流行美語第234課
Larry正在跟李華談他最近回家看到哥哥和妹妹的情況。 李華今天會學會兩個常用語people person和know-it-all。
LL: So, Li Hua, I just got back from seeing my family. It was a nice visit, and I was so impressed with my little sister Emily. She is such a people person.
LH: 你說你妹妹Emily是什么？A people person? Hey, Larry, 妹妹Emily當然是人嘛。
LL: Oh, a people person is someone who is good around people and likes people. Emily definitely is a people person, and she has what we call "people skills."
LH: 噢，原來people person就是喜歡而且善于跟人交往的人。
LL: Right, people skills include being friendly, being a good conversationalist, and making other people comfortable. So, seeing Emily again reminded me what a people person she is.
LH: 我真是很羨慕那些善于跟人交往的人。他們總是顯得很友好、也很健談，讓人喜歡。 你哥哥Ron呢? 他也是a people person?
LL: No, Ron is very, very smart, but he is a not a people person. He likes to keep to himself, and when he is in a group, he doesn't talk very much.
LH: 我知道你哥哥Ron很聰明。他是不太愛講話。原來他性格比較內(nèi)向。你和你哥哥的性格是不是有點相似？
LL: Well, I think I am somewhere in the middle. I am not as much of a people person Emily is, but I think I have more people skills than my older brother Ron.
LH: 我看你也是處于中間，在人際關(guān)系方面趕不上Emily，但比哥哥要強一些。Larry, 那你覺得我是什么水平呢？
LL: You are a people person, Li Hua. I think you need to be a real people person to be a Chinese teacher.
LH: 那倒不見得教中文的老師必須善于和人交往，其實任何老師都應(yīng)該如此。 我們每天都要跟學生打交道嘛。
LL: Being a people person can also be very useful when interviewing for a job.
LH: 沒錯，找工作面試的時候， 公司總是喜歡能與人相處的雇員。
LL: Yes, and my sister Emily told me she has an interview for an internship at a law firm. With her people skills, I am sure she will get it.
LH: 沒錯，像Emily那樣討人喜歡的人，那律師事務(wù)所肯定會要她去實習的。
******
LL: My older brother Ron drives me crazy sometimes, because he is such a know-it-all.
LH: A know-it-all? 他什么都知道。這不是好事嗎？
LL: A know-it-all is someone who acts like they know every thing and want to show everyone that they know everything. But, they don't necessarily really know what they are talking about.
LH: 噢，這兒說的a know-it-all不是真正的有知識，而是指那種喜歡喧耀自己什么都知道， 可是其實并不見得都懂的人。
LL: Let's take my older brother Ron as an example. Because Ron is such a know-it-all, you can't say a word without him correcting you or arguing with you.
LH: 我碰到過這樣的人。不管你說什么他都要更正你。 Larry, 如果你說得對呢？比如你說地球是圓的？
LL: Well, in this case my know-it-all older brother would say to me, "You know, Larry, technically the earth is not round."
LH: 什么?! 他會說， 地球?qū)嶋H上并不是圓的？人人都知道地球是圓的�？磥砟愀绺绮⒉皇菬o所不知啊。
LL: I'll give you another example. During this visit with my family, I said I thought Star Wars was the greatest science fiction movie of all time.
LH: 許多人都認為[星球大戰(zhàn)]是科幻影片中最棒的。
LL: No, Ron, said, "Actually, Larry, 'The Matrix' did much better at the box office."
LH: 他怎么這么愛抬杠啊？ The Matrix這部電影的票房收入比《星球大戰(zhàn)》還要高？我沒有調(diào)查，可是我才不信呢。
LL: That's why Ron drives me crazy sometimes. I just want to have one conversation with him where he doesn't have to act like such a know-it-all.
LH: 其實，我覺得Ron未必喜歡和你爭論，他可能是自卑，所以才裝出什么都懂的樣子。
LL: Oh, No, Li Hua, don't you start sounding like a know-it-all, too!
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是people person，這是 指喜歡并善于跟人打交道的人。還有一個是know-it-all，這是指那種自以為什么都懂的人。
美國習慣用語第235講聲音
在這次節(jié)目里，我們要給大家講兩個以dry這個字為主的習慣用語。Dry就是：干，也就是干和濕的干。我們首先要講的一個習慣用語是：Dry run. Dry是干，run就是跑。Dry run按字面來解釋，那就是：干跑，而在我們生活中根本就沒有干跑這一說。實際上，這里的run并不是跑的意思，而是run through。也就是：過一遍，或者是做一遍。換句話說，dry run就是在做一件事或執(zhí)行一項計劃前進行的演習。
比如說，在正式上演一個劇本以前，導演和演員要進行多次排練。這個常用語是第二次世界大戰(zhàn)期間開始出現(xiàn)的。士兵在練習打靶的時候槍里是沒有子彈的。有的人就把這叫做dry run。逐漸地，dry run這個說法就傳開了，后來到二次大戰(zhàn)以后就成了生活中的日常用語。
科學家有了新發(fā)明，在大規(guī)模生產(chǎn)以前有時也會先來試一下，看看有什么問題。做生意的人也會如此。下面就是一位公司的總裁在講話。
例句-1: We're certainly glad we did a dry run on our new marketing plan for California before we sent our salesmen out. We found so many things wrong that we're designing the whole thing over.
他說：我們在派出推銷員之前，把我們?yōu)榧永Ｄ醽喼葜贫ǖ男碌耐其N計劃進行了一次演習。我們真是很高興做了這次演習，因為我們發(fā)現(xiàn)了許多問題，現(xiàn)在我們正在重新設(shè)計。
******
一個公司的董事長準備去檢查一下他公司的公關(guān)部的情況。當然，公關(guān)部的經(jīng)理在得到通知以后就開始緊張地做準備。下面這個例子是他在對手下工作人員說話。
例句2: The Chairman is to arrive in two hours and we still have a lot to do. Please hurry up and complete your work before 10 o'clock. We need to save at least half an hour for another dry run.
這位經(jīng)理說：董事長兩個小時以后就要到，我們還有許多事情要做。請大家抓緊時間，在十點以前完成你們手里的工作。我們必須剩下至少半個小時再來進行一次演習。
美國人的頭銜有的時候也很令人迷惑。Chairman這個字可以用在各種不同的場合。某個委員會的主席可以叫做chairman，但是在上面這個例句里，chairman指的是：chairman of the board，就是董事長。這么地位高的負責人要去檢查工作，那經(jīng)理當然會感到緊張。
******
我們再來講一個以dry這個字為主的習慣用語。Cut and dried. Cut就是切東西的切。大家都知道，英文里有許多字既可做動詞，也可以做名詞或形容詞。Dry就是一個例子。Dry run里的dry是一個形容詞，但是cut and dried里的dried 是從動詞to dry變形而來，也就是動詞to dry的過去式，意思是已經(jīng)干了。Cut and dried這個習慣用語的含義實際上跟cut 和 dry都沒有什么關(guān)系。Cut and dried的意思是：老一套，或者是人們所預料的，或者是根據(jù)以往的老做法來行事。任何事情要是被說成cut and dried，那就很可能是沒有什么吸引人的地方，因為缺乏新鮮內(nèi)容。
下面就是一個很好的例子。這是一個共和黨成員剛在自己的州里參加了黨代會以后回來，感到十分失望。
例句3: It was a waste of time to go to my party's state convention this year. It was all cut and dried - the same old speakers saying the same things they said last year.
他說：今年去參加我所屬的黨的州黨員大會真是浪費時間。一切都是老一套。講話的人就是去年講話的人。他們講的話也跟去年一樣。
******
美國人舉行婚禮的時候一般在儀式的程序里都有家長講話的一項。有的家長口才很好，有的家長缺乏在公眾場合講話的經(jīng)驗。下面是一個明天就要結(jié)婚的兒子在對他爸爸講話。
例句4: Dad, I've no doubt that you'll make a fine speech tomorrow. What really concerns me is my father-in-law. He tends to repeat what he said in the past. That'll sound all cut and dried and possibly spoil the atmosphere of the wedding.
這個兒子對他爸爸說：爸爸，你明天講話一定會講得很好的，這我是毫無疑問。我真正擔心的是我的岳父。他總是重復他以前講過的話。那會聽起來老生常談，還可能會影響婚禮的氣氛。
流行美語第235課
Larry和李華在公園里散步，Larry告訴李華他的朋友Rick最近交了一個女朋友。 李華今天要學會兩個常用語Seeing Someone和Breaking up。
LL: Hey, Li Hua, have you heard the news? Rick is seeing someone.
LH: Rick is seeing someone? Rick在看人。這有什么奇怪的，我也在看一個人呀。I am seeing someone, too.
LL: Really? You are seeing someone, Li Hua? Who is it?
LH: 就是你呀。 Larry. 我不是在看著你嗎？
LL: (Laughs) That's pretty funny, Li Hua. But, by "seeing someone" I don't mean Rick is looking at someone with his eyes.
LH: 你不是說"Rick is seeing someone"嗎？ 他不是在看人， 那是什么意思呀？
LL: When I said Rick is "seeing someone," I meant he was dating a girl.
LH: OH! 你是在說Rick有了一個女朋友。Although I'm seeing you，但是我們不是男女朋友的關(guān)系。
LL: Right, we are just friends, Li Hua. We go out and do things together, but we aren't boyfriend and girlfriend. We aren't seeing each other.
LH: 事實上， 我現(xiàn)在根本就沒有男朋友，I am not seeing anyone.
LL: It's OK, Li Hua. I'm not seeing anyone either. But Rick is pretty serious about the girl he is seeing.
LH: Rick已經(jīng)換了好幾個女朋友了，你說他這次真的會很認真嗎？那女孩是誰呀？
LL: Her name is Jennifer. Rick has been seeing her for about a month or so.
LH: 嗯，Jennifer。交往了才一個月，你怎么知道Rick對這個女孩很認真呀！
LL: You're right, Li Hua. It hasn't been very long - but ever since they started to see each other, they've been doing everything together - going out to eat, seeing movies, and taking walks in the park.
LH: 熱戀的時候當然是形影不離了；一起吃飯， 看電影，一起去公園散步，多浪漫。Larry, 那邊走的不是Rick嗎？跟他牽著手的女孩子就是Jennifer吧？
LL: That is Rick across the park. But that is not the girl he has been seeing.
LH: 那個女孩子不是Jennifer? 難道Rick另有所愛了？
LL: I don't know. I'll ask him.
******
LL: Well, Li Hua, you were right. Rick is seeing someone else. He and Jennifer broke up.
LH: 果然Rick又有了別的女朋友。 哎，你說他和Jennifer broke up，那是什么意思呀？
LL: To break up means to end the relationship. Apparently, Rick broke up with Jennifer last night.
LH: 昨天晚上才分開，Rick就已經(jīng)和別的女孩手牽手了， 真是不可思議。
LL: From what Rick says, he decided to break up with Jennifer, because he met someone new that he liked even better.
LH: Rick遇到了他更喜歡的人，所以和Jennifer分手了。 真是喜新厭舊的人呢，Jennifer一定傷心死了。 Rick是怎么跟她說的呢？
LL: Rick said he called Jennifer last night on the phone and told her he wanted to break up.
LH: 什么？他只是打了個電話，這太不禮貌了，他至少應(yīng)該當面道歉。
LL: Well, I guess since they hadn't been seeing each other very long, he didn't think it a problem to break up over the phone.
LH: 他們交朋友的時間雖然是不長，可是畢竟是談過戀愛的。如果我的男朋友突然打來電話要分手，我會很難過的。
LL: Well, at least Rick didn't send Jennifer a text message telling her he wanted to break up.
LH: 電子郵件？Larry，你跟女朋友分手不會只發(fā)個電子郵件吧？
LL: Well, me personally, no. But I've known guys who have broken up with girls by sending them a text message.
LH: Larry, 你可不能像他們那樣。
LL: I promise, Li Hua. And right now it is an easy promise to keep, considering I'm not seeing anyone!
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是seeing someone, 意思是跟某人談戀愛。還有一個是break up， 意思是分手。
美國習慣用語第236講
我們再來給大家介紹兩個以dry這個字為主的習慣用語。第一個是：High and dry. High就是高，dry 就是干。要是一個人處于high and dry的局面，那他就是面臨難以解決的困難，又沒有任何人給予幫助。High and dry這個說法是怎么來的也不難想像。你要是乘船出游，而你的船在淺水的沙洲上擱淺了。等到潮水退了，你的船就在那高出水面的沙灘上沒法動，周圍既沒有一點水，也沒有任何人。這就是high and dry。下面是一個例子。這是一個人在告訴他的朋友他去參加一個聚會的情況。
例句-1: Everybody had fun at Sally's party. But when it came time to clean up the mess, all the guests left in a hurry and Sally was left high and dry, to do all the work by herself.
這句話的意思是：每個去參加薩利舉辦的聚會的人都玩得很高興。但是，等到要收拾殘局的時候，所有的客人都匆忙地走了，就剩下薩利一個人來干這些活。
******
一般來說，美國人的時間概念是比較強的。跟朋友約會，到約定的時間就應(yīng)該到指定的地點。要是去參加一個聚會，晚到五分鐘，十分鐘那倒還可以，因為有時候車輛擁擠，難以控制。這是可以理解的。但是，要是太晚了就不好了。另外要注意的一點是，參加一個聚會最好不要早到，因為舉辦一個聚會有許多準備工作要做，最后一分鐘往往是最緊張的時刻，所以你要是早到，對主人來說是很不方便的。下面我們再來舉一個high and dry的例子。這是一個人在埋怨他的朋友。
例句2: John, Jack and Mary all urged me to give a big party to celebrate my promotion. They promised to help out with the preparation. But so far they've done nothing saying they are too busy. It seems that I've been left high and dry and have to do all the work by myself.
這人說：約翰，杰克和瑪麗都動員我舉辦一個大規(guī)模的聚會來慶祝我被提升的事。他們都保證幫我做準備工作。但是，到目前為止，他們什么也沒做，說是太忙�？磥�，我是沒辦法了，只好自己來做一切了。
******
我們在這次節(jié)目里要講的第二個習慣用語是：Dry up. Dry up這個說法有幾種不同的用法。其中之一是叫某人閉嘴，不要再說了。當然，這是不太禮貌的說法。我們來舉一個例子。
例句3: Oh, why don't you dry up. I'm sick and tired of hearing you complain all the time! If you don't like the job, why don't you go out and look for another one. It's not that you don't have a choice.
這人說：喂，你得了，別說了，行嗎？ 你沒完沒了地抱怨，我都聽的煩死了。要是你不喜歡這個工作，你干嗎不出去再另外找一個工作。你又不是沒有選擇的余地。
其實，美國近年來要找工作也不容易。許多公司和政府機構(gòu)都在裁員。找到一個滿意的工作更是難上加難。再說，即便找到了一個工作，難道就沒有任何問題了嗎？
******
我們剛才說了，dry up這個常用語用在不同場合有不同的含義。上面的解釋是叫某人不要再說了。另外一個解釋是，非�？斓南�，就像一杯水倒在很熱的沙灘上。這當然是很形像的比喻。其實，dry up在生活其他方面也都適用。下面就是一個例子。
例句4: After he lost the election Senator Blank had two months left in his term. But he saw his political power dry up over night as people know very well that he'll be out of the picture soon.
這句話的意思是：布蘭克參議員在競選失敗后，他的任期還剩兩個月。但是，由于人們很清楚他不久就會成為局外人，所以他發(fā)現(xiàn)他的政治權(quán)力好像一夜之間就消失了。
流行美語第236課
李華和Larry看了一場電影剛回到Larry的公寓。李華今天會學會兩個常用語Dullsville和Coolsville。
LL: Wow, Li Hua, that movie was totally dullsville. I can't believe we stayed and watched the whole thing.
LH: Dullsville? 這個電影的確沒意思，It WAS really boring, 可是你為什么不說boring而是說Dullsville?
LL: Well, you know, Li Hua， many small towns in America end in "ville."
LH: 是啊，美國的許多小城鎮(zhèn)都叫什么什么"ville" ，比如Coopersville and Andersonville.
LL: So, when I said the movie was "dullsville," I was suggesting the movie was so boring, it was like living in the town of dull.
LH: 我知道了， "dullsville"的意思是說，電影很沒意思，就像是住在一個很枯燥的地方。
LL: Right. And that movie was totally dullsville, especially for a comedy. I don't think I even laughed once.
LH: 真的啊？你看這部喜劇片的時候一次都沒有笑？不會吧。這部電影不是很好，可也沒那么差。Larry，我們學校的一些教授，他們講課才是真正的dullsville.
LL: Yeah, I remember back in college being in some really dullsville classes. Sometimes they were so boring I'd fall asleep.
LH: 不光是你，不少學生都會因為教授講課乏味而打瞌睡。Larry，你上班的時候打瞌睡嗎？Is your work dullsville?
LL: No, actually we've been very busy with several important projects. There are times I wish it WAS dullsville at work.
LH: 要完成好幾個重要的項目，哪當然有功夫打瞌睡了。我教中文倒是蠻有意思，可是周末就很無聊。My weekends are dullsville.
LL: I know what you mean. My weekends have been dullsville, too. I usually clean my apartment, go grocery shopping, and maybe wash my car. Not too exciting.
LH: 我也是，周末就是打掃房間，買吃的、洗車、真單調(diào)。Larry，我們得想點什么有趣的事，改善一下周末的生活。
LL: Hmmm。Let me think of how we can get out of dullsville.
******
LL: I've got it, Li Hua! We'll go to an amusement park next weekend. There is one not too far away that is totally coolsville!
LH: 我們下個周末去游樂園？好啊。那這次你就不用解釋了，我知道Coolsville的意思就是說那個地方一切都很棒，很有意思。對不對？
LL: That's right. And this amusement park really is coolsville. We won't be bored there.
LH: 那這個游樂園里有什么特別好玩的呢？
LL: The park has three huge roller coasters. One of them goes upside down! Now that ride is coolsville.
LH: 游樂園里有三個過山車， 還有一個是頭朝下的。可我不喜歡坐過山車，the ride doesn't sound so coolsville to me.
LL: You don't like roller coasters? Well, what do you think is coolsville, Li Hua?
LH: 我覺得自然博物館很有意思。
LL: Really? Why do you think the natural history museum is coolsville? I guess I think it is more like dullsville.
LH: 自然博物館怎么會令人厭倦呢？ 你看過那里的恐龍化石嗎？多有意思啊。
LL: Well, now that you mention it, my little seven-year old cousin Amy thinks dinosaurs are coolsville, too.
LH: 你七歲的表妹Amy也喜歡恐龍化石？那下個周末，你去游樂園，我?guī)my去自然博物館，怎么樣？
LL: That would be coolsville! What a great idea.
