流行美语 第 80 课

今天Michael 和李华正在谈论有关买汽车的事。李华会学到两个常用语：to kick
oneself 和raw deal。

L: Michael, 你没有买Jerry 的车啊？我以为价钱很公道啊！怎么回事啊？
M: Please don't mention that! Jerry sold the car to someone else yesterday. I'm still
kicking myself for not buying it when I had the chance.
L: Kicking yourself, kick 不就是k-i-c-k，踢球的踢吗？你为什么要踢你自己呢？
M: No, no Li Hua. "To kick oneself" means¹ to feel regret for missing² an opportunity, or
making a mistake that could have been avoided.
L: 噢，to kick oneself 不是真的踢自己，意思是：自己失去了一个好机会而埋怨自
己太笨。Michael, 那到底是怎么回事啊？
M: Well, I told Jerry that I wanted to check out some other cars before I made a
decision. Someone else bought the car before I had a chance to decide. I'm still kicking
myself for waiting too long.
L: 原来你是想等看看别的车以后再做决定，结果Jerry 就把车卖给别人了。哎哟，
Michael, 你不用埋怨自己啦。不管做什么交易，作决定前仔细考虑清楚总是好的。
M: Well, I guess you're right. When I bought the car I have now, I wasn't careful
enough. Later, I found out the car was in very poor condition, and I have been kicking
myself ever since.
L: 你看，我说得没错。你买现在这辆车的时候不小心，所以现在老要出问题。哎，
Michael, 你呀，买得不好也怨自己，没有买到也埋怨自己。你累不累呀！
M: Hey, speaking of regret, I heard that your ex-boyfriend Ding Yu is doing really well
these days. I bet³ you are kicking yourself for dumping⁴ him, huh?
L: 你在说我以前的男朋友丁余？告诉你，不管他现在多有钱我都不会因为跟他分
手而后悔。
M: Hmm, I know, when you're a famous professor at a top U.S. university, Ding Yu
will be kicking himself for not being nicer to you when you were together.
L: 我要是在美国当了名教授，他再捶胸顿足地后悔也没有用。
* *****
L: Michael, 你没有买Jerry 的车，那你是不是还想找一辆旧车呢？
M: Yes, I still want to replace my car. But I'm sort of afraid... The last time I bought a
car, I got a really raw deal!
L: 你上回买车怎么啦？什么是raw deal？是不是不好的意思？
M: That's right! A raw deal. Raw. A "raw deal" means an unfair deal, or to be treated
roughly and unfairly by someone.
L: A raw deal 就是吃了亏的交易。你的意思是，你上次买这辆车的时候，卖车的
人让你吃了大亏？
M: That's right. The week after I bought the car, the engine broke down, and I had to
completely replace it! The guy I bought it from refused to pay for it.
L: 车才买了一个星期就出问题。这实在是太倒霉了。这就是所谓的a raw deal。
那么，Michael, raw deal 是不是只能用在买卖方面的？
M: No, not necessarily⁵. For instance⁶, my Uncle George worked at a factory for over
twenty years. Unfortunately, the factory was shut down and George lost his job right
before he had a chance to retire. That was a raw deal!
L: That's really a raw deal! 我听到好几个这样的例子了。一个人在一个公司做了几
十年，还没来得及退休公司就关门了。退休金全完了。我舅舅的工厂关门前，他
工作了八个月，到现在还没拿到工资呢！
M: That's really a raw deal!

今天李华学到了两个常用语：to kick oneself 和raw deal。To kick oneself 是由于错
过了机会而怨恨自己。Raw deal 就是在跟别人打交道时吃了亏。

1 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

2 missing   

adj.遗失的，缺少的，失踪的

参考例句：

• Check the tools and see if anything is missing.检点一下工具，看有无丢失。
• All the others are here;he's the only one missing.别人都来了，就短他一个。

3 bet   

v.打赌，以(与)...打赌；n.赌注，赌金；打赌

参考例句：

• I bet you can't do this puzzle.我敢说，你解决不了这个难题。
• I offered to bet with him.我提出与他打赌。

4 dumping   

n.倾销v.倾倒( dump的现在分词 )；丢下；随便堆放；释放

参考例句：

• a ban on the dumping of radioactive waste at sea 禁止向海里倾倒放射性废物
• The dumping of foreign cotton blocked outlets for locally grown cotton. 外国棉花的倾销阻滞了当地生产的棉花的销路。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 necessarily   

adv.必要地，必需地；必定地，必然地

参考例句：

• More work does not necessarily call for more men.增加工作量不一定就要增添人员。
• A voter must necessarily be no younger than eighteen.选民必须在18岁以上。

6 instance   

n.例，例证，实例

参考例句：

• Can you quote me a recent instance?你能给我举一个最近的例子吗？
• He's a greedy boy,yesterday,for instance,he ate all our biscuits!他是个贪吃的孩子――比如，他昨天把我们的饼干都吃了！