内容简介

我们有时想表达一个大家都明白的复杂事情，但不想用英语从头到尾描述一遍，就可以使用表达 “the works”。“The works” 在日常英语对话中的意思是 “整件事情” 或 “整套物品”。和它意思相同的另一个表达是什么呢？听节目，学习 “the works” 的用法。

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 and I'm joined by Georgie.

Georgie
Hi Feifei! How are you doing?

Feifei
I'm actually feeling really rested after the weekend, Georgie. I treated myself to a spa day with a friend. We spent time in the sauna, had a massage, got our nails done – the works!

Georgie
Feifei, that sounds so relaxing – I'm so jealous! So, you used the phrase 'the works', which is our expression in this programme. Can you explain why you used it?

Feifei
Sure. So, when I said 'the works', I meant 'everything', or all the possible extras or items you might expect from a situation. You can go to a spa and just relax in the steam room for example, but me? I did all the activities and used all the facilities – the works! We can use 'the works' in lots of different contexts, can't we? Georgie, can you give us another example? 

Georgie
Yes, sure. So, my weekend plan involved a picnic in the park. Lots of people came which meant there was a lot of food to share. We had sandwiches, salad, olives, crisps, sausages, fruit, and even chocolate – the works!

Feifei
Wow. That sounds like a lot of food. Let's hear some more examples of 'the works' from our BBC Learning English colleagues.

Examples
We threw my dad a party for his 70th birthday and it had the works – games, loads of food, we had a band – everything!

This car is absolutely filthy. You're going have to vacuum the inside, clean the windows, polish it – the works!

I need to relax. So, I booked an all-inclusive holiday. I get access to the pools, breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks – the works!

Georgie
Wow! So, as we've heard, we can use this in lots of different contexts. But Feifei, in the examples we've heard, 'the works' usually comes on its own at the end of a list, almost like an exclamation. Is it always like that?

Feifei
Well, that's definitely the most common way of using it, so yes. We do sometimes hear 'with the works' when ordering food. For example, when you go to a restaurant, and you want to order a pizza with all the toppings, you might say 'a large pizza, with the works'.

Georgie
Woah! That sounds very filling. Another similar phrase that people can use in a variety of contexts is 'the whole shebang'. At the picnic at the weekend, we had the whole shebang – I was so full I couldn't eat dinner!

Feifei
I'm not surprised! And I did the whole shebang at the spa at the weekend – I felt very pampered. 

Georgie
OK, let's recap. We've learned 'the works', which means everything – all the extras you might expect in any given situation.

Feifei
是的，在这期 “地道英语” 节目中，我们介绍了如何用表达 “the works” 来表示 “所有配套的东西，整件事情，整套物品”。和 “the works” 意思相同的另一个表达是 “the whole shebang”。比如，刚才我说：“I did the whole shebang at the spa at the weekend.”，意思就是 “周末我在水疗中心做了全套的水疗”。所以，下次当大家想要表达 “全套，一整套物品” 或 “整个事件” 的时候，而且大家都知道 “一整套” 指的是什么，这时你就可以直接说 “You know, the works.” 或者 “You know, the whole shebang.”。

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

Feifei
Bye-bye.