Larry和李華剛剛上完美國歷史課,兩人正在討論上課的內(nèi)容。今天李華會學(xué)到兩個常用語: out to get someone和go to bat for someone.
LL: Hey, Li Hua, did you notice how professor Smith kept asking Mary really hard questions? He really seemed out to get her.
LH: 就是??!我也在納悶?zāi)兀mith教授好象在故意刁難Mary,他問她的問題恐怕誰都答不出來。真是奇怪。Larry你說教授是out to get her,那是什么意思啊?
LL: If a person is "out to get" someone else it means that he has a grudge against that person and wants to hurt or embarrass her.
LH: 哼,out to get someone 就是故意讓某人難堪,和他過不去??墒荢mith 教授和Mary有什么過節(jié),為什么要這樣對她呢?
LL: I heard that a student complained about Prof. Smith to the department chair. It's possible that she was the one who complained and now he's out to get her for it.
LH: 你懷疑Mary在系主任那里表示對Smith教授不滿,所以教授現(xiàn)在要整她?哎喲! 要是被教授盯上,故意和你過不去,那可慘了!
LL: Yeah, I can imagine that it's stressful. I've never had a professor that was out to get me, but I had a classmate that was out to get me once.
LH: 真的啊?你那個同學(xué)為什么和你過不去呢?
LL: Well, I asked out the girl he liked and she went out with me. He was so angry that he was always spreading rumors about me. He even told the girl that I had another girlfriend
LH: 那可不能怪你呀!那個女孩愿意和你約會,他就算喜歡那女孩,也不應(yīng)該散布中傷你的謠言嘛!那,那個女孩她相信那些謠言嗎?
LL: Of course not. She knew he was out to get me. Have you ever known anyone who was out to get you?
LH: 我啊,我也有過這種不愉快的經(jīng)驗(yàn)。我以前那個同屋常常會故意刪掉別人給我的電話留言,特別是一些重要信息內(nèi)。你說,這不是故意整我嗎?
LL: Yeah, she really had a grudge against you after you asked her to be quieter when she came home at night.
LH: 就是??!自從我讓她晚上回來別聲音太大以后,她老是跟我過不去。這種人真不講理。
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LH: 我真不敢相信Smith教授居然會當(dāng)著全班面罵Mary笨!
LL: But did you see how that other student went to bat for her? He told the professor that his behavior was unprofessional in front of everyone.
LH: 對,那個男同學(xué)真是有男子漢大丈夫的氣概。他站起來指責(zé)教授。可是這和bat有什么關(guān)系?Bat不是球棒的意思嗎?
LL: That term comes from baseball. If you go to bat for someone else it means you stand up for them and defend them.
LH: 噢!Go to bat for someone就是替某人打抱不平,就像那個男同學(xué)替Mary出頭,站起來批評Smith教授一樣咯!
LL: Exactly. Can you think of a time that someone went to bat for you?
LH: 嗯,有一次我騎著自行車被一個開車的人撞上,那人還怪我,說是我的錯。不是你跳出來幫我忙的嗎!你怎么忘了呢?我記得你還叫了警察呢。You really went to bat for me.
LL: Oh, that was nothing. I was just helping you out. I'm sure you would have gone to bat for me, too.
LH: 那當(dāng)然,朋友有難,我一定會拔刀相助,替你出頭??!哦!還有一次,一個女同學(xué)在考試的時候偷看我的考卷,還向教授說是我做弊呢。
LL: Yeah, I remember that.
LH: 你為我打抱不平,跑去和教授說你看到那個女孩偷看我的考卷。
LL: Well, that was true. I did see her cheating.
LH: Larry,我真的很感謝你噢! 你也有男子漢大丈夫的氣概。
LL:Thank you!
今天李華學(xué)到兩個常用語。第一個是out to get someone。意思是故意和某人過不去,讓他為難、難堪。另一個常用語是go to bat for someone, 是替某人打抱不平,為人出頭的意思。