正文
流行美语 280 jumping; joint
Larry到小燕工作的“金龙”餐馆去找她,发现餐馆里很忙。今天我们要学两个常用语,一个是jumping, 一个是joint.
(Sound of a busy restaurant)
LL: Hi, Xiaoyan. I was in the neighborhood and wanted to stop and say "Hi." -- Wow. This place is jumping!
XY: 没错,真是忙死我了,今天是星期五,每到星期五和星期六晚上,这是餐馆最忙的时候。
LL: So, Xiaoyan, you obviously know that when a person says a place is "jumping" - they mean it is very busy.
XY: 这我还能不知道,别忘了,我可是餐馆的领班。我早就知道,说什么地方jumping就是客人特别多,生意特别好的意思。
LL: Say, Xiaoyan, I'd like to stay and chat with you, but I know you have a lot of work to do. Is there a time when the restaurant isn't jumping?
XY: 你也知道,金龙是中国城生意最好的餐馆,从来就没有闲的时候。
LL: But surely there are times when "The Golden Dragon" is not as jumping as it is tonight.
XY: 相对来说,星期二晚上客人少一些,你要来吃饭,最好是星期二来。
LL: Okay, I will. See you later, Xiaoyan.
XY: 哎,别急着走啊!虽然客人多,但我还是可以休息一小会儿。你等等啊,我跟同事交代一下。(用中文跟另外一位带位小姐交代,对方用中文回答说,没问题。)
LL: Are you sure she doesn't mind working for you when the place is jumping, Xiaoyan?
XY: 没关系,就几分钟的时间,我怎么说也不能让你白跑一趟啊!
LL: That's nice of you, Xiaoyan. You know, I was hoping to have dinner here at "The Golden Dragon", but I didn't expect that it would be jumping like this. How long is the wait for a table, anyway?
XY: 现在来,差不多要等半个小时,再过一会儿,可能就要等上一个小时才有空位了。
LL: Thirty minutes to an hour? That's too long. Is there anyplace nearby I can have dinner that isn't jumping?
XY: 我听说街对面那家德国饭馆挺不错的,而且随时有空位,要不然你去那边试试看?
******
LL: Well, I guess I will have to try the German joint, Xiaoyan.
XY: 你刚才说joint, 我以前也经常听人这么说,joint到底是什么意思啊?
LL: "Joint" is a slang for "place" - and it is often used to refer to restaurants, clubs or other places of entertainment.
XY: 哦,我明白了,joint指的是饭馆、酒吧和夜总会这类地方。我今天又学了个新词。You should go to the German joint then.
LL: I'm just sad I can't eat at your joint, Xiaoyan. After all, the Golden Dragon is the best Chinese restaurant in town.
XY: 金龙确实是这里最好的中餐馆,但是我听说,对面那家德国餐馆真的很不错,不仅味道正宗,价格也很合理,你不会失望的。
LL: Say, Xiaoyan, maybe I can come back after I have dinner and you get off work, and we can go grab a beer at some joint nearby. What do you think about that?
XY: 好啊,你吃完饭再回来找我,如果到时候,客人没有那么多了,我就提前下班,怎么一起去喝两杯。
LL: Okay. See you later!
(Incidental music, door opening sound)
LL: Hello, Xiaoyan.
XY: Larry, 你回来了!Good to see you again.
LL: Good to see you, too, Xiaoyan. So, is this joint still jumping or has business slowed down since earlier this evening?
XY: 现在客人少多了,你等一下,我跟老板打个招呼,就可以走了。
LL: Do you know of any good joints nearby, Xiaoyan, where you can have a beer and listen to music?
XY: 我知道附近有一个爱尔兰酒吧,可以一边喝酒一边听爱尔兰音乐,气氛特别好。
LL: That does sound like fun, Xiaoyan. How do we get to this Irish Pub from here anyway?
XY: 走过去,三条街就到了。
LL: Well, let's hurry over to the Irish joint, Xiaoyan. I could really use a beer!
我们今天学习了两个常用语。一个是jumping, 是指一个地方客人多,生意繁忙。另一个是joint, 是指餐馆、酒吧、夜总会和俱乐部等消遣的地方。