长期没有变动的人
Part of the furniture
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak.
大家好，欢迎收听地道英语。
I'm Helen and joining me today is Neil.
我是海伦，今天和我一起的是尼尔。
Hello everyone.
大家好。
Neil, guess who I met yesterday?
尼尔，猜猜我昨天遇见谁了？
No idea.
不知道。
Anyone I know?
是我认识的人吗？
The name is Jonathan Kendall -
那人叫乔纳森·肯德尔——
he said you guys worked together a long time ago.
他说你们很久以前一起工作过。
Oh yes, we did.
噢，是的，我们以前一起工作过。
Gosh, it must have been nearly 15 years ago if my memory is right.
天啊，如果我没记错的话，应该是大约15年前吧。
Wow, that is a long time ago.
哇哦，确实是很久以前的事了。
So what's he doing now?
他现在做什么工作啊？
He works at Radio Melody.
他在旋律电台工作，
He's is now the station manager.
他现在已经是站长了。
Is he still there?
他还在那儿工作啊？
Wow, he really is part of the furniture.
哇哦，他真是家具的一部分啊。
What do you mean ‘he’s part of the furniture’?
你说“他是家具的一部分”是什么意思？
He is a person, not a sofa or a table.
他是人，不是沙发或者桌子啊。
Oh, I don’t mean it literally.
噢，我不是指字面上的意思。
It’s an expression we use to describe
这是一种表达方式，我们用来描述
someone or something that’s been in the same place for a very long time.
某人或某物在同一个地方待了很长时间。
You almost that think they'll be there forever.
你习以为常，几乎认为他们会永远待在那儿了。
Let’s listen to a few examples.
让我们来听几个例子吧。
John has been the school caretaker for nearly twenty years.
约翰当了近二十年学校的看门人。
He’s become part of the furniture.
他长期不曾变动过。
We come here so often,
我们经常来这儿，
it's almost as if we are part of the furniture.
我们是这里的常客。
She's had a seat in parliament for over 50 years –
她当了50多年议员了，
she's part of the furniture in the House of Commons.
她长期在下议院，不曾变动过。
Right, I’ve got it.
嗯，我懂了。
So how long have you been at the BBC?
你在英国广播公司多久了？
I've lost count.
我已经数不清了。
Let me see, I left school at 18,
让我想想，我18岁离开学校，
did an apprenticeship for 2 years and then I joined the BBC in 1995.
做了两年学徒，然后在1995年的时候进入了英国广播公司。
That’s twenty years.
有二十年了。
My goodness!
我的天啊！
So you are part of the furniture at the BBC!
你在英国广播公司待了这么久，不曾变动过！
Yes, you are absolutely right.
是的，非常对。
Where have all the years gone?
时间都去哪儿了呢？
Will you be here for the next twenty years?
未来二十年你还会在这儿吗？
Who knows?
谁知道呢？
Let's wait and see.
让我们等着瞧吧。