地道英语

Take the plunge 下定决心，采取行动

内容简介

英语表达 “take the plunge” 的字面意思是 “纵身跳入水中”，但在日常生活中，它被用来比喻 “下定决心冒险尝试一件困难的事情”。听节目中主持人 Beth 和菲菲用 “take the plunge” 描述自己和身边的人 “下定决心，采取行动” 的经历。

文字稿

（关于台词的备注: 请注意这不是广播节目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能没有体现录制、编辑过程中对节目做出的改变。）

Feifei 
大家好，欢迎收听 BBC英语教学的 “地道英语” 节目。在每期节目中，我们都会介 绍一个英语母语人士或讲英语流利的人会用到的表达。I'm Feifei.

Beth 
And I'm Beth.

Feifei 
在这期节目中，我们要介绍的表达是 “take the plunge”。首先，我和 Beth 将用英语来讲解这个表达的用法，在节目最后，我将会用汉语进行归纳总结。Beth, do you know someone who decided to 'take the plunge'?

Beth 
I do, actually! So, my friend said it recently, and I thought it was interesting because the word 'plunge' always makes me think about jumping into water and that is definitely not what she meant. 

Feifei 
That is an interesting phrase, but what was your friend actually talking about? How is she going to take the plunge?

Beth 
Well, she has decided to quit her job, and she's going to change career completely because she's going to retrain to be a doctor. Now, that is something quite scary. She's going to have to train for a long time, and it's something she's been thinking about for a long time as well.

Feifei 
Wow, that is a very big change. So, your friend is taking the plunge. She's decided to make an important decision to stop her current job and go back to university. Now, where have you used this expression, Beth? 

Beth 
Err… let me think. Well, when I was in my 20s, I decided that I wanted to go travelling, and I quit my job. So, I then didn't have any money apart from my savings, and it felt like a bit of a scary decision but, yeah, I went travelling and I took the plunge.

Feifei
You certainly did! Actually, that reminds me of me! I moved to the UK and that was a big decision. I took the plunge too.

Beth 
Definitely. OK, here are some more examples of 'take the plunge'.   

Examples
I've always wanted to try karaoke. It looks so much fun, but I'm too scared to get up and sing in front of people. Maybe I just need to take the plunge and do it – see what happens!

I was working as a teacher in a school but I had a really good business idea. So, after thinking about it for a while, I finally took the plunge and did it.

I went to Denmark last year, and I really loved it there. So, I finally took the plunge and moved there.

Beth 
Now, 'take the plunge' is often used with situations that can't be changed. So, for example, when my friend has paid for her doctor training and quit her job, it will not be easy to go back.

Feifei 
No, it wouldn't. Now, earlier you said 'plunge' is often used with 'water', and that can help us remember this phrase. Imagine you are by the sea and going to jump into the water. You might feel a little nervous because the water could be cold. Now, maybe you don't know how deep it is, so it's something that is a bit scary. 

Beth 
Yes! So, 'take the plunge' means to make a decision about something difficult and maybe challenging.

Feifei
表达 “take the plunge” 的字面意思是 “纵身跳入水中”。比如当你在海滩上玩的时候，很可能会忍不住想要扑向眼前蔚蓝的大海，但在跳进海水里前需要做好充分的心理准备，因为海水可能会很冷。所以，我们现在就用 “take the plunge” 来指 “经过反复考虑之后，打定主意冒险尝试一件困难的事情”。Have you been considering doing something difficult or challenging? Try talking about your experience using the expression 'take the plunge'.

And that's all from us. We'll be back next week with another useful English phrase. See you next time! 

Beth 
Bye.