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。 * i& G, N+ W4 Z# z* j 8 Q5 r1 B7 j* S1 N+ `1 JL: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样? 2 {% n8 f; K/ w+ y, O( V$ Y0 l/ j2 X3 X+ d" j
M: Not bad! I aced today's history test! % m. {# P! B2 p1 G; G k 4 e x& L. t/ g; y2 pL: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴!* t% _. w3 v8 b7 |3 Q4 b
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M: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it!- T4 [7 h, {7 ^: p) O+ \
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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?; F/ F W- Z% D3 r) m8 P" J( H
# A3 Q/ L+ r% k: }4 CM: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense. , v# x2 D6 ?+ z/ B# A3 A7 @/ g: O / Y1 E$ x) \/ H/ a; F, }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?. N M3 f) w; t7 g( n# u' [
- q7 W4 |& C4 \. X9 f1 m0 pM: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well.6 Q2 o( ^8 Q% U# E# @
' \% T2 R8 ?$ ]6 k' GL: 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? 1 t% c X8 `0 m6 L2 D x, g {) Q- w0 U: m1 P `' eM: 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.+ P& o) ]7 a$ A" M
2 K. l& ]( p% I6 M9 _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?. d/ L$ a* z9 @
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M: I aced my last job interview.$ g. [) L4 v" S" ?
& }- t* N. |/ S& TL: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。 2 t$ z9 \+ z& k6 u# A" {( Z 5 H9 n/ S7 _( @1 zM: 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.3 @6 }$ R( t: ?* `5 J' k/ c! x, g% x
' r# V5 R, b* e1 C# e1 EL: 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。0 ~& ]- q5 Y k5 s) i/ R
+ r5 p0 F. y( rM: Yes, you're right! 9 M; k N' T- x% ~( j. }# x 1 n. B7 s: e% p$ s7 }6 wL: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗?4 J# ^- u* B* D$ Z8 z
1 W) v+ V& w; i9 n; x/ g5 OM: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking?8 C2 B0 {9 P0 t8 L* F6 }+ f$ i
/ ]! A( u# u! c7 Q: J+ C8 q9 r5 tL: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀? 6 C3 p9 B F) a2 ^3 Q+ L' D. L5 |' Z
M: That's really not much! You only make eight dollars an hour? Your wages are very low, so I said that's "peanuts"! # `3 t; {1 L8 O" Q7 C/ |% { 9 i1 g& e2 c 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? + {& I' I( d( }3 h0 q " i: n! Z7 G6 A, w8 S6 |( |M: That's right. 9 P0 r6 s* ^2 V! w' [( k 8 ~' C2 s7 P# l4 p# bL: 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。 % Z# P7 t/ O' k1 t( r+ q+ `; W1 Q7 g. ?# Z8 @# ]
M: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant. ) t4 x+ }3 E5 @' o" g6 v6 E9 O8 R5 y- R W* P. Y9 P
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. 2 A/ V- T2 N n9 Z: Z1 n ( v7 \( G. ?" K' V" s, l$ X& OM: I don't see how you can live on so little money.: n5 K/ |1 B3 K, ~3 I
7 g( ]- a# b' R# B" kL: 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。1 Z+ D B/ F. f2 H; F
& p; W; J7 K; M2 d/ WM: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those...' K L+ H% J5 w: e$ U