外教课

外教课 2026-06-21

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A rockin' sponsorship idea

一个超赞的赞助创意

By the end of the session, you will be able to...

在本课结束时，你将能够……

...talk about corporate sponsorship.

……谈论企业赞助。

...understand a written critical review.

……理解一篇书面评论。

Vocabulary boost

词汇提升

Guess the word

猜猜这个词

Key language

核心语言

Your trainer will give you one of the above words. Come up with an example that matches the type of marketing you received.

你的教练会给你上面的一个词。想出一个与你拿到的营销类型相匹配的例子。

Answer: Event marketing – A sportswear brand sponsors the Olympics to reach a global audience.

回答：活动营销——一个运动品牌赞助奥运会以接触全球观众。

Venue marketing – A telecom company purchases naming rights for a major indoor arena.

场馆营销——一家电信公司购买一个大型室内体育馆的冠名权。

Cause marketing – A company donates a portion of sales to charity and advertises it.

公益营销——一家公司将部分销售额捐给慈善机构并进行广告宣传。

Philanthropy – A tech company donates connectivity equipment to disaster areas with no publicity.

慈善事业——一家科技公司向灾区捐赠通信设备但不做宣传。

Ambush marketing – A brand that is not an official sponsor hands out free products outside an event venue.

伏击营销——一个非官方赞助商的品牌在赛事场地外免费发放产品。

Share your experience

分享你的经验

Sponsorship at your company

你公司的赞助活动

Does your company engage in any corporate sponsorship? What does it sponsor? Does it sponsor a variety of events or organizations?

你的公司有参与企业赞助吗？赞助了什么？是赞助各种活动还是各种组织？

Answer: Yes, my company engages in corporate sponsorship. We sponsor a major indoor arena by purchasing its naming rights, and we have also sponsored professional football clubs.

回答：是的，我的公司参与了企业赞助。我们通过购买一个大型室内体育馆的冠名权进行赞助，也赞助过职业足球俱乐部。

So we sponsor a variety of events and organizations.

所以我们赞助的是多种活动和组织。

Do you think corporate sponsorship is an effective way for your company to market itself? Why or why not?

你认为企业赞助对你的公司来说是一种有效的营销方式吗？为什么？

Answer: Yes, it's effective. Naming rights for a major arena give us constant brand visibility for years, and sports sponsorships help us reach a broad, engaged audience.

回答：是的，这很有效。一个大型体育馆的冠名权能让我们的品牌持续曝光多年，体育赞助也帮助我们接触到广泛且积极参与的受众。

However, it requires significant investment, so it works best for large companies with big marketing budgets.

但它需要大量投资，所以最适合拥有大营销预算的大公司。

Does your company engage in any type of philanthropy? If so, what does it do?

你的公司有从事慈善活动吗？如果有，做了些什么？

Answer: Yes, our company has a volunteer-based humanitarian response program that deploys employees and telecommunications equipment to disaster-affected areas.

回答：是的，我们公司有一个基于志愿者的人道主义响应项目，将员工和电信设备部署到受灾地区。

We also partner with UNICEF on an education initiative that brings internet connectivity to schools in developing countries.

我们还与联合国儿童基金会合作开展教育计划，为发展中国家的学校提供互联网连接。

If you could choose an event or organization for your company to sponsor or donate to, what would it be and why?

如果你可以为公司选一个活动或组织来赞助或捐赠，你会选什么？为什么？

Answer: I would choose an international technology conference like Mobile World Congress, because it directly aligns with our industry, gives us access to decision-makers worldwide, and reinforces our position as a technology leader.

回答：我会选择像世界移动通信大会这样的国际科技会议，因为它与我们的行业直接相关，能让我们接触到全球的决策者，并巩固我们作为技术领导者的地位。

Talk about it

讨论一下

Guidelines for corporate sponsorship

企业赞助的准则

When choosing an event or organization to sponsor, what are the most important criteria a company needs to consider before making a decision? For example, should a company only choose something that aligns with their values and/or products, or should they choose an organization based on the amount of exposure the company will receive?

在选择要赞助的活动或组织时，公司在做决定之前需要考虑的最重要的标准是什么？例如，公司应该只选择与其价值观和/或产品一致的对象，还是应该根据公司将获得的曝光量来选择？

Answer: The most important criteria include brand alignment, audience overlap with the target market, potential media exposure, cost versus return on investment, and reputation risk.

回答：最重要的标准包括品牌契合度、受众与目标市场的重叠度、潜在媒体曝光度、成本与投资回报率，以及声誉风险。

Ideally a company should balance values alignment with exposure — choosing something contradictory to their brand could backfire.

理想情况下，公司应在价值观契合与曝光量之间取得平衡——选择与品牌矛盾的对象可能会适得其反。

Brainstorm a short list of criteria companies should follow when choosing a potential event or organization for sponsorship.

头脑风暴列出一个简短的标准清单，供公司在选择潜在赞助对象时参考。

Answer: 1. Brand-value alignment.

回答：1. 品牌价值契合度。

2. Target audience overlap.

3. 目标受众重叠度。

4. Expected media exposure and reach.

5. 预期媒体曝光和覆盖范围。

6. Cost and budget feasibility.

7. 成本和预算可行性。

8. Reputation and controversy risk.

9. 声誉和争议风险。

10. Long-term partnership potential.

11. 长期合作潜力。

12. Measurability of results.

13. 结果的可衡量性。

Let's read

让我们来阅读

A music festival review

一篇音乐节评论

Read this critical review of a music festival.

阅读这篇关于一个音乐节的评论。

1. In general, what does the writer think of music festivals?

2. 总体来说，作者对音乐节的看法是什么？

Answer: The writer generally dislikes music festivals. He describes the bands as "tone-deaf" and "off-key," calls the fans "loud and obnoxious," and says the electronic dance music is "soul-crushing."

