偶看新闻张家界 蹦极 开放时间:VOA流行美语（101-150）
来源：百度文库 编辑：偶看新闻 时间：2024/04/28 08:57:42
VOA流行美语（101-150）
流 行 美 语(Popular American)
--- 听美国之音 学流行美语
流行美语(Popular American),这个短小精悍的英语教学节目每次五分钟，生动活泼，幽默轻松。节目通过两个大学生的对话来教授美国年轻人常用的俚语，有的在字典上还查不到。
101 eye candy; bazillion
102 hook sb. up; buzz off
103 clunker; don‘t sweat it
104 out of whack; goofy
105 push one‘s luck; crackpot
106 racket; that does it!
107 whatchamacallit; mooch
108 go easy; go cold turkey
109 come clean; no sweat
110 tick sb. off; get lost
111 go off on sb.; what‘s the deal
112 flab; ripped
113 get it together; tough
114 cop out; get worked up
115 bling; booze
116 blow it; wing it
117 flip-flop; wishy-washy
118 flunk; lose sleep over sth.
119 out to get sb.; go to bat for sb.
120 stick to sth.; give sth. a shot
121 to be beat; to O.D.
122 on edge; give it a rest
123 level with sb.; clueless
124 hardcore; take it out on sb.
125 toss; digs
126 bum; ticker
127 big shot; bent out of shape
128 from scratch; all set
129 play hooky; put one‘s foot down
130 tattletale; pushover
131 be hard up; pick on sb.
132 tie the knot; drop-dead
133 dibs; shotgun
134 off one‘s rocker; silent treatment
135 gang up on sb.; basket case
136 chocoholic; fix
137 workaholic; nutty
138 juice; nuke
139 mental; pro
140 boonies; country bumpkins
141 tomboy; chicken
142 gooey; retro
143 long shot; the buzz
144 bite the dust; funky
145 back to square one; killer
146 smack-dab; ring a bell
147 crack sb. up; fess up
148 play sth. by ear; strapped
149 dump sb.; babe magnet
150 on the spot; schmooze
流行美语第101课
今天Larry 和Li Hua下课以后在电影院门口商量看什么电影。Li Hua会学到两个常用语：eye candy和 bazillion。
LH: Hmm, 我想看Troy. 听说这部电影挺棒的！
LL: I don‘t know, Li Hua. That movie looks like it‘s nothing but eye candy.
LH: 你说那部电影是什么？Eye candy? candy不是“糖果”吗？。这是一部关于古希腊的电影，和“糖果”有什么关系呀？
LL: I said it‘s mostly eye candy. Eye candy describes something that looks really good, but does not serve a useful purpose.
LH: 噢，你说的是eye candy。Eye candy是比喻某个东西看上去虽好，可是并不实用。那不就有点儿像我们中文里常说的“华而不实”吗？
LL: That‘s right. In a movie, fancy special effects are just eye candy.
LH: 现在好多电影都是靠电脑制作的特技场面，看起来挺花哨，其实电影本身一点儿意思也没有。可是Larry, 你知道吗 - Troy 这部电影是Brad Pitt主演啊？
LL: Well, in this case the eye candy is Brad Pitt.
LH: 什么？说Brad Pitt是eye candy, 这也太不公平了。他不仅长得帅，而且演技也是一流的。你怎么能说他“华而不实”呢？
LL: Fine, fine, Brad Pitt is more than just eye candy. Still, I‘d rather see something else... like that science fiction film I was telling you about. That‘s the kind of eye candy I want to see!
LH: 你要看那部科幻片啊？我看那才是名符其实的eye candy呢！
******
LL: You know, Li Hua, we‘ve been standing here trying to choose a movie for fifteen minutes. Why don‘t we forget about seeing a movie today? There are a bazillion other things to do in this city.
LH: 就是啊，我们在这儿都站了15分钟还决定不了看哪个电影。那要是不看电影我们干什么呢？你说有a bazillion事情可做。Bazillion - 这是个数字吗？
LL: I said "there are a bazillion other things". "Bazillion" means a lot. It‘s supposed to sound like "a billion" or "a zillion" - a large number, anyway.
LH: 对，bazillion听起来就好像billion，或zillion。Billion是十亿， zillion是“千千万”， 所以bazillion也可以说是“许许多多，数不清的”意思。Larry, 你说我们有bazillion的事可干，那你说说我们可以干什么呢？
LL: Well, there‘s an outdoor rock concert this evening not far from my place and the museum is showing a new exhibit of ancient bronze work today.
LH: Hmm, 我不想听什么摇滚音乐会，博物馆的古青铜器展览可能会更有意思。Larry, 我还是有点糊涂，bazillion这个词可以像使用具体数字一样来使用它吗？
LL: Yeah, pretty much. For instance, I‘m not sure that today is a good day to visit the museum. There will be a bazillion people there on the opening day of that exhibit.
LH: 没错，开展第一天，人肯定很多。那我们改天再去吧。你不是说有a bazillion other things to do 吗？
LL: There‘s a bazillion bars along this street. We could go hang out in one while we decide what to do next.
LH: 这条街上的酒吧是挺多的，可是现在才下午3点多，我不想去酒吧。
LL: Hmm... well, let me think... sometimes when you have a bazillion choices, it‘s hard to make a decision.
LH: 哎哟，得了得了，说什么选择多了反而不好决定。我说还是看电影吧。Troy 还有几分钟就要开始了，你肯定不想看吗？
LL: Look, we‘ve discussed this a bazillion times. That movie is nothing but eye candy for girls.
LH: 哎哟，你真是的，你不要看，那我自己去看啦！
今天李华从Larry那儿学到了两个常用语，一个是eye candy。意思是“华而不实的东西”。李华学到的另一个常用语是bazillion, 就相当于中文里面所说的“多得数都数不清”。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa102.txt
流行美语第102课
现在播送流行美语。Larry正准备去食品店买东西。他打了个电话给Li Hua问她要不要带什么东西。Li Hua会学到两个常用语：hook something up和buzz off。
(Telephone rings...)
LH: Hello?
LL: Hi, Li Hua. This is Larry. I‘m going to the grocery store and I was wondering if you needed anything.
LH: Larry! 你要去商店买东西呀？我正好牛奶喝光了，你可不可以帮我买点牛奶呢？回头我再给你钱。
LL: Sure, no problem. I can hook you up with some milk.
LH: Hook me up with some milk? 哎，我知道hook是“钩子”的意思。那hook up就是把东西用钩子钩住， 你想把我和牛奶钩在一起？噢，我猜就是给我带牛奶的意思，对不对？
LL: Yes, you‘re right. To hook somebody up with something means to get something for him. I meant that I will get the milk for you.
LH: 你看，我猜得不错吧！To hook me up with some milk就是“给我带点牛奶”。对了，我差点忘了， Larry, 你能不能再给我带包土豆片呢？
LL: Sure, I can hook you up with some potato chips, too. Is there anything else you‘d like me to hook you up with?
LH: 还有什么呀？对了，你能不能帮我买一张这个周末的音乐会票子呢？
LL: Well, they don‘t sell those at the grocery store, but I have a friend who can hook you up with some tickets.
LH: 噢，对不起，我忘了你是要去食品店。那儿是不卖音乐会的票。你朋友可以帮我买票啊，那太好了！哎，Larry, 除了说hook somebody up with something以外，我能不能说hook somebody up with someone呢？
LL: Of course you can, but it means "to introduce the person". For example, if you want to meet my friend, then I can hook you up with him.
LH: 噢，原来to hook somebody up with someone的意思就是“把某人介绍给另一个人”。哎，Larry, 你还记不记得上次历史课上那个很有意思的男孩呢 - Can you hook me up with him?
LL: I would if I knew him, but I‘ve never talked to him before. Sorry.
LH: 你从来没跟他说过话呀？那就算了。对了，Larry，每次我写学术报告，我总是对自己的英文不太有信心，你能不能给我介绍一个能帮我改英文的人？
LL: Of course, I can hook you up. I‘ll help you myself.
LH: 你愿意帮我改我的英文报告啊？你真是太好了！哎哟，还是你先去买东西吧，别忘了hook me up with milk and potato chips!
LL: I won‘t forget.
******
(Knocking on the door. Door opens)
LL: Hey, Li Hua. Here‘s your milk and potato chips. See, I didn‘t forget to hook you up.
LH: Thank you, Larry. 我正忙着复习功课。 I‘ll see you later.
LL: Hey, you aren‘t even going to invite me in? You‘re just telling me to buzz off? That‘s a little rude!
LH: 对不起，Larry, 我不是不想请你进来坐，可是我实在太忙了。哎，对了，什么是buzz off 啊？
LL: Buzz off is a way of telling someone to leave. You were trying to tell me to leave, so that‘s like saying "Buzz off!"
LH: 噢，buzz off就是叫某人离开，哎哟，Larry。我可没有要赶你走的意思，我只不过是心里着急，我星期五要考试，到现在还没准备好呢！
LL: Well, then instead of telling me to buzz off, you should ask me if I can help you?
LH: 对呀，那Larry, 你先别走，你现在有时间帮我复习吗？
LL: I have about an hour before I have to go home.
LH: 你大概一个小时后要回家？那你等会儿吧 - You can buzz off later.
LL: Thanks, Li Hua, (sarcastically) You make me feel so important.
今天李华从Larry那儿学到了两个常用语。一个是hook somebody up, hook somebody up with something意思是“给某人带某样东西”；hook somebody up with someone意思是“把这个人介绍给某人”。李华学到的另一个常用语buzz off. Tell someone to buzz off意思是“叫某个人离开”。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa103.txt
流行美语第103课
今天Li Hua的电脑坏了， 她正在用Larry 的电脑写学术报告。Li Hua会学到两个常用语：clunker和 Don‘t sweat it!
(Sound of typing)
LH: Larry, 谢谢你让我用你的电脑。我的电脑最近老出毛病，真气人！
LL: Heheh, don‘t mention it. You know, you ought to get a new computer to replace that old clunker of yours.
LH: 你说我应该买一台新电脑来取代什么？Clunker? 我在说我的电脑啊，怎么是"clunker"呢？
LL: No, no... when I said it is a "clunker" - I meant that it‘s an old, worn-out machine.
LH: 噢，原来clunker是指“又老又旧的机器”，用这个词来形容我那台电脑再合适不过了。那Larry, "clunker" 这个词只能够用来形容电脑吗？
LL: Not at all... a clunker can be any kind of worn-out machine that doesn‘t work very well. "Clunk" is the sound that an old car‘s engine makes... like this (makes clunking noise)
LH: Larry, 你学得倒挺象的嘛！Clunk这个词真的听上去就像一辆破车的引擎发出来的声音。你知道吗？ 我那辆旧车就是这种声音。Larry, 你说clunker可以用来指任何旧的、不中用的机器，是不是啊？
LL: Right! Heheh, Li Hua, no offense, but your car is a real clunker, too.
LH: 我才不介意呢，你是在说我的车，又不是说我。我那车本来就是又老又破。
LL: Well, some people in
LH: 是呀， 不少美国人对他们开的车很敏感的，要是有人说他们开的车太旧了，他们会觉得不好意思。不过，Larry, 我的车只要能把我带到我想去的地方就行了。等我毕业后找了份好工作，我再卖掉这个clunker, 换辆好车喽!
LL: Yeah, me too. I can‘t wait to replace my old clunker car, clunker bicycle, and this clunker computer.
LH: 哎哟，你可真着急 - 不仅想要换新车，连自行车、电脑你也想换新的呀！可是，跟我的电脑相比，你的电脑算不上是clunker - 你看，至少我还能用它写文章呐！
******
LH: Oh no! 真对不起，Larry, 我不小心把你的鼠标器掉到地上了，可千万别摔坏了。
LL: Oh well. Don‘t sweat it, Li Hua, it was an old mouse. I needed to replace it anyway.
LH: 噢，你连这个鼠标器也想换新的啊！等等，你还说Don‘t sweat it，你是让我别出汗?
LL: I‘m not talking about sweat! When I say "don‘t sweat it", that mean‘s "don‘t worry about it".
LH: 噢，Don‘t sweat it意思就是“别担心”。你是说即使我把你的鼠标器给摔坏了也没什么大不了的。Larry, 好像真的给摔坏了，那可怎么办啊!
LL: Don‘t sweat it, Li Hua. The computer store is just a five-minute drive from here. We can go and get a new mouse.
LH: 噢，谢天谢地！我还真忘了你这儿附近就有个电脑商店嘛！Larry, 是我弄坏的，我要赔你，但愿不是太贵。
LL: Expensive? Nah, don‘t sweat it. A cheap mouse like this only costs around ten dollars. Anyway, I‘ll pay for it... like I said, I needed a new one anyway.
LH: 像这样的鼠标器大约才10美元一个啊。真是便宜。不过，是我弄坏的，还是我来买吧！那咱们赶紧走吧，我还得赶回来赶报告呢！
LL: Don‘t sweat it, it‘s only four thirty. You have plenty of time.
LH: 虽然才四点半，可我还是得抓紧时间呐！Larry, 你等我一下，我把写好的部分存在这张disk上。我可不想我辛辛苦苦写好的东西被你那old clunker computer给搞丢了。
今天李华从Larry那儿学到了两个常用语。一个是clunker, 意思是“由于太旧而不太好用的东西”。李华学到的另一个常用语是 - Don‘t sweat it, 意思是“别担心”，“别着急”。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa104.txt
流行美语第104课
今天李华和Larry在图书馆看书。Larry注意到 Li Hua和平时有点儿不一样。Li Hua会学到两个常用语：out of whack和goofy。
(Library SFX)
LL: Hey, Li Hua, what‘s wrong? You‘re acting a little out of whack.
LH: 我什么事也没有啊！你说我怎么了 - acting a little out of whack? 那是什么意思啊？
LL: Out of Whack - means to be different from usual or abnormal. You‘re acting different from usual, so you seem a little out of whack.
LH: 噢，原来out of whack意思就是“和平时不太一样”。你觉得我有点儿反常啊？你还真说对了，我明天晚上有个约会，是我第一次要和这个人见面。心里有点儿紧张，我连穿什么衣服都还没想好呢！
LL: You have a date and you didn‘t tell me? That‘s out of whack! But, at least now I understand why you‘re acting out of whack. First dates make everyone nervous.
LH: 就是啊，第一次约会总是让人紧张的。就是，我平常的活动你都知道，这次约会我没告诉你，确实是不寻常，难怪你会说out of whack。 这么说，Larry，out of whack, 可以指人，也可以指事情，是吗？
LL: That‘s right. For instance, I think it‘s really out of whack that my best friend has a date tomorrow and she didn‘t tell me about it.
LH: 对不起，Larry. 我其实本来想告诉你的，大概就是因为我太紧张了，心里没准，所以我就给忘了。
LL: Okay, well, I suppose that I can forgive you. Hey, you know what makes me feel all out of whack?
LH: 有什么东西会让你反常啊？我不知道，赶快赶快，告诉我啊！
LL: The fact that I haven‘t slept more than three hours every night this week. I‘ve been so busy.
LH: 什么？你这个星期每天睡眠还不到三个小时啊？再忙也不至于这样吧！
******
(Campus SFX)
LL: Li Hua, how was your date last night? Did it go well or was the guy really goofy?
LH: 哎呀，别提了！昨晚的约会简直糟透了。那家伙也不知怎么搞的，第一次见面就忘了带钱包，结果还是我付的帐呢。哎，Larry, 你刚才说was the guy really goofy - "goofy" 是什么意思啊？
LL: Goofy means several things. It can mean silly, funny, crazy or stupid. Or a little bit of all of those things combined. It sounds like your date was goofy.
LH: 要是你说goofy是指“愚蠢、可笑、怪怪的、傻傻的”，或者是这些因素都有点儿的话，我那个 date 可真是goofy。他真的是傻到让人觉得可笑了呢，要不是那顿晚餐花了我那么多钱，我真的说不定会笑出来呢！
LL: Yeah, he sounds pretty goofy to me. Was he goofy-looking, too?
LH: Goofy-looking? 你是问他长的样子是不是也怪怪的、傻傻的啊？
LL: Yep, goofy-looking means silly looking, like a clown.
LH: 噢，他长得倒不错，看上去一点也不傻，更不像个小丑。哎，Larry, 你也不想想，我哪能找个样子傻傻的人去约会呢？得了得了，先别说我那个goofy date了。Goofy这个词我还可以怎么用呢？
LL: When kids act silly for attention, you can say that they are acting goofy.
LH: 对呀，小孩子为了让别人注意他，有的时候会干些傻事。这么说，goofy这个词也不见得都是指不好的事。
LL: Generally, it‘s not very negative. You can call a person "goofy," too. For instance, I would call you goofy if you went on another date with that guy.
LH: 原来goofy这个词并不一定都是贬意。幸亏你告诉我，不然要是我听见你说我goofy, 我说不定会生你的气呢！再说了，Larry, 和那个家伙出去一次已经够了。我才不会再和他约第二次呢 - I wouldn‘t do something that out of whack!
今天李华从Larry那儿学到了两个常用语。一个是out of whack, 意思是“反常、和平时不一样”。李华学到的另一个常用语是goofy, 意思是“愚蠢可笑，傻傻的”。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa105.txt
流行美语第105课
Larry和李华正在课间休息的时候聊天，李华会学到两个常用语：to push one‘s luck和crackpot。
LH: Larry, 我已经好久都没有为我的论文做研究了。我想今天不去上Wilkins教授的课而去图书馆。
LL: I dunno, Li Hua. You‘ll really be pushing your luck if you miss class again.
LH: Pushing-my-luck? Pushing是推的意思，luck是运气，我不懂耶！pushing my luck是什么意思。
LL: I said you will be pushing your luck. "To push your luck" means to take a chance when you‘ve already done something risky.
LH: 噢，pushing-your-luck就是已经做了冒风险的事，可是啊！还想再进一步碰碰运气，是这个意思吗？
LL: That‘s right. The first two times, the professor didn‘t give you any trouble. But every time you miss a class, you are taking an even bigger risk. You are pushing your luck.
LH: 对噢，那两次没去上课，教授没说什么。要是我今天再不去上课，万一教授不高兴，我不就麻烦了吗？ Larry，你不也是这样吗？你那台车，煞车都坏了，你还到处开，不也是碰运气，希望它不出事吗？
LL: That‘s right. One day, I was almost in a car wreck, so I decided to stop pushing my luck and have the brakes fixed. I was so stupid.
LH: 我还不知道你差一点出车祸呢！哎呀，你看，你非要push your luck，非要到差一点出车祸的时候才去修车。真危险！ Larry，这么说，to push one‘s luck只能指冒风险，碰运气吗？
LL: Generally yes. But sometimes, if someone keeps asking you for favors, you might tell them "don‘t push your luck!"
LH: 我最近就碰到这么一个人，我帮了她一点忙，她就没完没了了，要求一个接一个。下回我就可以对她说：Don‘t push your luck! 对了，Larry，我还真想要你帮个忙，我能再借你的电脑用吗？这不算是push my luck吧？
LL: No, of course not. You‘re welcome to use my computer.
LH: 谢谢，Larry，你总是那么大方。我今天下午能借你的车吗？
LL: Yeah, OK... I guess...
LH: 那我能不能把你的电脑搬回家用一个礼拜呢？
LL: You‘re pushing your luck, Li Hua!
LH: 哈哈... 跟你开玩笑嘛！
******
LH: 哎哟，老天爷， Wilkins教授真是怪。他在上课的时候花了最后二十分钟给我们讲他每天吃多少维他命，为什么要吃这些维他命。
LL: What? (laughs) Don‘t worry about it, Li Hua. Everyone knows Professor Wilkins is a crackpot.
LH: 他是什么？你是说他吸毒吗？
LL: No, of course not... I said that he‘s a crackpot. A crackpot is a crazy person. Or maybe just someone who holds very strong, crazy opinions and ideas.
LH: 噢，crackpot是一个很怪的人，有稀奇古怪想法的人。嗨，Larry，有名的人是不是也是很怪的？
LL: Let me think... you know, most real crackpots don‘t become famous. But in his time, a lot of people thought that Christopher Columbus was a crackpot.
LH: 没错，真正怪的人一般是不会成名的。可是哥伦布的情况就不一样了。当时人们认为他很怪，有神经病，因为他说航行可以围绕地球转，但是事实证明他是对的，所以他是聪敏，不能算是crackpot。
LL: I wonder if I or other students should talk to Professor Wilkins, and ask him to not talk about off-topic subjects in class. Would we be pushing our luck?
LH: 你和其他学生去跟Wilkins教授说别在上课时讲那些离题的内容？我想他不会在意的啦！
LL: What if we just told him to stop talking about his crackpot ideas in class.
LH: 你说什么？叫他别在课堂上讲他的那些神神道道的想法！Now that would be pushing your luck!
今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是：to push one‘s luck。意思是已经做了有点风险的事，还想进一步碰碰运气。李华学到的另一个 常用语是：crackpot。这是指那种想法很奇怪的人。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa106.txt
流行美语第106课
今天Larry和李华在学校的书店里买书。李华会学到两个常用语：racket和That does it!
(Bookstore SFX)
LH: Hey, Larry, 你不是想买下学期的课本吗？那还不趁我们在书店赶紧买了？
LL: I want to buy them, but these prices are ridiculous! The textbook business is such a racket!
LH: 你想买书，可是又嫌这些书太贵呀？你还说出版课本的行业怎么啦？什么是a racket?
LL: That‘s right. I said the textbook business is a racket. A "racket" is an unfair criminal business that makes lots of money, like gambling or extortion.
LH: Oh, racket这个词在这里的意思是“牟取暴利”，就好比赌博和诈骗一样的非法行为。Larry，你的意思是这些课本定价过高，就象是在敲诈勒索，有那么严重吗？
LL: Absolutely! Look at this! This history book costs $90! The publishers know we have no choice but to buy the book, so the prices are really high. What a racket!
LH: 哎哟，还真是的。这本历史书要卖九十美元，是够贵的。那些出版商明明知道我们没别的办法，只能买这些书，所以把价钱定这么高。这真是像敲诈勒索。那Larry, 你觉得还有什么是racket呢？
LL: I think that cable TV is a racket. There‘s only one company in town; they are always raising prices, and all the channels worth watching cost extra. It‘s a racket!
LH: 对呀，我们这儿只有一家提供有线电视的公司。他们老是涨价。可是Larry, 看不看电视问题不大。你知道吗 - 有的医院还趁人之危，敲诈勒索孕妇呢！
LL: Really? What do you mean exactly?
LH: 比方说，我听说有的医院让孕妇做一些不必要的检查，收的钱还非常多，那些孕妇不懂，只能听医生的。这真是和诈骗一样。
LL: Wow, now that‘s a real racket.