LH: 你去享受過山車，我們?nèi)ビ^賞恐龍化石。兩全齊美，Everything will be coolsville.
LL: Except for one thing.
LH: 除了一件事以外？什么事？
LL: Wouldn't it be more coolsville if we could do something together?
LH: 你說的對，兩個人一起才有意思。那我跟你去游樂園，以后我們再去自然博物館。
LL: Coolsville.
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是dullsville，意思是枯燥乏味，令人厭倦。還有一個是coolsville，意思是很好，很有意思。
美國習慣用語第237講
每個人在生活中都不斷地需要做出選擇和決定。在一生中也都會有些不順當?shù)臅r刻。在這次節(jié)目里，我們要給大家講的兩個習慣用語就是指面臨困難。在日常生活中，有的時候我們會覺得自己好像站在十字路口，不知道往哪兒走才好。要是我們做出錯誤的決定，那我們就會處于不利的境地。這就是我們要講的第一個習慣用語。In the doghouse. Doghouse是一個字，可是實際上是兩個字組成的，一個是dog，就是狗。另一個是house，意思是房子。Doghouse這個字的原意就是：狗睡覺的房子，也就是狗窩。In the doghouse作為俗語，它的意思就是你使某人很生氣，以致你不得不在屋子外面跟自己家里的狗睡在一起，意思就是倒了霉。下面是一個學生在說他自己的經(jīng)歷。
例句-1: I've been in the doghouse with my mom and dad ever since they saw my grades from last semester. I admit that I failed math and barely passed English, but these are tough courses!
這個學生說：自從我媽媽和爸爸看到我上學期的成績單以后，他們一直對我很生氣。我承認，我數(shù)學不及格，英語也勉強及格。可是這些都是很難的課程！
******
在美國人當中，離了婚再結(jié)婚的人也不少。有的時候，雙方跟前夫或前妻都有孩子，結(jié)了婚兩家合在一起孩子就更多了。這就會產(chǎn)生很多問題，不僅孩子之間會發(fā)生矛盾，而且還會影響夫婦之間的感情。下面就是一個丈夫在說他生活中的麻煩。
例句2: My wife and I each has a son from our first marriages. Somehow, her son always likes to disturb my son when he's doing his homework. The other day I tried to discipline him and that got me in the doghouse with my wife.
這個丈夫說：我跟我太太以前第一次結(jié)婚的時候都有一個兒子。不知怎么回事，每當我兒子做功課的時候，她的兒子總是喜歡搗亂。那天，我想給他做點規(guī)矩，這可使我太太對我好生氣吶。
******
下面我們再來給大家講一個表示處境困難的習慣用語。Between a rock and a hard place. Between就是在兩者之間，rock是石頭，hard就是硬的，place是指地方。要是一條船遇到風浪，她的一邊是一塊大巖石，另一邊是峭壁。這條船想要從這兩者之間很窄的水面安全地脫險，這又有多么不容易。在這種情況下，你必須做出正確的決定，但是有的時候又似乎沒有什么好辦法。就像下面這個飯店的老板一樣。
例句3: We've lost so much that we're between a rock and a hard place. I can't decide whether to try to borrow money and pay higher interest than we can afford or else sell out and probably lose half of our investment.
這個老板說：“我們虧損了這么多，現(xiàn)在真是左右為難。要是去借錢就得支付難以承擔的高利貸。要是出售整個企業(yè)就很可能會損失我們投資總額的一半。在這兩者之間，我真感到左右為難�！�
******
虐待婦女是美國的社會問題之一。有的是丈夫毆打妻子。有的是男朋友毆打女朋友。有的婦女被打得鼻青臉腫，還有的受重傷，有的甚至被打死。犯這種罪行的男人都很粗暴；女方往往怕他們。下面就是一個警察在說一個受虐待的婦女的心情。
例句4: Lisa finds herself between a rock and a hard place. If she decides to stay with her husband, she'll be beaten from time to time or even killed one day. If she is determined to divorce him, he probably will kill her before she hires a lawyer.
這個警察說：利薩發(fā)現(xiàn)自己真是進退兩難。要是她決定和她丈夫繼續(xù)過下去，她會不斷地挨打，或者甚至哪天被打死。要是她決心跟他離婚，她可能還沒有找到律師，就被她丈夫殺了。
流行美語第237課
Larry在學校的電腦室里見到了李華。李華今天要學會兩個常用語ASAP和crank out。
LL: Hey Li Hua! What are you working on? A paper?
LH: 不是，我在寫申請威廉森中國歷史獎學金的申請書。
LL: What? But that's due tomorrow! You'd better finish that ASAP.
LH: 我知道明天是申請的最后期限，所以我在趕吶。ASAP, 那是什么意思啊？
LL: ASAP means "as soon as possible". You need to finish that application as soon as possible!
LH: 噢，原來ASAP就是盡快 - as soon as possible 的縮寫。 Larry，那你為什么不說as soon as possible而是說ASAP呢？
LL: Well, people say "as soon as possible", but if you are in a hurry, it's easier to just say ASAP.
LH: 匆忙的時候說ASAP，這能節(jié)省多少時間呢， 頂多半秒鐘吧。
LL: Well, it also sounds more forceful. For instance, if your boss tells you, "Li Hua, I need you to get this done ASAP!" you know that he is in a hurry!
LH: 那倒是。ASAP聽起來比較干脆，比較有力。
LL: Or if your mechanic tells you that you car is leaking oil, and that you need to have it fixed ASAP, you'd better take his word for it.
LH: 你別舉這種讓我倒霉的例子。不過，要是我的車漏油了，我當然得盡快修理。I need to have it fixed ASAP。
LL: Wait, Li Hua, you promised me yesterday that you would proofread my Chinese composition. Have you done that yet? I need to hand it in ASAP!
LH: 天啊， 昨天我答應(yīng)幫你修改中文作文，我怎么把這件事給忘了呢？真的好對不起。那你今天下午交還來得及嗎？
LL: I need to go to work ASAP, so I need to hand this in before I go.
LH: (Sighs) 如果你一定要在上班之前把作業(yè)交上去， 那我現(xiàn)在就幫你看吧。
LL: Thank you so much, Li Hua. You're such a good friend.
******
(Larry returns to the computer lab later in the day.)
LL: Hey Li Hua! I am back from work. Are you still working on that statement?
LH: 是啊， 我還在寫申請。哎，Larry, 寫申請有什么竅門嗎？你怎么每次都寫得那么快呢？
LL: Oh, I don't know. I guess because I have written so many of them, now it's easy for me to crank them out.
LH: Crank them out? 這是什么意思呀？
LL: To crank something out means to produce something quickly and mechanically, without much thought.
LH: 嗯，To crank something out就是不需要太多思考，很機戒地做成某種事。
LL: Well, when I was an undergraduate, I would just crank out essays and term papers, no problem. Of course, it's not that easy these days.
LH: 我聽說了，你讀本科的時候是寫作高手， 論文和學期作文都難不倒你�，F(xiàn)在當研究生就不一樣了；你要作大量研究才能有根有據(jù)地寫。
LL: Exactly. So, did you ever just crank out essays when you were a student in China?
LH: 當然了，我在中國讀中學的時候， 半個小時就能crank out兩頁的政論文章。Larry, to crank out這個短語還能用在別的地方嗎？
LL: Sure, for instance, at McDonald's, they crank out hundreds of hamburgers every day.
LH: 麥當勞每天制作成千上萬個的漢堡包。這一點也不錯。
LL: And Hollywood cranks out stupid action movies every other week.
LH: 我從來不看好萊塢制作的那種武打片，所以我就不太清楚了。
LL: Anyway, I have another piece of homework for Chinese class that I need you to look at ASAP. Can you help me?
LH: 沒問題，我可以幫你看中文作業(yè)，不過你得幫我修改一下我寫的申請書。I need to drop it in the mail ASAP。
LL: Ok, no problem. Show me what you've written so far。
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是ASAP, 意思是盡快。還有一個是crank out， 意思是不需多加思考地，機戒地制作某種東西。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-02-25 07:47:52 做記號
美國習慣用語第238講
今天我們要介紹給大家的兩個習慣用語里都有一個主要的字。那就是：Bum. Bum就是指那種游手好閑，不務(wù)正業(yè)的人。每個社會都有這樣的人。美國雖然是一個富有的國家，但是也不例外。美國人有幾個稱呼這種人的常用語。其中之一就是bum。在美國，你有時會看到一些衣服穿得破破爛爛，隨身帶著大包小包的人。這些包里的東西就是他們所有的家當了。
人們把他們稱為bums。Bum這個字還出現(xiàn)在一些習慣用語當中，一般都含有貶意。今天我們要給大家介紹的第一個常用語就是：Bummer. Bummer這個字大概是在二十五年前出現(xiàn)的，因此在美國常用語里還是比較新的。
Bummer 的意思是：不愉快的經(jīng)歷。下面是一個例子。這是一個人在說他的朋友給他出的主意很不好。
例句-1: Charley sure gave us a bad recommendation when he said that new rock group from England is so great. We heard their concert last night and it was terrible - believe me, a real bummer!
這人說：查理向我們推薦說，那個從英國來的新的搖滾樂樂隊簡直是太好了。他的推薦實在是個錯誤。我們昨晚去聽了那個音樂會，真是難聽極了。你別不信我的話，那個音樂會實在太差勁了。
******
美國有許多餐館，它們具有不同的民族風味。就中國餐館來講也有廣東菜、湖南菜、四川菜等。他們之間的競爭非常激烈。盡管有那么多餐館，可是每個人一般都有幾家自己喜歡的餐館。下面是一個人在說他的經(jīng)歷。
例句2: My wife and I like to try different restaurants. Some restaurants are very reasonable but their food is very tasty. Others, however, charge a lot yet the food is lousy. But none of them we've tried could be worse than the Chinese restaurant close to my home. It's a real bummer.
這人說：我太太和我喜歡到不同的飯館去試試。有的地方價錢很便宜，可是菜做的很有味道。也有的飯館價錢很貴，飯食卻很差。但是，沒有一個飯館比我家附近那個中國餐館更次的了。那個飯館真是太糟糕了。
******
下面我們要給大家講的一個習慣用語是由bum和另外一個字合起來組成的。Bum rap. Rap在這兒是指因為作錯了事而受到責備或懲罰。但是，受冤枉的事不是也很多嗎？要是一個人并沒有犯罪而被關(guān)進監(jiān)獄，這就是a bum rap。當然, a bum rap并不一定是被關(guān)進監(jiān)獄。有的時候，a bum rap就是指一個人實在沒有做錯什么事，但是卻挨了批評。下面就是一個例子。
例句3: A lot of people blame the mayor for our roads being in such bad shape. But I think he's getting a bum rap: the problem is the city council won't give him enough money to fix them.
這句話的意思是：我們這兒的道路坑坑□□實在不像樣。許多人責怪市長。但是，我認為這實在太冤枉他了。問題在于市政委員會不給他足夠的資金來修路。
美國總統(tǒng)計劃要做的事往往要得到國會的同意，各城市的市長要做的事也得獲得市政委員會的批準。因此確實不能把所有的責任都推給市長。
******
美國各公司或機構(gòu)的辦公室都有清潔工。在一般情況下，他們都在下班以后來打掃清潔。但是，也有辦公室的工作人員在不得已的時候，下了班以后還要加班。下面是一個清潔工在埋怨。
例句4: I cleaned up the office at six as usual. But someone messed up the place with leftover food and beer bottles. My boss blamed me for not having cleaned up properly. I was so mad at getting this kind of bum rap.
這個清潔工說：我跟平時一樣在六點打掃辦公室�？墒牵翘焱砩嫌腥税艳k公室弄的亂七八糟，到處都是吃剩的東西和啤酒瓶。我的老板責備我，說我沒打掃干凈。受這樣的冤枉氣真讓我非常生氣。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-02-25 07:52:50 做記號
流行美語第238課
Larry看見李華在修補她的書包，覺得有點奇怪。 李華今天要學會兩個常用語cut it和get on it。
LL: Hey, Li Hua, what are you doing with that tape?
LH: (Sighs)我不小心把書包扯了一個大洞。 我要用膠布把它粘上。
LL: With that tape? Li Hua, this cheap clear tape isn't going to cut it, you need some duct tape.
LH: The clear tape isn't going to cut it? 我不是要把書包切開呀!
LL: I know! I said the clear tape won't cut it. Cut. If something or someone can't "cut it", that means it's not good enough.
LH: 原來won't cut it的意思是不夠好， 而不是把它切開。所以你是說這種透明的膠條不結(jié)實，粘不住，你要用那種厚的膠布？
LL: That's right. Remember that Chinese newspaper reading class I was taking, it was too hard for me- my Chinese wasn't good enough. I couldn't cut it in that class, so I changed to another.
LH: 我當然記得咯！當時你才學了半年中文，看中國報刊是不行，所以跟不上，只好放棄。
LL: Yeah, to be able to read Chinese newspaper, I have to learn more Chinese characters.
LH: 你說的對。 Larry你有沒有幫我修改申請書��？
LL: Yeah, I looked at it. I don't think your application is going to cut it, though. You'll need to re-write some parts.
LH: 你認為憑我寫的申請書是拿不到獎學金的。哪怎么辦呢？你說吧，哪些部分要重寫。
LL: You need to be more specific about your future academic plans. Simply promising to work hard isn't going to cut it with the review committee.
LH: 你說得有道理，我得應(yīng)當更具體地講未來的學術(shù)計劃，而不是泛泛地說要努力學習。 我寫的恐怕是通不過審查委員會。
LL：Call me when you finish rewriting.
LH：I will, Larry.
******
[Li Hua and Larry meet on campus several days later]
LL: Hey, Li Hua, haven't see you for a couple of days. Do you have another draft of that application essay for me to check?
LH: 是啊，我們好幾天沒見了。 我一直忙著上課， 我的申請還沒寫好呢。
LL: Well, you'd better get on it! It's due next week!
LH: 我得get on it，那是什么意思？
LL: I said, you'd better get on it. To get on it means to take care of something or start working on an important task.
LH: 噢， get on it就是動手處理某件重要的事情。 沒錯，沒錯，我的確該動手修改那申請書了。
LL: That's right! You'd better get on it right away. By the way, I'm going to be busy on Thursday, so you'd better have it ready by noon tomorrow.
LH: 你星期四沒有時間， 那就是說我非得在明天中午以前交給你。
LL: Yes. If you can give it to me around noon tomorrow, I'll get on it right away and have the corrections ready by Thursday morning.
LH: 星期四上午你就能改完。那太好了。 謝謝你。 你知道嗎？我現(xiàn)在千頭萬緒，忙得不可開交，我這個月的電話賬單還沒付呢。
LL: Really? You'd better get on that! If you wait too long, they'll charge a big fee, and it might damage your credit score.
LH: 我知道，所以心里著急呢！過期不付要罰很多錢， 而且還會影響我的信譽。 這我都知道�？墒俏沂绿啵� 我的汽車還沒有重新登記呢。
LL: What? If the police notice that you are driving a car with an out of date registration, you'll get a big ticket, or worse! You'd better get on that!
LH: 是啊， 這件事一定得趕快辦。 我可不想讓警察發(fā)現(xiàn)我的車沒登記，真要罰錢，我可受不了�？墒俏揖褪遣幌矚g填表， 要花很多時間。
LL: That kind of thinking definitely won't cut it if you want to go to graduate school. Filling out forms for grant proposals is one of the main things that professors and graduate students do.
LH: 那也是，研究生要申請研究經(jīng)費都要填表。 看來我是得改變這種想法了。
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是won't cut it, 意思是不行，不夠好。還有一個是get on it ， 意思是趕快處理。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-02-25 08:05:07 做記號
流行美語第238課
Larry看見李華在修補她的書包，覺得有點奇怪。 李華今天要學會兩個常用語cut it和get on it。
LL: Hey, Li Hua, what are you doing with that tape?
LH: (Sighs)我不小心把書包扯了一個大洞。 我要用膠布把它粘上。
LL: With that tape? Li Hua, this cheap clear tape isn't going to cut it, you need some duct tape.
LH: The clear tape isn't going to cut it? 我不是要把書包切開呀!
LL: I know! I said the clear tape won't cut it. Cut. If something or someone can't "cut it", that means it's not good enough.
LH: 原來won't cut it的意思是不夠好， 而不是把它切開。所以你是說這種透明的膠條不結(jié)實，粘不住，你要用那種厚的膠布？
LL: That's right. Remember that Chinese newspaper reading class I was taking, it was too hard for me- my Chinese wasn't good enough. I couldn't cut it in that class, so I changed to another.
LH: 我當然記得咯！當時你才學了半年中文，看中國報刊是不行，所以跟不上，只好放棄。
LL: Yeah, to be able to read Chinese newspaper, I have to learn more Chinese characters.
LH: 你說的對。 Larry你有沒有幫我修改申請書��？
LL: Yeah, I looked at it. I don't think your application is going to cut it, though. You'll need to re-write some parts.
LH: 你認為憑我寫的申請書是拿不到獎學金的。哪怎么辦呢？你說吧，哪些部分要重寫。
LL: You need to be more specific about your future academic plans. Simply promising to work hard isn't going to cut it with the review committee.
LH: 你說得有道理，我得應(yīng)當更具體地講未來的學術(shù)計劃，而不是泛泛地說要努力學習。 我寫的恐怕是通不過審查委員會。
LL：Call me when you finish rewriting.
LH：I will, Larry.
******
[Li Hua and Larry meet on campus several days later]
LL: Hey, Li Hua, haven't see you for a couple of days. Do you have another draft of that application essay for me to check?
LH: 是啊，我們好幾天沒見了。 我一直忙著上課， 我的申請還沒寫好呢。
LL: Well, you'd better get on it! It's due next week!
LH: 我得get on it，那是什么意思？
LL: I said, you'd better get on it. To get on it means to take care of something or start working on an important task.
LH: 噢， get on it就是動手處理某件重要的事情。 沒錯，沒錯，我的確該動手修改那申請書了。
LL: That's right! You'd better get on it right away. By the way, I'm going to be busy on Thursday, so you'd better have it ready by noon tomorrow.
LH: 你星期四沒有時間， 那就是說我非得在明天中午以前交給你。
LL: Yes. If you can give it to me around noon tomorrow, I'll get on it right away and have the corrections ready by Thursday morning.
LH: 星期四上午你就能改完。那太好了。 謝謝你。 你知道嗎？我現(xiàn)在千頭萬緒，忙得不可開交，我這個月的電話賬單還沒付呢。
LL: Really? You'd better get on that! If you wait too long, they'll charge a big fee, and it might damage your credit score.
