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。 9 K, ]4 T! z7 Y+ n5 L' f$ I6 i$ M+ ?6 M
L: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样? ( t9 R5 q# G6 ]% B3 G6 o0 B5 j: ?( J, |0 B5 q* I5 D& c
M: Not bad! I aced today's history test!% \# }' ]; t$ b1 a: H, N
+ _) o) U' o% C+ m Y4 F6 t
L: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴! - L: ]% S& j! g& Z' y7 a7 B+ X( p& ] B7 s: Y- D0 r- j
M: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it! / }4 o$ ~# a3 R: U. ? 8 T1 f6 J+ X( A" TL: 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? . j/ |" k- H% B Q/ Y" \+ L' U6 |& x
M: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense.5 W9 R0 [3 z$ g$ }) ]* V
) @3 Z/ |( w8 g. t' h5 Y" X
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? 0 ~2 K# }2 Z) G, o6 C- o0 {: h# a/ D* I; A9 s- t
M: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well.9 w. A) u3 D8 S" Z6 p5 m
. ?9 S' z+ ?' I. y0 c6 I; |% }
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? 9 q. Y3 e8 q6 [+ N8 H: P& X6 y! [5 ?3 u: M! w- F
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.2 L8 M9 U' |! t1 V" o" M
; x R4 m" j, _: A" vM: I aced my last job interview. % c; d- R0 J$ s" M" ^, O3 Y1 I8 V( N& y6 V) E. w) p4 A. w+ C
L: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。 5 H) |$ I( {) l2 t/ n" I0 A" L' Y6 o
M: 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.) u% w, b. J; K3 J
% X, T8 h% D4 ~2 \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。 ! Z2 y" q- G/ |4 g0 E 6 q* a: H1 V% dM: Yes, you're right! , e' u0 R. V [, V ^. k6 u! S; s; p6 Z6 t! r
L: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗? 3 u) ?( Y4 Q9 i6 Z z4 g% X$ n* \% j% S3 d2 x- n
M: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking? ' O- V, N$ i) T/ p6 T: }! w1 L; K; G8 @3 Y
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。 ! }3 b( w% ]4 t# r) d# x1 x ' l7 ]8 W6 a0 C/ hM: Eight dollars? That's peanuts!# P3 s5 Q2 F# s0 F
: V% m' S- V" K7 v) @4 g
L: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀?2 d& d: \! g4 C1 f n7 g6 r
6 N% l3 z! l+ J7 T4 m+ d" xM: That's really not much! You only make eight dollars an hour? Your wages are very low, so I said that's "peanuts"! # m2 U F N* j2 e9 C1 S3 h u9 F/ v: t% q
L: 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?! n% r3 P2 J$ q- j8 v. C
[- s$ S" [& o3 j2 Y. e* h
M: That's right. 6 R/ z8 w [, @3 {4 } 4 q" T! p6 Z+ h0 TL: 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。" `" v) w3 c8 y# G
2 D% }9 A* y! L" Z# j/ UM: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant.6 P, m' ^9 {) H+ ^
( o) w. d$ W& h3 L: wL: 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. ( z: ?( Q8 G, n ~: P) S) A ) V. c8 P. K( G! cM: I don't see how you can live on so little money.. j, g% @7 h4 F; r; b8 B0 f