Larry和李华正在一起吃午饭。李华今天要学两个常用语a Cuppa Joe和Guilty Pleasure。
LL: I am so sleepy! What I need right now, Li Hua, is a cuppa joe.
LH: A cuppa joe ? 我确实有个朋友叫Joe，他怎么能帮你提神呢？
LL: No, I don’t need your friend Joe. “I need a cuppa joe” is a way of saying “I need a cup of coffee.”
LH: 我知道了，”cuppa”是”cup of”的缩写，可我还是不明白”Joe”怎么会是咖啡呢？
LL: You wouldn’t be alone in that, Li Hua. Most Americans don’t know why we call coffee “Joe”, but we have for a long time, and we still say it today.
LH: 对呀，只要说起来方便，大家都知道是什么意思就好了。Larry, 你干嘛急着要喝咖啡呀？
LL: I stayed up too late watching a movie on television last night, and today I am so tired. Having a cuppa joe would really help me get through my work day.
LH: 原来是你自己晚上看电视，不好好睡觉，怪不得会那么困，要靠”a cuppa joe”里的咖啡因来提神。
LL: So I am definitely ordering a cuppa joe with lunch. How about you, Li Hua? Would you like a cuppa joe?
LH: 我才不要”a cuppa joe”, 我又不爱喝咖啡。
LL: If you don’t want a cuppa joe, then what are you going to order to drink?
LH: 我要一杯茶好了。
LL: I’ve heard that a cup of tea doesn’t have quite as much caffeine as a cuppa joe. Is that true?
LH: 是呀，茶里所含的咖啡因确实不如咖啡多。
LL: Then why would anyone want to drink tea instead of a cuppa joe?
LH: 据我所知，除了咖啡因含量低以外，茶对人体还有其它许多咖啡没有的好处，特别是绿茶。听说绿茶里的抗氧化物质还能防癌呢。
LL: But I still can’t live without my cuppa joe.
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LH: Larry, 你真的那么喜欢喝咖啡吗？
LL: I guess you could say that drinking coffee is one of my guilty pleasures.
LH: 喜欢喝咖啡也算犯罪吗？
LL: A guilty pleasure is something you like to do, but isn’t good for you. I’m not guilty of a crime when I drink coffee, but I do know there are better things I could be drinking.
LH: 我知道了，A guilty pleasure的意思是一种内疚的快感，就是说你明知道喝咖啡可能不如喝茶和喝水对身体好，但你还是愿意喝咖啡。
LL: That’s right. What about you Li Hua, do you have any guilty pleasures?
LH: 我，当然有了，其中之一就是冰激凌。
LL: Ah yes, how could I forget? Eating ice cream is definitely a guilty pleasure for you.
LH: 我知道冰激凌是高糖和高脂肪的食品，我也担心吃多了会胖，可我就是管不住自己。这不能算是最糟糕的guilty pleasure吧。
LL: Some people like to drink alcohol or to gamble. These are guilty pleasures you have to be really careful about.
LH: 是呀，酗酒和赌博都会让人上瘾，带来各种各样的问题。这些guilty pleasure可不是闹着玩的。不过我想，大多数guilty pleasure都是无害的吧。
LL: Yes, my mother’s guilty pleasure was taking a bubble bath on Sunday afternoons.
LH: 星期天下午洗泡沫浴，这也算guilty pleasure吗？
LL: She felt like she should be taking care of me and my brother and sister, but instead her guilty pleasure was to enjoy the quiet relaxation of some time alone in the bath tub.
LH: 她内疚是因为觉得应该照顾孩子，不应该自己躲起来享受啊。Larry, 咱们的午饭和你的Cuppa joe来了，快吃吧。
今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是a Cuppa joe，意思是一杯咖啡。另外一个是guilty pleasure, 意思是带有内疚的快感。