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。 + V3 |% w4 T K0 r! _) y # m" ?, T9 O8 H! Z& ]% uL: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样?* u( @2 p- j# K$ ^9 j5 y0 L
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M: Not bad! I aced today's history test! " G1 J- t# G1 G( E* z9 b* [6 R0 I6 f* G1 }: p$ ~* x1 M
L: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴! . Z3 {; v2 u2 s# C/ l 0 R: i6 l5 o( X3 ~) gM: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it!4 C/ m( G- O2 C1 b" { y0 q
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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?, U( }( b" z, k
5 b8 V9 s+ Z1 r" \- hM: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense. - n; _1 p" [' { ! t) v! [6 l; E8 {" a+ X# a8 `; sL: 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?: e& }9 z8 |0 w# N: Q1 ?7 S
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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." o! ~* D. H% r' `
H- D( b9 e/ E' k$ G; rM: 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.& j- e! _2 m6 w# w/ T8 f" X! w
$ u0 N9 J1 `2 z" h7 RL: 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? 4 J! K v, z8 ], G# a6 ?% `* a* I- n , D0 O8 } u" w7 x" A% {M: I aced my last job interview.+ U& E: C; l& h t- p
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L: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。 6 T S1 m8 O% H' v# F- ?# ~% Y $ Y* v' D- J" H0 u+ w, o' lM: 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.- P, u. j m4 l, w
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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。( y& d# ^4 S: D4 d7 D1 ^
$ o3 ]6 z7 M7 l+ `% B4 p/ eM: Yes, you're right!& ^: a, D2 W! |3 R" T0 c
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L: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗?; k G, R; M. f
d' C% H3 `4 g- ^M: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking? ) G! d( n5 [0 } * R) F5 Z5 Z7 G- L1 k8 kL: 你当然不在意你问我赚多少钱。 当助教的工资很低,才8美元一 小时。 3 E/ P* `6 f k$ L7 R" ~, c; s+ y# w' t9 d* \: S' e3 y5 E. c$ C% Z
M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts!0 `; L+ P4 i E( I
7 d2 X, _- c0 p8 j& cL: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀? 4 |- R7 V' R6 I. d3 q 1 U4 ]8 u5 N, \6 J4 c9 e6 S+ e vM: That's really not much! You only make eight dollars an hour? Your wages are very low, so I said that's "peanuts"! , R& z$ H7 c# p' Q* P0 p ) Z% H& U, x8 \) s2 B& f2 H+ K% BL: 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? + d1 ^ p/ @( {5 `- c0 D ( M3 c& a; r) j% l7 lM: That's right. 6 E! o7 U* w" @5 f9 g. B% E6 q: L( M7 `) e
L: 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。8 f8 d' H2 i8 W0 d: }
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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. 1 r( S. A( I+ [( `) g9 ]" \/ N: T# g$ I4 j3 ?9 g
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. 9 Q8 O# d4 _! o) \ ! F, D3 }6 `% K/ L4 [M: I don't see how you can live on so little money.) e7 ?7 ]+ ]0 k, `' t
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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。 " l7 M' C: | b. {& {% Z6 v. L ' r) y2 J- W; b: eM: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those.... O% s! j1 S7 F; L- M& E/ N