Larry跟李华一起去麦当劳吃早饭。今天我们要学两个常用语： full ride和chill out.
LL: Hey Lihua, I’m so happy I got to meet your sister Lijia this weekend. She’s such a talented musician, it’s no wonder she got a full ride to Julliard.
LH: 李佳上周末在DC玩得开心极了，可惜她要回纽约去上学，不能天天跟我在一起。哎，你刚才说，”She got a full ride to Julliard?“ 她没告诉我她每天坐校车上学啊！
LL: Lihua. A full ride is another name for an all-expenses-paid scholarship.
LH: 没错，李佳曾经获得全国小提琴少年组第二名，所以就因此拿到了朱丽亚音乐学院的奖学金，可我还是不懂，奖学金跟搭车有什么关系呢？
LL: A full ride means that all expenses are paid for her education at Julliard. A full ride covers everything from tuition to room and board.
LH: 哦，我终于明白了，full ride跟坐车一点关系都没有，而是指全额奖学金。学校同意负担李佳的学费、食宿和交通。Is that a full ride scholarship?
LL: Yes. A full ride scholarship is awarded to extraordinary students who are very intelligent and talented, and Julliard honored Lijia with a full ride scholarship because she has an exceptional academic record and she is a superb violin player.
LH: 不过，李佳告诉我说，她必需保持优异成绩，才能继续拿全额奖学金，不然，奖学金就会被取消。
LL: Yes, with full ride scholarships, the student is usually required to maintain a high grade point average, like 3.5 or above.
LH: 你是说，拿全额奖学金的学生平均成绩一定要保持在3.5以上，那要是掉到3.0以下怎么办呢？
LL: If the student didn’t have a 3.5 grade point average or above, the college might suspend the full ride scholarship, and the student would be required to pay for that semester’s tuition and living costs.
LH: 如果成绩不够好，就要自己出学费？不行，我得赶紧告诉李佳加倍努力，朱丽亚音乐学院的学费那么贵，自己出可出不起。She cannot afford to lose her full ride scholarship.
LL: Oh, Lihua, don’t worry. We both know Lijia is very hard working, and she enjoys what she’s studying. She shouldn’t have a problem keeping her full ride scholarship.
LH: 我毕竟是姐姐，有义务督促她努力学习，千万不能丢掉奖学金。
LL: You’re such a good example Li Hua, because you got a full ride scholarship for your PhD program, right?
LH: 多亏有这份全额奖学金，我才能继续念书呢。今年六月论文答辩一过，我就正式毕业了。Once I receive my PhD degree, my full ride will end. 我得抓紧时间，赶紧找到工作。
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LL: Lihua, I know the economy is pretty bad right now, but I don’t think you should rush to find a job. You’ve been working so hard on your PhD. – I think you deserve take some time off and just chill out.
LH: 给自己放假？现在就业市场这么不好，失业的人比新就业的人还多，我可不敢掉以轻心！再说了，现在天气越来越暖和，How can I chill out if it’s hot outside? 大热天，怎么能凉快呢！
LL: No, Lihua, chill out means to relax. It has nothing to do with the temperature outside.
LH: 我明白了。你的意思是说，我毕业以后应该好好放松一下自己。你觉得这样能行吗？
LL: Of course I think it’s a good idea to chill out. A lot of students take some time off after graduation to unwind. Some even travel for the entire summer and go backpacking through Europe.
LH: 有人用整整一个夏天去旅行，太过瘾了。不过，我恐怕走到半路，我就口袋空空了。Larry, 你说我该怎样去chill out呢？
LL: I think we could both chill out for a week and drive down to Virginia Beach to lounge on the sand and swim in the ocean with some friends.
LH: 不用写论文，不用准备面试，沉浸在阳光和海水中，还有温暖的沙滩，太美了。
LL: My uncle lives nearby, we could all stay at his house for a few nights.
LH: Oh Larry, chilling out sounds like so much fun! 从海边回来，我还可以到纽约去找李佳，chill out some more!
今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是full ride, 意思是全额奖学金。另一个是chill out，意思是放松放松。