李華和Larry正在超級市場買菜。今天李華會學到兩個常用語:smack-dab和ring a bell.
(Ambience sound in supermarket)
LH: Larry, 你在笑什么???
LL: Didn't you see that lady walk smack-dab into the fruit display? She knocked all of the oranges over. What a mess!
LH: 哎喲,那位太太把那水果攤撞翻了。真是的,你看,地上到處都是桔子。她是怎么回事呀?你說她什么來著?
LL: I said that she walk smack-dab into the fruit display. Smack-dab means exactly or right. That means she walked right into the fruit display.
LH: 噢,smack-dab是很精確,很準確的意思。你剛才是說,她一直對著那個水果攤走過去,結果把水果攤撞倒了。幸好她只是撞翻了一些水果,而不是撞到什么有危險性的東西。
LL: Yeah, luckily the fruit display doesn't have any sharp edges. Once my friend walked smack-dab into a glass door and broke her nose.
LH: 我的天啊!你的朋友撞上一扇玻璃門,還把鼻子都撞傷了?難道他沒看到那扇門嗎?怎么可能撞上去呢?
LL: Well, the door was really clean and it was in the evening, so she just didn't see the glass there.
LH: 那倒是可能的,玻璃門擦得很干凈,而且又是晚上。你那朋友當時一定覺得很尷尬吧?
LL: Oh, she was humiliated.
LH: 要是我的話,我也會很不好意思的。
LL: Hey, Li Hua, what's that on your sweater?
LH:怎么啦?我毛衣上有什么?
LL: Well, I just noticed that you have a brown spot smack-dab in the middle of your sweater.
LH: 什么?我毛衣上有一塊咖啡色的臟東西?哎呀!肯定是我早上吃巧克力時滴在衣服上的。你說的對,這還恰恰在我毛衣的正中間。
LL: Oh, it's not that bad. You can change into another sweater when you get home.
******
LL: Hey, Li Hua, does the name "Laura Wilson" ring any bells for you?
LH:Laura Wilson?不是那個上星期我們在網(wǎng)球場上碰到的那個金發(fā)女孩嘛?她為什么要為我打鈴呀?她和打鈴有什么關系?
LL:Oh, no! If someone asks you if something "rings a bell," then he is asking if you remember it. I just got a phone message from Laura Wilson and I can't remember who she is.
LH: Larry, 你年紀輕輕,怎么那么健忘!Laura Wilson上星期在網(wǎng)球場上還跟我們說她準備去當職業(yè)網(wǎng)球手。
LL: Oh, now I remember who she is. Once you mentioned her plan to be a professional tennis player, then her name rang a bell with me.
LH: Larry, to ring a bell這個說法很有意思。你剛才問我,Laura的名字有沒有ring a bell,就是在問我記不記得Laura。那也就是說,要是我記得的話,那我腦子里就會個鈴聲。
LL: It's a very vivid expression and easy to remember. Right?
LH: 對,我們和她說好下個周末一起打網(wǎng)球,你還記得嗎?Does that ring a bell?
LL: Yeah, that rings a bell. What time were we supposed to meet her?
LH: 我記得我們約好了下午4點種在網(wǎng)球場碰面的。
LL: That rings a bell, too. I had better write that down so that I don't forget again.
LH: Larry, 這個星期五是2月11號,怎么樣,那是什么日子???Does that ring a bell?
LL: It rings a bell, but I'm not sure why. Could you refresh my memory?
LH: Larry! 我真不敢相信你居然忘記了!
LL: I'm just kidding, Li Hua. Of course, I remember that Friday is your birthday.
今天李華學到兩個常用語。一個是smack-dab,意思就是不偏不歪、恰恰正好的意思。另一個常用語是ring a bell,也就是記得的意思。