今天Larry和Li Hua在一个朋友家的花园里参加party。Li Hua会学到两个常用语：dude和chick。
LH: Hey Larry! 参加party的人都挺高兴的，可是Jack刚才在那边儿好像和人吵架，什么事呀？
LL: Oh, Jack and some other dude were having a really intense argument. We were afraid they might get into a fight, so we had to separate them.
LH: 就是啊，他们吵得挺凶的，好象要动手打起来似的！可是，Larry, 你管另外那个人叫什么？ Dude? 那是什么意思啊？
LL: Dude is another word for guy, or man. I just said Jack and “some other dude” were arguing.
LH: Oh, dude 是指男人，我还以为是那个人的名字呢！你刚才是说“Jack和那个人争论得非常激烈”。哎，Larry，那你叫别人dude有没有什么不好的意思吗？
LL: What? No, of course not. Dude just means guy. However, it is very informal, so you’d sound silly if you called someone important a “dude”, or used it in a formal situation.
LH: 噢，dude这个称呼没有贬意，只是一般用在很随便的场合。哎哟，幸亏你告诉我，要是在正式的场合我把某位大人物称为dude, 那可不就出洋相了吗！
LL: And usually, only younger people use the word “dude”, and it usually refers to fairly young men.
LH: 噢，dude 一般是年轻人用的词，而且dude也是指年轻人。 对了，我想起来了，有一次我在商店里就听到两个年轻人用dude这个词。我那时还不懂dude是什么意思。 哎，dude不就相当于中文里说的“那个家伙”吗？
LL: That’s right! See that dude over there? That’s my pal Frank. I’ll ask him for a beer. Dude, toss me one of those beers. Thanks!
LH: 哎哟，你真好意思，自己不去拿啤酒，让你那个dude扔过来，幸亏你接得准！
LH: Oh no, Larry我看见我的同屋朝这边走过来了。要是她看见我，她又要缠着我没完没了了。
LL: What? That tall girl with glasses? Is that the chick you’re always telling me about?
LH: 对，就是那个戴眼镜的高个儿女孩。你叫她什么？ Chick? Larry, 我虽然不喜欢那个女孩，可是我也不想用难听的词来骂她噢！
LL: Huh!? I didn’t say any bad words. I said “that chick”. Chick means “young woman”. It’s not a bad word, although some people find it a little offensive.
LH: 噢，原来chick这个词是指“年轻女孩儿”呀！哎哟，这要是直接翻译成中文，可不是什么好词儿。你说在英文里，chick不是骂人的话，可是你又说有的人听了会不大高兴，这是怎么回事啊？
LL: Well, some women find it demeaning – I guess they think that baby chickens are cute but sort of brainless. You can use this word around your friends, but not in formal situations or with strangers.
LH: 噢，我懂了 – chick这个词本意是“小鸡”，小鸡虽然可爱，可是好象没有脑子，傻傻的，所以有的女孩就不愿意别人叫她chick。这么说，可以在熟朋友之间用chick这个词，不过，不要在正式场合，或者叫一个陌生人chick。哎，Larry, 我们还是赶快走吧，我可不想让我的同屋缠着我不放。
LL: Hey, there she goes. You’re in luck, Li Hua. Your roommate’s gone… she just left with two other chicks and that dude who was arguing with Jack.
LH: 她和另外两个女孩儿一起走啦，还有那个跟Jack吵架的dude！哇，真是谢天谢地。这下我们可以痛痛快快地玩了！
今天李华从Larry那儿学到两个常用语。一个是dude, 是口语里男孩之间的称呼，就相当于中文里所说的“家伙”。另外一个是chick, 在口语里指年轻女孩儿。