Larry跟小燕和小燕的父母吃完饭。今天我们要学两个常用语：at a loss和move on.
XY: 怎么样，我说不用紧张吧！
LL: Well, the food was good! But I think…
XY: 我爸妈好象挺喜欢你的。这可是个好消息，这就意味着….
LL: Means what? Does it mean that they think we’ll be together? If so, we have a problem on our hands, Xiaoyan!
XY: 不用担心。我妈觉得你特别可爱，说你将来肯定会是个好老公。
LL: Xiaoyan…. I’m at a loss for words. I really don’t know how else I can explain this situation to you.
XY: At a loss? 我没走丢啊，这就是送你回去的路吗？
LL: ‘At a loss’ means that I don’t know the words to say to show you how I feel. I cannot find the right words – and I am completely frustrated because of it – so I am at a loss.
XY: 无法表达你的感受？不知道说什么好。Larry, 你到底什么意思啊？我费了这么大的劲，难道，难道你真的不愿意做我男朋友吗？
LL: Xiaoyan, you knew that Lihua and I were dating when she left for China, and you knew that we are just friends, right?
XY: 我知道你跟李华的关系，可是我以为…
LL: Thought what? Please, tell me. Or are you also at a loss for words?
XY: 我真是不知道说什么好了，我以为李华去中国，不会再回来了。
LL: Xiaoyan. We are good friends, right?
XY: 那当然了，我们俩比好朋友还要好。
LL: Don’t take this the wrong way, but we are ONLY friends. This is why I am uncomfortable meeting your parents, and this is why I disagree with you when you were talking about our future.
XY: 只是朋友？你太让我伤心了。我真不知道说什么好了，怪不得你一直不愿意见我父母，也不愿意讨论我们的将来。我真是太傻了。
LL: If it makes you feel better, I’m at a loss for words, too. Let’s get in the car, and we can talk about this more at the cafe near my place.
XY: 好吧，不过，我现在可什么都吃不下去。
******
LL: I’m so sorry to tell you all of this. I really hoped that you would realize on your own, but it seems that you were misled.
XY: 哎，至少你没当着我父母的面说，还算给我留了些面子。可能是我误会了你的意思。这一切太突然了。我难过死了。
LL: Well that is understandable. But you will be ok! You will move on!
XY: Move on? 去哪？你以为搬走我就不会难受了吗？
LL: ‘Move on’ means to start the next part of your life and put a bad incident in your past. So, you will be able to move on from this experience!
XY: 噢，你是要我走出失恋的阴影，可能吗？我的心都碎了。
LL: Well, it helps to think about all of the positive things you have in your life and all of the good things that are in your future.
XY: 我现在脑袋里乱糟糟的，什么也想不了。我没救了。
LL: You can’t think this way. You have good job prospects, you have great parents, and you just got a new car!
XY: 好工作、好家庭、还有新车。这些对我来说都不重要，我的心情糟透了。
LL: It’s difficult to move on from difficult experiences. Trust me. But you will be OK! There are so many great people to meet, especially in the wonderful city of New York!
XY: 我现在唯一的希望就是集中精力去找个好工作。现在有好几家公司都愿意雇用我，可我眼下最想要的，不是什么工作，而是找个男朋友。哎！
LL: The first difficult relationship experience for me was tough. I had to find something to take my mind away from things. So I applied to a bunch of different companies. I became so busy that I temporarily forgot about my pain!
XY: 你说，我真能摆脱失恋的痛苦，向前走吗？
LL: Moving on is an action – mentally and sometimes physically – and different people take different measures to do so.
XY: 哎，至少我现在还有一份好工作。
LL: See? You’re looking on the bright side of things now! Continue to do this, and continue to focus on the future – and then you will move on before you even realize it!
XY: 也只有这样了。你最近不要来找我，也许这样我才能慢慢把你忘掉。
我们今天学习了两个常用语。一个是at a loss, 意思是无话可说。另一个是move on, 意思是忘记痛苦的往事，向前走。