BBC地道英语：Green Shoots
Green Shoots 复苏迹象
Diarmuid: Hello everybody and welcome to Authentic Real English from the BBC with me, Diarmuid.
Feifei: And me Feifei.
Diarmuid: So what are we talking about today then Feifei?
Feifei: Our phrase today is one that has been used a lot in the media recently and is related to the economic problems the world has seen over the last year or so.
Diarmuid: Oh that's so depressing.
Feifei: Depressing 令人沮丧的。Why do you think that is so depressing?
Diarmuid: Well we have done so many words and phrases connected to the economy lately. Words like credit crunch.
Feifei: 信贷危机。
Diarmuid: Economic crisis.
Feifei: 金融危机。
Diarmuid: Recession.
Feifei: 经济衰退。
Diarmuid: And unemployment.
Feifei: 失业。I see what you mean. All of those words are very depressing.
Diarmuid: And pessimistic.
Feifei: 悲观的。In that case I have some good news for you because today's phrase is all about an optimistic 乐观的 view of the economy.
Diarmuid: I'm intrigued, Feifei. Tell me more.
Feifei: Today's phrase is green shoots. Green as in the colour green. And shoots. S.H.O.O.T.S. Green shoots.
Diarmuid: Green shoots. Why is that optimistic?
Feifei: It's to do with the meaning of shoots. Shoots 有发芽的意思。
Diarmuid: So in this case shoots are the first little green leaves that come out of the ground when a plant is beginning to grow.
Feifei: Yes, like in the beginning of spring when plants recover from winter.
Diarmuid: But how does that relate to the economy?
Feifei: The complete phrase is the green shoots of recovery 复苏迹象。就是说经济复苏的一点儿迹象。
Example
Newsreader: The Minister of Finance said today that the first green shoots of recovery were beginning to be seen in the country's economy.
Diarmuid: So green shoots are signs that something, like an economy for example, is beginning to improve after a difficult time?
Feifei: You got it. 好了，今天的节目就到这里。
Diarmuid: Perhaps you will see the green shoots of your English level start to grow.
Feifei: Bye.
Diarmuid: Bye.