回答：作者总体上不喜欢音乐节。他形容乐队"五音不全"、"跑调"，说粉丝们"吵闹讨厌"，电子舞曲"令人崩溃"。

He's only there because he's being paid.

他来只是因为有钱拿。

2. What did he like about this festival in particular?

3. 他特别喜欢这个音乐节的什么？

Answer: He loved The Crashing Zucchini's performance. He was impressed by their ability to blend punk, folk, and EDM into "pure bliss," praised Willie Morgan's vocals and bass playing, and noted the crowd was entranced and unusually well-behaved.

回答：他喜欢"碎南瓜"乐队的表演。他对他们将朋克、民谣和电子舞曲融合为"纯粹享受"的能力印象深刻，赞扬了威利·摩根的歌声和贝斯演奏，并指出观众被迷住了，异常安静守规矩。

3. What is the overall tone of this article?

4. 这篇文章的整体语气是什么？

Answer: The tone is sarcastic and cynical with dry humor. The writer complains throughout but grudgingly admits genuine admiration for one band, creating a contrast between his curmudgeonly persona and his honest enthusiasm.

回答：语气是讽刺、愤世嫉俗的，带有冷幽默。作者全程抱怨，但勉强承认对一支乐队的真诚欣赏，在他暴躁的人设和真实的热情之间形成反差。

CRASHING ZUCCHINI WOW AT MILLENIFEST

"碎南瓜"乐队在千禧音乐节上大放异彩

by M.U. Zeke Snabe

作者：M.U. Zeke Snabe

It's that time of year when City Park becomes the temporary home of tone-deaf, off-key punk bands, pretentious hippie folk musicians, and – worst of all – soul-crushing, ear-splitting, zombie-making electronic dance music.

一年中的这个时候，城市公园再次成为那些五音不全的朋克乐队、自命不凡的嬉皮民谣音乐人，以及——最糟糕的——令人崩溃、震耳欲聋、让人变成僵尸的电子舞曲的临时地盘。

To make matters worse, all these groups attract their loud, obnoxious fans, all of whom exhibit questionable levels of sobriety.

更糟的是，这些乐队吸引了他们那些吵闹讨厌的粉丝，这些人清醒程度都很值得怀疑。

So, why, may you ask, am I here at the world-renowned Millenifest? Money, that's why!

那么，你可能会问，我为什么会出现在举世闻名的千禧音乐节上？钱，就是因为钱！

Despite my cranky exterior, I am trying to make the best out of this.

尽管我外表暴躁，我还是在努力让这次经历好过一些。

Which brings me to a more positive note.

这就要说到积极的一面了。

Yes, even this music snob can find something in this cacophonous mixture.

是的，即使是我这个音乐势利眼也能在这片嘈杂的大杂烩中找到点东西。

Last night was the San Francisco debut of The Crashing Zucchini, a hybrid punk-folk-EDM trio.

昨晚是"碎南瓜"乐队在旧金山的首演，他们是一个融合朋克-民谣-电子舞曲的三人组。

Separately, those genres make me want to stab my eardrums with an ice pick. But put together? Pure bliss!

单独来看，这些音乐类型让我想用冰锥刺穿自己的耳膜。但组合在一起？纯粹的享受！

I admit, I was skeptical when they took their place on the bandstand, but I was soon wowed.

我承认，当他们走上演奏台时我是持怀疑态度的，但我很快就被惊艳到了。

Never have I been so impressed by a band so young.

我从未对如此年轻的乐队留下这么深刻的印象。

The soloist, Willie Morgan, looks like he's barely out of high school, but he has a set of pipes on him that can put the best opera divas to shame.

独唱歌手威利·摩根看起来像刚高中毕业，但他的嗓音足以让最好的歌剧天后自愧不如。

Morgan is also a virtuoso on the bass guitar.

摩根还是一位贝斯吉他大师。

His two bandmates are equally as impressive on the drums and keyboard.

他的两位队友在鼓和键盘上同样令人印象深刻。

Everything harmonized so well that you forgot that their signature sound is a blend of three horrific genres.

一切配合得如此和谐，以至于你忘了他们标志性的声音是三种可怕类型的混合。

The crowd seemed entranced by them.

观众似乎被他们迷住了。

Never have I seen a bunch of teenagers and young adults so silent and well-behaved during a performance!

我从未见过一群青少年和年轻人在演出时如此安静和守规矩！

Their set ran for about an hour, which is long for a festival.

他们的表演持续了大约一个小时，对于音乐节来说算很长了。

They ended with two encores, the last one being "1981", their biggest hit.

他们以两首返场曲结束，最后一首是他们最大的热门歌曲《1981》。

That starts out quiet, then crescendos into the loudest sounds I've heard so far at this festival.

这首歌开始很安静，然后渐强到我在这个音乐节上听过的最大声。

The ovation lasted for over ten minutes.

掌声持续了十多分钟。

They will be performing again tonight, so don't miss out.

他们今晚还会再演一场，千万不要错过。

I know I'll be there again.

我知道我肯定会再去。

Now, I just have to get through ten mind-numbing hours of everyone else's dreck…

现在，我只需要熬过其他人那十个小时令人麻木的垃圾表演……

Your turn

轮到你了

A musical sponsorship

一项音乐赞助

You work for a retail company that runs a successful chain of clothing stores geared toward teenagers and young adults.

你在一家零售公司工作，该公司经营着一条面向青少年和年轻人的成功服装连锁店。

Your company believes that a corporate sponsorship would be beneficial for the company, which is attempting to expand overseas.

你的公司认为企业赞助对正在尝试海外扩张的公司有益。

The CEO wants to find an event or organization related to music, as most teenagers and young adults pay attention to the current music scene.

CEO想找到一个与音乐相关的活动或组织，因为大多数青少年和年轻人都关注当前的音乐圈。

The Executives have narrowed the list down to three possibilities. Have a look at them, and decide which would be best for your company.

