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。/ H9 Y8 V: ^$ d" o0 ?. g
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L: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样?$ p" O" l* y) P2 I/ v v9 p
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M: Not bad! I aced today's history test! ( M; {8 T% A# q2 P, l( D; Y% X9 ~- Y' Q7 \
L: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴! . t% z A! F R# a) t D* @/ |/ o8 v/ LM: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it!7 |1 Q9 r! b) W7 V) A- |8 Y$ c
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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?& E8 e% h+ Z* D+ T2 ^& n
* P* D9 Y7 y2 i- D, Q/ \: S) {6 P5 oM: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense." [+ y: u+ G- \ e! ?2 a
1 I8 {& y: k( _2 E9 K6 A* _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?# Z; B$ `+ y% F" f9 ?2 [
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M: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well.) N+ h, b" r0 W F% }" P
/ x( x" e+ g- FL: 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? * j3 L7 b, ?2 Z3 e6 b5 ^/ b8 p! d! [% ~! k) @, g7 c
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. 5 M5 g, g, ^4 |+ S7 o/ y% M ! v3 v4 x3 z4 S# T6 y7 O5 l# yL: 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? 3 b, l& ^: H1 O, I' I5 i: C$ ^$ r; h
M: I aced my last job interview.5 e& l/ n9 f" B6 j x
/ B' I2 u0 T8 h8 ^. `' J- RL: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。 * x W: z6 M% l4 F ]1 [& T" j4 y/ n0 S1 T& L4 B, m
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.' A! x2 k: Q8 x( [- Q; ^) X& P0 L
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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。 8 E' Y4 r! j0 {" ^9 M$ v* i# `5 [; ^, U1 ?+ V! [% ?0 x" S
M: Yes, you're right! 5 T/ u: [: Z$ E8 r, e9 e5 ~ $ B0 f4 S+ P" B& v: q& i5 fL: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗?8 w% I1 @' I6 L" A% r
* @+ l3 Z. k- x. s! t( D1 Q; z. W3 oM: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking?8 s% f% N7 a2 L, a' E/ e3 b' M
# p+ d0 m: l( i: J& S4 ]( T& c0 cL: 你当然不在意你问我赚多少钱。 当助教的工资很低,才8美元一 小时。 ' d2 w% Q6 [- g- d* T' U; S ; p R& Z3 S# d; [M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts! * q1 C, C8 _) @* k, q5 c ; g$ _4 P. n5 {% I4 CL: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀?' F( n$ t4 e: @8 _. N
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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"!% k+ P# Q- r4 x# u! g5 X, d
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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? / [% }- c5 ~; K( z5 I' r `4 U0 G J* {/ Z5 }# s' h0 IM: That's right.: p2 m3 n1 T7 P( m
0 b n6 Y0 m/ ^# I3 P. rL: 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。, `( U( f% q" Q/ T4 g( N+ A
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M: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant. 4 @" f" r# Y& d, n' S! J0 i1 ?1 c E- s @* X* u
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.1 c5 |! ] A" ~6 x. w: u" X/ s
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M: I don't see how you can live on so little money.* T. O3 o7 l, Z: p7 u