李华来到Larry的公寓,两人一起吃晚饭。今天我们要学两个常用语: out of whack和such a wreck.

LL: -Achoo- I have been sneezing all day.

LH: 你没生病吧?

LL: No, I don’t think I’m sick. I think I have allergies. All the pollen in the air has got me feeling really out of whack.

LH: Out of whack? 你是说自己不舒服吗?

LL: Yes, Li Hua, out of whack means that I feel somewhat unwell, but it does not necessarily mean I feel sick. Out of whack means feeling not quite right.

LH: 这么说,上星期我眼镜找不到了,看东西模模糊糊的,就可以说 I felt out of whack?

LL: Yes, you very well may have been feeling out of whack. – Achoo-

LH: 你没完没了地打喷嚏,为什么不吃点儿治过敏的药呢?

LL: I hate taking those medicines. They always leave me feeling out of whack. I feel like I cannot even string together a thought when I take them.

LH: 没错,我也不喜欢吃治过敏的药,会觉得昏昏欲睡,所以我宁可象你一样,没完没了地打喷嚏。

LL: That makes sense. What would you like to have for dinner, Li Hua?

LH: 我找到了一个鱼香茄子的菜谱,好象不错,要不咱们试试看?

LL: That sounds great, let’s take a look at it.

LH: 在我电子邮件信箱里,我得上网打印出来。

LL: Go right ahead.

LH: Hmmm. Larry, 你来看看,怎么印不出来啊?

LL: It looks like the printer is out of whack.

LH: 打印机也会不舒服,out of whack?

LL: Yes, in addition to a person feeling out of whack, a machine can also be out of whack. This means that the machine is not working properly.

LH: 太糟糕了,打印机坏了,那菜谱印不出来怎么办?

LL: How about you just read out the ingredients from the computer. That way we don’t need to print anything. We will even save some paper.

LH: 只好这样了。那你听好了,我们需要茄子一个、肉馅半磅、还有,葱、姜、蒜….

******

酒足饭饱,Larry还在回味鱼香茄子的美味。

LL: Mmm, that was a delicious dish Li Hua, thank you for finding it.

LH: 一点儿也不费事,只要你喜欢吃就好。

LL: That was really good. Did you have enough to eat?

LH: 我都快撑死了。你还要吗?

LL: No, thank you, I can’t eat another bite. I guess I should clean up. This kitchen is such a wreck.

LH: A wreck? 是什么意思啊?

LL: “What a wreck”, means it is a complete mess.

LH: 我明白了,what a wreck就是乱七八糟的意思。那这么说,your apartment is often a wreck. 你的公寓永远都是a wreck.

LL: Yes, Li Hua, that is true, my apartment does often need cleaning, but I do try to keep it from becoming a total wreck.

LH: 可以理解,一忙起来就顾不上收拾房间了,我那儿可能还不如你了,我最近都不敢让朋友去。

LL: When you are busy it is very easy for your home to become a wreck.

LH: 没错。

LL: You should see my desk after I’ve just worked on a large new project. It is a huge wreck.

LH: 这我相信,那你不忙的时候,办公桌上是不是特别干净整齐?

LL: Well, no I can’t say it is much better most of the time.

LH: 跟你公寓现在的样子差不多。

LL: Ouch! It’s not that bad in here, Li hua, though I do admit it could use a good cleaning.

LH: 别当真,我跟你开玩笑呢!说真的,我的公寓现在才是a bit of a wreck.

LL: With all the papers you have been writing lately, I am not surprised that you have not had much time to clean up.

LH: Larry, 咱俩互助怎么样?现在我帮你整理房间,正好活动活动,消消食,明天你来我家,帮我打扫。

LL: That sounds like a great idea.

今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是out of whack,意思是身体不舒服,或者是说什么东西坏了。另一个是such a wreck,意思是乱七八糟。