thanks¡

Larry告訴李華說，他正在給公司做一個大項目，忙得連飯都沒時間吃。李華今天要學兩個常用語，snarf和power nap.

LL: I've been so busy with this project, Li Hua, I've hardly had any time to eat. Today I just snarfed down a sandwich at lunch, and I haven't eaten anything since.

LH: 你只吃了個三明治？snarf也是吃的意思嗎？

LL: Snarf is another word for eat, Li Hua, but when you snarf something you eat it really quickly in a very short amount of time.

LH: 噢，snarf是狼吞虎嚥的意思。你是因為要趕項目，沒時間吃飯，所以才匆忙地吃了個三明治。

LL: Yeah. And when I snarfed down the sandwich, I didn't really enjoy it. I ate it so fast I didn't even really taste it.

LH: 有時候我趕著寫論文或是判作業，沒時間吃飯，也會湊合著只吃幾口炒飯填飽肚子。

LL: You know, since I haven't had anything to eat since I snarfed down that sandwich, I am feeling hungry again.

LH: Larry, 我這兒有盒餅乾，你先吃幾塊，來墊墊肚子羅。

LL: Thanks, Li Hua. That is really nice. But I'm so hungry, I'm afraid I'd snarf up your entire box of cookies.

LH: 都吃了也不要緊，我不在乎這盒餅乾，不過光吃餅乾可沒什麼營養。

LL: You are right, Li Hua. I really shouldn't snarf up all these cookies.

LH: 不如今天晚上咱們找個餐館，好好補一補，最近我一直在趕論文，也是忙得不可開交。

LL: I'd love to, Li Hua. But, honestly, I don't have enough time to go out with you for a nice relaxing dinner. The deadline for the project is tomorrow, and I have just enough time to snarf down something before I go back to work.

LH: 既然明天就是最後期限，你沒時間正經吃飯，那就更不能光啃餅乾了，而是應該吃點兒有營養的。這樣才能補充能量。

LL: Okay, I do have time to go to a fast food place.

LH: 拐角處就有一家麵條店，保證你二十分鐘就能回去上班。

LL: And snarfing down a bowl of noodles does sound better than snarfing down a box of cookies, Li Hua.

******

LH: 這家店的麵條還真好吃。

LL: Yeah, But now I'm feeling a little sleepy. I think I am going to need to take a power nap before I go back to work.

LH: A power nap? 我知道nap是午覺的意思，可power nap是什麼意思啊？

LL: A power nap is a short nap, maybe only fifteen to twenty minutes in length that people take in the middle of their work day to give them more energy, more power!

LH: 噢，就是15分鐘，20分鐘，打個盹兒的意思。你知道嗎，Larry, 在中國睡午覺是很普遍的。我們上學的時候中午都會睡上半個小時左右。

LL: Taking naps isn't as common in the U.S. as it is in China, but more and more Americans are taking power naps.

LH: 昨天晚上我看了一個節目，很有意思，裡面說美國人現在越來越忙，晚上睡眠時間不夠，所以白天需要take power naps，才能提高效率。

LL: Hey, I saw that report, too!

LH: 現在不少公司為了提高員工的工作效率，都在公司裡設立專門供員工睡午覺的地方。

LL: I wish my company had places like that for us to take power naps at work.

LH: 你還記得嗎，裡面說有一家公司，給員工準備了雞蛋形的午睡艙，還有舒緩的音樂，幫員工入睡。

LL: Yeah, I'd love to take a power nap in one of those.

LH: 但是打盹兒也要注意不能睡得太久。

LL: I guess that is true. If you end up sleeping too long, you can enter a deep sleep and wake up feeling drowsy and even sleepier than you did before you took you power nap.

LH: 好，到你公司了，你準備在哪兒小睡一會兒呢？

LL: Well, I think I will go back to work and take a power nap at my desk.

LH: Okay, Larry. 明天完成了手頭的項目，給我打電話。

今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是 snarf, 是狼吞虎嚥的意思。另一個是 power nap, 是打盹兒的意思。



(MP3下載)

本帖隱藏的內容需要回復才可以瀏覽

[ 本帖最後由 HKonline 於 2008-12-13 23:21 編輯 ]

Larry和李華開車到遊樂園去坐過山車。她今天要學兩個常用語，Oh boy和scaredy-cat。

LL: Oh, Boy! Isn't this amusement park great, Li Hua! I can't wait to take a ride on the roller coaster.

LH: Oh, Boy？我知道你早就盼著來這兒坐過山車。可你說oh boy是什麼意思啊？

LL: "Oh, Boy!" is a common American expression that really has nothing to do with boys at all.

LH: 那你剛才說Oh boy是什麼意思呢？

LL: When I said "Oh, Boy!" I was expressing that I was excited about coming to the park and that I was looking forward to the fun we are going to have today.

