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。 + t7 l6 G; d0 e1 m $ ^0 v3 K2 H. L8 W, O% l+ }L: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样?# y; \$ T& n1 q/ m( K+ T# X
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M: Not bad! I aced today's history test! 7 r% ]0 i/ O6 Y5 N( ^! `4 \ # `; g; c* e$ V8 {4 iL: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴!! [, o! { \9 ~" e
( C0 Q1 V) O8 c. Z% `- h- Q' SM: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it! 6 L; ]" E' a( B: f$ I1 I+ ^ 0 J$ B- N$ D7 F) P& w; m" RL: 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, ]( s& L0 [# `9 o6 K! w2 i% ^ Z2 {6 n* ^7 U% ~6 r. P" K2 \& g
M: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense. 3 E9 g! a2 l2 s, K9 k; Y 5 u8 }, _4 P4 }* Z0 @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?5 ~) B9 r! Z+ Z: W/ z, d6 j: b
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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.; Z$ W2 n! s& ]; I
% p& C; x; J, ]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 _. k0 D; Y" T9 e0 d 2 Z1 d7 e/ Q1 A9 W2 l( 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.- n( R5 j% \8 L, N( N
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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?0 G( C( C+ u. y5 ^5 ?) \
* T o$ \) E0 g7 n( V2 e3 YM: I aced my last job interview. . p: }7 }- ~; {9 D) A4 _9 p; R/ O, f. u5 S6 Q; z
L: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。 9 q: E. w1 i6 `: T9 w - N% c6 l) H1 \/ vM: 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.' [% {, m& B2 ~% H2 D& K
; p- g* f, Y3 ~$ N& d. ML: 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。9 [/ }3 d' T7 K: J( ~7 Z' e( W. I. h
/ ?1 @& S. E Q4 l9 U+ OM: Yes, you're right!" Z% T: y2 r: m2 K, O5 D2 z
! S' }8 o8 m5 i* [1 `& o1 aM: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking? 8 p2 J% p+ |. U) R, J4 o+ a( @ ?8 q% W
L: 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。6 h2 u6 \% }' _* r+ M% {0 V
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M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts!) I# J5 E! b( y: q+ x: g
& u# J9 V" r I7 J& E8 ZL: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀?5 y9 D+ H; M' I0 B+ d0 K" Q
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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"! ; t0 p2 {8 y+ B5 G! l. }' U. m1 k+ ]/ a% C! j- B* S# N/ w- X2 w
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? ; S5 ?, i- ~3 c+ l1 z4 v- f/ O5 r" o4 S
M: That's right.4 m/ z3 P" L; G5 d' t/ _, [
9 L K" [3 a' t6 F6 w8 |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。 I$ ^- F8 R3 L/ E
% N/ z5 m/ _. V0 f; x2 d/ tM: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant. . n% G. }9 r- d& b% X6 s* c+ u/ ]4 S/ 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./ W, b" W+ F1 S, d+ o
% W. ?) `* i% IM: I don't see how you can live on so little money.% b ?, \0 A8 M! v2 ~
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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。 5 ^, D9 X: I6 O* @9 l $ X; Y' x0 x8 k$ K" F3 b9 h5 ^$ ZM: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those...% G. O7 j- w$ h$ ~& w% R0 ^
6 O6 M& e( h. eL: 你真想要我赚花生,靠吃花生过日子呀。Michael, 你真废话!$ y- ^' k; A/ X. x+ v
+ n9 Z, P& G1 A1 w" nM: I'm just kidding!! U: t! Y, o, T5 F
* p- d1 I1 p- c. P7 s! y今天李华学到两个常用语,一个是:to ace,就是某件事做得很好,特别是象考试之类的事;另一个是:peanuts,这里不是指花生,而是指数量很小,价值很低。今天的[流行美语]就学习到这里,我们下次节目再见。 k8 M3 z7 X4 {. z6 GAudio As Following: 4 Q& x# T7 R o" I& W3 ^* T