Larry准备在公司汇报工作。事先想请李华帮他听听，看报告内容能不能吸引人。李华今天要学两个常用语。一个是dud，另一个是oomph 。
LL: Thanks for agreeing to listen to my presentation, Li Hua. I really don’t want it to be a dud.
LH: Larry, 什么是 “dud” 呀 ?
LL: Oh, A dud D-U-D is something or someone that doesn’t live up to expectations and is a disappointment.
LH: Dud就是让人失望的意思。你是不是想让我帮你听听，你的报告能不能吸引人啊？
LL: Right! I want my presentation to be lively and interesting. If it is boring and difficult to understand, it will be a dud.
LH: 愿意为您效劳！不过Larry, 你这人这么幽默，不用听我就知道，你的报告肯定不会枯燥无味的。
LL: You never know. I once worked with a woman who I thought was really funny, and at work we really got along. But then we went on a date, and it was a real dud.
LH: 你们约会的问题出在哪里呢？
LL: It turns out that we didn’t have much in common except work.
LH: 噢，我知道了，你们俩这叫缺少共同语言。That date really does sound like a dud.
LL: What about you Li Hua? Have you every gone out with a guy who was a real dud?
LH: Dud也能指人啊。那要这么说，我可是遇到过真正的dud.
LL: How was this guy a dud, Li Hua?
LH: 他长得特别帅，可是我们俩出去吃饭，他从头到尾都在没完没了地讲他自己，根本不问问我喜欢些什么。That date was a real dud.
LL: Kind of like a firecracker that doesn’t go off! We also call fireworks that don’t go off “duds.”
LH: 没错，我们管不响的爆竹叫”哑炮”。我最喜欢放炮了，特别是春节的时候…
Larry, 你干嘛呢？
LL: I am trying to get the slide projector to work. It looks like the light bulb is a dud!
LH: 那就别摆弄幻灯了。我光听就行了。
LL: Okay, let’s get started. Please be honest, Li Hua, and don’t be afraid to tell me if you think my presentation is a dud.
LH: 你放心，我一定怎么想就怎么说。
******
LL: So, what do you think, Li Hua? Does my presentation need more oomph?
LH: Oomph? 这又是什么词啊！怎么这么难说。
LL: It is like “oom” from the word room, followed by an “F” sound. Say it after me, Li Hua. Oomph!
LH: (Imitating)”oom”, “oom-f”. Oomph, oomph 是什么意思啊？
LL: When I asked if my presentation needed more oomph, I was asking if it needed something extra to make it more lively or interesting.
LH: 噢，你是说可以加点儿什么，让你的报告更精彩是吧。老实说，Larry, 我觉得有的地方确实有点儿枯燥，需要加点儿oomph.
LL: How do you think I could give my presentation more oomph, Li Hua?
LH: 比方说，你一上来可以先讲个笑话，吸引听众的注意。然后讲到一半儿有人开始走神的时候，你可以再讲个你自己工作中的真实经历，最好是干过的什么傻事。这样你的报告就能更生动了。
LL: That’s very good advice, Li Hua. I think doing those things will give my presentation the extra oomph it needs.
LH: 好，那现在换我了。我最近给中文课设计了一个网页。你也帮我看看，要不要也加点儿oomph.
LL: Sure. I’m happy to look at it and tell you if it needs more oomph.
(Typing on keyboard…)
LH: Okay, here it is. Larry, 你觉得怎么样？
LL: Wow, Li Hua! Maybe your website has a little too much oomph!
LH: Oomph 还会太多吗？
LL: Well, you used orange and pink together on the same page. Those colors make it hard to read.
LH: 粉红色和桔黄色放在一起是太亮了，看上去眼睛有点儿不舒服，那我换换其它颜色吧。
今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是dud, 意思是令人失望的。另一个是oomph, 是吸引力的意思。