今天Larry和Li Hua下课以后一起去吃午饭，Li Hua会学到两个常用语：threads和load up。
(campus noise)
LL: Hey, Li Hua, those are nice threads you’re wearing.
LH: Threads? – 那不是“缝衣服用的线”吗？哎哟，Larry, 你是说我的连衣裙开线了吗？
LL: No, no. Threads, when used in plural, is another word for clothes. I was just telling you that you are wearing nice clothes.
LH: 噢，原来thread用作复数–threads，就可以代表“衣服”。这倒挺合理的，因为衣服就是用线织成的嘛！你刚才说these are nice threads, 原来是夸我的连衣裙漂亮啊！
LL: That’s right!
LH: 谢谢你，Larry, 其实，这件连衣裙挺旧的了。 Larry，要是我说一件衣服，是不是要用单数thread?
LL: No. It’s always threads. I think that’s because even one piece of clothing is made of many threads.
LH: 说得也是，即使一件衣服，也是用很多很多线做成的，所以，还是要用复数 – threads.
LL: So, Li Hua, let me test you. If I say, “I went shopping yesterday and bought lots of threads”, what does that mean?
LH: 这么简单的句子，还要考我。你是说“我昨天买了很多衣服”。Larry，你真的买了好多衣服呀？
LL：No, I was just giving you an example. I don’t go shopping for threads.
LH：你老是穿牛仔裤加T恤衫，怎么也不换换样子嘛？
LL: What’s wrong with the threads I’m wearing? Oh, please, Li Hua, my threads are just fine — Jeans and T-shirt are comfortable.
(cafeteria sound)
LL：Hey, not many people in the cafeteria. That’s the benefit of coming late.
LH: 来晚了人少是没错，但是好东西可能也都给吃完了。哎，Larry, 我知道你饿了，可是你也不能一下子拿那么多嘛，你吃得完吗？
LL: I won’t have time to eat dinner until late, so I’m trying to load up on food now.
LH: 噢，今天你晚饭要很晚才能吃，可是，你说什么 – load up on food? 那是什么意思啊？
LL: To load, load up on something is to get a lot of it, usually so that you can store some of it for later.
LH: 噢，我明白了。你是想午饭多吃点，晚上就不会太饿了。哎，Larry, 除了说吃的东西，load up on还可以用在别的地方吗?
LL: Of course. Do you remember the storm we had last summer? Well, people were worried about losing power, so they loaded up on batteries before the storm.
LH: 去年夏天的那场暴风雨呀？我当然记得。就是啊，当时大家特别担心停电，所以买了好多电池 – We loaded up on batteries.
LL: Yup. Also, Li Hua, we can load up on sleep, too.
LH: 噢，除了可以说load up on food, load up on batteries, 我们还可以说load up on sleep, 意思是多睡觉、多休息。
LL: If you load up on sleep and vitamins, you shouldn’t get sick very easily.
LH: 是没错，多休息、多吃维生素，我们就不容易生病了，哇，Larry, 我看你装了整整两盘菜啊，要是我像你这样load up on food，我肯定早就发胖了。
LL: All right, Li Hua, what are you trying to say? You know I don’t load up on food like this everyday!
LH：那倒也是！
今天李华从Larry那儿学到两个常用语。一个是threads, 在口语里表示“衣服”。另一个是load up on something, 意思是“大量储存某样东西”，比如load up on food, 就表示“吃得很多”。