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。& ~/ K0 t- E5 G2 N- _
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L: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样? 1 X' ?6 v3 U5 i4 y ; W- f$ I8 x" SM: Not bad! I aced today's history test! 6 Z5 @% N) n, y1 V3 v1 M% e; s 1 u _: T I! pL: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴!9 a. R e' [7 ? W6 h
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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! ' I% s Q6 w! q: X) X# |9 P6 h . R" T8 l; k8 `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?; Q0 k/ n3 a- a" t
0 W3 i# E% P- m, YM: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense.0 c; N/ [ ^0 [# X# b
# A: m3 O7 w* q7 nL: 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? 6 a$ G) X/ o& a! a* o5 Y8 z) s1 e' k% e
M: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well. ; O2 s3 X* f+ h0 [7 j! q2 D( g0 B8 ^5 f
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?! @! y2 _: o5 V: L
+ E" O2 m0 ^ ?& H2 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. + x- \1 D1 H: n' t! K- r+ `, B, z' l) R
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 x) V/ s0 i+ m, E4 U- I
, m8 I" Q7 h- O& Z. y, ^$ wM: I aced my last job interview.2 C8 }) E; H' \% ]5 z
0 \( z% H' A' W) D) T8 W" VL: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。 * Y$ n/ c @" @! B5 }6 ? 6 e6 [# q, }/ |. d3 L. y. v. hM: 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. ' ~$ }* n5 t, }. K$ `& V ! e8 i- d' l5 y( H6 m7 K1 ?; iL: 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 `8 ?( o% n: f) W6 e( W" G4 ~ ! f8 H- `1 V" o& g9 B7 UM: Yes, you're right! # O V; A3 W& F0 r2 a$ s. l" T3 I 2 m' `3 ~3 M8 ^- [# p: LL: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗?4 x+ ?* r$ g. ?$ s2 l8 U
8 b; }1 r8 ~" gM: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking?2 I, t* F( x3 m' o. ]( V
% w9 A( |5 e9 j6 o2 V2 oM: Eight dollars? That's peanuts! & ?: g. }: E/ F) x2 E5 v 2 D2 h$ q9 i/ m# yL: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀? * B! m1 M# j6 Q# C3 Y9 y \9 b" }- H* G2 I) i% R
M: That's really not much! You only make eight dollars an hour? Your wages are very low, so I said that's "peanuts"! ' l1 X# t, [6 N6 d- [ + j# r7 g9 ~( ?$ I' v; R3 r0 FL: 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?1 c9 T ~7 K5 \3 _( }9 J' {& ^
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M: That's right.: } W# W X/ ^
7 e# w [( v! P$ X2 o. S% kL: 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。9 Q! \8 l) U. Y, [+ q9 h) F6 L
. i! d k6 Z" H0 o/ f1 ^8 F2 GM: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant.+ q% ^6 w7 j4 u& u. h8 \7 P( L: _
7 M# F0 Z( z: g e1 i0 oL: 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. $ F9 N1 ~# }# [ # v$ Y/ D( b! B' o( f2 EM: I don't see how you can live on so little money.. B7 L$ C( _4 H/ @
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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。$ K8 {2 U# F% S. Q
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M: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those...& w. j B$ _6 Z