【大紀元2011年04月07日訊】李華正為了完成一項作業而焦頭爛額。她和Larry要用到兩個常用語：Do something till you’re blue in the face和run a tight ship.
Larry：Hey, Lihua, are you ready to go to dinner? I’m starving.
LH：吃飯？我可沒心情吃飯。我沒想出這作業要怎麼寫。我們小組的組長肯定饒不了我！
Larry: You’ve been sitting there for almost four hours! Let’s go get something to eat, and then you can come back and think about it some more.
LH：不行，我發誓，不寫出個提綱我就絕食！
Larry：Look, Lihua, if you don’t eat anything, you can sit there and think about your project till you’re blue in the face and you still won’t get any good ideas.
LH：啊？我的臉變成藍色？這怎麼可能？
Larry：That’s just an expression, Lihua. If you do something till you’re blue in the face, you’re doing something over and over again for a very long time – and making no progress.
LH：哦，Do something till you’re blue in the face，就是說反覆做一件事，但一直不成功。你是說我癟了半天也寫不出論文，可還拚命地想。但是，我不管，我非寫出來不可！
Larry：But, Lihua, I’m starving!
LH：Larry, 別嚷嚷了，就算你一直抱怨到you’re blue in the face! 我是不會理你的。
Larry：OK, OK. I get the point. Maybe I can help you. What’s the project about?
LH：這就對了！這個作業是美國歷史課的。我們小組的每個人都要介紹一個美國歷史人物，可是別的組員都是美國人，他們的歷史知識當然比我豐富啊！
Larry： Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. Why don’t you ask your group for some help? That would be more productive than sitting here until you’re blue in the face.
LH：可是，我們組長凶巴巴的，特別不好說話，還讓我們明天都要交一份提綱出來！
Larry：Hmm…I think I have an idea, Lihua. Why don’t you do your report on George Washington！He was a military leader who ran a very tight ship in the American Revolution.
LH：A tight ship? 一艘很緊的船？喬治華盛頓不是美國第一任總統嗎？難道他還在美國獨立戰爭期間當過船長？？
Larry：No, he wasn’t the captain of a ship；he was the Commander in Chief of the entire army！ And he ran a very tight ship with his soldiers – meaning, he was a very strict leader.
LH：原來如此！To run a tight ship就是指紀律嚴明的領導風格，嚴格管理。
Larry：That’s right. He ran such a tight ship, in fact, that he was able to lead an army of largely untrained soldiers through a very harsh winter during the war.
LH：率領沒受過甚麼訓練的士兵在寒冬作戰，這可不簡單！
Larry： Well, Lihua, a good leader can run a tight ship no matter how bad the situation is.
LH：Larry, 這倒讓想起了我們的組長。她對我們特別嚴格。
Larry：It certainly sounds like your group leader runs quite a tight ship, but a good leader can command the respect of his soldiers by setting a good example, not yelling. Without that respect, you could yell until you’re blue in the face and you still wouldn’t be able to lead effectively.
LH：沒錯！ 嚴格管理並不等於每天衝手下人大喊大叫。我們這個小組的組長人特別厲害，可說實話沒甚麼威信。我真希望下次分到別的組，不要再待在她的tight ship上。
Larry：I hope so, too. Now, since you have your topic, let’s go eat pizza！
LH：Pizza?? 不行！ 我在減肥！
Larry: Oh, Lihua, you’re so skinny already! You could diet until you’re blue in the face and it won’t make any difference. Don’t be so hard on yourself!
LH： 啊？你說我已經很瘦了，所以再怎麼減肥也不會變更瘦？得了！ 我現在比在中國時胖了好多，我要看牢自己的嘴，I’m going to run a tight ship，只吃健康食品！
Larry：Not another tight ship! I think I’m getting sea-sick.
今天李華學了兩個常用語。一個是 Do something till you’re blue in the face，意思是「重複做某事，但是不成功」。另一個是run a tight ship，意思是「嚴格管理」。