******
LL: Oh man, look at this! $85 for a book of old essays on U.S. Politics? That does it! I‘m buying my textbooks online.
LH: 这本美国政治论文集要卖85美元？你说 - "That does it"? 这是什么意思？
LL: Well, when someone says "That does it", he means that he is so upset that he is no longer willing to accept something.
LH: 噢，"That does it"就是一个人对某件事非常生气，以致到了宁可放弃的地步。 哎，那不就相当于中文所说的“得了，算了吧”？Larry, 你是说这些课本要价太高，所以你干脆不在这儿买，到因特网上去买了？
LL: That‘s right! If a situation gets so bad that you cannot stand it, you can yell "that does it!", and then do something about the problem.
LH: Hmm... 要是你实在觉得忍无可忍，你就可以大声说：That does it!哎，Larry, 我好象明白这个用法了，可是你能不能再给我举个例子呢？
LL: Well, for example, if an employee always comes to work late, one day the boss might say "You‘re late again? That does it! You‘re fired!"
LH: Ah. 这正是我对我表妹说的话。她每天上班都迟到。我对她说总有一天他老板会觉得忍无可忍。你的老板会说：“得了，你今后别来上班了。”原来在英文里就可以说："That does it! You‘re fired!"
LL: Now you know how to use "That does it!" Why don‘t you give me an example.
LH: 有了，Larry，有一天你会在照镜子的时候对自己说， "That does it! 我一定要减肥了！"
LL: (Angry) That does it, Li Hua! I told you to stop making fun of my weight.
LH: Hey! 别生气，Larry! 我是跟你开玩笑呢！而且我发现你最近好像瘦了。你是不是在吃什么减肥食品啊？
LL: A special diet? No way! All those diet books and special foods are a racket. I just decided to exercise regularly and eat less junk food.
LH: 这话我同意，那些减肥书和减肥食品都很贵，主要是为了骗钱，其实最重要的是锻炼身体，少吃零食。Good for you, Larry!
今天李华从Larry那儿学到了两个常用语。一个是racket, 意思是价格太高，就象敲诈勒索一样。另一个常用语是That does it! 中文里可以说“得了，不干了！”
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa107.txt
流行美语第107课
今天Larry和李华在一家电脑商店买东西，李华会学到两个常用语：whatchamacallit和mooch。
(Computer Store SFX)
LH: Larry, 你想买什么呀？
LL: I need to get one of those whatchamacallits that add memory. The memory on my laptop computer is almost full. What do you need to get?
LH: 我想买一些磁盘。Larry, 什么是whatchamacallit？这个词听起来好怪啊！它能帮你增加laptop的内存？那是电脑的部件吗？
LL: No, no, it‘s not a part of the computer. Whatchamacallit actually, it is the combination of the words "what you might call it" joined together and said very fast.
LH: 噢，原来whatchamacallit是what-you-might-call-it这几个词合在一起的啊。那whatchamacallit这又是什么意思呢？
LL：When you don‘t remember the real name of the thing you are talking about, you might say whatchamacallit. I forget what the thing I need is called, so I just call it a whatchamacallit.
LH: Oh, 原来是你叫不出一样东西的名字时候你就可以说它是whatchamacallit。哎，在这种情况下，不就像我们在中文里说的“那个叫什么来啦”？
LL: Exactly. But you cannot tell a shop clerk "I want to buy whatchamacallit".
LH: 那当然哟，要是你对店员说你想买那个叫什么来啦，他怎么知道你要什么呢？Hey, Larry, 你看这是什么？Look at this whatchamacallit!
LL: That‘s a zip drive. You can use it to save things on disks.
LH: 噢，原来这就是我们平时常说的zip drive啊！What about that whatchamacallit?
LL: That‘s a digital music player. Li Hua, you can‘t just start calling everything a whatchamacallit!
LL: 怎么啦？我不知道这个东西叫digital music player，所以我就用你教我的这个词whatchamacallit 。
LL: I guess you‘re right, but don‘t use that as an excuse not to learn the real names of things.
LH: 你放心，你没看见吗？我学了就用啊，每次都是你教什么我就用什么！
******
LH: Larry, 我今天能不能借你的电脑用几个小时？
LL: Last week, you borrowed my CD player. Yesterday, you ate half of my pizza and, today, you want to borrow my computer. You‘re becoming a mooch, Li Hua!
LH: 哎哟，借用一下你的CD player，吃一点儿你的pizza你都记这么清楚呀？你还说我变成什么啦？A mooch?
LL: A mooch, that‘s someone who, instead of getting things for herself, borrows or takes things from others. You always come to my apartment and get free food out of my refrigerator. That makes you a mooch.
LH: A mooch就是指那种喜欢借别人或者是拿别人东西的人。哎，Larry, 我有的时候是到你的冰箱里拿东西吃，可是我有时候不是也请你吃晚饭吗？
LL: Yeah well, the next time you come over, you should bring me a pizza.
LH: 没问题，下次我给你带个pizza不就行了吗？可是Larry, 咱们得先说清楚，你以后再也不能叫我是 mooch, 我可不是那种喜欢白吃白喝、占人便宜的人呢。
LL: Alright, alright. Let‘s forget about us for a second. Can you think of another person who is a mooch?
LH: 嗯， 让我想想 - 哎，对了，我在学校食堂吃饭的时候，有个女生老是凑到我桌上来吃我的炸薯条。更气人的是，她还以为我没注意到呢！
LL: Yes, that is a mooch. You should slap her hand next time she does that.
LH: 啊！你说她下次再这么做就打她的手？哎哟，那也用不着吧？我啊！学会了mooch这个词，下次就可以对她说 - Stop being a mooch！
今天李华从Larry那儿学到了两个常用语。一个是whatchamacallit, 就相当于中文里所说的“那个叫什么来啦”。李华学到的另一个常用语是mooch, 意思是“喜欢白吃白拿的人！”
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa108.txt
流行美语第108课
今天李华忙着批改中文班学生的作业。李华会从Larry那儿学到两个常用语：go easy on和go cold turkey。
LH: 哎！这些学生！看看他们的考卷儿，简直糟透了！也不知道他们是不是真想学中文。
LL: Hey, go easy on your students, Li Hua. They‘ve only been studying Chinese for a few weeks. It‘s a difficult language!
LH: 你说什么？你要我把中文课改得再容易一点儿？
LL: That‘s not what I said, Li Hua. I said you should go easy on them. That means you should show some restraint - don‘t be too angry with them.
LH: Hmmpph! Go easy on them，就是别这么厉害，别那么恼火。可是Larry, 他们每天才学五个单词，要是你问我啊，I am going easy on them.连这点最基本的中文都考不好，那还有什么希望呐！
LL: I just mean you shouldn‘t yell or get angry at them. Why are you always in such a bad mood these days?
LH: 我这几天是情绪不好，没耐心，也不知道是什么原因，可能是因为咖啡喝得太多，晚上睡不好觉的缘故吧。
LL: A lot of coffee - huh? No wonder you can‘t sleep well. I think you should go easy on the coffee.
LH: Go easy on the coffee? 等等，Larry, 刚才你让我对学生要客气点儿 - go easy on my students，现在又说我应该go easy on the coffee，这又怎么解释呢？
LL: When I say "go easy on the coffee", I mean you should show some restraint and drink less coffee.
LH: Go easy on the coffee, 就是让我少喝点儿咖啡。可是，go easy on the students就是要对学生客气点。我不是太清楚，Larry, 你能不能再给我举个例子？
LL: Sure. Whenever you see me drinking at a party, you always tell me to go easy on the beer.
LH: 对呀，每次参加party 的时候我都劝你别喝那么多啤酒，喝醉了会出洋相的！哎哟，Look at this! 这个学生，五道题里只回答了一道，我只能给她不及格了。
LL: Hey, hey, don‘t give her an ‘F‘! Go easy on her. And go easy on the coffee,
******
LH: 啊，我累死了！
LL: How are you feeling now that you‘re drinking less coffee?
LH: 嗯，我已经三天没喝咖啡了，晚上睡觉是好多了，可是白天我怎么老是觉得精力不够、昏昏沉沉的呢？
LL: No coffee for three days? I told you to go easy on the coffee, not go cold turkey!
LH: Go cold turkey? 你在说什么呀？你让我少喝咖啡，多吃冷火鸡呀？
LL: No, I said you went "cold turkey". That means to suddenly quit doing or consuming something that is addictive.
LH: 噢，原来go cold turkey不是 “吃冷火鸡”呀！Go cold turkey是“突然停止做那些习惯做的事，一下子戒掉原来上瘾的习惯”。哎，Larry, 你觉得我过去喝咖啡到上瘾的程度了吗？
LL: Ok, you‘re not really addicted to coffee. But quitting coffee isn‘t easy, right? When I said you went cold turkey, It implied that quitting is not easy.
LH: 是啊，突然一下子一点儿咖啡都不喝了，是够难的，怪不得我老没精神呢！不过Larry, 要把戒咖啡和戒烟相比，我看，戒烟恐怕更难吧？
LL: That‘s true. One day, my friend Rick went cold turkey on cigarettes. It almost drove him crazy, but he never smoked a cigarette again.
LH: Wow, 你的朋友Rick可真了不起，说戒烟一下子就戒掉了。我记得我叔叔也试过一下子戒掉 - go cold turkey on cigarettes，可是他试了三次都没成功，不过他现在抽得比以前少多了。
LL: I‘m glad your uncle is going easy on cigarettes.
今天李华从Larry那儿学到了两个常用语。一个是go easy on someone 就是“对某人客气些”，要是说go easy on something，那就是“有节制地使用某件东西”。李华学到的另一个常用语是go cold turkey on something, 意思是“突然停止做某件事”。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa109.txt
流行美语第109课
今天Larry和Li Hua一边开车一边在车上听广播，Li Hua会学到两个常用语：come clean和no sweat。
(Highway & traffic SFX)
LL: Hey, Li Hua, did you hear that? The president of that corporation finally came clean about stealing several million dollars.
LH: 什么什么？我刚才没注意听，你说那个公司总裁怎么啦？他来上班的时候干干净净？这和偷几百万美元有什么关系呀？
LL: No, I said, "He finally came clean about stealing several million dollars." It means "He finally admitted he stole several million dollars." To come clean about something is to admit to it.
LH: 噢，to come clean about something 原来就是“坦白承认”。你刚才是说那个公司总裁最后终于承认他偷了几百万美元。这么说，Larry, 要是我做错了事，然后承认做错了，那我就是come clean 喽？
LL: That‘s right. If you cheat on a test and then tell the professor because you feel guilty, then you are coming clean about your mistake.
LH: Hey, Larry, 你可别瞎说，我考试从来不作弊，心里没鬼，更不用去教授那儿认错。你刚才闯了红灯，我看呐，你还是干脆承认你的开车技术不怎么样吧！
LL: What? You want me to come clean about my bad driving? What stop light? There wasn‘t a stop light. Don‘t tease me like that.
LH: 我知道没有红绿灯，我只不过是逗你玩儿呢！
LL: Speaking of coming clean about things, did your roommate ever come clean about stealing your CD?
LH: 没有！我那个同屋偷了我的CD死活都不承认，可是我敢肯定是她偷的。
LL: How do you know?
LH: 有一天我看见她的CD夹子在桌上开着，我那张CD明明就在里面。
LL: Well, if she‘s not going to come clean about it, then maybe you should just take it back.
LH: 那可不行，她不愿意承认是她的问题，我可不想乱翻她的东西。
LL: Then you really need to find a new roommate. You should just come clean and admit that you made a mistake when you moved in with her.
LH: 你说得对，Larry，我真该换个同屋，早知道这样，一开始就不该和这个人搬到一起。
******
LH: 哎哟，Larry, 你刚才拐弯的时候开这么快，我把可乐撒在车座上，把你的车给弄脏了。
LL: No sweat. I‘ll stop at that gas station and we can get some stuff to clean it up.
LH: 那我们赶紧开到前面那个加油站擦擦干净吧！可是你还说 - No sweat - 别出汗？噢，你的意思是让我别着急，是不是？
LL: That‘s right! No sweat means "don‘t worry about it" or "it‘s okay." Don‘t worry about the coke. We can clean it up.
LH: 你以前还教过我一个类似的短语，是Don‘t sweat it! 也是“别担心，别着急”的意思。除了可以说Don‘t sweat it, 也可以说No sweat。可是，Larry, 我还是挺不安的，你看我撒了这么多可乐，这能擦干净吗？
LL: As I said, no sweat. The seats are leather, so they are really easy to clean.
LH: 噢，这种皮制的车座很容易擦干净啊？这我就放心了。哎，Larry, 你能不能再给我举个 no sweat 的例子?
LL: Well, if someone accidentally bumps into you in the hallway and they say, "sorry," you can tell them, "no sweat."
LH: 嗯，要是有人在楼道里不小心撞到我，他如果说sorry, 我就可以说，No sweat! 也就是没关系的意思。Larry, 昨天我和一个朋友约好一起吃午饭，可是他没来。我估计是忘了，我下次见到他能不能也对他说No sweat呢？
LL: Well, personally, that would upset me, but if he comes clean about the fact that he has forgotten to meet you, then you can tell him no sweat.
LH: 对，让我白等是挺让人恼火的。你说得对，要是他承认是把约会给忘了，那我就会告诉他 No sweat - Don‘t worry about it 。
今天李华从Larry那儿学到了两个常用语。一个是come clean, 意思是“坦白承认”。另一个常用语是 no sweat, 意思是“别着急，别担心”。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa110.txt
流行美语第110课
Larry和李华正在图书馆里看书，在他们旁边有个学生在用手机打电话。今天李华会学到两个常用语：to tick someone off和get lost.
(Someone talking on the phone loudly)
LL: It really ticks me off when people talk so loudly in the library. Don‘t they realize that other people are trying to study?
LH: 就是嘛，在图书馆里这么大声说话，真讨厌！Hey，Larry, 你说tick me off，那是什么意思啊？
LL: That person ticks me off means he irritates me. To tick someone off is to annoy or irritate someone.
LH: 噢，to tick someone off就是惹人生气，让人讨厌的意思。没错！那家伙说话这么大声害我不能专心看书。Larry，我们是不是该跟他说说呢？
LL: No, that‘s okay. I think he‘s leaving now anyway. Thank God. Besides, that would be a rude thing to say to someone‘s face.
LH: 对噢，当众要他小声点似乎也太厉害，不够礼貌。你看他走了，谢天谢地。Larry，你知道还有什么事tick me off ， 惹我生气吗？
LL: What ticks you off, Li Hua?
LH: 哼！Smith 教授在假期里给我们安排这么多作业，真是气人！这样我们根本没有机会好好休息嘛！
LL: Yeah, that ticks me off, too, but there‘s nothing we can do about it. What else ticks you off?
LH: 说的也是，我啊再抱怨，作业还是得做。嗯，还有什么事让我生气的啊？对了，我那同屋常常三更半夜才回家，每次都把我吵醒，我一生气就怎么也睡不着了！
LL: No wonder you look so tired lately. You should really talk to your roommate about that. You need to sleep.
LH: 我看起来很累的样子，是不是？哎呀，真糟糕。我是该跟她好好谈谈，可是这种事情真的很难开口嘛！
LL: You can just very politely tell her that it really ticks you off when she comes home so late and ask her to try and be more quiet.
LH: 很礼貌地告诉她她那么晚回来让我生气？让她小声一点？唉，我得好好想想该怎么说才不让她生气。I don‘t want to tick her off.
******
LL: Hey, Li Hua, you‘re still looking really tired today. Didn‘t you talk to your roommate?
LH: 唉，别提了，我和我同屋说了啊！可是她叫我get lost。嗯，Larry，get lost是什么意思啊？
LL: That‘s so rude! "Get lost" is a rude way of telling someone to leave. She told you in a very rude way to leave her alone.
LH: 哎哟，昨天她说的时候是很不高兴的样子，但是我当时不懂什么是get lost。 哼，原来是叫我走开，别烦她的意思。这可真是粗鲁。那我现在该怎么办呢？
LL: Next time she comes home at 2 am, I would tell her to get lost and find somewhere else to sleep.
LH: 下次她再晚回家，你让我也对她说get lost, 叫她到别处睡去。那怎么行哪？
LL: I know, but she deserves it. Maybe you can look for another roommate. She doesn‘t sound like a nice person to live with.
LH: 嗯！你说得没错。等我找到一个新的同屋就把她给踢出去。到那时，我就可以对她说get lost！
LL: That‘s right. I‘m sure you‘ll tick her off.
LH: 她要生气，那真是活该了。嗨, 对了，Larry, 我们刚才应该对那个打电话的人说get lost，对不对？
LL: We could, but that would be kind of rude. Try not to use "get lost" too much unless you are kidding with someone.
LH: 噢，开玩笑的时候也可以说。OK, Larry, get lost!
今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是：to tick someone off, 意思是惹人生气，讨人厌。李华学到的另一个常用语是get lost。意思是叫人走开，别来烦我的意思。这是一种非常粗鲁的说法。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa111.txt
流行美语第111课
李华刚下课，走出课堂就碰上Larry。李华在和Larry 谈话中会学到两个常用语：to go off on someone 和what‘s the deal.
(School building lobby SFX)
LH: Hey, Larry. 你刚下课啊？对了，我刚好要问你，今天你有没有见到Dave？
LL: Dave? No, I haven‘t seen him anywhere since professor Jones went off on him yesterday morning.
LH: Jones教授对Dave怎么啦？你说他went off on Dave? 那是什么意思呢？
LL: To go off on someone means to suddenly get very angry at someone. "To go off " can mean "to explode"- for instance, something like a bomb or a gun can go off.
LH: 噢，to go off on someone就是突然对某人大发脾气，就好像炸弹爆炸，枪支开火那样。那Jones教授为什么突然对Dave大发脾气呢？
LL: Dave asked Professor Jones if he could turn in a paper a few days late, and Professor Jones just went off on him.
LH: Dave 怎么经常要求晚几天交报告呐？唉，也难怪Jones教授要go off on him对他发脾气了。Larry，你再给我举几个go off on someone的例子吧！
LL: Hmm, let me think. I remember when I was in
LH: 你给出租车司机假钞票，那他当然要对你大发脾气咯！
LL: Li Hua, have you ever gone off on someone here in the
LH: 我啊，我英文还不是很好，轻易不敢和人吵架。我只有对我过去那个同屋发了好几次脾气，因为她实在太脏，而且还想偷偷搬出去，就是为了想赖掉一个月的房租呢！
LL: She tried to cheat you out of a month‘s rent? If my roommate did that, I wouldn‘t just go off on him, I‘d take him to court!
******
LL: So anyway, what‘s the deal with Professor Jones lately? He always seems to be in a bad mood.
LH: What‘s the deal? 你在说什么啊？deal不是交易的意思吗？你是问我，Jones教授在和什么人作交易？
LL: No, no, Li Hua. When I ask "what‘s the deal", I mean "what is the situation?" I was asking why he is in a bad mood.
LH: 噢，我知道了，what‘s the deal就是我们中文里常说的“怎么回事”。你刚才是问我，Jones教授心情不好到底是怎么回事。我听说，他对今年没能升上正教授的职位好像挺失望的。
LL: Really? What‘s the deal with that? He‘s been in this department for years!
LH: 就是啊! Jones教授在我们系上教书也有好多年了，不给他提升，究竟是怎么回事，谁也不知道。
LL: That seems to be unfair. Well, Li Hua, what‘s the deal tomorrow night? Is everyone still planning to go together to that concert?
LH: 明天晚上是这样，我和另外三个同学会去听演唱会，可是我的车出问题了，现在还在修车厂呢。Larry，我们能搭你的车去吗？
LL: Well, here‘s the deal: I‘ve got class until six thirty tomorrow, and the concert is at eight. It‘s probably best if you meet me here at school, since I might not have enough time to pick you all up.
LH: 哼，你明天6点半才下课，而演唱会8点就开始。对，要你去接我们恐怕是来不及。那就照你说的吧，我们到学校来等你！噢，对了, Ed明天不想去，他和Jill刚分手，不想和Jill见面。
LL: Really? What‘s the deal with those two? I thought they were really happy together, but I heard that Jill went off on Ed the other night.
LH: 他们俩到底是怎么回事？谁知道！大家都以为他们在一起很高兴。Jill 那天晚上对Ed大发脾气是因为Ed没跟她商量就决定明年到国外去念书。
LL: Oh well. That‘s too bad. Anyway, the deal tomorrow is you and your friends will meet me here at school, and we‘ll all leave together. OK?
LH: 没问题，那就明天晚上在校园见了！
今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是：to go off on someone, 意思是突然对某人大发脾气。另一个常用语是: the deal with something, 这是指情况如何，怎么回事。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa112.txt
流行美语第112课
李华在学校体育馆里碰到Larry，今天李华会学到两个常用语: flab和ripped.
(Ambience sound in a busy gym)
LH: 哇！Larry! 你怎么满头大汗的？你在做什么啊？
LL: I‘ve been out running. I‘m trying to burn all this flab on my stomach!
LH: 噢！原来你刚才是去跑步啦，怪不得一身都是汗。哎，你还说你是要燃烧掉什么？哎！该不是要靠锻炼来去掉你身上多余的脂肪吧？
LL: That‘s right! Flab means fat, especially loose fat that hangs off the body.
LH: 原来flab就是脂肪的意思，特别是指身上那些鼓出来的肥肉。哎呀，其实我不觉得你胖啊！你现在比我刚认识你的时候要瘦多了！
LL: Sure, I might be thinner, but I still have more flab than I need. I want to look good when I visit the beach next spring.
LH: 原来你是为了明年春天到海滩去玩的时候身材看起来更漂亮？你既年轻又健康，只要少吃一点，多余的脂肪就会消失的。
LL: It‘s never that easy. A lot of westerners are like me, they grow flab very easily. If I don‘t exercise, the flab won‘t go away.
LH: 西方人好象是很容易发胖，一旦胖了就很难瘦下去。如果不运动，肥肉就不会消失？我倒不认为所有的西方人都像这样。
LL: Well, no, of course not. For instance, my friend Pete eats like a pig, but there isn‘t an ounce of flab on his body. It‘s amazing.
LH: 噢！你那个朋友Pete啊！他真的是很能吃，可是还那么瘦。我猜有些人就是不容易发胖。一般来说，我也不太会发胖！不过最近我发现我的手臂好像越来越粗了....
LL: Really? Maybe you‘d better join me next time I go running. You don‘t want that flab to get worse, do you?
******
LH: 对了！Larry, 你怎么突然间决定要开始运动了呢？噢！该不是.......有新女朋友了？
LL: Pfft... I wish! It‘s just that last month when I was in
LH: 你上个月到佛罗里达去玩，看到海滩上好多ripped guys。什么是ripped guys? 这些人让你觉得自己很失败，那是为什么呀？
LL: If someone is ripped, it means that they are very strong, and have lots of muscle definition. You can see their muscles clearly.
