Larry和李華正在為他們的朋友Laura擔(dān)心。他們兩人都覺(jué)得Laura好像有什么心事。今天李華會(huì)學(xué)到兩個(gè)常用語(yǔ):clam up和to tank。
LL: Laura has been acting really strange lately, but every time I try to ask her what's bothering her, she just clams up.
LH: 我也注意到了,Laura最近是有點(diǎn)怪怪的。我也問(wèn)過(guò)她怎么回事,她就是不肯說(shuō)....對(duì)了,Larry,你剛才說(shuō)clam up,那是什么意思???
LL: To clam up is to become silent and refuse to talk about something.
LH: To clam up就是閉緊了嘴巴,不肯把心里的事告訴別人??墒荓arry,clam不是一種蛤蜊嗎?這跟說(shuō)不說(shuō)話有什么關(guān)系?
LL: Yes, in fact, that's where the expression comes from. Clams can close their shells very tightly. If a person refuses to talk, his lips are closed just like a clam's shell.
LH: 噢,對(duì)了。一個(gè)人嘴巴閉得緊緊的時(shí)候,就好像蛤蜊閉上殼,怎么也不打開。這個(gè)說(shuō)法太形象了!
LH: The problem is that Laura has clammed up about whatever is bothering her, which means that we have no way of helping her out.
LH: 那倒也是。她要不說(shuō),我們又怎么能幫她。也許我們應(yīng)該讓她一個(gè)人靜一靜,等她想說(shuō)的時(shí)候自然會(huì)告訴我們到底是怎么回事。
LL: That's probably the only thing we can do.
LH: 其實(shí)我爸爸也是一樣。心里如果有事,從來(lái)不肯說(shuō)。有的時(shí)候把我媽急的一直生氣。
LL: A lot of people clam up when something is bothering them. I tend to clam up when I'm really nervous.
LH: 我也是耶!我只要一緊張,就不說(shuō)話了。每個(gè)人不一樣,我妹妹一生氣就可以幾天不說(shuō)話。別人也不知道她在生什么氣。
LL: That's like my mother. She could clam up for days when she is angry with my father.
LH: 你媽媽跟你爸爸生氣幾天不說(shuō)話。那你爸爸怎么辦哪?
LL:Whenever my mother clams up, he clams up too.
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LL: I found out what was bothering Laura. She was upset because the last play she wrote tanked. Everyone criticized it.
LH: 大家都批評(píng)她最近寫的劇本。為什么?你說(shuō)她寫的那個(gè)劇本tanked,那是什么意思?Tank, 不就是打仗用的坦克嗎?
LL: No, this has nothing to do with the tank used in war. This "tank" is a verb. When something "tanks" that means that it is a complete failure.
LH: 噢,這個(gè)tank 和軍用坦克毫無(wú)關(guān)系。這里說(shuō)的tank是個(gè)動(dòng)詞。意思是完全失敗。所有的劇評(píng)家都批評(píng)Laura的舞臺(tái)劇。那真是太慘了。可憐的Laura!
LL: Yeah, no wonder she clammed up. I wouldn't want to talk about it if one of my projects tanked, either.
LH: 就是啊,自己的成果被別人這樣批評(píng),心情一定不好受。對(duì)了,Larry,為什么大家不喜歡Laura的劇本呢?
LL: I have no idea. I haven't seen or read her play, so I have no way of judging her work. Laura is a good playwright, I don't understand why her work tanked.
LH: 嗯,沒(méi)有看過(guò)她的劇本是很難判斷。不過(guò),Laura確實(shí)是一個(gè)很好的劇作家。也許我們應(yīng)該去看看她寫的舞臺(tái)劇,說(shuō)不定沒(méi)有這么糟么。
LL: Even if the play really is terrible, we could at least show our support by going to see it.
LH: 你說(shuō)的對(duì),不管是好是壞,我們?nèi)タ淳痛砦覀儗?duì)Laura的支持。好!我去問(wèn)她在哪兒可以買票。Larry,那你什么時(shí)候有空去看呢?
LL: Let's go this Friday. Originally, I had planned to see a movie this Friday, but the movie I wanted to see tanked, so I might as well go and see Laura's play.
LH: 怎么就那么巧呢?你要看的電影也失敗了。好,就這么說(shuō)定了。我去買票,星期五我們就去看Laura的舞臺(tái)劇嘍!
今天李華學(xué)到兩個(gè)常用語(yǔ)。第一個(gè)是clam up,是指一個(gè)人不肯把心里的話告訴別人。另一個(gè)常用語(yǔ)是to tank,也就是失敗的意思。