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。' A! j4 j$ y R7 C) R( D
* {. G7 w# [' n$ n" d7 A* RL: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样? 5 D; @# a7 @5 ~' _5 }% h& ~2 b4 X9 J4 ~, h$ L
M: Not bad! I aced today's history test!* S5 j2 b8 u4 V/ h9 f
% m7 c: M, h' p$ E+ t9 NL: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴! 2 j. r7 E1 C! a" K8 e; L1 O4 {# {8 T- W. o3 y5 d6 ]
M: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it! 2 d6 V/ m1 m% t/ o, ^5 E" {3 [+ U' ?3 U; s% B
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?/ b/ m) w( p# f" _' ]& o
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M: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense.0 u% h' X2 X/ P
( y) x# ?' T7 L4 XM: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well.9 w! ?7 d/ {5 o+ P# V8 M& [/ n
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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?8 s& G$ Q3 Y6 G- l( m, |8 p
1 [# Y w) f$ q6 gM: 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.9 M1 m# N6 d8 J1 ~ ~
+ Z3 {* Z' j0 O1 W( w; a; wM: I aced my last job interview. # ]) D1 F: [) A- q 0 e. u7 d }' I- i+ z( HL: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。 z: \' Q% \ E: S! U
/ w5 d( W2 r+ w$ l, D5 NM: 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.9 Z% U8 k" u; j
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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。7 a5 ~1 k. R/ G
1 D2 n- a8 d! q+ {: ?- kM: Yes, you're right! 8 J0 K& P! [( u4 L# T) k- }+ |. W. _8 B, _+ w
L: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗?$ {) b" ^" m. O! m
" w0 B6 N# D. A l! Y# SM: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking? , c$ A- O3 M( H/ E4 d: P* u 1 G; i* W( N: L0 X+ v4 O+ ZL: 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。$ Y8 H, q6 O- z" |
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M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts!- g9 D n) y3 N
' y7 D2 V, N& t1 DL: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀? - a1 E) c3 i- K3 o2 T/ s8 ]6 {, y, q8 b
M: That's really not much! You only make eight dollars an hour? Your wages are very low, so I said that's "peanuts"! / ?* T9 C0 l8 p7 y0 S# [% @5 Z- D8 i5 E* D6 ~4 F- c
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?( V; M! g( |& i8 O: `
# L. m' R+ A& }: yM: That's right.. R/ x0 J0 T6 w. H8 T" }
& u0 v- V( h7 M. W( b% f; ZL: 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 g, i; P) Z# e" W' g $ o- g6 i- y* s P ~1 f& N4 BM: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant. ?6 K2 u5 J$ @9 Q, {6 m) ~ ! ?" M! W& D2 ]) D" E5 I' X+ |- dL: 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. # N% G+ r: _0 ?- b$ V4 E$ I + P! ~+ y9 S3 @( Y: QM: I don't see how you can live on so little money. ) g7 |& L( T, z7 m0 @2 Y: s& a* T4 t) P5 N' G% S1 i! d& T: }
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。% S9 Z5 n. J* A% n; R1 y
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M: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those...! I) o& B9 h, j x7 ?+ \0 V
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L: 你真想要我赚花生,靠吃花生过日子呀。Michael, 你真废话! % m# v! u$ @2 h$ }. y5 X& Y" H6 e3 g7 |8 ?8 e) D5 G# K/ q
M: I'm just kidding!; ^5 ^: O) [ U4 A: g