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。6 @; v6 s/ C9 E q
5 ~$ x" J/ d1 O6 R' m) qL: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样? * ?4 `0 y6 g# K0 o& @& { / u k' S4 Z, [M: Not bad! I aced today's history test!9 \( f3 q' \8 C4 [$ B9 `9 X6 S
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L: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴! & c6 W) ~$ A4 H& Q* B( n: L ) G o4 `% @# ~0 L/ L" r0 wM: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it! % K+ U! [1 k7 H4 X, T5 Q" e$ b7 @2 r: g
L: 你考得很好,那太好了,Michael!最近你每天都到图书馆来念书, 我知道你会考得比以前好的。你刚才用的是哪个字啊?7 S* g0 o3 J+ X+ j. T6 r
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M: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense. " v' V% B0 M A p( O5 }! G 8 |, _# @8 p$ F% n5 {8 _L: 噢,在这里,ace是个动词,过去时就是在后面加一个字母 "d",变成 了aced。这个字是不是和扑克牌里的那张牌A,或者叫"尖子"的那 张牌一样的呢?9 V# H7 X% [0 K# J# T4 m
" T- i, v% r" F& ~/ gM: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well.; P' c$ ~5 @6 S3 l) K
' _& ?, j+ B; ]$ t3 KL: 对,在玩扑克的时候ace往往是价值最高的一张牌,所以ace就是 指某件事做的很好。那ace作为动词还能用在什么场合呢?: f' U& L/ j/ n' u; A
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M: Usually we can use "ace" to describe how we did on a test, or on things similar to tests. For example, I can say I aced my last job interview.+ U3 E p4 R' P& ?
- @" p& A+ l# {" ]5 \/ H1 f" OM: I aced my last job interview. ' d9 ~% K1 U; d- v+ ?; B 9 w% r! q4 Q+ q# X( K) W% jL: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。 6 H* B) P6 m' @9 y9 J$ m4 Q + ~. a3 h4 P& d6 PM: That's right. Li Hua, if someone is very good at something, we can call him an "ace". I can say, for example, you are an ace at taking tests., c7 Z) g7 U. G, q2 z
: S6 i1 |& p, {0 z9 _6 e) |' bL: I'm an ace at taking tests, 你说我非常会考试!这也不见得,我考糊 的时候也有的。不过,比你少一点就是了。8 K6 u) y% ]* n: @* U3 K
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M: Yes, you're right!; o6 z. i c* U) v9 t% W, }; H
, W5 L& n7 H; ~L: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗? 3 \) B: t# Y5 F- j, @- r1 F z0 [: x$ y
M: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking?3 g# A( T! ~# K) S) K4 r
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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。 7 m2 @, N8 q$ Y1 K- E+ I8 X # b) d9 P5 H% C5 WM: Eight dollars? That's peanuts! 6 c/ [) K/ N o6 T0 {& J* J# v4 U& N, x4 z* m
L: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀? + l( `2 b6 M+ |: f9 T A4 r3 J4 K" A: f4 d ?M: That's really not much! You only make eight dollars an hour? Your wages are very low, so I said that's "peanuts"!& c2 u+ p; X) {3 v: X
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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? 9 X% j& m* Z) _) X" a I; v - o1 }8 t! } O- Z; XM: That's right.1 _+ L+ h% B- x" o1 Y4 H# S8 x7 i
0 h2 g( l4 {; n8 x" kL: 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。( x9 W+ }; A' G3 P7 H ~
- _& G9 h" ?! F7 ~M: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant.3 T$ w. j$ ?: w( ?. ]- @, \
" |( E# I7 I. [2 \7 S) N6 ]M: I don't see how you can live on so little money. # |/ P& c' K. O/ }8 Q; ~9 W4 ^# E: Z/ S$ ~; L+ u
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。. _6 J [' K" {; c% W
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M: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those... 0 O1 p; G& r O 7 I% Q# _. x4 o# q& n( `L: 你真想要我赚花生,靠吃花生过日子呀。Michael, 你真废话! 8 h# T1 S9 W; {+ {# ]/ ]* h& ]
M: I'm just kidding!( `/ f, U* o# ` a