刀刀RYU

★ incapacitate  使不能；使不适合
The player's injury incapacitated him for participating in the football match.
运动员的伤势使得他无法参加足球比赛。

★★ totter  蹒跚
The old man tottered across the room and sat down on the sofa.
那老人蹒跚地走过房间，然后坐在沙发上。

★★★ appease  使平静；安静
He tried to appease the crying child by giving him candy.
他试图以糖果安抚哭泣的小孩。

刀刀RYU

美式地道口语：英语乌龙

因为误用英语而闹出来的笑话几乎每天都在发生, 但有时候也是可遇不可求.   想要编几个像这样的笑话还真是不太可能耶.   所以只要听到类似的乌龙笑话, 我都一定会赶快把它们记下来.   这次收集的十个笑话有些是我自己亲身的经历, 有些则是我好友所贡献的.   大家就来看看我们这些老中怎样在美国乱用英文, 而闹出来的笑话.


1. I want a pizza with pineapple on the top.
我要一个比萨上面加凤梨.

点比萨的时候通常人家会问你要什么样的 topping, 也就是指加在上面的一些佐料. (注一) 有一次心血来潮想要点一个凤梨 (pineapple) topping 的比萨, 没想到我居然把 pineapple 发成 pina-apple 的音.  结果那人回答我, "I am sorry Sir. We don't have peanut and we don't have apple either." (我们没有花生, 也没有苹果.) 天啊! 就只因为一个小小发音的错误,   意思居然相差十万八千里, 我想那人一定在暗笑我是土包子, 点什么花生苹果披萨吧!

2. Where is the parade?
游行队伍在哪里?

有一次我的朋友去看游行, 但找了半天却找不到游行到底在哪里.   他想问路人游行 (parade) 在哪里? 但老哥他却把 parade 说成了 paradise (天堂) 以致于成了,  "Excuse me, where is the paradise?" (请问一下, 天堂在那里?) 各位可想而知那位被问路的老兄有多惊恐了吧! 不过那位路人倒还蛮幽默的, "I don't know, but if you find it, I'd like to go with you." (我不知道天堂在哪里, 但如果你找到了话, 我很愿意跟你去.)

3. I don't want to call back because he called from a pay phone.
我不想回电, 因为他是从公共电话打来的.

美国许多的电话都有自动回电的功能, 例如有人打电话给你你没接到, 直接按一个钮就可以回电话给他, 不必再拨对方的电话号码.   结果有一次我的朋友电话拿起来看一看却没有回电, 我很好奇就问他你为什么不回电话给他? 他说, "Because he called from a pay phone." 当时我一听, 以为 pay phone 是指 "对方付费电话" (collect call) 而言, 所以我就嘲笑他说, "你好小气, 人家要你拨付费电话你就不肯回电, 这算什么朋友."   没想到此言一出换我朋友嘲笑我一顿, 原来 Pay phone 指的是一般的公共电话而言 (并非付费电话), 别人从公共电话打来, 这时就算回拨别人也早已不在那了, 所以才没有回电.  

4. Have you ever seen a goldfish?
你看过金鱼没有?

有一次我跟一个美国的小朋友在聊天, 刚好聊到跟鱼有关的事情.   我一时兴起, 问他, "Have you seen a golden fish?"   没想到他摇摇头说, "No." 我很疑惑, 难道美国没有金鱼吗? 后来我画了一只金鱼给他看, 说, "This is a golden fish." 没想到他又摇摇头说, "No, this is a goldfish, not a golden fish" (这是金鱼, 而不是金色的鱼.) 原来金鱼叫 goldfish, 而不是 golden fish. (金色的鱼) 当场害我想挖个洞躲起来.

5. I got to go home to prepare for the test.
我必须回家准备考试去了.

由于中文上的习惯是讲"准备考试", 所以我曾经跟班上同学说过, "I got to go home to prepare the test."   结果别人问我明天的考试一共有几题? 似乎有点答非所问.   后来我才知道, prepare the test 是指准备考试的题目, 像教授要出考卷这就叫 prepare the test. 至于一般我们为了考试而作准备应该要说 prepare for the test 或是 study for the test 没想到一字之差, 意思差那么多.

6. There is no soap today.
今天没有肥皂剧.

美国白天的电视连续剧一般通称为 soap opera, 这是专门作给美国家庭主妇白天在家里看的节目,   如果是晚上比较高档连续剧, 则一般不叫 soap opera 而称 drama, 使用上注意一下.  但是我万万没想到 soap opera 还可以简称为 soap. 有一次当我听老美说, "There is no soap today." 我的直觉反应是, 肥皂用完了? 不会吧! 还好我脑筋动得快, 没有回他一句, "You can use my soap" (你可以用我的肥皂) 不然这下子又糗大了.   所以各位以后再听到 soap 这个字时, 千万要记得它也有 soap opera 的意思.

7. Have you ever seen Power Ranger?
你看过 Power Ranger 吗?

Power Ranger 是很有名的电视剧, (Power Ranger 长得像假面超人, 专门打击怪兽, 维护世界和平) .  所以当我问一个小孩子, "Have you ever seen Power Ranger?" 时, 那小孩居然说, "No." 我心想, 这么有名的节目怎么可能没看过呢? 后来我朋友跑来帮我解围, 他说 "Have you ever seen Power Ranger?" 指的是有没有亲眼看到这个人, 那小孩觉得他没亲眼看过 Power Ranger, 所以才会回答 "No." 如果是问有没有在电视上看过, 正确的问法应该是, "Have you ever seen Power Ranger on TV?" 或是 "Have you watched a Power Ranger show on TV?"   

一般而言, 如果大家都知道 Power Ranger 是电视剧里的人物, 通常不会误会, 但是跟分不清楚真假的小孩讲话时, 则最好还是强调 on TV, 才不会招致误会.

