听力文本

Now, the VOA Learning English program, Words and Their Stories.

Americans can sometimes begin a sentence with the words "You're giving me." This expression usually describes a person's reaction to a surprise or to something unpleasant.

First, let's look at an example from the world of business.

What if you are asked to speak to a group of important customers -- people who depend on your product or services? You prepare for your speech, but you still have concerns about how you will perform in front of the group. Minutes before the speech, you might tell a friend that you have "the jitters." This means you are worried. Even experienced performers can get the jitters, especially before a big event.

Creeps, willies and heebie-jeebies -- oh my!

Now, let's talk about your neighborhood.

What if a stranger lives in a house near your home? The man does not appear normal. He may talk to himself, and even raise his voice at imaginary things. He makes you very nervous, even fearful. So, you might say "I get the creeps every time he walks by." Or you could say, "That guy gives me the creeps."

The willies are a lot like the creeps. You get the willies when you have a nervous feeling, like when you are in a forest and hear something unusual. These sounds give you "the willies."

Having a nervous feeling can also mean something or someone is giving you "the heebie-jeebies.".

You might say "I got the heebie-jeebies when I saw him looking at me." Also, it is a fun word to say - heebie-jeebies.

Sometimes your body shows you what you are feeling in the form of tiny bumps on your skin called "goosebumps."

Goosebumps can appear when you are nervous, excited or even very cold. In American English, you might say "I get goosebumps every time I think about it" or "It gives me goosebumps."

Butterflies are small, often beautiful insects. But they can also be a nervous feeling you get in your stomach, often before a performance of some kind.

You might say "I am looking forward to playing, but I must admit I've got butterflies in the pit of my stomach."

Sometimes, when a person likes another person romantically, they may say she or he gives them butterflies. They are excited at the thought of being with that person.

Finally, some Americans, when frightened, may use the expression, "you almost gave me a heart attack!" But they are not really having a heart attack. They just mean they were so scared that their heart might have stopped beating. A mother who sees her child fall from a tree might say the experience "almost gave me a heart attack!" In other words, the fall frightened her very badly.

So if someone says they have the jitters, try to help them calm down. Tell them to take a few deep breaths.

If you are told you are giving someone the creeps or the willies or the heebie-jeebies, it might be a good time to consider making some changes. Try not to be so unusual.

If a person tells you that you give them goosebumps or butterflies, it means they like you -- a lot. So, stay the way you are.

In your language how do you say someone is giving you the creeps, or the willies, or the heebie-jeebies? And do you have things like goosebumps or butterflies in the stomach? Let us know what these words are in the comments section!

Christopher Jones-Cruise wrote this report in Learning English. I'm Anna Matteo.

重点解析

1.depend on 信赖
You shouldn't listen to the rumour.You can depend on me.
你可别听信流言蜚语，你可以信赖我。

2.have the jitters 紧张不安
All of my classmates have the jitters because of the test.
由于考试，我的同学都紧张得要命。

3.get the creeps 毛骨悚然
I stayed listening to all the strange noises in the deserted house until I began to get the creeps.
我一直呆在那里，听着那幢废弃的屋子里传出的奇怪声音，感到毛骨悚然。

4.get goosebumps 起鸡皮疙瘩
I get goosebumps when I see a snake.
我见到蛇时会吓得起鸡皮疙瘩。

参考译文

现在是VOA学英语《词汇掌故》栏目。

美国人有时候会用“You're giving me”来开始一句话。这种表达通常描述的是一个人对惊奇或不愉快的事情的反应。

首先，让我们看看商业世界中的一个例子。

如果你被要求向一群重要的客户--比如说依赖你的产品或者服务的那些人--演讲，那会怎么样呢？你为你的演讲做了准备，但你仍旧对在这些人面前表现自己感到忧虑。在演讲前的几分钟，你可能会跟你的一个朋友说你have the jitters。这个短语的意思是你紧张不安。即使是经验丰富的表演者也会紧张，尤其是在一项重大事件之前。

毛骨悚然，焦虑不安和紧张。天哪！

现在，让我们说一说你的邻居吧。

如果你家旁边住进一个陌生人会怎么样呢？这个人看起来不太正常。他也许会自言自语，甚至会对虚构的东西提高嗓门。他会让你非常紧张，甚至是害怕。这时，你就可以说：“每次他从我旁边经过，我都会毛骨悚然。”或者你也可以说：“那家伙让我毛骨悚然。”

焦虑不安和毛骨悚然的感觉很像。当你感到紧张时，比如说当你在森林中听到一些不寻常的声音时，你就会焦虑不安。

有一种不安的感觉，也可以指的是某事物或某人让你神经紧张。

你可以说：“当我看到他在看我的时候，我就紧张不已。”此外，heebie-jeebies是一个说起来很好玩儿的词。

有时候，你的身体会以一种皮肤上的小疙瘩的形式表现出你此时的感觉，我们称之为“鸡皮疙瘩”。

当你紧张不安、激动甚至是非常冷的时候，鸡皮疙瘩就会出现。在美式英语中，你可以说：“每次我想到它的时候，我就浑身起鸡皮疙瘩。”或者是：“它让我起了鸡皮疙瘩。”

蝴蝶是一种很小的、通常是很漂亮的昆虫。但是它们也可以是一种你胃部紧张的感觉--通常是在某种表演之前。

你可以说：“我很期待上台表演，但是我必须要承认，我感觉心里发慌。”

有时候，当一个人很喜欢另外一个人的时候，他们可以说对方让自己心动不已。想到和那个人在一起的时候，他们会非常激动。

最后，有一些美国人在受到惊吓的时候，会使用这种表达：“你差点把我吓出心脏病！”但是他们其实并没有心脏病。他们只是表达自己很害怕，以至于他们的心脏都要停止跳动了的意思。一位看到自己的孩子从树上摔下来的母亲，就可以说这种经历“快把我吓出心脏病了”。换句话说，摔下来这个动作让她非常害怕。

所以如果有人说自己紧张不安，那就试着帮他们冷静下来。告诉他们深呼吸几次。

如果你被告知你让某人毛骨悚然、焦虑不安和紧张，那现在可能是反思并做些改变的时候了。不要尝试变得那么与众不同。

如果有人告诉你，你让他们起了鸡皮疙瘩或是心动不已，含义就是他们非常喜欢你。这样的话，你就继续保持吧。

在你们的语言中，是怎么表达某人让你毛骨悚然，或者焦虑不安，又或者是紧张的呢？有类似于起鸡皮疙瘩或是心动不已的东西吗？在评论区，告诉我们这些词语吧！

本期节目是由克里斯托弗·琼斯-克鲁斯撰写的。我是安娜·马特奥。