LH: 我知道，所以心里著急呢！過期不付要罰很多錢， 而且還會影響我的信譽。 這我都知道�？墒俏沂绿啵� 我的汽車還沒有重新登記呢。
LL: What? If the police notice that you are driving a car with an out of date registration, you'll get a big ticket, or worse! You'd better get on that!
LH: 是啊， 這件事一定得趕快辦。 我可不想讓警察發(fā)現(xiàn)我的車沒登記，真要罰錢，我可受不了�？墒俏揖褪遣幌矚g填表， 要花很多時間。
LL: That kind of thinking definitely won't cut it if you want to go to graduate school. Filling out forms for grant proposals is one of the main things that professors and graduate students do.
LH: 那也是，研究生要申請研究經(jīng)費都要填表。 看來我是得改變這種想法了。
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是won't cut it, 意思是不行，不夠好。還有一個是get on it ， 意思是趕快處理。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-02-26 10:11:01 做記號
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美國習慣用語第239講
我們在這次節(jié)目里要給大家介紹的兩個習慣用語都有同一個關(guān)鍵的字。那就是fair。Fair這個字有很多解釋。其中一個主要的意思是：公正或誠實。這也正是我們要講的第一個習慣用語的意思。Fair and square. Square可以用做名詞，也可以用做形容詞。用做名詞的時候，它的一般解釋就是：四方塊。用做形容詞的時候可以解釋為：正直的，或者是光明正大的。
我們來舉一個例子。目前在體育比賽中存在的一個問題就是有的運動員為了取勝而在比賽前服用那些能增強體力的藥。體育界有關(guān)方面也一直在設(shè)法阻止這種現(xiàn)象。下面是一個人在說他那參加賽跑比賽的朋友。
例句-1: Jack won the race last week with flying colors. But other athletes suspected he had taken drugs before the race. I know Jack well - he's a person with high moral standards. I'm sure he won the race fair and square without any cheating.
這是說：杰克上星期在賽跑中以優(yōu)異成績獲勝。但是，其他運動員懷疑他在賽跑前服了藥。我很了解杰克。他是一個道德標準很高的人。我肯定他是老老實實取勝的；沒有任何欺騙行為。
******
我們再來舉一個例子說明fair and square的用法。這是一個很有錢的商人在說話。
例句2: I admit I've piled up a certain amount of money during the past ten years. But I made every penny fair and square. I've never cheated others and at the same time I don't let anybody else cheat me.
這個富商說：我承認我在過去十年內(nèi)積累了一定數(shù)量的錢。但是，我的每一分錢都是老老實實地賺來的。我從來也沒有欺騙過別人，同時也不允許別人欺騙我。
******
我們現(xiàn)在來講第二個以fair這個字為關(guān)鍵的習慣用語。Fair shake. Shake這個字一般用做動詞的時候比較多，意思是：搖。大家都知道，to shake hands就是握手。但是在fair shake里，shake是一個名詞。Fair shake是指和每個人進行同樣誠實和公正的交易。也可以說是：一視同仁。
這個習慣用語可能是來自一種用骰子玩的賭博。參加賭博的人先要把兩顆骰子放在兩只手當中搖一搖，然后再往桌上一撒，看看點數(shù)加起來一共有多少，以定輸贏�，F(xiàn)在我們來舉一個例子看看fair shake在日常生活中是怎么用的。這是一個人在說買汽車的事。
例句3: When I buy a new car I buy it from Bill Green. He's always very honest with customers so you can depend on him to give you a fair shake when it comes to getting a good price.
這個人說：當我要買新車的時候，我就到比爾那兒去買。他對顧客總是很誠實，所以你要是想要價錢好，他可以信得過他，他肯定會很公道地對待你的。
美國人普遍第對推銷汽車的人印象很壞，認為他們專會欺騙顧客，從中漁利。但是，從這個例子來看，推銷汽車的人當中還是有好的。
******
下面是一個人在抱怨他的老板，因為他沒有被提升。
例句4: My supervisor always assigns me to tackle the tough jobs. But when there's a promotion, he tends to forget me. Several times, people less qualified than I am got promoted. I don't think my supervisor has given me a fair shake.
這個人說：我的上司總是派我去處理難對付的工作。但是，一有提升的機會，他好像把我忘了。好幾次了，那些水平不如我的倒被提升了。我認為我的上司對我不公平。
美國公司里的職工跟其他地方一樣在爭奪提升機會的時候也很激烈。水平高的沒被提升，水平低的反而被提升的事不是罕見的現(xiàn)象。有的人甚至為此辭職,到別處再找工作。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-02-26 10:16:08 做記號
流行美語第239課
Larry和李華一起去購物。Larry準備去參加朋友的婚禮，可是原來的西裝太舊了，所以需要買一套新西裝。李華今天要學兩個常用語hand-me-down和hands down。
LL: Hey Li Hua, I need your help with something. I want to go to the mall and buy a new suit to wear for my friend Jack's wedding.
LH: 要我?guī)湍阗徫�？這可是我的專長。你想買什么牌子的西裝？是Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, 還是Dolce & Gabbana?
LL: Wo! Wo! Don't overwhelm me already. Any department store will do. All I need to do is find something to replace this old hand-me-down suit that I always wear.
LH: 什么？你這套舊西裝是什么質(zhì)地的？Hand-me-down? 我怎么沒聽說過這種西裝布料呀？
LL: No. Hand-me-down is an expression. It refers to something that is given to you because someone else does not want it any more. My father gave me the suit that I wear now because he could not wear it any longer.
LH: 噢，我明白了，hand-me-down是說從別人那兒撿來的舊東西，是別人不要的東西。你現(xiàn)在這套西裝原來是你老爸穿不了給你的，怪不得看起來不太合身，而且還有些舊舊的。要這么說的話，我的鞋也是hand-me-down。
LL: What? Your wingtip dress shoes?
LH: 就是啊，這雙鞋其實是我的好朋友Jane不要了給我的。她還告訴我說，她的另外兩個朋友Sarah和Lily也都穿過這雙鞋。
LL: Wow! Now that's a hand-me-down. How have those shoes lasted so long?
LH: 這種鞋之所以結(jié)實，是因為鞋底可以換新的，我已經(jīng)換過兩次了。對了，你老爸有沒有給你什么hand-me-down的鞋，讓你穿著去參加Jack的婚禮��？
LL: No, unfortunately, my big feet won't fit into his hand-me-down shoes.
LH: 你的腳確實不小。那就走吧，大腳，我們買東西去。
******
[Li Hua and Larry arrived at store]
LH: Larry，你有三種選擇，這種黑色或是棕色的單排扣兩件套西裝，還有就是這件灰色的雙排扣西裝，你更喜歡哪個？
LL: I think the gray double-breasted suit is better looking than any of the others, hands down. And it makes me look pretty sophisticated.
LH: 這件灰西裝看上去確實不錯，穿在你身上也挺精神的，但是你剛才說的hands down是什么意思呀？
LL: Oh. hands down is an expression that means that something is easily better than something else; that a comparison or competition between two things is uncontested.
LH: 噢， 我明白了。你是說這件灰色西裝比其它的都強得多，根本沒有好比較的。你說的不錯，那套棕色的好像有點兒容易皺，黑色的看起來又太一般了。這件灰色的樣子確實不錯。
LL: Yeah, and it costs half as much as the others. You know Li Hua, I would never have found this suit at such a good price without your help. Hands down, you are a much better shopper than I am.
LH: 而且價錢也不貴，算是讓你趕上了。你也知道，我這人就是喜歡逛街。下次你要買什么東西，可以再找我。我們倆兒也算是各有所長，誰都知道，要打籃球，我絕不是你的對手，可是，hands down，毫無疑問。
LL: Yeah you're right about that. Let's go to the check-out counter and pay for this suit so I can finally get rid of my old hand-me-down suit.
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是hand-me-down, 意思是別人用過的舊東西。還有一個是hands down，意思是毫無疑問。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-02-27 09:45:09 做記號
美國習慣用語第240講
我們在這次節(jié)目里要講的兩個習慣用語也是fair這個字有密切關(guān)系的。第一個是：Fair game. Game這個字也是有許多解釋，其中用得最普遍的一個意思就是：游戲。
但是，在fair game這個習慣用語里，這個 game不是指游戲，而是指獵物，也就是打獵人要打的動物。所以，fair game，作為俗語，它的意思也就是：可能成為被打擊，被虐待或嘲笑的人或者東西。比如說，一個剛到一所新學校去上學的男孩很可能會成為那些老學生們開玩笑的對象；他們可以逗他，開他的玩笑，總之把他弄的日子很難過。下面我們來給大家舉一個例子。這是一個人在講現(xiàn)在的政客。
例句-1: Politics is a tougher business now than it used to be. These days a candidate is fair game for the press: they'll poke into every corner of his past life to see what scandal they can dig up.
這人說：現(xiàn)在搞政治不是件容易的事，要比以前難多了�，F(xiàn)在參加競選的候選人都已經(jīng)成了新聞界監(jiān)督的對象。他們對候選人以往的所有一切都要仔細檢查，看看能不能挖出什么丑聞來。
******
我們再來舉一個fair game的例子。這是一個哥哥在跟弟弟說話。
例句2: Jeff, you've got to stand up for your rights at work. If you keep on making concessions and let people dump their work on you, pretty soon you'll become fair game for your colleagues to take advantage of.
這位哥哥對弟弟說：杰夫，你在工作的地方得挺出身來維護你自己的權(quán)益。要是你不斷讓步，允許別人把他們的工作推到你身上，不久你的同事們就會把你當成他們經(jīng)�？梢岳玫膶ο�。
******
我們現(xiàn)在再來講一個跟fair這個字有關(guān)的習慣用語。這個習慣用語所指的人恐怕是大家在日常生活中不時會看到的。Fair-haired boy. 首先要注意的是，在fair 跟 haired這兩個字之間有一個連接號。這樣，這兩個字就等于合在一起了。其次，fair這個字在這里不再解釋為公正。Fair這個字還可以解釋為：皮膚白嫩的，頭發(fā)金黃色的。
可是，fair-haired boy并不是一個有金黃色頭發(fā)的男孩。Fair-haired boy，作為俗語，它是指一個父母特別寵愛的孩子，或者是工作單位的上司，學校里的老師特別喜歡的人。也可以說是上司面前的紅人，或者是老師的得意門生。而這種紅人，或者得意門生并不見得都很能干，很聰敏；他們往往是因為他們會拍馬奉承，所以才成為紅人的。下面就是一個例子。
例句3: Larry is the teacher's fair-haired boy in our English class. He pretends to her face that she's the best teacher he's ever had, but he says nothing but nasty things behind her back.
這句話的意思是：拉里是我們英語老師的得意門生。他當著老師的面假裝表示，她是他所有老師當中最好的一個�？墒�，背著她，他盡說一些難聽的話。
******
每個地方大概總是會有少數(shù)溜須拍馬的人。下面是一個人在跟他的同事議論辦公室里老板的紅人。
例句4: I can understand why our boss likes Carol because she's capable and efficient. But, Jim is really good for nothing, and he's always behind schedule for his work. I can't figure out what he did to become the boss's fair-haired boy.
這個人說：我可以理解為什么我們的老板喜歡卡羅爾，因為她很能干，工作效率也很高。但是，吉姆實在是一個不學無術(shù)的人。他的工作也老是不能按計劃進行。不知他干了些什么才成為老板的紅人。我真是想不通。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-02-27 09:49:04 做記號
流行美語第240課
Larry和李華剛剛在餐館吃完飯。李華今天要學兩個常用語doggie bag和back burner。
LL: This is waaaay too much food for me to finish. I guess I'd better ask for a doggie bag.
LH: 怎么啦，你不會是想吐吧。
LL: Huh? No! I said I am going to ask for a doggie bag. That's a bag that you use to take home leftover food from a restaurant.
LH: 我知道了，就是中國人說的打包。你們叫"doggie bag"，是因為美國人一般都把剩下的飯菜喂狗吧？可你沒有狗呀。
LL: It's just a figure of speech. I 'm asking for a doggie bag because I plan on eating the leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
LH: 原來是你自己吃啊。美國人這種習慣真好。在中國，大家出去吃飯總要點好多菜，根本吃不了，剩下的，有的就扔了。
LL: The U.S. isn't so different. People originally used the phrase "doggie bag" because they were embarrassed to admit they were saving food.
LH: 怪不得叫 "doggie bag"，原來開始的時候美國人也不好意思承認自己節(jié)儉，所以說是要喂狗。美國人真覺得這樣做丟人嗎？
LL: Hmm...well, in the U.S. you wouldn't ask for a doggie bag at a really nice restaurant, or on a formal occasion. But otherwise most people would rather ask for a doggie bag than waste food.
LH: 所以說，在高級飯店和正式場合一般不打包，但除此之外，打包就很正常了。中國現(xiàn)在也差不多，打包越來越普遍，不過我們用的是飯盒。
LL: Yeah, same here. But even though the food usually goes in a box, people still use the term "doggie bag".
LH: 美國人真把剩飯剩菜喂狗嗎？
LL: (Chuckles) The food from doggie bags can make a dog fat!
LH: 不光是狗，經(jīng)常在外面吃，人也會變胖的。賬單來了。你得要 "doggie bag" 了。
LL: (To the waiter) Excuse me, could I get a doggie bag for this please?
******
LH: Larry, 剛才說了半天 "doggie bag"。我還真想養(yǎng)只小狗。
LL: I know, you've mentioned that before. But you'd better just put that on the back burner for now.
LH: 把什么放在爐子上？你在說什么呀？
LL: I said put it on the back burner. That means, you should give your idea of owning a dog low priority, and wait until it is more practical or convenient.
LH: 你是說我養(yǎng)狗不現(xiàn)實，所以不要著急，應(yīng)該暫時放一放。其實，我要是真的養(yǎng)條狗也沒有什么不可以，就是要做出一些犧牲罷了。
LL: Really, you should just put it on the back burner. Taking care of a pet requires money and time.
LH: 你說得也對，養(yǎng)狗又花時間，又費錢，確實應(yīng)該等畢業(yè)有工作了再說。我真恨不得馬上畢業(yè)。
LL: I know! I have to put so many things on the back burner while I'm in school... I feel like I have no life!
LH: Larry, 你都想干些什么呢？
LL: Well, for instance, Jack and I were working together on an online business, but I am too busy with school to work on it often. I had to put that on the back burner.
LH: 你和Jack要合作在網(wǎng)上做生意，真有兩下子呀！
LL: It's on the back burner right now. You know, I was in a rock band for a while, but I put that on the back burner as well.
LH: (Laughs) 搖滾樂隊？不會吧。Larry, 我聽過你唱歌，你不會真想當搖滾歌星吧？(Cell Phone Rings) 是你的電話。
LL: Whoa, it's Angie. I'll talk to you later, Li Hua. I've got to answer this. I'm going to ask Angie out this weekend.
LH: 誰？你不是要跟Cindy約會嗎？怎么又變成Angie了。你可不能腳踏兩條船啊。
LL: Cindy? Well, earlier this week, she left for study abroad in Europe, so I had to put her on the back burner.
LH: (Groans) Whatever, Larry!
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是Doggie bag, 意思是在外面吃完飯打包用的盒子。還有一個是back burner，意思是暫時不考慮。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-02-28 10:30:27 做記號
美國習慣用語第241講
每當一年消逝，新年來臨的時候，人們都紛紛舉行慶祝活動送舊迎新。這都跟時光的流逝有關(guān)。在這次節(jié)目里，我們要講兩個跟時間有關(guān)的習慣用語。時間這個字在英文里就是：Time. Time也正是每年新年開始的時候，許多人下定決心要在新的一年里完成某些計劃。也就是美國人所說的new year resolutions。
在美國，有的人在一年開始時下定決心要在新的一年中減肥，有的則保證要在新的一年里戒煙等。由于圣誕節(jié)，美國的節(jié)日氣氛其實從十二月中就開始了。男女老少紛紛出動購買圣誕禮物，購物中心人群擁擠。各單位，各公司也都一個接著一個舉辦圣誕晚會。人們一般都抱著快樂的心情來歡渡節(jié)日。
我們要講的一個習慣用語正是這個意思。The time of one's life. 當一個人經(jīng)歷到the time of his life，那他就是經(jīng)歷了非常高興的事情，也可能是他一輩子最高興的事。我們來舉一個例子，這是一個老人在說為什么每當新年來臨的時候，他總是感到心情激動。
例句-1: It was New Year's eve in 1941, but I still remember it like it was yesterday. I went to this party and had the time of my life because I met the beautiful girl I've been married to for fifty years!
這位老先生說：那是1941年的新年除夕，但是在我記憶里就好像昨天發(fā)生的事一樣。那一天，我去參加一個聚會，我真是高興得不得了，因為我在聚會上遇到了一個美麗的女孩。就是這個女孩，我跟她結(jié)婚已經(jīng)五十年了。
******
美國人經(jīng)常喜歡開著汽車出去旅行，沿著一條線路到各地去玩。下面是一個年輕人在說他跟女朋友一起出去旅行的感受。
例句2: Linda and I drove to Yellow Stone Park last summer. The scenery there was fantastic and we were so much in love. I had the time of my life and wished I could stay there forever.
這個年輕人說：我跟林達今年夏天開車到黃石公園去玩。那兒的風景簡直漂亮極了。我們兩又在狂熱地戀愛。這是我一輩子最高興的時候了。我真是希望能永遠呆在那里。
******
我們往往會遇到一種情況。那就是一件我們正在做的事好像馬上就會失敗，做不成了，但是到了最后一分鐘突然出現(xiàn)了轉(zhuǎn)機。這種情況在電影里也很多。比如說，英雄人物總是要到最后一分鐘才出現(xiàn)，然后把那馬上要被人殺死的朋友解救出來。這最后一分鐘在英文里就是：In the nick of time. In the nick of time就是最后一刻。這最后一刻有時幾乎是來得太晚了。下面是一個人在說他去參加新年晚會的路上所發(fā)生的事。
例句3: We had a flat tire on our way to Henry's party. But we still got there in the nick of time, five minutes to twelve, just in time to raise a glass and say hello to the new year.
這個人說：我們?nèi)⒓雍嗬e辦的聚會，可是在路上，我們的輪胎暴了。不過我們?nèi)匀辉谧詈笠豢�，也就是十二點差五分的時候到了亨利的家，正好舉起玻璃杯，迎接新年的到來。
******
剛才我們講到電影里經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)危險的鏡頭，然后到最后一刻，危機突然出現(xiàn)了轉(zhuǎn)機，逢兇化吉，壞人被克制，好人得救。下面是一個人在發(fā)表評論。
例句4: My friend Jack likes to watch horror movies. But to me they seem to be all the same. There is always somebody coming to rescue the good guys in the nick of time.
