大家可能还记得Michael 这个美国学生以往几次考试都考糟了,这一次情况可大不相同。今天他和他的中国同学李华约好了在图书馆见面。李华会学到两个常用语,一个是:to ace;另一个是:peanuts。 8 B7 o1 X: G) r' E% v0 q9 k) \0 f7 w1 x" S- c, E7 d# S
L: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样?( \) [: X' u6 j
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M: Not bad! I aced today's history test!$ G, w8 ]* o4 y1 \+ H
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L: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴! ) I7 u1 B- P6 O6 S9 ` 3 i8 V5 e1 p1 U. g9 ~8 O0 kM: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it! 4 ?2 t8 ~ L9 v$ p# b0 {1 x. x% b; o) _1 t" \. l, m) w
L: 你考得很好,那太好了,Michael!最近你每天都到图书馆来念书, 我知道你会考得比以前好的。你刚才用的是哪个字啊?4 M5 Z4 w4 w: u2 q: z
. O4 O1 u( x& b/ {% oM: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense. 6 m3 b8 ] E' F, W" { . j1 H4 D4 I- N4 G1 \7 m# x- o/ BL: 噢,在这里,ace是个动词,过去时就是在后面加一个字母 "d",变成 了aced。这个字是不是和扑克牌里的那张牌A,或者叫"尖子"的那 张牌一样的呢? . [) ?& w3 F& h4 o' Y! D5 S+ ^, N+ Z7 X( N( s! l! ]" C' z# u
M: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well.7 {4 [( q4 a( I: M. Y( `
- @1 Q2 R. R T$ m: D. [0 qL: 对,在玩扑克的时候ace往往是价值最高的一张牌,所以ace就是 指某件事做的很好。那ace作为动词还能用在什么场合呢? 8 ^) t3 S% `) t1 c& }! f" i4 b" `- v
M: Usually we can use "ace" to describe how we did on a test, or on things similar to tests. For example, I can say I aced my last job interview. + S2 M3 ^6 Z3 S3 }& W 5 A& r, M8 M3 W# yL: 噢,一般都用在和测验考试之类的情况,你上次找工作去面谈谈 得很好也能用"ace" 这个词。再说一遍你刚才说的那句话,好 吗? 4 Z' ]2 a5 y/ |6 ?& R * l6 u: A* Y( y3 Y) ^M: I aced my last job interview.$ O1 Z" H/ @2 f4 ~5 y1 q# U) l& Y/ `
, w3 ]; D0 | b4 r% p, fL: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。9 N% d Z% c, A
^# S- x+ W7 X! c3 z" E* r# RM: That's right. Li Hua, if someone is very good at something, we can call him an "ace". I can say, for example, you are an ace at taking tests. 8 Y/ Q2 c% g) g5 n 2 }" X4 `8 X' _L: I'm an ace at taking tests, 你说我非常会考试!这也不见得,我考糊 的时候也有的。不过,比你少一点就是了。 ; I" a# o* U- M& ^' `: `1 ` I( G9 z% S: u
M: Yes, you're right!0 t L) \1 k* X. {+ E
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L: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗? ; U6 C" a0 c1 H7 `1 s* z9 c1 G& y! x( S. e2 T# v* v+ H: \- U
M: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking?0 r* x- a8 g6 m3 x2 R: p: v
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L: 你当然不在意你问我赚多少钱。 当助教的工资很低,才8美元一 小时。' |8 S5 |5 t& \. J, G7 v
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M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts!# m6 t4 Q/ Q* M Z
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L: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀? 8 K& Q' S' H7 y) I( `( U' T 8 b) g% E- g2 ]/ }M: That's really not much! You only make eight dollars an hour? Your wages are very low, so I said that's "peanuts"!# j' q1 q5 |3 u9 t, g. A
' i$ e7 Q' [$ }" ZL: 原来你的意思是我的工资很低。你说的peanuts是不是和我们吃的 花生一个字吗? 8 C, H) S" F; v" K X % c0 o+ J+ Y! W) L+ Y2 \M: That's right. 7 X, ]* G% U E, P. o0 p* `4 N! ]2 [8 U
L: 我在想另外找个工作呢。我的同学王燕在图书馆工作,一个小时 就有十美元。 2 E9 K) S9 T) C / b6 d; o }" X% oM: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant. 4 C$ Y/ w' G- R4 q; v4 |$ y& w, x( I+ b! ?# U+ k
L: 哟,你一个小时赚13美元呐! 真不公平,你赚那么多钱,而我 只赚peanuts.0 M" \; o% q }- M( n
) d/ K& P6 ^# u8 j( n: Z e* j# LM: I don't see how you can live on so little money. 8 _: l K+ z# y, }7 k }5 k5 O' M' z9 S
L: 赚那么点钱是怎么过的日子呀?我还有奖学金呐,每个月给我四 百美元生活费。9 L7 k, a& M- ` j& I8 T+ A
2 E0 d& i* C g/ @# ZM: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those... . r9 }6 x2 Q2 u2 w9 Z6 B. |* J+ m6 T M
L: 你真想要我赚花生,靠吃花生过日子呀。Michael, 你真废话! $ o" U* g" u! R) w) }$ p' _1 H! w( l5 z* z( d: U8 c# ?; r
M: I'm just kidding!" T3 O6 N# `! a
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今天李华学到两个常用语,一个是:to ace,就是某件事做得很好,特别是象考试之类的事;另一个是:peanuts,这里不是指花生,而是指数量很小,价值很低。今天的[流行美语]就学习到这里,我们下次节目再见。 1 I( L3 c- l; k5 fAudio As Following: & B" D2 T0 q1 B2 Y, n2 o& X" N: e