Helen: 大家好，欢迎收听地道英语。我是 Helen。
Rob: And I'm Rob. Helen, you look like you've been rushing. Here, have some water。
Helen: Oh thanks. I'm a bit out of breath. 我好久没锻炼了，有点喘不上气了。抱歉，我在银行办事儿迟了。
Rob: You got here just in the nick of time then。
Helen: Just in the nick of time? Shouldn't it be just in time?
Rob: Well, you can say both。
Helen: 你刚才说的 'in the nick of time' 这个短语经常能听到吗？
Rob: Yeah, I think so. It means at the very last moment. Let's hear how this phrase is used。
Example
Woman 1: Alice gave birth to a baby girl last night。
Woman 2: I thought she wasn't due for another three weeks。
Woman 1: It was early and they got to the hospital just in the nick of time。
Man: Sarah and I were on our way to see Beyonce in concert. But sheleft her mobile in the office, so we had to go back and get it。
Woman: Did you miss the show?
Man: Thankfully not, we got there just in the nick of time。
Helen: 我们刚才听到一位孕妇正好在孩子出生前一刻赶到医院，而另一对恋人差点没赶上 Beyonce 的演唱会。
The couple were in the nick of time for the Beyonce concert。
Rob: That would've been awful. You hear this phrase often used tosuggest a disaster had been averted. If the action happened any later,then something awful could happen。
Helen: I see. 这个短语的意思是刚好，恰好，最后一刻赶到了。那么这是在英式英语吗？
Rob: I don't think the phrase 'in the nick of time' is specificallyBritish. It originated from the UK, but English speakers from all overthe world use it now。
Helen: 让我们听听例子吧。
Example
Man: We arrived just in the nick of the time. Another five minutes, our plane would have left without us。
Woman: Sam was experimenting with stir frying last night and thewok caught fire. Luke rushed in with the fire blanket just in the nickof time。
Helen: That was close. 热锅烧菜起火了，还好 Luke 机灵没浇水灭火。就差那么一点点，不然就闯大祸了。
Rob: That would have been a catastrophe. So Helen, are you the kind of person who likes to do things at the very last minute?
Helen: Well, I'd like to think of myself as a person who can do things in the nick of time. Thanks for listening. Bye。
Rob: Bye。
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