這個人說：我的朋友杰克喜歡看恐怖電影�？墒�，在我看來，它們似乎都是千篇一律。每到最后一刻，總是有人會來解救好人的。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-02-28 10:32:33 做記號
流行美語第241課
Larry和李華正在一起吃午飯。李華今天要學兩個常用語a Cuppa Joe和Guilty Pleasure。
LL: I am so sleepy! What I need right now, Li Hua, is a cuppa joe.
LH: A cuppa joe ? 我確實有個朋友叫Joe，他怎么能幫你提神呢？
LL: No, I don't need your friend Joe. "I need a cuppa joe" is a way of saying "I need a cup of coffee."
LH: 我知道了，"cuppa"是"cup of"的縮寫，可我還是不明白"Joe"怎么會是咖啡呢？
LL: You wouldn't be alone in that, Li Hua. Most Americans don't know why we call coffee "Joe", but we have for a long time, and we still say it today.
LH: 對呀，只要說起來方便，大家都知道是什么意思就好了。Larry, 你干嘛急著要喝咖啡呀？
LL: I stayed up too late watching a movie on television last night, and today I am so tired. Having a cuppa joe would really help me get through my work day.
LH: 原來是你自己晚上看電視，不好好睡覺，怪不得會那么困，要靠"a cuppa joe"里的咖啡因來提神。
LL: So I am definitely ordering a cuppa joe with lunch. How about you, Li Hua? Would you like a cuppa joe?
LH: 我才不要"a cuppa joe", 我又不愛喝咖啡。
LL: If you don't want a cuppa joe, then what are you going to order to drink?
LH: 我要一杯茶好了。
LL: I've heard that a cup of tea doesn't have quite as much caffeine as a cuppa joe. Is that true?
LH: 是呀，茶里所含的咖啡因確實不如咖啡多。
LL: Then why would anyone want to drink tea instead of a cuppa joe?
LH: 據(jù)我所知，除了咖啡因含量低以外，茶對人體還有其它許多咖啡沒有的好處，特別是綠茶。聽說綠茶里的抗氧化物質(zhì)還能防癌呢。
LL: But I still can't live without my cuppa joe.
******
LH: Larry, 你真的那么喜歡喝咖啡嗎？
LL: I guess you could say that drinking coffee is one of my guilty pleasures.
LH: 喜歡喝咖啡也算犯罪嗎？
LL: A guilty pleasure is something you like to do, but isn't good for you. I'm not guilty of a crime when I drink coffee, but I do know there are better things I could be drinking.
LH: 我知道了，A guilty pleasure的意思是一種內(nèi)疚的快感，就是說你明知道喝咖啡可能不如喝茶和喝水對身體好，但你還是愿意喝咖啡。
LL: That's right. What about you Li Hua, do you have any guilty pleasures?
LH: 我，當然有了，其中之一就是冰激凌。
LL: Ah yes, how could I forget? Eating ice cream is definitely a guilty pleasure for you.
LH: 我知道冰激凌是高糖和高脂肪的食品，我也擔心吃多了會胖，可我就是管不住自己。這不能算是最糟糕的guilty pleasure吧。
LL: Some people like to drink alcohol or to gamble. These are guilty pleasures you have to be really careful about.
LH: 是呀，酗酒和賭博都會讓人上癮，帶來各種各樣的問題。這些guilty pleasure可不是鬧著玩的。不過我想，大多數(shù)guilty pleasure都是無害的吧。
LL: Yes, my mother's guilty pleasure was taking a bubble bath on Sunday afternoons.
LH: 星期天下午洗泡沫浴，這也算guilty pleasure嗎？
LL: She felt like she should be taking care of me and my brother and sister, but instead her guilty pleasure was to enjoy the quiet relaxation of some time alone in the bath tub.
LH: 她內(nèi)疚是因為覺得應(yīng)該照顧孩子，不應(yīng)該自己躲起來享受啊。Larry, 咱們的午飯和你的Cuppa joe來了，快吃吧。
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是a Cuppa joe，意思是一杯咖啡。另外一個是guilty pleasure, 意思是帶有內(nèi)疚的快感。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-02-29 11:45:02 做記號
美國習慣用語第242講
美國人跟中國人一樣有很多關(guān)于錢的說法。中國人說，有錢能使鬼推磨。美國人說：Money makes the world go around. 這是說：有錢能使地球轉(zhuǎn)。中國人說：錢是萬惡之源。美國人的說法跟中國話一樣：Money is the root of all evil.
不管是好，是壞，大多數(shù)人那末重視金錢就說明錢是生活中最重要的東西之一。要是沒有錢有好多事是辦不成的。我們今天要講的一個習慣用語也能說明這一點。這個習慣用語就是：Front money. Front就是前面的意思。那末，front money 按字面來解釋就是：前面的錢。這聽起來似乎不知所云，但是它確實包含了實際的內(nèi)容。Front money作為習慣用語，它的意思就是：頭款。這是指開辦新企業(yè)時所需要的錢。Front money也可以指開始進行一筆交易時先要付的一筆錢，也就是定金。這筆錢能夠保證你今后有參與這筆交易的權(quán)利。
下面我們來舉一個例子。這是一個人在向他的朋友報告好消息。
例句-1: Good news - Dad agreed to give me the front money I need to start my own restaurant. I have to buy kitchen equipment, tables and chairs and lots of other stuff before I open up.
這句話的意思是：好消息。我爸爸已經(jīng)答應(yīng)給我開辦自己飯館所需要的開辦費用。在飯館開張前，我得去買廚房設(shè)備、桌椅板凳和其他許多東西。
******
剛才這個例子里說的front money是為了開辦一個事業(yè)所需的資金。下面我們再來舉一個例子。這個例子里的front money是用做定金。這是一個缺乏足夠資金的人在說話。
例句2: I can see the future of that computer software company will be very profitable and I would very much like to invest in it. But the group wants me to pay a large sum of front money which I can't afford.
這個人說：我能夠預見，那個電腦軟件公司將來會有很大收益的。我很想在這方面投資。但是，那些人要我付一大筆定金，而我又沒有那么多的錢。
******
下面我們要給大家講的一個習慣用語也是跟錢有關(guān)的。這個習慣用語就是：Hush money. Hush這個字可以解釋為：不要做聲，或者是掩蓋。所以，hush money就是為了防止某人揭露一個罪行或者一個丑聞而付給他的一筆錢。這種作法由來已久，hush money這個習慣用語也至少有三百年的歷史了。我們現(xiàn)在來舉一個例子。
例句3: Taking hush money from a gangster to keep your mouth shut about something you saw him do is dangerous. He might decide it's cheaper to hire somebody to kill you than to keep paying you off the rest of your life.
這句話翻到中文的意思就是：一個歹徒為了不讓你揭露你看到他做的事而給你一筆錢。接受這筆錢是很危險的。他以后可能會認為，雇用一個人來把你殺了要比在你有生之年不斷給你錢更便宜。
******
在人背后談?wù)搫e人的私事對某些人來說真是人生不可缺少的樂事。在美國人當中，有修養(yǎng)的人是一般不隨便講別人壞話的，但是愛談?wù)摉|家長西家短的人也不少。下面是一個人在跟他的同事談?wù)摴纠锏拿貢?
例句4: Our manager is having an affair with his secretary and was seen one day by the cleaning woman. I was told the manager has been paying her hush money every month just to keep her silent.
這個人說：我們的經(jīng)理跟他的秘書有曖昧關(guān)系。有一天被一個打掃清潔的女工看見了。我聽說，經(jīng)理為了不讓那清潔工說出去而每個月給她一筆錢，目的就是在于讓她別做聲。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-02-29 11:48:49 做記號
流行美語第242課
李華告訴Larry說，她跟一個學生約好，十點在她的辦公室見面，談?wù)勥@個學生的成績，可以這個學生沒有赴約。李華今天要學兩個常用語no show和lala land。
LL: So, you made an appointment with this student to talk about his grades, and he was a no show?
LH: A no show? 對呀，他沒來，沒有出現(xiàn)，所以叫no show。這種說法簡潔明了。
LL: Right, a no show is some one who doesn't show up when they have agreed to. But, it is really rude to be a no show.
LH: 確實不禮貌。我專門跑到辦公室來，等了他好長時間，誰知道他卻是個no show。
LL: So, he didn't even call you to tell you that he wasn't going to come? It is even ruder to be a no show and not have called to let the person know you can't come.
LH: 對呀，不來就已經(jīng)很不禮貌了，連個電話都不打，就更不禮貌了。說實話，我挺意外的，因為這個學生看起來不象是那么不懂事的人。
LL: Well, maybe something unexpected happened to him. There might be a good reason why he was a no show.
LH: 失約還有什么好理由嗎？
LL: Well, maybe he was a no show because his car broke down, or he got lost, or even worse maybe he had an accident.
LH: 是呀，我怎么就沒想到呢。他的車可能會在半路拋錨。還有他可能會迷路。更可怕的是，還可能會出車禍。我本來挺生氣的，讓你這么一說，我反而開始替他擔心了。
LL: I remember one time when I was in college I made an appointment with a professor and ended up being a no show because my car ran out of gas.
LH: 什么，車跑到半路沒油了？你那個教授肯定火冒三丈。那后來呢？
LL: I felt so bad about being a no show, the first thing I did when I got to a phone was call the professor and apologize.
LH: 打電話道歉？那我們再等等吧，也許過一會兒我的學生就會打電話來了。
LL: Have you ever been a no show for anything, Li Hua?
LH: 倒是有一次，我的鬧鐘沒響，所以睡過了頭，結(jié)果沒去上課。
LL: That's not so bad. Lots of students are no shows for classes.
LH: 不好意思的是，那是我教的一門課。(Phone rings) 等等，我接一下電話。
******
LL: Hey, was that your student? Did he have a good reason for being a no show or was he just in lala land?
LH: 打電話的就是那個學生。你為什么會覺得他在lala land呢？Lala land在哪呀？
LL: Lala land isn't a real place. It is a state of mind. It is where you go when you are day dreaming and not paying attention to the things going on in the real world.
LH: 我明白了，lala land不是一個地方，而是仙境、幻境的意思，做白日夢就是去了 "lala land"。這樣說來，那個學生確實是去了lala land。
LL: Really?! He was off in lala land when he forgot his appointment with you?
LH: 沒錯，他當時正在跟朋友吃飯，完全忘記了跟我約好要見面。
LL: Yes, it sounds like he was in lala land. So what did you say when he told you this?
LH: 雖然我知道“忘了”不能算是失約的理由，但我還是很高興他能打電話來道歉，誰都有忘事的時候。換句話說，大家可能都到過lala land。
LL: That's right. Just last week I was a no show for a haircut appointment because I was off in Lala land.
LH: 還有更好笑的。昨天我監(jiān)考，有個學生走過來問我問題。
LL: Let me guess, you were so far off in lala land, you didn't even know the student was there!
LH: 你怎么知道的！我當時確實有點兒心不在焉，那個學生碰了一下我的肩膀才讓我醒過神來。
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是no show，意思是失約。另外一個是lala land，意思是身處幻境，心不在焉。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-01 12:46:54 做記號
美國習慣用語第243講
今天我們要講的兩個習慣用語里都有一個關(guān)鍵的字。這個字就是：Free. Free這個字有好幾種解釋。一種解釋是：自由。也就是按照自己選擇的方式生活，不受專制統(tǒng)治的約束。Free還可以解釋為：不需要付任何代價而得到什么東西。在我們要講的第一個習慣用語里，free的意思是獨立自主，不受人控制。
這個習慣用語就是：Freelance.我們要先來講一講freelance里的lance這個字。你要是了解了 lance這個字，你就會明白 freelance這個常用語是從那兒來的。Lance就是長矛。它是古代武士隨身帶的一種武器。在那個時候，大多數(shù)武士都為一個國王或一個君主服務(wù)。但是，也有一些武士從一個城市遷移到另一個城市，誰付他的工資高他就為誰服務(wù)。因為他們不屬于任何一個雇主，人們把這些武士稱為freelances。
現(xiàn)在，武士已經(jīng)沒有了，那么free lance又是指什么呢？Free lance是一個非常普通的詞匯。它主要是指那些從事自由職業(yè)的作家；他們不受任何一個雇主的雇用，而是把自己寫的文章銷售給不同的雜志和報紙。我們來舉一個例子。
例句-1: Bill used to be editor of a magazine. But the magazine closed so now he works freelance selling his articles to any magazine or newspaper that will buy them.
這句話的中文意思就是：比爾以前是一家雜志的編輯�？墒呛髞砟羌译s志關(guān)閉了，所以他現(xiàn)在是一個自由作家；把他寫的文章出售給任何愿意買的雜志。
******
美國還有一些專門從事翻譯的自由職業(yè)者；他們沒有一個固定的工作，而是在某些公司或政府機構(gòu)需要他們的時候去做短期的工作。下面就是一個人在說他的朋友。
例句2: Maria met her husband John when he was studying in ,Moscow. John speaks fluent Russian and has worked as a freelance interpreter since they came back to the U.S. He tells people he likes the freedom of this profession.
這個人說：馬麗亞是在她丈夫約翰在莫斯科念書時認識他的。約翰說一口流利的俄語。自從他們回到美國來以后，他一直是一個自由職業(yè)的翻譯。他告訴別人說這個職業(yè)很自由，他非常喜歡。
******
下面我們要講的一個常用語是：Freeloader. Freeloader是一個字，但是它實際是由兩個字組成的：free和loader。Freeloader里面的free是不收費，或者是沒有代價的意思。一個freeloader就是一個人利用別人的慷慨，在人家里白吃白喝，甚至住在別人家里分文不付。這種人時間長了當然會讓人討厭。下面就是一個例子。
例句3: My brother-in-law has been living with us ever since he got mad at his boss and quit his job. Last night I told him to stop being a freeloader and get out and find another job.
這個人是在說他的妹夫。他說：自從我妹夫?qū)λ睦习迳鷼廪o職以來，他一直住在我們家里。昨天晚上，我告訴他不要繼續(xù)白吃白住，到外面去再找一個工作。
******
每個人在一生中總是有起伏的，總會遇到不順利的時候。但是，有的人在困難的時候甘愿成為一個freeloader，依賴別人，而有的人則能夠沖破困難，重新站起來。下面就是一個老板在說他手下的一個雇員。
例句4: The new office manager I've hired is someone we should all admire. After her husband died, it would have been easy to rely on her parents, who happen to be rich. But she refused to become a freeloader and tried very hard to find a job to support herself.
這個老板說：我新雇用的辦公室經(jīng)理是我們應(yīng)該傾佩的人。她丈夫去世以后，她滿可以依賴她的父母；他們很有錢。但是，她卻不甘心做一個坐享其成的人，下了很大工夫去找工作來養(yǎng)活自己。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-01 12:51:18 做記號
流行美語第243課
李華正在興致勃勃地給Larry將她去看醫(yī)生的經(jīng)過，沒想到被Larry潑了一盆冷水。李華今天要學兩個常用語，TMI和PDQ 。
LL: Oh, Li Hua, that is really TMI. I'm sorry you had to go to the doctor, but I really don't want to hear all about your infected toenail!
LH: 你不想知道醫(yī)生是怎么幫我處理那個發(fā)炎的腳趾甲的嗎？TMI? 什么是TMI呀？
LL: T-M-I is an abbreviation for "Too Much Information." I think you were giving me too much information about your doctor's appointment.
LH: 我知道TMI是too much information的縮寫，但我還是不明白，你為什么對我看醫(yī)生漠不關(guān)心呢？
LL: Well, you were telling me very specific details about your trip to the doctor, like how he had to cut away part of your toenail, and I thought you gave me too much information. TMI!
LH: 噢，你是不想聽醫(yī)生是怎么把發(fā)炎的腳趾甲剪掉，又是怎么把里面的膿....
LL: (Urgently) Please, Li Hua, that really is TMI! Generally, Americans don't like to talk about the specifics of personal matters like a doctor's visit, especially when the details are disgusting!
LH: 原來是這樣，就是說凡是像看醫(yī)生這類的私事，美國人一般不會告訴別人，否則的話就是TMI。
LL: That's right. But you should also not give too much information about your personal relationships.
LH: 我有個朋友叫Sharon，她最喜歡給我講她跟自己男朋友交往的細節(jié)。我也覺得那些都是 TMI 。
LL: How so?
LH: 比如說，她會告訴我，她的男朋友是怎么親她的。
LL: That is definitely TMI. You probably really don't want to know how Sharon's boyfriend kisses.
LH: 那當然了。我實在不想聽，可又不知道該怎么告訴她。
LL: Well, now you do! The next time Sharon goes on and on about her boyfriend you can just say, "Please, Sharon, TMI!"
LH: 我下次一定試試。對不起，Larry, 我得趕緊找個廁所。我剛才喝了一大瓶水。憋死我了。
LL: (Urgently) Li Hua, that is another excellent example of TMI!
******
LL: You are back, Li Hua. That was PDQ!
LH: 你剛才說TMI "too much information", 現(xiàn)在又說PDQ, PDQ是什么意思��？
LL: PDQ stands for "Pretty Darn Quick." You came back from the restroom very quickly, you were PDQ!
LH: 噢，你是說我動作快啊，我是不想讓你等，當然PDQ啦。
LL: Say, Li Hua, I am getting very hungry. Aren't you? Let's stop chatting and find a place to eat PDQ.
LH: 附近那個三明治的小吃店怎么樣？
LL: That's a good idea! The sandwiches are really good and they make them PDQ, which is good because I should really get back to work.
LH: 對呀，他們那里的三明治又好吃又不用等。Larry, 你下午干脆別上班了，我們好好吃一頓，然后去公園。這么好的天氣，待在辦公室里可惜了！
LL: I wish I could, Li Hua, but I really can't. My boss assigned me a project this morning, and he really wants me to finish it PDQ.
LH: 那好吧，既然你要趕項目，那我們就快吃，你好get back to work PDQ.
LL: What about you, Li Hua? Do you have a relaxing afternoon planned?
LH: 其實我也有事。我的公寓有些地方需要修理，房東下午過來。所以吃完飯，我也要立刻趕回去。
LL: Well, it sounds like we both have things to do this afternoon. Here's the sandwich place. Oh, No! It doesn't look like our lunch is going to PDQ after all.
LH: 今天怎么這么多人，都排到門外了。
LL: Well, it doesn't look like the service will be PDQ today. They must be short-handed.
LH: 我們改去麥當勞吧，快餐店應(yīng)該不會等太久。
LL: And then we'll need to eat them PDQ, too!