高管们已经把名单缩小到三个选项。看看它们，决定哪个对你的公司最好。

Answer: The Community Music Hall is the best choice. It covers all types of music that appeal to the target market, is loved by local youth, and needs funding — which creates great PR value and goodwill.

回答：社区音乐厅是最佳选择。它涵盖了吸引目标市场的各种音乐类型，深受当地年轻人喜爱，且需要资金——这能带来极大的公关价值和好感度。

While it limits admission to people over 18 (meaning we miss some younger teenagers), the majority of our target customers are 18-25.

虽然它限制18岁以上入场（意味着我们会错过一些较年轻的青少年），但我们的大部分目标客户是18-25岁。

Millenifest's audience is hostile to big corporations, which could backfire.

千禧音乐节的观众敌视大企业，可能会适得其反。

Trumpets for Teens focuses on jazz and classical, which don't match the target market's interests.

"少年号角"专注于爵士和古典，不符合目标市场的兴趣。

Millenifest is a local music festival that draws musical acts and an audience from around the country.

千禧音乐节是一个本地音乐节，吸引了来自全国各地的音乐表演和观众。

It is a three-day event that gives independent musicians a stage to perform for their fans.

这是一个为期三天的活动，为独立音乐人提供一个为粉丝表演的舞台。

The core audience is made up of young adults ages 18-25, which is your company's target market.

核心观众由18-25岁的年轻人组成，正是你公司的目标市场。

However, the vast majority of festivalgoers have very strong political views and rail against large corporations and store chains as much as they can.

然而，绝大多数音乐节参加者有非常强烈的政治观点，尽其所能地抨击大企业和连锁店。

Trumpets for Teens is a nonprofit organization that gives musical instruments to children and teenagers who cannot afford them.

"少年号角"是一个非营利组织，向买不起乐器的儿童和青少年提供乐器。

It works with local schools to find budding musicians who are unable to practice their hobby due to the lack of adequate equipment.

它与当地学校合作，寻找因缺乏设备而无法练习的音乐新秀。

This organization works with bands that play primarily jazz and classical music, not exactly the genres that your target market would be interested in.

这个组织合作的乐队主要演奏爵士乐和古典音乐，并不是你目标市场会感兴趣的类型。

The Community Music Hall is a nonprofit music venue that stages performances of all types of music and dance, from classical to hip-hop to metal.

社区音乐厅是一个非营利音乐场馆，上演各种类型的音乐和舞蹈表演，从古典到嘻哈到金属。

It is loved by the youth of your city, but due to a lack of funding, can no longer operate.

它深受你所在城市年轻人的喜爱，但由于缺乏资金，已无法继续运营。

Though loved by younger people, older people and members of certain political groups have been petitioning for its closure for years due to the controversial nature of many of its performers.

虽然年轻人喜欢它，但老年人和某些政治团体的成员多年来一直请愿关闭它，因为许多表演者的争议性。

The Music hall also limits admission to people over the age of 18 only.

音乐厅也仅限18岁以上的人入场。

Spotlight

聚焦

Odd sponsorship choices

奇怪的赞助选择

According to a recent report, some of the world's largest soft drink companies sponsor a total of 96 health organizations, including the American Diabetes Association.

据最近一份报告，世界上一些最大的软饮公司共赞助了96个健康组织，包括美国糖尿病协会。

Many see this type of sponsorship as hypocritical, given that the companies' products have been linked to severe health problems, including diabetes.

许多人认为这种赞助是虚伪的，因为这些公司的产品已被证明与严重的健康问题有关，包括糖尿病。

At the same time, the beverage industry is defending the companies' actions, saying that they contribute to research on ways to fight obesity and other diseases.

与此同时，饮料行业为这些公司的行为辩护，称它们为对抗肥胖和其他疾病的研究做出了贡献。

The companies also point out that they offer healthy alternatives in addition to their sugary drinks.

这些公司还指出，除了含糖饮料外，它们还提供健康替代品。

What do you think about soft drink companies sponsoring health organizations? Do you find it hypocritical?

你对软饮公司赞助健康组织有什么看法？你觉得这很虚伪吗？

Answer: Yes, it does seem hypocritical. Their products are directly linked to health problems like diabetes and obesity, yet they sponsor the very organizations fighting those diseases.

回答：是的，确实显得虚伪。他们的产品与糖尿病和肥胖等健康问题直接相关，却赞助那些与这些疾病作斗争的组织。

It appears to be more about improving their public image than genuine concern for public health.

这看起来更多是为了改善公众形象，而非真正关心公共健康。

Why do you think a company would sponsor an organization that seems contradictory to the company's products or mission?

你认为一家公司为什么会赞助一个似乎与其产品或使命相矛盾的组织？

Answer: Companies do this to deflect public criticism, build a "socially responsible" image, and potentially influence research or policy in their favor.

回答：公司这样做是为了转移公众批评、建立"社会责任"形象，并可能影响对其有利的研究或政策。

It's a strategic move to soften negative perceptions of their brand.

这是一种软化品牌负面认知的战略举措。

Can you think of any examples similar to the one above?

你能想到与上面类似的例子吗？

Answer: Tobacco companies sponsoring arts and sports events while their products cause cancer.

回答：烟草公司赞助艺术和体育赛事，但其产品导致癌症。

Fast food companies like McDonald's sponsoring the Olympics despite contributing to obesity.

像麦当劳这样的快餐公司赞助奥运会，却导致肥胖问题。

Oil companies funding environmental projects while being major polluters.

石油公司资助环保项目，却是主要污染源。

These are all similar examples of seemingly contradictory sponsorships.

这些都是类似的看似矛盾的赞助例子。

Howard, Jacqueline. "Paper reveals soda's controversial relationship with health groups." CNN. 10 October 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/10/health/soda-companies-health-funding/index.html. Fox, Maggie. "Have soda company donations influenced health groups?" NBC News. 10 October 2016, https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/have-soda-company-donations-influenced-health-groups-n663866.

