正文
流行美语 第161课:putz around; worrywart
李华打电话问Larry,想不想到动物园参观新的熊猫展览。今天李华会学到两个常用语:to putz around和worrywart。
LH: 嘿,Larry,你在做什么?忙不忙?
LL: Not really. I was just putzing around the apartment, cleaning up a little and putting some things away. Why? What do you have in mind?
LH: 噢,你在家打扫,整理东西。你还在家干什么啦?什么是putzing around?那是什么意思?
LL: To putz around is to behave idly, without anything very urgent or important to do. I don't have anything special to do, so I'm just putzing around doing minor things.
LH: To putz around就是没有什么迫切或重要的事做,只是在家东晃晃,西摸摸。嗨,既然你没什么重要事做,要不要一块儿去动物园。我想去看新来的熊猫。
LL: Sure. We can putz around the zoo and look at the animals. The weather is beautiful today, so it will be nice to go outside.
LH: 就是啊,今天天气这么好,待在家里太可惜了,还不如到动物园去逛逛,看看动物。
LL: Yeah, it's much better to putz around outside in the sunshine. It's so great to have time to relax.
LH: 没错。前一阵子我忙得连睡觉的时间都没有,更别说四处闲晃了。说实话,我还真喜欢闲逛,I like to putz around。
LL: When do you want to leave?
LH: 嗯,你半小时内能出门吗?我听说熊猫在下午的时候比较活跃,这时候去最有意思!
LL: Sure. I'll meet you at the university gate in half an hour.
LH: 没问题!一会儿见!
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LH: Larry,快点!我怕我们会错过这班公共汽车,太晚了我们就看不到熊猫了!
LL: Calm down, Li Hua. Don't be such a worrywart. We have plenty of time to catch the bus and the pandas aren't going anywhere.
LH: 嘿!你又说我什么了?什么是worrywart?
LL: A worrywart, very simply, is a person who worries too much.
LH: A Worrywart,就是指一个人不是担心这事,就是担心那事,而这些都是一些微不足道的事情。那不就是我们中文里说的“杞人忧天”吗?Larry,我真的是这样的人吗?
LL: Sometimes, you can be a worrywart. For instance, you worry a lot about your grades.
LH: 可是,担心成绩不好。这很正常啊!很多人都会担心他们的成绩,学习成绩可不是什么微不足道的事呢!
LL: Most people worry about their grades, but you worry more than most people.
LH: 我比别人担心更多!我才不信呢。你自己也不是老担心工作,老担心你老板和同事对你印象不好。
LL: I don't worry too much about work! I have a healthy concern for what my boss and my co-workers think, but I don't think I'm a worrywart.
LH: 噢,我担心就是过份。你担心就是正常的!你自己想想,你应该8点上班,可上星期你每天早上5点就起床,就怕迟到。这不是过份么?
LL: Yeah, I guess that is a little extreme. I think I'll get more relaxed at work once I've gotten more settled in. I'm still new.
LH: 我知道。你是刚到那家公司去工作,所以特别紧张。等到你习惯以后就会放松一些的。得了,我们还是好好享受今天这么棒的天气,去看熊猫喽!
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是to putz around,就是四处闲晃,无所事事的意思。另外一个常用语是worrywart,是指一个人担心个没完,就像中文里所说的“杞人忧天”。