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是TMI，意思是別人并不想知道的事。另一個是 PDQ, 意思是非常快。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-02 10:31:11 做記號
美國習慣用語第244講
我們今天再來給大家講解兩個以free這個字為主的習慣用語。首先我們要講的是：Free and easy. 大家都知道，free是自由，或者是不用花錢就得到的。大家也可能很熟悉easy這個字。一般的解釋是：容易。但是它也能指一個人很平易近人，容易接近。
要是有人說某某人是free and easy，那么這個人一定是很輕松自如，很能寬容別人，也很好相處。在一般情況下，這樣處世也不錯，至少周圍的人會喜歡這種人。下面就是一個例子。
例句-1: Jeff is such a free and easy man, almost everybody in our office likes him. He's a handy guy always ready to help out. He even lends a hand to people who once sabotaged his chance for promotion.
大家是否注意到，這個句子里有兩個字：handy guy。 Handy guy翻譯到中文就是手很巧的人。Handy在英文里，就是手這個字，也就是hand后面加一個y，意思就是手很巧的。Guy是一個非�？谡Z的字。意思是人。人們常說：He's a nice guy。那就是說：他是一個很好的人。
我們現(xiàn)在來看看上面這個例句到底在說什么。很明顯，講話的人是在說一個同事。
這人說：杰夫這個人真是很隨和，我們辦公室里幾乎每個人都喜歡他。他的手很巧。他也隨時愿意幫忙。他甚至對那些曾經(jīng)搶走他被提升機會的人他也愿意幫忙。
******
Free and easy有時也可以解釋為：太隨便，不夠謹慎小心。特別是涉及到錢的時候，這可能會產(chǎn)生問題。下面是一個人在說他的朋友。
例句2: Harry is such a nice friendly guy we were glad to hear he'd won a million dollars in the lottery. But he was so free and easy with the money it was all gone in a year.
這句話的意思是：哈里是一個很好的人，他總是很友好。我們聽到他通過買彩票而得到一百萬美元獎金的時候，我們都很高興�？墒�，他在錢的問題上實在很隨便，一年內(nèi)這筆錢就沒有了。
******
我們再來講一個跟free這個字有關(guān)的習慣用語。Free-for-all. 大家可能已經(jīng)注意到，在free for all這三個字當中有兩個連接號。連接號的英文名稱就是：hyphen。作為一個常用語，free-for-all的真正意思跟字面的意思很不相同。Free-for-all是指吵架、混亂或者是大聲爭論。在發(fā)生這種情況的時候，在場的人可以隨時，隨意加入爭辯，既無規(guī)則，又沒有人能夠控制。現(xiàn)在在美國電視上就會看到這種情況。下面我們來舉一個例子。
例句3: On that political talk show last night the experts got mad at each other and got louder and louder. The host couldn't control them - it was a real free-for-all with everybody yelling at the same time.
這句話的意思是：昨晚在那個討論政治問題的電視節(jié)目上，幾個請來的專家都互相很生氣，然后講話聲音越來越大。節(jié)目主持人沒法控制他們。所有的人都同時大聲嚷嚷。那真是一場混戰(zhàn)。
******
美國的中學生一般下午三四點就放學了。住得近的合夥走回家，也有的成群結(jié)隊乘公共汽車，或坐地鐵回家。下面是一個中年人在講他在路上看到的情況。
例句4: The bunch of teenagers on the bus were arguing and suddenly two of them started to yell at each other. Then the rest jumped in. These kids ought to feel ashamed of themselves for such a free-for-all in public.
這個人說：在公共汽車上的那些十幾歲的孩子一開始在爭論什么事。突然，兩個孩子開始互相嚷嚷，然后其他孩子也一起大聲吵鬧。這些孩子在大庭廣眾這樣大吵大鬧真是該感到害臊。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-02 10:41:17 做記號
流行美語第244課
Larry準備在公司匯報工作。事先想請李華幫他聽聽，看報告內(nèi)容能不能吸引人。李華今天要學兩個常用語。一個是dud，另一個是oomph 。
LL: Thanks for agreeing to listen to my presentation, Li Hua. I really don't want it to be a dud.
LH: Larry, 什么是 "dud" 呀 ?
LL: Oh, A dud D-U-D is something or someone that doesn't live up to expectations and is a disappointment.
LH: Dud就是讓人失望的意思。你是不是想讓我?guī)湍懵犅牐愕膱蟾婺懿荒芪税。?
LL: Right! I want my presentation to be lively and interesting. If it is boring and difficult to understand, it will be a dud.
LH: 愿意為您效勞！不過Larry, 你這人這么幽默，不用聽我就知道，你的報告肯定不會枯燥無味的。
LL: You never know. I once worked with a woman who I thought was really funny, and at work we really got along. But then we went on a date, and it was a real dud.
LH: 你們約會的問題出在哪里呢？
LL: It turns out that we didn't have much in common except work.
LH: 噢，我知道了，你們倆這叫缺少共同語言。That date really does sound like a dud.
LL: What about you Li Hua? Have you every gone out with a guy who was a real dud?
LH: Dud也能指人啊。那要這么說，我可是遇到過真正的dud.
LL: How was this guy a dud, Li Hua?
LH: 他長得特別帥，可是我們倆出去吃飯，他從頭到尾都在沒完沒了地講他自己，根本不問問我喜歡些什么。That date was a real dud.
LL: Kind of like a firecracker that doesn't go off! We also call fireworks that don't go off "duds."
LH: 沒錯，我們管不響的爆竹叫“啞炮”。我最喜歡放炮了，特別是春節(jié)的時候...
Larry, 你干嘛呢？
LL: I am trying to get the slide projector to work. It looks like the light bulb is a dud!
LH: 那就別擺弄幻燈了。我光聽就行了。
LL: Okay, let's get started. Please be honest, Li Hua, and don't be afraid to tell me if you think my presentation is a dud.
LH: 你放心，我一定怎么想就怎么說。
******
LL: So, what do you think, Li Hua? Does my presentation need more oomph?
LH: Oomph? 這又是什么詞啊！怎么這么難說。
LL: It is like "oom" from the word room, followed by an "F" sound. Say it after me, Li Hua. Oomph!
LH: (Imitating)"oom", "oom-f". Oomph, oomph 是什么意思啊？
LL: When I asked if my presentation needed more oomph, I was asking if it needed something extra to make it more lively or interesting.
LH: 噢，你是說可以加點兒什么，讓你的報告更精彩是吧。老實說，Larry, 我覺得有的地方確實有點兒枯燥，需要加點兒oomph.
LL: How do you think I could give my presentation more oomph, Li Hua?
LH: 比方說，你一上來可以先講個笑話，吸引聽眾的注意。然后講到一半兒有人開始走神的時候，你可以再講個你自己工作中的真實經(jīng)歷，最好是干過的什么傻事。這樣你的報告就能更生動了。
LL: That's very good advice, Li Hua. I think doing those things will give my presentation the extra oomph it needs.
LH: 好，那現(xiàn)在換我了。我最近給中文課設(shè)計了一個網(wǎng)頁。你也幫我看看，要不要也加點兒oomph.
LL: Sure. I'm happy to look at it and tell you if it needs more oomph.
(Typing on keyboard...)
LH: Okay, here it is. Larry, 你覺得怎么樣？
LL: Wow, Li Hua! Maybe your website has a little too much oomph!
LH: Oomph 還會太多嗎？
LL: Well, you used orange and pink together on the same page. Those colors make it hard to read.
LH: 粉紅色和桔黃色放在一起是太亮了，看上去眼睛有點兒不舒服，那我換換其它顏色吧。
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是dud, 意思是令人失望的。另一個是oomph, 是吸引力的意思。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-03 11:23:08 做記號
美國習慣用語第245講
在今天我們要講的習慣用語里，一個關(guān)鍵的字就是To blow. Blow這個字是一個非常勤勞的字，因為許多習慣用語當中都有這個字。你要想再找一個像blow用得那么多的字恐怕還不容易。在以前的“美國習慣用語”節(jié)目中，我們也曾經(jīng)講過幾個。
今天我們再給大家介紹兩個和blow有關(guān)的習慣用語，第一個是：To blow one's own horn. To blow有好幾個解釋，但是在這個習慣用語當中應(yīng)當解釋為：吹。Horn就是喇叭。To blow one's own horn的字面意思是：吹自己的喇叭。但是，作為一個俗語，它的意思是：夸耀自己，或者是自吹自擂。喜歡夸耀自己的人一般都有這種吹牛的習慣。下面是一個學生在講一個愛吹噓的人。
例句-1: Do you know Joe Jones next door to me in my dorm? Nobody likes him - he's always blowing his own horn about what a great athlete he is and how much the girls all chase him.
這個學生說：你知道我宿舍里住在我隔壁的那個喬.瓊斯嗎？因為他老是喜歡吹噓自己，所以沒有一個人喜歡他。他總是夸耀自己是一個多么好的運動員，那些年輕姑娘又如何一個個地苦苦追求他。
******
我們再來舉一個例子。這是一個人在說別人給他妹妹介紹的男朋友。
例句2: My cousin introduced my sister Lisa to Frank, a famous Harvard economics professor. He's interested in her but Lisa says she can't stand him because all he does is blow his own horn about his latest book on economics and how popular he is among his students.
這個人說：我的表哥把我妹妹利薩介紹給弗蘭克。他是哈佛大學經(jīng)濟系的名教授。他對利薩很感興趣，但是利薩說她無法忍受弗蘭克，因為他老是自我吹噓他最近出版的有關(guān)經(jīng)濟的書，他的學生們又是多么喜歡他等等。
******
在這次節(jié)目里我們要講的第二個跟blow有關(guān)的習慣用語是：To blow the lid off. To blow在這里也可以解釋為吹。Lid就是瓶子或罐子的蓋頭。要是你blow the lid off，那就是你把別人想方設(shè)法要保密的事情揭露出來。To blow the lid off這個說法給人腦子里制造了一個形像，那就是好像突然發(fā)生的爆炸把盒子上的蓋子給掀掉了。這樣人們就可以看到盒子里的秘密東西。在發(fā)現(xiàn)政府官員貪污腐化的情況下經(jīng)常用to blow the lid off這個習慣用語。下面就是一個例子。
例句3: I hear that the newspapers are going to blow the lid off the mayor's office - they have proof that he's been taking bribes from building contractors to give them city business.
這句話的意思是：我聽說幾家報紙要揭露市長辦公室的情況。他們有證據(jù)證明市長接受了營造商的賄賂，然后把有關(guān)市內(nèi)的生意給他們做。
******
中國的俗語說，若要人不知，除非己莫為。要做壞事，總是會被人懷疑或覺察的。下面就是一個人在說他的處境。
例句4: I've watched these strange people in and out of the house next door for some time. My neighbors and I suspect they're a gang dealing in cocaine smuggled from Colombia or Mexico. I wonder if I ought to blow the lid off by reporting them to the cops.
這個人說：我看到這些不認識的人進進出出隔壁的房子已經(jīng)有一段時間了。我和鄰居們都懷疑他們是販毒集團，把毒品從哥倫比亞或墨西哥偷運進來。我在想我是否應(yīng)該去報告警察，把他們揭發(fā)出來。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-03 11:27:30 做記號
流行美語第245課
Larry和李華周末在國家公園野營。李華今天要學兩個常用語，rough it和creep someone out。
LL: I just love camping, Li Hua. Isn't it great to be roughing it?
LH: "Roughing it"那是什么意思呀？ 聽起來好像挺恐怖的。
LL: To rough it means to do without the comforts of civilization.
LH: 噢，rough it就是在艱苦條件下生活的意思。
LL: Right. Here we are camping out in the woods instead of staying in a hotel.
LH：我們沒去住旅館，而是在野外宿營，所以你說這是在rough it. 可是我們有帳篷、有燈籠、還有睡袋，應(yīng)該挺舒服的。
LL: You know, Li Hua, I really enjoy roughing it. I love to breathe in the fresh outdoor smells and enjoying looking at nature instead of watching TV.
LH: 就是啊，這里空氣真新鮮，天好像都比城里藍。
LL: But there are some people who don't enjoy roughing it. My dad loves camping, but my mother really doesn't.
LH: 你媽媽為什么不喜歡野營？
LL: She really enjoys her comforts. She doesn't like to be too hot or too cold.
LH: 外出野營確實沒有在家里舒適。我小時候在中國根本從來沒有野營過。我父母都不喜歡rough it.
LL: While some people don't like to rough it, there are times when you have to. Do you remember the big hurricane we had last year?
LH: 當然記得。那場大風刮斷了電線，害得我們停電一星期，只好因陋就簡，用蠟燭照明，用煤氣爐燒飯。
LL: Even though we were in our houses, we had to rough it a little until the power came back on.
LH: Larry, 這兒的洗手間在哪？
LL: Well, you know, Li Hua, we ARE roughing it.
LH: 不會連洗手間都沒有吧！那你剛才...
LL: Ha ha, just kidding, Li Hua. There is a restroom down the path over there. I may like to rough it, but there is no way I am going to a campground without a bathroom!
******
(Owl sounds, other night sounds)
LL: What is that sound, Li Hua?! It is really creeping me out, and I can't sleep.
LH: Larry, 不過是只貓頭鷹而已。別擔心，貓頭鷹是不會爬到你身上來的。
LL: Even though "creep" does mean to crawl slowly along the ground like a worm or a caterpillar, that isn't what I meant by "creep out."
LH: 那你說creep out里面的creep不是爬的意思？那是什么意思��？
LL: When I said it crept me out, I meant the sound of the owl was bothering me or disturbing me so I couldn't sleep. Actually, it was making me a little scared.
LH: 沒想到你這樣的大男人也會害怕一只貓頭鷹。
LL: Come on, Li Hua. You've got to admit it is a little scary being out in the woods all by ourselves. Aren't you a little crept out, too?
LH: 說實話，我也有點兒怕。對不起, Larry我不該笑話你。
LL: What is creeping you out, Li Hua?
LH: 我倒是不害怕貓頭鷹的叫聲，可是一想到可能會有蜘蛛和蟲子在我睡袋里爬來爬去，我就渾身上下不自在。
LL: Well, we are in the woods, and there are lots of spiders and bugs in the woods. Now that you mention it, spiders creep me out, too. We'll never get to sleep.
LH: 那要不咱倆兒說點兒別的，沒準注意力一轉(zhuǎn)移，就不會去想那些嚇人的事了。
LL: When I was young and went camping with my friends, we always told ghost stories to each other. We had a lot of fun creeping each other out.
LH: 什么，講鬼故事？Larry! 不許嚇唬我！我們現(xiàn)在是要設(shè)法不去想那些嚇人的事，不是creep each other out!
LL: I guess you are right, Li Hua...
(Snoring sounds)
LL：Hey, did you hear that? I heard another strange noise that is really creeping me out.
LH: 別鬧了。那是我在打呼嚕呢！我不行了，快睡吧！
今天李華學到了兩個常用語.一個是rough it, 意思是在艱苦的條件下生活。另一個是creep someone out, 意思是讓人毛骨聳然。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-04 10:10:38 做記號
美國習慣用語第246講
今天我們要介紹給大家的兩個習慣用語都是以fire這個字為主的。Fire就是火�；饘θ祟悂碚f是非常有用的。它給我們煮飯，使我們保暖，幫助我們制造鋼鐵和其他金屬。然而，在失去控制的情況下，火是很危險的。我們今天要講的第一個習慣用語就是包含危險的意思。To play with fire.
火是很危險的東西，要是你掉以輕心把它當做好玩的東西來玩的話，那你就犯了嚴重的錯誤。要是你不小心地對待火的話，那你就可能會受到傷害。
下面我們來舉一個例子。這是一個爸爸在警告自己孩子不要在晚上到市內(nèi)不安全的地區(qū)去。
例句-1: I tell you you'll be playing with fire if you go alone into that neighborhood at night - it's a place where almost anything can happen to you if you don't watch out.
這個爸爸說：我告訴你，要是你一個人晚上到那個地區(qū)去，那你就是在冒險。那個地方，要是你不小心的話，什么事情都可能發(fā)生的。
美國的城市跟其他各國的城市一樣都有一些不太安全的地區(qū)。在那些地區(qū)里經(jīng)常發(fā)生暴力事件，不是槍擊,就是謀殺。因此，一般人都盡量避免到那種地區(qū)去，特別是晚上。
******
To play with fire這個俗語不一定是指會造成肉體上的危險。它也可以用在其他方面。下面就是一個例子。這是一個人在勸他的同事不要去跟老板爭辯。
例句2: Joseph, I know how you feel about not being selected for the promotion. But I think it would be playing with fire if you point out your boss's relationship with Carol who got the promotion. And besides, you don't have any proof.
這個人說：約瑟夫，你沒有被提升，我知道你的心情。但是，你要是指出你老板跟那被提升的卡羅爾的關(guān)系，那你是在給自己找麻煩。而且，你也沒有任何證據(jù)。
美國辦公室里的男女關(guān)系也經(jīng)常會產(chǎn)生一些問題。當然，大多數(shù)人還是很正派的�？墒牵灿猩贁�(shù)老板，經(jīng)理或手里有一點權(quán)的人想利用職權(quán)占點便宜。因此，現(xiàn)在美國聯(lián)邦政府和其他公司都有關(guān)于性騷擾的教育，告訴大家在這方面的界限，以及發(fā)生類似問題時該怎么辦。
******
我們再給大家介紹一個以fire這個字為主的習慣用語。To fight fire with fire. 要是從字面來解釋，那就是：用火來攻火，這當然是不可能的。實際上，to fight fire with fire就是用你對立面對你用的手法來對待他。也可以說是以其人之道還其人之身。下面是一個例子，這是一個參加競選的政客在說話。
例句3: I had hoped this would be a clean campaign. But if my opponent wants to play dirty and talk about my personal life, I have no choice but to fight fire with fire and talk about some personal things we've found out about him.
這個候選人說：我原先希望這次選舉是光明正大的。但是，要是我的對手要耍下流手段，談?wù)撚嘘P(guān)我私生活的事，那我就別無選擇，只好以其人之道還其人之身了，把我們發(fā)現(xiàn)有關(guān)他私生活的事也公布于眾。
******
下面這個例子是講一對夫婦。一開始的時候，那個丈夫在外面有外遇。后來，太太也決定用同樣的方法來治她的丈夫。下面是他們的一位好朋友在說話。
例句4: Jack and Joan have been my friends for over ten years. I felt bad for Joan when Jack started to have an affair last year. But Joan's decision to fight fire with fire by having an affair herself made things much worse.
這個朋友說：我跟杰克和瓊已經(jīng)是十幾年的朋友了。杰克去年開始在外面有外遇。我為瓊感到很難受。但是，瓊決定自己也去找一個男朋友，用以牙還牙的方式來對待杰克。這可是把事情弄得越來越糟。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-04 10:22:48 做記號
流行美語第246課
Larry到李華家來看蜘蛛人的DVD。李華今天要學兩個常用語，rocket science和chemistry。
LL: What's the matter, Li Hua? I can't believe you are having trouble with the DVD player. I mean, it's not rocket science!
