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。4 @% g4 A1 ?/ a' v/ H
, V9 @% j `- I0 {0 x* ^L: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样? 8 l! T4 q9 B& R o2 `( v* e: q7 M: y' G' X% E' L# C
M: Not bad! I aced today's history test! i- O/ @* x, Z n* g6 `% E% E
6 E/ j$ R: C- S) V1 qL: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴!7 \6 c7 r- q! f& x/ b4 h
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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!: ^5 G4 h: H2 p! S* i
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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?; e4 b2 }' D" s! [) K2 V
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M: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense. f9 }9 F2 N" V1 E4 n, x( H- j9 z+ E7 P' {* k- _) g$ Y0 u% 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? 3 S Y% ^' ?6 V3 g& m3 l * {0 B' c0 a" v- k1 q( u9 p& B# bM: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well. b# G( H9 _ b0 v( q2 \: q4 m
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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? 7 V: I8 T* u, ~% U; Y 1 T# t& ^% D' A, 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.3 L$ ^6 ?* C9 I% s
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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? 5 P$ W; _+ G- J. n6 ~/ w& ?5 m7 D% m( v
M: I aced my last job interview. ' o# C$ V4 D6 g: I3 B* g. W4 S/ K, ?" ]4 L8 X: K9 A1 J3 Y
L: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。. K7 s' [3 v/ D: j) }8 O! p
]6 C) l: |+ w% }" k# d7 S8 b# T0 XM: 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.. l* a% O1 y* d, i, A( z, g, @$ {
. T1 M- ^, Q, K2 ?; ~% ~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。- A# l1 d4 O' y0 }* t6 X2 A
4 F3 P t7 x4 j! S: y3 F7 gM: Yes, you're right!$ x V6 }8 g* }- s
( Q1 e! F1 a0 C k# \$ }M: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking?1 ^( Q' k5 q8 h1 [
2 J6 v- y* J% tL: 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 X1 c9 L' A! I3 \. q, b' M / }3 n J: x K) [M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts! & \' K* I3 m* p7 p4 s : B: O, I% A, `' ^+ ML: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀?; L0 X% l! t( [ g3 A+ F
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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"! ! A+ w/ p9 y# W- S& l; }% }/ [/ w1 O" H+ I1 @6 L1 N2 T( O
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? 4 |/ f1 \0 Q0 n$ w. O/ N8 \. w; k: W" W* j# O* U
M: That's right. 4 o( x5 I' {' n+ G7 f + J4 O% F7 Q* ^- O3 eL: 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。- S( Z. y1 Q- O) G+ h
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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.0 N0 Y6 O- Y! b- p, l( c" a9 [7 w
& v% N7 x0 b8 ^: t. ^* S8 ]2 jM: I don't see how you can live on so little money." j: e( ]+ U. e! ?: v6 c
9 h! E9 |8 j! v) aL: 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。 ' N. r6 c5 h. e! C" _8 o6 z$ j( l! Y
M: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those...5 Z& x D0 z5 ], c! q- O& Q
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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!( w* H4 `. f! E9 @ ]( P
7 C8 _6 Z2 Z9 M6 K8 iM: I'm just kidding! 5 m0 t# `/ P" F' H3 K7 z) p, q& Q5 K
今天李华学到两个常用语,一个是:to ace,就是某件事做得很好,特别是象考试之类的事;另一个是:peanuts,这里不是指花生,而是指数量很小,价值很低。今天的[流行美语]就学习到这里,我们下次节目再见。 4 n, ^4 X- [/ sAudio As Following:, v& L! z, D" d0 W8 w% r( u