Getting it right

纠正错误

Feedback and error correction

反馈与纠错

Before you go

在你离开之前

What have you learned?

你学到了什么？

Are any of the terms you learned in this unit new to you? Have you used any of them before? Tell your trainer what was new for you from this unit.

你在本单元学到的术语中有哪些对你来说是新的？你以前用过其中的某些吗？告诉你的教练本单元中哪些内容对你来说是新的。

You can now...

你现在可以……

...talk about corporate sponsorship.

……谈论企业赞助。

...understand a written critical review.

……理解一篇书面评论。

外教课 2026-06-28

⬆️ 回到目录

Discovery live session

探索直播课程

Up to 25 min

最长25分钟

Goal

目标

You will be able to maintain a conversation on a variety of topics.

你将能够就各种话题保持对话。

You will work on fluency and accuracy in spoken interaction.

你将在口语互动中练习流利度和准确性。

Are you interested in history?

你对历史感兴趣吗？

Vote in the poll.

在投票中选择。

Yes, I am a total history buff. My idea of binge-watching is spending eight hours on the couch watching nothing but historical documentaries.

是的，我是一个十足的历史迷。我所谓的刷剧就是在沙发上花八个小时只看历史纪录片。

Sure, just like everyone else. I enjoy learning about history. Sometimes knowing history can give you a unique perspective on the present.

当然，和大家一样。我喜欢学习历史。有时候了解历史能让你对现在有独特的视角。

Not in the slightest! All that matters is the here and now and what will be. History is just a form of escapism.

一点也不！重要的只有当下和未来。历史只是一种逃避现实的方式。

Increase your vocabulary!

增加你的词汇量！

Boost your vocabulary!

提升你的词汇量！

Let's look at some words and phrases to help you understand the article.

让我们来看一些单词和短语，帮助你理解文章。

If you know your vocabulary, you're ready to read!

如果你掌握了这些词汇，就可以开始阅读了！

Read the text.

阅读文章。

The historical origin of common idioms

常见习语的历史起源

Idioms can be confusing for non-native English speakers. Often their literal meaning is unrelated to its actual meaning. Let us look at the historical origins of a couple!

习语对非英语母语者来说可能会令人困惑。它们的字面意思往往与实际含义无关。让我们来看看几个习语的历史起源吧！

• Turn a blind eye: The origin of the phrase 'to turn a blind eye'—to ignore something that you know is wrong—is over 200 years old. It all starts with a man named Horatio Nelson. Nelson was a British Naval officer wounded early in his career in the Royal Navy. He was blind in one eye as a result of his injuries.

• Turn a blind eye（视而不见）：短语"to turn a blind eye"——对明知不对的事情视而不见——的起源已有200多年。一切始于一个名叫霍雷肖·纳尔逊的人。纳尔逊是英国皇家海军的一名军官，在早期职业生涯中受伤。他因伤导致一只眼睛失明。

The Battle of Copenhagen in 1801 was the first of two battles that pitted the British Navy against the naval forces of Denmark–Norway. Nelson, a vice admiral, was second in command to the Admiral of the British Navy. In the days before walkie-talkies and cell phones, naval vessels communicated with each other through the use of various colored flags indicating courses of action.

1801年的哥本哈根战役是英国海军与丹麦-挪威海军之间两场战役中的第一场。纳尔逊作为海军中将，是英国海军上将的副手。在对讲机和手机出现之前，海军舰艇通过各种颜色的旗帜相互通信，指示行动方案。

At a particular point in the battle, the gun smoke was so thick from the cannons that it was quite difficult for the admiral to see the state of Nelson's forces. He could see three British ships that had run aground and feared the worst, that Nelson's ship was perhaps damaged. According to 'The Articles of War'—a sort of rule book for British naval officers—"All ranks 'do their utmost' against the enemy in battle. A retreat is not an option unless commanded to do so."

在战斗的某个时刻，大炮的硝烟浓密到上将很难看清纳尔逊部队的状况。他能看到三艘英国船搁浅了，并担心最坏的情况——纳尔逊的船可能受损了。根据《战争条例》——一种英国海军军官的规则手册——"所有级别的人在战斗中都必须'竭尽全力'对抗敌人。除非被命令撤退，否则不得撤退。"

When the Admiral's boat flagged for him to retreat, the one-eyed Nelson supposedly brought his telescope to his bad eye and proclaimed: "I really do not see the signal." He went on to achieve victory in battle. The phrase 'turn a blind eye' persists to this day.

当上将的船发出撤退信号时，独眼的纳尔逊据说把望远镜举到了他失明的那只眼前，宣称："我真的看不到信号。"他随后在战斗中取得了胜利。"视而不见"这个短语一直沿用至今。

• Paint the town red: The expression 'to paint the town red' means to go out and enjoy yourself in the evening. It often implies lots of drinking and celebrating in a rowdy, wild manner, especially in a public place. The origin of the expression is not agreed upon. There are in fact as many plausible explanations, as there are ways to paint the town red. The four most common are:

• Paint the town red（狂欢作乐）：表达"to paint the town red"意思是晚上出去尽情玩乐。它通常暗示大量饮酒和喧闹、疯狂地庆祝，尤其是在公共场所。这个表达的起源尚无定论。事实上，关于它的合理解释和狂欢方式一样多。最常见的四种是：

The phrase is a metaphor referring to bonfires painting the sky or scenery red. An old Irish ballad contains the lines: "The beacon hills were painted red with many a fire that night."

这个短语是一个比喻，指篝火把天空或景色染红。一首古老的爱尔兰民谣中有这样的诗句："那晚，许多火焰将烽火山丘染成了红色。"

According to Oscar Wilde, it's Dante, The Inferno: "We are they who painted the world scarlet with sins." The 'we' in the passage refers to the souls entrapped in the pits of hell.

