流行美语教程 Lesson 7: choke; money

Xbfeng

Michael和李华今天去看篮球比赛。球赛是在纽约大型室内体育馆[麦迪逊广场花园]举行，这场比赛是华盛顿的球队对纽约的球队。 Michael到中国去学过中文，他让李华跟他讲中文，以便练习听力。现在他们俩正在排队进入体育馆。今天他们在对话中会用choke和 money这两个词。
: m( v6 v% S% ?9 k! N5 m
L: 嗨，Michael，谢谢你买到这么好的票！我真高兴能到[麦迪逊广场]来看球。这可是有名的体育馆哟！
& Z, E% L4 C; E; J9 u
# G  A  n- {9 B% v5 mM： No problem! I am really happy you could come. Yeah, I love coming to the Garden to watch basketball games.

- @* J8 v/ X! B! h( Z& C1 C, SL: 你也喜欢来这里看篮球比赛啊，那太好了。今天是纽约队比华盛顿队，你看结局会怎样？
2 }# P# F8 E( }+ j; ]. W9 K
M：Well, Li Hua, I think New York is going to lose. Knowing them, their going to choke.
/ f; ]0 ]. d" |, t; s+ v4 O
L: 你说纽约队会输？你还说什么 choke? 你是说他们吃饭时会噎着啦？这跟输球有什么关系，我不懂。

M：No, no, no! They're not going to choke on their food! It's the same word with the same spelling, but it has a different meaning. Here, choke means to fail under pressure.

L：噢，我懂了。 你说的choke 是指纽约队会抵挡不住华盛顿球队的压力而输掉，对吗？

M: Yes! And choke has many uses. How else do you think it can be used?
- b" m0 N6 b! J  M! u
L: Choke 可以用在很多地方。考试考糟了，可以用choke 这个字吧？

3 f) F# }* L* ]3 O9 k; C# yM: Yes! In fact, I choked on a test last week.
( E) [/ R/ b) n, R' S2 l
% l" m, `" m& w$ v, |7 jL：你上星期考试考糊了？嘿，Michael，我还知道怎么用choke这个字。你不是老想请那个姑娘出去玩吗？你请她，她连电话都不回，这可真让你choked了，对不对？

M：It seems like you really understand this word! Yeah, but it doesn't matter with that girl because I don't like her anyway.
& j  k5 a# Z9 r
# G: j; k9 ?, l/ @L: 噢，你说得可真轻松，没关系，因为你不喜欢她。好，那你告诉我你喜欢哪个女孩呐？

6 i0 N: z  r4 `1 nM：Oh, that doesn't matter. Let's go to our seats！
$ g. y3 W6 K9 w, O+ u0 G( l+ w+ S" _
L: 好，好， 去找位置吧！
& A( y. _* O/ n
4 G5 p! m$ n" m0 ^  H) G(Michael和李华找到了自己的座位)
; U$ E7 M3 p6 ?: B+ w& \4 r, a! h
L: Michael，你看，纽约队看来不会输，他们赢了两个球，现在还剩十秒了。只要纽约队不失去球，他们就不会输。

M：I think that New York is going to win. Maybe they won't choke after all.
* D1 n6 g  b( T4 M& r' L
: x# e8 j6 n6 _- KL：你也认为纽约队可能不会输？等等，你看，纽约队丢了球！这下他们完了！华盛顿队要求暂停，他们还有赢的机会。

M：Washington is going to win. Michael Jordan will make the last shot. He is money.
) `; ~0 W; U2 t# f/ N# b, b. N1 d
& Q; ^' q0 g1 \, ?2 D6 SL: 你认为华盛顿球队会赢，Michael Jordan 会投进最后一个球。你说 "He is money "是说他会赚钱吗？

M：No, by money, here I mean that he performs consistently at a high level.
1 h0 F1 d! f5 U, t( V/ F
L: 噢，这儿的money不是指钱，是指他打球一直保持在高水平上，一直打得很棒。

: l: a9 Q3 c# }) q' J. _1 o+ p$ s! JM：Yes, you could say Yao Ming is money too.
2 |$ u0 ~- }1 Q
$ I6 s6 K. t' W' Z" }4 bL: 姚明当然很棒，所以也可以说：Yao Ming is money。那我们班的 Steven，他考试总是考得很好，也能说，He is money?

M：Yup. He's money. You can also call things money. For example, this pizza we are eating is money.

L: 原来凡是好的东西都可以说是money。我们正在吃的比萨饼是很好吃，所以也可以说是money.

6 }( H9 @# G1 c( T- W& NM：Do you think the coffee shop we like to go to is money?
. c4 b, {5 ]) d5 S7 `
L: 我们常去的咖啡馆当然非常好，我一有空就想去。

M: Michael Jordan won the game! I told you he is money!

" n- D0 h3 S3 X. V: ^L: Michael Jordan赢得了比赛，他就是棒。

4 @  z* J" v8 Z$ eM：Let's get going, though. I have to study for a test. I don't want to choke on the test again.

; J- l% H$ s9 \' aL: 好吧，你快回去准备考试吧，我知道你要再考糊，就麻烦了。

Michael和李华今天在对话里用的两个词意思是相对的。 To choke是糟糕，失败的意思；而money是保持高水平，非常棒的意思。最好大家都不要choke，都成为money，那就太棒了。
以下为音频：