8. You totally egg her on.
你完全煽动成功了.

"You totally egg her on." 这句话听起来像不像是你朝她丢鸡蛋? 至少我第一次听到时是这么样认为的.  其实 egg her on 是一个片语, 说的是你引导 (encourge) 某人去作某件事, 通常是不太好的事, 例如别人已经在不高兴了, 你还在冷语冷语说你最笨了, 这岂不是在引导他让他更生气吗? 这种情形就叫 egg her on.  有点类似中文里, "火上加油" 这个味道.  

9. Can I borrow your restroom?
我能不能借用你的卫生间?

由于中文里讲"借"卫生间, 所以很多人就会直接讲 borrow your restroom. 但事实上这时指把整座卫生间借回家的意思, 我相信你家要那么多座卫生间也没用吧! 所以这句话应该是, "May I use your restroom?" 才对 还有一点要注意一下,  restroom (卫生间) 跟 restaurant (餐厅) 的发音很像, 怪不得加拿大佬喜欢把 restroom 讲成 washroom. 看来不是没有道理的.

10. Don't Touch the Cannon.
不要碰大炮.

有一次我学姐和她亲爱的老公去旅游时, 来到一座古炮前面, 那里就插了一个牌子, "Don't Touch the Cannon" 这时我学姐手上正好拿 Canon 相机. 她看到牌子后, 就大惑不解地说, 为什么此处不能照像呢? (编按: 她把 cannon 看成了 canon.)   

注一: 通常常见的 topping 有 pepperoni (大香肠), mushroom (蘑菇), chicken (鸡肉), Italian sausage (义式香肠), bacon (培根), black olive (黑橄榄), extra cheese (额外的起司), pineapple (凤黎) , green pepper (青椒) , ham (火腿) 等等

刀刀RYU

★ trickle  细流
There was a trickle of blood from the wound on his face.
他脸上的伤处有鲜血渗出。

★★ astound  使惊诧
She was astounded by the news that she had won the speech contest.
她听到自己赢了演讲比赛的消息，感到十分惊诧。

★★★ saunter  闲逛；漫步
Soapy took the umbrella and sauntered off with it slowly.
索皮拿着雨伞闲逛。

刀刀RYU

Clerk: I've heard that you want to buy a car. Have you bought one yet?
职员 ：听说你想买一部汽车，你买了没有？
A friend: Not yet. I've a problem in cash flow!
朋友： 还没有，我现在资金周转遇上一些问题。
Clerk: have you considered to apply for a personal loan? Personal loan offers you a high credit amount.
职员： 你有否考虑申请私人货款？私人货款额较高。

•  We want more information about certain items on your balance     sheet.
•  我想要您资产负债表上某些特定项目的更详细资料。
•  Your balance sheet shows some other obligations.
•  您的资产负债表表明你的资产负债一些债务。
•  List all your assets on the balance sheet.
•  表上列出您的所有资产。
•  Do you have any other obligations to meet this month?
•  这个月您有其它债务要偿还吗？
•  Those are the only obligations I have.
•  这是我的唯一的债务。
•  Are any of your assets pledged as security?
•  你的资产中有抵押做担保吗？
•  Then subtract your obligation from your assets.
•  从你的资产中除去债务。
•  I think he'd pledge his fixed assets.
•  我认为他抵押了他的固定资产。
•  All their current assets have been pledged on another loan.
•  他的所有流动资产都被抵押在另一项贷款上。
•  Only there's a chattel mortgage on my machine equipment.
•  在我的机器设备上只有一项动产抵押。
•  A house is not a chattel.
•  房子不是动产。
•  It was appraised by order of the court.
•  它是法院强制估价。

刀刀RYU

balance sheet  资产负债表

obligation  债务

asset  资产；财产

pledge  低压

chattel  以动产作抵押

deed  地契；房契

appraise  估价

刀刀RYU

Sonny, did you pick up my suit from the tailor?”
“He refused to give it to me without the money, Pop.”
“Didn't you tell him I thought you were too young to carry money?”
“ Yeah, but he said he'll keep the shirt until I get bigger!”
“乖儿子，你到裁缝师那儿把我的西服拿回来没有？”
“没有钱他不肯把衣服给我，爸爸。”
“你没告诉他我认为你太小，不能带钱？
“说了，可是


•  Good morning, Sir. May I help you?
•  早安，先生。能为您效劳吗？
•  Good evening, Mr. Smith. How are you     recently?
•  晚上好， SMITH 先生。近来好吗？
•  Hello, Mrs. White. Nice to meet you.
•  您好，怀特夫人。见到您很高兴。
•  Good afternoon, madam. What can I do for     you?
•  女士，午安，我能为您做些什么？
•  Is there anything I can do you for you?
•  有什么事情我可以为您效劳吗？
•  Can I be of any assistance?
•  我能帮助您吗？
•  Have you been waited on?
•  要我效劳吗？
•  Please take your time.
•  请慢慢看。
•  As you please.
•  如您所愿。
•  Are you being attended to?
•  有人在招呼您吗？
•  Are you being seen to?
•  有人在招呼您了吗？
•  Can I be of any assistance to you?
•  您想买什么东西吗？
•  Can I help you in any way?
•  您想买什么东西吗？
•  Do you want to buy something here?
•  你想在这里买东西吗？
•  Have you been taken care of?
•  有人招呼您了吗？
•  Is anybody looking after you?
•  有人招呼您了吗？
•  What can I do for you?
•  您想买什么？
•  What can I show you?
•  您想买什么？
•  Anything I can do for you?
•  您想买什么？
他说他要保留衣服，直到我长大一点！”

刀刀RYU

★ shrine  圣地
There are many sacred shrines in the Near East.
在近东有许多古迹圣地。

★★ writhe  绕；转动
The wounded soldier writhed uncomfortably in pain.
受伤的士兵痛得不舒服地打转。

★★★ probe  探求；细查
They probed his past career to judge his qualifications.
他们探求他过去的职业，以评断他的资格。

刀刀RYU

•  Are you looking for some apples?
•  您想买些苹果吗？
•  Welcome to our shop.
•  欢迎你来我们店。
•  It seems you are interested in arts and crafts.
•  看样子您对工艺品感兴趣。
•  Is there anything you want me to show you?
•  要我拿点什么给您看看呢？
•  What do you want me to show you?
•  想看看什么呢？

A: Good morning, Mr. Jones. How are you!
A: 早安，琼斯先生。您（身体）好吗？
B: Very well, thank you, and you?
B: 谢谢，我好极了。您怎么样？
A: I'm fine, too. Thanks. What can I do for you?
A: 我也很好，谢谢。您想要些什么呢？
B: I want to buy something for my wife.
B: 我想为我太太买些东西。
A: Fine. What about this handbag?
A: 好的。这个手袋怎么样？

•  别搞砸了！ Don't blow it!
•  好久不见！ Long time no see!
•  这样也好！ I guess so.
•  自找麻烦！ Looking for trouble.
•  别装傻了！ Don't be silly!
•  社会败类！ Scum of society.

