纽约英语口语网新版
流行美语
第 10 课:drained; wired

Michael和李华都在纽约上大学,最近他们结束了期中考试,今天准 备坐火车去华盛顿参观访问。现在Michael正在火车站等李华。今天 他们在谈话中会用到两个常用语:drained和wired.

L:嘿,Michael。这火车站好大,总算找到你了。

M:The train is just about to leave. Good thing you got here in time.

L:我当然会准时到,我什么时候迟到过?嗨,火车就要开啦?要多少时间才能到华盛顿呐?

M:Only about four hours. I'm probably going to sleep the entire way.

L:(train leaving station, announcer in background) 你想在火车上睡觉? 不行,你睡觉我跟谁说话呐?

M:Li Hua, you are full of energy. But I'm drained, I'm going to sleep.

L:我是精力充沛。可你说你是什么? Drained?

M:Yeah. Drained, it means exhausted.

L:Drained就是累的意思。那drained这个词还能用在其他什么场合呢?

M:The word can be used two ways. To be physically drained and emotionally drained. For example, if a couple fight all the time, they would be emotionally tired, which you can also call drained.

L:噢,drained可以指体力很累,也可以指一个人在情绪上压力很大。要是一对夫妇老是吵架,那肯定情绪很不好。你是这个意思吧?

M:Yeah, you understand. You don't even seem drained after the mid-terms.

L:考试倒没让我觉得累,可是,两天前我跟我哥哥为了他的女朋友吵了一架。他那女朋友很任性,还老想管别人,真讨厌。跟我哥哥吵完后,我真是感到很累。

M:Yeah, you were emotionally drained. Well, if you don't want me to sleep on the train, we'd better go get more coffee. Let's go to the Cafe Car.

L: 那好呀,走,去食品车厢买咖啡!

M:This coffee is going to keep me awake the entire trip.

L:这杯咖啡就能让你一路上不困啦? 我可不行,到华盛顿之前,我至少还要喝两杯。

M:Geez, Li Hua, I don't think I will be nearly as wired as you are.

L:Wired? 我猜这是说我精力旺盛, 是不是?

M:You are right. This word has a couple of meanings. One means to be energetic and the other means to have nervous energy.

L:这么说,wired可以指对某件事很兴奋,也可以说对某件事感到紧张而努 力去做。 要是我精力充沛,可以说:I am wired; 要是在大考前我感到很紧张而抓紧时间复习功课,也可以说:I'm wired。 是这个意思吗?

M:Yeah, that's right. But it has one other meaning as well. Wired means to be connected to something, such as being wired into the Internet, or being wired into a discussion.

L:噢,跟什么东西联系在一起也可以说是wired, 例如和因特网连接。你最后说的 wired into a discussion 我不太懂,那是什么意思啊?

M:You have been participating in the meetings to make decisions about our college, right?

L:对啊!我是参加一些会议,讨论有关学校的某些决定。

M:Ok, your participation in the college's meetings and being involved in those decisions means you are wired into the discussion.

L:噢,我参加这些会议,参预决策的讨论,这就可以说:I'm wired into the discussion.

M:Yep. After all this coffee I have had, I don't feel so drained. In fact, after the next cup, I think I'm going to be pretty wired.

L:喝了咖啡你就不感到那么累了。再喝一杯,你就精神百倍了。那好,我 再去给你买一杯, 要不要?

M:Thanks so much, Li Hua!

今天Michael和李华在谈话中用了两个意思相对的词,一个是drained,意思是非常累;另一个是wired,意思是精力充沛。