現在線上人數 270人
2024.04.19 08:09
第八部 第九課: cop out , to get worked up
- 李華和 Larry 在學生中心的咖啡館裡休息．今天李華會學到兩個常用語： cop out 和 to get worked up.
- ………………………………………………………………………………
- Hey Li Hua. Some friends and I are planning to go camping and hiking next month. Do you want to come along?
- 嗯～，去露營啊？啊～，下個月我可能會很忙哎！喔！對！那個週末啊我已經答應幫我鄰居照顧他的狗。
- What? I didn't even tell you when we're going! Sounds like a cop-out to me!
- 對喔，你還沒有告訴我是哪個週末．不過，A cop? Cop 不是警察嗎？我不去露營和警察有甚麼關係啊？
- No, no, I don't mean "cop" as in "police officer". A cop out, is a weak excuse for not doing something.
- 哦～，原來 cop out 就是想推脫做某件事，可是啊理由很牽強．哎呀～，好啦！我招了啦，我是不喜歡露營！要走那麼多路，又會被蟲咬，還得睡睡袋，而且啊我還聽說美國有很多熊呢！
- Bears? Don't tell me you won't go just because you're afraid of bears. That's an even stupider cop out.
- 好啦好啦！跟熊沒有關係，我啊就是懶惰！不喜歡露營嘛！
- That's what I thought. Well, it's better to be honest than to cop out. So do you understand what "cop out" means now?
- 嗯！我想啊我大概懂 cop out 的意思了！哎，給你舉個例子吧！我的朋友 Jeanna 她老是說她想學中文，可是當我主動提出要教她的時候，她又總是說沒時間．這啊就是 cop out 囉！
- Yeah, that sounds like a cop out to me. Most people just aren't willing to put the time and effort into really learning another language.
- 說到學外語，Larry，我記得不久前，你也叫我教你讀中文報紙啊．哎，怎麼樣？你明天有時間嗎？
- I, um... I think I'm busy tomorrow. The plumber is coming to my house sometime in the afternoon, so I have to wait for him, and ...
- 得了吧！甚麼等工人來修水管？誰會相信這種藉口．你這啊才是真正的 cop out！
- ………………………………………………………………………………
- (Growls) 嘔～！這些學中文的學生啊，我真不想教了！怎麼考試考得這麼糟！我看啊，這學期他們一個也別想拿 A！
- Calm down, Li Hua. Don't get so worked up over it.
- 你要我別 work up？你是說我不必那麼努力，那甚麼意思呀？
- No, I don't mean you have to work harder. I mean you shouldn't get worked up. To get worked up means to get angry or excited.
- 哦～， don't get worked up 是別生氣的意思！不生氣？你看看他們寫的中文有難看，而且啊還老是寫錯別字。
- Let me see those. Hmm... Wow, this isn't bad at all. I can tell they're a lot better than they were a few weeks ago. Don't get so worked up over a few small mistakes!
- 你覺得他們比幾個星期前進步多了啊？我看看 ... 嗯，也許你說的對，也許啊我對他們要求太高了。
- That's right. I can tell most of these students want to learn Chinese. If you always get worked up when they make mistakes, you won't notice when they improve.
- Larry，你說的對，大多數學生啊都是真的想學，我啊不應該看到他們的錯誤就生氣，應該要多多鼓勵他們。
- 嘿！ Jack 和 Ben 他們兩個人在那兒那麼生氣吵甚麼啊？
- Oh, nothing. It's election year, those two are always getting worked up over politics.
- 哦～，我知道美國人在競選總統方面啊意見不一致，可是，沒想到有些人會爭的面紅耳赤的。
- Yeah, sometimes when you get worked up about something, it shows that you really care about it. Just like you with your students!
- 那倒是喔，關心某件事啊才會激動，就像我很在乎我學生的成績啊．說到學習，Larry，你準備好上中文課了嗎？
- Um... well... OK. No more cop outs. Let's get started.
- ………………………………………………………………………………
- 今天李華學到了兩個常用語，一個是： cop out，意思是「用牽強的藉口來逃避做某件事」；另一個常用語是： to get worked up，就是「為某件事生氣」。
回上一層