今天李华到Larry的宿舍里去串门儿，李华会学到两个常用语：on the fritz和to hog。
LH: Hey, Larry, 我昨天晚上给你打电话，在你手机上留了言，你怎么没给我回电话啊？
LL: I didn’t get your message. My cell phone has been on the fritz. I don’t know what’s wrong with it.
LH: 你没收到我的留言？还说你的手机怎么啦？On the fritz – 那是什么意思啊？
LL: I said my cell phone is on the fritz. If something is on the fritz, that means something is wrong with it and it is not working properly.
LH: 噢，要是说什么东西on the fritz, 意思就是“出了毛病，不能正常工作了”。哎呀，我的手机有时候也会on the fritz. Larry, 除了电话以外，还有什么东西也可以说是on the fritz呢？
LL: Well, usually it is machines that are on the fritz. For instance, sometimes my computer does not respond to my commands, so it’s on the fritz.
LH: 原来on the fritz通常是用在机器设备上，比方说像你说的电脑。就是啊，有的时候电脑会出故障，不听指令，那就是on the fritz了。
LL: Now Li Hua, can you give me an example?
LH: 有了。昨天我在学校的食品零售机买coke，我明明塞进去一块美元，可是零售机一点反应都没有。It must have been on the fritz.
LL: Oh, some of the vending machines are often on the fritz.
LH: 哎，Larry, 除了说机器，我能不能说一个人on the fritz呢？
LL: Not really. However, the exception is that you can say that your stomach is on the fritz if it is uncomfortable.
LH: 噢，我们不能直接说一个人on the fritz, 但是，要是我的胃感到难受，我就可以说：My stomach is on the fritz.
LL: All right, Li Hua, forget about things that are on the fritz. You want to watch this DVD?
LH: Sure! 但愿你的DVD player is not on the fritz.
LL: Oh, come on, Li Hua!
LL: Hey, Li Hua, stop hogging all the popcorn! I want some too.
LH: 得了得了，想吃爆米花就说话呀，给你！你说我什么？Hogging all the popcorn? 好像不是什么好意思，你可得给我解释清楚！
LL: Well, to hog something is to keep it for yourself and not share it with others. Just now you were eating all of the popcorn without sharing it with me. Therefore, I said you were hogging the popcorn.
LH: To hog something就是霸占着某样东西，不给别人。嘿,Larry, 你怎么能说我霸着爆米花不给你呢？我又不知道你也想吃，再说，我现在不是分给你了吗？
LL: Okay, I suppose you aren’t hogging it anymore.
LH: 对了，Larry, 除了说食物以外，这种说法还可以用在别的地方吗？
LL: Well, we are now watching a DVD, if I don’t let you use the remote control, then I’m hogging the remote.
LH: 噢，要是你一个人拿着遥控器，不让我用，那你就是hogging the remote. 那可比hogging the popcorn更气人了！
LL: Okay, now it’s your turn to give me an example.
LH: 让我也举个例子啊？想起来了。我那个同屋啊，她有的时候用洗手间用好长时间，进去了就不出来，我真应该告诉她 – stop hogging the bathroom.
LL: That’s a very good example. Hey, Li Hua, look at me – if I lie down on the couch and don’t give you any room to sit down, then I am hogging the couch.
LH: 哎哟，Larry, 你干什么呀？你干嘛一个人把整个沙发都占了，一点儿地方都不给我留，你想让我坐地板啊？Stop hogging the couch, Larry!
LL: Calm down, Li Hua, I was just giving you an example.
今天李华从Larry那儿学到两个常用语。一个是on the fritz, 意思是“出了故障”。另外一个是to hog something, 意思是“把某样东西据为己有，不给别人”。