LH: Rocket science？這是我家，又不是航空航天局，怎么會有火箭科學。
LL: Well, when I said it wasn't rocket science, I meant it shouldn't be hard for you to get the DVD player to start.
LH: 噢，rocket Science在這兒的意思是指很難弄懂的東西。但是使用DVD機不該是什么難事。
LL: That's it! Getting the DVD player to work should be as simple as pushing a few buttons, and not nearly as complicated as rocket science. . . Hey, look, you got it working, Li Hua!
LH：行了，沒什么難的，只要知道按哪個鍵就行了。
LL: Now all we need is popcorn to eat with our movie. I can go make some. I mean, making popcorn isn't rocket science.
LH: 好啊，你負責爆米花，東西都在廚房微波爐下面的抽屜里。
LL: Ok, I'm in the kitchen looking at the microwave, and I see three drawers. Which one is it?
LH: It's not rocket science, Larry. 你把三個抽屜都拉開看看不就行了嗎！
LL: Oh, look at that! The popcorn was right on top. Now let me read the instructions. Hmm....Should be very easy. One doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to figure this out.
LH: Larry, 你怎么這么長時間��！要幫忙嗎？用微波爐爆米花，不應(yīng)該是什么rocket Science吧。
LL: It isn't rocket science, Li Hua. The instructions are very easy. It's just I can't get the plastic wrapper off the popcorn packet.
LH: 包裝紙撕不開？I'm not a rocket scientist, but let me try. . .你看，只要抓住兩邊輕輕這么一拉就開了。
LL: Wow, Li Hua. Maybe you are a rocket scientist after all. That was pretty good. I better let you do the rest.
LH: Larry, 別這么懶，你又不是沒用過微波爐。You know it's not rocket science.
******
(Operating microwave machine.)
LL: Mmmm...This popcorn is really good, Li Hua. And so is the movie. The chemistry between the lead actor and actress is really good.
LH: 化學？我最后一次上化學課還是高中的事�；瘜W跟蜘蛛人和他的女朋友Mary Jane有什么關(guān)系呀？
LL: When two people are attracted to each other or get along really well -- they have chemistry.
LH: 我明白了，就像做化學實驗的時候一樣。中文里也有兩個人之間有化學反應(yīng)的說法，就是說兩個人互相吸引，或者是很合得來。
LL: So, now that you know what I meant by "chemistry," what do you think -- do the actors in Spiderman have good chemistry or not?
LH: 我覺得有。他們演得很逼真，真讓我覺得他們彼此相愛。但是我有一個問題，Larry.
LL: What is it, Li Hua?
LH: 有的時候化學物質(zhì)混在一起可能起發(fā)生爆炸，那這是不是“壞的”化學反應(yīng)呢？能用來形容人跟人之間的關(guān)系嗎？
LL: Absolutely! When two people really don't like each other or can't get along -- that is bad chemistry.
LH: 我原來有兩個鄰居，可以說是勢不兩立，經(jīng)�；ハ鄬αR，他們倆而就是純粹的bad chemistry.
LL: It sure sounds like it. Speaking of bad chemistry, one of the people I work with really doesn't get along with my boss. They often argue about the littlest things.
LH: 你同事跟老板有bad chemistry？那可得小心，不定哪天就會被炒了魷魚。
LL: You're right, Li Hua...Say, Li Hua, what do you think about the chemistry between us?
LH: Larry, 這還用問嗎！It's not rocket science. 我們認識都快七年了，沒有g(shù)ood chemistry, 就不會一直做朋友做到今天了。
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是rocket science, 意思是很難做，很難懂的事情。另一個是chemistry, 是指人跟人之間的感情關(guān)系。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-05 11:57:34 做記號
美國習慣用語第247講
這次節(jié)目里我們要講的兩個習慣用語都有一個關(guān)鍵的字。那就是：Half. Half就是什么東西，什么份量或重量的一半。我們今天要講的第一個習慣用語是：Half-baked. Bake就是烤蛋糕，烤面包，或烤其他食品的烤。Bake的過去式就是在bake后面加一個d，成為baked。Half-baked這兩個字之間有一個連接號。Half-baked的意思不難猜。要是一只雞放在烤箱里沒有烤熟就拿出來了。那就是half-baked。同樣，一個沒有完成的計劃，或項目也可以說是half-baked。
在下面我們要舉的例子里，一個公司的經(jīng)理在對公司的經(jīng)銷部主任講話。
例句-1: Bill, I'm sorry but this sales plan looks half-baked to me. There are some good ideas here, but I want you to take it back and do some more work on it.
這個經(jīng)理說：比爾，我很抱歉。這個推銷計劃看起來好像還不完整。計劃里有些主意很好，但是我要你把這個計劃拿回去再在上面下點功夫。
******
每個人做事的作風不一樣。有的人很麻俐，辦什么事都乾凈利索，有始有終�？墒�，也有人做什么事都是拖拖拉拉，而且還往往做了一半就不干了。下面是一個爸爸在勸自己的兒子做事不要虎頭蛇尾。
例句2: You see, you washed the car, but left the Windows unclean. You did the dishes last night, but you forgot to turn on the dishwasher. Somehow you give people the impression that whatever you do is half-baked.
這個爸爸說：你看，你洗了汽車，但是沒有把窗子打掃乾凈。昨晚，洗了碗，但是你忘了開洗碗機的開關(guān)。你似乎給人一個印象，不管你做什么，你總是虎頭蛇尾,沒做完。
美國家庭往往給孩子分配一些適合他們的工作，培養(yǎng)他們幫助父母做一些家務(wù)的習慣。但是，現(xiàn)在很多地方都有機器洗汽車的服務(wù)，所以自己洗車的人越來越少。
******
要是一個人對自己做的事缺乏熱情，那這個人對自己從事的工作就會漠不關(guān)心，是成功還是失敗都不在乎。這在英文里就是：Half-hearted. Half-hearted是由half和hearted這兩個字組成，當中有一個連接號。Half-hearted從字面上就可以猜到它的意思。也就是：半心半意。Half-hearted的反面就是 wholehearted。那就是：全心全意。我們來舉一個例子。
在這個例子里不僅有half-hearted跟wholehearted這兩個字，而且還有我們剛才講的第一個習慣用語half-baked�，F(xiàn)在請大家聽這個例句。
例句3: Normally I'd give my wholehearted support to a bill to cut taxes. But this bill is so half-baked I can only give it half-hearted support and hope that somebody else introduces a bill that makes better sense.
說這句話的人似乎是一個國會議員。他是在說他對其他議員提出的提案的看法。這句話的意思是：在一般情況下，我會全心全意支持減少稅收的提案。但是這個提案很不成熟，我只能半心半意地支持它。我希望有人會提出一個更有意義的提案。
******
我們再用half-hearted和wholehearted這兩個字來舉一個例子。上面這個例句涉及政治問題。下面這個例句講的是愛情。這是一個哥哥在勸他的弟弟。
例句4: Mark, you're my brother, but I have to be frank with you. I can understand why your wife wants to divorce you. You must admit you've never loved her wholeheartedly and half-hearted love is worse than none.
這個哥哥說：馬克，你是我的親兄弟，可是我得跟你很坦率。我能夠理解為什么你的妻子要和你離婚。你必須承認，你從來也沒有全心全意地愛過她，而半心半意的愛比沒有愛心更壞。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-05 12:03:48 做記號
流行美語第247課
Larry有兩張歌劇的票，邀請李華一起去。李華今天要學兩個常用語，primo和glued。
LL: Hey, Li Hua, I've got two primo tickets to the opera. Would you like to come with me?
LH: 歌�。亢冒�。不過Larry, 什么是primo ticket ? Primo聽起來不太象英語，是外來語吧？
LL: You are right, Li Hua. Primo is an Italian word that means "number one" or "first-class."
LH: 噢，primo是意大利語，意思是最好的，最棒的。
LL: When I said I had primo tickets to the opera, I meant I had very, very good seats.
LH：既然你有最好的票，那我們一定有primo seats, 最好的座位了！
LL: Yes, we do have primo seats. The tickets are for two seats right in front of the center-stage.
LH: 前排最中間，真是太好了，我們一定能看得特別清楚。對了，我們看的是哪一部歌劇�。�
LL: It is Verdi's Aida. Since it is an opera in Italian, I guess it is appropriate to say it will be a "primo" experience.
LH: 我聽說過，威爾第的《阿依達》是一部很有名的意大利歌劇，但是我從來沒看過。
LL: Yes, Aida is a very famous opera, and I know you will enjoy it. I've also heard the tenor has a primo voice.
LH: Larry, 這兩張primo tickets會不會很貴啊。
LL: Actually, no. I got a primo deal on the tickets. My friend bought season tickets to the orchestra, but couldn't make this performance. He sold them to me for half price.
LH: 原來是你朋友買的季票，但是正好不能去，所以半價賣給你。That is a primo deal!
LL: And I was thinking before the opera, we could have dinner. I know a primo little Italian restaurant near the opera house.
LH: 意大利飯，太棒了！我最喜歡吃意大利飯了。
LL: I think you will find the food at this place is primo - Some of the best in New York City.
LH: 現(xiàn)在只有一個問題，Larry. I don't have any primo clothes to wear! 周末先得去買一身正式點兒的衣服。
******
(After the opera)
LL: Wasn't the opera amazing! I was glued to my seat the whole time.
LH: 什么？讓我看看，你褲子上沒有膠水兒啊，你怎么會一直粘在椅子上呢？
LL: I don't actually have glue on my pants, Li Hua. When I said I was glued to my seat, I meant I was so fascinated by the opera I didn't want to get up.
LH: 噢，我明白了，你是說歌劇太精彩了，你聽得全神貫注。確實沒錯，特別是那個男高音，唱得簡直太棒了。I was glued to my seat, too.
LL: It reminds me of this lecture about China I went to not long ago. The professor who spoke was very entertaining and charismatic.
LH: 你是說那個教授講得太吸引人了，大家都坐在椅子上一動不動，聽得聚精會神？
LL: Actually, not only was I glued to my seat, I was glued to his every word.
LH: 每個字？能讓你這樣的學生把他的每個字都聽進去，這個教授一定很棒。
LL: He was really good, and he had a lot of interesting things to say about life in China today. What about you, Li Hua? What keeps you glued to your seat?
LH: 我最近正在看一部韓劇《朱蒙》，劇情太吸引人了，我一集接一集地看，根本放不下。I am glued to the TV set for hours.
LL: If you are glued to your television for hours, you have really become an American, Li Hua!
LH: 你為什么這么說呀？
LL: I think statistics show Americans on average are glued to their television sets for nineteen hours a week.
LH: 我簡直不敢相信，美國人每星期要看十九個小時的電視，我可能連九個小時都看不了。跟看電視比起來，我更喜歡看書。
LL: Are you reading anything good right now?
LH: 我最近正在看一本暢銷的偵探小說。I have been glued to every page!
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是primo, 意思是最棒的。另一個是glued, 是指被深深吸引，全神貫注的意思。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-06 10:25:36 做記號
美國習慣用語第248講
在這次節(jié)目里，我們要給大家介紹兩個都是以bottom這個字為主的習慣用語。Bottom就是底部，也就是最下面的地方。我們要講的第一個習慣用語就是：To get to the bottom of something. To get to the bottom of something就是找出某件事情的真相。
我們往往會從不同的人那里得到不同的信息。那我們就得做出一個判斷，究竟誰說的是實話，誰在說假話。在這種情況下，我們往往會用to get to the bottom of something這個習慣用語。比如說，在法庭上，一個法官聽到雙方的不同說法。法官就得想辦法弄清楚這個案件的真正事實。
在家里，有的時候孩子打破了什么東西。他們就互相指責。這時家長就得弄個水落石出，弄清楚事實的真相。下面就是一個很生氣的爸爸在說話。
例句-1: You kids keep blaming each other for breaking the window. Now sit down and answer my questions - I'm going to get to the bottom of this and find out who did it if it takes all night!
這個爸爸說：你們這些孩子打破了窗子，老是互相指責。現(xiàn)在你們都跟我坐下來，回答我的問題。我一定要把事情弄清楚，那怕我們一夜不睡也得弄清楚究竟是誰干的。
******
大多數(shù)美國人都用信用卡買東西。有的人身上現(xiàn)金非常少，買幾塊錢的東西都用信用卡。許多人都有好幾種信用卡。這是因為每個信用卡都讓你借錢。另外，發(fā)放信用卡的公司也不斷設(shè)法提供各種優(yōu)惠來吸引人們用他們的信用卡。百貨公司也鼓勵人們用他們的信用卡來買東西，所以一個人有十幾張信用卡也是不足為奇的�？墒牵谑褂眯庞每ǚ矫嬉灿胁簧俦撞�，有的不務(wù)正業(yè)的人通過各種方法來盜用別人的信用卡。下面就是一個例子。
例句2: I didn't use my credit card last month. So I was shocked when I saw on the statement for last month that there's a new balance of two thousand dollars. I'm going to get to the bottom of this and find out who used my credit card.
這個人說：上個月我沒有用信用卡。當我在上個月帳單上看到我花了兩千美元的時候，我真是大吃一驚。我得追根究底把事情弄清楚，找出到底是誰用了我的信用卡。
******
下面我們要講的一個習慣用語也是以bottom這個字為主的。這個習慣用語就是：To scrape the bottom of the barrel. To scrape就是刮。Barrel是一個圓的桶。當桶里的好東西都給別人都拿走了的時候，你就不得不刮桶底剩下的東西了。下面是一個例句。這是在說戰(zhàn)爭時期征兵的情況。
例句3: At first only young, healthy, single men were taken for military service. But the war lasted so long they had to scrape the bottom of the barrel and take married men and older men with all sorts of health problems.
這句話翻譯到中文就是說：最初，征兵的對象只是身體健康的單身年輕男子。但是，戰(zhàn)爭拖的那么久，他們不得不遷就地把那些結(jié)過婚的男人和那些有各種病的年紀大一些的男子征兵入伍。
這當然是在說以前戰(zhàn)爭期間的情況�，F(xiàn)在，美國部隊的組成跟過去相比有很大的不同�，F(xiàn)在美國部隊里有不少女兵，但是有的軍校仍然全部是男生，有的人認為現(xiàn)在應(yīng)該招收女生。另外一個有爭論的問題是女兵參加實戰(zhàn)是否合適。
******
美國的許多商店一般在年初冬天即將結(jié)束，春天馬上來臨的時刻進行大減價。有的大減價只有一天，有的兩三天或一個星期。下面是一個人在對他的妹妹說話。
例句4: A couple of companies are having one-day clearance sales today. They have lots of stuff on sale at 50 to 70% discount. If I were you, I'd go early. If you go late in the afternoon after work, you'll have to scrape the bottom of the barrel.
這個人說：有兩個公司今天有一天的清倉大減價。有的東西的價錢降低百分之五十到百分之七十。要是我是你，我就早點去。要到下午上完班再去，那你可能就只能從賣剩下來的東西里去挑了。
許多美國人都利用這類減價的時候買東西。在季節(jié)轉(zhuǎn)換之前，商店一般都要舉行大減價，清理倉庫，以便進貨新的商品。清倉減價的時候可以買到非常便宜的東西。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-06 10:28:24 做記號
流行美語第248課
李華剛買了一臺筆記本電腦。她今天要學兩個常用語，bells and Whistles和savvy。
LL: So, you got a new laptop computer, Li Hua? Wow! It has all the bells and whistles, doesn't it?
LH: Bells and whistles？我怎么沒看見這臺電腦上有什么鈴鐺和哨子啊。
LL: Oh, What I meant was that your lap top has a lot of special features and extras that ordinary lap tops don't have.
LH: 噢，我知道了，你剛才說的bells and whistles是指電腦上的DVD播放器和超寬屏幕等額外的功能。
LL: Yeah, that is right. Manufacturers like to put lots of bells and whistles on lap tops to entice people to buy them.
LH：沒錯，我就是沖著這些bells and whistles才買這臺電腦的。你看，上面還有無線調(diào)制解調(diào)器和一個超大儲存量的硬盤呢！
LL: When I bought a lap top computer last year, Li Hua, I did NOT get one with all the bells and whistles, and now I kind of regret it.
LH: 是啊，這些bells and whistles確實要多花點兒錢，可我覺得還是值得的。
LL: I suppose I can always add some bells and whistles to my basic lap top. I would like to have a bigger hard drive.
LH: 我聽說加個硬盤并不難，我覺得你真的可以在你的電腦上加點兒bells and whistles.
LL: Although sometimes it is possible to have too many bells and whistles!
LH: Bells and whistles還會嫌太多嗎？
LL: Well, I was thinking of the cell phone I bought recently. It definitely came with all the bells and whistles. So many bells and whistles, in fact, I don't even know everything it does!
LH: 你是說手機啊。我也有同感。現(xiàn)在的手機功能越來越多，很多我都用不著，也不知道該怎么用。
LL: But some people really like to have all the bells and whistles. Like my Dad. The last time he went shopping for a new car, it had to have all the bells and whistles.
LH: 車上能有些什么bells and whistles？
LL: He wanted a car with leather seats that heated themselves and had a built in global positioning system.
LH: 能加熱的皮座椅，全球定位系統(tǒng)，看來車上也能有不少的bells and whistles.
******
LH: Larry, 你能幫我把這些軟件裝到電腦上嗎？
LL: I am happy to help you load your software on your new lap top, Li Hua. You know I'm tech savvy.
LH: Tech Savvy? 我知道tech是technology科技的意思，那savvy呢？
LL: Savvy means to understand something very well.
LH: 所以你說自己tech savvy, 就是說你對電腦和高科技的東西很在行嘍？
LL: That's right. I've always been interested in computers, and as a result I am fairly tech savvy.
LH: 那太好了。我可一點兒也不tech savvy. 我就知道怎么用電腦寫論文，發(fā)電子郵件，除此之外就一竅不通了。Larry, 除了高科技以外，還有什么東西可以說savvy嗎？
LL: Oh, sure, Li Hua. We often say that some one who dresses well and has good fashion sense is fashion savvy.
LH: 噢，fashion savvy就是很跟得上服裝的潮流。那我可以說fashion savvy吧。
LL: Oh, you definitely have fashion savvy, Li Hua. You always dress very stylishly.
LH: 這肯定是我祖母的遺傳。我看過她的照片，穿得可漂亮了。She definitely had fashion savvy.
LL: A person can also have street savvy.
LH: Street savvy? 你是說會認路嗎？或者是有方向感？
LL: No, no. A person with street savvy knows how people act in the city and how to be safe in parts of the city that might be a little rough.
