流行美语 第174课:dump; ham

李华看到报上登出的有关公寓的广告，租金比较便宜，于是她和Larry一起去看那公寓。今天李华会学到两个常用语：dump和ham。

LL: Oh my God! This place is a dump! You couldn't possibly live here!

LH: 这地方真够糟的！Larry，你说这是个dump，那是什么意思啊？

LL: "Dump" as in "garbage dump." I mean that this place is far too dirty and poorly maintained for you to live in it.

LH: 所以dump就是指像垃圾堆一样，很脏，各种条件都很差....哎呀！有一只大蟑螂刚跑过去。这地方真的是个dump，怪不得租金这么便宜。

LL: The paint is peeling off of the walls, the ceiling leaks, and the refrigerator looks 50 years old. I don't think I've ever seen such a dump.

LH: 你说的没错，这里墙上的油漆都剥落了，天花板在漏水，冰箱看起来又旧又脏。算了算了，我们还是走吧！别在这儿浪费时间，我可不想住在这种地方。 It's really a dump。

LL: Are there any other apartments that you were planning to go and see today?

LH: 还有一个地方我想去看，离这儿只有几条街，但愿那个地方不像这里那么差劲。

LL: I don't know, Li Hua. This really isn't a very good area of the city. Maybe you should look at apartments somewhere else.

LH: 这个区域不好，我想也是，否则这里的公寓租金不会这么便宜！ 不过，要是到别处去找，那租金可能比我现在付的更高。

LL: That's possible. In that case, I think that maybe you should stay in your current apartment.

LH: 是吗？你认为我该继续住在我现在的公寓里？也许你说的对，我的公寓租金其实也不算太贵，而且也很舒服呢。

LL: Your apartment is a palace compared to this dump.

LH: 那倒是，和这里比起来，我的公寓可算是皇宫了。我还是打消搬家的念头吧！

LL: That's a good idea.

******

LL: Hey, Li Hua, are those pictures from the party last weekend?

LH: 没错，这些是上礼拜开party时照的照片，昨天才刚洗出来。嘿！你看，Sally真会抢镜头，几乎每张照片都有她。

LL: Yeah, Sally's a real ham. She loves attention.

LH: She's a ham? Ham不是火腿吗？那是一种猪肉嘛！噢！你是说Sally像一只猪啊？

LL: (Laughing) No, I'm not saying she looks like a pig. Ham is slang for someone who loves attention. People who are hams especially love being videotaped or having their picture taken.

LH: 噢！Ham在这里是指一个喜欢吸引别人注意的人。这种人特别喜欢录像，照像。照这么说，Sally绝对是个ham，她特喜欢别人给她照相。

LL: If we videotape the party, I'm sure she would have played a starring role.

LH: 没错，要是那天我们录像的话，她肯定会象个明星一样，到处都是她了。对了，Larry，你知道还有谁也可以算是个ham吗？

LL: I think Jane is a real ham. She'd do anything to attract people's attention.

LH：对，Jane也特别喜欢照像。她也可以说是个ham。你再猜猜谁是个ham?

LL：No. Who?

LH: 你没有注意到呀？我那猫咪小雪球啊！她也想尽办法让别人注意她。只要有人走进来，她立刻会冲上去，要别人看看她，摸摸她。

LL: My parents' dog is a real ham, too. He won't leave you alone until you pet him and give him his fare share of attention.

LH：这些小动物都要别人注意它们。我的朋友说，要是她出门时间长了，她的小狗会很不高兴的。

今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是dump，是指一个像垃圾堆，很脏，条件很差的地方。另一个常用语是ham，是指一个很喜欢别人注意，喜欢抢风头的人。