LH: 所以你說Oh boy是表示高興和興奮。

LL: That's right. Oh, Boy! Li Hua, look at that. There is someone selling cotton candy. I love cotton candy.

LH: 我從沒吃過棉花糖，好吃嗎？

LL: Oh, boy, is it ever! It is so light and sweet. I am sure you will love it.

LH: Oh boy! Larry, 你看，那邊有旋轉木馬。

LL: Well, let's take a ride on the carousel. It will be a lot of fun. But did you see the roller coaster, Li Hua? Oh, boy... (Nervous tone)

LH: 怎麼了？剛才你說oh boy, 好像不太高興。

LL: I just saw that the roller coaster flips you upside down, and I really don't like roller coasters that flip you upside down. Oh, boy...

LH: 可你剛才不是說oh boy是高興的意思嗎？

LL: Well, it all depends on your tone, Li Hua. If you say "Oh, Boy!" like this, it means you are happy. If you say "Oh, boy" like this, it means you are concerned or dismayed about something.

LH: 噢，我明白了。 Oh boy既可以指讓人高興的事，也可以指讓人擔心的事，完全取決於語氣。

LL: That's right, Li Hua. It all depends on how you say it.

******

LL: I can't believe I am so worried about riding this roller coaster. I am usually not this much of a scaredy-cat.

LH: 什麼是scaredy-cat? 聽起來好像是膽小鬼的意思。

LL: You are absolutely right, Li Hua. And right now, I am feeling like a big scaredy-cat about the roller coaster.

LH: 你現在什麼感覺？

LL: Well, right now, I have this tight feeling in my stomach, and I am shaking a little. See, look at how my hand is shaking.

LH: 我害怕的時候手也會抖，心裏還會砰砰地跳。

LL: What about you, Li Hua? I thought you told me once you didn't like riding roller coasters. Why aren't you acting like a scaredy-cat now?

LH: 我以前也不敢做過山車，後來咬著牙試了一次，發現根本不可怕，而且頭衝下的時候特別刺激。

LL: Okay. I'll try to be brave and ride the roller coaster with you. So, is there anything that makes you feel like a scaredy-cat, Li Hua?

LH: 說起來有點兒丟人。我最怕的是游泳。

LL: You are a scaredy-cat about swimming? Why is that, Li Hua?

LH: 因為我小時候沒機會學游泳，所以長大後，不僅不敢下水游泳，連坐船都會害怕。

LL: You know, my mother is a big scaredy-cat about flying on planes. She doesn't like the feeling of going up into the air.

LH: 我聽說很多人都害怕坐飛機，去什麼地方，寧可開車或是坐火車 去。

LL: My mom is like that. If she can she'd rather drive or take a train when she travels.

LH: 每個人都有自己害怕的事情。

LL: Well, I think people are scaredy-cats about things they think are dangerous.

LH: 你說得沒錯。不過如果什麼都怕，什麼都不敢嚐試，不是也很無聊嗎？

LL: Maybe so, but I am still feeling like a scaredy-cat about that roller coaster. Do I really have to go, Li Hua?

LH: Larry, 我保證你不會掉下來。So stop being a scaredy-cat, and let's go.

今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是oh boy, 用來表達高興或是擔心的情緒。另一個是scaredy-cat, 是膽小鬼的意思。



(MP3下載)

本帖隱藏的內容需要回復才可以瀏覽

[ 本帖最後由 HKonline 於 2008-12-13 23:21 編輯 ]

李華到Larry家借書，正好趕上Larry的朋友Dave打電話來 。她今天要學兩個常用語, fed up和off the hook。

LL: That was just Dave on the phone, Li Hua. He is really fed up right now.

LH: Dave給你打電話，就是告訴你他吃多了嗎？

LL: No, Li Hua. To be fed up is to run out of patience in a difficult situation and to become angry.

LH: 噢，fed up不是指吃多了，而是說受夠了。

LL: That's right. Dave has been having a bad day, and he has good reason to be fed up.

LH：他遇到什麼倒霉事了嗎？

LL: Well, Dave's car broke down on his way to work today, and he called a tow truck to come and get him. He's fed up, because he has been waiting for over an hour for the tow truck to arrive.

LH: 拖車一個多小時還沒到。換成我，也會fed up.

LL: And Dave is also fed up with his car. This is the third time in the last month that his car has broken down.

LH: 一個月壞三次。那可真得換車了，難怪他說自己受夠了。他給你打電話就是抱怨這些嗎？

LL: He was hoping that if the tow truck didn't come in the next few minutes I might be able to give him a ride to work. He doesn't want his boss to get too fed up with him.