LH: 啊，ripped原来是指那些身体很强壮、肌肉很发达的人，就像那些健美先生，或者是奥林匹克运动会的那些短跑选手嘛！
LL: That‘s right. Sprinters usually are pretty ripped - too much flab would slow them down.
LH: 没错，短跑运动员身上有太多脂肪，那怎么跑得快呢！对了！Larry，你大概要花多长时间才可以锻炼成像你在海滩上看到的那些身材健美的人呢？
LL: Oh, I don‘t know. I don‘t really care if I‘m ripped or not. I just want to lose some flab so that I can go to the beach without being laughed at.
LH: 我同意你的想法，不管健美不健美，只要把多余的肥肉去掉，到海滩去不给人笑就好了。其实，对大多数女人来说，健美倒不一定是她们心目中理想的男人的主要条件！
LL: Really? So you‘re saying women don‘t really care if a guy is strong and ripped?
LH: 是呀！至少我是这么想的。当然太胖，flab太多也不行。
今天李华从Larry那儿学到了两个常用语。一个是flab, 是指身上股出来的脂肪肥肉。另一个常用语是ripped，形容人身材健美、肌肉强壮。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa113.txt
流行美语第113课
今天Larry要开车去接李华一起去上课。李华会学到两个常用语：get it together和tough。
(Doorbell Rings)
LL: Hey, Li Hua!? You‘re not ready for school! We need to go now! It‘s already 8:30.
LH: (Yawns) Larry? 你怎么这么早就来啦！现在几点了？
LL: Get it together, Li Hua! It‘s already 8:30! We need to leave in fifteen minutes, or we‘ll be late to class!
LH: Get it together? (Groans and yawns) 把什么放一起啊？你在说什么嘛？
LL: I said "get it together"! That means, get organized, focus on what you need to do.
LH: 噢，你是要我赶快准备好上学。Get it together就是要人打起精神做该做的事。那除此之外，Larry，get it together还能用在什么场合呢？
LL: "To get it together" , or "get one‘s act together" can also mean something very general, such as arranging one‘s life for the better.
LH: 哎哟！get it together既可以指准备去上学，又可以指把一个人的生活安排得更好。Larry，这听起来很复杂，我都有点糊涂了。
LL: Here‘s an example: After finishing college, I didn‘t work hard to plan for the future for several years. But finally I got my act together, and got accepted into graduate school.
LH: 大学毕业后悠闲几年，没有长远打算这在年轻人里也是常事。不过，你们这些生在美国的孩子真幸福。要是在中国，错过一次机会以后恐怕就难了。
LL: That‘s right... here in the
LH: 哇！你这个朋友还真是好样儿的。大学第一学期差点儿不及格，现在居然是耶鲁大学的博士生了。可有的人犯了错，一开始失败了就很难再振作起来，做好事情了！
LL: Right, right... enough talking! Get it together, Li Hua. If you‘re not ready in ten minutes, I‘m leaving!
LH: 好啦！好啦！别催我嘛！再给我5分钟！
******
LL: All right, let‘s go. Now.
LH: 等一等！还不能走啦！我还没吃早餐呢！
LL: Well, that‘s tough. You‘ll just have to wait until after your first class to eat something. Now let‘s go!
LH: Tough? 你是要我坚强一点，就这么饿着啊？
LL: No, that‘s not what I mean. When I say "that‘s tough" that means "too bad". Sometimes, you can just say "tough" by itself. Anyway, It‘s too bad that you can‘t eat breakfast, but we have to go now.
LH: 噢！tough就是指：没办法了，你就忍着点吧。哎，Larry，你真不讲道理！
LL: That‘s right, its not very polite to say "that‘s tough!" when someone complains or has a problem. Usually when you say "that‘s tough" it means you don‘t care about their problem.
LH: 原来你真的一点都不同情我啊！That‘s tough, 是不太礼貌的用法，表示你根本不在乎别人的问题。哎呀，Larry我们可不可以至少去一下麦当劳买点吃的！我这样肚子空空的上课也不能专心。
LL: That‘s just tough, Li Hua. We don‘t have time to get you breakfast. You should have gotten up earlier.
LH: 可是... 起的晚又不是我的错，是我的闹钟坏了嘛！
LL: Tough! I don‘t care why you‘re late this morning, I just want to get to class on time. Let‘s go.
LH: 你真是毫无同情心。我既没有吃早餐，我连今天上课要用的材料都还没看呢！
LL: Tough. You can look at you notes in the car. I‘m leaving right now... you‘d better come with me if you want a ride to school.
LH: 好啦！好啦！我来了啦！噢！我真的好饿噢！
LL: Tough, Li Hua. If you‘d just get yourself together, this kind of thing wouldn‘t happen. Let‘s go!
今天李华学到两个常用语，一个是get it together, 也可以说get one‘s act together, 意思是打起精神，做好该做的事。另一个常用语是tough, 意思是：情况就是这样，没办法了。这是不太礼貌的说法，表示你对别人的困难不在乎。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa114.txt
流行美语第114课
李华和Larry在学生中心的咖啡馆里休息。今天李华会学到两个常用语：cop out和to get worked up.
LL: Hey Li Hua. Some friends and I are planning to go camping and hiking next month. Do you want to come along?
LH: 嗯...去露营啊？嗯，下个月我可能会很忙耶！噢！对！那个周末我已经答应帮我邻居照顾他的狗。
LL: What? I didn‘t even tell you when we‘re going! Sounds like a cop-out to me!
LH: 对，你还没有告诉我是哪个周末。不过，A cop? cop不是警察吗？我不去露营和警察有什么关系？
LL: No, no, I don‘t mean "cop" as in "police officer". A cop out, is a weak excuse for not doing something.
LH: 噢，原来cop out是想推脱做某件事，但是理由又很牵强。哎呀，好啦！我招了，我是不喜欢露营！要走那么多路，又会被虫咬，还得睡睡袋，而且我还听说美国有很多熊呢！
LL: Bears? Don‘t tell me you won‘t go just because you‘re afraid of bears. That‘s an even stupider cop out.
LH: 好啦好啦！跟熊没有关系，我就是懒惰！不喜欢露营嘛！
LL: That‘s what I thought. Well, it‘s better to be honest than to cop out. So do you understand what "cop out" means now?
LH: 嗯，我想我大概懂cop out的意思了！给你举个例子吧！我的朋友Jeanna老是说她想学中文，可是当我主动提出要教她时，她又总是说没时间。这就是cop out喽！
LL: Yeah, that sounds like a cop out to me. Most people just aren‘t willing to put the time and effort into really learning another language.
LH: 说到学外语，Larry，我记得不久前，你也叫我教你读中文报纸，怎么样？你明天有时间吗？
LL: I, um... I think I‘m busy tomorrow. The plumber is coming to my house sometime in the afternoon, so I have to wait for him, and...
LH: 得了吧！ 什么等工人来修水管？谁会相信这种借口。你这才是真正的cop out！
******
LH: (Growls) 嗨！这些学中文的学生，我真不想教了！怎么考试考得这么糟！我看啊，这学期他们一个也别想拿A！
LL: Calm down, Li Hua. Don‘t get so worked up over it.
LH: 你要我别work up？你是说我不必那么努力，那什么意思呀？
LL: No, I don‘t mean you have to work harder. I mean, you shouldn‘t get worked up. To get worked up means to get angry or excited.
LH: 噢，don‘t get worked up是别生气的意思！不生气？你看看他们写的中文有难看，而且还老是写错别字。
LL: Let me see those. Hmm... Wow, this isn‘t bad at all. I can tell they‘re a lot better than they were a few weeks ago. Don‘t get so worked up over a few small mistakes!
LH: 你觉得他们比几个星期前进步多了？我看看...嗯，也许你说的对，也许我对他们要求太高了。
LL: That‘s right. I can tell most of these students want to learn Chinese. If you always get worked up when they make mistakes, you won‘t notice when they improve.
LH: Larry，你说的对，大多数学生都是真的想学，我不应该看到他们的错误就生气，应该多多鼓励他们。
(Sound of distant argument)
LH: 嘿！Jack和Ben两个人在那儿那么生气吵什么啊？
LL: Oh, nothing. It‘s election year, and those two are always getting worked up over politics.
LH: 噢，我知道美国人在竞选总统方面意见不一致，但是没有想到有些人会争的面红耳赤。
LL: Yeah, sometimes when you get worked up about something, it shows that you really care about it. Just like you with your students!
LH: 那倒是，关心某件事才会激动，就象我很在乎我学生的成绩。说到学习，Larry你准备好上中文课了吗？
LL: Um... well... OK. No more cop outs. Let‘s get started.
今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是cop out，意思是用牵强的借口来逃避做某件事。另一个常用语是to get worked up，就是为某件事生气。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa115.txt
流行美语第115课
Larry和李华在书店里看书。李华在看一本流行时装杂志。今天李华会学到两个常用语：bling和booze.
(Ambience sound in bookstore)
LL: I just found an interesting book on World War II. What are you reading, Li Hua?
LH: 我啊，我在看一本时装杂志，他们在批评茱莉亚罗勃兹，说她在奥斯卡颁奖典礼上，戴了太多的bling。Larry，什么是bling啊？
LL: Oh, that‘s a new word for really big, shiny jewelry. Usually, a bling or a bling-bling is a piece of jewelry that has big diamonds.
LH: 噢！我懂了，bling就是指又大又亮的珠宝首饰，通常还镶有钻石的首饰。Larry, 你看，在这张照片里，茱莉亚罗勃兹戴了长长的钻石耳环，还有钻石项链，再加上大手镯。真的，太多bling-bling！
LL: Yeah, that is a lot of shiny jewelry, but I thought girls liked that sort of thing. Don‘t you wish you had a lot of bling?
LH: 我想是吧。哪个女人不喜欢亮晶晶的珠宝呢！不过我觉得，一次戴太多的珠宝好像有点过份。Larry，你说呢？
LL: I‘m not the best person to ask for fashion advice. To me, all that bling is really just a bunch of expensive rocks that don‘t do anything.
LH: 你说的没错啦。这些亮晶晶的珠宝，说穿了，还不就是些昂贵的石头。对了，Larry，bling除了用来形容首饰以外，我能不能把一件亮晶晶的礼服也说是bling呢？
LL: I haven‘t heard the word used that way. I think that bling only refers to jewelry.
LH: 原来，bling只能用来形容珠宝首饰。Larry 你看，这张照片里妮可基曼戴的戒指真漂亮。杂志说，这个戒指至少价值一百万美元呢！
LL: That has to be the biggest ring I have ever seen. I can‘t imagine spending a million dollars on a rock!
LH: 你们男人啊！永远也不会理解为什么女人要花这么多钱买珠宝首饰。这种事只有女人才懂啦！
******
LH: Larry, 这篇文章说"Booze on College Campuses." 大学校园里的booze！Booze是一种毒品吗？
LL: Booze is another word for alcohol, like beer or whiskey.
LH: 噢，原来booze在这里指的是酒啊！这篇文章说很多美国大学里都有学生酗酒的问题，不只危害学生的身体健康，有的时候还会导致意外。这是真的吗？
LL: Sadly, many college students drink a lot of booze. They study during the week and then they go to parties on the weekends. Booze is a major part of most college parties.
LH: 是呀！我也注意到了，很多美国大学生喜欢在周末开party，那总是少不了酒。对了，Larry，是不是所有的酒都可以称为booze？葡萄酒是不是也算booze?
LL: Yes, wine can be called booze, and so can rum and vodka.
LH: 噢，这么说，booze可以指葡萄酒，也可以指烈酒。Larry，你是不是也经常参加派对，喝酒狂欢啊？
LL: Very funny, Li Hua. You know I don‘t have enough time to go to many parties. I do drink booze once in a while, but not all the time.
LH: 嗯，偶尔喝一点酒其实还可以。我比较喜欢喝葡萄酒，其他的酒我就不感兴趣了。你呢？你喜欢什么样的酒？
LL: Well, I prefer to drink beer. Stronger booze will give me a headache the next day.
LH: 我也不爱喝烈酒，除了像你说的，喝多了会头疼，我觉得烈酒喝起来有汽油的味道。
LL：You might as well not to drink it!
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是bling，或者可以说bling-bling。这是指又大又亮的珠宝首饰。李华学到的另一个常用语是booze。这是指喝的酒，包括各式各样的酒。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa116.txt
流行美语第116课
Larry和李华两人正在做菜，准备一会儿带到朋友家参加party。今天李华会学到两个常用语：to blow it和to wing it.
(Cooking sounds)
LH: Larry, 那是什么味道？(sniffing) .........哎呀，糟了！是猪排烤焦了啦！
LL: What? Oh no! I ruined them. They‘re stuck to the bottom of the pot. I blew it!
LH: 你在说什么啊！你是把猪排烤焦了，又没有吹坏什么东西！你怎么说blow it呢?
LL: When I said "I blew it", I meant that I ruined the whole dish. To "blow it" means to make a mistake that leads to total failure, or ruins a good opportunity.
LH: 噢，原来blow it是指犯了错，把事情搞砸了，或者错过了一个大好机会。你啊！还真是把这道猪排给搞砸了。这样吧！给你个将功补过的机会，再给我举个blow it的例子吧！
LL: Well, the other day I was playing pool with Jack. I was just two shots away from winning, but then I blew it: I sunk the eight ball and lost.
LH: 哈哈！ 你玩台球输给Jack ! 八成是你太有自信，所以才会在最后关头输掉。
LL: And last week, I finally got a date with that girl from my international relations class, but I blew it. I took a nap, overslept, and showed up at her place an hour and a half late.
LH: 哎, Larry, 你几星期来一直要约那个女孩出去玩。终于约到了，怎么会睡过头，还迟到一个半小时的呢！我看你啊！你真是砸了这个好机会。
LL: Yeah, well, it wasn‘t as bad as when you had that job opportunity last week and blew it!
LH: 哟，你说到我头上来啦！我没有拿到那分工作又不是我的错！我怎么知道他们在我的电话里留了言。
LL: That‘s because you forgot to check it. That was a really good job, too, and you blew it!
LH: 我没有听电话留言。就算是我blew it。
******
LH: 哎，Larry, 现在可怎么办？我们一个小时后就得到Jane的家里，可是我们一道菜也没做好！
LL: Well, we‘ll just have to wing it.
LH: Wings? 你是说鸡翅膀？可是我们已经没有时间到店里去买了啊!
LL: No, no, Li Hua, I said we have to wing it. That means, we‘ll have to do the best we can with limited time and resources
LH: 噢，原来to wing it是说在有限的时间和条件下尽量拼凑。好吧！那你有什么好办法？
LL: Let me see, what do you have in the fridge? (sound of fridge opening) Hmm, there‘s some tofu in here, and some green onions. And there‘s all these jars of weird Chinese sauces. Maybe we can wing it by making some kind of tofu dish.
LH: 嗯，让我看看.......！对了！这儿有豆腐，有葱，还有...让我看这瓶子里是什么...噢，四川辣酱！ 得了，我们可以做麻辣豆腐，这道菜又快又容易，只要把豆腐切块，再切些青葱，半个小时就可以完工咯！
LL: O.K., let‘s get to work. (sound of sink/cooking sounds). This is a great idea. People will love it, and no one will even notice that we‘re winging it.
LH: 没人会看出我们是临时凑出这道菜的。所以Larry, to wing it是不是只能用在临时把东西放在一块儿，就像做菜？
LL: Not always. For instance, when I covered for Jack and taught his history 101 students last week, I didn‘t have time to prepare for the class, so I just winged it.
LH: 你替Jack上课，可是事前没有时间备课。咦？那你是怎么临时备好课的呢？
LL: I read the reading assignment just an hour before class began. The students knew I was winging it, but they were very understanding.
LH: 上课前一小时看看指定阅读些什么材料你就去上课啦！那学生当然知道你是在凑合咯！
LL：Li Hua, pay attention to your cooking, don‘t blow it this time!
LH: 你放心，你没看见我老守在炉子边吗！ 我绝不会blow it ！
今天李华学到的两个常用语，一个是to blow it，意思是把事情搞砸了，或者是错过一个大好机会。另一个常用语是to wing it，是指在有限的时间和条件下，临时拼凑完成一件工作。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa117.txt
流行美语第117课
今天Larry和李华在校园里闲逛，校园里到处都贴满了选举传单。今天李华会学到两个常用语：flip flop和wishy-washy.
LL: Hey, Li Hua who do you support for class president?
LH: 我觉得Gary Lawrence当学生会主席应该是不错的。他看起来挺老实，也很勤奋。
LL: Gary Lawrence? But he flip-flops all of the time. One minute he‘s in favor of increasing campus security and the next minute he‘s accusing the university of policing its students
LH: Flip-flop? 那是什么意思啊？你说他一会儿要加强校园安全，一会儿又批评学校过于监管学生。嗯...flip-flop， 你是说他翻来覆去的意思吧？
LL: Something like that. Flip-flop is a term that is often used in politics. It means that a particular person suddenly changes his/her position on an issue.
LH: 噢，flip-flop经常用在政治方面。但是改变想法也没什么错啊。每个人都会有改变主意的时候嘛！
LL: That‘s true, but when someone flip-flops a lot it makes him seem weak and indecisive. People will not think he is a good, strong leader.
LH: 那是没错。如果一个人经常flip flop，别人就会觉得他不够果断，不能做个好领导。
LL: If
LH: 对，如果我们因为Gary支持加强校园安，投了他一票。结果他当选后，又改变立场，那不就糟了？
LL: Exactly. I would feel as though I had voted for the wrong person.
LH: 没错，那可真是选错人了。哎，对了，Larry，如果我说我赞同死刑，但后来又改变立场，反对死刑。这样算不算是flip-flop?
LL: That would definitely be flip-flopping.
LH: 可是一些政治人物经常这样改变立场的啊！
LL: That‘s true, but they also lose support when they do things like that. It‘s very negative to be accused of flip-flopping in
LH: 还好我不是什么政治人物，这样我就可以随便改变立场咯！
******
LL: Li Hua, what about Laura Wilson? Do you support her for class president even though she flip-flops all of the time? I think she is so wishy-washy.
LH: 嗯，Laura Wilson是还好啦。可是她不也经常改变立场吗？你还说她wishy-washy。那又是什么意思啊？
LL: Wishy-washy is similar to flip-flop but it‘s an adjective instead of a verb. To be wishy-washy is to be weak and indecisive.
LH: 原来wishy-washy的意思和flip flop差不多，只不过它是个形容词。照这么说，Larry, 我是不是能说一个经常改变主意的人很wishy-washy?
LL: Yes. I can also call you wishy-washy if you can‘t decide which candidate to support.
LH: 嘿！我才不是wishy-washy呢！我只是要仔细地想一想，到底把票投给谁最好！
LL: I know, I‘m just teasing you. Can you give me another example of wishy-washy?
LH: 你要我举个例子啊？哎，有了，我们的朋友Lisa，她一直下不了决定是不是该和她男朋友分手。她呀！ 就是标准的wishy-washy.
LL: Yes, you could call her wishy-washy because she can‘t make a decision and act on it.
LH: 说到做决定，我还没有决定是不是该为下学期的一个会议写报告。要写的话，负担很重，不过会得到学术界的重视。我到现在还决定不了。
LL: Quit being wishy-washy and make a decision. If it‘s worth it, then it‘s worth it. If not, then forget about it.
LH: 你说得到容易，值得就值得，不值得就算。我并不想wishy-washy，就是不想做错误的决定。
LL: Sometimes, you have to take the risk.
今天李华从Larry那儿学到两个常用语。第一个是flip flop. 意思是一个人经常改变立场，特别是指一些政治人物。第二个常用语是wishy-washy，这是形容一个人很软弱，不果断。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa118.txt
流行美语第118课
李华正在家里批改中文班学生的考卷。Larry来找他。今天李华会学到两个常用语：flunk和lose sleep over.
(Paper rustling sounds)
LH: (sighs) 唉，这两个学生又不及格了。这学期他们已经是第三次考试不及格了！
LL: What? You‘re flunking them? I thought I told you to go easy on your poor students.
LH: 你在说什么啊？flunk them? 什么是flunk?
LL: I said you are going to flunk the students. That means you‘re going to give them a failing grade.
LH: 噢！flunk就是给他们不及格分数啊，那你还真说对了。你看看他们的考卷！这能及格吗？
LL: Heh, let me see... whoa, that guy even wrote his own Chinese name wrong! If he can‘t even get that right, he‘s almost definitely going to flunk!
LH: 就是嘛！连自己的中文名都写错。我只能给他不及格了。等等，Larry，你先是说我flunk这些学生，给他们不及格，现在又说他们自己要flunk。这到底是谁要flunk谁啊？
LL: The word flunk can mean both "to give a failing grade to" as well as "to fail a course". So if you flunk that student, he will flunk the class. Got it?
LH: 噢，我懂了，flunk既可以指给学生不及格的分数，也可以指学生自己考不及格。那Larry, 你是不是也有过不及格的时候啊？
LL: What? No way! ...well, almost. Actually, I almost flunked my first beginner‘s Chinese class. But I managed to pass with a C.
LH: 我的天啊！只拿到C？你啊！八成和我这些学生一样懒散，不认真。我要是你的中文老师，绝对让你不及格的！
LL: Hey, I did my best! My first Chinese teacher even tutored me on her own free time. If it weren‘t for her, I would have flunked!
LH: 嗯，那是你运气，老师愿意帮你补课。我也愿意帮这些学生补习，可是他们经常连课都不来上，我能怎么办？
LL: They don‘t come to class? What a couple of idiots. Well, go ahead and flunk them, then.
******
LH: (Sighs) 唉！我真不知道该怎么处理那两个学生的成绩。
LL: Yeah, I‘d go ahead and just flunk them. Don‘t lose any sleep over it, they deserve it.
LH: 你要我别怎么样？睡不着觉？你在说些什么啊？
LL: When I say lose sleep over something, I mean not to worry about it a lot.
LH: 噢，你这么说我就懂了。Lose sleep over something就是说你非常担心某件事情，而到了睡不着觉的地步。Larry，你真以为我会为这两个学生担心到失眠呐？
LL: Of course not. When we use this phrase, we are just exaggerating. I know you won‘t really lose sleep over something like this.
LH: 原来lose sleep over是有点夸张的说法。我虽然还不到失眠的程度。可是有时候我真觉得当一个老师压力好大，有好多责任呢！
LL: Most of your students seem to be doing pretty well, right? You aren‘t losing any sleep over the other students, are you?
LH: 没有！我有一些学生非常聪明，也很用功。
LL: That‘s good. That means the other two students are just irresponsible. There‘s no need to lose sleep over them failing your class.
