李华来到Larry的公寓，两人一起吃晚饭。今天我们要学两个常用语： out of whack和such a wreck.
LL: -Achoo- I have been sneezing all day.
LH: 你没生病吧？
LL: No, I don’t think I’m sick. I think I have allergies. All the pollen in the air has got me feeling really out of whack.
LH: Out of whack? 你是说自己不舒服吗？
LL: Yes, Li Hua, out of whack means that I feel somewhat unwell, but it does not necessarily mean I feel sick. Out of whack means feeling not quite right.
LH: 这么说，上星期我眼镜找不到了，看东西模模糊糊的，就可以说 I felt out of whack?
LL: Yes, you very well may have been feeling out of whack. – Achoo-
LH: 你没完没了地打喷嚏，为什么不吃点儿治过敏的药呢？
LL: I hate taking those medicines. They always leave me feeling out of whack. I feel like I cannot even string together a thought when I take them.
LH: 没错，我也不喜欢吃治过敏的药，会觉得昏昏欲睡，所以我宁可象你一样，没完没了地打喷嚏。
LL: That makes sense. What would you like to have for dinner, Li Hua?
LH: 我找到了一个鱼香茄子的菜谱，好象不错，要不咱们试试看？
LL: That sounds great, let’s take a look at it.
LH: 在我电子邮件信箱里，我得上网打印出来。
LL: Go right ahead.
LH: Hmmm. Larry, 你来看看，怎么印不出来啊？
LL: It looks like the printer is out of whack.
LH: 打印机也会不舒服，out of whack?
LL: Yes, in addition to a person feeling out of whack, a machine can also be out of whack. This means that the machine is not working properly.
LH: 太糟糕了，打印机坏了，那菜谱印不出来怎么办？
LL: How about you just read out the ingredients from the computer. That way we don’t need to print anything. We will even save some paper.
LH: 只好这样了。那你听好了，我们需要茄子一个、肉馅半磅、还有，葱、姜、蒜….
******
酒足饭饱，Larry还在回味鱼香茄子的美味。
LL: Mmm, that was a delicious dish Li Hua, thank you for finding it.
LH: 一点儿也不费事，只要你喜欢吃就好。
LL: That was really good. Did you have enough to eat?
LH: 我都快撑死了。你还要吗？
LL: No, thank you, I can’t eat another bite. I guess I should clean up. This kitchen is such a wreck.
LH: A wreck? 是什么意思啊？
LL: “What a wreck”, means it is a complete mess.
LH: 我明白了，what a wreck就是乱七八糟的意思。那这么说，your apartment is often a wreck. 你的公寓永远都是a wreck.
LL: Yes, Li Hua, that is true, my apartment does often need cleaning, but I do try to keep it from becoming a total wreck.
LH: 可以理解，一忙起来就顾不上收拾房间了，我那儿可能还不如你了，我最近都不敢让朋友去。
LL: When you are busy it is very easy for your home to become a wreck.
LH: 没错。
LL: You should see my desk after I’ve just worked on a large new project. It is a huge wreck.
LH: 这我相信，那你不忙的时候，办公桌上是不是特别干净整齐？
LL: Well, no I can’t say it is much better most of the time.
LH: 跟你公寓现在的样子差不多。
LL: Ouch! It’s not that bad in here, Li hua, though I do admit it could use a good cleaning.
LH: 别当真，我跟你开玩笑呢！说真的，我的公寓现在才是a bit of a wreck.
LL: With all the papers you have been writing lately, I am not surprised that you have not had much time to clean up.
LH: Larry, 咱俩互助怎么样？现在我帮你整理房间，正好活动活动，消消食，明天你来我家，帮我打扫。
LL: That sounds like a great idea.
今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是out of whack，意思是身体不舒服，或者是说什么东西坏了。另一个是such a wreck，意思是乱七八糟。