LH: 噢，原來是求你送他去上班。一而再，再而三地因為車子拋錨而上班遲到，確實會引起老闆的懷疑。

LL: I don't think Dave's boss is completely fed up with him YET, but Dave doesn't want to take any chances.

LH: 那當然了。他好不容易才找到這份工作，因為這個被炒魷魚，太不值得了。

LL: Yeah. Personally, I'm a little fed up with Dave right now, too.

LH: Dave有什麼讓你受不了的呢？

LL: Well, every time Dave's car breaks down, he calls me to ask for a ride. I'm getting a little fed up with having to rearrange my schedule to keep helping Dave out.

LH: 確實有點兒煩。不過，他是你的朋友，大家應該互相幫助嘛！

LL: You are right, Li Hua. I shouldn't get fed up with Dave. (Phone rings) It's Dave on the phone.

******

LH: Dave打電話說什麼？

LL: He told me the tow truck finally arrived. It looks like I'm off the hook!

LH: Off the hook? 這種說法跟釣魚有關吧？

LL: Yes, it does, Li Hua. You know when you go fishing for fun, how you put a hook on the end of your line?

LH: 當然了，我還記得上次跟你老爸一起去釣魚，魚線最後面有一個鉤子，在上面掛上魚餌。

LL: And when a worm is off the hook, it is free. Just like I am now. I am off the hook, because I don't need to drive Dave to work after all.

LH: 所以，off the hook就是脫身的意思。你不用再開車送Dave去上班了，所以你說自己是off the hook.

LL: That's right. Say, speaking of obligations, don't you have a Chinese class you should be teaching right now?

LH: Oh, No. I am off the hook today, Larry. 今天學校放假，所以我不用去教中文課了！

LL: I forgot that today is a holiday. Unfortunately, I am NOT off the hook today. I need to go into work this afternoon to finish up a project I am working on.

LH: 那你就是on the hook嘍？

LL: Well, we don't really say someone is "on the hook" in English when we mean they have something they need to do.

LH: 所以說不用再去做一件事情是off the hook, 但是反過來，必須去做一件事情，則不能說on the hook.

LL: You've got it, Li Hua. Say, how about going to a movie tonight? Do you still have to write your paper for Professor Jones, or are you off the hook?

LH: 唉，I'm not off the hook. 我今天晚上必須得寫完那篇論文。我可不希望讓瓊斯教授 fed up with me.

今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是fed up, 意思是不耐煩，受夠了。另一個是off the hook, 是脫身，擺脫責任的意思。

(MP3下載)

本帖隱藏的內容需要回復才可以瀏覽

[ 本帖最後由 HKonline 於 2008-12-13 23:20 編輯 ]

李華到Larry家借書，正好趕上Larry的朋友Dave打電話來 。她今天要學兩個常用語, fed up和off the hook。

LL: That was just Dave on the phone, Li Hua. He is really fed up right now.

LH: Dave給你打電話，就是告訴你他吃多了嗎？

LL: No, Li Hua. To be fed up is to run out of patience in a difficult situation and to become angry.

LH: 噢，fed up不是指吃多了，而是說受夠了。

LL: That's right. Dave has been having a bad day, and he has good reason to be fed up.

LH：他遇到什麼倒霉事了嗎？

LL: Well, Dave's car broke down on his way to work today, and he called a tow truck to come and get him. He's fed up, because he has been waiting for over an hour for the tow truck to arrive.

LH: 拖車一個多小時還沒到。換成我，也會fed up.

LL: And Dave is also fed up with his car. This is the third time in the last month that his car has broken down.

LH: 一個月壞三次。那可真得換車了，難怪他說自己受夠了。他給你打電話就是抱怨這些嗎？

LL: He was hoping that if the tow truck didn't come in the next few minutes I might be able to give him a ride to work. He doesn't want his boss to get too fed up with him.

LH: 噢，原來是求你送他去上班。一而再，再而三地因為車子拋錨而上班遲到，確實會引起老闆的懷疑。

LL: I don't think Dave's boss is completely fed up with him YET, but Dave doesn't want to take any chances.

LH: 那當然了。他好不容易才找到這份工作，因為這個被炒魷魚，太不值得了。

LL: Yeah. Personally, I'm a little fed up with Dave right now, too.

LH: Dave有什麼讓你受不了的呢？

LL: Well, every time Dave's car breaks down, he calls me to ask for a ride. I'm getting a little fed up with having to rearrange my schedule to keep helping Dave out.

LH: 確實有點兒煩。不過，他是你的朋友，大家應該互相幫助嘛！

LL: You are right, Li Hua. I shouldn't get fed up with Dave. (Phone rings) It's Dave on the phone.

******

LH: Dave打電話說什麼？

LL: He told me the tow truck finally arrived. It looks like I'm off the hook!

