Larry有件事要告诉李华,但是他要李华保守秘密。 李华今天会学到两个常用语Hush-hush和Blabbermouth。
LL: So, Li Hua, I have some news I’d like to share with you, but I’d like you to keep it hush-hush.
LH: Hush-hush? 我知道,hush-hush是要人别出声, 保持安静。Larry,你为什么要我别出声呢?
LL: Something that is hush-hush means private and secret. It is something you don’t want other people to know about.
LH: 原来hush-hush在这里是指秘密的,不能告诉别人。 难道你有什么秘密吗?
LL: I got a new job!
LH: Wow! 你找到新工作了,太好了, Larry。 我还以为是什么不可告人的事情呢。这么好的消息你为什么不告诉大家呢?
LL: Well, I am excited about it, and I do want to tell everyone, but my new job won’t start for several months. I want to keep it hush-hush until I’m ready to tell people at my current job.
LH: 新工作要几个月以后才开始,你现在还不想让老板和同事们知道。那好,我一定为你保密。不过这个秘密我们要保守多久呢?
LL: About two months. Then I’ll tell my boss and co-workers, and you won’t have to keep my news hush-hush any more.
LH: 两个月以后你就要告诉老板和同事了。我想他们一定会舍不得你走。 Larry,我也要告诉你一个秘密。 It is all very hush-hush.
LL: What’s that?
LH: 我的一个学生最近在华盛顿申请了一份工作, 听说是去一个秘密机构。
LL: If it is so hush-hush, how do you know about it?
LH: 因为我给她写了推荐信, 那个单位还找我谈话,调查这位学生的情况。
LL: Hmm, a hush-hush organization. Is she applying to become a secret agent?
LH: 你说她在申请作特工? 这我可不能告诉你, 你知道我必须保密。
LL: Oh, I know. I’m just curious. Sometimes it is hard to keep things hush-hush. Like the fact that my friend Dave is dating your friend Mary.
LH: Dave 和Mary? 他们在谈恋爱? 我怎么没听说呢?
LL: Dave asked me to keep it hush-hush for a while, because he wanted to be sure that Mary liked him and that it wasn’t a one-time thing.
LH: Dave要确定Mary是否真的喜欢他后才公开。这我完全理解。
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LL: I thought about telling you, Li Hua. But I didn’t want to be a blabbermouth.
LH: Blabbermouth这个词我知道, Blabbermouth指的是嘴快、不能保守秘密的人。
LL: Wow, you are *good*, Li Hua. A blabbermouth is someone who blabbers; they talk, talk, talk and can’t keep a secret.
LH: Larry,在Dave这件事上, 你可真是守口如瓶啊,You are not a blabbermouth。 有你这样忠实的朋友,Dave一定很放心。
LL: Thanks, Li Hua. Dave and Mary have been dating for several weeks, and he told me I could tell you and our other friends now.
LH: Dave让你告诉我啦?那他和Mary一定很合得来, 太好了!Larry, Dave当时幸亏没有告诉Jennifer, 全世界的人就都知道了。
LL: Jennifer is a blabbermouth? What do you mean?
LH: 她总喜欢打听和议论别人的私事,然后到处乱说。
LL: Have you ever said anything about it to her?
LH: 我怎么好意思对她说:Don’t be such a blabbermouth!
LL: Well, then I’ll remember the next time I have something I want to keep hush-hush: Don’t tell Jennifer the blabbermouth!
今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是hush-hush,意思是不要公开的,是秘密的。还有一个是blabbermouth,这是指那些嘴快,不能保守秘密的人。