LH: 噢，street savvy是說街頭的生存能力，特別是能在那些比較亂的街區(qū)不惹麻煩。看來，tech savvy和street savvy我都學不來，有fashion savvy就行了。
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是bells and whistles, 意思是附加的功能或是點綴品。另一個是savvy, 是指在什么方面很在行。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-07 11:39:05 做記號
美國習慣用語第249講
今天我們要講的兩個習慣用語都跟吃午飯有關(guān)系。午飯在英文里就是：Lunch美國人有一個很老的俗語，那就是：There's no such thing as a free lunch. 這個俗語翻到中文就是：白吃午飯這種事是沒有的。這句話現(xiàn)在已經(jīng)成為美國人經(jīng)常用的俗語了。它的含意當然要超越午飯這個范圍。There's no such thing as a free lunch的確切意思就是：世界上沒有任何不付出代價就能得到的東西；也許當時你不用付出代價，但是遲早你得付，即便不是付錢，你也得為別人效勞來償還。
美國的一些行業(yè)及勞工組織雇用一些游說的人去影響政府官員。這些人很愿意請官員們?nèi)コ晕顼�，或者帶他們出去旅行。但是，他們期望這些白吃白喝的官員能夠做一些對他們有利的事，以致回報。下面這個例句是一個國會議員在說話。
例句-1: I never let a lobbyist buy me a lunch or do any favor for me. Early in my political career I learned the truth of the old saying - there's no such thing as a free lunch.
這個國會議員說：我從來沒有讓一個游說者請我吃過午飯，或者為我做什么事。俗話說，世上沒有白吃飯的事。在我政治生涯的早期，我就懂得這句話的意思了。
******
在美國，你經(jīng)�？梢钥吹絝ree這個字，特別是在商業(yè)廣告上。初到美國來的人往往會被這個字吸引，以為真的能拿到不要錢的東西。但是，仔細一看這個free都是有條件的。下面這個例句是一個到美國來不久的學生在說話。
例句2: Seeing the word "free" in ads used to excite me because I thought the store was giving away stuff. Later I learned that there's really no such thing as a free lunch. They always want you to buy something and then give you some cheap gift to make you feel good.
這個學生說：我過去一看到廣告上有免費這個字就覺得很高興，以為商店可能在送東西給顧客。后來我才知道真是沒有不要錢的事。他們總是要你買點什么東西，然后給你一個不值錢的禮物讓你感到很高興。
******
剛才我們說的是幾乎不要錢的午飯，下面我們要講的一個習慣用語是價錢很高的午飯。這個習慣用語就是：Power lunch. Power就是有力量的或是有權(quán)力的。那么，什么是 power lunch 呢？Power lunch就是有兩個或更多的重要人物在一起吃午飯，但是他們并不是像一般朋友那樣為了見見面，聊聊天而一起吃午飯；他們是為了談生意，或其他工作上的事。
Power lunch一般是在很貴的飯館里舉行，因為請客的一方可以向自己的公司報銷。在這種飯館里工作是很好的，下面這個例句就給大家提供了一個很好的實例。
例句3: My brother works in a place that is very popular for power lunches. And he gets plenty of nice big tips because these people like to show off in front of each other.
這個人說：我弟弟工作的地方常常有要人在那里吃午飯。由于這些人要在自己的客人面前擺闊氣，所有我弟弟經(jīng)常得到很多小費。
在美國，到飯館去吃飯要給小費已經(jīng)成了必定之規(guī)。給多少小費是根據(jù)帳單上的總數(shù)。一般是總數(shù)的百分之十到百分之十五。但是人們往往給百分之十五。當然，這并不是硬性規(guī)定的，有的人給的很少，服務(wù)員就不會太高興。有的美國人給的很多，經(jīng)常給百分之二十的小費。
******
我們再來舉一個例子。這是一個人在說他的朋友。
例句4: For the first time my friend Leo, a rising young star in New York financial circles, got invited to attend a power lunch today. He said he didn't enjoy it too much though because the big shots there scarcely noticed him.
這個人說：我的朋友利奧很年輕，他在紐約金融界越來越走紅。今天，他第一次被邀請去出席一次全是要人參加的午餐會。但是他說他并不感到高興，因為那些大人物根本沒注意到他。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-07 11:41:03 做記號
流行美語第249課
李華到Larry家借書，正好趕上Larry的朋友Dave打電話來 。她今天要學兩個常用語, fed up和off the hook。
LL: That was just Dave on the phone, Li Hua. He is really fed up right now.
LH: Dave給你打電話，就是告訴你他吃多了嗎？
LL: No, Li Hua. To be fed up is to run out of patience in a difficult situation and to become angry.
LH: 噢，fed up不是指吃多了，而是說受夠了。
LL: That's right. Dave has been having a bad day, and he has good reason to be fed up.
LH：他遇到什么倒霉事了嗎？
LL: Well, Dave's car broke down on his way to work today, and he called a tow truck to come and get him. He's fed up, because he has been waiting for over an hour for the tow truck to arrive.
LH: 拖車一個多小時還沒到。換成我，也會fed up.
LL: And Dave is also fed up with his car. This is the third time in the last month that his car has broken down.
LH: 一個月壞三次。那可真得換車了，難怪他說自己受夠了。他給你打電話就是抱怨這些嗎？
LL: He was hoping that if the tow truck didn't come in the next few minutes I might be able to give him a ride to work. He doesn't want his boss to get too fed up with him.
LH: 噢，原來是求你送他去上班。一而再，再而三地因為車子拋錨而上班遲到，確實會引起老板的懷疑。
LL: I don't think Dave's boss is completely fed up with him YET, but Dave doesn't want to take any chances.
LH: 那當然了。他好不容易才找到這份工作，因為這個被炒魷魚，太不值得了。
LL: Yeah. Personally, I'm a little fed up with Dave right now, too.
LH: Dave有什么讓你受不了的呢？
LL: Well, every time Dave's car breaks down, he calls me to ask for a ride. I'm getting a little fed up with having to rearrange my schedule to keep helping Dave out.
LH: 確實有點兒煩。不過，他是你的朋友，大家應(yīng)該互相幫助嘛！
LL: You are right, Li Hua. I shouldn't get fed up with Dave. (Phone rings) It's Dave on the phone.
******
LH: Dave打電話說什么？
LL: He told me the tow truck finally arrived. It looks like I'm off the hook!
LH: Off the hook? 這種說法跟釣魚有關(guān)吧？
LL: Yes, it does, Li Hua. You know when you go fishing for fun, how you put a hook on the end of your line?
LH: 當然了，我還記得上次跟你老爸一起去釣魚，魚線最后面有一個鉤子，在上面掛上魚餌。
LL: And when a worm is off the hook, it is free. Just like I am now. I am off the hook, because I don't need to drive Dave to work after all.
LH: 所以，off the hook就是脫身的意思。你不用再開車送Dave去上班了，所以你說自己是off the hook.
LL: That's right. Say, speaking of obligations, don't you have a Chinese class you should be teaching right now?
LH: Oh, No. I am off the hook today, Larry. 今天學校放假，所以我不用去教中文課了！
LL: I forgot that today is a holiday. Unfortunately, I am NOT off the hook today. I need to go into work this afternoon to finish up a project I am working on.
LH: 那你就是on the hook嘍？
LL: Well, we don't really say someone is "on the hook" in English when we mean they have something they need to do.
LH: 所以說不用再去做一件事情是off the hook, 但是反過來，必須去做一件事情，則不能說on the hook.
LL: You've got it, Li Hua. Say, how about going to a movie tonight? Do you still have to write your paper for Professor Jones, or are you off the hook?
LH: 唉，I'm not off the hook. 我今天晚上必須得寫完那篇論文。我可不希望讓瓊斯教授 fed up with me.
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是fed up, 意思是不耐煩，受夠了。另一個是off the hook, 是脫身，擺脫責任的意思。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-08 11:23:51 做記號
美國習慣用語第250講
今天我們要講的兩個習慣用語都是跟錢有關(guān)系的。錢在英文里有各種說法。一個用得最普遍的就是：Money. 我們首先要給大家介紹的一個習慣用語恐怕是許多人都很歡迎的。這個習慣用語是：Easy money. Easy就是容易，money就是錢。Easy money有兩種不同的意思。Easy money可以指用花招或欺騙手段得來的不義之財。但是，easy money一般是指沒有花什么功夫而得來的錢財。我們來舉一個例子。這是一個人做了一筆很好的房地產(chǎn)生意。他說：
例句-1: I heard about this house the owner had to sell in a hurry, so I got it at a very cheap price. A week later I sold it for a 20,000 dollar profit. Talk about your easy money!
這個好運氣的人說：我聽說這棟房子的房主急于要出售這房子，所以我以很便宜的價格買進了。一個星期后，我把它賣掉，從中賺了兩萬美元。這真是輕而易舉得來的錢。
請大家不要以為在美國賺錢都是那么容易。像這種機會是不多的。相反地，美國商店虧本倒閉的也不少，特別是在經(jīng)濟不景氣的時候。
******
想輕而易舉地得到錢是可以理解的，但是重要的問題是用什么手段，通過什么途徑。美國是一個物質(zhì)豐富的國家，有些年輕人對于物質(zhì)享受已經(jīng)習以為常，以為什么東西都很容易得到。在無法得到的時候，有些人就采用犯罪手段。這也是美國年輕人當中犯罪的原因之一。下面我們來給大家舉一個例子。這是一個老師在對學生講話。
例句2: I know you all want to be successful in the future. But the best way to do that is to get a good education. If I were you, I'd study hard and not spend a lot of time in figuring out how to make easy money.
這位老師說：我知道你們都希望將來很成功�？墒牵_到這個目的的最好方法就是受到良好的教育。要是我是你們的話，我就努力學習，而不是化好多時間去想怎么樣才能輕而易舉地得到錢。
******
錢在英文里有好幾種說法。Money只是其中最普遍的一個字。另外，你可以說：Dollar. Dollar就是美金，或美元。那當然是錢。我們下面要給大家介紹的一個習慣用語就是和dollar這個字有關(guān)。To bet one's bottom dollar. To bet就是打賭。One's bottom dollar就是一個人把錢都花完了，只剩下口袋底里最后一張鈔票。當某人用自己最后剩下的錢去打賭的時候，這個人一定很自信，認為自己在某個問題上完全準確，因此愿意冒一切風險來證實這一點。
下面是一個例子。通過這個例子我們可以看到在日常生活中這個習慣用語是怎么用的。
例句3: You know, Senator Clark keeps telling the press that he won't run for president in 1996. But I'd bet my bottom dollar that two years from now he'll announce he's a candidate.
這個人說：你知道，克拉克參議員不斷地對新聞界說，他在1996年不會參加總統(tǒng)競選。但是，我可以跟你打賭，兩年以后，他會宣布他參加競選的。
******
下面又是一個例子。這是一個人在說他的同事。
例句4: Our company was to deliver the ordered products to our clients before four in the afternoon. However, Larry forgot the whole thing and the client was mad as a wet hen. But I bet my bottom dollar that Larry will blame somebody else for his mistake.
這個人說：我們公司應(yīng)該在下午四點以前把客戶的定貨送到客戶那里去�？墒�，拉里完全忘了這件事，把我們的客戶都快氣瘋了。不過，拉里肯定會把他的錯誤的責任推給別人的，我可以跟你打賭。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-08 11:25:36 做記號
流行美語第250課
Larry和李華開車到游樂園去坐過山車。她今天要學兩個常用語，Oh boy和scaredy-cat。
LL: Oh, Boy! Isn't this amusement park great, Li Hua! I can't wait to take a ride on the roller coaster.
LH: Oh, Boy？我知道你早就盼著來這兒坐過山車�？赡阏foh boy是什么意思啊？
LL: "Oh, Boy!" is a common American expression that really has nothing to do with boys at all.
LH: 那你剛才說Oh boy是什么意思呢？
LL: When I said "Oh, Boy!" I was expressing that I was excited about coming to the park and that I was looking forward to the fun we are going to have today.
LH: 所以你說Oh boy是表示高興和興奮。
LL: That's right. Oh, Boy! Li Hua, look at that. There is someone selling cotton candy. I love cotton candy.
LH: 我從沒吃過棉花糖，好吃嗎？
LL: Oh, boy, is it ever! It is so light and sweet. I am sure you will love it.
LH: Oh boy! Larry, 你看，那邊有旋轉(zhuǎn)木馬。
LL: Well, let's take a ride on the carousel. It will be a lot of fun. But did you see the roller coaster, Li Hua? Oh, boy... (Nervous tone)
LH: 怎么了？剛才你說oh boy, 好象不太高興。
LL: I just saw that the roller coaster flips you upside down, and I really don't like roller coasters that flip you upside down. Oh, boy...
LH: 可你剛才不是說oh boy是高興的意思嗎？
LL: Well, it all depends on your tone, Li Hua. If you say "Oh, Boy!" like this, it means you are happy. If you say "Oh, boy" like this, it means you are concerned or dismayed about something.
LH: 噢，我明白了。 Oh boy既可以指讓人高興的事，也可以指讓人擔心的事，完全取決于語氣。
LL: That's right, Li Hua. It all depends on how you say it.
******
LL: I can't believe I am so worried about riding this roller coaster. I am usually not this much of a scaredy-cat.
LH: 什么是scaredy-cat? 聽起來好象是膽小鬼的意思。
LL: You are absolutely right, Li Hua. And right now, I am feeling like a big scaredy-cat about the roller coaster.
LH: 你現(xiàn)在什么感覺？
LL: Well, right now, I have this tight feeling in my stomach, and I am shaking a little. See, look at how my hand is shaking.
LH: 我害怕的時候手也會抖，心里還會砰砰地跳。
LL: What about you, Li Hua? I thought you told me once you didn't like riding roller coasters. Why aren't you acting like a scaredy-cat now?
LH: 我以前也不敢做過山車，后來咬著牙試了一次，發(fā)現(xiàn)根本不可怕，而且頭沖下的時候特別刺激。
LL: Okay. I'll try to be brave and ride the roller coaster with you. So, is there anything that makes you feel like a scaredy-cat, Li Hua?
LH: 說起來有點兒丟人。我最怕的是游泳。
LL: You are a scaredy-cat about swimming? Why is that, Li Hua?
LH: 因為我小時候沒機會學游泳，所以長大后，不僅不敢下水游泳，連坐船都會害怕。
LL: You know, my mother is a big scaredy-cat about flying on planes. She doesn't like the feeling of going up into the air.
LH: 我聽說很多人都害怕坐飛機，去什么地方，寧可開車或是坐火車 去。
LL: My mom is like that. If she can she'd rather drive or take a train when she travels.
LH: 每個人都有自己害怕的事情。
LL: Well, I think people are scaredy-cats about things they think are dangerous.
LH: 你說得沒錯。不過如果什么都怕，什么都不敢嘗試，不是也很無聊嗎？
LL: Maybe so, but I am still feeling like a scaredy-cat about that roller coaster. Do I really have to go, Li Hua?
LH: Larry, 我保證你不會掉下來。So stop being a scaredy-cat, and let's go.
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是oh boy, 用來表達高興或是擔心的情緒。另一個是scaredy-cat, 是膽小鬼的意思。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-09 10:40:53 做記號
美國習慣用語第251講
我們已經(jīng)給大家介紹過幾個跟錢有關(guān)的習慣用語。今天我們再給大家講兩個以錢，也就是money這個字為主的習慣用語。對于許多人來說，錢是非常重要的東西。在美國的成語和俗語里有不少是跟錢這個字有關(guān)的。
我們今天首先要給大家介紹的一個習慣用語是：Smart money. Smart這個字有好幾個解釋，比如說，聰敏，伶俐，漂亮，還可以解釋為厲害等。在smart money這個習慣用語里，smart是指聰敏。大家恐怕也不難猜出smart money的意思。Smart money是指那些有經(jīng)驗的投資商或善于賭博的人經(jīng)管投資的錢。有的時候，smart money可以直接指這些人。下面就是一個例子。這是一個人在對朋友說經(jīng)商的前景。
例句-1: Do you think the economy is heading up or down? The smart money seems to think that business will get better so maybe it's time to put some money into the stock market.
這個人說：你認為經(jīng)濟的前景是會變得更興旺呢，還是會變得越來越疲軟。那些搞經(jīng)濟的專家們似乎認為商業(yè)會越來越好，所以，也許現(xiàn)在是把一些錢投資到股票市場去的時候了。
******
由于美國投資市場五花八門，許多人都感到難以入門，可是最保險的銀行存款又利率太低，所以越來越多的人把錢投入互助基金等收益更高的投資項目。下面就是一個退休的人在說他自己的經(jīng)歷。
例句2: In the past, interest from my bank account was a good source of income to have after I retire. But interest rates are so low these days that I have to let those smart money people who handle mutual funds take care of my money.
這位老人說：過去，我從銀行存款所得到的利息是我退休后很好的一筆收入。但是，現(xiàn)在利率那么低，我不得不讓那些管理互助基金的專業(yè)人員來經(jīng)管我的錢。
******
下面我們要給大家介紹一個非常有趣的習慣用語。這個習慣用語就是：Mad money. Mad這個字可以解釋為：發(fā)瘋。也可以說是：快氣瘋了。但是在這里mad是指非常生氣。那么，錢怎么會生氣的呢？ 最開始的時候，mad money是年輕女子跟男朋友一起出去玩的時候自己身上藏的一點錢。萬一她跟男朋友生氣了，或吵架了，那她至少自己有錢叫出租車回家去。
現(xiàn)在，mad money的含義已經(jīng)擴大了。Mad money是另外放出的一小部份現(xiàn)金，準備在緊急時候用的。我們來舉一個例子吧。這是一個丈夫在說話。
例句3: The other day we ran out of gas sixty miles from home. I had forgotten my wallet. But we were lucky - my wife remembered she had her mad money, so we were able to buy gas to get back home.
這個丈夫說：那天，我們在離家六十英哩的地方發(fā)現(xiàn)汽車里沒有汽油了。我那天又忘了帶錢包。但是，我們很幸運，因為我太太記得她有一些準備急用的現(xiàn)金，所以我們能買了汽油，開車回家。
******
下面是一個爸爸在說他女兒的經(jīng)歷。
例句4: Last Saturday, my daughter was invited to a dinner party and planned to buy a cake on her way. In the bakery, she found out that she'd forgotten her purse. Fortunately, she had her mad money in her pocket to pay for the cake, so it turned out all right.
這個爸爸說：上星期六，我女兒的朋友請她去吃晚飯。她準備在去的路上買一個蛋糕。她在蛋糕店里的時候發(fā)現(xiàn)她沒有帶錢包。還好她口袋里有一些應(yīng)急用的現(xiàn)金可以付蛋糕錢，所以就沒問題了。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-09 10:42:07 做記號
流行美語第251課
Larry告訴李華說，他正在給公司做一個大項目，忙得連飯都沒時間吃。李華今天要學兩個常用語，snarf和power nap.