LH: 对了，就这两个学生有问题。他们不及格也是他们自己的责任。Larry, 我听说你前几天回绝了一个工作机会。怎么回事呀？
LL: That? Oh, I‘m not losing any sleep over that decision. I just don‘t have time for that job, I had no other choice.
LH: 没事就好。时间太紧张就别再给自己增加负担，读书还是比较重要的。
LL: That‘s right. I‘d rather have a low income than flunk a class. That‘s the kind of thing I could really lose sleep over!
LH: 我真希望我所有的学生都像你一样，宁可钱少，也不能不及格。
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是flunk，意思是老师给学生不及格分数，或是学生考不及格。另外一个常用语是lose sleep over something, 是为某件事担心而到了失眠的地步。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa119.txt
流行美语第119课
Larry和李华刚刚上完美国历史课，两人正在讨论上课的内容。今天李华会学到两个常用语: out to get someone和go to bat for someone.
LL: Hey, Li Hua, did you notice how professor Smith kept asking Mary really hard questions? He really seemed out to get her.
LH: 就是啊！我也在纳闷呢！Smith教授好象在故意刁难Mary，他问她的问题恐怕谁都答不出来。真是奇怪。Larry你说教授是out to get her，那是什么意思啊？
LL: If a person is "out to get" someone else it means that he has a grudge against that person and wants to hurt or embarrass her.
LH: 哼，out to get someone 就是故意让某人难堪，和他过不去。可是Smith 教授和Mary有什么过节，为什么要这样对她呢？
LL: I heard that a student complained about Prof. Smith to the department chair. It‘s possible that she was the one who complained and now he‘s out to get her for it.
LH: 你怀疑Mary在系主任那里表示对Smith教授不满，所以教授现在要整她？哎哟！ 要是被教授盯上，故意和你过不去，那可惨了！
LL: Yeah, I can imagine that it‘s stressful. I‘ve never had a professor that was out to get me, but I had a classmate that was out to get me once.
LH: 真的啊？你那个同学为什么和你过不去呢？
LL: Well, I asked out the girl he liked and she went out with me. He was so angry that he was always spreading rumors about me. He even told the girl that I had another girlfriend
LH: 那可不能怪你呀！那个女孩愿意和你约会，他就算喜欢那女孩，也不应该散布中伤你的谣言嘛！那，那个女孩她相信那些谣言吗？
LL: Of course not. She knew he was out to get me. Have you ever known anyone who was out to get you?
LH: 我啊，我也有过这种不愉快的经验。我以前那个同屋常常会故意删掉别人给我的电话留言，特别是一些重要信息内。你说，这不是故意整我吗？
LL: Yeah, she really had a grudge against you after you asked her to be quieter when she came home at night.
LH: 就是啊！自从我让她晚上回来别声音太大以后，她老是跟我过不去。这种人真不讲理。
******
LH: 我真不敢相信Smith教授居然会当着全班面骂Mary笨！
LL: But did you see how that other student went to bat for her? He told the professor that his behavior was unprofessional in front of everyone.
LH: 对，那个男同学真是有男子汉大丈夫的气概。他站起来指责教授。可是这和bat有什么关系？Bat不是球棒的意思吗？
LL: That term comes from baseball. If you go to bat for someone else it means you stand up for them and defend them.
LH: 噢！Go to bat for someone就是替某人打抱不平，就像那个男同学替Mary出头，站起来批评Smith教授一样咯！
LL: Exactly. Can you think of a time that someone went to bat for you?
LH: 嗯，有一次我骑着自行车被一个开车的人撞上，那人还怪我，说是我的错。不是你跳出来帮我忙的吗！你怎么忘了呢？我记得你还叫了警察呢。You really went to bat for me.
LL: Oh, that was nothing. I was just helping you out. I‘m sure you would have gone to bat for me, too.
LH: 那当然，朋友有难，我一定会拔刀相助，替你出头啊！哦！还有一次，一个女同学在考试的时候偷看我的考卷，还向教授说是我做弊呢。
LL: Yeah, I remember that.
LH: 你为我打抱不平，跑去和教授说你看到那个女孩偷看我的考卷。
LL: Well, that was true. I did see her cheating.
LH: Larry，我真的很感谢你噢！ 你也有男子汉大丈夫的气概。
LL：Thank you!
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是out to get someone。意思是故意和某人过不去，让他为难、难堪。另一个常用语是go to bat for someone, 是替某人打抱不平，为人出头的意思。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa120.txt
流行美语第120课
今天Larry和李华要到体育馆去和几个朋友打篮球。李华会学到两个常用语：stick to something和give something a shot.
(Ambience sound in gym)
LL: Hey, Li Hua, are you looking forward to today‘s game?
LH: 嗨，其实我的篮球打得不怎么样。我倒想试试其他的运动。
LL: You‘ll get better. You‘ve only been playing basketball for a few weeks. You have to stick to something if you want to become good at it.
LH: 对，我才打了几个星期的篮球！可是你怎么说要我stick to something. Stick不是黏的意思？这跟打篮球有什么关系啊？
LL: To "stick to something" means that you continue to do it and don‘t give up.
LH: 噢！我懂了，stick to something就是坚持不懈，继续做某件事。那不就像我们中文里说的“持之以恒”嘛！你的意思是，要是我想打好篮球，就得不断地练习咯！
LL: That‘s right. You‘ve stuck to practicing English for a long time, and now your English is much better. Right?
LH: 你说的对，我学英文倒是尽量的多说，不断地练习。对了，Larry, 那stick to something除了运动，学语言，我还可以用在哪些地方呢？
LL: Well, a person can stick to a decision, too. If I decide to learn Chinese, and I stick to my decision, that means I don‘t change my mind or give up.
LH: 噢，如果一个人坚持自己的决定，也可以说stick to one‘s decision。那一个立场不坚定，经常flip-flop的人可就不能这么说咯！
LL: That‘s right. Very good use of the term flip-flop, by the way.
LH: 谢谢。不过有时候要坚持做一件事还真不容易。就好比打篮球，我已经不知道我是不是真的喜欢打篮球了。
LL: Remember how hard English was at first? But you stuck to it and now it‘s much easier, right?
LH: 好象是这样。你觉得打篮球也会像学英文一样，只要我坚持练习，就会越来越容易吗？
LL: I do. You‘ll see. So, have you decided to play in today‘s game after all?
LH: 好吧，我来试试看，也许就象你说的，多练习，我就能打好球！
******
(Sound of dribbling basketball)
LH: Larry, 那个篮球架子太远了，我肯定投不进！
LL: Come on, Li Hua, give it a shot. It‘s okay if you miss.
LH: Larry，我是在投球耶！你怎么叫我给它一枪？"Give it a shot" 那是什么意思啊？
LL: To give something a shot is to go ahead and try something, even if you don‘t expect to be successful.
LH: 嗨，我还以为give it a shot是开枪呢！原来，give it a shot就是试一试，不管会不会成功。好吧。那我就投喽！可是我一定投不进啦！
(Sound of basketball into the basket)
LL: Hey, look, you made it! That‘s three more points for our team! See, it never hurts to give something a shot.
LH: 哇！太棒了！我居然投进了！对了，Larry, give it a shot我是不是还能用在其他什么地方？
LL: Just about anything. For instance, I‘d like to give sailing a shot, even though I‘ve never sailed a boat before in my life.
LH: 你想学开船啊！我倒想试试开飞机呢！
LL: Hey, slow down. We all know what your driving is like. I don‘t think it‘s a good idea for you to fly a plane.
LH: 嘿！我的开车技术有什么不好？再说，刚才是你告诉我，不管结果如何，都应该去试一试的啊！
LL: Maybe if you stick to driving for a while and get better at it, then you can give flying a shot.
LH: 哎呀，其实我也是说说而已啦。我根本就没钱去上飞行课。不过如果有机会，我会去试试的！
今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是stick to something.就是坚持不懈，继续做某件事。第二个常用语是give it a shot. 这是试一试的意思，哪怕你认为不会成功，但也可以一试。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa121.txt
流行美语第121课
今天Larry和李华花了大半天时间在购物中心里，采购圣诞礼物。今天李华会学到两个常用语：to be beat和to O.D. on something.
LL: The mall was so crowded! I‘m totally beat from fighting the crowds all day long.
LH: 就是啊！我从来没有看过这么多人一块儿逛街。哎，Larry，你刚才说I‘m beat，是不是说我们挤在人群里的时候，有人打你啊？
LL: No, nobody hit me. The expression "I‘m beat" means, "I‘m exhausted."
LH: 噢，原来I‘m beat，不是打的意思，而是累坏了。其实，我也好累。你想想我们在这儿花了6个小时耶，怎么可能不累。
LL: It would only have taken two hours at most if we didn‘t have to spend so much time waiting in line to pay for things. I bet the sales people are really beat by the end of the day.
LH: 你说的没错，光是付钱，我们就花了很多时间排队。我看那些售货员一天下来肯定累坏了。
LL: Well, I‘m glad I don‘t work in a store. I‘m so beat that I think I‘m going to go to bed very early tonight. What about you?
LH: 我也累死了，今晚可能也得早点睡。嘿！Larry, 如果我逛街逛累了，是不是能说shopping beat me?
LL: No, you can only say, "I‘m beat from shopping."
LH: 噢，这么说，下星期我要准备期末考试，我应该说：Next week, I‘ll be beat from studying for my final exams.
LL: Please, don‘t mention exams. I‘m beat just thinking about studying for them.
LH: 哎，Larry，你也别这么想嘛！准备的时候是很累，可是考试考的得好，不也是很高兴的事嘛！
LL: That‘s true. I hope my family members appreciate the effort I put into finding their Christmas presents.
LH: 你花了那么大功夫买来的礼物，你家人一定会喜欢的。唉！我们俩都累了，还是回家吧。明天见咯！
******
LH: 嘿, Larry, 你好一点了吗？还是你仍然觉得累呢？
LL: I‘m afraid I‘m not feeling much better. I caught a cold and then I O.D.ed on cold medicine. Now, I feel really tired and spacey.
LH: 什么，你感冒啦？你还说你O.D.了一些感冒药。那是什么意思？严不严重啊？
LL: "To O.D. on something" is short for "to overdose on something."
LH: O.D.就是服药过量啊？那不是很危险吗？你是不是该去医院检查一下啊？
LL: No, don‘t worry. Usually, O.D.ing on medicine or drugs is very serious, but I probably took a little bit too much cold medicine, not enough to hurt me.
LH: Oh, 那就好！你刚才真把我吓一跳。其实我也不太舒服。我看了好几个小时的书，现在头好疼呢！
LL: Hey, please don‘t mention exams and studying. I don‘t even want to think about exams now that I have a cold!
LH: 好啦！我不再提念书和考试了嘛！Larry, 也许你应该少吃些感冒药，多多睡觉。这样或许会感觉好一些。
LL: I think O.D.ing on some more sleep is a good advice, it‘s probably the only way I‘m going to get through exams with a cold.
LH: 那好，如果你想多睡觉多休息，我可要多叫点比萨来吃，我快饿坏了！
LL: I wouldn‘t mind having some pizza, too. Order enough for both of us.
LH: Larry, 如果你还能感觉肚子饿，那你肯定没有病的太严重啦！
今天李华学到两个常用语，第一个是to be beat，意思是因为做某件事而累坏了，就是to be beat from something。第二个常用语是to O.D. on something，意思是对某个东西服用过量。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa122.txt
流行美语第122课
李华和Larry今天又到购物中心去采购圣诞礼物。李华会学到两个常用语：on edge和give it a rest.
(Crowded mall FX)
LH: 我真搞不懂耶！还有几个星期就要过圣诞节了，可是有些人看起来好像不是很开心，好像很紧张，很烦躁呢！
LL: Oh, well, when people are busy doing their Christmas shopping, they can sometimes be a little on edge.
LH: 你说他们怎么啦？Edge不是指在某个东西的边缘吗？On edge。那是什么意思呢？
LL: No, no, I said, everyone is on edge that means everyone is a little nervous or in a bad mood.
LH: 原来，on edge就是紧张不安的意思。可是我以为大家都喜欢过圣诞节，不是都要高高兴兴的吗？为什么不开心呢？(grumbles) 哎呀！那个小姐挤到我前面了。这里好挤噢！
LL: People do love Christmas, and Americans are always try to be kinder and friendlier this time of year. But people are under pressure to buy Christmas gifts for all of their friends and family members, which is why a lot of them are on edge right now.
LH: 嗯，忙着采购给每个家人朋友的礼物，是挺有压力的。我其实也有不少压力，学期快结束了，我得交报告，还得买礼物，还要批改学生的考卷。Hey! (yells in English) Watch where you‘re going!
LL: Calm down Li Hua! I know that you‘re on edge right now, but try not start any arguments, OK?
LH: 我才没有要和人吵架呢！我只是要那个人小心一点！
LL: Look, everyone‘s on edge around here, and so are you. It‘s really easy to start an argument in this kind of situation. Just calm down.
LH: 好嘛！对不起嘛！我想我真的需要冷静一下。Larry我们能不能找个地方坐下，喝点东西？咦！这儿有张桌子，我们坐这儿吧！
LL: Why don‘t we come back some other time when it‘s not so crowded. When you‘re on edge like this, it‘s better to stay away from other people.
LH: 那怎么行！我们已经费了这么大功夫到这儿来。没买到礼物就回去呢？你怎么啦？
LL: Sorry, Li Hua, I guess I‘m a little on edge myself. I still have a lot school work to do for next week, and I want to finish my shopping early so I can relax during Christmas break.
LH: 好，那我们就尽快把礼物买好，赶快回家罗！
******
LH: 快点，Larry你动作真慢耶！ 我还有一些东西要买呢！
LL: Give it a rest, Li Hua. I told you, I can‘t move quickly and carry all of your bags as well.
LH: A rest? 你又要休息啦？我们不是半个小时前才坐下来休息的吗？
LL: No, that‘s not what I said. I said give it a rest that means stop complaining, talking about, or doing something.
LH: Give it a rest，是停止抱怨或停止做某件事。你的意思是我抱怨太多了？哎！是你浪费太多时间，首先，你到我家时就已经迟到半个小时...
LL: Oh, give it a rest, Li Hua, I told you, I had to wait because of a traffic accident.
LH: 因为交通事故你迟到，这还说得过去。可是我们来购物中心的路上，你又迷路了3次！
LL: Give it a rest, Li Hua. We finally got here. Anyway, you weren‘t much help.
LH: 好啦，好啦！算了啦！我也受不了在这么挤的地方逛。我今天实在不应该来的！
LL: Well, I‘m starting to get tired of carrying stuff for you. These bags are heavy!
LH: (In English) Give it a rest, Larry! 你是大男生耶！这些东西对你来说不算什么啦！
LL: Look, I‘m tired, I‘m a bit on edge, and I have a lot of work to finish this weekend. Can‘t we just give it a rest and go shopping next weekend?
LH: 好吧！好吧！我们两人今天都有点急躁。也许我们真的应该回家，等有空再来买礼物吧！
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是on edge， 意思是紧张不安，脾气急躁。另一个常用语是give it a rest。意思是停止抱怨或是停止做某件事。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa123.txt
流行美语第123课
Larry和李华正在乘公共汽车去公园去溜冰。今天李华会学到两个常用语：to level with someone和clueless.
(Local traffic)
LL: I have to level with you, Li Hua. I‘m not very fond of ice-skating. I haven‘t done it in years.
LH: To "level with me?" Level是水平的意思。你是说你溜冰的水平和我不一样啊？哎！你又没看过我溜冰，怎么知道我的程度呢？
LL: No, "to level with someone" is to be direct and honest.
LH: 噢，to level with someone, 就是向人诚实坦白的意思。嘿！那我也得和你老实说，我根本不太会溜冰。我只是想去看看历史课的同学Jake。他说他今天会去公园溜冰，可是我又不想一个人去，所以.....
LL: Now, the truth comes out! Come on, level with me, do you have a crush on Jake?
LH: 嗯... 我是挺喜欢他的。 不过我想和他多聊聊，看看我是不是真喜欢他。
LL: Well, Li Hua, I have to level with you and say that you might not make the best impression on Jake if you‘re falling all of the time.
LH: 对，我要是老摔倒，他看见了怎么会对我有好的印象呢！我还是少溜一些，站在一旁看别人溜吧！
LL: Hey, that‘s not fair! You drag me ice skating and now you aren‘t going to ice skate?
LH: 哎哟，对不起嘛！我把你拖来溜冰自己又不溜。To level with you，我来之前根本就没想那么多！
LL: That‘s obvious. I think you might as well level with Jake and ask him to help you.
LH: 对耶！我怎么没想到？我可以叫Jake教我溜冰啊！嗯，可是Larry, 那你怎么办？
LL: Then I‘ll just sit and watch while you and your new boyfriend skate around on the ice.
******
LL: Li Hua, I think I‘ll skate after all, but I‘m really clueless about ice-skating. How do I put these skates on?
LH: 怎么穿溜冰鞋啊！把鞋带系好不就行啦！对了，你刚才说"clueless"，那是什么意思啊？
LL: Okay. If someone is "clueless" it means that he or she has no idea what they are doing.
LH: 噢，clueless就是什么也不懂。我虽然会穿溜冰鞋，可是对溜冰我也是一窍不通呐！I‘m also clueless about ice-skating.
LL: Great. This is the blind leading the blind. We‘re both more or less clueless. Do you see your friend Jake? Maybe he can help us.
LH: 嗯，我没看到Jake，也许... 他不来了。
LL: Li Hua, is Jake really coming? If he is, what time is he supposed to come here?
LH: 嗯，我不知道。
LL: You‘re not sure or you‘re clueless?
LH: 好啦好啦，to level with you，我就听他说了一声今天会来滑冰。我根本不知道他到底什么时候来嘛！
LL: Li Hua, what were you thinking?
LH: Larry, 对不起嘛！我很喜欢Jake，可是我不知道该怎么接近他，怎么样进一步了解他。
LL: Oh, I understand. Yeah, sometimes I‘m clueless about girls, too. Everyone feels that way sometimes. Don‘t worry; I‘ll help you find an excuse to talk to Jake.
LH: 真的吗！Wow! Larry, 你真好。有你帮忙，我就放心了。看样子我们在这儿也没别的事可做。那就一块儿溜冰咯！来吧！
今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是: to level with someone, 意思是向人坦白说实话。另一个常用语是clueless, 意思是对某件事什么也不知道。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa124.txt
流行美语第124课
李华和Larry在看大学美式足球赛。今天李华会学到两个常用语：hardcore和to take it out on someone.
(Football crowd noise)
LH: 噢！今天真够冷的。Larry，你看看那边那几个家伙，这么冷的天，还打赤膊，身上涂满了漆。你说，他们这不是疯了吗？
LL: (Yelling) Come on, go, go, go! First down! Yeah! What‘s that Li Hua? No, those guys aren‘t crazy. They‘re hardcore football fans. They want to show how devoted they are to their team.
LH: 你说他们是什么? Hardcore?
LL: I said that they‘re hardcore fans. Hardcore means that they are very serious, and uncompromising. They are extremely devoted fans.
LH: 噢！我懂了，hardcore就是指非常认真，非常投入的球迷。Larry, 这个hardcore是不是只能用来形容球迷呢？
LL: No, hardcore can refer to people who are really devoted to a sport, hobby, or belief of some kind.
LH: 噢，hardcore 还可以指那些对某种运动、嗜好或信仰狂热的人！
LL： For instance, my cousin John is a hardcore mountain climber. He‘s going to go to
LH：你表哥John要在这么冷的冬天去阿拉斯加爬山？真是个狂热的登山迷！
LL: Yeah, And you know Lisa, she‘s a hardcore shopper. The day after Christmas, she waited in front of a department store at 5:00 o‘clock in the morning in order to buy some good stuff on sale.
LH: 对，我听说了，Lisa圣诞节第二天早上五点就去排队买减价商品。我说了下回跟她一起去买东西。
LL：I‘m sure Lisa will turn you into a hardcore shopper too.
******
(Crowd cheering)
LH: 好啦！Larry, 我们的校队已经落后20分，比赛只剩下10分钟。看样子是没希望了。我们可不可以回去啦？
LL: (Angry) Fine! Let‘s go.
LH: 嘿！别生气嘛！你如果还想看，我们可以留下来啊！
LL: Sorry Li Hua. I shouldn‘t take it out on you because I am disappointed about the football game. You‘re right, we should leave early.
LH: 你说你不该怎么啦！Take it out on me？你是要从我这儿拿走什么吗？我听不懂耶！
LL: No, that‘s not what I mean. To take it out on someone means to vent one‘s anger or frustrations on someone who is innocent.
LH: 噢！to take it out on someone, 就是把怒气发泄在别人身上。就像我们中文里说的在别人身上“出气”嘛。球队输了你心里不高兴就想对我发脾气。哎，没关系，你再给我举个例子当作陪礼就行了！
LL: Hmm, well sometimes when someone has a bad day at work, they might take it out on their kids by yelling at them.
LH: 这是常见的。有的人办公室里碰到不高兴的事，回家就对孩子嚷嚷。我很幸运。我爸爸从来不把工作上的怨气发在我们头上。
LL: My father never took it out on us either. But my brother would always take it out on me whenever he was angry about something.
LH: 嗯，哥哥的欺负弟弟妹妹也不少见。Larry，告诉你，我心里不高兴的时候，也会对学生发脾气。
LL: Really? You‘re so mean! How did you take it out on them?
LH: 怎么在学生身上出气呀？那还不容易！ 给学生来个突击测验。
LL: Well, it‘s kind of unfair to take it out on your students, but I guess a little quiz can‘t hurt them. It can only make them study harder.
LH: 好了，我们还是赶快走吧。待会儿球输了，这些球迷还不知要怎么发泄他们的怒气呢！
LL: (Chuckles) Oh, take it easy, Li Hua. They won‘t take it out on you.
今天李华从Larry那儿学到两个常用语。第一个是hardcore, 形容一个人狂热地喜欢某样活动。另一个常用语是to take it out on someone, 是指把怒气发泄在某人身上。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa125.txt
流行美语第125课
Larry在准备搬家，李华特别去Larry家帮他收拾装箱。今天李华会学到两个常用语: to toss something和digs.
LL: Hey, Li Hua, what do you think of this sweater? It‘s got several holes. Should I toss it?
LH: 你要把这件毛衣扔给我装箱？你自己说有好几个洞了，还留它干嘛？扔了算啦！
LL: That‘s what I meant. I didn‘t mean to toss the sweater to you. I mean to throw it out. To toss something means to throw something out.
LH: 噢，原来to toss it就是把东西扔了的意思。这件毛衣真的该丢了。其实还有一些衣服你也该丢掉了。
LL: Hey, I didn‘t ask your opinion of my wardrobe. I just wanted to know if I should toss that one particular sweater.
