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EPT 美語
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第十部 第十三課: to play something by ear , strapped

  • Larry 和李華在商量下星期三有沒有時間去聽爵士音樂.今天李華會學到兩個常用語: to play something by earstrapped.
  • ………………………………………………………………………………
  • Larry,我看到一張爵士音樂會的海報.我很想去,怎麼樣,你下星期三有沒有空去聽呢?
  • I don't know. I have several papers due next week and I'm not sure if I'll have time. Let's play it by ear, okay?
  • 哇~,你下星期得交好幾份報告啊?那肯定沒有空了.疑?你剛才說: Let's play it by ear,你想玩什麼啊?玩耳朵啊?
  • No! "To play something by ear" is to wait and see if something is possible and to be flexible rather than set any firm plans.
  • 哦~, play something by ear 就是想做一件事,可是又不能確定是否可能,只好到時候看情況再說囉,哎!那就像我們中文裡說的「看情況而定」!
  • Right. I just can't make any definite plans right now, so I prefer to play it by ear.
  • 所以你剛才的意思是,你要再等等看能不能及時寫完報告,然後才能確定能不能去音樂會! 對了,你不是答應我下星期六要去博物館嗎?那,你還能去嗎?
  • Oh, I forgot that I promised to go with you. Can we play that by ear, too?
  • 你怎麼把答應我的事都忘了嘛!我特別想去那個博物館!你不能去也得早一點告訴我嘛!
  • Just because I want to play it by ear doesn't mean that we definitely won't go. It just means that I'm not certain.
  • Larry,下回啊你要約我上那兒去,我也要學你說: Let's play it by ear,到時候再說!
  • That's not fair, Li Hua. It's not my fault that I can't make any definite plans because I have so much work to do.
  • 哎喲.好啦好啦,說真的,這也不是你的錯.那~我們只好看情況再說囉!
  • All right, I'll call you the day before the concert to let you know if we should get tickets, okay?
  • 到音樂會前一天再告訴我,那哪還買得到票啊! Let's play it by ear!
  • ………………………………………………………………………………
  • Hey, Li Hua, I can't go to the concert with you. I'm sorry, but I'm really strapped for time.
  • 喔, Larry,你不能去聽音樂會啊,沒關係.我聽說啊票子早就賣完了.你剛才說: strapped for time,那是什麼意思啊?
  • Oh, to be "strapped" for time or money means that you don't have enough of it.
  • 哦~,我懂了. Strapped for something 就是缺少什麼東西.你因為有很多報告要完成,所以沒有時間去聽音樂會了.所以, You're strapped for time,對嗎?
  • Exactly. I still have 20 pages to write by Friday.
  • 你星期五以前還有 20 頁的報告要寫啊,那很多耶!那~,星期六你還去博物館嗎?
  • Yes!I should be finished with everything by Friday, so I won't be strapped for time this weekend.
  • 你真的能在星期五以前把報告都寫完啊!那你這個週末就有時間陪我去看博物館囉. You'll not be strapped for time this weekend, right?
  • Yes, I promise to go with you.
  • 那太好了!我好高興這個星期六我們能一塊兒出去,因為啊下個週末我就要忙了, I will be strapped for time next weekend!
  • Why? Do you have a paper due?
  • 就是啊.下個週末啊,我得寫完一篇英文課的報告,所以肯定不能出去了。
  • Let me know if you need any help with that. Listen, I'm sorry, but I'm too strapped for time to talk any more right now. I'll talk to you after Friday, okay?
  • 沒問題,等你星期五寫完報告再打電話給我吧。
  • ………………………………………………………………………………
  • 今天李華學到了兩個常用語,一個是: play something by ear,就是「現在還不能確定,要等 (到時候看) 情況再說」;另一個常用語是: strapped,也就是缺乏什麼,通常是指「缺乏時間或者是金錢」。
EPT 美語
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