据奥斯卡·王尔德所说，出处是但丁的《地狱篇》："我们就是那些用罪恶将世界染成猩红色的人。"文中的"我们"指的是被困在地狱深渊中的灵魂。

'To paint the nose red' was an old slang term for drinking. Some believe 'painting the town red' is a transformation of this older expression.

"To paint the nose red"（把鼻子染红）是一个古老的俚语，意思是喝酒。有人认为"painting the town red"是这个更古老表达的演变。

The origin of 'painting the town red' comes from the drunken activities of fox hunters in the English countryside town of Melton Mowbray. After the traditional annual fox hunt, the drinking and celebrations ended with a few of the hunters taking red paint to the houses surrounding the town square.

"Painting the town red"的起源来自英国乡村小镇梅尔顿莫布雷猎狐者的醉酒行为。在传统的年度猎狐活动后，饮酒和庆祝以几名猎人用红漆涂抹镇广场周围的房屋而告终。

Whichever explanation you prefer, maybe it will give you inspiration the next time you decide to turn a blind eye or paint the town red.

无论你喜欢哪种解释，也许下次你决定视而不见或狂欢作乐时，它会给你灵感。

Let's check what you can remember!

让我们检查一下你还记得什么！

Let's talk!

让我们来聊聊！

Think about the following questions:

思考以下问题：

Which explanation of the origin of 'paint the town red' do you prefer and why?

你更喜欢"paint the town red"的哪种起源解释？为什么？

答：我更喜欢梅尔顿莫布雷猎狐者的故事，因为它最具体、最生动，有真实的地点和事件，让这个习语的来源显得最有说服力。

How would you feel if you woke up and your house were painted red? Have you ever woken up to a surprise like that?

如果你醒来发现你的房子被涂成了红色，你会怎么想？你有没有经历过类似的惊吓？

答：我会非常震惊和生气，因为这是对我财产的破坏。我从来没有经历过这样的事情，希望永远不会。

Do you enjoy painting the town red? Why/why not? When was the last time you painted the town red?

你喜欢狂欢作乐吗？为什么？你上次狂欢是什么时候？

答：偶尔会享受和朋友一起出去玩乐，但不会太频繁。上一次大概是几个月前朋友生日的时候，我们一起去了酒吧庆祝。

Do you think the Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson did the right thing? Why/why not?

你认为霍雷肖·纳尔逊中将做的对吗？为什么？

答：从结果来看他是对的，因为他赢得了战斗。但从军事纪律的角度来说，违抗上级命令是有很大风险的。他的勇气和判断力最终被证明是正确的。

When was the last time you turned a blind eye? What would have been the consequences if you had not turned a blind eye?

你上次视而不见是什么时候？如果你没有视而不见，后果会怎样？

答：上次在工作中看到同事犯了一个小错误时选择了视而不见，因为那是个无关紧要的问题。如果我指出来，可能会让对方尴尬，影响团队氛围。

How often have you engaged with a company online through social media?

你多久通过社交媒体在网上与企业互动一次？

Vote in the poll.

在投票中选择。

Never. I'm not interested or aware that they exist.

从来没有。我对此不感兴趣，或者不知道它们的存在。

A few times. It's a relatively new thing for me.

有过几次。这对我来说是比较新的事情。

Regularly. I use community forums a lot.

经常。我经常使用社区论坛。

Increase your vocabulary!

增加你的词汇量！

Boost your vocabulary!

提升你的词汇量！

Let's look at some words and phrases to help you understand the article.

让我们来看一些单词和短语，帮助你理解文章。

If you know your vocabulary, you're ready to read!

如果你掌握了这些词汇，就可以开始阅读了！

Read the text.

阅读文章。

Trends in learning: Sharing is more than caring

学习趋势：分享不仅仅是关心

Learning from the crowd is the latest way that companies are trying to engage with their customers. Here's your chance to learn more about this exciting development!

向大众学习是企业尝试与客户互动的最新方式。这是你了解这一激动人心的发展的机会！

Companies are always looking for new ways and new ideas for improving relations with customers, employees, and suppliers. The ubiquitous nature of social media nowadays has presented the more forward-thinking organizations with a new—and it seems popular—opportunity. Using the 'crowd', or the public, as a source of knowledge and opinion has been around for a long time. Wikipedia was an inspirational idea, and after some teething issues, it now stands as a great example of a platform where the crowd works together to learn, produce, and refine important content that is utilized by millions.

企业一直在寻找改善与客户、员工和供应商关系的新方式和新想法。如今社交媒体无处不在的特性为更具前瞻性思维的组织提供了一个新的——似乎也很受欢迎的——机会。利用"大众"作为知识和意见的来源已经存在很长时间了。维基百科是一个鼓舞人心的想法，经过一些初期问题后，它现在是一个很好的例子——大众在平台上共同学习、创作和完善被数百万人使用的重要内容。

Wikipedia of course does not stand alone in this regard and online science applications, such as the iSpot citizen science platform, encourage people to share content and comment on wildlife and related topics. Another example, with a slightly different aim is nQuire-it, an open source online site that enables anyone to join an existing mission or create and share their own mission. Some missions set challenges with prizes for winners, others allow you to participate in capturing images of the surrounding world. Current missions include the development of a noise map of the UK and was created by four students at Sheffield UTC.

维基百科当然不是唯一的例子，在线科学应用程序，如iSpot公民科学平台，鼓励人们分享内容并评论野生动物及相关话题。另一个稍有不同目标的例子是nQuire-it，一个开源在线网站，允许任何人加入现有任务或创建和分享自己的任务。有些任务设置了带奖品的挑战，其他任务允许你参与拍摄周围世界的图像。当前的任务包括开发英国噪音地图，由谢菲尔德UTC的四名学生创建。

One of the first companies to recognize the potential of this willingness by the public to engage with crowdsourcing ideas was Starbucks, the omnipresent coffee house chain. In 2008, it launched 'My Starbucks Idea', a platform where Starbucks shared company insights with customers and encouraged customers to suggest ideas for the company to develop. Until recently, the community was able to comment on ideas, vote ideas up and down, and browse through past submitted ideas. Now the site has been pared back—no reason given—and is simply a platform where you can submit an idea to the company. Starbucks claimed that the idea was highly successful, but no figures are available as to how many 'ideas' were implemented.