LH: 哎！我也只是帮你忙啊。如果你不要我帮忙，那就算喽！我才不管你衣柜里哪些衣服该丢，哪些不该丢呢！
LL: Okay, since you‘re so eager to help: Should I toss this pair of shoes, too? They‘re really old and gross.
LH: 这还要问啊？你这双鞋又旧又脏的，当然该丢掉喽！还有你那件黄的T恤衫也可以扔了。
LL: No, I‘m going to use that as a rag for cleaning my new apartment. I hate to toss something that I can still find a use for.
LH: 你想拿那件破衣服来当抹布，废物利用，这倒是不错。Hey，Larry, 冰箱里的这些苹果都烂了，可以扔掉了吗？
LL: Yes, I‘m afraid that there is quite a bit in the refrigerator that needs to be tossed. I buy things and then I‘m never home to eat them.
LH: 我也是，经常买了东西不吃，最后又扔掉。也许下回该买些冷冻食品，不然，让食物烂了又扔掉，好浪费哟！
LL: You‘re right. It‘s really terrible to toss out food.
LH: 好吧！我先帮你清一清冰箱里的东西，我可以把烂掉的食品全都扔掉吗？Can I toss them out?
LL: You can toss out whatever you think needs to be tossed.
******
LL: Well, how do you like my new digs?
LH: Digs? Dig 不是“挖”的意思。你在说什么啊？这是你的新公寓耶！
LL: My new "digs" is my new apartment, Li Hua. "Digs" is slang for one‘s place of residence.
LH: 嗨，dig不是挖土，挖洞的挖吗！你用的是名词，还是多数。Digs，所以，这就是指一个人住的地方。
LL：That‘s right. My new digs is a bit empty now, but once I move my stuff in, this should be a nice apartment.
LH：嗯，现在看起来是有点空空荡荡。可是我担心你东西搬进来以后就会乱了。
LL: Hey, I‘m not that messy! I like to keep my digs nice.
LH: 对，你不算太乱，但是也不见得是那种非常整洁干净的人。
LL: Okay, you‘re entitled to your opinion, but I am also entitled to disagree with you. I happen to be very proud of the way I maintain my digs.
LH: 我当然可以保留我的意见咯！ 你也完全可以不同意我的看法。其实，你的家只要你自己满意就行了。说正经的，Larry你要不要我帮你布置新家，your new digs？
LL: Let‘s just take care of moving first. Once all of my stuff is here, we can talk about decorating.
LH: 那也是，还是先搬完了再说，再不赶快搬，今晚你恐怕得在旧公寓里睡觉喽！
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是to toss something, 就是把东西扔掉的意思。另一个常用语是digs。这是指一个人的居住的地方。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa126.txt
流行美语第126课
李华打电话问Larry今天下午要不要一块儿去打网球。今天李华会学到两个常用语：Bum和ticker.
(Telephone rings)
LH: 嘿！Larry, 你今天下午有空吗？想不想和我去打网球？今天天气真好！
LL: I‘m sorry, Li Hua, but my bum knee is bothering me. I don‘t think it‘s a good idea to play tennis right now.
LH: 你的膝盖怎么啦？Bum knee, 那是什么毛病啊？
LL: I have a bum knee means that there is something permanently wrong with my knee.
LH：原来 a bum knee就是一个膝盖以前受了伤而落下了毛病，也就是老毛病。Larry，你什么时候受的伤，我怎么不知道哪？
LL：I tore a tendon playing soccer several years ago, and now my knee hurts once in a while and it doesn‘t always bend well.
LH：噢，你几年前踢足球的时候受的伤，所以不时会感到痛，还不能弯。我爷爷年轻时腿也受过伤，现在只要一下雨，他的腿就会发作。
LL: Yes, having a bum knee or leg is very common, particularly among former professional athletes.
LH: 就是啊，这种伤害对职业运动员来说都是常见的。我倒是很惊讶那些美式足球队员，打起球来横冲直撞，居然还能走路。
LL: Yes, well many of them do suffer from a bum leg, a bum knee, or a bum shoulder.
LH: 嗯，他们的工资非常高，据说有的年薪都上百万呢！ 筋骨受伤大概只是个小小的代价吧！
LL: That‘s true, but not all of them make that much money and they still suffer injuries that leave them with a bum joint.
LH: 当然不是每个球员工资都那么高的。工资低的也经常会受伤的。
LL: Li Hua. I would play with you if I could. Try to find someone who can play with you. If you can‘t, give me a call and we can watch a movie or something.
LH: 我要是找不到打球的伴再给你打电话。看个电影也挺好。
******
LH: Larry, 我找不着人和我打网球。你还想去看电影吗？
LL: I‘m sorry, I can‘t. My mom just called to tell me that my uncle is in the hospital because he has a bum ticker. I should go and visit him.
LH: 你要去医院看望你叔叔，他怎么啦？Larry，你说你叔叔得了什么病，bum ticker? 什么是ticker?
LL: He has a bum ticker. Ticker is slang for one‘s heart because your heartbeats similar to the way in which a clock ticks. My uncle has a bad heart.
LH: 噢，原来ticker是指心脏啊！对，心脏是像钟表那样滴滴答答地跳动。Larry，你叔叔心脏病发作呀？
LL: No, he just had some pains in his chest. He knows that he has a bum ticker, so he went to the hospital to have it checked out.
LH: 原来他是因为胸口痛才住院。希望他没事。我爸爸的心脏也不好，所以医生特别叮咛他要小心，避免压力太大。
LL: Well, we‘ve warned my uncle to take care of his old ticker, but he doesn‘t listen. He still eats junk food and he has a very stressful job.
LH: 看来你叔叔不是个听话的病人。心脏不好的人应该要避免吃垃圾食物。或许你叔叔这次出院后，能意识到要好好照顾自己的心脏了。
LL: I hope so, but he has already had a heart attack and surgery, so I doubt he‘ll change his habits because of a few chest pains.
LH: 他已经发作过心脏病，还动过手术！那看来胸口痛是不会促使他改变饮食习惯了。得了，你还是赶快上医院去吧，我明天再跟你聊喽！
LL: Okay, bye.
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是bum，指的是有毛病的，通常是老毛病。另一个常用语是ticker，是指心脏。这是很口语的说法，因为心脏就象钟表一样滴滴答答跳动。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa127.txt
流行美语第127课
李华和Larry正在讨论是不是要去听有关中国历史的演讲。今天李华会学到两个常用语：big shot和bent out of shape.
(Ambience sound in the Hallway)
LL: Hey Li Hua! Are you going to the guest lecture this evening? Some big shot Harvard professor is going to speak tonight.
LH: 你说今天晚上来演讲的教授是什么？big shot？什么是big shot?
LL: I said he is a big shot. A big shot is an important or influential person.
LH: 噢！Big shot是指一个很重要，很有影响力的人。那不就是我们中文里说的“大人物”嘛！哎！哈佛大学的教授就是大人物，big shot呀？
LL: Actually, this guy is a big shot because he‘s an American who lived in
LH: 哟，他在中国住了30年，还认识一些中国的领导人。听起来倒挺象大人物的。那他为什么要到我们学校来呢？
LL: Well, the president of our university and some other big shots from the city government are good friends of his. They invited him to come here and give a lecture.
LH: 原来他和我们校长还有市政府的官员都是好朋友。嗯，我很想去听听他的演讲。对了，Larry，你听说Jack找到一份新工作吗？
LL: Oh yeah, I heard that he‘s working for a big shot lawyer now. I‘m really happy to see him doing so well after graduation.
LH: 我希望那家大律师事务所能好好待他。有时候，为这些大人物工作，未必是件好差事。
LL: Yeah, I guess so. Still, it‘s better to work for a big shot lawyer than to be a waiter at a coffee house. A lot of us history majors end up doing jobs like that after graduation.
LH: 话是不错，给大律师工作总比在咖啡馆当服务员好。可是，历史专业的毕业生也不见得都到餐馆去当服务员。我将来就要争取成为一个有名的教授, a big shot professor!
LL: That‘s good to hear. Just be sure you don‘t forget about me after you become a big shot!
******
LH: 嘿！Larry, 昨晚我去听演讲，怎么没看见你呢？那位教授讲得很有意思！
LL: Well, that‘s good to hear. I couldn‘t make it because some idiot crashed his car into mine last night on the way over here. I‘m still pretty bent out of shape about it.
LH: 什么！你昨晚出车祸啦？Bent out of shape? 你是不是受伤了？
LL: I‘m fine! (chuckles) I said I am bent out of shape. That means I am very angry and upset about the accident last night, even though it wasn‘t very serious.
LH: 噢！原来你是为了车子被撞而生气。Bent out of shape就是生气，发火的意思。嗨，没受伤就好，车子坏了有保险公司，别生气啦？
LL: But I‘m bent out of shape because the other guy was really rude. I had the right of way at a stop sign, but he drove through the intersection first and bumped into my car. Then he started yelling at me for not letting him go first!
LH: 哼，他不守交通规则，抢先过了马路撞上你的车，还对你大声嚷嚷？怪不得你要气坏了呢！
LL: (Angry) That guy is an idiot! Otherwise, I wouldn‘t get so bent out of shape. Let‘s talk about something else. What about the lecture?
LH: 对！别谈这事了。昨晚那个演讲我觉得很有意思，不过，在那位教授讲完要离开会场的时候，有一群学生对他大吼大叫，好像是不同意他的某个观点。
LL: Did the guy get all bent out of shape about it?
LH: 没有耶，那位教授没生气，也没有理会那些学生。后来大家都离开会场了。
LL: Well, that‘s good. If someone gets bent out of shape about different opinions, it usually means he‘s narrow-minded.
LH: 所以，Larry，尽管撞你车的人不讲道理，你也不要小心眼，为这事生气。
今天李华学会两个常用语，第一个是big shot,是形容很重要，有影响力的大人物。另一个常用语是bent out of shape，意思是很生气。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa128.txt
流行美语第128课
李华正在为朋友的生日party做准备，她生平第一次烤了一个蛋糕。今天李华会学到两个常用语：from scratch和all set.
LH: Larry, 这是我烤的蛋糕，你尝尝。这可是我生平第一次烤蛋糕，不一定会好吃！
LL: Mmmm! This is delicious! Did you make this from scratch or did you use a cake mix?
LH: 你觉得好吃呀？太好了！哎，你刚才问我是不是make it from scratch? 那是什么意思啊？我是照因特网上的一个食谱做的。
LL: Then you did make it from scratch. To make something from scratch is to make it yourself using all of the basic ingredients.
LH: 原来to make something from scratch就是自己用基本材料，从头做起。是呀，我用鸡蛋、面粉、牛奶和黄油做的。还有别的做蛋糕的方法？
LL: A lot of people nowadays use a pre-packaged cake mix with all the ingredients in it already, so it‘s easier to make.
LH: 用事先调好的蛋糕粉那当然简单多了。那多没意思啊！自己把所有的材料准备好，从头开始做，其实很好玩呢！
LL: Well, you should be proud of yourself. This cake is great!
LH: 谢谢，你说好吃我就放心了！对了，Larry，你有没有自己烤过蛋糕？
LL: No, but I tried making chocolate chip cookies from scratch once.
LH: 自己做巧克力饼干啊？好吃吗？
LL: They were awful because I forgot to put oil in them. After that, I decided that it was best if I didn‘t try to make things from scratch anymore.
LH: 忘了放油！那饼干肯定会太硬。你一次没做成功就决定下回不做了！你知道，做这种东西是试验好多次才行。
LL: I know, but I‘m not that patient.
LH: 嗨，要做好就得要有耐心嘛！
******
LL: All right, Li Hua. The cake is ready, the drinks are prepared, and the decorations look great. I think we are all set.
LH: We are all set？ 这是什么意思？蛋糕、饮料都准备好了，一切都布置好了。你的意思是一切准备就绪了，是吗？
LL: That‘s right. To be "all set" is to be ready for whatever it is you‘re going to do. In this case, we are all set to have a party.
LH: 对，要举行party的个方面似乎都准备好了。那我是不是可以说we‘re all set to have fun at the party?
LL: If you‘re ready to have fun, then of course you can say that. Hey, what about the music - is that all set?
LH: 音乐啊？没问题！我把激光唱机和几片激光盘全放桌上了。So it‘s all set.
LL: Great! Now, I‘m all set to eat more of that cake you made. It‘s really delicious
LH: 不行，你现在还不能吃这蛋糕，要等做生日的人吹完蜡烛后才能吃的！
LL: I know. I was just kidding. Hey, do you have a place for people to put presents?
LH: 放礼物的地方啊？早准备好了！我在进门的地方有张桌子。大家可以把礼物和生日卡放在那儿。.
LL: Okay, since everything is all set, we can relax until the guests start arriving.
LH: 我早就准备好在客人来以前先休息一下。筹办一个生日party 可真是够累人的！
LL: Preparing a party isn‘t that bad; it‘s cleaning up afterwards that‘s a lot of work.
LH: Party结束后，我想你一定会帮我收拾的。对不对？
LL：Of course!
李华学到两个常用语。第一个是from scratch, 意思就是从头做起。第二个常用语是all set, 就是一切就绪，准备好了的意思。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa129.txt
流行美语第129课
今天李华到Larry家来借一本书，碰巧Larry的妈妈打电话来。什么事呢？你听了他们的对话就知道了。今天李华会学到两个常用语：play hooky和put one‘s foot down。
(Hang up phone)
LH: Larry，怎么啦？你看起来很不高兴。
LL: Oh, it‘s just that my little sister is giving my mom a lot of trouble. She played hooky from school two days in a row last week.
LH: 你妹妹给你妈惹麻烦了。你说她上星期在学校连续两天played hooky? 那是一种游戏吗？为什么你妈妈会生气啊？
LL: No, it‘s not a game. To play hooky is to skip school or work when you have no excuse for doing so.
LH: 噢！play hooky就是逃学，旷课的意思。那很严重耶！我要是逃学，我妈妈一定会非常非常生气！
LL: Every kid plays hooky once in a while, but playing hooky as often as my little sister does is a serious problem. It‘s affecting her grades.
LH: 对，偶尔旷课还可以，如果像你妹妹这样常常逃课，成绩当然会受影响喽！那你妈妈打算怎么做？
LL: She‘ll forbid my sister from watching TV, talking on the phone, or going out with her friends for at least a month.
LH: 哇！至少一个月不能看电视、不许和朋友通电话，也不可以和朋友出去。这样的处罚是够厉害的。不过也许她能得到教训，以后不再逃学。
LL: I hope so. Hey, you really never played hooky when you were a kid?
LH: 嗯，有那么几次我不想上学，就装病待在家里。这样也算play hooky吗？
LL: Of course, that counts! Actually, I think every kid has used that trick to play hooky at least once.
LH: 对，假装生病是孩子们想逃学时常用的借口。我记得我是因为有的同学老是取笑我，所以我不想上学。
LL: Unfortunately, I think that‘s probably a very common reason for playing hooky from school.
******
LH: Larry，刚才是谁打电话来？
LL: That was my sister. My mom really put her foot down this time. She‘s not allowed to watch TV or see her friends for two months. She‘s really upset.
LH: 你妈妈罚你妹妹两个月不准看电视，也不准和朋友出去玩，那是够厉害的。可是，Larry, 你刚才说"put her foot down"是什么意思？
LL: Oh, to put one‘s foot down means to take a really firm stance on something and enforce it.
LH: Put one‘s foot down就是采取坚定立场，严厉执行。你妈妈是不是也曾经对你这么严格啊？
LL: I was generally a good kid, but she did put her foot down once that I can remember. She thought one of my friends was a bad influence, so she didn‘t allow me to hang out with him
LH: 那是可以理解。中国人常说，“近朱者赤，近墨者黑，”你妈妈是怕你交了坏朋友，所以才不让你跟他交往。
LL: Well, haven‘t you ever had to put your foot down with anyone?
LH: 你还记得我那讨厌的同屋吗？在她开始偷我的东西之后，我就对她不客气了。
LL: Yeah, I remember that. I think you probably should have put your foot down before then, but you were too nice.
LH: 是，我可能早就不该迁就她了。不过，我总觉得不太好意思，不太敢和别人发生冲突。
LL: You‘ve got to learn to put your foot down when it‘s necessary, otherwise people will take advantage of you.
LH：没错，必要的时候就得学会对别人硬一些，有的人就是会欺软怕硬。
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是play hooky, 是逃学，或旷课。另外一个常用语是put one‘s foot down, 意思是很坚定，采取严厉手段。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa130.txt
流行美语第130课
Larry和李华今天在公园玩飞盘时看到一个人随地丢垃圾。今天李华会学到两个常用语：tattletale和pushover.
LH: Larry, 你看，那个人随地丢垃圾。我们是不是该去告诉站在那边的警察？
LL: I don‘t know, Li Hua. I don‘t really like to be a tattletale. Maybe we should just go and pick up the garbage ourselves.
LH: 我们为什么要帮他捡他的垃圾？他应该知道这样是很没有公德心的。你说你不想当个tattletale。那是什么意思？是不是说我们向警察报告是不对的？
LL: A tattletale is someone who runs to tell the person in charge whenever someone else does something wrong. Usually, children call each other tattletales.
LH: 噢，tattletale原来就是爱告状的人。要是一个小孩说粗话，他姐姐听到了就跑去告诉妈妈。这个小姐姐就算是tattletale喽？
LL: Exactly. In general, no one likes a tattletale because it seems as though that person is just trying to get attention.
LH: 对，没有人喜欢爱告状的人。他们就是想显得自己比别人好而已。举个例子来说，如果我考试做弊，你去告诉教授。这样你就是个tattletale，对吗？
LL: Right. You certainly wouldn‘t be right for cheating on the test, but I wouldn‘t be a very good friend, either.
LH: 我当然不会在考试的时候做弊。嗨，那个扔垃圾的家伙已经走了。
LL: Yeah, let‘s go and put the garbage in the trashcan. It‘s not right to leave that on the ground.
LH: 对，把垃圾扔在地上实在不好。我们去把垃圾拣起来扔在垃圾桶里吧。Larry，你真是个有公德心的人。不过，我很好奇，你小时候有没有告过谁的状呀？
LL: No, but my little sister was an awful tattletale. Every time I did anything she didn‘t like, she would run and tell our mother.
LH：真有意思，你的小妹妹老爱到你妈那儿去告你的状。你肯定很顽皮。
LL：Not really. She‘s just a tattletale.
******
LH: 嘿, Larry, 我倒想听听，你妹妹经常到你妈妈那里告你的状，你都怎么反应啊？
LL: I would act really sorry and my mom would forgive me immediately. My mom is a pushover, so she rarely punished me.
LH: 你好耍赖噢！故意装出很抱歉的样子，让你妈妈很快原谅你。哎，对了，什么是pushover?
LL: A pushover is someone who is easy to convince. It also refers to someone who gives in easily.
LH: 噢，知道了，pushover就是指很容易相信别人，经常让步的人。就像你，假装认错，你妈就不会处罚你，事情就过去了。对不对？
LL: Right. Some people are pushovers because they are really nice and just want to make everyone happy.
LH: 对，这种人，pushovers，一般心地善良，总想让大家都高兴。我看的出来你就是这种人。
LL: Me? A pushover? You‘ve got to be kidding!
LH: 我才不是开玩笑呢！我记得有一次，我们一起去看电影，你想看的电影和我想看的完全不一样，结果我们还是看了我想看的那部电影！
LL: Hey, that‘s just being a good friend. I don‘t know if you should call me a pushover for that.
LH: (Laugh) 好啦！Larry, 我说你是pushover完全没有恶意噢！Pushover是不是有负面的意思？
LL: Not necessarily. People are usually pushovers when they‘re with people whom they care about.
LH：没错，让步一般都是为自己喜欢的人让步的。
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是tattletale, 就是喜欢告状的人。另外一个常用语是pushover，意思是很轻信，或容易让步的人。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa131.txt
流行美语第131课
Larry和李华准备到银行去，李华要开一个帐户，而Larry需要取一些现金。今天李华会学到两个常用语：to be hard up和to pick on someone.
LH: Larry，我要去银行开个户头，你去银行做什么？
LL: Well, my friend is a little hard up for cash right now, so I‘m going to withdraw some money and let him borrow it.
LH: 原来你是要提现金借给朋友啊！你的朋友怎么啦？你说他hard up for cash。 Cash是现金。这个我懂，但hard up是什么意思？
LL: To be "hard up" for something means that you don‘t have enough of it.
LH: Hard up for something就是什么东西不够，所以你那朋友hard up for cash, 就是钱不够啦！对不对？
LL: Exactly. He‘s helped me when I was hard up before, so I feel that I should help him out now.
LH: 嗯，你朋友以前也借钱给你，帮过你，所以现在你帮他。这也是应该的。对了，Larry, 这个hard up除了指缺钱，还可以用在什么地方？
LL: Well, one is usually hard up for money. However, you can be hard up for time or for work, too.
LH: 如果我说I am hard up for time, 那就表示我很忙，时间不够，对不对？
LL: Right. I‘m usually hard up for time during exams. I have so much studying to do that I hardly even sleep.
LH: 我也是，只要到了期中考，期末考的季节，我就觉得时间不够用，书都念不完。那hard up for work不能说工作不够，只能说找不到工作喽？
LL: I‘m hard up for work means that I really need a job, but I‘m having a hard time finding one.
LH: 嗯，那种需要工作却找不到工作的滋味一定很不好受。希望我毕业后不会经历hard up for work.
LL: So do I. I don‘t think anyone enjoys being hard up for time, money, or work.
LH：对，缺钱，缺时间，没工作都不好受。
******
LL: Did you see those two children in the bank? The little boy was awful; he kept picking on his sister.
LH: 就是，那个小男孩真不听话，吵吵闹闹的。你说他picking on his sister，那是什么意思？
LL: Oh, to pick on someone is to annoy or to be mean to that person. The little boy kept picking on his sister by calling her ugly and pulling her hair.
LH: Pick on someone就是欺负，招惹别人，或者老是批评别人的意思。那个小男孩不断拉他姐姐的头发，还说她丑，真是很让人讨厌。我小时候我哥哥也喜欢捉弄我。他总是踩我的脚，却说是我踩他！
LL: Well, at least your brother stopped doing that when he got older. My parents still pick on each other.
LH: 你说什么，你的爸妈也老是互相指责？
LL: They just criticize each other over stupid things. For example, my dad likes to pick on my mom about her cooking. He thinks she‘s a terrible cook.
LH: 你妈妈帮全家人做饭已经够辛苦了，你爸爸居然还批评她做饭做得不好。你爸爸也真是的！
LL: I know, but they have been picking on each other for thirty years and old habits are hard to break. To be honest, I think they enjoy it.