刀刀RYU

★ distort  歪曲；扭曲
Newspaper accounts of political and international affairs are often distorted.
报上所登载的政治及国际事件常是歪曲的。

★★ entrust  信托；交托
While traveling, they entrusted their children to the care of a baby sitter.
旅行时，他们把孩子交给保姆看管。

★★★ glutton  贪食，贪多者
Sometimes he gets hungry and eats like a glutton.
当他饿的时候，吃起东西来像个老饕。

刀刀RYU

Improving your motivation

Before you start reading, you should know this: Learning English requires action. You may know all the learning tips, but if you don't start doing things, you will achieve nothing. Therefore our method is not just for reading; it is for reading and doing.

You need two things to learn English well — passion and effective learning methods — and passion is the more important one. Why? Because passion makes you want to learn English; the learning methods only tell you how to do it faster.

If you love learning English:

You will do it regularly and spend more time on it.
Learning English will be easier for you. It will be easy for you to remember new words and grammar structures. It's because the brain easily remembers information on a subject that you like. (For example, some people like history and know everything about World War II. If you told a "normal person" to memorize all these facts, they would never do it.)
We know you may not love learning English. And even if you love it, you will sometimes not want to do it. This is how human psychology works — sometimes we are so lazy, bored, and tired that we don't want to do even the things that we like.

Here is what you can do when you don't feel like learning English:

Imagine yourself in the future
Imagine you can talk to native speakers just like you talk in your first language. Imagine other people wanting to speak English as well as you do. Imagine the possibility of writing e-mail to people from all over the world.

You should know that it is possible to learn English really well. Just look at other people who have done it.

Remember that you are already good
You already know some English (you're reading an article in English right now). That's a big success! Now it's time for more successes. Time to start using powerful methods of effective learning. Time to gain an impressive knowledge of English.

Remember there is a lot that you don't know
You are good, but your English probably isn't perfect. You probably can't understand English-language TV, read books in English, talk to native speakers easily, write letters without mistakes, etc.

You should never think your English is perfect. Even if you are the best student in your class, always try to find your weak areas and work on them. When you've learned to speak English well, your problems will be quite small: punctuation, rarely used grammar structures, rare words, understanding "street language". Right now, your problems are probably more basic: mistakes in pronunciation, small vocabulary, grammar problems with the present perfect tense and conditional structures.

Use your English whenever you can
This is very, very important. The more you use English, the more you will want to learn it.

Because English is so popular, you can use it everywhere. You can use Yahoo to find English-language websites with interesting information, you can watch American cartoons, you can play adventure games on your computer, you can read interesting books in English, or you can do other things that we write about.

If you do these things, you will not only have fun and learn English. If you see that a new English word lets you understand your favorite TV show (or communicate with people, or beat a computer game), you will want to learn more words. So you will learn English more, use it more, learn it more, use it more... If you also use effective learning methods, your English will grow faster than you can imagine.

译文：
怎样喜爱学习英语 I

提高你学习英语的动力
在你开始阅读以前，你应该知道这个：学习英语要求行动。你会知道所有学习的技巧，但是如果你没有开始做事情，你不会有成绩的。因此我们的方法是不要仅仅为了阅读，而是为了阅读和行动。

你需要学习好两件事情--热情和有效的学习方法---而且热情是更重要的。为什么？因为热情使你想要学习英语；学习方法只是告诉你怎样做得更快。

如果你喜爱学习英语：

你将会定期地学习，并且花更多的时间在它上面。
学习英语对你来说会更容易。对你来说很容易记住新单词和语法结构。因为大脑容易记着关于你喜欢的某一主题的信息。（例如：有些人喜欢历史，并且知道关于第二次世界大战得所有的事情。如果你告诉你一个“正常的人”去记住所有的这些事实，他们决不会做到。）我们知道你也许不喜爱学习英语。而且即使你喜爱它，有时候你不想学习。这个就是人类心理状态怎样工作--有时候我们是如此得懒惰，无聊，厌倦以至于甚至是我们喜欢的事情我们也不想做。

当你不想学习英语的时候，你可以做什么。

设想你自己在未来
设想你能象你用你的第一语言谈话那样和说母语的人交谈。设想其他的人们想要说英语说地和你一样好。设想给来自世界各地的人写电子邮件的可能性。

你应该知道真正学习好英语是有可能的。只要看看其他已经做到的人。

记住你已经是好样的了
你已经知道有些英语（你正在阅读用英语写的文章）。那就是很大的成功！现在是为了更多的成功的时候了。是时间开始使用强力有效的学习方法的时候了。是时间获得一种给人深刻印象的英语知识的时候了。

记住有许多你不懂得的地方
你是好样的，但是你的英语大概不是熟练的。你大概不能理解英语电视，阅读英语书籍，轻松地和说母语的人们交谈，写信没有错误，等等。

你应该从不认为你的英语是熟练的。即使你在你的班级里面是最好的学生，总是试着去发现你的薄弱区域，继续学习它们。当你已经学习到熟练地说英语，你的问题会变得相当小：标点，很少用的语法结构，不常用的单词，理解“街头英语”。现在，你的问题大概更基础：发音上的错误，小词汇量，现在完成时的和条件句的结构的语法问题。

