Larry和李华一起吃中饭。今天我们要学两个常用语：in one’s element和too many cooks in the kitchen.
LL: Lihua, Isn’t this weather gorgeous?
LH: 是啊，两个月前还是冰天雪地的，怎么好象一眨眼就进入夏天了似的。
LL: This year the weather has been really strange. First, it snowed a lot. And now it’s really warm. Maybe it’s global warming.
LH: 不管是什么原因，只要阳光明媚，我就有一副好心情。坐在这里，感觉整个人都是暖洋洋的。
LL: Do you remember the other day when we were talking about Jeff?
LH: 记得啊，上次我见到Jeff, 他好象正在忙着找女朋友，还说什么这是他今年要实现的目标。
LL: I saw him at a dance party the other night, and he looked like he was totally in his element. He was talking to one girl after another.
LH: 这么说，他已经开始把计划落实在行动上了？不过Larry, what do you mean when you say he was “in his element”?
LL: “In one’s element,” basically means that someone is in a very suitable environment and doing something that comes very naturally. Like I could say that you are in your element when you’re teaching Chinese.
LH: 哦，我明白了，in one’s element, 就是说做什么事情很自如，得心应手。那我也可以说，You are in your element when you’re playing video games.
LL: You got it. Jeff looked totally cool and in his element the other night.
LH: 这么说，Jeff在舞会上非常自如，而且十分擅长跟女孩子搭讪。哎，我怎么记得他以前好象特别腼腆。你跟他打招呼了吗？
LL: Of course. He told me that he’s become much more social and outgoing during the past year and he’s always going out to bars and parties.
LH: 这么说，Jeff 找女朋友的目标用不了多久就能实现了。
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LL: Hey, I almost forgot. I have great news. My brother George is finally getting married and we are invited.
LH: George终于要结婚了！真是太好了。婚礼在哪里举行？
LL: I think it’s going to be in Orlando. That’s where my brother’s girlfriend’s family is from.
LH: 是佛罗里达的奥兰多吗？我正好没去过迪斯尼。这下好了，可以借着去参加婚礼的机会，到迪斯尼去好好玩玩。 婚礼具体在哪家宾馆，办定了吗？
LL: I’m not sure. My brother and his girlfriend want to have the wedding on a beach. But the bride’s family wants to have it at a resort. Seems to me like there are too many cooks in the kitchen.
LH: 你是说George和他未婚妻想在沙滩上举行婚礼，可新娘的家里人却希望能在渡假村里办。可这跟什么厨房、厨子有什么关系呢？
LL: No, you’re misunderstanding the phrase “too many cooks in the kitchen.” It’s a metaphor, meaning that the help or involvement of too many people can do more harm that good.
LH: 哦，我明白了，too many cooks in the kitchen，厨房里大厨太多反而会误事。你是说，在选择婚礼地点的问题上，出主意的人太多，结果反而很难决定。
LL: Exactly. There are too many people involved in deciding the location of the wedding and so it’s like having too many cook in the kitchen.
LH: 那去年我们班里几个同学商量春假一起出去玩，可是有人要往北走，有人要往南走，谁都说服不了谁，在这种情况下，我就可以说There were too many cooks in the kitchen. 对吗？
LL: You got it. Having too many cooks in the kitchen sometimes can do more harm than good because sometimes too many people working on the same thing can ruin it.
LH: 你们公司去年那个项目做砸了不就是因为指手划脚的人太多吗？
LL: Absolutely. The project failed because there were too many cooks in the kitchen.
LH: 在George婚礼的事情，真希望“厨房里那些大厨们”都出去，让George和他女朋友两个人自己决定。
今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是in one’s element, 意思是做某件事情得心应手、非常自如。另一个是too many cooks in the kitchen，厨房里大厨太多，意思是做主的人太多反而会耽误事。