LH: 那倒是，30多年都是这样，要改恐怕也难。可是，你说他们喜欢这样做，这不太可能吧！
LL: Sometimes, they are joking. When my mom picks on my dad about the kind of music he listens to, I know she‘s just joking. Other times, I think they are just being grouchy.
LH: 我想他们有时是开玩笑。你爸听什么音乐，你妈还要管呐？肯定是开玩笑。当然，有的时候互相闹别扭也是可能的。人都有情绪不好的时候嘛！
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是to be hard up for something, 就是缺乏某样东西，通常用来指缺钱或没时间。另一个常用语是pick on someone, 意思是批评别人，或者是欺负别人。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa132.txt
流行美语第132课
Larry和李华今天去给他们的朋友Jim买结婚礼物。Jim下个周末就要结婚。今天李华会学到两个常用语：to tie the knot和drop-dead gorgeous.
LL: I can‘t believe Jim is going to tie the knot! He seems too young to get married.
LH: Jim已经25岁啦。25岁结婚还算早啊！你说Jim要tie the knot. Tie是绑的意思，knot是结，“打个结”和结婚有什么关系？
LL: "To tie the knot" is slang for "to get married."
LH: 噢！to tie the knot就是结婚的意思啊！好奇怪噢！为什么要用打结来形容结婚呢？
LL: As far as I know, a very old type of wedding ceremony involved tying a knot to symbolize the joining of the couple‘s lives and now "tying the knot" has become a synonym for marriage.
LH: 噢，以前的结婚典礼上要打结，表示新郎新娘的生活从此结合在一起。所以才会用tie the knot 来表示结婚。这真有意思。对了，Larry, 你想你大概什么时候会结婚哪？
LL: Whoa, slow down. I need to find a girlfriend first. At this point, I honestly have no idea when I‘ll get married. What about you?
LH: 我和你也差不多啦！你得找个女朋友，我呢，得先找到一个男朋友哪！
LL: Well, hopefully, someday we‘ll both find someone really nice to tie the knot with.
LH: 嗯！我也希望我们两个都能找到满意的对象！对了！ Larry，你认识Jim的未婚妻吗？
LL: No, I‘ve actually never met her. I‘m really curious to see what she‘s like. According to Jim, she‘s the most beautiful woman in the world.
LH: 嗯，我明白Jim为什么这样说，每个人都认为自己的另一半是世界上最美最帅的人！
LL: Love does have that effect on people. I certainly hope I tie the knot with someone beautiful.
LH: 其实，只要你是真心爱她，你就会认为她是世界上绝无仅有的大美人！
******
LL: Li Hua, Jim just showed me a picture of his fianc业. She‘s drop-dead gorgeous!
LH: 你看到Jim未婚妻的照片啦？你说她drop-dead gorgeous? 那是什么意思？是不是说她很丑？
LL: No, she‘s beautiful. "Drop-dead gorgeous" is a way to describe someone who is incredibly attractive.
LH: 原来drop-dead gorgeous的意思是非常漂亮，美极了。所以你认为Jim的未婚妻是个超级大美女喽？那她到底长什么样？
LL: She looks like a super model.
LH: 哇！像个超级模特啊！那真是美得不得了了！Larry, 我有个问题。我能不能用drop-dead gorgeous来形容很帅的男人呢？
LL: Well, I probably wouldn‘t call another man drop-dead gorgeous, but you can. Why? Who do you think is drop-dead gorgeous?
LH: 嗯，我也不知道谁可以称得上是drop-dead gorgeous的大帅哥。哎，不过经过你这一问，我想电影明星Brad Pitt应该可以算是drop-dead gorgeous的帅哥吧！
LL: Yeah, I‘m sure there are a million other women who agree with you.
LH: 好啦！现在该你了！你觉得谁算得上是drop-dead gorgeous的大美人啊？
LL: Besides Jim‘s fianc业? I think that Lisa from our history class is pretty close to being drop-dead gorgeous.
LH: 你是说历史课的那个Lisa？我从来没注意过。哎！既然你觉得她很漂亮，为什么不约她出去呢？
LL: She has a boyfriend. Unfortunately, most drop-dead gorgeous girls I meet already have a boyfriend.
LH：她已经有男朋友了！Larry，你动作太慢了！
今天李华学到两个常用语是to tie the knot。就是指结婚。另一个常用语是drop-dead gorgeous，是形容一个人非常美丽，非常好看的意思。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa133.txt
流行美语第133课
今天Larry和李华要到朋友Bob家里，Bob因为要搬家，所以把他的立体音响卖给Larry。今天李华会学到两个常用语：dibs和shotgun.
LL: I‘m really glad that Bob gave me first dibs on his stereo. He knows I‘ve always admired it, but I couldn‘t afford to buy a new one just like it.
LH: 我知道你一直很喜欢Bob的立体音响，可是又买不起全新的。现在他要卖给你，怪不得你那么兴奋。哎，可是你说Bob给了你first dibs, 那是什么意思？是不是说Bob第一个先卖给你？
LL: Something like that. To have first dibs on something is to have the opportunity to decide if you want it before anyone else.
LH: 所以我真猜对了。First dibs就是有优先的机会来决定是不是要买。Bob让你优先决定是否要买他的音响设备，也就是给了你first dibs.
LL: Exactly. For example: I know that you like my car, so if I ever decided to sell it, I would give you first dibs.
LH: 真的吗？我可以有优先买你车子的权利？Larry你真好！这样吧，我记得你爱吃我做的蛋糕，下回我再做的时候，你可以优先享用，you‘ll get first dibs on it.
LL: I like the sound of that. While we‘re on the subject, "dibs" has another use, too. If I say I have dibs on the last piece of cake, then that means that I claim it for myself.
LH: 噢！Dibs还可以用来表示某种要求或权利。好，那我先说了，这块糖是我的。I have dibs on this candy bar.
LL: Hey, that‘s the last one! We won‘t be able to get lunch until after we bring the stereo back to my apartment. Can‘t you share it with me?
LH: 嘿！我已经说了，I have dibs on it. 这块糖就是我的。
LL: That‘s not very generous. You know I would share it with you.
LH: 好啦！好啦！我是开玩笑的。你可以和我一起分这块糖。
LL: Thank you. You can have first dibs on the next candy bar you find.
LH: 对了，Bob还有那么多东西要卖。他有没有也让你优先决定呢？
LL: He gave me first dibs on some of his furniture, too, but I don‘t really need anything right now. Well, we‘re here. Let‘s go get my new stereo.
******
LL: I‘m sorry, Li Hua, but you don‘t get to ride shotgun on the way home. I need you to sit in back and hold the stereo.
LH: 你要我坐在后座抱住你的音响啊？可以啊！可是你怎么说我不能坐shotgun？我本来就没想拿枪呀！
LL: You don‘t get to ride shotgun means that you can‘t sit in the front passenger seat. The front passenger seat is often referred to as "shotgun."
LH: 原来shotgun就是指前面驾驶座旁的座位啊？好奇怪！为什么要用“枪”来形容一个座位呢？
LL: Have you ever seen an old Western movie about cowboys and Indians?
LH: 西部电影，我当然看过啊！只是我觉得西部电影都挺暴力的，我不是很喜欢。
LL: In the old days, it wasn‘t very safe, so there was often a person who sat next to the driver of the horse-drawn carriage. This person carried a shotgun to protect the carriage.
LH: 原来如此。过去由于不安全，所以为了保护马车的安全，坐在马车前排的人手上都拿着枪。前排那个座位就被称为shotgun. 真有意思！
LL: Exactly. Do you mind if you can‘t ride shotgun on the way home?
LH: 没问题！我可以坐在后面保护你的音响。反正我经常坐在前座，偶尔换换坐后面，也没关系！
LL: Thanks, Li Hua. From now on, you always have first dibs on shotgun, no matter who else is riding with us.
LH: Larry！你说了就得算数哟！以后不管跟谁一起坐车，我都可以有优先权坐在前座。太好了！Larry，我们可不可以去吃午饭？那半块糖根本不够，我好饿噢！
LL: I agree. Let‘s go.
今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是: first dibs, 就是有优先权。另一个常用语是shotgun. 这是指汽车驾驶座旁的那个座位。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa134.txt
流行美语第134课
Larry和李华刚上完课，现在在一面喝咖啡，一面聊天。今天李华会学到两个常用语：off one‘s rocker和silent treatment.
(Bar noise)
LH: Larry, 我看你一直盯着那边那个女孩。你为什么不走过去跟她聊一聊呢？
LL: Are you kidding? She‘ll think I‘m off my rocker if I just walk over and start talking to her.
LH: 你走过去跟她讲话，她会认为你是什么？Off your rocker，那是什么意思啊？
LL: To be "off one‘s rocker" means to be crazy. I‘m afraid she‘ll think I‘m crazy, or at least really weird, if I start talking to her for no reason.
LH: 噢！所以off one‘s rocker就是指一个人特别怪，行为反常。嗨，你要是觉得和陌生人说话很奇怪，那你才真的是off your rocker呢！
LL: I don‘t know, I guess I‘m just a little shy about it, okay?
LH: 你这么害羞，难怪总是错失良机！算了，你要胆子那么小，我也没办法。哎，Larry，你看那边那个人才真的有点不正常？
LL: Who?
LH: 就是坐在角落里的那个人，你看他还在唱歌呢！
LL: Yeah, he looks like he‘s a bit off his rocker, but he‘s probably just really drunk.
LH: 就是，也许他是喝醉了。Larry，我今天不能玩太晚。明天早上9点钟，历史课的教授要给大家补课。
LL: 9:00 am on a Saturday morning? Your professor is either completely off his rocker or he just likes to torture his students.
LH: 星期六早上给大家补课不是挺好吗？ 你认为这教授是疯啦！ 我看你才是off your rocker。Larry，班上没有一个同学认为那教授这样做有什么不正常，更没有人认为他是为了要折磨学生。
LL: Ok, ok. But to me, anyone who likes to go to class on Saturday morning is off his rocker.
******
LL: Hey, I forgot to tell you that my sister is giving me the silent treatment. She‘s mad at me for telling our mom about her new boyfriend.
LH: 你把你妹妹交男朋友的事告诉你妈，难怪你妹妹对你发火。你说她还给你silent treatment，那是什么意思？
LL: To give someone "the silent treatment" is to refuse to talk to that person. My sister is refusing to talk to me because she‘s mad at me.
LH: 噢，我懂了。Silent treatment就是不理你，不跟你说话。这么说，你妹妹也不接你电话咯？
LL: No, she wouldn‘t even speak to me when I was home last weekend.
LH: 我最讨厌这种态度了。不讲话，能解决问题吗？
LL: Exactly. If my sister is giving me the silent treatment, then how are we supposed to talk over the problem?
LH: 我还记得，当我告诉我妈我决定要来美国念书时，她气得一个月不和我说话。
LL: She probably wasn‘t really mad at you. She was just upset that you would be so far away.
LH: 我知道，她不是真的生我的气，而是不舍得我到这么远的地方来念书。可是不说话有什么用啊！
LL: Sometimes giving someone the silent treatment is a good idea, though. There are a couple of people I avoid talking to because I know that they like to gossip.
LH: 那倒也是。碰上那种喜欢嚼舌头的人，最好不和他们说话。去年我的同屋就是这样的人，所以我一个学期都不跟她说话，给她silent treatment。
LL: Hey, Li Hua, you learn fast!
今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是off one‘s rocker，就是指一个人行为不正常。也就是我们平常所说的，某某人疯了。另外一个常用语是silent treatment，就是沉默对待的意思。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa135.txt
流行美语第135课
Larry和李华到博物馆去看中国艺术品的展出，不过Larry好像心情不太好。今天李华会学到两个常用语：gang up on someone和basket case.
(Indoor crowd in a museum)
LH: Larry, 怎么啦？你好像很不开心？
LL: Oh, it‘s just that my mother, father, and sister are all upset with me for not calling them enough. I feel as though my whole family is ganging up on me.
LH: 既然你爸爸妈妈还有你妹妹都说你打电话回家太少，那恐怕情况确实是如此。不过，他们可能不了解你是工作和学习太忙了，所以才没法经常给他们打电话啊！不过，Larry，你说你家人gang up on you. 那是什么意思？
LL: If two or more people join together against another person, then they are "ganging up" on that person.
LH: 噢，gang up on someone就是合伙对付某个人的意思。所以你觉得你们全家联合起来埋怨你。
LL: Exactly, maybe they think that if they gang up on me, then I‘ll be sure to call them at least every other day.
LH：那你以后会不会隔一天就给他们打电话呢？其实，这也可以做到嘛。象我们现在休息的时候，你就可以打。说几句话就可以了嘛！
LL：Has anyone ever ganged up on you, Li Hua?
LH: 嗯，我不记得有什么人联合对付过我。哎，不过我记得在我们家附近有几条狗经常联合起来欺负我邻居的猫。那只可怜的猫最后只好跳到屋顶上去了。
LL: That‘s a good example, Li Hua. In my house, it was the opposite. We had three cats and one dog. The cats used to gang up and chase the dog around the house.
LH: 啊！原来在你们家是刚好相反。三只猫追一条狗。嘿！真有意思！你们家的狗一定很瘦小。我还没听说过有狗会怕几只猫的呢！
LL: Actually, he was a pretty big dog; he just wasn‘t very brave. Whenever the three cats would gang up on him, he would try to hide under the bed, but he was too big to hide there.
LH: 原来它还是只大狗，就是胆小。一只大狗因为怕三只猫而想躲到床底下！Larry，我没听说过，你肯定是在瞎说。
LL: No, it‘s true!
******
LH: 嘿！Larry，你和你家人谈过了吗？他们还在气你不常打电话吗？
LL: They aren‘t mad at me anymore, but my mom is a basket case because my sister will be graduating soon.
LH: 你妈妈怎么啦？basket case？Basket是篮子的意思，你妹妹快要毕业。这和basket有什么关系？
LL: Oh, a basket case is someone who is really upset or nervous. My mom is upset that my sister is graduating and will be leaving home for college.
LH: 噢，原来basket case就是指一个人很紧张，很不高兴。你妹妹高中毕业后，很快就要到外地念大学；你妈妈紧张不安是可以理解的。
LL: That‘s true. However, I think my sister will be just fine. There‘s no need for Mom to be such a basket case.
LH: 那倒是，你妈妈没有必要那么紧张。我刚来美国的时候，也是个basket case。我那时好紧张，因为我的英语还不是很好，我担心听不懂别人讲的话而犯错误。
LL: That‘s pretty normal. How about now? Are you still a basket case? Or have you adjusted to life in the
LH: 嗯，现在我只有在考试的时候才会紧张。每学期总是有一个礼拜，我会紧张得睡不着，吃不下。
LL: I didn‘t realize that exams turned you into such a basket case. Why do you worry so much when you always get good grades?
LH: 我也不知道为什么我那么在乎考试成绩。但我也没办法控制，只要考试一来，我就马上成了个basket case。我想我大概是对自己信心不足吧！
LL: Well, next time you feel yourself turning into a basket case, let me know and I‘ll make you learn to be relaxed.
今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是gang up on someone, 就是合伙对付某个人的意思。另一个常用语是basket case, 是指一个人很紧张，很担心。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa136.txt
流行美语第136课
李华和Larry到商店买东西。李华看到巧克力正在减价出售，所以买了一大堆。今天李华会学到两个常用语：chocoholic和fix.
LL: Whoa, Li Hua. I didn‘t know you were such a chocoholic. How are you going to eat all of that?
LH: 我看这巧克力多便宜呀！我当然得多买一些喽！哎，你刚才说我是chocoholic, 那是什么意思，是不是说我很爱吃巧克力？
LL: A chocoholic is someone who likes chocolate so much that they are practically addicted to it.
LH: 噢，chocoholic还真的是指特爱吃巧克力的人，可是我还没有到上瘾的地步。Larry，喝酒成瘾的人在英文里就是alcoholic。那chocoholic是不是跟alcoholic一样严重呀？
LL: Don‘t worry. Being a chocoholic isn‘t as serious as being an alcoholic. All you have to worry about is getting fat from eating so much candy.
LH: 我确实是很爱吃巧克力，你要说我是chocoholic也没关系。不过我不会因为吃巧克力而发胖，因为我挺能控制自己，一天只吃一、两块。
LL: I suppose that‘s reasonable. My mom is a real chocoholic, too. It‘s easy to buy her a birthday present or a mother‘s day present - I just buy her a box of chocolates.
LH: 原来你妈妈也爱吃巧克力。这样看来，好像大多数喜欢吃巧克力的人都是女的。你们男孩难道不喜欢巧克力吗？
LL: Personally, I love chocolate, but I know a lot of guys who don‘t like it very much. I don‘t know why chocolate seems to be more popular among girls.
LH: 嗯，我也搞不清楚为什么女孩子要比男孩子更喜欢巧克力。这样吧！我们可以做个调查，看看每个人每天吃多少巧克力，说不定能找出答案呢！
******
LL: Hey, Li Hua, have you had your daily chocolate fix yet?
LH: Chocolate fix? Fix是修理的意思，修理巧克力？Larry，你在说什么啊？
LL: To get a "fix" is to get a portion of something that you‘re addicted to and thereby relieve your craving. You‘re a chocoholic, so you need a chocolate fix once in a while.
LH: 噢，Fix在这里不是修理的意思。你是指我每天都要吃巧克力，今天有没有吃了巧克力，过了隐。那Larry，我知道你喜欢喝咖啡，我是不是能说每天早上你都需要a caffeine fix?
LL: That‘s exactly right. Once in a while, I need a chocolate fix, too. I don‘t know why, but sometimes I really crave chocolate.
LH: 你有的时候也爱吃巧克力啊？这么说你和我一样，都是chocoholic喽？
LL: I don‘t need to have chocolate every day, but I am guilty of needing an occasional chocolate fix.
LH: 哎哟！原来你只是偶尔想吃巧克力。对了，回答你刚才的问题，我今天还没有过我的chocolate隐呢！
LL: Okay, then I have a suggestion. Let‘s go to Starbucks and get coffee and chocolate chip cookies.
LH: 好主意。到星吧克咖啡馆去喝咖啡，还吃带巧克力的点心。这样你和我都可以解馋了！
LL: We‘ll be getting a sugar fix at the same time, too. It‘s a brilliant plan!
LH: 等等，什么又是sugar fix?
LL: Well, some people crave sweet things in general, so they need a sugar fix. In addition, sugar gives you an extra boost of energy.
LH: 没错，有的人每天都得吃甜的东西，不吃就好象少了什么似的。你说糖还有提神的作用？这我倒是不知道。既然如此，那好吧，快去咖啡馆喽！
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是chocoholic,是形容一个人爱吃巧克力到了成瘾的地步。另一个常用语是fix。在这里是名词，就是吃自己特别爱吃的东西，过过隐。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa137.txt
流行美语第137课
Larry陪李华带着她新领养的猫咪-小雪球-去看兽医。两人聊起了一位共同的朋友。今天李华会学到两个常用语：workaholic和nutty.
LL: I‘m really worried about Bob. He seems as though he has turned into a real workaholic.
LH: 你很担心Bob，因为他成了workaholic. Workaholic, 那是什么意思？是不是Bob生病了？
LL: No, Bob doesn‘t have a disease. He‘s a workaholic. A workaholic is someone who works all of the time and never takes time for anything else.
LH: 啊，我懂你的意思了。Workaholic是指一个人工作过度，从来不休息。就是“工作狂”的意思嘛！Bob天天加班，怪不得他看起来总是那么累。这样对身体很不好呢！
LL: No, it‘s not. Workaholics often get stress-related problems such as high blood pressure or ulcers.
LH: 就是，高血压和溃疡都是一些工作过度的人常有的毛病。我爸爸就是个工作狂。我小的时候很少见到他，因为他总是在办公室里加班。结果在我10岁的时候，他得了溃疡，医生要他立刻减少工作量。
LL: That‘s a shame, but it‘s actually pretty common. I‘ve known a few workaholics, too.
LH: 现代人工作忙碌，变成工作狂是很常见的。哎，Larry也许我们应该和Bob谈谈，让他知道我们很担心他。
LL: I don‘t know how he‘ll respond to that. Maybe it would be better if we just pressured him to hang out with us and relax more.
LH: 这倒是个好主意，让他和我们一起出去玩，一定可以放松心情的！ 要不这样吧！我们可以邀请Bob下星期到我家玩，顺便看看我的小雪球！
LL: I don‘t know if meeting your crazy cat is going to help prevent Bob from becoming a workaholic, but at least it will get him out of the office for a while.
LH: 嘿！我的小雪球才不疯呢！她只不过是只小猫咪，爱玩而已嘛！
******
LL: Well, did the vet officially diagnose your cat as being totally nutty?
LH: Nutty? 那是什么意思。你该不是在说我的小雪球有什么行为方面的问题吧？
LL: You could say that. Nutty means crazy.
LH: 所以nutty就是疯疯颠颠的意思。哎，我跟你说过了，小雪球不疯。她只是比较好动。
LL: Did the vet agree with you?
LH: 当然喽！兽医还说，小雪球既不疯，也没有心理问题。她只是一只小猫，所以特别需要别人注意她。兽医还说我应该经常陪小雪球玩。
LL: Oh, I see, she‘s so nutty because she has too much extra energy. If we play with her and tire her out, she‘ll be calmer.
LH: 没错，只要我们多陪陪她，消耗她的体力，她就不会精力旺盛地动来动去。所以我打算用绳子做一些小玩具，每天至少陪她玩15分钟。
LL: Hey, that actually sounds fun. Can I help?
LH: 当然喽！但是你得先答应我，不可以再叫她是个小疯子，或是nutty了。这样我才让你和她玩。可以吗？
LL: All right, I won‘t make fun of your nutty cat anymore.
LH: Larry! 你怎么又这么说她啊！
LL: I‘m just kidding. I think it‘s funny that you get so offended when I call Snowball nutty.
LH: 我当然要生气咯！小雪球是只很乖的小猫。我真的很喜欢她。所以你不可以这样嘲笑她。
LL: Okay, I won‘t. Let‘s take her home and play with her now. I‘m sure she doesn‘t want to stay here any longer.
今天李华学到两个常用语，一个是workaholic,指的是一个人工作过度，不休息，也就是我们常说的：工作狂。另一个常用语是nutty，是指行为疯疯颠颠的，不太正常。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa138.txt
流行美语第138课
Larry和李华正在电影院外面等朋友。电影都快开场了，可是朋友还没到。Larry决定用手机给这个朋友打电话。今天李华会学到两个常用语：juice和nuke.
LL: Darn! My cell phone is out of juice. Can I use your cell phone to call Bob and Lisa and find out why they‘re late?
LH: 你的手机怎么啦？Out of juice, juice是果汁。哎噢！该不是你的电话掉到果汁里啦？难怪不能用啦！
LL: No, my cell phone is out of juice. "Juice" is slang for "power". I meant that the battery in my phone is out of power.
