開春了,李華和Larry在后院種花種菜。今天我們要學兩個常用語:cut out for和fruit.
LH: Larry, 我說的沒錯吧,種地就是好,既能回歸自然,又能有所收獲。
LL: Uh ... I'm not sure about that. My back hurts from digging all these holes, and I think some ants have crawled into my pants.
LH: 腰疼?不要緊的,過兩天習慣就好了。而且,就算真有螞蟻爬到你的褲子里也沒有關(guān)系,螞蟻不咬人,等一會兒,它自己就爬出來了。
LL: Thanks for the encouragement, Lihua, but I just don't think I'm cut out for gardening.
LH: Cut out? 我們這才開始育苗,離修枝還遠著呢!
LL: Actually, Lihua, when you say that you're not cut out for something, it means that you aren't suited for it.
LH: 哦,我明白了, cut out for something,就是適合做某件事情。那你是說自己不適合種地嘍?
LL: Right. I'm more cut out for indoor activities, like watching TV in my air conditioned apartment..
LH: Larry, 別泄氣,你也不能因為腰疼那么一小會兒,就徹底排斥室外活動啊。
LL: Well you know, I'm just not cut out for outdoor activities in the spring. There is so much pollen that my allergies get really bad.
LH: (Sneeze, sneeze again)哎,這倒是真的。不過,我們還是不能因噎廢食,快來幫我參考一下,這些花苗怎么擺更好看。
LL: You can decide where to put them, Lihua. You know that I'm terrible at art, so I don't think I'm cut out to be a landscape artist.
LH: 不會景觀設(shè)計沒關(guān)系,我可以教你!記不記得,當年的麻婆豆腐還是你這個老外教我做的呢!
LL: Oh right, but I don't think I'm cut out to be a cook either. That mapo doufu was terrible!
LH: 別忘了,熟能生巧,practice makes perfect. 我剛拿到駕照的時候開車簡直就是二把刀,可如今呢,早就是行家了。
LL: To be honest, Lihua, I'm not sure you're cut out for driving. We get really lost every time you drive the car.
LH:Larry, 那不是迷路,我那是故意帶你轉(zhuǎn)一圈,欣賞沿途的美景。說到美景,咱們還是趕緊種花吧!
******
MC:Larry和李華用了整個一個上午的時間,終于把花圃種好了。
LH: 好,Larry, 大功告成。
LL: Yeah ... sure ... I hope we can sell some of those tomatoes to pay for a masseuse for my back!
LH: 什么?你要把這些西紅柿通通賣掉,用賺來的錢去做按摩?要我說,你快別抱怨了,還是好好欣賞一下我們工作的成果吧。
LL: You're right, Lihua. I have to say, it is nice to look at this beautiful garden and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
LH: Fruits? 果實,那可要等上兩個月,才能吃到嘴里呢!看來不是裝的,你還真對園藝一竅不通。
LL: Actually, Lihua, the fruits of your labor are the reward you receive from your hard work.
LH: 哦,the fruits of my labor就是指我的勞動成果,并不一定是吃到嘴里的果實。是啊,忙了大半天,總算可以停下來,欣賞一下這么美麗的園子了。
LL: Exactly! Or if I studied really hard for a test, I could say that the perfect score I received would be the fruits of my labor.
LH: 我以前好象也聽別人這么用過fruit這個詞。
LL: Well, you can also say that something "bears fruit," meaning that it produces good results. For instance, I just started working out last week, I will have to wait a few months for all my efforts to bear fruit.
LH: 我看也是,你剛才就挖了兩個樹坑,就累得喘噓噓的,好象跑了馬拉松似的,太缺練了!
LL: Well, Lihua, you will be able to enjoy the fruit of all my labor this summer when we go to the beach and I can show off my muscles.
LH: 好啊,就怕你一直待在屋里,猛然脫下上衣,一身雪白的肌肉會刺得我睜不開眼睛。
LL: Very funny. Now come on, let's go out to a restaurant. I may not be cut out for gardening, but I'm definitely cut out for eating!
今天李華學了兩個常用語。一個是cut out for, 意思是適合做某事。另一個是fruit, 意思是努力的成果。