Wow factor 让人发出惊叹叫好的东西

The script of this programme 本节目台词

This pool has definitely got the wow factor

Feifei: Hello and welcome to Authentic Real English. I'm Feifei and joining me is Harry.

Harry: Hello there! And the expression we are going to look at in this programme is 'wow factor'.

Feifei: 本期节目要给大家介绍的这个表达是 wow factor。我们将给大家讲解这个短语的意思和具体用法。诶，Harry, 你要搬家，房子找的怎么样了？

Harry: Oh, don't ask! Not very well, really. I mean, I've seen a few places so far, but they didn't really appeal to me.

Feifei: 啊，一套都没看上？So none of them were any good?

Harry: They were OK. Adequate I suppose. I could live in some of them if I had to, but none of them had the wow factor. Do you know what I mean?

Feifei: Not really. 每套房子都缺少 “the wow factor”，这是什么意思？

Harry: The wow factor? Something that makes you go 'wow' when you walk in.

Feifei: 当我们遇到一个让人惊叹的东西时，我们可能就会用英语感叹词 wow 来形容这个东西。

Harry: So, you know, a sun deck, a view of Big Ben, a steam room, a granite cocktail bar, a shared swimming pool – that kind of thing. My friend who teaches English in Indonesia has his own swimming pool and I was hoping …

Feifei: Yes, but this is London – 不是我说啊，这是伦敦，生活成本排名世界前几名的。除非你花大价钱，否则怎么可能找到有 wow factor 的房子。Wow factor 用在这个语境中形容一套让你一进门就连声感叹叫好的房子，比如，带有私人游泳池的那种豪宅。那还有什么东西可以有 wow factor 呢？

Harry: You hear it a lot on TV. On cooking shows, when someone creates an exciting tasty dish they say it’s really got the wow factor.

Feifei: 嗯，我也在厨艺节目中听过人们用这个表达。我记得有位大厨曾说 “It's just an omelette, but the chillies give it a real wow factor.”大致意思就是：“这不过是个不起眼的鸡蛋卷，但加上辣椒后它就真的让人眼前一亮。”

Harry: That's right. And in singing competitions, if the singer delivers an exciting performance, the judges say they really had the wow factor.

Feifei: 在歌唱选秀比赛中，评委老师对嗓音独特的，让全场观众眼前一亮的选手的评价就是“他们有 wow factor”。那是不是我们就可以这样理解 wow factor：凡是让我们感到惊喜的、了不起的、连声称赞的人或事，我们就可以说他们具有 wow factor？

Harry: That's right. Let's listen to some more examples.

Examples

• He's just bought a new Italian sports car – it's really got the wow factor.

• We're going to completely re-decorate the restaurant so there's more of a wow factor when you walk in.

Feifei: So, do you think you will find a place to live with the wow factor?

Harry: I'm not sure. But if I don't, I might spend my money on a 72-inch 3D TV. That way people will still get the wow factor when they walk in.

Feifei: That would certainly have the wow factor, and I want to come around and watch some cookery shows and singing competitions.

Harry: No problem! Join us again soon for Authentic Real English.

Both: Bye!