【大紀元8月6日訊】
Larry和李華到博物館去看中國藝術品的展出，不過Larry好像心情不太好。今天李華會學到兩個常用語：gang up on someone和basket case.
(Indoor crowd in a museum)
LH: Larry, 怎麼啦？你好像很不開心？
LL: Oh, it’s just that my mother, father, and sister are all upset with me for not calling them enough. I feel as though my whole family is ganging up on me.
LH: 既然你爸爸媽媽還有你妹妹都說你打電話回家太少，那恐怕情況確實是如此。不過，他們可能不了解你是工作和學習太忙了，所以才沒法經常給他們打電話啊！不過，Larry，你說你家人gang up on you. 那是什麼意思？
LL: If two or more people join together against another person, then they are “ganging up” on that person.
LH: 噢，gang up on someone就是合伙對付某個人的意思。所以你覺得你們全家聯合起來埋怨你。
LL: Exactly, maybe they think that if they gang up on me, then I’ll be sure to call them at least every other day.
LH：那你以後會不會隔一天就給他們打電話呢？其實，這也可以做到嘛。象我們現在休息的時候，你就可以打。說幾句話就可以了嘛！
LL：Has anyone ever ganged up on you, Li Hua?
LH: 嗯，我不記得有什麼人聯合對付過我。哎，不過我記得在我們家附近有幾條狗經常聯合起來欺負我鄰居的貓。那只可憐的貓最後只好跳到屋頂上去了。
LL: That’s a good example, Li Hua. In my house, it was the opposite. We had three cats and one dog. The cats used to gang up and chase the dog around the house.
LH: 啊！原來在你們家是剛好相反。三只貓追一條狗。嘿！真有意思！你們家的狗一定很瘦小。我還沒聽說過有狗會怕幾只貓的呢！
LL: Actually, he was a pretty big dog; he just wasn’t very brave. Whenever the three cats would gang up on him, he would try to hide under the bed, but he was too big to hide there.
LH: 原來它還是只大狗，就是膽小。一只大狗因為怕三只貓而想躲到床底下！Larry，我沒聽說過，你肯定是在瞎說。
LL: No, it’s true!
******
LH: 嘿！Larry，你和你家人談過了嗎？他們還在氣你不常打電話嗎？
LL: They aren’t mad at me anymore, but my mom is a basket case because my sister will be graduating soon.
LH: 你媽媽怎麼啦？basket case？Basket是籃子的意思，你妹妹快要畢業。這和basket有什麼關系？
LL: Oh, a basket case is someone who is really upset or nervous. My mom is upset that my sister is graduating and will be leaving home for college.
LH: 噢，原來basket case就是指一個人很緊張，很不高興。你妹妹高中畢業後，很快就要到外地念大學；你媽媽緊張不安是可以理解的。
LL: That’s true. However, I think my sister will be just fine. There’s no need for Mom to be such a basket case.
LH: 那倒是，你媽媽沒有必要那麼緊張。我剛來美國的時候，也是個basket case。我那時好緊張，因為我的英語還不是很好，我擔心聽不懂別人講的話而犯錯誤。
LL: That’s pretty normal. How about now? Are you still a basket case? Or have you adjusted to life in the U.S.?
LH: 嗯，現在我只有在考試的時候才會緊張。每學期總是有一個禮拜，我會緊張得睡不著，吃不下。
LL: I didn’t realize that exams turned you into such a basket case. Why do you worry so much when you always get good grades?
LH: 我也不知道為什麼我那麼在乎考試成績。但我也沒辦法控制，只要考試一來，我就馬上成了個basket case。我想我大概是對自己信心不足吧！
LL: Well, next time you feel yourself turning into a basket case, let me know and I’ll make you learn to be relaxed.
今天李華學到兩個常用語。一個是gang up on someone, 就是合伙對付某個人的意思。另一個常用語是basket case, 是指一個人很緊張，很擔心。
(轉載自《美國之音》)(http://www.dajiyuan.com)
