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Neil: Hello, welcome to Real English from BBC Learning English, I’m Neil.

Helen: 大家好，我是 Helen。

Neil: In Real English we look at words and phrases people use all the time, but you probably won’t find in your dictionary.

Helen: 希望在今天的地道英语节目中，您能学到在书本里找不到的英语常用表达。

Neil: So Helen, have you brought the script to the studio?

Helen: Neil 问我有没有把今天录音的稿子带来。No, that’s not part of my job. I’m not responsible for the scripts.

Neil: Helen, don’t be such a jobsworth!

Helen: A jobsworth? What’s that?

Neil: That’s our word today in Real English. Jobsworth. J-O-B-S-W-O-R-T-H.

Helen: What’s a jobsworth?

Neil: A jobsworth is a person who only does the work they’re supposed to do and nothing else.

Helen: Ah. A jobsworth 对工作的程序和步骤跟的很紧，完全按部就班来做，一点儿周转的余地都没有。So it’s a negative expression.

Neil: Yes. It often refers to people who have bureaucratic jobs and they never seem to want to help you!

Helen: 这个词经常用来描绘那些在官僚政府机构工作的人，很死板，很不愿意帮人。

Example

A: I waited in a queue at the post office for an hour earlier for my stamps and then the man behind the desk told me I had to stand in a different queue to buy an envelope.

B: No way, what a jobsworth!

Helen: Where does the word come from?

Neil: The person won’t help you because they think that to be helpful is more than their job’s worth. So the expression comes from the last two words – job’s worth.

Helen: 这个表达来自于两个词 job’s worth. 就是说这种人不愿意帮助别人，因为他们认为帮人是超出了他们的工作范围。

Neil: So come on Helen, where are those scripts?

Helen: I told you, it’s not my job to bring the scripts to the studio.

Neil: You really are a jobsworth, aren’t you?

Helen: Only joking! I’ve got the scripts right here.

Neil: Well, that’s all we have time for today on Real English. Don't forget if you want to learn lots of other useful words and expressions in English, you can log on to our BBC Learning English website.