LH: 噢，原来juice在这里是指电池里的电啊！所以out of juice就是没电的意思。既然你的手机没电了，你可以用我的，我昨晚才充过电，so it has plenty of juice.
LL: That‘s fortunate. At least one of us has a functioning phone.
LH: 对了，Larry你前些天不是说你的车有毛病吗？现在怎样啦？
LL: Yes, my car wouldn‘t start because the battery was out of juice. I had to go to the mechanic and get a new battery.
LH: 原来是车子里的电池也没电啦！看来这juice还真少不了，否则什么也干不了。昨天，我的激光唱机没有电。噢，没有juice了，偏偏我又找不到电池，害得我什么也听不了。
LL: Yeah, I hate it when that happens, too. The other day, I was in the middle of typing a report on my laptop, when the battery ran out of juice. I almost lost the whole report.
LH: 哇，你可得特别小心电脑的电池呢。如果电脑没电了，你输入的报告还有档案都可能会泡汤。那可就严重了！
LL: I know! I‘ve had some awful experiences with that. Fortunately, now computer companies are making laptops with batteries that hold more juice.
LH: 就是，现在的电脑用的都是容量比较大的电池，所以打到一半没电的情况比较少了。Larry, 你还是快点儿给他们打电话吧！电影很快就要开始了。
******
LH: 我真不敢相信Lisa和Bob居然说好了会不来。太糟糕了！
LL: Yeah, I agree. Do you still want to go out to dinner? Or do you want to nuke the pizza that‘s in my fridge and eat that?
LH: "Nuke a pizza"? "Nuke"是nuclear核能的简称。哎，Larry，你准备怎么吃那块比萨饼呀？
LL: Oh, to nuke something is slang for cooking it in the microwave.
LH: 噢，你真吓了我一跳呢！原来to nuke是把东西放进微波炉里加热啊！所以你是说你想把冰箱里那块pizza热来当晚饭吃。
LL: Well, it would save some money. I also have some frozen dinners we could nuke. It would be faster than going to a restaurant.
LH: 嗯，吃冷冻食品是比去餐馆吃饭是比较快，又便宜，可是我觉得冷冻食品不好吃耶！吃东西还是要吃新鲜的好！
LL: My cousin won‘t eat food that‘s been nuked at all. She thinks that using a microwave is unhealthy.
LH: 真的吗？你表妹说微波过的食物都不健康。那微波食物真的对身体有害啊？
LL: I don‘t know and I don‘t want to know. Nuking food is so convenient and quick that I really don‘t want to give it up.
LH: 我知道，微波食物既方便又快速。有时候我实在太忙，没时间做饭，我也是用微波炉来热剩菜剩饭。
LL: I hardly ever have time to cook an entire meal. I‘m also not a very good cook, so I would probably starve without a microwave.
LL：好多男生都不会做饭，也没有兴趣。我看没有微波炉是要饿死的。
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是juice，也就是电源，电力的意思。 另一个常用语是nuke，是用微波炉加热的意思。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa139.txt
流行美语第139课
Larry到李华住的地方，去看她新领养的猫咪小雪球。今天李华会学到两个常用语：mental和pro.
LL: Snowball is adorable! She‘s so little and fluffy!
LH: 就是啊，我的猫咪小雪球是很可爱，可它也够疯的。你看看它把我的家具抓成什么样了！
LL: Oh, don‘t worry. Your cat isn‘t mental. All cats love to scratch furniture. You just need to give her a scratching post to scratch instead.
LH: 你是说有办法让小雪球不再抓我的家具？噢！谢天谢地。我明天马上去买你说的那种专门让猫抓的柱子。不然，我的家具都要完蛋了。对了，你刚才说小雪球不是mental,那是什么意思啊？
LL: To be "mental" means to be crazy.
LH: Mental就是发疯，疯狂的意思。所以你觉得小雪球很正常，一点也不疯啊？
LL: She‘s just being a kitten. You need to get her a scratching post. She also might be doing this because she‘s lonely when you‘re gone.
LH: Larry, 看不出来你对猫还有一套呢！你说小雪球太孤单了，才会到处抓，你该不是要我再领养一只猫和它做伴吧？你要真是那么想，那你可真的是mental，疯了！
LL: Well, maybe you could adopt an older cat that‘s a little calmer.
LH: 再领养一只大猫？你出什么馊主意呀！我绝对应付不了两只猫。那样，我会被逼疯的，成了mental。
LL: Okay, well then try getting her something to scratch. You should cut her claws, too.
LH: 对呀！我前天是要给小雪球剪指甲，可它像疯子一样，一直叫，一直抓我，最后还躲到床底下。
LL: Hmmm....maybe you need some professional help. When you take her to the vet to get her shots, then the vet can help you cut her claws.
LH: 我也希望兽医能帮忙。我真不知道怎么帮猫剪指甲。不过我怕小雪球到时候发疯抓人，连兽医都会受不了。
LL: Don‘t worry, I‘m sure the vet sees mental cats all day long.
******
LH: 小雪球现在好多了。我带它看过兽医，也找了几本有关养猫的书。我现在比较懂得怎么照顾它了。
LL: See, you‘re already becoming a pro. Pretty soon, you‘ll be able to handle a whole house full of cats.
LH: 哎哟！一只猫已经够我头疼的了，一屋子的猫？甭提了！你刚才说我可以变成pro, 那又是什么意思？
LL: Pro is short for "professional." If you say someone is a pro, it means that she is really good at something.
LH: 原来，pro就是专业的意思。嗯，我还不敢说自己在这方面很专业啦！
LL: That‘s understandable. You can‘t become a pro overnight. It takes time and practice.
LH: 当然喽！要当专业人员可不是一天一夜的事，需要花很多时间来实践，积累经验。
LL: Hey, I‘m sure that Yao Ming got frustrated once in a while when he was training to become a pro basketball player.
LH: 姚明在训练过程中还会烦恼？ 他根本不用练球，他是一个“天生的”篮球好手！
LL: Hey, even naturally talented people have to work hard to become a pro.
LH: 嗯，我从小就梦想成为职业排球运动员。能够在沙滩上打排球一定是件很过瘾的事！
LL: I‘m sure it‘s not as much fun as it seems. Pro sports players have to work hard and they travel a lot. There‘s a lot of pressure on them to perform well.
LH: 是没有象我们想像的那样好玩。训练是很辛苦的，还要到处旅行，压力好大。可是，这些职业选手能赚大钱。那些美式足球和篮球明星，年薪都上百万呢！
LL: Don‘t you wish you‘d get that much money for being a pro at caring for Snowball?
LH: 唉！专业管理宠物有什么好处？唯一的报酬就是有一只快乐健康的猫！
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是mental,是指发疯，疯狂的意思。另一个常用语pro是指专业人员。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa140.txt
流行美语第140课
Larry和李华两人正开着车，准备到乡下的一个农场去骑马。今天李华会学到两个常用语：boonies和country bumpkin.
(Car driving on country road)
LH: Larry，我们要去的那个农场到底还有多远啊？
LL: Unfortunately, it‘s way out in the boonies. It will take at least two hours to get there.
LH: 两个小时？我的天啊！还要那么久啊？我在车上已经坐的腰酸背痛了。对了，你说这个农场在boonies, 那是一个小镇的名字吗？
LL: No, "boonies" is a slang term for any place that is very far from any major city or town.
LH: 噢，boonies就是指离城市很远的乡下地方，也就是很偏僻的地方，我们中文里说那些地方是“前不着村，后不搭店”。
LL: This farm is in the boonies, but I‘ve heard that it‘s very beautiful and that they have really nice horses.
LH: 哇，那儿风景很好，还有很好的马，真是太棒了！要到这样的地方去，车开多远都无所谓！
LL: Yeah, I‘m kind of excited about going horseback riding, too.
LH: 嘿，说真的，Larry，幸好我给我们两个人准备了午餐，要不你想，在那种地方 - in the boonies - 大概连麦当劳都没有噢！
LL: I‘m not sure that‘s such a bad thing, Li Hua.
LH: 我知道，像麦当劳这种快餐店的东西还是少吃为妙。不过我的意思是，在那么偏僻的地方恐怕很难找到吃午饭的餐馆吧。嘿！Larry，你看，那片田野好美噢！
LL: Yes, it is. It‘s really nice to get out of the city once in a while. I especially like driving on country roads. There‘s hardly any traffic out in the boonies.
LH: 就是啊！在乡下开车，既能欣赏景色，享受新鲜的空气，又不必担心塞车。我已经好一会儿没看到其他车了。偶然出一次城真让人心情开朗。
******
LH: Larry, 你觉不觉得那个在农场工作的女孩和城市女孩很不一样？她的穿着很朴素，脸上也没有化装，一点都没有特意打扮的样子。
LL: Yeah, she was definitely a country bumpkin. Were you able to understand her? She had a bit of a country accent.
LH: 嗯，我是有点听不太懂她说的话；她有一点乡村口音。你说她是个country bumpkin，那是什么意思?
LL: A country bumpkin is someone who is from the countryside. The term usually refers to someone who is relatively simple and unsophisticated.
LH: Bumpkin就是生活在农村那些很纯朴的人。那Larry，你有没有在城市里碰过从农村来的人？
LL: Sometimes. The other day, there was a guy on the subway who was such a country bumpkin that he couldn‘t figure out how to buy a ticket. He said that he‘d never been on a subway before!
LH: 那人又没有乘过地铁，第一次当然不知道怎么买地铁票喽！我刚来美国的时候，我也不知道怎么买地铁票啊！
LL: That‘s true. Hey, Li Hua, do you know any country bumpkins?
LH: 我有一个住在乡下的表姐。她和我那些住在大都市里的亲戚很不一样。我想她应该算是个country bumpkin吧！
LL: I have an uncle who owns a farm in
LH: 我还不知道你有个叔叔在爱达荷州。他还有个农场，真有意思！说不定，下回我们可以去你叔叔那儿玩，过过农村生活，做个country bumpkin!
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是boonies,指的是离都市很远的农村。另一个常用语是：country bumpkin 是形容生活在农村的那些很纯朴的人。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa141.txt
流行美语第141课
Larry的妹妹要来找他，所以李华到Larry的公寓去帮他打扫清洁。今天李华会学到两个常用语tomboy和chicken.
LH: Larry, 这是我第一次要见到你妹妹。我特别兴奋呢！你妹妹到底是个什么样的人啊？
LL: Well, I don‘t know if you and my sister will have much in common. My sister is kind of a tomboy.
LH: 你妹妹是什么？Tomboy?那是什么意思？Boy是男孩耶，你妹妹怎么成了个boy?
LL: No, a tomboy is a girl who acts more like a boy. My sister is more interested in sports and cars than fashion or movie stars.
LH: 噢，tomboy就是一个行为举止像男孩的女生。你妹妹喜欢运动和汽车，这有什么不对？谁规定女孩子就一定要喜欢衣服和化妆品的？我也喜欢运动和汽车啊！
LL: Oh, no. I don‘t want to get in a feminist debate. I‘m just saying that many people might think that my sister is not very feminine.
LH: 啊？很多人都觉得你妹妹不够女人味啊？那我和你妹妹一定可以合得来的，因为我小时候也是个tomboy。我喜欢爬树，打球，有一次还跟一个男孩打架呢！
LL: You? A tomboy? You‘re kidding, right? You always wear dresses and you act very feminine. I don‘t believe it.
LH: 是真的！我小时候我妈妈总是要逼我穿裙子。还有啊！我都是和街坊邻居的男孩子玩，因为其他的女孩都觉得我像个男孩！
LL: I guess you really were a tomboy. You must have changed a lot.
LH: 其实我也没有改变很多啊！你看，我现在还是很喜欢打球运动，而且我最好的朋友还是个男的呢！
LL: Really? Who‘s your best friend?
LH: Larry! 你可别装傻哟！你知道你就是我最好的朋友！
LL: That‘s really sweet, Li Hua. I‘m honored to be your best friend, even if you are a tomboy! (laughing)
LH: 好了啦！你就别再这样逗我了！
******
LL: Hey, Li Hua, my sister and I are going rock climbing tomorrow. Do you want to come with us?
LH: 什么？爬岩石？ 那不是很危险吗？
LL: Come on. Don‘t be a chicken. It‘s perfectly safe and it‘ll be a lot of fun.
LH: A chicken? Chicken是鸡的意思。我不想去爬岩石，这和鸡有什么关系？
LL: Oh, chicken is slang for wimp or coward. You don‘t have to come with us if you‘re too much of a chicken.
LH: 原来你是在笑我胆小啊？Chicken就是指胆小，懦弱的人。哼！我才不是胆小鬼呢。我一点儿也不害怕爬岩石，我只不过是比较小心而已嘛！
LL: Well, if you‘re not a chicken, then you‘re welcome to come with us. We‘re leaving at 8:30 tomorrow morning.
LH: 好，为了证明我不是胆小鬼， 不是一个chicken，明天早上8点半我一定到！那，你们是不是工具都准备齐全了？
LL: Yes, my sister brought all of our equipment from home, so we‘ll all be perfectly safe. You don‘t have to worry at all.
LH: 你别再拐弯抹角地说我胆小了！你啊才是个胆小鬼呢！你不是最怕坐云霄飞车吗？
LL: That‘s different! People can get killed on those things if something goes wrong!
LH: 是啊！云霄飞车如果出状况，是会摔死人的。那难道攀岩石就不会出意外啊？
LL: All right, you made your point. I won‘t call you a chicken again. I‘ll see you tomorrow morning at 8:30, okay?
LH: 没问题。明天见！
今天李华学到两个常用语，第一个是tomboy，形容一个性格象男孩的女孩。另一个常用语是chicken，是指一个胆小懦弱的人。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa142.txt
流行美语第142课
Larry和李华正走在公园里，两人准备穿过公园到地铁站去。今天李华会学到两个常用语：gooey和retro.
LL: Oh no! I just stepped in something gooey! Gross!
LH: 怎么啦！Larry！你踩到什么啦？gooey是什么？该不是鸟粪吧？
LL: Something that is gooey is sticky and wet like glue or chewing gum. As a matter of fact, I think that the gooey thing I stepped in is actually chewing gum.
LH: 呃，你踩到口香糖啦！口香糖又湿又黏的，真是够恶心的！原来gooey就是指这种东西。我最讨厌那些人把吃过的口香糖随便吐在地上。真没有公德。
LL: I hate it, too, especially because gooey things like chewing gum are really hard to clean up. Now, I‘m going to have to walk around with a gooey pink spot on the bottom of my shoe.
LH: 就是啊。这些黏呼呼的口香糖一旦沾上了，是很难洗掉的。也许你可以等到晚上口香糖干掉后，可能会比较容易从鞋底掰下来。
LL: That‘s a good idea. I‘ll try and peel it off later tonight.
LH: Laryy, 你就别再发火了。想一想，口香糖沾上鞋底，总比沾上头发要好一些吧？
LL: I can imagine. Has that ever happened to you?
LH: 嗯，是有那么一次。我还在念小学的时候，班上的一个男孩把一瓶胶水倒在我头上，黏呼呼的胶水把我头发全沾上了。我妈妈花了好几个小时才把我的头发洗干净呢！
LL: That‘s awful! You must have been so upset!
LH: 就是啊！我哭了好久。第二天我也拿了一大罐黏稠的水彩倒在那个男孩的衣服上作为报复。谁要他先倒胶水在我头发上！
LL: That‘s terrible, Li Hua!
LH: 我也知道这样做是不对的。可是你知道吗？那个男孩再也没敢欺负我了！
******
LH: Larry, 我喜欢你这双新鞋。真好看！
LL: Thanks! I bought them to replace the shoes that were all gooey from the gum I stepped in. I liked these because they are kind of retro.
LH: Retro? 那是什么意思啊？
LL: Retro means similar to something from the past. These shoes are retro because they look like the shoes people used to wear in the 1950s.
LH: 噢，retro是指那些与过去流行的东西很类似，那不就是“仿古”的意思吗？我也注意到，一些仿古的衣服或饰品通常都有特殊的风格。
LL: Yeah, some people even go to special stores to buy actual vintage clothes that are twenty or thirty years old.
LH: 哇！到特殊的商店去买二，三十年前的衣服啊！我虽然喜欢仿古风味的衣服，可是我还真不明白为什么有人会花钱买一件20年前的旧衣服。
LL: I don‘t understand it, either. I prefer to buy a new shirt that looks old-fashioned instead of one that actually is old.
LH: 当然了！我也宁可买式样是仿古的新衣服。我才不要花大钱去买那些古董衣服呢。
LL: Some car manufacturers are making retro cars now, too. Chrysler makes a couple of cars that look like cars from the 1940s.
LH: 对，我也见过克莱斯勒出的那种汽车。式样象四十年代的车。真的很酷！
LL: Yeah, I like them too, but in this case, I actually prefer real vintage cars. A retro new car just isn‘t the same as a real classic car.
LH: 你宁可买几十年前的老车呀？式样仿古的新车跟老车有什么不一样哪？是结构，还是材料不一样？
LL: It‘s hard to explain, but sometimes nothing compares to the real thing.
LH：衣服嘛要买老款式的新衣服。汽车嘛要买真正的老车。Larry，你真怪！
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是gooey，是形容那种湿乎乎，又很黏的东西。另一个常用语是retro，就是仿古，或复古的意思。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa143.txt
流行美语第143课
Larry和李华正在讨论暑假期间做什么。李华建议邀请一些朋友一块儿去露营。今天李华会学到两个常用语：long shot和the buzz.
LH：Larry，我们要不要叫Dave和Laura跟我们一起去露营呀？
LL: Well, it‘s a long shot, Dave and Laura probably already have something planned.
LH: 那倒也是，他们可能已经计划好了暑期活动。不过，这跟long shot有什么关系哪？ Shot是射击。我邀他们去露营，不是去打猎......
LL：No, there‘s nothing to do with shooting!
LH：等等，我知道了。你的意思是，他们已经有计划了，所以不太可能和我们去露营，long shot就是不太可能，是不是？
LL: That‘s exactly what it means. A "long shot" is something that is not likely to happen or there is only a small possibility of success.
LH: 你看，我猜对了吧！ Long shot是指不太可能的事。要不我们可以加入他们的活动啊？
LL: That‘s a long shot, too, because it‘s probably too late to make the necessary airplane or hotel reservations.
LH: 是吗？现在已经不太可能订到机票和旅馆啦？那...还有什么是可能的，而不是long shot呢？
LL: We could spend the vacation with my family at my parent‘s lake house. I‘m pretty sure that my parents would be happy to join us there.
LH: 哇！到你爸妈的湖边别墅去度假，还能见到你爸爸妈妈。那真是太好了。Larry，你怎么没早点想到这个好计划嘛？
LL: Well, I thought it was a long shot that you‘d be willing to spend your vacation with my family. My parents sometimes could be boring.
LH: 怎么会呢？我很喜欢你爸爸妈妈。他们很和善，也很风趣。你妹妹也是个很有意思的人。我想我们会玩得很开心的。
LL: It‘s a long shot that my sister will come home to spend the vacation. She said she‘s going to
LH: 噢，她要去欧洲呀？我也很想去，但是现在没钱。Larry，暑假去你们家，我们会不会到湖里游泳啊？我要不要带游泳衣呀？
LL: You should definitely bring a bathing suit.
LH: 那么，要不要带件毛衣呀？
LL：You could, but it‘s a long shot that you‘ll need it.
******
LH: Larry，你准备好了吗？我们该出发了！
LL: Yep. I‘m all packed. I decided to bring some new movies with us to watch, too, including a new horror movie. The buzz is that it‘s really scary.
LH: 你还带了电影哪？太好了，不过我可不爱看恐怖电影。对了，Larry，你刚才说，the buzz is...，什么是the buzz？
LL: Buzz is slang for what people are saying about a particular topic, person, or thing, not necessarily bad.
LH: 噢，buzz就是指大家谈论的话题，所以你的意思是大家都在说这部电影很可怕，是不是？
LL: Right. I brought that new Tom Cruise movie, too, because I know you‘ve been wanting to see it.
LH: 真的，你还带来了Tom Cruise最新的电影。Larry,谢谢你！最近大家都在谈论，那就是： The buzz is Tom Cruise又有新女朋友了。
LL: I really don‘t pay any attention to the buzz about celebrities‘ personal lives. I‘m just not interested in it.
LH: 我对关于名人的传说通常也不太感兴趣。但是，Tom Cruise是我喜欢的电影明星，所以有关他的事，我是比较注意的。
LL: Oh well, all the buzz in the media about their personal lives probably didn‘t help their marriage that much.
LH: 没错，那些媒体的报道对他们的婚姻不但没有什么好处，甚至还可能间接地破坏了他们的婚姻呢！
LL: That‘s right!
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是long shot,是形容某件事不太可能发生，机会不大。另一个常用语是the buzz，是指大家对某人或某事的谈论。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa144.txt
流行美语第144课
李华到Larry住的地方去送一本书，发现鱼缸里的金鱼不见了。今天李华会学到两个常用语：bite the dust和funky.
LH: 哎，Larry，你的金鱼到哪儿去了?
LL: Oh, he bit the dust yesterday. I found him floating in the tank. I‘m really bummed out about it.
LH: 你的金鱼怎么了？Bit the dust? Bit是bite的过去时。意思是：咬； 那dust是尘土的意思。咬尘土？ 噢，你是说你的鱼死啦？
LL: That‘s right! That fish was a few years old, so I think he might have just died of old age.
LH: 那只鱼在你这儿好几年啦？怪不得你显得闷闷不乐！Larry，要不要我陪你再去买条金鱼？
LL: I‘m thinking about going to buy a new fish today, but I want to clean out the tank first. I don‘t want the new fish to bite the dust, too.
LH: 没错，买新的鱼以前最好把鱼缸打扫干净，不然新的鱼也可能会死掉的。
LL: It‘s possible. I really don‘t want to take any chances.
LH: 对，一条鱼价钱也不便宜，可别冒风险。对了，Larry，你知道吗？John的奶奶几天前去世了，那我是不是能说：she bit the dust the other day。
LL: Wait a second, Li Hua, I don‘t think you want to say that your friend‘s grandma bit the dust. It‘s not very polite or respectful.
LH: 噢，bite the dust这个说法用在人的身上是不礼貌的！那我还真是得小心。
LL: It‘s okay to say my fish bit the dust or some bad guy in a movie bit the dust, but you probably don‘t want to say that about your friend‘s family member.
LH: 嗯，我懂了。To bite the dust可以指鱼，可以指电影里的坏蛋，可是千万不要在朋友的家人去世的时候用这个说法。
LL: You‘ve got it! Now let‘s go buy a fish.
