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。 ( {+ B2 R; {, j* h/ l $ _/ m6 U* T/ p. k# }L: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样? 0 @6 z b7 `5 d4 W4 B$ x0 w( Y7 ~/ K! G; D6 q$ ]9 y- \, ^
M: Not bad! I aced today's history test! 9 B7 y8 \9 Y" U: C # e' H' r9 b! ?+ c5 cL: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴! : n# ?9 X O1 e. I' F3 M1 V- _- I' a- H 5 \& d: y F% N# n& gM: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it!; Z, g6 i6 f" K$ ?3 _2 i
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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? " C" Y' U1 g% Q- i - }1 p7 [. o% O( I% E) ~; mM: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense. " J6 ]; i1 [1 z Q& A& c v$ P: K2 L- N( q w& b8 I; F! r* A; m @
L: 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? ; G' i% ~. p, H U& M9 S+ |0 U8 F1 b: q: DM: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well. # s" z- _) C$ E- E# _, a' Q8 K5 K+ P1 d
L: 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? ; K0 @+ m4 w Y% ?; o9 N$ `: k: h% }& T6 H: u" F- p: C1 T. l
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.# L& ^9 a. \0 v# Z7 ~
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L: 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?" W5 {. G0 Y; ^, W, _* |
& V0 S; Z( N8 x0 xM: I aced my last job interview. : D0 ~; t# v8 |# T 4 a7 E2 h$ ]4 g9 g% c oL: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。 $ G3 w( T5 m& K0 g' T: l+ J; [% p % e" H5 d# L+ NM: 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.7 X. ]6 w" A! h% K5 e
" A: v5 Y; q: BL: 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。 , a- q) C+ A' r; _; I. z5 h( y+ Q3 f) s' Y
M: Yes, you're right!+ x% U- o) S. N+ @) w
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L: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗?4 o. m2 |' K. R m
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M: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking? 5 K+ i/ c0 r# h; p7 c* T0 Y# T# R5 Z1 f7 W, [) }
L: 你当然不在意你问我赚多少钱。 当助教的工资很低,才8美元一 小时。5 U% Y; P) U& o) u# c8 D2 Q
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M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts!/ O( W% k8 i7 H/ e2 ?
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L: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀?, u% K: R; _/ Y& W+ L5 J" W8 H# D/ W
; [8 J9 Y- Y$ ? d" m' cM: That's really not much! You only make eight dollars an hour? Your wages are very low, so I said that's "peanuts"! i, {. Z2 k) `. i: ^ y 2 ` b/ J- b+ i) D6 l# sL: 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?. b* f, X7 R) n. _9 z+ {
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M: That's right. $ x1 B* z3 f% m. W( Q+ a/ X( q( I0 e5 J l+ n2 g0 |6 {: D
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。 3 Y' u( [1 [4 Z: A8 Y! V j: A6 I' p2 L- x( m O
M: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant.& T' e; u2 ~* E' C6 |: I# ~
; h( b; @0 H2 g S6 N. EM: I don't see how you can live on so little money. * e* }+ \, y6 m4 F& o6 I / Q0 Q2 ^3 I* y- T4 \( pL: 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。 # ]+ W7 y0 j" b( X$ \4 F8 a7 x% y F1 ~# E* A3 c% ]
M: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those... ( A0 j* t. _( A' s( f" c& F) j8 S6 U
L: 你真想要我赚花生,靠吃花生过日子呀。Michael, 你真废话!% v7 d2 B0 d, t