在你能使用英语的任何时候使用英语
这个是非常，非常重要。你使用英语越多，你就会越想要学习它。

因为英语是如此的流行，你能使用英语在任何地方。你能使用雅虎来找到有令人感兴趣的信息的英语网站，你能看美国动画片，你能在你的电脑上玩冒险游戏，你能阅读有趣的英语书籍，或者你能做我们描述的其他事情。

如果你做这些事情，你将不只会拥有乐趣和学习英语。如果你看到一个新的英语单词让你明白你喜欢的电视节目（或者和其他人交流，或者赢得一场电脑游戏），你会想要学习更多的单词.因此你学习的英语越多，使用它越多，学习越多，使用的越多......如果你也使用有效的学习方法，你的英语将会比你能想象的提高得更快。

刀刀RYU

★ shred  碎片；细条
There is not a shred of evidence that missing money was stolen.
毫无证据说丢了的钱是被偷走的。

★★ knave  骗子；诡计多端的人
The knaves who set fire to the barn have been caught and sent to prison.
纵火烧谷仓的骗子被抓起来送牢里去了。

★★★ grisly  可怕的；狰狞的
My uncle who had traveled to many countries in the world told a grisly story about people who ate human flesh.
我那遍游世界各地的舅舅说了一个吃人肉的可怕故事。

刀刀RYU

On English 英语漫谈:英语笔记本之好用形容词选

顾名思意，本集笔记的著眼点就是要帮各位熟悉一些不但好用又很实用的形容词，不过都是集中在比较负面的用法，例如令人作呕或是令人觉得害怕之类的形容词。我想各位不要小看这些形容词，如果各位能好好花个十分钟把这些常常在生活对话里出现的形容词好好地浏览过一次，绝对会让你在用英文表达自己意思时来得更加精准。


1. That cut looks very gross/nasty.

这个伤口看起来非常地恶心。


「恶心」或是令人觉得「反胃」在英文里最精准的翻译就是 gross 或是 nasty。举凡看到的、吃到的、闻到的甚至是听到的，让人有一种恶心的感觉，我们都可以很顺理成章地用 gross 和 nasty形容。比方说某人脚上的伤口不但面积很广，而且被细菌感染导致伤口溃烂，(是不是很恶心呢？) 这时我们就可以说，"That's so gross." "Your cut looks really nasty."又比方说有人刚上完卫生间也不洗手就跑去拿东西吃，当场你就可以不客气地对他说，"You are so gross." 或是 "You are so nasty." (你真恶心。)


另外一个跟 gross/nasty 意思一模一样，但语气上听来更为强烈的则是 disgusting。这个形容词大家一定要记住，笨霖我超爱这个单字的，因为它可以用来对付那些特别恶心的人或事。例如从前我们这有位留学生，超级不爱洗碗，但是食物的残渣留在盘子上会腐烂啊，怎么办？这位老哥自作聪明地想出一个好办法，他把这餐用过的盘子全部放在冰箱里冷藏保存，等到下一餐时盘子拿出来放在微波炉里热一热就可以再用了，据说这样子可以让他一星期只洗一次碗。当他跟我炫耀他的独创的懒人密技时，我脑袋中就只想著，"You are so disgusting!" (真的是太恶心了！)



2. He is lame.

他很无趣。


Lame 大概是老美用得最普遍的一个用来形容「无趣」的形容词吧。例如我们在中文里说这个笑话很「冷」，在英文就是翻成，"The joke is so lame." 但是如果你想试著跟老美解释为什么我们说，"The joke is so cold." 则大可不必，因为只怕你还没解释完，老美早就觉得很「冷」了吧！Lame 不但可以拿来形容笑话，也可以用来形容人。例如，"He is so lame." 意思就是 "He is no fun." 的意思。


跟 lame 这个字相关的一个用法lame duck大家一定要知道，中文翻成「跛鸭」意思就是指那些软弱没有作为的人，特别是政客。例如有时老美会说，"Mr. Clinton is a lame duck President." (柯林顿是位跛鸭总统)，意思就是他没什么作为。Lame duck 的原意是指一群鸭子中老是落队的鸭子，这些老弱而没用的鸭子很容易成为其它动物的猎物。Lame duck 的用法现在会那么普遍主要是在十九世纪时，美国国会的期中选举在十一月举行，但是那些落选的议员却要等到隔年的三月才会被踢出国会，所以在这段期间内，他们就开始乱搞，尽是通过一些对自己有利的法案。为了制止这种不负责任的行为，在 1934 年美国国会通过了所谓的 "Lame Duck Amendment" (跛鸭修正案)，来匡正这种荒谬的行为。这也是为何 lame duck 这种用法一直流传至今的原因了。




3. Your jeans are so filthy.

你的牛仔裤真脏。


Filthy 和 dirty 都是肮脏的意思。像以前我室友刚买 X-Box 时，爱惜的要命，每次都警告我们，"Don't touch my X-Box with your filthy hands."(别用你们的脏手碰我的 X-Box。) 除了 filthy 和 dirty 之外，sticky 和 greasy 这两个字老美也常用来形容肮脏，但 sticky 是特别指「黏黏的」，而 greasy 则是指「油腻腻的」。比方说我每次刚吃完东西要玩我室友的 X-Box 之前，一定都会先把手洗乾净，再告诉他，"I'll never touch your X-Box with my sticky/greasy hands." (我绝对不会用我的脏手碰你的 X-Box 的。) 不然这位老兄可是会跟你翻脸的。


另外 dirty 除了实质上的肮脏之外，也可以当成「下流」来解释，而另一个形容词 nasty 也有同样的意思。例如，"Stop talking dirty to me." (不要跟我讲一些下流的话。) 或是 "You have such a nasty mind." (你的想法真下流。) 还有一个也很 dirty 和 nasty的形容词大家不妨学学，这个字叫 kinky，我记得我第一次从电视上听到这个字拿去问老美什么意思时，每个人都笑而不答，还互相推来推去，这点让我觉得非常奇怪，但却更激起我的好奇心。后来我才知道，原来 kinky 是指形容一个人有些特殊的性癖好，甚至是到了有点变态的地步，怪不得都没有人愿意为我解释什么是 kinky！我还记得当时我听到的那句对白时，"I love you when you talk kinky." (我就喜欢你说些性变态的话。)



4. The police do not pity those poor, pathetic and helpless homeless.

警察一点也不同情那些既悲哀又无助的游民。.


