美国之音《流行美语》 384 shoot hoops

　　Larry和李华要放三天长假，他们正在计划假期的安排。李华会学到两个常用语：shoot hoops¹和rookie.
LL: I can't believe we have a three-day weekend. I haven't had a break from school for so long.
LH: 是啊，要放假了，一定得好好玩玩。
LL: What are you planning on doing over the long summer?
LH: 不知道啊，不过，今天放学后我和Tracy要去吃饭，看电影，你要不要一起来?
LL: Sorry Li Hua. I have plans tonight. I'm going to shoot hoops with Jeffrey and Tom.
LH: Shoot hoops? 那是什么?
LL: Shoot hoops is a casual² way of saying to play basketball.
LH: 喔，原来to shoot hoops就是去打篮球。
LL: Yes. In basketball, the main goal is to shoot hoops. If you are only playing basketball with friends or alone, in a casual manner, you can say that you are going to shoot hoops.
LH: 我明白了，打篮球主要目的是投篮得分，所以要去打篮球时就说，I'm going to shoot hoops. 那如果我要去踢足球，可以说，I'm going to kick balls吗?
LL: No, no, no. No one says they're going to kick balls when they're going to play soccer. This way of saying to play a sport is only used in basketball.
LH: 哦，原来只有篮球可以这样说。对了，Larry, our school is going to shoot hoops with our rival³ school tomorrow. We have to win! 我这样说行吗？
LL: Well, you generally don't say shoot hoops when you are talking about a basketball game or competition. Shoot hoops is only used for casual basketball playing.
LH: 好吧，不过Larry, 认识你这么久，我好象从来没见你打过篮球，藏而不露嘛！
LL: No, I'm not that good at basketball. I'm just a rookie.
LH: Rookie? What's a rookie? 我那天有个朋友也说自己是投资的rookie, 我当时就没搞懂他的意思。
LL: Haha. A rookie is a beginner, a person who is new to a field or profession.
LH: 哦，Rookie是初学者的意思，你说自己篮球打得不怎么样，刚入门，而我那朋友则是在说自己刚开始做投资。
LL: That's right. A rookie can be used to describe any type of beginner. You can be a rookie doctor, a rookie English speaker, or a rookie violinist⁴.
LH: 嗯，那我懂了。Larry is not only rookie at basketball, but is also rookie at driving. 你不光打篮球刚入门，开车也是新手。
LL: What do you mean by that? I've been driving for years!
LH: 没错，你拿到驾照虽然很久了，可你开车的技术还是跟初学者一样，每次坐你的车我都心惊胆颤的。
LL: Well...I'm just not that good at driving. But you didn't use the word rookie correctly. Rookie is a noun⁵; it is a person who is a beginner. However, you used the word as an adjective⁶.
LH: 这么说，rookie是名词，不能做形容词用，我刚刚的用法不对呀。
LL: It's okay. Try again. Give me another example.
LH: Even though he's a rookie in BASKETBALL, he practices very hard and has become really good at the sport.
LL: That's good. You can also say he's a rookie BASKETBALL player.Or, more simply, he is a BASKETBALL rookie.
LH: 是吗? 可以直接说一个人是rookie BASKETBALL player或者BASKETBALL rookie. 那我懂了。
LL: That's good. Can you give me an example of shoot hoops?
LH: Mmm...有了！The basketball rookie is going to shoot hoops.
LL: Yes, that's right! Hey, you're learning⁷ fast.
LH: 那当然，我学习能力很强的，But I think I'm still a rookie English speaker.
LL: Well, it takes time to become good at a language. You're doing really well already.
LH: 是吗? 谢谢啦!

1 hoops   

n.箍( hoop的名词复数 )；（篮球）篮圈；（旧时儿童玩的）大环子；（两端埋在地里的）小铁弓

参考例句：

• a barrel bound with iron hoops 用铁箍箍紧的桶
• Hoops in Paris were wider this season and skirts were shorter. 在巴黎，这个季节的裙圈比较宽大，裙裾却短一些。 来自飘（部分）

2 casual   

adj.漠不关心，冷漠的；随便的，非正式的；偶然的，碰巧的

参考例句：

• He earns a living by casual labour.他靠做临时工为生。
• The guests wore casual clothes.客人们穿着便服。

3 rival   

n.竞争对手，敌手；vt.与…相匹敌，比得上

参考例句：

• None of us can rival him in strength.我们谁也没他劲大。
• She defeat all her rival for the job with nonchalant ease.她从容不迫地击败求职的所有竞争者。

4 violinist   

n.小提琴演奏者，小提琴家

参考例句：

• Everyone cheered for the violinist at our school concert.在学校音乐会上，大家都为小提琴手喝彩叫好。
• She's a great violinist by any standard.不论以什么标准看，她都是伟大的小提琴家。

5 noun   

n.名词

参考例句：

• What kind of noun is this?这是哪类名词？
• This word is a collective noun.这个词是个集体名词。

6 adjective   

n.形容词；adj.形容词的，用作形容词的

参考例句：

• Don't apply that adjective to me.不要用那个字眼来形容我。
• The adjective loose has several senses. 形容词loose有几个义项。

7 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。