美式足球超級杯那天,Larry要在家開party, 李華幫他做準備。李華今天要學兩個常用語,munchies和spread.LL: I'm really excited about having a Super Bowl party, Li Hua. I just went to the store and bought lots of munchies, so we will have plenty to eat while we watch the football game.LH: Munchies? 讓我看看?(翻塑料袋的聲音)。薯條、花生、開心果,I don't see anything called "munchies."
Larry開車接李華去看醫生,路上堵車遲到了。李華今天要學兩個常用語,meltdown和make up.LL: I'm really sorry I am late, Li Hua. But there is no need for you to have a meltdown about it.LH: (生氣地)如果meltdown是生氣的意思,那沒錯,I am having a meltdown.
李華週末來看Larry。李華今天要學兩個常用語,goof around和go halvsies.
李華在學校租了一塊花圃,讓Larry來幫忙。李華今天要學兩個常用語,get into和grubby.
李華和Larry一起去附近一家新開的中國餐館吃自助餐。李華今天要學兩個常用語:yum和yuck.LL: There is so much good food at this buffet, Li Hua. I can't wait to eat some of those spring rolls. Yum!LH: 你說yum,那你肯定很喜歡吃春卷!因為我知道,yum在英語裡就是可口,好吃的意思。LL: Hey, Li Hua, you are right! Where did you learn about the word "Yum"?LH: 我前不久跟一幫美國朋友去吃pizza,其中一個人剛咬第一口,就大喊yum!他說自己最愛吃的東西就是pizza.
Larry患了重感冒,李華帶著雞湯去看他。李華今天要學兩個常用語,blah和bounce back.LL: Hi, Li Hua, it is so nice to see you. I just wish I didn't feel so blah.LH: Blah? 你得的不是感冒嗎?LL: I do have a cold, Li Hua. But "blah" is a word that describes how you feel when you have a cold or are sick - Blah is the feeling you have when you are really tired and have no energy.LH: 我知道了,blah是不舒服,生病時渾身乏力的意思。
Larry和李華去朋友Frank家參加新年派對。李華今天要學兩個常用語,dead和happening.LL: Gosh, there is hardly any one here, Li Hua. This party is really dead!LH: Larry. 這裡每個人明明都活得好好的,你為什麼說the party is dead呢?
李華在幫彼得森教授看孩子。她急著打電話給Larry求助。李華今天要學兩個常用語,pee and poo和handful.LH: Hi, Larry, this is Li Hua. 你能告訴我pee and poo是什麼意思嗎?LL: Sure, Li Hua, but first you have to tell me why you need to know what pee and poo means.
李華告訴Larry說,她想多賺點錢,買機票回中國探親。李華今天要學兩個常用語:bread和nest egg.LH: Larry, 我想回中國看看我父母。I need to make some more bread.LL: You need to make more bread? I know you aren't a baker, Li Hua, so you must have learned that bread is slang for money.LH: 沒錯。那天我聽一個朋友說,他要跟父母借點錢,因為he was short on bread,缺錢花了。LL: Well, Li Hua, how about you? Can you borrow some bread from your parents for a plane ticket home?
Larry去李華家吃飯。他告訴李華說,自己今天特別倒霉。李華今天要學兩個常用語:nightmare和group hug.LL: I had the worst day at work today. It was an absolute nightmare!LH: 上班做惡夢?Larry, 你可要小心點兒,上班睡覺是要被老闆炒魷魚的!LL: No, no. I didn't HAVE a nightmare at work...Being at work today was
Larry和李華正在商量下個週末去哪裏玩兒。李華今天要學兩個常用語outdoorsy和artsy.LL: Hey, Li Hua, do you remember how much fun we had camping in the woods? Wouldn't you like to do something outdoorsy again this weekend?
Larry和李華在紐約參加長跑比賽。李華今天要學兩個常用語,eat my dust和sore loser.LL: It's a good thing you've been training for this race, Li Hua. But you are still going to eat my dust.LH: Eat your dust? Yuck. 吃你的土?這是什麼意思啊!
Larry和李華在咖啡店裡買咖啡。李華今天要學兩個常用語,newbie和been around.LL: Wow, it seems to be taking a long time for this guy to get our coffee made. Maybe he is a newbie.LH: A newbie? 你說他是新來的?
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?
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.
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.
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。
Larry有兩張歌劇的票,邀請李華一起去。李華今天要學兩個常用語,primo和glued。LL: Hey, Li Hua, I've got two primo tickets to the opera. Would you like to come with me?LH: 歌劇?好啊。不過Larry, 什麼是primo ticket ? Primo聽起來不太像英語,是外來語吧?LL: You are right, Li Hua. Primo is an Italian word that means "number one" or "first-class".LH: 噢,primo是意大利語,意思是最好的,最棒的。
Larry到李華家來看蜘蛛人的DVD。李華今天要學兩個常用語,rocket science和chemistry。LL: What's the matter, Li Hua? I can't believe you are having trouble with the DVD player. I mean, it's not rocket science!
Larry準備在公司匯報工作。事先想請李華幫他聽聽,看報告內容能不能吸引人。李華今天要學兩個常用語。一個是dud,另一個是oomph 。LL: Thanks for agreeing to listen to my presentation, Li Hua. I really don't want it to be a dud.LH: Larry, 什麼是 "dud" 呀 ?
李華正在興緻勃勃地給Larry將她去看醫生的經過,沒想到被Larry潑了一盆冷水。李華今天要學兩個常用語,TMI和PDQ 。
李華告訴Larry說,她跟一個學生約好,十點在她的辦公室見面,談談這個學生的成績,可以這個學生沒有赴約。李華今天要學兩個常用語no show和lala land 。
(大紀元記者曾去執編譯報導)前年五月美國新聞週刊(Newsweek)曾以中國為主題,用21個版面提出「中國的世紀」封面報導,從各種角度解讀中國的崛起,其中在教育方面,特別介紹美國學生正掀起學漢語的熱潮。
Larry和李華正在一起吃午飯。李華今天要學兩個常用語a Cuppa Joe和Guilty Pleasure 。LL: I am so sleepy! What I need right now, Li Hua, is a cuppa joe.
Larry和李華一起去購物。Larry準備去參加朋友的婚禮,可是原來的西裝太舊了,所以需要買一套新西裝。李華今天要學兩個常用語hand-me-down和hands down。LL: Hey Li Hua, I need your help with something. I want to go to the mall and buy a new suit to wear for my friend Jack's wedding.
Larry看見李華在修補她的書包,覺得有點奇怪。 李華今天要學會兩個常用語cut it和get on it。
Larry在學校的電腦室裡見到了李華。李華今天要學會兩個常用語ASAP和crank out。LL: Hey Li Hua! What are you working on? A paper?LH: 不是,我在寫申請威廉森中國歷史獎學金的申請書。
Larry和李華在公園裡散步,Larry告訴李華他的朋友Rick最近交了一個女朋友。 李華今天要學會兩個常用語Seeing Someone和Breaking up。
Larry正在跟李華談他最近回家看到哥哥和妹妹的情況。 李華今天會學會兩個常用語people person和know-it-all。
李華和Larry在一家中餐館吃飯。李華今天會學到兩個常用語bite the bullet和benchwarmer。