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。 1 N* ]8 ?4 }) I" q ! G! `* z! ]; eL: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样?4 M8 p" y2 b( |" Y3 r3 X
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M: Not bad! I aced today's history test! ) q" x& O8 u% o/ p : Q% B9 y" P# nL: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴! 4 n: R3 b2 A2 R* q' c+ n9 n3 E4 j; R, \
M: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it!' r/ |0 M5 m! _& M
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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?0 H: e6 u8 D: m: X8 Z0 D/ j
6 `5 e# x: A9 z0 r& SM: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense. $ g7 O& Y- M3 d( z4 \8 ?8 b : \. z. \6 W. d- ~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 J& X# f8 ?: b6 A6 v& }4 ~' I1 g V8 P8 U, b0 a
M: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well.+ \; T' P1 [1 S. x C& |
- M# ]9 Z# B3 c- [8 g& J) K8 }7 G7 NL: 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? ; k! }$ f3 b8 G5 T# f4 E9 ?1 A; _7 F' s% t/ e4 L
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.6 R1 \9 P( E1 C5 I4 `5 O7 @
9 Y) {/ ?$ y1 tL: 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? + b5 y' I5 |0 m: [' \# w p3 N7 c" ^* F) B3 ?4 z
M: I aced my last job interview.9 ~: z& F- _& u9 s7 s8 g! H5 y
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L: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。 % x2 F0 V4 M6 \9 t! A, ?: I " S5 p1 J' J9 fM: 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.( w) j% f& q/ k' q+ U
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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。5 D; O! G7 L. A: v5 O/ O8 H7 t
9 B. q% K5 e+ eM: Yes, you're right! # @/ } m& q5 p' p4 M" g ' o. P* W5 d5 l# Z9 u( @ VL: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗? 8 \8 _. F+ `& ~5 m9 a1 U 5 n+ V8 {$ A7 O6 \M: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking?" p# j( \' {. ]( E! ?
: K. }' H" F# F8 [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。 5 Q* ^' q8 w( c * R9 R" Q! w' T( c8 S* I1 `M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts! : N8 s- w! K/ f2 B" B4 R 9 v4 d1 Y' l5 sL: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀? 3 f4 P+ b! W/ s; R* G; H* B! k6 k% U5 V1 X6 e
M: That's really not much! You only make eight dollars an hour? Your wages are very low, so I said that's "peanuts"! : M0 T* T+ [( T$ y- } 3 j5 u$ L7 G- [. U+ ?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?/ q7 b( G9 S) |/ S' F5 Z
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M: That's right. ! p, q. i4 |2 O9 _ : ^8 l9 m4 z w8 GL: 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。, p) p' }2 m# z/ ]1 l# R
8 O& j, q8 Z; M% P* uM: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant. ~! K/ D; w$ o( z" w+ f6 { ( X4 }. O2 A) }% ], C P- ML: 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." D$ h( ^5 Q- }: y8 o
7 t' a$ B' S2 n+ G1 L& WM: I don't see how you can live on so little money. 7 I3 B- {( X$ c. { k8 w 5 B) \/ p8 W7 k0 H9 l4 n% GL: 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。 + D" S+ a3 g6 ~! O) I' A$ y B( s3 b5 U, j3 W$ N6 z
M: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those...! y) K- ~5 q4 [4 a0 K0 A1 k
* [$ r8 p7 {) `$ r2 ?8 DL: 你真想要我赚花生,靠吃花生过日子呀。Michael, 你真废话!, K9 ?; h. ]" ?* A; K8 u
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M: I'm just kidding!4 A: }( E: t" C