Jingjing: Hey, Mark, what are you doing?

　　京晶：嘿, 马克，你在干吗呢？

　　Mark: I'm trying to get my book at the top of the shelf, but I can't reach it. Can you give me a hand?

　　马克：我在拿架子顶上的一本书，但是我够不到，你能帮我一下吗？

　　Jingjing: Haha, that's what you get for being a shrimp. Here, let me help you with that.

　　京晶：哈哈，这就是你们小矮人的短处了，来，让我帮你吧！

　　Mark: Hey, just because I don't have any legs doesn't mean I'm completely worthless. Being short does have its advantages you know?

　　马克：嘿，就因为我没有大长腿，并不意味着我完全没有用啊。矮有矮的好处，你知道吗？

　　Jingjing: Yeah? Like what?

　　京晶：哦？比如呢？

　　Mark: Well, for one thing, the laws of physics are on our side. For example, us small fries have faster reaction times, stronger muscles in proportion to body weight, and greater endurance.

　　马克：首先来说，物理法则就是站在我们这一边的。比如说，我们小个子的人具有更快的反应速度、更高的肌肉体重比，还有更强的耐力。

　　Jingjing: So what? You're a little bit quicker than us normal-sized folk.

　　京晶：那又怎么样？你们不就是比我们正常人快一点儿吗？

　　Mark: That's not all! Shorter people are less likely to break bones if we bite the dust.

　　马克：不止如此！小个子人在摔倒时不容易骨折。

　　Jingjing: Really? No wonder I always see you little guys outside rough housing.

　　京晶：真的吗？怪不得我总是看见你们小个子的人在外面摔跤打闹呢！

　　Mark: That's right, short people excel as gymnasts, divers, skiers, martial artists, rock climbers, figure skaters, rodeo riders, soccer players and long distance runners.

　　马克：没错，小个子的人里有很多优秀的体操运动员、潜水员、滑雪运动员、武术家、攀岩者、花样滑冰运动员、马术竞技表演者、足球运动员和长跑运动员。

　　Jingjing: Ohhh, I see. Is that why you're always going to the gym to work out?

　　京晶：哦，我明白了，这就是你为什么总是去健身房锻炼的原因吗？

　　Mark: Well, it's true that short people also make excellent martial artists, boxers, and weight lifters, but I happen to like working out just because it's fun.

　　马克：嗯，矮个子人确实能成为非常优秀的武术家、拳击手和举重选手，但是我喜欢锻炼仅仅是因为感兴趣而已。

　　Jingjing: Well,I know one thing us tall people are better at than short people...

　　京晶：好吧，不过有一件事我能确定高个子的人比矮个子的人更擅长。

　　Mark: Oh, yeah? What's that?

　　马克：哦，是吗，是什么？

　　Jingjing: Running quickly! Come on, I'll race you home!

　　京晶：快跑！来吧，咱俩比赛跑步回家。

　　Mark: Heyyyy! Wait up! That's not fair!

　　马克：嘿！等等我！这不公平！

　　New words: 习语短语

　　shrimp=虾米皮，俗语里指小个子的人

　　I don't have any legs.=我没有腿，意思是说我个子矮。

　　(Something) is on your side.=某事站在你这一边，即你在某方面有优势。

　　small fry=[俗语]指矮个子的人

　　endurance=耐力

　　folk=[俗语]人，伙计

　　bite the dust=吃满嘴土，意思是摔倒

　　rough house=嬉笑打闹，例如：摔跤，打架等等

　　Dialogue 2

　　Jingjing: Man, I tell ya Mark, you sure were talking a lot of smack about how good it was to be short.

　　京晶：哎呀，我告诉你，马克，你肯定是夸大了矮个子的好处。

　　Mark: Of course it's good to be short. I don't want to be like everyone else.

　　马克：矮个子就是好。我可不希望像其他人一样。

　　Jingjing: Excuses excuses! I looked up some things on the internet that give tall people the cutting edge over you shrimps.

　　京晶：借口借口！我在网上查阅了一些东西，说明高个子的人比矮个子有优势。

　　Mark: Okay, besides the fact that you have reach over us, what else is so special?

　　马克：好吧，除了你们长得比较长以外，还有什么优势？

　　Jingjing: When standing in the middle of a crowd, it helps to be able to see over the heads of everyone else, especially if you're at a rock concert!

　　京晶：站在人群中可以看到远处呀，特别是在摇滚音乐会上！

　　Mark: Yeah? Well, us short people will just move to the front of the crowd to catch a better glimpse.

　　马克：是吗？但我们矮的人可以钻到人群的前面，有更好的视角。

　　Jingjing: Did you know that women are more attracted to taller men? How about that?

　　京晶：还有，女性更容易被高个男人吸引？这个好处怎么样？

　　Mark: Says who?

　　马克：这是谁说的？

　　Jingjing: Says experts like James Gould from Princeton University. According to him, women are hard-wired to look for signs of health in a man, and being tall is naturally a sign of good health.

　　京晶：普林斯顿大学的专家詹姆斯·古尔德说的。据他说，女性本能地会寻找一个男人健康的迹象，而身材高大很自然就是身体健康的一个标志。

　　Mark: Well, I'm really healthy, even though I'm not tall. It's not fair!

　　马克：但即使我个子不高，我也很健康啊。这不公平！

　　Jingjing: If that makes you upset, this will really make you have a cow. According to a recent survey, the average fortune 500 CEO is just under 6 feet tall. The average American man is 5 feet 9 inches. Among the CEOs, 58% of them were 6 feet or over. In the United States, only about 14% of American men are 6 feet or over. You can see that being tall definitely has a big advantage when it comes to making money!

　　京晶：如果这就让你心烦意乱了，那下面一条更猛烈。最近的一项调查显示，财富500强CEO的平均身高接近6英尺，美国人的平均身高是5‘9英尺。500个CEO中身高6英尺及以上的占58%，而在美国，只有约14%的男性身高在6英尺或以上。你可以看出，身材高大在赚钱方面也有很大的优势！

　　Mark: Oh,well, I don't mind being short. Our heights aren't anything that we can really control.

　　马克：好吧，但我不介意个子矮。因为我们长多高不是我们能真正控制的。

　　Jingjing: Yeah, don't worry. I don't judge a book by its cover. However anyone looks, regardless of their height, doesn't affect the way I view them.

　　京晶：是的，不用担心。我不是外貌协会的（我从不以貌取人）。不论一个人是高是矮，都不影响我对他们的看法。

　　Mark: That's right.

　　马克：这就对了。

　　New words: 习语短语

　　talk smack=夸自己；说……如何好（常常夸大）

　　Excuses excuses!=借口！

　　cutting edge (over something)=优势

　　have reach (over someone)=比别人高（特别是胳臂长）

　　catch a glimpse=瞥见，看见

　　hard-wired=自然，本能地做一些事情

　　have a cow=非常生气

　　Judge a book by its cover.=以貌取人（通过封面来判断一本书，通过外貌来判断一个人。）