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。. S+ C) _ q; D% g0 A1 m: X! u
, s3 E2 M p4 q( U8 d! \6 @, ~' g+ sL: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样?5 U4 w9 y) z% Y P' e
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M: Not bad! I aced today's history test! ' O: j; @2 S. n- o; L! T( z* S+ u& b1 t* R1 t5 }" h
L: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴! 3 i2 t- B, |) V1 z8 o( n3 g 7 |, X# M$ i% H* J9 x$ ^& ?M: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it! 6 ? C9 C4 y( F0 @- E- x9 d. q$ j+ ?& x6 F/ O0 G( |. N
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?; }- \, n3 S) N b
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M: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense.; @3 ?/ x8 j- F2 u1 p9 ]
$ n Y2 Z4 b' _, g3 `& g4 c- pL: 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? 7 t# m3 ~" }9 z: Z, h/ B+ h8 A3 N# X% J2 q' D7 N
M: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well.* R- I% v# {. S6 B, v1 [) B9 V
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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? 3 p& v8 g- V7 y6 G7 K5 A' u6 k. c8 e9 n9 h: p$ n
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.$ s! v% Y( K. G3 ?% K* w
/ m1 }& m" w' |( Q6 ]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? 2 K% E. C: @1 c9 }( L% Y/ C$ O+ g" b* V2 a2 N
M: I aced my last job interview., _1 l8 w. H3 i3 b' X
C, _6 A4 H+ O3 @! ]L: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。4 J* z+ c x9 A
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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.5 i4 l+ X6 k1 p: o
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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。- x5 B6 \/ w4 l) f
' U- f! P( c8 V, y* Z) E3 sM: Yes, you're right!6 q; k, n, o% Z9 P
+ {0 r( g# h; _) K6 ^8 ]L: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗? + n7 u+ z% \# j% i- t/ J! I* M9 o; B, q% v
M: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking? 6 ~7 H0 S) @# t2 p7 F! H& Q4 P 7 ]& q& b% X. L$ j8 x. u5 cL: 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。) f7 U" W4 f. b0 ]. \
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M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts!: U. I D, e1 I: X# ^" X
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L: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀? % W( t8 M" U( Y+ g . _0 Q# s8 {* W0 K0 HM: That's really not much! You only make eight dollars an hour? Your wages are very low, so I said that's "peanuts"! ) d$ y7 M5 h" o& x0 |* N8 j( c$ D, p- s& ^9 e! z
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? 0 I: @! e6 k: O+ b" V) t# ^6 Y4 x6 R* F7 B3 _
M: That's right., [1 ?+ c4 m( I: e: J5 |
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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, O' W" q; Z
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M: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant. + U# C7 c4 t. b & f& w' x8 }. \% B7 r. i- QL: 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.! p# _+ \# a) P& v
9 L" f t% b8 j; T& J7 EM: I don't see how you can live on so little money. % V% T6 R2 Q! N 4 a; S* p- L. m8 m- O2 S( Z2 j Z/ oL: 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 U( f! Q" P7 I4 H- v) O; p; {& j" a* b# c. @. c. z7 t
M: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those..., @1 o- i& c+ y