Pathetic 和 poor 这两个字都是形容一个人很可悲，专指有些事情不是自己所能控制而且也无力控制的。例如，"We poor, pathetic consumers don't know how bad it is until it gets worse.' (我们这些悲哀的消费者一定要等到事情演变到无法收拾了，才知道原来的情况有多糟。) 另外例句中的这个 pity 当动词时意指同情，但 pity 其实常被当成名词在用，像是美国人常说，"What a pity!" 或是 "It's a pity that...." 就是很可惜的意思。例如 "What a pity! We have missed the basketball game!" (真可惜，我们错过了这场篮球赛。)


还有一个跟「悲哀」意思还蛮相近的「悲惨」英文要怎么翻？「悲惨」老美们会用 miserable. 比方说我住的公寓居然没热水，实在太悲惨了。这句话我们可以把它翻成，"It's miserable to live in an apartment without hot water." (住在一间没有热水的公寓实在是件很悲惨的事。) 又比方说假设我这个学期一口气修了六门课，那么诸位一定会常听我抱怨，"My life is miserable." (我的日子过得很苦。)



5. That is insane!

那太不合理了！


Insane 的原意是形容一个人失去神智 (sanity)，比方说，"You are insane." 其实就是说 "You have lost your mind." (你疯了)。但 insane 这个字老美却常常用在形容一件事情很不合理，甚至是到了有点荒谬 (absurd) 的地步。比方说吧，今天花了半小时居然还找不到停车位，这时候就可以说，"That's insane!" (太荒谬了吧！)


跟 insane 意思很接近的形容词还有 absurd, ridiculous, 和 crazy，这几个词汇各位不妨交互应用。例如同样是找不到停车位的状况，你也可以说，"That's ridiculous/ absurd/crazy."



6. Paying 100 bucks for a book is crazy.

花一百块钱买一本书真是疯了。


Crazy 可以用来形容一个人是神经病或是不可理喻。例如媳妇跟婆婆吵架后，对老公抱怨道，"Your mom is crazy." (你妈妈真是不可理喻。) 同样的，Crazy 也常用来形容一件事情不甚合理，超出一般人所能想像的范围。例如当我知道一本教科书居然要一百美金时，我的第一个反应就是，"That's crazy." 所以基本上 crazy 和 insane 这两个字的用法是很接近的，同样都是指一件事很不合常理。


但是 crazy 还可以暗指一件事情太不可思议了、以致于让人兴奋而血脉贲张。比方一场棒球赛我方在最后一局居然连续敲出三支全垒打，得了八分因而逆转成功，我想这种情况没有比用 "That's crazy." 形容来得更贴切了。所以这里的 crazy 绝对是褒而不是贬。这里我再举一个实际的例子，像我和我室友每次在玩 Pro Skater III 这个游戏时，两个人最后都一定玩到手抽筋，就只为了能吃下一个十万分的 Combo (连续的滑板高级组合动作。) 我俩就常齐声赞曰，"This game is crazy." 这里我们所要表达的意思呢？绝不是说这个游戏很荒谬，而是要说它非常不可思议。所以呢？当我们听到老美说 "This is crazy." 时，如果没听到前后文的话，还要观察一下他脸上的表情，才知道他所说的这件事到底是「荒谬」还是很「不可思议」。



7. It's very creepy to walk alone after 9pm.

晚上九点以后独自走在街上相当令人感到害怕。


Creepy 和 scary 这两个形容词都是用来形容令人「害怕」的感觉。但这两者其实有著小小的差异。Creepy 的话是指「心里毛毛的」那种感觉，而 scary 则是真的令人感到害怕，所以在程度上来说 scary 比 creepy 还要来得恐怖些。比方说像是看恐怖电影，也许你可以说 "It's creepy." 和 "It's scary." 都可以，但是如果像是去从事高空弹跳 (bungee jump)，我想对大部份的人来说都是 scary 而不只是 creepy 了！



8. The house is spooky.

这间房子另人觉得毛骨悚然。


Spooky 跟 creepy 和 scary 同样有著「另人害怕」的意思，但是 spooky 或是 spooked (以人当主词时) 通常是跟鬼怪或是幽灵之类的那种害怕。例如把你一个人留在大房子里让你觉得毛骨悚然，你就可以说，"I was spooked when I was left in a big house."


讲到这里，就不能不顺便提一下英文里「鬼屋」的讲法，可不是 ghost house 喔！比较正确的讲法应让是 haunted house，haunted 这个字本身就有被不乾净的东西所占据 (haunted) 的意思，所以 haunted house 就有了鬼屋的意思。常常可以见到 spooky 和 haunted 这两个字连用，因为它们都是和「鬼」有关的字。例如，"It's a spooky experience to visit the haunted house." (当我在鬼屋里时让我觉得毛骨悚然。)



9. I am not going to hang out with him anymore because he is sleazy.

因为他人品不佳，所以我再也不跟他出去了。


Sleazy 指的是一个人品性不佳，行为低劣，一副吊儿郎当的样子。Sleazy 这个形容词常用于对一个人的批评。比如说，"You'd better break up with your sleazy boyfriend before you get hurt." (在你受伤之前最好早点跟你那个品性不佳的男朋友分手。)


跟 sleazy 类似，而且常和 sleazy 连用来批评别人的字还有一个 slimy。Slime 原指鱼身上的黏液，而它的形容词 slimy 就被用来形容一个人很奸诈狡猾，同样也是指品行不好。比方说，"He is very successful in his business simply because he is slimy." (他在生意上很成功只因为他很狡猾。) 不过 slimy 老美比较不常用，一般还是以 sleazy 较常见。除了 sleazy 和 slimy 这两个形容词之外，由它们所衍生出来的两个名词 sleazeball 和 slimeball 也是常用来骂人的话，中文把它翻成「混帐东西」就行了。例如 "Listen up you sleazeball/ slimeball. Get out of my house now." (你这个混帐东西给我听好了，现在就给我滚出我的房子。)



10. It's so weird that he didn't show up.

他没有露面这点真的很奇怪。


Weird 这个单字是我来美国之后才第一次听到的，但很快地我就开始和老美一样开始喜欢用 weird 这个字。Weird 其实就是很「奇怪」的意思。例如原本八点就开始转播球赛，但是怎么找都找不到在哪一台，这种情况我就会说，"That's so weird." (真奇怪，怎么会找不到了呢？) 再比方说吧！我昨天东西明明放在抽屉里的，今天却找不到了，我还是会说，"It's so weird that I cannot find my stuff."


