流行美语 (Popular American) 250

Larry和李华开车到游乐园去坐过山车。她今天要学两个常用语，Oh boy和scaredy-cat。

LL: Oh, Boy! Isn't this amusement park great, Li Hua! I can't wait to take a ride on the roller coaster.

LH: Oh, Boy？我知道你早就盼着来这儿坐过山车。可你说oh boy是什么意思啊？

LL: "Oh, Boy!" is a common American expression that really has nothing to do with boys at all.

LH: 那你刚才说Oh boy是什么意思呢？

LL: When I said "Oh, Boy!" I was expressing that I was excited about coming to the park and that I was looking forward to the fun we are going to have today.

LH: 所以你说Oh boy是表示高兴和兴奋。

LL: That's right. Oh, Boy! Li Hua, look at that. There is someone selling cotton candy. I love cotton candy.

LH: 我从没吃过棉花糖，好吃吗？

LL: Oh, boy, is it ever! It is so light and sweet. I am sure you will love it.

LH: Oh boy! Larry, 你看，那边有旋转木马。

LL: Well, let's take a ride on the carousel¹. It will be a lot of fun. But did you see the roller coaster, Li Hua? Oh, boy... (Nervous tone²)

LH: 怎么了？刚才你说oh boy, 好象不太高兴。

LL: I just saw that the roller coaster flips⁴ you upside down, and I really don't like roller coasters that flip³ you upside down. Oh, boy...

LH: 可你刚才不是说oh boy是高兴的意思吗？

LL: Well, it all depends on your tone, Li Hua. If you say "Oh, Boy!" like this, it means you are happy. If you say "Oh, boy" like this, it means you are concerned or dismayed⁵ about something.

LH: 噢，我明白了。 Oh boy既可以指让人高兴的事，也可以指让人担心的事，完全取决于语气。

LL: That's right, Li Hua. It all depends on how you say it.

******

LL: I can't believe I am so worried about riding this roller coaster. I am usually not this much of a scaredy-cat.

LH: 什么是scaredy-cat? 听起来好象是胆小鬼的意思。

LL: You are absolutely right, Li Hua. And right now, I am feeling like a big scaredy-cat about the roller coaster.

LH: 你现在什么感觉？

LL: Well, right now, I have this tight feeling in my stomach, and I am shaking a little. See, look at how my hand is shaking.

LH: 我害怕的时候手也会抖，心里还会砰砰地跳。

LL: What about you, Li Hua? I thought you told me once you didn't like riding roller coasters. Why aren't you acting⁶ like a scaredy-cat now?

LH: 我以前也不敢做过山车，后来咬着牙试了一次，发现根本不可怕，而且头冲下的时候特别刺激。

LL: Okay. I'll try to be brave and ride the roller coaster with you. So, is there anything that makes you feel like a scaredy-cat, Li Hua?

LH: 说起来有点儿丢人。我最怕的是游泳。

LL: You are a scaredy-cat about swimming? Why is that, Li Hua?

LH: 因为我小时候没机会学游泳，所以长大后，不仅不敢下水游泳，连坐船都会害怕。

LL: You know, my mother is a big scaredy-cat about flying on planes. She doesn't like the feeling of going up into the air.

LH: 我听说很多人都害怕坐飞机，去什么地方，宁可开车或是坐火车 去。

LL: My mom is like that. If she can she'd rather drive or take a train when she travels.

LH: 每个人都有自己害怕的事情。

LL: Well, I think people are scaredy-cats about things they think are dangerous.

LH: 你说得没错。不过如果什么都怕，什么都不敢尝试，不是也很无聊吗？

LL: Maybe so, but I am still feeling like a scaredy-cat about that roller coaster. Do I really have to go, Li Hua?

LH: Larry, 我保证你不会掉下来。So stop being a scaredy-cat, and let's go.

今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是oh boy, 用来表达高兴或是担心的情绪。另一个是scaredy-cat, 是胆小鬼的意思。
 

1 carousel   

n.旋转式行李输送带

参考例句：

• Riding on a carousel makes you feel dizzy.乘旋转木马使你头晕。
• We looked like a bunch of awkward kids riding a slow-moving carousel.我们看起来就像一群骑在旋转木马上的笨拙的孩子。

2 tone   

n.语气，音调，气度，色调；vt.（up）增强

参考例句：

• There was a tone of mockery in his voice.他说话的语气含有嘲笑的意味。
• Holmes used an informal,chatty tone in his essays.霍姆斯在文章中语气轻松随便。

3 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

4 flips   

轻弹( flip的第三人称单数 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• Larry flips on the TV while he is on vacation in Budapest. 赖瑞在布达佩斯渡假时，打开电视收看节目。
• He flips through a book before making a decision. 他在决定买下一本书前总要先草草翻阅一下。

5 dismayed   

adj. 心慌

参考例句：

• I was dismayed when I recongnized the voice of Mrs. Bates. 当我听出是贝茨夫人的声音时，我感到丧气。
• He was dismayed when he found his wallet gone. 他发现丢了钱包而惊慌失措。

6 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。