Peaks and troughs 沉浮波折，起起落落

內容簡介

每個人在人生中都會經歷 “peaks（高峰）” 和 “troughs（低谷）”。英語表達 “peaks and troughs” 就可以用來比喻 “人生經歷中的沉浮波折，起起落落”。主持人菲菲和 Neil 在節目中分享他們經歷過的 “peaks and troughs”，教大傢如何使用這個 “地道英語” 表達。

文字稿

（關於臺詞的備註: 請註意這不是廣播節目的逐字稿件。本文稿可能沒有體現錄制、編輯過程中對節目做出的改變。）

Feifei
大傢好，歡迎收聽 AYYBLOG英語教學的 “地道英語” 節目。在每期節目中，我們都會介紹一個英語母語人士或講英語流利的人會用到的表達。I’m Feifei.

Neil
Hi there. I’m Neil.

Feifei
這期節目中要介紹的表達非常實用，也十分貼近生活：“peaks and troughs”。首先我和 Neil 將用英語來講解 “peaks and troughs” 的用法，在節目最後，我會用漢語進行歸納總結。So, Neil, have you ever experienced the peaks and troughs of life?

Neil
Oh, yeah, of course! Life is full of peaks and troughs, isn’t it? Highs and lows. But what exactly do we mean by that expression, ‘peaks and troughs’?

Feifei
Well, in this expression, ‘peaks’ refer to the high points in life – moments of success, happiness or achievement. I suppose that comes from the top of a mountain which is called a ‘peak’, while ‘troughs’ are the low points. So, moments of difficulty or challenges.

Neil
Yeah. So, we’re talking about the ups and downs of life.

Feifei
That’s right. Life is like a rollercoaster with its peaks and troughs. You said you’ve experienced the peaks and troughs of life. Would you mind sharing?

Neil
Oh, yes, OK. So, I did a master’s degree as an adult when I had a young family. That was really challenging, but I managed to do it, so that felt good. That was a good peak. Um… a trough – I lived abroad for a long time, and then when I came back home, it was difficult to adjust. So, that was a trough, I’d say.

Feifei
Well, good examples. Thanks for sharing, Neil. Here are some more examples of people using ‘peaks and troughs’.

Examples
My boyfriend is self-employed, and he doesn’t have any work at the moment, but it’s peaks and troughs. Something will come up soon.

I went to a play the other day, and it was alright. I liked some of it. There were real peaks and troughs.

I went to an amazing restaurant the other day, but it was really expensive, and it took me ages to get there. But that’s living in London – it’s peaks and troughs.

Neil
So, we have lots of different ways, actually, to describe the ups and downs of life. We have ‘ups and downs’, ‘highs and lows’, ‘ebb and flow’ – that’s a good one – it’s about the ocean tides and how they come in and out. But what kind of situations can we use ‘peaks and troughs’ in, Feifei? Is it flexible?

Feifei
It is, actually, as we’ve seen in the examples. It can be used to talk about everyday life, but you can also use it in any situation where there are highs and lows. So, for example, if we worked in a field like economics and we probably will use a graph with a line going up and down to monitor the financial market. Or, for example, if you are a doctor, you might monitor your patient’s glucose levels on a graph seeing it going up and down.

Neil
Yeah, that’s right. So, to recap, we’ve learnt the phrase ‘peaks and troughs’ which we can use when we talk about the high and the low points in life.

Feifei
“Peaks and troughs” 的字面意思是 “高峰與低谷”，就像一張數據圖表中的波線會上下波動。我們可以用 “peaks and troughs” 來比喻 “人生中的起起落落 peaks and troughs, highs and lows”；還可以比喻 “工作中的成功和失敗 peaks and troughs, successes and failures”；“peaks and troughs” 還能用來比喻 “金融市場的繁榮期和蕭條期”。下次當你想要描述人生中的沉浮波折或者職場上的跌宕起伏的時候，記著用這期節目中學習的表達 “peaks and troughs”。

OK, we’ll be back next week with another useful English phrase. See you next time!

Neil
Goodbye.