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。/ _. w% O N& V. p) r5 y0 \" J
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L: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样? 1 I3 f3 Y% y- g( F) Z1 T. G4 _" U- }& v& t7 L
M: Not bad! I aced today's history test!7 K3 ^' L' p& @3 N% f9 W: o& s
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L: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴!7 B! O) U$ P/ a2 o% W5 P6 U
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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!* W& y/ W N+ S! v1 J
, s B0 A4 \# N& f1 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 @4 T- f: P' Z; `1 W0 E$ d# _
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M: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense. 4 A! T( c2 u* |/ f2 C+ V0 Q5 t/ p, X* l( w1 R% j% ^4 B* ~
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?# F) P3 b, M, ^( Y! K$ d) Y
7 D/ S2 P ^" H a P! m8 YM: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well.) C# T8 X9 @ f, P4 b9 a: Y( Y
7 f3 t6 }% w; H3 Q* }* lM: 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. $ q; h; {0 Y+ \# Z! x! S1 Y/ L3 {. V
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?- ^! A$ {- J e
* x s3 s$ }# L! T# z3 y6 QM: I aced my last job interview. ) X& f. ?" s, d' ~* j0 E% _4 s; B) l9 v1 Y( V8 ]
L: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。; z6 f9 ~) K* [' O, q) H4 D
% U4 k! p4 |. ~* 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.4 I. D* W! s5 R! o7 W" {) J! K8 w$ W. }) N
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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。* H% B' u0 y% l
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M: Yes, you're right!" Z8 l" W* I6 b& D
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L: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗?/ M$ Y3 k; y. ~4 o4 {
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M: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking?, w2 P- j+ }7 ~0 _! o' k) A( g
# I5 q; N8 e7 ] x4 f2 l9 z" B2 hL: 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。* d- E* ~3 u. e. F9 W' E0 @3 J$ r8 S
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M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts!% [- Y& m7 d( o
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L: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀? 1 D7 {9 V' @. y3 E' w( }& O" W ! }( H$ {3 y( l3 u# Q: A& j: J; [M: That's really not much! You only make eight dollars an hour? Your wages are very low, so I said that's "peanuts"! + u) o6 m: ^0 Q5 Q5 a. t ?# E1 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? . l; `$ i0 E$ Z+ \# Z S, a( ^& Z B0 [: Z6 {) H9 U
M: That's right.2 R7 b/ o8 W& r- Q, I% g+ d( U% @
4 R: g6 H1 N2 o; l. f. wL: 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。 $ [# W/ S9 y8 x # D" n: J* o: }' T w' ^* d3 K7 U7 d; JM: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant.6 ^, K8 r9 x9 U3 Z. d y9 T
" O7 q: I& P; j$ [6 a3 T5 zL: 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. * k) @9 F1 T( ? E/ D3 m% _ 2 t3 d- s1 b4 U* @; NM: I don't see how you can live on so little money." D1 j6 A3 I1 a7 l+ l: @8 J* d
; N- u; v4 t7 f* O& I* k/ G5 F* nL: 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 [( F! I/ @1 Y! U7 K7 T: J' b6 p4 P$ J9 O+ q
M: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those...; }* ^' B: r$ R