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。 - q" \7 B& ]0 b0 o, y j% M2 N% l% P/ y( `L: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样? 6 K- {, d, b8 K1 x! k' i" _- s - t8 M7 l- T3 C# \! D' m2 _M: Not bad! I aced today's history test! 9 X+ `5 |7 X. H% `2 {" D 8 h( O- J; @, ~7 _6 pL: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴! T+ d5 P, ?6 [1 E
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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!: _) s% U2 }5 Q4 q5 [
$ o) _; i* z2 M4 ML: 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?6 S7 b8 F; Q: a% W
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M: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense.7 W. X& V& W* j$ J; q
/ F0 o: x8 e) n& HL: 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? 6 @$ h7 K3 F) _% m( C7 t, B b' g! N9 D; `3 C2 u2 O: @M: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well.: b' X" {' T! z: o x) E
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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?# _# L2 L M0 b
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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.& y2 k s' t1 h; Y
% h7 T% F4 Y: E; c2 A) dL: 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? ) x$ S' f/ T/ S/ w $ F$ j' B7 I7 Y) x& J2 nM: I aced my last job interview. ( z& |) N/ ?3 K- y3 ]( C: B% m: m) N# Z9 O6 W# s# t
L: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。 # S, V# o$ `" ]& ~2 T" S) Q& P2 x" L8 k9 _* Y2 t
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.! ^% q" B- u# I1 u, J
- a, a" Z3 n. q8 L/ QL: 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。 $ C* S8 |+ ]( v( p* k T, [+ X " u# \3 u7 U' c# _1 e0 G" qM: Yes, you're right! v; }+ I, l% k1 v$ T: T / n) @: S/ {( D# l9 {% B6 U8 ~ A3 }L: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗? 7 H9 G F. v" @6 ~! q+ ]5 A 9 O/ w& l; |0 o2 f5 e+ lM: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking?4 I6 e$ W. U5 m+ t! s
' s. n9 S/ C |2 S7 ~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。 3 i k( J- v3 \8 t9 m4 ~ 8 d; m( K6 ~1 g5 f# ~M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts!: O. v2 \7 ?6 X9 j" ^* A7 ? \
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L: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀?6 ]9 [ Q' z4 I1 E) s I
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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"! ; N; ? L N6 G, d ; b! |: L, n' t7 cL: 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? + H2 h; k7 M, v P, d' n8 r2 k5 \" `5 h: `, q
M: That's right.- I3 e5 ?5 g* O+ {3 L+ t
+ p4 r) J+ T: s! Y4 O0 [$ m# B+ ?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。 # r1 i# [6 p& ^" v ! ~2 \# N4 k$ C7 n4 iM: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant. $ O! }) Q- r/ a# h# r- M : }8 E+ T. k/ M% b( e: F, B1 o9 YL: 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. : e9 V1 ?' p) D3 O1 T ! D; c& e/ Z5 G D& ^M: I don't see how you can live on so little money. $ S9 X) z6 w' A1 A# p$ @ * C# |7 Y7 B& u9 \L: 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 p7 v1 n( P/ B" d/ d 4 w1 l9 M1 y5 g) iM: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those...; ]3 d% E X; K/ @
5 E: G9 i) o a. {L: 你真想要我赚花生,靠吃花生过日子呀。Michael, 你真废话! - D$ e( m7 q9 Z+ e 1 [2 l8 D5 g9 Y |$ yM: I'm just kidding!4 g& B9 u. [# O/ a