李华和Larry在一家中餐馆吃饭。李华今天会学到两个常用语bite the bullet和benchwarmer。
LH: Larry，你点的陈皮牛肉真好吃。 (Groans in pain) Oww!
LL: Hey, what’s wrong? Was there something in the beef?
LH: 不，是我的牙。我的一个牙齿坏了，早该去看牙医， 可是一直不敢去。
LL: Really? Well, if it hurts that much, I guess you have to bite the bullet and see a dentist!
LH: Bite the bullet!? 咬子弹？Larry ，我咬肉都痛，还叫我咬子弹！
LL: No, no, I’m not being mean. To bite the bullet means to resign yourself to doing something that is difficult or unpleasant.
LH: 所以，你的意思是硬着头皮去难做的事，或不愉快的事。噢，我知道了，以前打仗的时候有时没有麻药，伤员动手术时只好咬著子弹，忍住疼痛。这个习惯用语就是这么来的吧？
LL: I guess so. Anyway, your painful tooth will affect your studying, and it might get worse if you keep waiting. Just bite the bullet and see a dentist!
LH: 牙痛当然影响我的学习。我一会儿就打电话给牙医生约时间。对了， Larry，你上星期因为停车而被罚款有没有去付啊？
LL: (Sighs) No, I haven’t paid them off yet. I guess I’d better bite the bullet and pay them, otherwise the charges will be doubled.
LH: 还没有付呀！逾期不付会加倍罚款的。 Larry，今年你已经吃了好几张罚单了， 你平时很少用车，为什么不把它卖掉呢？
LL: Hmm… I like the freedom of having a car, but owning one is pretty expensive in this city. Maybe I should just bite the bullet and sell my car.
LH: 有车是方便， 可是要交停车费、保险费，车坏了还要修理费。 你知道吗？Ben最近把他的车卖掉了。
LL: Really? You know what else Ben did recently? He finally bit the bullet and asked his girlfriend to marry him! She said yes!
LH: 真的呀？那就是说Ben和他的女朋友要结婚了。这是好事啊， 可你为什么你说He bit the bullet? 为什么要硬着头皮求婚呢？
LL: No! It’s just that a making a marriage proposal takes courage sometimes. I’m sure Ben was nervous. That’s why I say he had to bite the bullet.
LH: 那倒是。求婚是要有勇气的，特别是对Ben这么内向的人来说。
******
(Sounds of indoor court basketball)
LH: Hey， Larry! 没想到你还会打篮球。
LL: Hey! I’ve been a part of this recreational league here at the gym for a few months. Years ago I played in high school, but I was just a benchwarmer, really.
LH: 你参加这体育馆的球队已经好几个月了？ 我怎么不知道呀？ 你说你在中学时只是个benchwarmer，那是什么位置呀？我只知道有前锋，中锋和后卫。
LL: (Chuckles) It’s not really a position, Li Hua. A benchwarmer is a reserve player on a team. They aren’t as good as the starting players, so they have to sit on the bench and wait.
LH: 原来benchwarmer就是我们中国人常说的板凳队员。 因为他们的技术比较差，入场打球的机会比较少，老坐在板凳上等教练的命令，把板凳都坐暖了。Benchwarmer，这很有意思。
LL: Yeah, well, being a benchwarmer on my high school basketball team was not funny, for me at least. That’s why I quit the team after one season.
LH: 这我完全理解。 我以前在大学也参加过蓝球队， 也是老坐板凳，所以不久就退出了。
LL: That’s too bad! If I was forced to be a benchwarmer on this team, I’d probably quit too. It’s not worth my time if I can’t play.
LH: 光坐在那里看而没机会打球的确不值得。 Larry，你现在差不多每场比赛都参加，球技一定很棒噢。
LL: Heh, not really, this team only has seven players, and everyone always gets a chance to play. No one has to be a benchwarmer on this team.
LH: 你们只有七名队员，那是没有人坐板凳了。我也想打篮球，不过我谁都不认识，不知道怎么报名。
LL: Oh, what are you worried about, Li Hua. Just bite the bullet and ask someone about joining!
LH: 好吧，我明天就去问问。
今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是bite the bullet, 意思是硬着头皮、鼓起勇气去做不想作或是很难做的事。还有一个是benchwarmer， 意思是指球队的后备队员。他们老是坐在板凳上，打球的机会不多。