纽约英语口语网新版
流行美语
第 23 课:bomb; mess up

Michael这个美国学生今天好象什么事都不太顺当。他的中国同学李华也发现他好象有心事。到底是什么事呢?你听了Michael和李华的对话就知道了。他们在对话中会用到两个美国年轻人常用的说法, 一个是to bomb;另一个是to mess up。

L: Michael, 怎么啦?你好象有心事。

M: I think I just bombed my history test. I don't think I'm going to pass.

L: 噢,你怕刚才历史测验会不及格。嗨,没必要,这又不是大考。 Michael,你刚才说什么"bombed my history test",bomb不是炸弹,或 是爆炸吗?你可不要开这样的玩笑,现在大家对安全问题都很敏感。

M: No, I said I bombed my test, that means I did very poorly, and probably will get a very low mark.

L: 考得不好,分数低,这我都听懂了,就是那个词bomb用在这里 有点怪。我想,这就是中文里说的考试考糊了。那除了考试外还能用在哪里呢?

M: Well, sometimes we might say a movie or a play "bombed". That means that no one wanted to see it, and it probably lost a lot of money.

L: 噢,还可以指电影,或话剧太次,没有人要看,卖座率太低。我上 星期去看了一次电影,剧院里没几个人。后来我才看到报纸评论 说这部电影太糟了。我能不能说:"The movie I saw last week bombed"?

M: Sounds like it bombed to me. Remember the play we went to a few weeks ago? The actors were terrible!

L: 对,你说几个星期前去看的那场话剧,有几个话剧演员简直是 太糟 了。That play really bombed! 我说得对不对?

M: Absolutely! Hey listen, Li Hua, can we please change the subject? I don't want to think about failure right now. What would you like to eat? It's my treat.

L: 你不要再谈这种丧气的事情,没问题!要请我吃饭,行,我 吃沙拉和三明治。不过,Michael,你真是得省点钱,要是老是考 试不及格,研究院会把你开除的!

M: Please! Don't mention tests!

L: 跟你开玩笑嘛!

M: Ah, here's my hamburger. Ack! They messed up my order! There are onions on this burger!

L: 你说什么呀? 他们把你的汉堡包怎么啦?

M: I told them not to put onions on my burger, but they forgot. Therefore I said that they "messed up my order". I can also just say "they messed up."

L: 噢,你叫他们不要放洋葱,他们忘了。所以,to mess up就是做 错了事,对吗?

M: That's right. Also, "to mess up something" can mean to break or damage something.

L: 噢,to mess up something还可以指把什么东西弄坏了。昨天,和 我同房间的学生问我借自行车,等她还我的时候,自行车的链子断了。我是不是可以说:"She messed up my bike"?

M: Sure! Hey, you'd better tell her to buy you a new chain.

L: 对啊,我是让她去买新链子,可是她说都是我不好让她差一点没出严重的车祸。

M: What? She broke your bicycle, and she's angry at you? That's just wrong!

L: 她就是那样的人,上回她把借来的电视机给弄坏了。

M: She messed up the TV she borrowed? You don't need a roommate like her.

L: 虽然她弄坏了我的自行车,其他方面她还是很好的。嗨, Michael,你能帮我修自行车吗?

M: Well, I'm really out of luck today. I bombed my test, they messed up my burger, and now I have to repair your bike!

L: 这也算什么倒霉呀!没几分钟你就修好了。我先谢谢你了!

M: Ok, ok!

今天李华学到两个常用语,一个是:to bomb,另一个是:to mess up。