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。2 }. R' z$ r; s+ i) L6 p3 R
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L: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样?6 L# D! Z$ }. H
c& V6 s# \- g) aM: Not bad! I aced today's history test!$ G. r. x- i; K% e+ o" x( F1 Y- H
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L: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴! - b) J- D+ Z' H. h / H* F" A J f- bM: No, Li Hua, I didn't bomb my test. I said "I aced the test". I did very well on it!, z% J- k+ h' ^5 ]/ J
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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 @) j# ?( F0 a" p' ^9 h" P1 y1 c; B& Z
M: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense. 7 F: q' G0 R& f7 \8 O2 s + m+ U; Q% Y( RL: 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?: O1 N! g3 u% h+ G
; f. g; s+ h2 QM: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well.* c; H7 V: T4 F$ R. B
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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?* g& P4 h* B9 \3 E0 ~! \! N
# Y' d2 j& ?. E l+ V4 D7 tM: 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.) G0 Z5 N/ z: J- {+ n) V- H
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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? . a' \( ]% V+ n- ^" G6 ]' f6 Q4 e4 Z4 _8 f9 s
M: I aced my last job interview.) Q% ]6 J3 t, m) ?0 |
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L: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。 6 y d. r% i, `$ Z$ i- O" O3 V0 ?. _1 C+ \" m v l1 v
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. + }' g9 _* z- U, _, X7 x1 j/ q* p9 L" F6 l( s4 u( a+ O: \
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 |3 G4 I0 B! V* E# Y! \
8 C# a! h. @ T' ~! Z7 iL: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗? - v- L" e+ U7 \3 l$ ~! w$ V6 t6 Y7 Q# {3 L1 t. @
M: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking? / q+ y8 E1 i" i0 l4 _; G. `6 V C9 Z; P: V5 `! }
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。( s* V" F3 b2 Q# R3 y- M9 |; n
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M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts!# v2 }5 j7 g U; `* j4 z
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L: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀? 7 J# z' L2 v4 C0 W1 T% i 8 W+ Q. {9 ]& ?5 jM: That's really not much! You only make eight dollars an hour? Your wages are very low, so I said that's "peanuts"! 8 s+ H" b! \0 J: g/ k0 q6 p- ~% w _6 j* J
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?( O4 t3 M+ ?& {+ e, _0 O1 i
2 Y' w6 w/ j% Y% w0 C& ^: qM: That's right. % \. Y: P- D+ B: R/ Y# V" y' ? ' G u7 q, E- X# [; Q/ s) ?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。 4 C8 U1 B, X3 H7 E* K% @$ T# \ ' C$ k- _# u( R* M! FM: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant. 5 W! U! S1 S7 A3 ]# l" ~6 ~/ v% G0 }$ Q T9 r8 R' L2 d
L: 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.& c K& e( Y1 m9 m
2 {" m+ v& z; J g. @$ v' ~( ^M: I don't see how you can live on so little money.1 }' K/ I$ j6 s& F( }: j+ m7 _+ F
) b) V7 A' |3 I1 X2 O/ ~ XL: 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。 + D4 |( f m' q1 B/ I ( k3 l1 [. c6 G d: @1 z8 hM: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those...# ^- o7 I4 S" f