最早认识到公众参与众包创意意愿的潜力的公司之一是星巴克，这个无处不在的咖啡连锁店。2008年，它推出了"我的星巴克创意"平台，星巴克在该平台上与客户分享公司见解，并鼓励客户为公司提出发展建议。直到最近，社区还能够对创意发表评论、投票支持或反对，并浏览过去提交的创意。现在该网站已被缩减——没有给出原因——只是一个可以向公司提交想法的平台。星巴克声称这个想法非常成功，但没有公布有多少"创意"被实施的数据。

It remains clear, nevertheless, that there are significant numbers of customers out there that wish to engage with the suppliers of their goods and services, and not just to complain! There is now a plethora of workplace applications designed to help your company learn from the crowd. These include crowdsourced innovation management software, such as IdeaScale, and social project management tools, such as Trello. These types of technologies—if used well—can help to cultivate a culture of interaction, exploration, and discovery; surely no bad thing for any organization.

然而，很明显，有大量客户希望与他们的商品和服务供应商互动，而不仅仅是投诉！现在有过多的职场应用程序旨在帮助你的公司向大众学习。这些包括众包创新管理软件，如IdeaScale，以及社交项目管理工具，如Trello。如果使用得当，这些类型的技术可以帮助培养互动、探索和发现的文化；对任何组织来说这当然不是坏事。

Let's check what you understood!

让我们检查一下你理解了什么！

Let's talk!

让我们来聊聊！

Think about the following questions:

思考以下问题：

What do you understand by the term 'crowdsourcing'?

你如何理解"众包"这个词？

答：众包是指企业或组织将传统上由员工完成的工作外包给大众，利用互联网平台收集大量人的想法、意见或劳动来完成任务或解决问题。

What kind of companies do you think might profit from this kind of engagement?

你认为什么类型的公司可能从这种互动中获益？

答：面向消费者的公司，如科技公司、食品饮料公司、零售商和服务业，因为它们直接与大量用户互动，可以从用户反馈中获得产品改进的灵感。

Have you ever participated in any kind of crowdsourcing activity? Why/why not?

你是否参与过任何形式的众包活动？为什么？

答：是的，我在维基百科上编辑过内容，也在一些产品论坛上提交过建议。我觉得能够为自己使用的产品和服务做出贡献是很有成就感的。

Do you use Wikipedia? Who do you think writes the articles?

你使用维基百科吗？你认为是谁写的文章？

答：经常使用。文章是由世界各地的志愿者撰写和编辑的，包括学者、爱好者和普通用户，任何人都可以贡献内容。

In your opinion, what motivates people to participate in these crowdsourcing activities?

你认为是什么激励人们参与这些众包活动？

答：主要动力包括：归属感和社区认同、对某个领域的热情、帮助他人的满足感、学习新知识的机会，以及有时候的物质奖励。

What incentives could a company offer to encourage customers and employees to participate?

公司可以提供什么激励措施来鼓励客户和员工参与？

答：可以提供折扣券、积分奖励、公开认可贡献者、提前体验新产品的机会、抽奖活动，或者直接的现金奖励。

Feedback and Error Correction

反馈与纠错

Before you go

在你离开之前

What have you learned?

你学到了什么？

What was the most useful word or phrase you learned this lesson? Choose one word or phrase that you think would be useful to teach to one of your colleagues and share it with us.

这节课你学到的最有用的单词或短语是什么？选一个你认为对同事有用的单词或短语，与我们分享。

Slew Of California Gas Stations Illegally Used AI To Raise Prices (3-min speech)

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A new lawsuit filed in California accuses multiple gas station companies of using an AI pricing tool to artificially inflate gas prices.

加州一项新诉讼指控多家加油站公司使用AI定价工具人为抬高油价。

The tool, called Kalibrate Fuel Pricing, requires gas stations to share their cost and sales data with the company, which then makes pricing decisions for them.

这个名为Kalibrate Fuel Pricing的工具要求加油站将成本和销售数据共享给该公司，然后由该公司为它们做出定价决策。

The plaintiffs claim this allows stations to avoid competing with each other, resulting in higher prices for consumers — as much as 30 cents more per gallon in some areas.

原告声称这使得加油站之间避免竞争，导致消费者支付更高价格——在某些地区每加仑高出多达30美分。

The tool also has a feature called "restoration" that enables stations in a market to simultaneously implement large price hikes.

该工具还有一个叫"恢复"的功能，使得一个市场内的加油站能够同时实施大幅涨价。

The lawsuit names 1,732 stations across California, including major brands like ARCO, Circle K, Speedway, Walmart, and Albertsons.

诉讼涉及加州1,732个加油站，包括ARCO、Circle K、Speedway、沃尔玛和Albertsons等大品牌。

California currently has the highest gas prices in the country, averaging $5.52 per gallon.

加州目前是全美油价最高的州，平均每加仑5.52美元。

The suit cites a California law signed last year that bans the use of common pricing algorithms — suggesting this AI tool violates that law.

诉讼引用了加州去年签署的一项禁止使用通用定价算法的法律——暗示这个AI工具违反了该法律。

This case raises important questions about whether AI-driven pricing tools can function as a form of illegal price-fixing, even without direct communication between competitors.

