纽约英语口语网新版
流行美语
第 33 课:wimps; guts

李华是一个中国学生,她在纽约上大学,还在大学的中文系当助教。今天她要去和系主任谈话,要求增加助教的工资。李华的美国同学Michael陪她一起去。李华会学到两个常用语:wimp和guts。

L: Michael,我很紧张。我不敢去和系主任谈话。。。 我看就算了吧, 我不要去要求加工资了。

M: What? Don't be such a wimp, Li Hua! You have to talk to her, if you want to get a raise.

L: 你刚才说什么? Don't be什么?

M: I said don't be a wimp. A wimp is a weak person, a coward, or someone who can't take pain. If you don't talk to your boss, then you are a wimp!

L: 噢,wimp就是软弱的人,胆小鬼,或者是怕痛的人。所以,你说要是我不和系主任谈,我就是胆小鬼。 哎,你这么说我太不公平了。 你才是a wimp。上星期你去捐血,针还没有碰到你, 你就哇哇大叫,你不是wimp是什么?

M: I was not! You were a wimp when you crashed your bicycle. You cried because you hurt your arm!

L: 我那次骑自行车摔倒,受伤可严重了。不管怎么样,女孩子哭并不意味着她是一个软弱的人。

M: But you are a wimp! Remember yesterday, you couldn't open a bag of potato chips, because you're so weak!

L: 我昨天打不开一包土豆片,我没有力气,这也算是wimp? 我才不是呐!有一次,我们从学校走回你的家,一共三公里, 你至少在当中休息了两次。这才是软弱的表现呢!

M: All right, all right, stop goofing around. You need to go talk to your boss. If you don't go in there, you'll be a wimp with no money.

L: 对,我要不进去谈就加不了工资,人家肯定会说我没有骨气。看来,我别无选择,我就得进去要求系主任给我们加工资。

(李华和系主任谈完话以后)

M: Well, Li Hua, how did it go?

L: 一点问题都没有。系主任同意我们应该增加工资。她说她会去争 取足够的资金给我们提高工资到每小时十二点五美元。

M: Wow! That's not bad Li Hua. It took a lot of guts to go in there like that.

L: Guts? 进去谈要许多什么?你说我什么嘛?你可别说我坏话。。。

M: No, no, when I say it took a lot of guts, I mean you had to be brave to do that!

L: 噢,guts就是勇气。Guts 不就是动物的内脏吗?是这个字吗?

M: That's right! You can say someone has a lot of guts. That means he is brave.

L: 嗯, a lot of guts就是有勇气。你刚才说it took a lot of guts to go in there。所以,it takes guts to do something就是要做某件事一定要有勇气。

M: That's right. For instance: It took a lot of guts for you to come to the U.S. by yourself.

L: 对,我一个人独自到美国来是要有勇气才行的。你上回在我朋友 家唱卡拉OK,这也是要有勇气的呀!

M: You are right. Americans usually don't like to sing in public if they can't sing very well.

L: 好多中国人也不喜欢在大庭广众唱歌呀。这确实是要有勇气的。你那天是因为喝了酒才敢唱。否则,你就是个wimp!

M: So are you! You only had enough guts today because I was here to support you. Usually you are a wimp!

L: 对,你陪我一起来给我壮胆,所以我才有勇气找系主任谈话。不过呢,我至少没有在走回家的路上喘不过气来。 You are a wimp!

M: I guess we both are!

今天Michael教李华学会用两个常用语,一个是:wimp,意思是软弱,没骨气;另一个是:guts,这是指有勇气。