流行美语教程 Lesson 7: choke; money

Xbfeng

Michael和李华今天去看篮球比赛。球赛是在纽约大型室内体育馆[麦迪逊广场花园]举行，这场比赛是华盛顿的球队对纽约的球队。 Michael到中国去学过中文，他让李华跟他讲中文，以便练习听力。现在他们俩正在排队进入体育馆。今天他们在对话中会用choke和 money这两个词。
3 v  P6 M5 K$ [$ [* Z# ^) s0 |
& K% |/ Q& l  l/ b5 r8 \L: 嗨，Michael，谢谢你买到这么好的票！我真高兴能到[麦迪逊广场]来看球。这可是有名的体育馆哟！
8 \7 q% z. i4 Q" P
" S9 X0 A2 i# u6 |4 J: GM： No problem! I am really happy you could come. Yeah, I love coming to the Garden to watch basketball games.

L: 你也喜欢来这里看篮球比赛啊，那太好了。今天是纽约队比华盛顿队，你看结局会怎样？

. g9 [- e; }% t4 ZM：Well, Li Hua, I think New York is going to lose. Knowing them, their going to choke.
) g* ]5 m7 U+ ?
L: 你说纽约队会输？你还说什么 choke? 你是说他们吃饭时会噎着啦？这跟输球有什么关系，我不懂。
& G- b8 p* A. b) n( a$ K6 t  o
M：No, no, no! They're not going to choke on their food! It's the same word with the same spelling, but it has a different meaning. Here, choke means to fail under pressure.

8 N  a7 T, r# }9 k! xL：噢，我懂了。 你说的choke 是指纽约队会抵挡不住华盛顿球队的压力而输掉，对吗？
0 }4 z( L1 b, q, p0 N4 a! {8 f
M: Yes! And choke has many uses. How else do you think it can be used?
! ~6 o9 E$ J( R, J, L
- y, B% ~( W* z2 f3 X4 eL: Choke 可以用在很多地方。考试考糟了，可以用choke 这个字吧？
; t( q' t% I- C3 e2 T) ^
M: Yes! In fact, I choked on a test last week.

$ V8 P' V, X& B0 FL：你上星期考试考糊了？嘿，Michael，我还知道怎么用choke这个字。你不是老想请那个姑娘出去玩吗？你请她，她连电话都不回，这可真让你choked了，对不对？
/ {7 e5 d. ~" h8 M6 x  Z
M：It seems like you really understand this word! Yeah, but it doesn't matter with that girl because I don't like her anyway.

3 c1 i1 E  F- uL: 噢，你说得可真轻松，没关系，因为你不喜欢她。好，那你告诉我你喜欢哪个女孩呐？

! F* B0 [/ R/ h; n! xM：Oh, that doesn't matter. Let's go to our seats！

% z, T. _9 ?+ V0 B. u6 l0 I$ mL: 好，好， 去找位置吧！

(Michael和李华找到了自己的座位)
# ~0 z+ h" L: a$ R( D, T) S
& \/ I8 ?" g5 U( b' s) v. ]5 LL: Michael，你看，纽约队看来不会输，他们赢了两个球，现在还剩十秒了。只要纽约队不失去球，他们就不会输。

M：I think that New York is going to win. Maybe they won't choke after all.

L：你也认为纽约队可能不会输？等等，你看，纽约队丢了球！这下他们完了！华盛顿队要求暂停，他们还有赢的机会。

M：Washington is going to win. Michael Jordan will make the last shot. He is money.

L: 你认为华盛顿球队会赢，Michael Jordan 会投进最后一个球。你说 "He is money "是说他会赚钱吗？
6 p1 U2 q& f* O  J
& U. X" l3 X4 Z0 G1 m7 v: yM：No, by money, here I mean that he performs consistently at a high level.

L: 噢，这儿的money不是指钱，是指他打球一直保持在高水平上，一直打得很棒。
! I$ ~6 f8 ]1 m* M
M：Yes, you could say Yao Ming is money too.
+ ~, B, ]7 B( Y4 O
- g( L9 _% ~( g& r' a8 H* yL: 姚明当然很棒，所以也可以说：Yao Ming is money。那我们班的 Steven，他考试总是考得很好，也能说，He is money?
' g5 r. e* [, V1 ?$ J. ~( {' ^. _
" E/ e; @1 m8 p4 k; j- t+ QM：Yup. He's money. You can also call things money. For example, this pizza we are eating is money.

L: 原来凡是好的东西都可以说是money。我们正在吃的比萨饼是很好吃，所以也可以说是money.
; V/ L; C5 g9 D4 v
' K" `; |4 N2 w5 N  R" y, GM：Do you think the coffee shop we like to go to is money?
3 ~( U0 u/ a% e
L: 我们常去的咖啡馆当然非常好，我一有空就想去。

! X0 d7 j1 g9 R; q2 P! _M: Michael Jordan won the game! I told you he is money!
' r. H  h7 [0 m; G( v% p; {
7 O; }' P' @" f, R9 n  K' Z, i. ^' kL: Michael Jordan赢得了比赛，他就是棒。

M：Let's get going, though. I have to study for a test. I don't want to choke on the test again.

L: 好吧，你快回去准备考试吧，我知道你要再考糊，就麻烦了。

/ V. \6 Z- z1 g  l( {$ x: j* KMichael和李华今天在对话里用的两个词意思是相对的。 To choke是糟糕，失败的意思；而money是保持高水平，非常棒的意思。最好大家都不要choke，都成为money，那就太棒了。
/ G( y: x( P1 [以下为音频：