听播客学英语 129 特朗普先生的高尔夫球场

 　　We go to Scotland again today for our podcast. But first I must introduce you to an English expression – to turn something into something else. What does “turn into” mean? The easiest way of explaining is to give you an example. Do you remember the fairy story about a handsome prince who had an argument with a wicked witch? The wicked witch turned the prince into a frog – that means, she waved her magic wand, and muttered¹ some magic words, and the handsome prince became something completely different, a frog. Later in the story, a beautiful princess finds the frog, and when she kisses the frog, it turns back into the handsome prince. Naturally the handsome prince and the beautiful princess get married and they live happily ever after, because that is what always happens in fairy stories. So, girls, if you are looking for a husband, and you don’t fancy online dating, try kissing a few frogs. One of them may turn into a handsome prince. Maybe.

　　Now that you know what “turn into” means, we can get back to our podcast story. You may have heard of Mr Donald Trump². He is American and he is very, very rich. He is a property developer – that means, he buys land and builds new buildings, like flats and offices, on it. Generally, they are grand and expensive buildings, for rich people. Mr Trump is very intersted in golf. He owns several golf courses in the United States. They are, naturally, the biggest, the best and the most beautiful golf courses in the world.

　　A few years ago, he decided³ that Scotland – a country which is already full of golf courses – needed a Trump golf course. So he bought land beside the sea near the city of Aberdeen, to turn into a golf course. In fact, he planned two golf courses, a golf academy, a luxury hotel, 1000 holiday homes and 500 houses. And all of these things would, of course, be the best in the world.

　　Mr Trump and his people then spent several months persuading people in Aberdeen that this would be a wonderful thing. And they were very successful – lots of people agreed that what Aberdeen needed was Mr Trump and his money. But there were two problems. The first was that the land contained a Site of Special Scientific Interest – that means, it contained plants, birds or animals that need to be protected. If Mr Trump turned this land into a golf course, it would damage the environment. So many conservation groups decided to oppose Mr Trump’s plans.

　　The second problem was called Michael Forbes. Mr Forbes has a small farm in the middle of the area which Mr Trump wants to turn into a golf course. He lives there with his mother, who is 83. It is not a pretty farm. There are lots of old tractors and bits of rusting⁴ farm machinery⁵. But it is Mr Forbes farm, and he does not want to sell. Mr Trump’s lawyers have offered him money, and more money. But Mr Forbes has said no; and his mother has said that she will leave her home in her coffin⁶, but not before.

　　And last week something very surprising happened. The local authority – in a very close vote – rejected Mr Trump’s plans. The conservation lobby⁷ cheered. The golf course lobby are dismayed⁸. Mr Trump is very annoyed. But he will not give up. The newspapers report that he has just bought a large area of land in Northern Ireland, and wants to turn it into a golf course.

1 muttered   

轻声低语，咕哝地抱怨( mutter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He muttered a curse at the other driver. 他低声咒骂另一位开车的人。
• She turned away and muttered something unintelligible. 她转向一旁，嘴里不知咕哝些什么。

2 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 rusting   

n.生锈v.（使）生锈( rust的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• There was an old rusting bolt on the door. 门上有一个生锈的旧门闩。 来自辞典例句
• Zinc can be used to cover other metals to stop them rusting. 锌可用来涂在其他金属表面以防锈。 来自辞典例句

5 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

6 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

7 lobby   

n.前厅，（剧院的）门廊

参考例句：

• As he walked through the lobby,he skirted a group of ladies.他穿过门厅时，绕过了一群女士。
• The delegates entered the assembly hall by way of the lobby.代表们通过大厅进入会场。

8 dismayed   

adj. 心慌

参考例句：

• I was dismayed when I recongnized the voice of Mrs. Bates. 当我听出是贝茨夫人的声音时，我感到丧气。
• He was dismayed when he found his wallet gone. 他发现丢了钱包而惊慌失措。