今天Michael和李华正在谈论有关买汽车的事。李华会学到两个常用语：to kick oneself和raw deal。
L: Michael, 你没有买Jerry的车啊？我以为价钱很公道啊！怎么回事啊？
M: Please don’t mention that! Jerry sold the car to someone else yesterday. I’m still kicking myself for not buying it when I had the chance.
L: Kicking yourself, kick不就是k-i-c-k，踢球的踢吗？你为什么要踢你自己呢？
M: No, no Li Hua. “To kick oneself” means to feel regret for missing an opportunity, or making a mistake that could have been avoided.
L: 噢，to kick oneself不是真的踢自己，意思是：自己失去了一个好机会而埋怨自己太笨。Michael, 那到底是怎么回事啊？
M: Well, I told Jerry that I wanted to check out some other cars before I made a decision. Someone else bought the car before I had a chance to decide. I’m still kicking myself for waiting too long.
L: 原来你是想等看看别的车以后再做决定，结果Jerry就把车卖给别人了。哎哟，Michael, 你不用埋怨自己啦。不管做什么交易，作决定前仔细考虑清楚总是好的。
M: Well, I guess you’re right. When I bought the car I have now, I wasn’t careful enough. Later, I found out the car was in very poor condition, and I have been kicking myself ever since.
L: 你看，我说得没错。你买现在这辆车的时候不小心，所以现在老要出问题。哎，Michael, 你呀，买得不好也怨自己，没有买到也埋怨自己。你累不累呀！
M: Hey, speaking of regret, I heard that your ex-boyfriend Ding Yu is doing really well these days. I bet you are kicking yourself for dumping him, huh?
L: 你在说我以前的男朋友丁余？告诉你，不管他现在多有钱我都不会因为跟他分手而后悔。
M: Hmm, I know, when you’re a famous professor at a top U.S. university, Ding Yu will be kicking himself for not being nicer to you when you were together.
L: 我要是在美国当了名教授，他再捶胸顿足地后悔也没有用。
L: Michael, 你没有买Jerry的车，那你是不是还想找一辆旧车呢？
M: Yes, I still want to replace my car. But I’m sort of afraid… The last time I bought a car, I got a really raw deal!
L: 你上回买车怎么啦？什么是raw deal？是不是不好的意思？
M: That’s right! A raw deal. Raw. A “raw deal” means an unfair deal, or to be treated roughly and unfairly by someone.
L: A raw deal就是吃了亏的交易。你的意思是，你上次买这辆车的时候，卖车的人让你吃了大亏？
M: That’s right. The week after I bought the car, the engine broke down, and I had to completely replace it! The guy I bought it from refused to pay for it.
L: 车才买了一个星期就出问题。这实在是太倒霉了。这就是所谓的a raw deal。那么，Michael, raw deal是不是只能用在买卖方面的？
M: No, not necessarily. For instance, my Uncle George worked at a factory for over twenty years. Unfortunately, the factory was shut down and George lost his job right before he had a chance to retire. That was a raw deal!
L: That’s really a raw deal! 我听到好几个这样的例子了。一个人在一个公司做了几十年，还没来得及退休公司就关门了。退休金全完了。我舅舅的工厂关门前，他工作了八个月，到现在还没拿到工资呢！
M: That’s really a raw deal!
今天李华学到了两个常用语：to kick oneself和raw deal。To kick oneself是由于错过了机会而怨恨自己。Raw deal就是在跟别人打交道时吃了亏。