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。 9 m1 o" [# H; J 2 }8 {7 F, m* tL: 嗨, Michael,今天考得怎么样? # d0 \( b, I2 W" W1 U 6 S" e) U# \2 N8 t1 m, zM: Not bad! I aced today's history test!' y3 x/ b! X# S7 c) z, B- L' O
! L3 l2 c2 f: `; \( t c0 rL: 你历史测验又考糟啦?那你还那么高兴!/ j5 j' d+ Z% V" i" I
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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! + U; `: h' W' ^) \9 x* I 2 d. ^* W9 J; d2 ~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?4 I" ?$ `* @& X
g2 |1 c/ c- ?, RM: Ace. Here, ace is a verb, and you can add a "d" to make it past tense.9 Q2 e, l* T% }4 ?0 { r3 ~( M6 _
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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? i9 U( X) d; W5 _8 P1 J, `6 D l4 C! ]5 K- k J" o
M: That's right. The "ace" card is usually the highest value in a card game. Therefore, "ace" means to do well.+ l% C" m( M/ e! D( ?5 p5 `* C
& ^1 f. r! u' p/ aL: 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?4 f- G0 q$ {6 J) \" l
) w0 h; L9 o+ u1 O2 LM: 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. ! f7 h! t" `( F ! M! |* B4 ~5 j8 {- q& G0 a" sL: 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?/ I. G# Z. _" d+ o. j+ k: L
4 B8 Q" E; i& i8 N- _! qM: I aced my last job interview.# {8 m3 a4 u! k6 N$ O9 K
4 F1 W B4 O) |7 |& M- c1 KL: 你大概回答问题答得很好,所以老板就要你了。 ; q+ v# I; g! U % d% \. w' X7 h, }- [' C5 ^ d9 BM: 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. 8 S) q* {* V: b" M: t! v' h3 H* K& X R0 Y$ z0 f
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。4 e( e6 h8 H- C' I% {6 }) J
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M: Yes, you're right!& J. d8 ~5 Q: N% s0 j# F: {0 c* x
5 L3 \1 {. O* E3 r4 }* vL: Michael, 借我$.75 买杯咖啡好吗? ! j! @" B: h& o- L9 h1 m4 @0 K# }( J' M8 ~5 ?
M: Well, okay. Li Hua, how much money do you earn as a teaching assistant, if you don't mind my asking? " i& k; M; a- p1 G3 t, W8 V. [* i) x
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。 & F5 {) {( t7 E& w( d# }# U1 R 9 Q. ` d( Q* J, a( y4 h4 y" \M: Eight dollars? That's peanuts!2 w* M' S# \) x7 O( m( u2 ^1 V. y1 ?
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L: Peanuts? Peanuts不是花生吗?你是什么意思呀? 8 c8 Z% c% Z% N/ d$ O6 Q7 T' n7 k, o5 ]. ~7 K( N* x) I8 z
M: That's really not much! You only make eight dollars an hour? Your wages are very low, so I said that's "peanuts"!+ Q+ u1 l- B" t+ [8 C
7 B6 x- N/ F, l) ^* `, }1 T1 BM: That's still peanuts compared with the teaching assistants in other departments. I make about 13 dollars an hour as a graduate assistant.; _2 n0 H% F4 ?. m* E
/ K; k5 h7 M3 R3 A8 L0 N' W7 R2 bL: 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.% R ]: i3 u" ?- H' \ O r& ?
; t J. e) P- y$ ?! tM: I don't see how you can live on so little money. 6 k! Q" I+ y! R4 t% J. E( C5 T 7 l9 D4 m+ m7 J8 c( O; SL: 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。 & ], B$ r8 U% m( F3 J 9 T. U6 r m1 ?, i& U5 u5 mM: Too bad you don't really make peanuts, at least you can eat those..." I0 v4 e+ S; @/ i