李華來到Larry的公寓,兩人一起吃晚飯。今天我們要學兩個常用語: out of whack和such a wreck.
LL: -Achoo- I have been sneezing all day.
LH: 你沒生病吧?
LL: No, I don't think I'm sick. I think I have allergies. All the pollen in the air has got me feeling really out of whack.
LH: Out of whack? 你是說自己不舒服嗎?
LL: Yes, Li Hua, out of whack means that I feel somewhat unwell, but it does not necessarily mean I feel sick. Out of whack means feeling not quite right.
LH: 這么說,上星期我眼鏡找不到了,看東西模模糊糊的,就可以說 I felt out of whack?
LL: Yes, you very well may have been feeling out of whack. - Achoo-
LH: 你沒完沒了地打噴嚏,為什么不吃點兒治過敏的藥呢?
LL: I hate taking those medicines. They always leave me feeling out of whack. I feel like I cannot even string together a thought when I take them.
LH: 沒錯,我也不喜歡吃治過敏的藥,會覺得昏昏欲睡,所以我寧可象你一樣,沒完沒了地打噴嚏。
LL: That makes sense. What would you like to have for dinner, Li Hua?
LH: 我找到了一個魚香茄子的菜譜,好象不錯,要不咱們試試看?
LL: That sounds great, let's take a look at it.
LH: 在我電子郵件信箱里,我得上網(wǎng)打印出來。
LL: Go right ahead.
LH: Hmmm. Larry, 你來看看,怎么印不出來???
LL: It looks like the printer is out of whack.
LH: 打印機也會不舒服,out of whack?
LL: Yes, in addition to a person feeling out of whack, a machine can also be out of whack. This means that the machine is not working properly.
LH: 太糟糕了,打印機壞了,那菜譜印不出來怎么辦?
LL: How about you just read out the ingredients from the computer. That way we don't need to print anything. We will even save some paper.
LH: 只好這樣了。那你聽好了,我們需要茄子一個、肉餡半磅、還有,蔥、姜、蒜....
******
酒足飯飽,Larry還在回味魚香茄子的美味。
LL: Mmm, that was a delicious dish Li Hua, thank you for finding it.
LH: 一點兒也不費事,只要你喜歡吃就好。
LL: That was really good. Did you have enough to eat?
LH: 我都快撐死了。你還要嗎?
LL: No, thank you, I can't eat another bite. I guess I should clean up. This kitchen is such a wreck.
LH: A wreck? 是什么意思啊?
LL: "What a wreck", means it is a complete mess.
LH: 我明白了,what a wreck就是亂七八糟的意思。那這么說,your apartment is often a wreck. 你的公寓永遠都是a wreck.
LL: Yes, Li Hua, that is true, my apartment does often need cleaning, but I do try to keep it from becoming a total wreck.
LH: 可以理解,一忙起來就顧不上收拾房間了,我那兒可能還不如你了,我最近都不敢讓朋友去。
LL: When you are busy it is very easy for your home to become a wreck.
LH: 沒錯。
LL: You should see my desk after I've just worked on a large new project. It is a huge wreck.
LH: 這我相信,那你不忙的時候,辦公桌上是不是特別干凈整齊?
LL: Well, no I can't say it is much better most of the time.
LH: 跟你公寓現(xiàn)在的樣子差不多。
LL: Ouch! It's not that bad in here, Li hua, though I do admit it could use a good cleaning.
LH: 別當真,我跟你開玩笑呢!說真的,我的公寓現(xiàn)在才是a bit of a wreck.
LL: With all the papers you have been writing lately, I am not surprised that you have not had much time to clean up.
LH: Larry, 咱倆互助怎么樣?現(xiàn)在我?guī)湍阏矸块g,正好活動活動,消消食,明天你來我家,幫我打掃。
LL: That sounds like a great idea.
今天李華學了兩個常用語。一個是out of whack,意思是身體不舒服,或者是說什么東西壞了。另一個是such a wreck,意思是亂七八糟。