg. Instead of moving at his usual stately pace, he was almost running.
他沒像平時那樣優雅莊重地走着，而是幾乎跑了起來。
eg. She chose happiness instead of wealth.
她寧願要幸福而捨棄財富。
3. apply for
申請；請求；
eg. She graduated with high enough marks to apply for university.
她的畢業成績足以申請上大學。
eg. He encouraged me to apply for the job.
他鼓勵我去應徵那份工作。
4. cut short
終止；中斷；打斷；
eg. His glittering career was cut short by a heart attack.
他輝煌的事業因心臟病發作而被迫終止。
eg. Jackson cut short his trip to Africa.
傑克遜提前結束了他的非洲之行。