虽然 strange 这个字跟 weird同样也有「奇怪」的意思，但我不知道为什么老美很少用 strange 而比较偏爱 weird 这个字！嗯... "It's so weird!" 不过既然老美都用 weird 我们就跟著用准没错。




生活小故事


美国地大物博，每个地方都会衍生出一些地方性的用法，除非你到了当地，否则很难学到这些用法。上周小笨霖到了印地安那参加一项学术会议，发现这里不管是走在路上、餐厅里或是纪念品贩卖处到处都看得到 Hoosier 这个字。好奇的我问了一下当地人，这才会意过来，原来印地安那州的居民习惯称呼自己为 Hoosier。它的由来据说是当时他们讲话有著浓浓的口音，所以每次有人来敲门时，他们都会把 "Who is there?" 给发成了 "Hoosier?" 久而久之，从外地来的人就把这个州的居民称之为 Hoosier 了！

刀刀RYU

★ abhor  憎恶；痛恨
Most people abhor the criminal of kidnapping the children.
大部分的人憎恶绑架儿童的罪犯。

★★ potable  适于饮用的
In places, where the water is not potable, they set up purifying systems.
在水无法饮用的地方，人们设立净化系统。

★★★ rue  后悔；悔恨
I never went to school, and I've rued it bitterly all my life.
我终身懊恼没上过学。

刀刀RYU

美式地道口语：NOT

我想大家都知道, 说话和写文章是有很大的不同的, 说话讲求的是能够清楚地表达自己的意思, 因此在用字上要力求简单扼要, 但重点部份要强调出来.   所以说话时也是跟女人穿的裙子一样, 越短越好, 该露的地方要露, 不该露的地方就不要露.   你能够清楚地掌握这个重点吗? 现在让我来考考你, 如果有人问你,  "did you break this plate?" 你要强调这不是我干的, 你会怎么说? 你会不会说, "no, i didn't." 但是要注意喔! "no, i didn't" 只是说, "我没有作" 这跟 "不是我干的" 有很大的差别喔..   那正确的说法应该是怎样? 让我们来看看这一集, not 的用法.

1. not me.
不是我.

嘿... 没想到这么简单吧! 这种看似简单, 文法也不对的句子, 却是老美天天挂在嘴边的话. 这句话简单明了, 而且把重点 "不是我" 给强调出来. 这是非常好的一个句子. 记得昨天去看新出来的电影 007, the world is not enough. 当 james bond 开始在怀疑石油大王的女儿 ( sophie marceau )是否一手自导自演这整出戏时, 她就说了这一句, "not me" 另外, 老美也很喜欢讲 "wasn't me." 这跟 "not me."   都是一样的意思, 同样强调这不是我干的.

还有像以前大家很流行机车联谊, 结果很不幸你的钥匙被恐龙给抽中了, 你就可以望天长叹说, "oh, not me." (怎么会是我呢?) 或是你也可以说, "why me?"

2. not today.
不要今天啦.

这种用法常常用在二个人相约时间的时候.   例如有人找你去看电影, "do you want to go to see the movie?" 你就可以说, "oh, not today" 这表示出你还是蛮想去的, 只不过今天不行.  另外 "not at this moment." 或是 "not now." 也蛮常用的, 例如有时候我煮了一些东西要请我的室友吃, 他就会说, "thanks, but not at this moment."

3. not a word.
保持安静.

"not a word" 跟 "be quite." 一样都是要别人安静下来的意思. 例如你跟朋友去看电影, 结果电影都开演了, 你的朋友还在叽叽喳喳讲个不停, 这时候你就可以跟他说, "shhhhhhh. not a word." 或是 "be quite." 要是你真的已经很烦了,就说 "shut up!"

4. not so fast.
不要那么快啦.

有些男女朋友第一次约会就牵牵手, 第二次就亲亲嘴, 第三次就点点点, 如果你是女生, 觉得这样子实在是太快了, 你就可以说, "hey, not so fast." 同样的, 有些男生去陪女朋友就像例行公事一样, 随便敷衍个二句就想走人, 这时女生就可以说, "not so fast."

5. not a chance.
一点机会也没有.

这句话根 "you don't have any chance" 是一样的, 都是表示根本就没有机会.  例如比赛前别人问你, "can we beat them?" 你就可以说, "not a chance"

跟 not a chance 意思相当的句子有很多, 例如 "not really", "not in a million years", "not in my life time" 或是 "not in your life time" 例如你要跟朋友去打球, 你朋友说, "you man. i'm gonna kick your ass!" 你就可以说, "in your dream, pal! not in your life time" 意思就是, 作你的大头梦去吧! 我看在你的有生之年是不可能了!

6. not at all.
一点也不.

这句话通常是用来回答别人的问题, 例如别人问你, "do you like american food?" 你就可以回答 "not at all". 这句话强调出一点也不喜欢.  如果只说 "no, i don't like it." 可能多少还会吃一点, 可是 "not at all" 可能就是连吃都不会想去吃了, 算是全部否定对方的回答.

如果是部份否定的话, 你可以说 "not really" 表示你不全然同意对方所说的话. 像是同样如果别人问你, "do you like american food?" 你说 "not really." 就表示出你不是那么喜欢.

7. not good enough.
还不够好.

