Larry和李華準(zhǔn)備到銀行去,李華要開(kāi)一個(gè)帳戶,而Larry需要取一些現(xiàn)金。今天李華會(huì)學(xué)到兩個(gè)常用語(yǔ):to be hard up和to pick on someone.
LH: Larry,我要去銀行開(kāi)個(gè)戶頭,你去銀行做什么?
LL: Well, my friend is a little hard up for cash right now, so I'm going to withdraw some money and let him borrow it.
LH: 原來(lái)你是要提現(xiàn)金借給朋友?。∧愕呐笥言趺蠢??你說(shuō)他hard up for cash。Cash是現(xiàn)金。這個(gè)我懂,但hard up是什么意思?
LL: To be "hard up" for something means that you don't have enough of it.
LH: Hard up for something就是什么東西不夠,所以你那朋友hard up for cash, 就是錢不夠啦!對(duì)不對(duì)?
LL: Exactly. He's helped me when I was hard up before, so I feel that I should help him out now.
LH: 嗯,你朋友以前也借錢給你,幫過(guò)你,所以現(xiàn)在你幫他。這也是應(yīng)該的。對(duì)了,Larry, 這個(gè)hard up除了指缺錢,還可以用在什么地方?
LL: Well, one is usually hard up for money. However, you can be hard up for time or for work, too.
LH: 如果我說(shuō)I am hard up for time, 那就表示我很忙,時(shí)間不夠,對(duì)不對(duì)?
LL: Right. I'm usually hard up for time during exams. I have so much studying to do that I hardly even sleep.
LH: 我也是,只要到了期中考,期末考的季節(jié),我就覺(jué)得時(shí)間不夠用,書(shū)都念不完。那hard up for work不能說(shuō)工作不夠,只能說(shuō)找不到工作嘍?
LL: I'm hard up for work means that I really need a job, but I'm having a hard time finding one.
LH: 嗯,那種需要工作卻找不到工作的滋味一定很不好受。希望我畢業(yè)后不會(huì)經(jīng)歷hard up for work.
LL: So do I. I don't think anyone enjoys being hard up for time, money, or work.
LH:對(duì),缺錢,缺時(shí)間,沒(méi)工作都不好受。
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LL: Did you see those two children in the bank? The little boy was awful; he kept picking on his sister.
LH: 就是,那個(gè)小男孩真不聽(tīng)話,吵吵鬧鬧的。你說(shuō)他picking on his sister,那是什么意思?
LL: Oh, to pick on someone is to annoy or to be mean to that person. The little boy kept picking on his sister by calling her ugly and pulling her hair.
LH: Pick on someone就是欺負(fù),招惹別人,或者老是批評(píng)別人的意思。那個(gè)小男孩不斷拉他姐姐的頭發(fā),還說(shuō)她丑,真是很讓人討厭。我小時(shí)候我哥哥也喜歡捉弄我。他總是踩我的腳,卻說(shuō)是我踩他!
LL: Well, at least your brother stopped doing that when he got older. My parents still pick on each other.
LH: 你說(shuō)什么,你的爸媽也老是互相指責(zé)?
LL: They just criticize each other over stupid things. For example, my dad likes to pick on my mom about her cooking. He thinks she's a terrible cook.
LH: 你媽媽幫全家人做飯已經(jīng)夠辛苦了,你爸爸居然還批評(píng)她做飯做得不好。你爸爸也真是的!
LL: I know, but they have been picking on each other for thirty years and old habits are hard to break. To be honest, I think they enjoy it.
LH: 那倒是,30多年都是這樣,要改恐怕也難??墒?,你說(shuō)他們喜歡這樣做,這不太可能吧!
LL: Sometimes, they are joking. When my mom picks on my dad about the kind of music he listens to, I know she's just joking. Other times, I think they are just being grouchy.
LH: 我想他們有時(shí)是開(kāi)玩笑。你爸聽(tīng)什么音樂(lè),你媽還要管吶?肯定是開(kāi)玩笑。當(dāng)然,有的時(shí)候互相鬧別扭也是可能的。人都有情緒不好的時(shí)候嘛!
今天李華學(xué)到兩個(gè)常用語(yǔ)。第一個(gè)是to be hard up for something, 就是缺乏某樣?xùn)|西,通常用來(lái)指缺錢或沒(méi)時(shí)間。另一個(gè)常用語(yǔ)是pick on someone, 意思是批評(píng)別人,或者是欺負(fù)別人。