THE 2007 Special Olympics held its opening ceremony on October 2. One of the event's emcees, Dong Qing, made several speaking errors to the dismay of many in the audience. Olly and her friend Chang meet after the holiday to talk about the incident.

Olly: Hi, Chang. Looks like you've got a bounce in your step today. Your vacation must have been pretty good, eh?

Chang: Everything was wonderful. But this whole mess with Dong Qing's slip-up at the 2007 Special Olympics has really got me mad.

Olly: Oh, yeah – she mispronounced "NBA". What she said sounded like "MBA". And she forgot to introduce one of the athletes. But it's not really that big of a deal.

Chang: You think it's merely a slip of the tongue? She screwed up the whole ceremony!

Olly: Come on. Don't be so fussy! It's a live show. Nobody can guarantee perfection.

Chang: She's a professional! Major mistakes like this should not happen.

Olly: Actually, it is a pity. But if you were in her shoes, what would you do? After all, I'm sure she spared no effort to prepare for the event.

Chang: Well, maybe I'm being too harsh. But still, I hope that next time they'll spend more time practicing their pronunciation.

emcee: 主持人，司仪。"司仪"的完整表达是"master of ceremonies"，常省略为首字母缩写MC来表示"主持人、司仪"，后又转化为用MC的发音"emcee"来表示。

you've got a bounce in your step today: 你今天看起来很精神嘛。bounce: 活力。

slip-up: 疏忽，小错误，失误。

slip of the tongue: 不小心说错 话。另外，make a slip: 犯错误。

screw up: 搞砸了。也可以说"blow sth"。

don't be so fussy: 别那么挑剔，别那么大惊小怪。

live show: 直播节目。

if you were in her shoes: 站在她的立场看；如果你是她的话。stand (be) in one's shoes: 站在某人的立场上来说，设身处地地为某人考虑。

spare no effort: 不遗余力，竭尽全力。

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