这句话是专门用来挑剔别人用的.   例如小孩考了八十分就很兴奋地跑去跟父母说, "i got 80 in the test!" 他父母如果是那种比较严苛一点的人的话, 可能就会说, "not good enough." 或是你也可以泼别人冷水, 例如别人说, "that book is awesome!" 你就可以回他一句, "not good enough for me."

这句话昨天的 007 电影中也有听到, 就是当   sophie marceau 所饰演的 electro king 问 james bonds, "who's trying to kill me?"   james bond 说, "i don't know." 这时 sophie marceau 就回了他一句, "not good enough." 意思当然就是我对你这样的表现十分不满意啦!

8. not again
不会再来一次吧.

当有什么倒霉事第一次发生时, 你可以笑笑地说 bad luck 或是 rotten luck. 但是当第二次又接著发生了, 你大概就会说, "shxx! not again" (这个 shxx! 是你所骂的脏话, 暂时把它消音).   例如车子爆胎了, 你刚拿去补完才出汽车修理店门口又被一根铁钉刺到, 我想任何正常人的反应一定都是 shxx! not again 吧!

另外有些初生之犊不畏虎跑去高空弹跳 (bumgee jump) 结果这一跳胆子差点没吓破.  要是这时别人找你再跳一次, 你就可以跟他说,  "not again!" 或是我也听过 "you have pay me to do it again."

9. not possible.
不可能.

这个 not possible 跟 impossible 是一样的意思.  可是就算有了 impossible 这个字, 很多老美还是喜欢说 not possible. 可能是这个 not 比较能强较出  "不"的意思吧! 例如有人问你可不可以在半小时内到某地会面, 你就可以说, "not possible, it's rush hour now."

10. not a soul in sight.
半个人影也没有.

这句话算是固定的用法. soul 在这里就是指人而言.   记得有一次跟老美出去爬山, 只见一望无际的森林, 适逄当时有一部很红的电影 blair witch project 讲得也是三个大学生在森林里面迷路的故事, 大家走到后来心里都毛毛的, 因为半个人影也没有, 有一个老美就说了这一句, "not a soul in sight."  

如果讲的不是人而是其它的东西的话, 则用 "not a thing." 例如别人问你, "did you see anything in the bush?" 要是你什么也没看到, 你就可以回答, "not a thing."

生活小故事

        现在美国已经是十二月初, 时节已经正式进入冬季, 晚上睡觉时如果不开暖气的话还蛮冷的.   我有一个韩国同学最近刚搬家, 结果暖气还没修好, 早上一来学校冷得直发抖, 跟我们说 "my heater is down.  i am freezing." 结果系上的一个教授就开玩笑地问他, "how about your wife?" 结果那位韩国同学笑笑地说, "i held her all night." 原来老婆还有 "怀炉" 的功用, 我现在才知道.

考拉

谢谢刀刀我会好好学习的

刀刀RYU

★ disconsolate  孤独的；绝望的
She is disconsolate about the death of her father.
父亲的死令她悲痛欲绝。

★★ ingenuous  坦白的；老实的
She gave ingenuous answers to all of the strangers' question.
她诚实回答所有陌生人的问题。

★★★ mirage  海市蜃楼
I saw a mirage that made highway ahead seem to be flooded with water.
我看见一个幻影，前头的公路好似被水淹没一般。

刀刀RYU

Importer: Now I want to purchase a set of equipments from American, so I need to apply a letter of credit from your bank.
进口商：我现在想从美国引进一套设备，所以我想向贵行申请一张信用证。
Clerk: You tell me how much it will cost?
职员：您能告诉我这需要花多少钱吗？
Importer: 1000000 yuan, I can guarantee cash on delivery.
进口商： 100 万人民币，我可以保证货到付款。
Clerk: Could you mind we have a look at your balance sheet?
职员：您介意让我们看一看您的资产负债表吗？
Importer: Not at all. Here you are.
进口商：一点也不，给您。

•  I need to apply a letter of credit from your bank.
•  我想从贵行申请一张信用证。
•  Your letter of credit has a mistake and you have to modify it.
•  您的信用证有一处错误，你必须改正它。
•  I'm an exporter of textile.
•  我是一个纺织品出口商。
•  He is a successful exporter of diamond.
•  他是一个成功的珠宝出口商。
•  The applicant is an importer of commissariat.
•  申请人是一个粮食进口商。
•  The applicant should send letter of credit to that exporter presently.
•  那个申请人应立即送达信用证给出口商。
•  He is that country's largest importer of tobacco.
•  他是那个国家最大的烟草进口商。
•  He has agreed salary terms and is ready to sign a new contract.
•  他已同意那个工资条件并准备签订新合同。
•  You have to pay money according to this contract.
•  你必须按合同规定付款。
•  The issuing bank pays the exporter according to time and way that     letter of Credit specified.
•  发证行根据信用证的时间和方式付款给出口商。

刀刀RYU

applicant  信用证申请人

cash on delivery  货到付款

specify  规定

risk  风险

fixed assert  固定资产

current assert  流动资产

clear  无债务的。

刀刀RYU

A New Kind of Blue

Jane got up from under her warm bedcovers and faced the cold of her room.

It was another New Year's Day.

In the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror.

Nothing had changed, except that the lines around her eyes and mouth looked deeper.

Jane was 49 years old.

She would be 50 this year.

She did not feel old, only tired sometimes.

What was age?

Jane was simply and always herself, she felt.

She did what she did every morning.

She cleaned her teeth and washed herself.

She then chose what to wear among the same five skirts and ten tops.

She drank black coffee and went out the door as usual.

Today, she was visiting her mother in an old people's home outside her city.

She took the same bus to her mother's that she had taken to work every day for the last 15 years.

Jane worked [Barnard &] Sons Company.

It was not the best job; it was not the worst, either.

She was now responsible for employing new workers.

She made telephone calls, answered letters, and questioned new people about their skills.

She had done this for long enough that she did it without really thinking.

The new faces became one young empty face that knew so little.

Jane, however, felt it was too late for her to change.

There was Mr.Solomon walking down the street, his back was as straight as a ruler.

He came out of his house at exactly the same time Jane did every day.

