【點我了解】實用口語教程：The English We Speak
Helen: Hello, and welcome to The English We Speak. My name is Helen.
海倫：大家好，歡迎收聽地道英語節目。我是海倫。
Rob: And I'm Rob. Helen, you look like you've been rushing. Here, have some water.
羅布：我是羅布。海倫，你看起來很匆忙。來喝點水吧。
Helen: Oh thanks. I'm a bit out of breath. My appointment at the bank took longer than expected.
海倫：哦，謝謝。我有點喘不過來氣。我在銀行辦事的時間比預期的長了些。
Rob: You got here just in the nick of time then.
羅布：你在最後時刻趕到了這裡。
Helen: Just in the nick of time? Shouldn't it be just in time?
海倫：in the nick of time？不是應該說及時嗎？
Rob: You can say both. It means at the very last moment. Let's hear how this phrase is used.
羅布：兩種說法都可以。意思是在最後一刻。我們來聽一下這個短語的用法。
The English We Speak from the BBC Learning English
這裡是BBC英語教學頻道的地道英語節目
Woman 1: Alice gave birth to a baby girl last night.
女1：艾麗絲昨晚生了一個女孩。
Woman 2: I thought she wasn't due for another three weeks.
女2：我以為她的預產期還有三周呢。
Woman 1: It was early and they got to the hospital just in the nick of time.
女1：是早產，他們在最後一刻趕到了醫院。
Man: Sarah and I were on our way to see Beyonce in concert. But she left her mobile in the office, so we had to go back and get it.
男：薩拉和我在去看碧昂斯演唱會的路上，她突然想起來她的手機落在辦公室了，所以我們不得不返回辦公室去拿手機。
Woman: Did you miss the show?
女：那你們錯過演出了嗎？
Man: Thankfully not, we got there just in the nick of time.
男：幸運的是我們沒錯過演出，我們在最後一刻趕到了現場。
Helen: In the first example, we heard one woman got to the hospital just before her baby was born. And in the second example, a couple nearly missed their Beyonce concert.
海倫：在第一個例子中，我們聽到一名女性正好在生孩子前一刻趕到了醫院。而在第二個例子中，一對情侶差點就要錯過碧昂斯的演唱會了。
Rob: That would've been awful. You hear this phrase often used to suggest a disaster had been averted. If the action happened any later, then something awful could happen.
羅布：那會很糟糕的。你聽到了，這個短語通常用於說明不好的事情被避開了。如果這件事情發生了，那就會造成糟糕的結果。
Helen: I see. I have another question–is this phrase a British expression?
海倫：我明白了。我還有一個問題，這是一個英國表達方式嗎？
Rob: I don't think the phrase 'in the nick of time' is specifically British. It originated from the UK, but English speakers from all over the world use it.
羅布：我想這個短語並不是英式英語專用的。這個短語起源於英國，但是全世界以英語為母語的人都會使用這個短語。
Helen: Let's listen to a few more examples then.
海倫：我們再來聽一些例子。
Man: We arrived just in the nick of time. Another five minutes, our plane would have left without us.
男：我們在最後一刻趕到了。再耽誤五分鐘，我們就要錯過飛機了。
Woman: Sam was experimenting with stir frying last night and the wok caught fire. Luke rushed in with the fire blanket just in the nick of time.
女：薩姆昨晚嘗試了爆炒，結果炒鍋著火了。盧克在關鍵時刻拿著滅火毯衝了進來。
Helen: That was close. Stir frying can get pretty hot sometimes. And it's good that Luke didn't try to put out the fire with water.
海倫：好險啊。爆炒有時會讓鍋的溫度變得非常熱。幸虧盧克沒用水去滅火。
Rob: That would have been a catastrophe. So Helen, are you the kind of person who likes to do things at the very last minute?
羅布：要是那樣就會變成災難了。所以海倫，你是那種喜歡在最後一刻做事情的人嗎？
Helen: Well, I'd like to think of myself as a person who can do things in the nick of time. Thanks for listening. Bye.
海倫：我認為我自己是可以在最後一刻做事情的人。謝謝大家收聽節目。再見。
Rob: Bye.
羅布：再見。
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