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。 & T5 f" k" k( k; V1 R 1 H$ [& N8 _1 H) ]L: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样?7 R( D; R' B. P0 Y( i$ Q* Y" y
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M: Not bad! I aced today's history test! 5 v: ?& K5 C& u+ w% P y 5 c$ q u( t) R' QL: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴! ! b% R& A5 J3 R& y2 W6 v: v, S Q% p% G7 h4 i& ? [9 k
M: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it!1 r4 G# S+ @+ {( ?/ G
" ^6 v! F0 ]5 F% ZL: 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? # @9 F6 z+ U) e) q9 G! g, I3 e2 t# H& n6 U7 P& Z6 q
M: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense. 8 K5 V3 j; m7 L+ T( C : O! R. y: \* O( Z; ]3 oL: 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? + v* D; j' c9 O; K4 j, a2 h* k5 d+ |: o6 m
M: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well.7 w" ]8 u: E, b, F) U& q8 S
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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? / G$ ~ s% o" A, h* e1 n) }- L/ c; T# I- A7 J! i
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.0 d. z# Q$ f! W& i
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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? 9 v @1 v- ?( l; b6 n+ a * ^# [4 Q8 S2 qM: I aced my last job interview. 5 E+ W: c: c3 i7 t& z7 q$ U' o* @% t7 n: B$ x6 h- B6 U
L: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。 7 A0 x) C# o. {+ I . n, f# p6 N7 _8 V* O8 A" 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. 4 U! P9 R( J+ H I : ?, h. v( w( X \8 QL: 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' ?. U$ P1 E
1 u) b+ l0 \( F w, O: Y" J7 OM: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking? % K" |& b% U0 v/ @. C1 P1 p / Z2 W9 f) z! F# M& VL: 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。 - w' F9 d8 @6 Z! ^% k, Q4 t 7 `9 U* Y4 R/ `M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts!8 N- s: J8 O. I, [+ O
( s) h7 [$ f/ _7 z! A* fL: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀?; X, }& I$ t% U8 P. v d6 B
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M: That's really not much! You only make eight dollars an hour? Your wages are very low, so I said that's "peanuts"!+ E: K' o" E& o- z
1 |; Y4 i% }8 A0 U/ x7 vL: 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? # C& o8 Y' G$ z% @6 X- U 7 X! U* W. I7 ~4 u, I1 PM: That's right. , P( h. d% @1 F, K : R1 U N) w3 z& a+ S3 O' G3 E. gL: 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。+ P8 o1 G I2 R/ P
: O1 _& d" C$ }M: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant.$ `* q3 ^; y# |7 J$ j
7 N5 Y5 ^' `/ _+ z! e% nL: 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. ) j7 S9 P& r4 n1 ?5 ~6 P4 p& M) t0 `0 q4 O5 k1 q' v/ z9 M# B
M: I don't see how you can live on so little money.1 O* i4 W: z, G; ~& F9 j( A