LH: Off the hook? 這種說法跟釣魚有關吧？

LL: Yes, it does, Li Hua. You know when you go fishing for fun, how you put a hook on the end of your line?

LH: 當然了，我還記得上次跟你老爸一起去釣魚，魚線最後面有一個鉤子，在上面掛上魚餌。

LL: And when a worm is off the hook, it is free. Just like I am now. I am off the hook, because I don't need to drive Dave to work after all.

LH: 所以，off the hook就是脫身的意思。你不用再開車送Dave去上班了，所以你說自己是off the hook.

LL: That's right. Say, speaking of obligations, don't you have a Chinese class you should be teaching right now?

LH: Oh, No. I am off the hook today, Larry. 今天學校放假，所以我不用去教中文課了！

LL: I forgot that today is a holiday. Unfortunately, I am NOT off the hook today. I need to go into work this afternoon to finish up a project I am working on.

LH: 那你就是on the hook嘍？

李華剛買了一台筆記本電腦。她今天要學兩個常用語，bells and Whistles和savvy。

LL: So, you got a new laptop computer, Li Hua? Wow! It has all the bells and whistles, doesn't it?

LH: Bells and whistles？我怎麼沒看見這台電腦上有什麼鈴鐺和哨子啊。

LL: Oh, What I meant was that your lap top has a lot of special features and extras that ordinary lap tops don't have.

LH: 噢，我知道了，你剛才說的bells and whistles是指電腦上的DVD播放器和超寬屏幕等額外的功能。

LL: Yeah, that is right. Manufacturers like to put lots of bells and whistles on lap tops to entice people to buy them.

LH：沒錯，我就是衝著這些bells and whistles才買這台電腦的。你看，上面還有無線調製解調器和一個超大儲存量的硬盤呢！

LL: When I bought a lap top computer last year, Li Hua, I did NOT get one with all the bells and whistles, and now I kind of regret it.

LH: 是啊，這些bells and whistles確實要多花點兒錢，可我覺得還是值得的。

LL: I suppose I can always add some bells and whistles to my basic lap top. I would like to have a bigger hard drive.

LH: 我聽說加個硬盤並不難，我覺得你真的可以在你的電腦上加點兒bells and whistles.

LL: Although sometimes it is possible to have too many bells and whistles!

LH: Bells and whistles還會嫌太多嗎？

LL: Well, I was thinking of the cell phone I bought recently. It definitely came with all the bells and whistles. So many bells and whistles, in fact, I don't even know everything it does!

LH: 你是說手機啊。我也有同感。現在的手機功能越來越多，很多我都用不著，也不知道該怎麼用。

LL: But some people really like to have all the bells and whistles. Like my Dad. The last time he went shopping for a new car, it had to have all the bells and whistles.

LH: 車上能有些什麼bells and whistles？

LL: He wanted a car with leather seats that heated themselves and had a built in global positioning system.

LH: 能加熱的皮座椅，全球定位系統，看來車上也能有不少的bells and whistles.

******

LH: Larry, 你能幫我把這些軟件裝到電腦上嗎？

LL: I am happy to help you load your software on your new lap top, Li Hua. You know I'm tech savvy.

LH: Tech Savvy? 我知道tech是technology科技的意思，那savvy呢？

LL: Savvy means to understand something very well.

LH: 所以你說自己tech savvy, 就是說你對電腦和高科技的東西很在行嘍？

LL: That's right. I've always been interested in computers, and as a result I am fairly tech savvy.

LH: 那太好了。我可一點兒也不tech savvy. 我就知道怎麼用電腦寫論文，發電子郵件，除此之外就一竅不通了。Larry, 除了高科技以外，還有什麼東西可以說savvy嗎？

LL: Oh, sure, Li Hua. We often say that some one who dresses well and has good fashion sense is fashion savvy.

LH: 噢，fashion savvy就是很跟得上服裝的潮流。那我可以說fashion savvy吧。

LL: Oh, you definitely have fashion savvy, Li Hua. You always dress very stylishly.

LH: 這肯定是我祖母的遺傳。我看過她的照片，穿得可漂亮了。She definitely had fashion savvy.

LL: A person can also have street savvy.

LH: Street savvy? 你是說會認路嗎？或者是有方向感？

LL: No, no. A person with street savvy knows how people act in the city and how to be safe in parts of the city that might be a little rough.

LH: 噢，street savvy是說街頭的生存能力，特別是能在那些比較亂的街區不惹麻煩。看來，tech savvy和street savvy我都學不來，有fashion savvy就行了。

今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是bells and whistles, 意思是附加的功能或是點綴品。另一個是savvy, 是指在什麼方面很在行。



(MP3下載)

本帖隱藏的內容需要回復才可以瀏覽