开春了，李华和Larry正在商量种花种菜。今天我们要学两个常用语：apples to oranges和penny pincher.
LH: Larry, 终于等到春天了，你说，咱们该种点什么花呢？是玫瑰还是杜鹃？
LL: No way, those are too much work. Let’s plant a cactus so that we only have to water it once every couple weeks.
LH: 什么？就为省事，你居然要种仙人掌？这也太雷人了吧，那还不如一懒到底，堆几块石头，弄个日本枯山水花园算了。
LL: Oh come on, Lihua. A cactus garden is completely different from a rock garden. You’re comparing apples to oranges.
LH: Apples and oranges? 你不是说要种仙人掌吗？怎么又提到苹果和桔子呢？
LL: Actually, when you say that someone is comparing apples to oranges, it means he is trying to compare two very different things that aren’t the same at all.
LH: 哦，我明白了，to compare apples to oranges意思就是把两件完全不同的东西拿来相提并论。你是在说，仙人掌花园和日本枯山水花园压根儿就是两回事。
LL: Right. Or say your favorite actor is a movie comedian, and my favorite actor only performs in Shakespeare theatre. Comparing the two would be like comparing apples to oranges.
LH: 就是说，虽然俩人都是演员，可一个是演喜剧电影的，另一个是演莎氏比亚大戏的，两人没有可比性。
LL: Exactly!
LH: 可是Larry, 你别忘了，我今天早上把电话借给你用，所以你欠我一个人情，一定要听我的，种玫瑰，不种仙人掌。
LL: What? Borrowing your phone was just a small favor, but this garden is going to be a big project. You’re comparing apples to oranges.
LH: Larry, 你不是最喜欢草头娃娃吗？种花也是一样啊，浇水、上肥，乐在其中，你就当是在养宠物好了！
LL: Lihua, you’re comparing apples to oranges! Plants and pets are totally different things.
LH: 我承认，动物和植物确实有很大差别，可起码有一点是共同的。
LL: Really? What’s that?
LH：它们不会跟我吵嘴啊！
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LH: Larry, 要不这样吧，种什么，咱俩一人挑一半。怎么样？
LL: That sounds good. I’m going to plant some tomatoes, carrots and blueberries so that this summer I don’t have to buy expensive fruits and vegetables at the store.
LH: 对啊，我们可以种菜。没想到，你还挺会过日子的。
LL: Well you know, Lihua, in this bad economy we all have to be penny pinchers.
LH: Penny pinchers? 是什么意思啊？
LL: Penny-pinching is being very careful not to waste money. It means that you manage to each penny very carefully.
LH: 哦，penny-pinching就是精打细算，一分钱掰成两半花的意思。可是Larry, 这种说法是名词、动词还是形容词呢？
LL: It can be any of those. I could call someone a penny pincher. Or, for another example, I could say that Todd really had to pinch every penny after his boss lowered his salary.
LH: 那好，我举双手赞成你种菜。这样你就可以省下很多钱，带我去吃法国大餐了。
LL: Uh…actually, Lihua, that reminds me of another phrase. Penny wise, pound foolish.
LH: Penny wise, pound foolish? 这里所说的Pound是英镑吗？
LL: That’s right. Penny wise, pound foolish means that you are careful to save little bits of money, but then waste large amounts of money.
LH: 噢，就是说在小钱上精打细算，在大钱上大手大脚。小气鬼，你不会是转弯抹角地拒绝带我去吃法国大餐吧？
LL: Well, if I saved a little bit of money growing my own vegetables, but then wasted a lot more money on expensive dinner dates, I would be penny wise, pound foolish.
LH: 你不会觉得把钱花在女朋友身上是浪费吧？
LL: Uh … I mean … of course not! It’s just that I’m pinching every penny so that I can buy you a really great birthday present!
LH: 生日礼物？我猜，一定是浪漫的“仙人掌花园”。
今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是apples to oranges, 意思是在风马牛不相及的两件事。另一个是penny pincher, 意思是精打细算的人。