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。; t9 _" w" u3 H2 _; h. n) E: d, Y' i' s0 @
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L: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样? $ \' E; Z) l& Z/ M# } $ v; [7 E7 t: j4 \M: Not bad! I aced today's history test! ' i9 I& y% U1 }& B z+ o# t) @& D# |: ` U+ @9 J; f
L: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴!7 r" k" M4 Q) |& b
7 a, N! W+ V9 W& `! BM: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it!- d- p/ H- R5 Q; z
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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? 7 E- B: t) ]1 P2 P- P0 u! K3 f2 y7 k3 ~) W* O
M: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense. ; m. k8 S# Y7 j) i4 b7 B- h+ `* V# }/ U( e- {; g
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? / B- ^) S6 R/ F+ Z, m: ^3 p - Y' I( o" y0 Z! tM: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well.( E V+ U9 v! d$ d# |' t$ v" @& T
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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? 0 H4 k& C2 R( C2 [ 6 F0 J% E/ T& u4 N4 [. A6 A4 s! pM: 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. ! Y+ A5 f) Y$ ~# V: |; c, ~ ) H6 \) j2 {: n# FL: 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? [1 Y2 X& l) U- i' t. [! y: M6 m5 ^8 D4 O/ O0 G
M: I aced my last job interview. . y0 C7 x' G+ Q( n/ S" \: t5 q8 {7 D9 U6 ^, Q, z6 c2 C
L: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。/ j1 n# _" l! K1 @
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M: 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.' z6 n. b0 v9 q
, h+ [# v) [) {! ]* ?: \1 oL: 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; x) a" B7 g. y. { ! J/ \) c+ v8 U) gM: Yes, you're right! / \8 ?% ?5 M6 q 8 m" m& I [. L- w* p- uL: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗?, n2 |1 F5 Z6 F( n0 w0 C B
1 |& _; j9 Z0 p6 `M: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking?8 Y0 Z, F" Z* D' m9 x5 h
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L: 你当然不在意你问我赚多少钱。 当助教的工资很低,才8美元一 小时。 " a$ V6 `& Q2 S: }; s7 k1 x; X/ P3 ?5 K; W: e b) r; ~8 |
M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts!, Y! K' _' l1 h0 ]0 Y1 ~
8 G) A* W) A6 ?1 }2 k% a* J1 S" v+ hL: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀?, z; `: \7 K; A3 v0 \8 j0 P' @7 L- A( {
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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"! * ]0 J' Y! h* ^ g3 P( e( T) u- B7 }' e# o E
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?5 K% W. n \7 z) Z
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M: That's right. " P( l# o! S% N6 b" O1 j8 C/ I: k3 @# T% v" P
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。 & r& ^* I$ P& i w7 \' W& ] ( {5 Y! c6 Z: L2 bM: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant.0 @: c! U' w# |1 Y. z- d
9 i2 J# z( [4 Q; b, K3 R3 FL: 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.( u F% F) ^# ?' m v
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M: I don't see how you can live on so little money.; C; |! ^4 U' v1 q0 m3 E F2 {. N
" P9 E, c5 n& k( N' O$ y, A. dM: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those..." T6 ~/ N6 p6 E
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L: 你真想要我赚花生,靠吃花生过日子呀。Michael, 你真废话!2 `) t$ X( a, h6 u `