******
LH: Larry, 你为什么不买那条鱼？它的鳍好大而且颜色好漂亮！我从来没见过色彩这么鲜艳的鱼呢！
LL: Yeah, he is kind of funky. I don‘t think I‘ve ever seen another fish like that either.
LH: 等等，什么是funky? 是不是很酷的意思?
LL: Funky has several meanings, but in this case, it means cool, unique, and unusual.
LH: 噢，在这里，funky就是指很酷、很独特的意思。没错，这条鱼真的很特别。这鱼放在你的鱼缸里一定很漂亮！
LL: Hold on, that funky little fish is pretty expensive. Why don‘t we get a cheap little goldfish instead?
LH: 小的金鱼是便宜点，可是颜色就没有这么特别了啊！
LL: I happen to like goldfish. I can buy one of those goldfish with the funky bubbles behind its eyes.
LH: 你是说那条眼睛后面长两个大球的金鱼呀？我还是喜欢那条很漂亮的鱼，那条funky fish。
LL: Well, I appreciate your opinion, but this is going to be my fish.
LH: 那也是，别听我的。这是你的鱼，你得天天看的。Larry，你看，那边那个人穿的衣服真是与众不同。我觉得很怪，是不是也很funky？
LL: Yeah, he definitely has his own sense of style. It looks as though he‘s here to buy a fish, too.
LH: 对，每个人都有自己穿衣服的风格。说不定他会买那条很漂亮的鱼！
LL: That‘s a possibility. Now, come on, forget about that fish and help me pick out a goldfish, the funkier the better.
今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是bite the dust, 就是死掉的意思，不过通常不用在人身上，因为那样说不太礼貌。另一个常用语是funky。意思是很酷、很独特。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa145.txt
流行美语第145课
Larry在帮李华写一篇报告，因为李华的电脑出了问题，她写的整个报告都丢了。今天李华会学到两个常用语：back to square one和killer.
LH: 电脑出了问题，我写的东西全没了！真糟糕，现在我得从头开始写了！
LL: I‘m sorry, Li Hua. It‘s a real bummer, but I guess we‘re back to square one.
LH: Larry，我急都快急死了，你还在做什么游戏，什么方块一，方块二的。方块和我写报告有什么关系？
LL: Oh, when you‘re back to square one it means that you are back where you started and you have to start all over again.
LH: 噢，原来back to square one就是回到开头的地方，一切都得从头来起。唉，看来我也只能这么做了。
LL: You must remember some of what you wrote. You can start by writing that down before you forget it.
LH: 我脑子里是记得一些我写的东西。先把我记得的部份写下来。这倒是个好主意，这样总比一切从头开始要好一些。
LL: Don‘t feel so bad, Li Hua. It could be worse. My uncle spent years working on a novel. But a computer virus destroyed his computer and the backup disk. He was back to square one.
LH: 我的天啊！你叔叔比我更惨，写了多年的小说就这样没了。要是我的话，我可能就会放弃了。
LL: But my uncle said he‘s going to rewrite the novel despite the fact he had to start from square one.
LH: 你叔叔真有毅力呀！嗯，Larry，你有没有闻到一股烧焦味？
LL: Oh no! I forgot about the pizza in the oven. It‘s burning! Li Hua, I‘m so sorry. I‘m afraid that we‘re back to square one with dinner, too
LH: 不得了，比撒饼在烤箱里都忘了。哎呀，你看，都烤焦了。看来我们得重新打电话订比萨饼了。
LL: That‘s a good idea because this one is completely burned.
******
LL: Let‘s watch TV while we‘re eating. The Simpsons are on. I love watching The Simpsons; it‘s such a killer show.
LH: 哎哟，Larry，你有没有搞错啊？“辛普森家族”是个卡通节目，很好玩的。哪是什么杀人行凶的节目呢？
LL: No, I don‘t mean "killer" as in deadly. I mean killer as in awesome or really cool.
LH: 噢，原来这里的killer不是杀人，而是指某样东西很棒，很酷。我也觉得“辛普森家族”是个很棒，很好笑的节目。
LL: This is killer pizza, too. I‘ll have to remember to order pizza from the same restaurant next time.
LH: 对，这比萨饼真好吃。没错，下回再到这个饭馆去订。 Larry，我已经看过这一集“辛普森家族”了，这一集真的很好笑。
LL: Yeah, you‘re right, this is a killer episode. I can watch it over and over again and never get tired of it.
LH: 这一集我也看了好几遍了，但是还没有看厌。Larry，我觉得另外一个电视连续剧也可以算得上是个killer show。
LL: What show?
LH: 那个描写6个年轻男女在纽约市的“六人行”节目。那是我最喜欢的电视节目之一，每次播那个节目，我绝对不会错过！
LL: There are probably several million people who agree with you. That is a killer show, and one of the most popular TV shows in history.
LH: 许多人都同意我的观点！ 那是美国电视节目有史以来最红的节目之一。这么说，你同意我的判断噜？
LL: I think the show could be better, but Jennifer Aniston has killer legs.
LH: 啊！原来你的注意力全在女主角的一双漂亮的腿上呀？
LL: It‘s not the only reason, but she does have killer legs.
今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是back to square one, 是指一切从头来过。另一个常用语是killer。这是形容某样东西或某件事很棒，很酷。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa146.txt
流行美语第146课
李华和Larry正在超级市场买菜。今天李华会学到两个常用语：smack-dab和ring a bell.
(Ambience sound in supermarket)
LH: Larry, 你在笑什么啊？
LL: Didn‘t you see that lady walk smack-dab into the fruit display? She knocked all of the oranges over. What a mess!
LH: 哎哟，那位太太把那水果摊撞翻了。真是的，你看，地上到处都是桔子。她是怎么回事呀？你说她什么来着？
LL: I said that she walk smack-dab into the fruit display. Smack-dab means exactly or right. That means she walked right into the fruit display.
LH: 噢，smack-dab是很精确，很准确的意思。你刚才是说，她一直对着那个水果摊走过去，结果把水果摊撞倒了。幸好她只是撞翻了一些水果，而不是撞到什么有危险性的东西。
LL: Yeah, luckily the fruit display doesn‘t have any sharp edges. Once my friend walked smack-dab into a glass door and broke her nose.
LH: 我的天啊！你的朋友撞上一扇玻璃门，还把鼻子都撞伤了？难道他没看到那扇门吗？怎么可能撞上去呢？
LL: Well, the door was really clean and it was in the evening, so she just didn‘t see the glass there.
LH: 那倒是可能的，玻璃门擦得很干净，而且又是晚上。你那朋友当时一定觉得很尴尬吧？
LL: Oh, she was humiliated.
LH: 要是我的话，我也会很不好意思的。
LL： Hey, Li Hua, what‘s that on your sweater?
LH：怎么啦？我毛衣上有什么？
LL: Well, I just noticed that you have a brown spot smack-dab in the middle of your sweater.
LH: 什么？我毛衣上有一块咖啡色的脏东西？哎呀！肯定是我早上吃巧克力时滴在衣服上的。你说的对，这还恰恰在我毛衣的正中间。
LL: Oh, it‘s not that bad. You can change into another sweater when you get home.
******
LL: Hey, Li Hua, does the name "Laura Wilson" ring any bells for you?
LH：Laura Wilson？不是那个上星期我们在网球场上碰到的那个金发女孩嘛？她为什么要为我打铃呀？她和打铃有什么关系？
LL：Oh, no! If someone asks you if something "rings a bell," then he is asking if you remember it. I just got a phone message from Laura Wilson and I can‘t remember who she is.
LH: Larry， 你年纪轻轻，怎么那么健忘！Laura Wilson上星期在网球场上还跟我们说她准备去当职业网球手。
LL: Oh, now I remember who she is. Once you mentioned her plan to be a professional tennis player, then her name rang a bell with me.
LH: Larry, to ring a bell这个说法很有意思。你刚才问我，Laura的名字有没有ring a bell，就是在问我记不记得Laura。那也就是说，要是我记得的话，那我脑子里就会个铃声。
LL: It‘s a very vivid expression and easy to remember. Right?
LH: 对，我们和她说好下个周末一起打网球，你还记得吗？Does that ring a bell?
LL: Yeah, that rings a bell. What time were we supposed to meet her?
LH: 我记得我们约好了下午4点种在网球场碰面的。
LL: That rings a bell, too. I had better write that down so that I don‘t forget again.
LH: Larry, 这个星期五是2月11号，怎么样，那是什么日子啊？Does that ring a bell?
LL: It rings a bell, but I‘m not sure why. Could you refresh my memory?
LH: Larry! 我真不敢相信你居然忘记了！
LL: I‘m just kidding, Li Hua. Of course, I remember that Friday is your birthday.
今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是smack-dab，意思就是不偏不歪、恰恰正好的意思。另一个常用语是ring a bell，也就是记得的意思。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa147.txt
流行美语第147课
Larry和李华刚刚看完Robin Williams主演的一部新的喜剧片。两人正准备离开戏院。今天李华会学到两个常用语：to crack somebody up和fess up.
LL: That was great! Robin Williams really cracks me up!
LH: 这部电影真的很有意思。我都笑得快流出眼泪了。对了，你刚才说crack me up，crack不是破裂，裂开的意思吗？这和好不好笑有什么关系？
LL: If something or someone cracks you up, it means that it makes you laugh.
LH: 噢，crack you up就是让你发笑啊？你是说Robin Williams很好笑，我完全同意。我特别喜欢看他演的电影。特别是演喜剧片，每次都会让我笑得肚子疼！
LL: You know what else cracks me up?
LH: 还有什么事情让你觉得好笑啊？我猜不出来耶！
LL: That joke that you told me yesterday.
LH: 我昨天告诉你的笑话？对，那个笑话谁听了都笑个没完。
LL: After you told me the joke, I shared it with my friend, John. It really cracked him up, too. He was laughing so hard that I thought he was going to have a heart attack.
LH: 你的朋友John笑得那么厉害，你还以为他要发心脏病！那他肯定是个爱笑的人。说到爱笑，我就是一个。我邻居那只猫经常让我笑。
LL: Why? What does it do? Tell you jokes?
LH: 哎哟，猫哪会讲笑话呐！ 那只猫经常爱玩自己的尾巴。那天它在沙发上为了玩自己的尾巴，不小心从沙发上摔下来，那个模样真是逗！ That really cracks me up!
LL: That is cute. Animals crack me up, too. They do all kinds of silly things.
LH: 没错，很多小动物都好可爱，常常有一些特别好笑的举动。我就准备养一只宠物。
LL: Now, that idea cracks me up. You don‘t know how to take care of a pet!
LH: 哼！我想养小动物，有什么好笑？很多东西我都可以学嘛！
******
LL: Li Hua, you look like there‘s something you want to tell me. Come on, fess up.
LH: 我是有事情想告诉你，不过你先解释一下，什么是fess up啊？
LL: To fess up is to confess or admit something.
LH: 原来，fess up就是承认，坦白的意思。好吧！那我说了。你还记不记得我说过想养一只宠物？我去了流浪动物收容所，而且还领养了一只小猫咪！
LL: That‘s great! But does your landlord know you have a pet now?
LH: 嗯，这就是我在担心的地方，我还不敢告诉我的房东。我怕他知道我在屋子里养猫，他会生气。
LL: Why? Aren‘t you allowed to have pets in your apartment?
LH: 嗯，其实...
LL: Come on, fess up.
LH: 我们是可以在公寓里养宠物，但是我们应该先征求房东的同意后才可以。
LL: And you didn‘t ask the landlord first, did you?
LH: 没有耶，我没有先征询过他的意见，所以我现在才会担心嘛！
LL: Well, you‘d better fess up to him soon. It‘s better if he finds out from you. Otherwise, you seem dishonest.
LH: 你说的没错，要是被他发现我先斩后奏，他说不定会把我踢出去呢！我想我今天下午就会告诉他，希望他答应让我保留我的小猫咪！ I‘ll fess up to him today!
今天李华学到两个常用语：to crack somebody up，意思就是让某人发笑。另一个常用语是fess up，也就是坦白，承认的意思。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa148.txt
流行美语第148课
Larry和李华在商量下星期三有没有时间去听爵士音乐。今天李华会学到两个常用语：to play something by ear和strapped.
LH: Larry, 我看到一张爵士音乐会的海报。我很想去。怎么样，你下星期三有没有空去听呢？
LL: I don‘t know. I have several papers due next week and I‘m not sure if I‘ll have time. Let‘s play it by ear, okay?
LH: 哇，你下星期得交好几份报告啊？那肯定没有空了。哎，你刚才说： Let‘s play it by ear。你想玩什么啊？玩耳朵？
LL: No! "To play something by ear" is to wait and see if something is possible and to be flexible rather than set any firm plans.
LH: 噢，play something by ear就是想做一件事，可是又不能确定是否可能，只好到时候看情况再说，就像中文里说的“看情况而定”！
LL: Right. I just can‘t make any definite plans right now, so I prefer to play it by ear.
LH: 所以你刚才的意思是，你要再等等看能不能及时写完报告，然后才能确定能不能去音乐会！ 对了，你不是答应我下星期六去博物馆吗？你还能去吗？
LL: Oh, I forgot that I promised to go with you. Can we play that by ear, too?
LH: 你怎么把答应我的事都给忘了！我特别想去那个博物馆！你不能去也得早告诉我吗！
LL: Just because I want to play it by ear doesn‘t mean that we definitely won‘t go. It just means that I‘m not certain.
LH: Larry，下回你要约我上那儿去，我也学你说：Let‘s play it by ear, 到时候再说！
LL: That‘s not fair, Li Hua. It‘s not my fault that I can‘t make any definite plans because I have so much work to do.
LH: 好啦，说真的，这也不是你的错。那我们也只好看情况再说了！
LL: All right, I‘ll call you the day before the concert to let you know if we should get tickets, okay?
LH：到音乐会前一天再告诉我，那还买得到票呀！ Let‘s play it by ear!
******
LL: Hey, Li Hua, I can‘t go to the concert with you. I‘m sorry, but I‘m really strapped for time.
LH: 噢，Larry，你不能去听音乐会。没关系。我听说票子早卖完了。你刚才说：strapped for time，那是什么意思啊？
LL: Oh, to be "strapped" for time or money means that you don‘t have enough of it.
LH: 噢，我懂了。Strapped for something就是缺少什么东西。你因为有很多报告要完成，所以没有时间去听音乐会了。You‘re strapped for time。对吗？
LL: Exactly. I still have 20 pages to write by Friday.
LH: 星期五以前还有20页的报告要写，那很多耶！那星期六还去博物馆吗？
LL: Yes！I should be finished with everything by Friday, so I won‘t be strapped for time this weekend.
LH: 你真的能在星期五以前把报告都写完呐！那你这个周末就有时间陪我去看博物馆了。You‘ll not be strapped for time this weekend, right?
LL: Yes, I promise to go with you.
LH: 那太好了！我很高兴这个星期六我们能一块儿出去，因为下个周末我就要忙了，I will be strapped for time next weekend!
LL: Why? Do you have a paper due?
LH: 就是啊。下个周末，我得写完一篇英文课的报告，所以肯定不能出去了。
LL: Let me know if you need any help with that. Listen, I‘m sorry, but I‘m too strapped for time to talk any more right now. I‘ll talk to you after Friday, okay?
LH: 没问题。等你星期五写完报告再打电话给我吧。
今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是play something by ear, 就是现在还不能确定，要等到时候看情况再说。另一个常用语是strapped, 也就是缺乏什么，通常是指缺乏时间或金钱。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa149.txt
流行美语第149课
今天是星期六，Larry和李华要和另外一个同学Jim一块儿去吃午饭，然后再去看电影。今天李华会学到两个常用语：to dump someone和babe magnet.
LL: Li Hua, Jim sounded really bummed on the phone. His girlfriend just dumped him and I don‘t think he‘s handling it very well.
LH: Jim在电话上听起来情绪很坏？他女朋友把他怎么啦？Dumped him？什么是dump？
LL: Well, first they had a fight and then she dumped him. To dump is to break up with someone.
LH: 噢，原来dump someone就是不要和某人在一起了。也就是Jim的女朋友把他给甩了。是呀，男女朋友分手是挺难受的。
LL: Yeah, I can‘t believe she dumped him after they‘d been together for two years. It‘s really a shock.
LH: 我听了也很惊奇。他们在一起已经两年了，Jim脾气又那么好，为什么他女朋友要把他甩了？为什么要dump him?
LL: I don‘t know. He wouldn‘t tell me the reason why she dumped him.
LH: 他不原意告诉你为什么。对，有的人是不原意跟别人谈这种细节。会不会Jim的女朋友爱上别人了？
LL: That‘s possible, but it‘s not really any of our business. We should just try and cheer him up while we‘re with him.
LH: 对，这是他们之间的事。我们不必过问。我们今天就想办法让他高兴一点就好了。哎，Larry，你有没有被女朋友甩过？ Have you ever been dumped?
LL: I really don‘t want to talk about that, Li Hua. If I have been dumped, it‘s not something I‘m proud of.
LH: 你不想告诉我。我能理解，被别人甩了确实不是什么值得骄傲的事。这么说，你被甩过。You have been dumped. 为什么？
LL: Li Hua! I told you that I don‘t want to talk about it.
LH: 对不起，对不起。我只是好奇。你人那么好，为什么你的女朋友会甩了你。我只是觉得很难想像而已。
LL: Don‘t worry about it. Hey, look, we‘re almost at Jim‘s place.
******
LH: 嘿，Larry, 刚才吃饭的时候，你说Jim是个babe magnet，他听了好像开心一点。Babe magnet到底是什么意思啊？
LL: A babe magnet is a man who attracts lots of women, the way a magnet attracts metal. I was trying to make him feel better.
LH: 噢，我懂了，babe就是指女孩子，而magnet就是磁铁，所以一个babe magnet就是很能吸引女孩的人。你这么说是为了安慰Jim。意思是他很快就会找到新女朋友了，是不是？
LL: Exactly. If he feels good about himself and thinks about future possibilities, then he won‘t be so depressed about getting dumped.
LH: 没错。只要Jim对自己有信心，觉得前途有希望，他就不会太难过了。而且Jim真的是一个babe magnet啊！他长的一表人才，又聪明，对人也好。我想很多女孩都会喜欢他！
LL: Hey, Li Hua, if you think he‘s such a babe magnet, then why don‘t you go out with him?
LH: Larry! 你在说什么嘛！我说Jim是个好人并不意味着我就要和他谈恋爱啊。
LL: I know; I‘m just teasing you. Besides, even if Jim is an irresistible babe magnet, I don‘t think it‘s a good idea to go out with him right now.
LH: 我同意。他现在情绪不好。最好等一段时间再开始谈恋爱。Larry，有没有人告诉你，你也算得上是个babe magnet?
LL: I don‘t need anyone to tell me I‘m a babe magnet. I already know it.
LH: 是吗？口气还真不小嘛，你早知道自己是个babe magnet啊?
LL: Yep. Women love me. They told me I‘m a babe magnet.
LH: (Giggling) 你要真是个babe-magnet，那你怎么会被甩的呢？
LL: Li Hua, I told you...
LH: 开个玩笑嘛！
今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是to dump someone，就是把某人甩了，和这个人分手的意思。另一个常用语是babe magnet。这是指一个能吸引女孩的男人。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn
pa150.txt
流行美语第150课
这是星期天的早晨。李华和Larry正在星巴克咖啡馆里喝咖啡。今天李华会学到两个常用语：on the spot和schmooze.
LL: I‘m dreading my Chinese exam tomorrow. The teacher will give us a topic and she expects us to talk about the topic for two minutes on the spot.
LH: 你明天要考中文呀？老师给每个学生一个题目，让你们当场就这个题目讲两分钟。这是好难。不过Larry，别担心，你可以先跟我练习啊！对了，你刚才说on the spot，那是什么意思?
LL: Oh, to do something "on the spot" is to do it immediately - right then and there.
LH: On the spot就是立刻，当场的意思。所以你刚才的意思就是教授在考试的时候当场给题目，你就得立即上台讲两分钟。
LL: Exactly. It‘s always nice to have time to prepare, but sometimes doing something on the spot can be fun.
LH: 有充份时间做准备那当然好呀。但是，我可想不出有什么事情马上要做而能让我感到有意思的。你给我举个例子好不好。
LL: Well, we can decide right here - on the spot - to go to the movies. That would be fun, right?
LH: 嗯，我们现在就决定去看电影，那当然好玩呀。可是我们不知道看哪部电影，到哪里去看哪。
LL: That‘s a problem. Where can we find the newspaper or a computer on the spot!.
LH: 就是嘛，我们既不能上网，也没有报纸可以查电影时间表。而且你明天不是有中文考试吗？你现在应该在家里背单字嘛！
LL: I should. If I don‘t study the vocabulary, then I won‘t be able to come up with a speech on the spot.
LH: 对，要当场发表两分钟讲话，不熟悉有用的词汇是不行的。
LL: No, it‘s more like a good strategy for failing my test. Hey, why don‘t you help me study?
LH: 一点没错，要是你不多记住一些单词，那你肯定会考砸的。你要我就在这里帮你复习功课？On the spot？
LL: Why not? I brought my Chinese book with me.
******
LH: 我真不敢相信，咖啡馆的那个女服务员居然会送你一杯免费的咖啡！
LL: Well, it helps that I schmoozed her a little bit.
LH: Larry，你对那个女服务员怎么啦？Schmooze是什么意思啊?
LL: To schmooze means that someone is extra nice to him or her, usually in the hope that you‘ll get something in return.
LH: 噢，schmooze就是对某人特别好，希望能得到一些回报。那不是“讨好、献殷勤”吗？你想让服务员对你客气一点，所以你就对她特别好啊？
LL: Well, no. I was actually hoping to get her to go out on a date with me, but I‘ll settle for free coffee.
LH: 原来你是想约那个女孩出去，现在喝了一杯免费咖啡就满足了。哎呀，你呀，你还不如去schmooze你的中文老师，让她明天评分的时候对你客气点。这不是更实际吗！
LL: Hopefully, I won‘t need to schmooze my teacher in order to get a good grade.
LH: 不讨好老师也能得好分数，你怎么一下子变得那么信心十足了呢。不过，你要我帮你复习功课，那至少也该schmooze我这个义务家教吧！
LL: Hey, you‘re my friend, you‘re supposed to do things out of friendship, not because you want something.
LH: 我知道啦。我是跟你开玩笑的！不过，你要是想对我好一点，schmooze我一下，我也不会反对的！
LL: I‘m always nice to you - and it‘s not because I‘m trying to schmooze you.
LH: 那倒是，你一向对我不错，算得上是我最好的朋友喽！
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是on the spot，就是即刻，当场，马上的意思。另一个常用语是schmooze，这是指讨好某人，对某人献殷勤，通常是想得到回报。
VOA慢速英语网 www.voanews.cn www.voanews.com.cn