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。 1 d' L/ p# x6 ~7 F8 `& B& R" c _& e+ @4 D" p! g `; N- I
L: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样? : K$ c7 Y' r0 M; n* N! Y# j7 b! R8 A8 k4 }7 s# w% |5 ~
M: Not bad! I aced today's history test!" E+ k) x$ _6 ^/ |, Q i" N1 D( F( ]
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L: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴!2 P) Q f* _/ W
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M: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it! 5 i8 N) e/ U$ T5 r & n: \$ O: G0 Q/ O5 O4 T5 Z, OL: 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?( Q8 a1 J7 P0 r8 M
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M: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense. $ ~; G. `( d6 C9 C4 W/ k3 q u8 _8 Z/ u1 [. S \3 YL: 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?' e* F1 T3 l( {' t9 J+ J
# x1 Y; r: f# X& ?0 oM: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well.) {/ q g4 E7 D) V5 M/ C) a& h0 v' g
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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?7 e" J* }3 h" A/ _! i; X
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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. : f6 l0 }" o; P+ X% F( s m7 A + f( f9 s3 M3 w' X/ l! UL: 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? : l) k4 s6 e4 e y7 k, B6 X, L+ y, a! l4 j
M: I aced my last job interview.8 P! }. o) w; S" k+ T m+ T7 ~
, H; A) t& A. J5 k4 GL: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。. M& E7 g% _. J, f2 l$ d( N6 u
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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. $ {, r2 s% |! z. S' g7 x7 V1 Y* F* r; g) a+ C0 J+ t) [% h
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。; \5 ?( q4 w% E% e V
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M: Yes, you're right!; s N! p" Q- Q" F: g% q+ {1 d
- ^) h$ g3 v; Q9 HL: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗?* m- [. o/ F4 Y7 |7 G M$ I) O
U% L/ P% q, \0 j- }$ tM: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking? 1 \+ I$ A }7 Q2 `6 z; ~ " f" A+ U% [: R. K/ 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。 " G# j! B0 x: @7 F4 A5 A, M$ |; Z: ?3 G1 {9 @1 x
M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts!9 X3 D6 t8 U! b
" a1 k2 b: B& S* AL: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀?( U% F6 z2 D' ?1 M
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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"! ) B- ^, ?7 |% M9 Z" G7 X ?2 Y' k4 S8 W* B6 o" U* n) p
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?8 F/ `1 D7 F% D% c1 _
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M: That's right.7 ~) m8 r Q; b& c/ r; c
. f: @+ w9 N4 t2 s# C0 r) \5 yM: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant. 1 e; ^' O# v J! A7 P+ y" a6 P. [; m' {2 z- ?1 J
L: 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. E% U0 D- B/ B% P
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M: I don't see how you can live on so little money.! d5 E, Z" E. o4 f
( n/ ]' h2 M% F5 ]' A$ ^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。4 W, G& o" f. e+ o* Y' t: B
, v3 Q; f+ w/ Q2 |M: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those...$ i7 M# M4 w0 I1 ]# q