$ e' w5 _# `; q% s! z: e, P9 ~M: Not bad! I aced today's history test! , S F c% B7 {, h ' S w. }6 j$ U0 T" x. H/ t' HL: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴! 9 O$ \9 I y7 p0 Q$ k& _! e5 k/ j4 e: `
M: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it! 9 i r, F: u7 F$ V. w1 Z6 N( g# c: f6 N7 Q! w
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?& J+ H2 X! Q# V8 x! Z7 n
5 `/ s- I- [' ^6 c
M: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense. ( K* i8 t' B$ `/ a& t, y* c( ? 9 `2 X: K5 h! Q0 cL: 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? 5 r' z$ u! T+ h( y4 s 6 V, `# X, ^, u* Z& Y4 m2 `M: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well. ! D* L% ^! I4 Y: _/ K$ V5 [8 i: G# s5 w. \4 w( g$ y
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? 5 }. a5 q5 x& ?3 X4 `# c4 e/ L: e6 ` k+ o' X/ h3 D- n8 K5 WM: 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.* c; x( Y% Z9 ~9 W- b
* N. G* V( ] g' |) DM: I aced my last job interview.' { K. h& n: w$ Z) o
( \# K9 a8 l8 Z# g1 s% U) AL: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。 ) F+ t" Q" q, ~' `: w7 g8 |5 \ 3 e5 l5 K \& n6 S8 U2 rM: 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., }" ?6 _8 H9 \
6 S% ?) @6 l6 o2 N3 m+ f( f8 ]' \1 Q9 c" `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。+ g2 P# s4 z6 V
7 z1 {) q6 I$ V
M: Yes, you're right!1 m5 l# a0 J. Y3 M% Q. X
" R$ I* \, Z7 [) E- PL: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗? . f+ r1 c& t& p9 x ; _. p* Z! G- j5 i* v1 WM: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking?0 e, ^4 t- q2 A0 s: C( K. n
7 T+ K# {+ U. ~/ p) cL: 你当然不在意你问我赚多少钱。 当助教的工资很低,才8美元一 小时。- _, c, W9 O) g4 w
# a' ], O. K/ YM: Eight dollars? That's peanuts! B( J5 c9 F# G% `" E5 Y
* J5 k8 A5 t! s v& NL: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀? % d9 f5 M9 j6 w* {# o) H) J! w: ?8 x0 l, G. @& v
M: That's really not much! You only make eight dollars an hour? Your wages are very low, so I said that's "peanuts"! 3 p$ G# I# i% x( b: ]4 u3 u ! L# s. w3 D, C) \- @4 TL: 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? / t% R9 r, T! ^7 q2 u! m9 O! ?- ]( B1 n8 w1 @; {+ c
M: That's right.; O0 g" B, Y4 ]
* Y/ \. ]$ ?& P' {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。 4 w% ?/ \8 | I6 X# s4 ~- n) m 4 {4 ]. S& H7 Z+ OM: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant.5 F. `1 W7 m6 h8 r# S, T3 [% k/ A
2 A# y3 z9 z& W, O& W; |; QL: 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. 0 n U, j' E9 Y% z8 ~( `* `0 f% h9 T* E4 H
M: I don't see how you can live on so little money.: a& r3 i0 O, {/ ~% q
+ ~+ I9 p; a: X6 z
L: 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。 * d% p2 y9 r$ \# } 3 ~7 ~4 U% I+ B: n; p% A% R; vM: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those...$ j6 e: Z% p1 p9 u