Larry和李华刚上完课，现在在一面喝咖啡，一面聊天。今天李华会学到两个常用语：off one’s rocker和silent treatment.
(Bar noise)
LH: Larry, 我看你一直盯着那边那个女孩。你为什么不走过去跟她聊一聊呢？
LL: Are you kidding? She’ll think I’m off my rocker if I just walk over and start talking to her.
LH: 你走过去跟她讲话，她会认为你是什么？Off your rocker，那是什么意思啊？
LL: To be “off one’s rocker” means to be crazy. I’m afraid she’ll think I’m crazy, or at least really weird, if I start talking to her for no reason.
LH: 噢！所以off one’s rocker就是指一个人特别怪，行为反常。嗨，你要是觉得和陌生人说话很奇怪，那你才真的是off your rocker呢！
LL: I don’t know, I guess I’m just a little shy about it, okay?
LH: 你这么害羞，难怪总是错失良机！算了，你要胆子那么小，我也没办法。哎，Larry，你看那边那个人才真的有点不正常？
LL: Who?
LH: 就是坐在角落里的那个人，你看他还在唱歌呢！
LL: Yeah, he looks like he’s a bit off his rocker, but he’s probably just really drunk.
LH: 就是，也许他是喝醉了。Larry，我今天不能玩太晚。明天早上9点钟，历史课的教授要给大家补课。
LL: 9:00 am on a Saturday morning? Your professor is either completely off his rocker or he just likes to torture his students.
LH: 星期六早上给大家补课不是挺好吗？ 你认为这教授是疯啦！ 我看你才是off your rocker。Larry，班上没有一个同学认为那教授这样做有什么不正常，更没有人认为他是为了要折磨学生。
LL: Ok, ok. But to me, anyone who likes to go to class on Saturday morning is off his rocker.
LL: Hey, I forgot to tell you that my sister is giving me the silent treatment. She’s mad at me for telling our mom about her new boyfriend.
LH: 你把你妹妹交男朋友的事告诉你妈，难怪你妹妹对你发火。你说她还给你silent treatment，那是什么意思？
LL: To give someone “the silent treatment” is to refuse to talk to that person. My sister is refusing to talk to me because she’s mad at me.
LH: 噢，我懂了。Silent treatment就是不理你，不跟你说话。这么说，你妹妹也不接你电话咯？
LL: No, she wouldn’t even speak to me when I was home last weekend.
LH: 我最讨厌这种态度了。不讲话，能解决问题吗？
LL: Exactly. If my sister is giving me the silent treatment, then how are we supposed to talk over the problem?
LH: 我还记得，当我告诉我妈我决定要来美国念书时，她气得一个月不和我说话。
LL: She probably wasn’t really mad at you. She was just upset that you would be so far away.
LH: 我知道，她不是真的生我的气，而是不舍得我到这么远的地方来念书。可是不说话有什么用啊！
LL: Sometimes giving someone the silent treatment is a good idea, though. There are a couple of people I avoid talking to because I know that they like to gossip.
LH: 那倒也是。碰上那种喜欢嚼舌头的人，最好不和他们说话。去年我的同屋就是这样的人，所以我一个学期都不跟她说话，给她silent treatment。
LL: Hey, Li Hua, you learn fast!
今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是off one’s rocker，就是指一个人行为不正常。也就是我们平常所说的，某某人疯了。另外一个常用语是silent treatment，就是沉默对待的意思。