Larry跟李华一起去逛商店。李华今天要学两个常用语,burn a hole in one’s pocket和burned.

LL: Wow, Li Hua – check out this new flat-screen TV! Too bad it’s so expensive!

LH: 是啊,现在物价这么贵,美元又一个劲儿贬值,真不知道还有什么人愿意买这么贵的电视。

LL: You’re right, Li Hua. Spending money on things like that can really burn a hole in your pocket.

LH: 什么?把我的口袋烧个洞!这可太危险了。你说It can burn a hole in my pocket肯定还有别的意思吧?

LL: You guessed it! The phrase means that an item or expenses such as bills consume a lot of a person’s earnings.

LH: 那跟在口袋里烧个洞有什么关系呢?

LL: Since money is traditionally carried in our pockets, the saying ‘burn a hole in your pocket’ symbolizes such high expenses.

LH: 要这么说,living in the big city can burn a hole in your pocket. 除了电视,还有房租、电费和食物,光是日常花销就能在”我的口袋里烧个大洞”。

LL: Well said, Li Hua! If you have the same salary but move to a more expensive city, the daily cost of living can burn a much bigger hole in your pocket than before.

LH: 这就是为什么花钱要有计划,不能想买什么买什么,否则肯定入不敷出。

LL: Gas prices have climbed to new highs. I only drive to work twice a week to save money, because it was really beginning to burn a serious hole in my pocket.

LH: 最近油价确实贵得吓人,还好我坐地铁上班,既省钱又环保。

LL: There are so many things that can potentially burn a hole in your pocket. Expensive habits can really hurt you, which is why I’m glad that I quit smoking.

LH: 是啊,你戒烟一年省的钱够加好几箱油的!

LL: Soaring gas prices and cigarette taxes were burning such a big hole in my pocket that I basically gave up driving and smoking!

LH: 你知道还有什么花销最多吗?

LL: Let’ me guess. Going out to eat!

LH: 没错!跟朋友、同事、家人出去吃饭也是一笔不小的开销。

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LH: 说起现在的开销。我前两天出去看房子,才发现这里的房价原来这么贵!

LL: It really is! Didn’t you want to continue renting?

LH: 我本来也是要继续租公寓住的,可是,说来话长。

LL: What happened? Did you get burned?

LH: Get burned? 被烧伤?

LL: ‘Getting burned’ is when you commit to something or personally invest in something with your emotions or money and you basically get nothing in return.

LH: 噢,getting burned是吃亏的意思啊。那真让你说着了。我跟另外两个人一起签了约,结果她们最后一刻反悔了。

LL: Did you put down a deposit?

LH: 我交了两个月的租金,其中一半是押金,结果因为违约,押金没要回来? I definitely got burned!

LL: That’s terrible! Did the two other roommates have another option, or did they end up getting burned, too?

LH: 那两个人的押金也没要回来。但是她们决定一起到另外一个地方去租房子,起码她们还有个伴儿。

LL: So, they kind of burned themselves on violating the terms of the contract, but you were burned worse because what happened was a result of their actions and not yours.

LH: 没错。她们自己反悔,押金被扣还说得过去,我可是被她们连累的。

LL: It sounds like you know what ‘getting burned’ means. Now the next step is ensuring that it doesn’t happen again! Did you learn any lessons from getting burned?

LH: 要说教训,那就是,下次一定不能轻信别人。这就是为什么我在四处看房子,我准备咬咬牙,自己买个公寓。

LL: Well, it looks like you’ve got it figured out. Hopefully you won’t burn a hole in your pocket for a price.

LH: (Laughing) 听上来真滑稽。我为了下次不再吃亏上当,宁可准备倾囊而出,自己花钱去买个公寓。

LL: I know. You will probably end up burning a hole in your pocket so that you don’t get burned again. How ironic!

今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是burn a hole in one’s pocket, 指价格昂贵。另一个是 burned, 指吃亏上当。