这个案件提出了一个重要问题：AI驱动的定价工具是否可以在竞争者之间没有直接沟通的情况下构成非法价格操纵。

Slew Of California Gas Stations Illegally Used AI To Raise Prices

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Slew Of California Gas Stations Illegally Used AI To Raise Prices, Lawsuit Claims

诉讼称大量加州加油站非法使用AI抬高油价

A new lawsuit accuses a slew of gas station owners in California, including Walmart, Speedway and Albertsons, of using an AI tool developed by a company called Kalibrate to artificially inflate prices at the pump—causing prices to surge in the Golden State.

一项新诉讼指控加州大量加油站所有者，包括沃尔玛、Speedway和Albertsons，使用一家名为Kalibrate的公司开发的AI工具人为抬高加油价格——导致金州油价飙升。

The lawsuit cites a bill signed into law last year banning the use of common pricing algorithms.

诉讼引用了去年签署生效的一项禁止使用通用定价算法的法案。

The suit, filed on Monday in a federal court in Sacramento and first obtained by Bloomberg, accuses the companies of using Kalibrate Fuel Pricing—a tool the plaintiffs claim requires gas stations to hand over cost and volume data to the company, which then makes pricing decisions for them.

该诉讼周一在萨克拉门托联邦法院提交，由彭博社首先获得。诉讼指控这些公司使用Kalibrate Fuel Pricing——原告声称该工具要求加油站将成本和销量数据交给该公司，然后由该公司为它们做出定价决策。

However, the plaintiffs allege this allows the stations to "avoid competing with other area stations and to charge higher prices to consumers."

然而，原告指控这使得加油站"避免与该地区其他加油站竞争，并向消费者收取更高价格。"

The suit also alleges Kalibrate has a feature called "restoration," which allows most stations in a market to "contemporaneously implement large price hikes."

诉讼还指控Kalibrate有一个叫"恢复"的功能，使得一个市场中的大多数加油站能够"同时实施大幅涨价。"

In areas where a large number of gas stations are using Kalibrate, gas prices could artificially rise as much as 30 cents more per gallon, according to the suit.

据诉讼称，在大量加油站使用Kalibrate的地区，油价可能人为上涨多达每加仑30美分。

The suit named Kalibrate's parent company Knowledge Support Systems, as well as several gas station operators who it claims have used the system in the past.

诉讼将Kalibrate的母公司Knowledge Support Systems以及据称过去使用过该系统的几家加油站运营商列为被告。

$5.52 per gallon. That's the average price for gasoline in California as of Monday, according to data from GasBuddy. That's the highest of any state in the country.

每加仑5.52美元。根据GasBuddy的数据，这是截至周一加州的平均汽油价格。这是全美所有州中最高的。

The suit identifies 1,732 stations in the state maintained by companies that allegedly used the Kalibrate Fuel Pricing system. This includes 1,000 ARCO stations, 16 TravelCenters, 90 EG America stations, 400 Circle K stations and 150 Speedways. It also includes 25 Walmart or Sam's Club fueling stations, as well as 51 owned by grocery chain Albertsons.

诉讼确认了该州1,732个由据称使用了Kalibrate Fuel Pricing系统的公司经营的加油站。这包括1,000个ARCO加油站、16个TravelCenters、90个EG America加油站、400个Circle K加油站和150个Speedway。还包括25个沃尔玛或山姆会员店加油站，以及杂货连锁店Albertsons拥有的51个加油站。

Less Than One-Third of Global Workers Feel Their Jobs Are Safe (3-min speech)

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A new report by ADP surveyed over 39,000 workers across 36 markets and found some troubling trends about how people feel at work.

ADP的一份新报告调查了36个市场的39,000多名工人，发现了一些关于人们工作感受的令人担忧的趋势。

First, job insecurity is widespread. Only 22% of workers globally strongly agreed that their job was safe from being eliminated — even though unemployment is at historically low levels.

首先，职业不安全感很普遍。尽管失业率处于历史低位，但全球只有22%的工人强烈认同自己的工作不会被裁撤。

No country in the survey had a majority feeling secure. Japan was the lowest at just 5%, while the U.S. was at 28%.

调查中没有任何国家的多数人感到安全。日本最低只有5%，美国为28%。

Second, unpaid work is extremely common. 62% of workers worldwide said they work up to five unpaid hours each week, and 12% said they work 16 or more unpaid hours.

其次，无偿加班极为普遍。全球62%的工人表示每周有多达5小时的无偿工作，12%表示有16小时或更多的无偿工作。

This was especially common among managers — half of senior leaders put in at least six unpaid hours weekly.

这在管理者中尤为常见——半数高管每周至少有6小时的无偿工作。

Third, AI usage has mixed effects. Daily AI users were four times more likely to feel less productive than nonusers. However, they also showed higher engagement, less stress, and more positive feelings about their teams.

第三，AI使用的影响喜忧参半。每天使用AI的人感觉效率降低的可能性是不使用者的四倍。但他们同时也表现出更高的敬业度、更少的压力，以及对团队更积极的感受。

Among daily AI users, 30% were fully engaged at work, compared to only 14% for those who never use AI.

在每天使用AI的人中，30%完全投入工作，而从不使用AI的人只有14%。

Finally, employee engagement remains low globally at just 19%. The key driver is investment in skills — when employers invest in workers, 53% are fully engaged versus only 12% when that support is lacking.

最后，全球员工敬业度仍然很低，只有19%。关键驱动因素是技能投资——当雇主投资于员工时，53%的人完全投入，而缺乏这种支持时只有12%。

Less Than One-Third of Global Workers Feel Their Jobs Are Safe

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Less than one-third of global workers feel their jobs are safe, ADP survey data shows

ADP调查数据显示，全球不到三分之一的工人认为自己的工作是安全的

Even with global unemployment at historically low levels, workers are not feeling secure.

即使全球失业率处于历史低位，工人们仍然没有安全感。

Only 22% of workers globally strongly agreed that their job was safe from being eliminated, ADP found.

ADP发现，全球只有22%的工人强烈认同自己的工作不会被裁撤。

ADP added that 62% of workers worldwide said they work up to five unpaid hours each week.