He wore a black coat and carried a black umbrella.

Every day, as if he lived in London, not Rockville, Maryland.

He moved his head in silent greeting.

She did the same as always.

They passed each other by, like clock hands moving, like machines.

Jane thought of herself.

Where was he going on a holiday, to work?

What would happen if she broke the unspoken rule and said "good morning" to him?

Would he answer?

Would he smile?

Could he smile at all?

She did not think so.

But she did not say anything.

Down the road, came a red hair woman walking her dog.

Jane did not know her name even though she saw her every day, too.

The woman always said, "Down, doggy down!"

The dog did not listen to its owner.

It jumped here and there.

Every morning, Jane silently questioned how someone could name her dog "doggy".

And every morning, Jane noted she thought that exact thought every time.

Why not say "happy new year" to each other like normal people?

But, the woman never looked away from her restless dog so Jane passed by as usual.

It was winter, cold and dry.

There was no sign of snow.

The tree at the end of the road had no leaves.

Its branches looked cold and lonely.

Jane let out a heavy breath and pulled her coat closer around her.

She did not want to look at the house nearest the bus stop, old Mr.[] was always there looking out of his window.

He never changed from the clothes he wore to bed.

He looked like he had failed to sleep and was sad and angry.

Jane had learned to avoid his hard eyes.

They seemed to accuse her of having somewhere to go when he did not.

"Poor old man," Jane thought, "he has to live through the start has yet another year."

She looked away and walked faster.

Luckily, her bus arrived on time.

All these drove out there make Jane think of her mother.

She was 92 years old.

She and Jane were the only ones left in the family.

Her father and brother had died five years apart more than ten years ago.

Jane's mother, too, had grown old and weak.

She broke her hipbone two years ago, and now could not move around easily.

Arthritis caused her bones to hurt.

Her mind moved from idea to idea.

She forgot almost everything but her childhood.

She needed someone to take care of her all the time.

But Jane had to work to support them both.

So her mother agreed to live in an old people's home.

Thankfully, she liked it because she was with people her own age.

Jane visited her mother every Sunday afternoon.

On Saturdays, Jane saw a movie or a play with her good friend, Stella.

Jane liked plays about love, marriage and family life.

Stella did not.

She said it was all talk.

Jane answered, "Well, what else can a play be?"

Stella liked movies with a lot of action, car chasing and shooting.

They argued about the violence.

"What is it all for?" Jane asked.

"It is only a movie," Stella replied laughing, "Afterwards, you feel glad you have a quiet life, don't you?"

They kept on going together to plays and movies so that each one would not feel alone.

Staying home would not be considered healthy.

Jane made sure her work kept her busy all week.

Other than that, she read books and watched television.

She avoided the silent question at the back of her mind.

Was this enough?

The bus reached Jane's bus stop.

The driver said with lots of energy -- happy New Year ma'am.

Jane wanted to ask him if he liked working on a holiday.

She wanted to ask him if he liked driving down the same roads day after day after day.

But, she did not.

Jane got off the bus and walked into the prime of life home.

Her mother smiled widely when she saw her.

"Happy new year! I'm so happy to see you," her mother said.

"You knew I was coming," Jane answered.

Her mother continued happily, "It's such a lovely morning, isn't it? I never thought I'd live to see 2000."

"It's 2002, mom."

"Oh, is it? How wonderful! Aren't you so glad to be alive?"

"Well, I suppose so."

Jane would not force herself to be happy just because her mother was.

"Anyway, you've seen quite a lot of new years, haven't you?"

Her mother laughed like a young girl.

"Now -- now, my age is my secret."

"Don't be silly, I know how old you are! And calling today new year doesn't make a difference. It's just another day."

"Jane, you are just like your father. I had to teach him how to smile. Come, come outside, and I want to show you something."

"It really is cold outside, mom, you'll get sick."

"But nurse lets me go out, come on."

Her mother leaned on to Jane; and they walked out slowly.

The cold air was fresh.

The sun was shining bright and clear.

"Oh, look!" her mother said pointing to the sky.

Her eyes were shining like a child's.

"Where, what? Did you see that huge white bird, so high and still against the blue sky? It looked so balanced."

Her mother let out a soft breath.

Jane looked around, "I missed it."

"Stop!" her mother said.

"What now?" her mother tried to reach down, "pick up that stone for me, that big blue one."

"This one? It looks gray to me." Jane picked it up and gave it to her mother.

She rubbed the stone clean with her coat, then held it up to the sun.

"Look, Jane, have you ever seen this kind of blue?"

"It's just a stone."

"Of course not. It doesn't look like any other. How do you think it got here? It must have come from far away, across oceans, right here to us. Imagine that! It looks so pure. It must be valuable."

"Oh, I see. You think you can sell it."

They both laughed.

"Mom, really the cold is going to kill us."

Jane tried to pull her mother toward the door.

"Wait, Jane. Close your eyes."

Her mother had always liked these childish games.

But Jane thought she was getting worse.

The only way to stop her was to do what she asked.

"Ok, they are closed, so what?"

"Wait, now open them."

Her mother had placed the stone right in front of Jane's face.

The sun shone just behind it.

That closed for a moment.

It looked like a jewel, shining and smooth.

Jane could not stop herself, "Ah -- Ah!"

She forgot herself and got lost in the blue light.

"This is a new kind of blue, isn't it?" her mother said softly.

They continued looking in wonder.

"There are so many new things around us."

"Ok, mom," Jane said, "let us look for them inside, please, before we die of cold."

They walked back into the home, laughing.

Jane kept the blue stone tight in her hand.

It was like a secret.

刀刀RYU

★ preclude  妨碍；阻止使不可能
They heavy thunderstorm precluded our going to the beach.
大雷雨阻止我们去海滨。

★★ fallacy  谬见；谬误
It is a popular fallacy to suppose that riches always bring happiness.
假定财富永远带来幸福是常有的谬见。

★★★ caprice  反复无常；善变
His lack of money was the result of caprice in spending on unnecessary things.
他缺钱是他把钱乱花，买些不需要的东西的结果。