LL: I've been so busy with this project, Li Hua, I've hardly had any time to eat. Today I just snarfed down a sandwich at lunch, and I haven't eaten anything since.
LH: 你只吃了個三明治？snarf也是吃的意思嗎？
LL: Snarf is another word for eat, Li Hua, but when you snarf something you eat it really quickly in a very short amount of time.
LH: 噢，snarf是狼吞虎咽的意思。你是因為要趕項目，沒時間吃飯，所以才匆忙地吃了個三明治。
LL: Yeah. And when I snarfed down the sandwich, I didn't really enjoy it. I ate it so fast I didn't even really taste it.
LH: 有時候我趕著寫論文或是判作業(yè)，沒時間吃飯，也會湊合著只吃幾口炒飯?zhí)铒柖亲印?
LL: You know, since I haven't had anything to eat since I snarfed down that sandwich, I am feeling hungry again.
LH: Larry, 我這兒有盒餅干，你先吃幾塊，來墊墊肚子羅。
LL: Thanks, Li Hua. That is really nice. But I'm so hungry, I'm afraid I'd snarf up your entire box of cookies.
LH: 都吃了也不要緊，我不在乎這盒餅干，不過光吃餅干可沒什么營養(yǎng)。
LL: You are right, Li Hua. I really shouldn't snarf up all these cookies.
LH: 不如今天晚上咱們找個餐館，好好補一補，最近我一直在趕論文，也是忙得不可開交。
LL: I'd love to, Li Hua. But, honestly, I don't have enough time to go out with you for a nice relaxing dinner. The deadline for the project is tomorrow, and I have just enough time to snarf down something before I go back to work.
LH: 既然明天就是最后期限，你沒時間正經(jīng)吃飯，那就更不能光啃餅干了，而是應(yīng)該吃點兒有營養(yǎng)的。這樣才能補充能量。
LL: Okay, I do have time to go to a fast food place.
LH: 拐角處就有一家面條店，保證你二十分鐘就能回去上班。
LL: And snarfing down a bowl of noodles does sound better than snarfing down a box of cookies, Li Hua.
******
LH: 這家店的面條還真好吃。
LL: Yeah, But now I'm feeling a little sleepy. I think I am going to need to take a power nap before I go back to work.
LH: A power nap? 我知道nap是午覺的意思，可power nap是什么意思啊？
LL: A power nap is a short nap, maybe only fifteen to twenty minutes in length that people take in the middle of their work day to give them more energy, more power!
LH: 噢，就是15分鐘，20分鐘，打個盹兒的意思。你知道嗎，Larry, 在中國睡午覺是很普遍的。我們上學的時候中午都會睡上半個小時左右。
LL: Taking naps isn't as common in the U.S. as it is in China, but more and more Americans are taking power naps.
LH: 昨天晚上我看了一個節(jié)目，很有意思，里面說美國人現(xiàn)在越來越忙，晚上睡眠時間不夠，所以白天需要take power naps，才能提高效率。
LL: Hey, I saw that report, too!
LH: 現(xiàn)在不少公司為了提高員工的工作效率，都在公司里設(shè)立專門供員工睡午覺的地方。
LL: I wish my company had places like that for us to take power naps at work.
LH: 你還記得嗎，里面說有一家公司，給員工準備了雞蛋形的午睡艙，還有舒緩的音樂，幫員工入睡。
LL: Yeah, I'd love to take a power nap in one of those.
LH: 但是打盹兒也要注意不能睡得太久。
LL: I guess that is true. If you end up sleeping too long, you can enter a deep sleep and wake up feeling drowsy and even sleepier than you did before you took you power nap.
LH: 好，到你公司了，你準備在哪兒小睡一會兒呢？
LL: Well, I think I will go back to work and take a power nap at my desk.
LH: Okay, Larry. 明天完成了手頭的項目，給我打電話。
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是 snarf, 是狼吞虎咽的意思。另一個是 power nap, 是打盹兒的意思。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-10 11:19:11 做記號
美國習慣用語第252講
今天我們要講的兩個習慣用語聽起來都是很順耳朵的話，但是這些話都是在故意恭維你，以便讓你做講話的人要你做的事。在這方面，最普遍的一個習慣用語就是：Sweet talk. Sweet就是甜的；talk就是講話。Sweet talk里面的sweet這個字就已經(jīng)把意思點出來了。Sweet talk聽起來很順耳，但是實際上是拍馬，或過份的贊揚。Sweet talk可以作為名詞，也可以作為動詞。下面是一個例句。在這個例句里sweet talk是用做動詞。這是一個爸爸在說他的一個女兒。
例句-1: You know, I think my youngest daughter was born with honey in her mouth! She can sweet-talk me into doing just about anything she wants me to do.
這個爸爸說：你可知道，我想我那最小的女兒生來就是嘴巴甜的。她會用甜言蜜語來讓我做幾乎任何她要我做的事。
這句話的英文里用的是：was born with honey in her mouth。這是指：她生來嘴巴里就有蜂蜜。我們在這里不必逐個按字面意思來翻，翻成：生來嘴巴甜也就可以了。
******
有的人說，人人都愛聽好話。這是人性。這話也許不錯，但是也有一些腦子很清醒，不被好話所左右的人。我們來舉一個例子。這是一個公司的主管在說他手下的一個雇員。在這個句子里 sweet talk是用做名詞。這個主管說：
例句2: Alex has been working for me over a year. He never misses a chance to say what he thinks I want to hear. He hopes I'll assign him nice jobs and eventually promote him. But I don't buy that kind of sweet talk so I guess he'll be disappointed.
這個公司的主管說：亞歷克斯在我手下工作已經(jīng)一年多。他從來不放過機會說他認為我要聽的話。他是希望我指派他好的工作，最后提拔他。但是，我可不吃這種拍馬奉承。我想他會失望的。
******
下面我們要講的一個習慣用語也是說好話的意思，但是跟sweet talk有一些不同,。這個習慣用語就是：Snow job. Snow是雪，job一般的解釋是工作，也可以指某一項具體的工作。A snow job的意思是不太誠實的話，為了使聽話的人相信他，他往往在講話里撒一、兩個謊。A snow job往往是當一個人遇到麻煩的時候想用幾句好話來洗刷自己的責任。我們來舉一個例子。學校的老師要求學生今天交期終報告，但是有一個學生沒有寫，所以交不出來。這個學生說：
例句3: I've got to give the teacher a snow job to get her to give me another week. Do you think she'd believe me if I tell her I really wrote the paper, but the dog got it and ate it?
這個學生說：我總得說些什么理由好讓老師同意再給我一個星期。要是我告訴她我確實寫了報告，但是給家里的狗叼去吃了，你認為她會相信我嗎?
狗吃了作業(yè)這個理由美國學生用的太多了，這都已經(jīng)成了笑話。所以，這個老師恐怕是不會相信的。
******
Snow job跟sweet talk一樣可以當名詞用，也可以當動詞用。在上面這個例子里，a snow job是當做名詞用。下面我們來舉一個把snow job當做動詞用的例子。這是一個正在找工作的女孩子約好到某個公司人事處去面談，但是到了那天她把約會給忘得一干二凈。下面是公司人事處主任在跟一個同事說話。
例句4: That girl didn't show up for the interview. She said she felt so dizzy on her way that she could not drive anymore and there was no telephone around. But I have this uneasy feeling she's giving me a snow job.
這位主任說：那個女孩到時候沒有來面談。她說她在路上感到頭暈，沒法再繼續(xù)開車，周圍又沒有電話�？墒俏铱傆幸环N她在說假話的感覺。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-10 11:25:35 做記號
流行美語第252課
Larry和李華在Larry的朋友Sam家開party。李華今天要學兩個常用語，party foul和split.
LL: Gosh, I am SO sorry, Li Hua! I just spilled some of my drink on you. What a party foul!
LH: 沒事的，Larry. 只不過是點兒汽水而已，一下就弄干凈了。不過，什么是party foul �。�
LL: A party foul is when you do something really embarrassing at a party - like spill your drink on someone.
LH: 噢，foul 在體育比賽里是犯規(guī)的意思，那 party foul 就是指開派對的時候出丑嘍。
LL: Right, and nobody really likes to commit a party foul, but sometimes when you are having a lot of fun and there are a lot of people together in one place, it is easy to do something stupid.
LH: 發(fā)生 party foul 的時候，其他人會怎樣呢？
LL: Sometimes they stare or it gets very quiet - or other times some one might yell, "Party foul!" And everyone will laugh.
LH: 那可真夠丟人的。不過，灑點兒飲料不算什么，我見過更糟糕的party foul。
LL: Really? What is the worse party foul you've seen?
LH: 有一次我去參加朋友的婚禮。大家跳舞的時候，發(fā)生了我見過的超級party foul.
LL: Don't keep me in suspense, Li Hua! Tell me about this party foul. What happened?
LH: 有個客人踩在了新娘的婚紗上，把婚紗撕掉了一大塊。所有人都傻了，大廳里鴉雀無聲。
LL: Yikes! That really is a major party foul. What happened then?
LH: 新郎和新娘處理得很好，他們知道那個客人一定很難堪，所以馬上開了個玩笑，幫他解圍。
LL: I think the most embarrassing party foul I committed was the time I went to a party in a suit.
LH: 穿西裝去參加派對有什么不對嗎？
LL: Well, I received an invitation to a very fancy New Year's Eve party once from my boss. I didn't read the invitation very closely though.
LH: Uh-oh. 你犯了什么不可饒恕的 party foul 嗎？
LL: Well, when I showed up at the party and all the men were wearing tuxedos, I knew I had committed a party foul.
LH: 別人都穿正式的燕尾服，只有你一個人穿西裝，肯定特尷尬吧？哎，時間不早了，咱們是不是該走了？
******
LL: This has been a nice party, but you are right, Li Hua. We really should split.
LH: We need to split. Split 不是把東西劈成兩半的意思嗎？
LL: It is, but split S-P-L-I-T is also a slang term meaning to leave a place - and sometimes to leave a place quickly.
LH: 噢，原來是馬上離開的意思。我前天晚上看了一個老的西部片，有個匪徒殺人后就說他要 split town, 逃出城。
LL: That's a good example, Li Hua. That meant he had to get out of town quickly, before the police figured out he had committed the crime.
LH: 好吧，Larry, 我準備好了，Let's split! 我們走吧。
LL: That's a perfect use of "split", Li Hua! But before we split, we really should go find Sam and thank him for a fun evening.
LH: 對啊，不跟主人打招呼就走，別人會覺得我們沒禮貌的。
LL: You're right, Li Hua. Oh, there is Sam over there. I'm going to go over and tell him we are going to split.
LH: 等等，Larry. 你看，還有這么多人呢，我們不會走得太早了吧？
LL: No, I don't think it is too early for us to split. We've been here a couple of hours already. Plus, Sam will understand. He knows I have to work tomorrow - and that you have to teach classes.
LH: 那好，我在這兒等你。
(Party sounds and music)
LL: There. I told Sam we were going to split, and that we had a great time.
LH: Sam 沒有不高興吧？
LL: Oh, no. Not at all. In fact, he said he was glad we came and hoped we would come again the next time he had a party.
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是party foul, 是在part上出丑的意思。另一個是split,是趕快走的意思。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-11 08:41:41 做記號
美國習慣用語第253講
今天我們要講的兩個習慣用語都有一個關(guān)鍵的字。這個關(guān)鍵的字就是：Fish. Fish就是很多人都愛吃的魚。我們今天要講的第一個以fish這個字為主的習慣用語就是：A fine kettle of fish. Fine就是好的，kettle是煮食品的大鐵鍋。A fine kettle of fish是指亂七八糟，很令人不愉快的事。這個說法可能是二百五十年前來自蘇格蘭。
當時，人們把在河邊舉行野餐會叫做a kettle of fish，因為參加野餐會的人把剛剛從河里釣上來的新鮮魚放到一個大鐵鍋里，然后再用木材搭一個火來煮。這些魚一般都是匆匆忙忙地煮熟了，然后人們把這些滾燙的魚從鍋里拿出來，用手拿著吃。這當然會把手弄得很臟，有時還會把手燙著了。下面我們來舉一個例子。這是一個人在說他丟了汽車鑰匙所帶來的麻煩。
例句-1: There I was, stuck on a lonely road 50 miles from home, after I was stupid enough to lock myself out of my car. It was dark and not a house in sight. A fine kettle of fish, I tell you!
這個人說：我實在是非常傻，把汽車鑰匙鎖在車里，因此沒法把車門打開了。那發(fā)生在離我家五十英里的一條路上，四周沒有人。當時,天已經(jīng)黑了，周圍看不到一棟房子。我告訴你，那可真是糟糕。
把車鑰匙鎖在汽車里是經(jīng)常發(fā)生的事。但是許多在美國居住的人都參加一種汽車服務(wù)組織，每年付一些會費。要是你開車在路上出了問題，不管是把鑰匙忘在車里了，還是因為忘了關(guān)車燈了，電池沒了，或其他問題，你可以打電話去讓他們來幫你解決問題。當然，要是周圍沒有人，也沒有電話，那就麻煩了。
******
有不少美國人都參加俱樂部。有的是跟自己的行業(yè)有關(guān)的，有的跟自己的興趣有關(guān)的。有的人參加好幾個俱樂部。每個俱樂部的規(guī)模不同，但是一般都有負責人和財務(wù)員。下面是一個人在說他所屬俱樂部的財務(wù)員突然辭職，因此帳目弄得一塌糊涂。
例句2: He left a fine kettle of fish behind. We couldn't find out what our money had been spent for; we couldn’t tell which members had paid their dues, and the rent wasn't paid. What a mess!
這個人說：他真是留下了一個亂攤子。我們弄不清楚我們的錢是怎么花的。我們也不知道哪些俱樂部成員已經(jīng)付了會費。我們的房租也沒有交。真是一團糟。
******
我們今天要講的第二個習慣用語是：To have other fish to fry. 這里的 fry是指在油里煎。這個習慣用語的真正含義是：當某人請另外一個人做一件事的時候，這個人表示他還有其他更重要的事要做。有的時候，這種回答是真的，有的時候只是一種借口。
下面我們來舉一個例子。這是一個人在請他的朋友為一個慈善機構(gòu)籌款。這個朋友是這么回答的。
例句3: Hey, Joseph, you know I'd sure like to help you raise money for the Red Cross. But I have other fish to fry - I'm chairman of the committee to raise money to fix the roof on my church.
這個朋友回答說：嗨，約瑟夫，你知道我肯定是愿意幫你為紅十字會籌款的。但是，我有其他的事。我們教堂的屋頂要修，而我是籌款委員會的主席。
******
下面是一個丈夫在對妻子說他自己的生活計劃。
例句4: Honey, they want me to run for Congress, but I said no. I have other fish to fry - I need all my time for my business so I can retire when I reach 50 and we can move to Hawaii.
這個丈夫說：親愛的，他們要我競選國會議員，但是我拒絕了。我還有別的事要干。我需要把所有的時間放在我的生意上。這樣我到了五十歲就能退休，然后我們可以搬到夏威夷去住。
作者：scottzhong 日期：2008-03-11 08:46:09 做記號
流行美語第253課
Larry和李華在咖啡店里買咖啡。李華今天要學兩個常用語，newbie和been around.
LL: Wow, it seems to be taking a long time for this guy to get our coffee made. Maybe he is a newbie.
LH: A newbie? 你說他是新來的？
LL: Right. A newbie is someone that is new to a place, activity or organization.
LH: 你說得對，他肯定是新手，好像連咖啡機還用不好呢！
LL: It is like this new guy in my office. He just started work the day before yesterday. He doesn't know where anything is.
LH: 初來乍到是最困難的時候，Larry, 你一定要幫幫這個新同事。
LL: I have been helping him, and he's doing pretty well for a newbie. He is clearly very bright and has picked up on a lot of things very quickly.
LH: 我們的咖啡來了，我們找地兒坐吧。
LL: MMMmmm...It may have taken him a while to make the coffee, but the newbie did a good job. This coffee is great!
LH: 你看，有時候?qū)π率志褪且心托�。我還記得剛開始教中文的時候，樣樣東西都要學。
LL: What did you find the most difficult about being a newbie Chinese teacher, Li Hua?
LH: 當初最讓我頭痛的就是安排課堂活動，我總是掌握不好各項活動的時間長短。
LL: Yeah, when I was a newbie, I remember having to learn where everything was in the office and who was responsible for which aspects of my job. . .Say, Li Hua, I want to show you something on my lap top.
(Takes out lap top)
LH: 是新的電腦游戲嗎？
LL: Yes, it is a fantasy role-playing game where you pretend to be a warrior or a wizard and run around attacking people and collecting treasure. I've just started the game, so I am kind of a newbie.
LH: 這里面好像還有其他人，他們也是newbies嗎？
LL: No, some people have been playing the game for a long time. Their characters are very experienced, and they have fun attacking and stealing treasure from the newbies.
LH: 那你肯定也是被這些老手欺負的對象嘍？我是不會玩電腦游戲，也沒興趣。
LL: You should try it, Li Hua. It is a lot of fun to play computer games, and it gets more fun when you aren't a newbie any more.
LH: 還是算了吧，在電腦游戲上面，我寧愿做個newbie.
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LL: Well, when it comes to computer games, I've been around - if you know what I mean, Li Hua.
LH: "Been around"? 我還真不知道這是什么意思。
LL: "Been around" means to have lots of experience doing something. It is actually short for a longer expression...
LH: 我想起來了。說什么人特別老道，就是"He has been around the block."
LL: That's right! We shorten it to ''been around,'' but it basically means the same thing.
LH: 所以你說自己''have been around.'' 就是說你打過很多電腦游戲嘍？
LL: That's right. I started playing computer games when I was seven years old, and I still play computer games.
LH: 對了，Larry, 我一直想問你，聽說你妹妹有新男朋友了？
LL: Yes, she is dating a new guy. But I'm a little concerned. I think this guy has been around. He is much older than my sister.
LH: 有經(jīng)驗不見得是壞事啊！
LL: Well, he has been around, but not in a good way. I think he has dated a lot of girls and may not be as serious about my sister as she is about him.
LH: 你是怕他不當真，讓你妹妹傷心吧。那你妹妹呢？她有沒有交過很多男朋友？
LL: No, not really. She is still very young. I wish she would wait until she has been around a bit before deciding she wants to get engaged to this guy.
LH: 別著急，Larry, 你妹妹絕頂聰明，她肯定能做出正確的選擇。你要相信她！
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是newbie, 是新手的意思。另一個是been around, 是老手的意思。
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