ADP还指出，全球62%的工人表示每周有多达5小时的无偿工作。

Workers around the world are using artificial intelligence, and commonly putting in unpaid time. But many still feel uneasy about their jobs and are not engaged in the workplace.

世界各地的工人都在使用人工智能，并且普遍存在无偿加班。但许多人仍然对自己的工作感到不安，在职场中缺乏投入感。

These are just some of the findings from the People at Work 2026 report by payroll and human resources services provider ADP — which surveyed more than 39,000 adult workers across 36 markets in 2025.

这些只是薪资和人力资源服务提供商ADP发布的《2026年工作中的人》报告的部分发现——该报告于2025年对36个市场的39,000多名成年工人进行了调查。

Even with global unemployment at historically low levels, workers don't think their jobs are safe.

即使全球失业率处于历史低位，工人们仍然不认为自己的工作是安全的。

Only 22% of workers globally strongly agreed that their job was safe from being eliminated, ADP found.

ADP发现，全球只有22%的工人强烈认同自己的工作不会被裁撤。

No market in the survey had a majority of workers who felt confident their jobs were safe, either. Nigeria had the highest share of workers who felt secure, at 38%, while Japan had the lowest at 5%.

调查中没有任何市场的多数工人对自己的工作安全有信心。尼日利亚有最高比例的工人感到安全，为38%，而日本最低，仅为5%。

In the U.S., just 28% felt safe, while in the U.K. only 25% shared the same sentiment.

在美国，只有28%的人感到安全，而在英国只有25%的人有同样的感受。

Most workers also say they are giving employers time they are not paid for.

大多数工人也表示他们给雇主付出了没有报酬的时间。

ADP found that 62% of workers worldwide said they work up to five unpaid hours each week. Another 26% reported six to 15 unpaid hours, while 12% said they work 16 or more unpaid hours per week.

ADP发现，全球62%的工人表示每周有多达5小时的无偿工作。另有26%报告有6到15小时的无偿工作，而12%表示每周有16小时或更多的无偿工作。

Unpaid work was especially common among managers and senior leaders. Half of upper managers and C-suite executives said they put in at least six unpaid hours a week, and 20% said they worked 16 or more unpaid hours, the data showed.

无偿工作在管理者和高管中尤为普遍。数据显示，半数高层管理者和C级高管表示每周至少有6小时的无偿工作，20%表示有16小时或更多的无偿工作。

That extra effort may look like commitment, but ADP warns it can come with trade-offs.

这些额外的努力看起来像是敬业，但ADP警告说这可能伴随着代价。

Workers putting in the most unpaid hours were often highly engaged and likely to find meaning in their jobs.

投入最多无偿工作时间的工人往往高度投入，且更可能在工作中找到意义。

On the other hand, they were also more likely to report feeling less productive, less likely to be thriving and more likely to be looking for another job.

另一方面，他们也更可能报告感觉效率降低、不太可能蓬勃发展、更可能在寻找其他工作。

Since 2022, AI tools such as ChatGPT have found their way into the workplace, promising increased productivity to workers. However, ADP's survey found daily users of AI were four times more likely than nonusers to say they were less productive than they could be.

自2022年以来，ChatGPT等AI工具已进入职场，承诺提高工人的生产力。然而，ADP的调查发现，每天使用AI的人说自己效率低于应有水平的可能性是不使用者的四倍。

"It's possible that the more people use AI to get their work done, the more it feels like they've accomplished less than they might have," ADP wrote.

"人们越多地使用AI来完成工作，就越可能觉得自己完成的比本来能完成的少，"ADP写道。

But it's not all negative for these users of AI. Workers who reported using AI frequently showed higher engagement, less stress and were more positive about their teammates, the survey showed.

但对这些AI用户来说也不全是负面的。调查显示，报告频繁使用AI的工人表现出更高的敬业度、更少的压力，以及对同事更积极的态度。

"What matters even more is feeling that you are on the best team. The more people use AI, the more likely they were to report being on the best team," ADP said.

"更重要的是感觉自己在最好的团队里。人们越多使用AI，就越可能报告自己在最好的团队中，"ADP说。

Among people who use AI tools every day, 30% were fully engaged at work. But for workers who never use AI, engagement was only 14%.

在每天使用AI工具的人中，30%完全投入工作。但对于从不使用AI的工人，敬业度只有14%。

Employee engagement has improved since the pandemic, but it remains low. Only 19% of workers worldwide were fully engaged in 2025, ADP found. Though engagement varied widely by market. Brazil had the highest rate at 29%, while China had the lowest at 11%.

员工敬业度自疫情以来有所改善，但仍然很低。ADP发现，2025年全球只有19%的工人完全投入工作。不过敬业度因市场而异差异很大。巴西最高为29%，而中国最低为11%。

By region, engagement was highest in the Middle East and Africa at 25%, and lowest in Asia-Pacific, at 15%.

按地区划分，中东和非洲的敬业度最高为25%，亚太地区最低为15%。

ADP said employers can move the needle by investing in skills, building trust, helping workers find purpose and reducing stress.

ADP表示，雇主可以通过投资技能、建立信任、帮助工人找到目标和减轻压力来改变现状。

The skills connection was especially strong: Among workers who strongly agreed their employer was investing in them, 53% were fully engaged. Where that support was lacking, only 12% were fully engaged.

技能培养的关联尤其强烈：在强烈认同雇主在投资自己的工人中，53%完全投入。在缺乏这种支持的地方，只有12%完全投入。

"Workers who find meaning in their jobs are 12.5 times more likely to be fully engaged than workers who don't. This could be as simple as asking people where they find purpose and giving them opportunities that align," ADP also added.

"在工作中找到意义的工人完全投入的可能性是没有找到意义的工人的12.5倍。这可以简单到问人们在哪里找到目标，并给他们相应的机会，"ADP还补充道。