流行美語: keep cool; screw up

Michael和李華已經從華盛頓返回紐約。今天是星期六，他們一起到紐約的 Meadowlands去看冰球。Michael和李華這兩個大學生，一個講英文，一個講中文，旁邊的人聽起來很奇怪，可是他們自己已經習慣了這種方式。今天他們在談話中會用兩個常用語：keep cool和screw up。


L：Michael，謝謝你帶我到Meadowlands來看冰球，Meadowlands可是有名的地方呐！ 而且我從來還沒有看過冰球呢！

(Starting buzzer)

M：Sometimes these games get really rough!

L：我也聽說了，他們說冰球比賽有時很粗暴，經常會打架。

M：Wow, look at them! It's only five minutes into the game and they are already pushing and shoving.

L：是啊，他們已經開始推推攘攘，真的打起來了。人們都說冰球比賽有時會很粗暴，但是才開始五分鍾就打架，這可是不多見。

M：Yeah, they really need to keep cool out there.

L： Michael, 這是冰球，在冰上打球，當時是冷的咯，你在說什麽呀？

M：Li Hua, that's not what I meant. Keep cool means to calm down。Keep, means to hold and cool, meaning cold.

L： 噢，keep cool就是要冷靜一點, 你是說這些球員不要火氣那麽大，需要保持冷靜。對，他們要是老打架，最好的球員就會被禁止打球的。

M：Yeah. Another example, remember last week when you got into an argument with the professor over your mid-term grade?

L：我才不會忘記上星期的事呐。那個教授給我期中考試打那麽低的分數，我當然要跟他爭嘛。

M：Right now Li Hua, you need to keep cool.

L：是，一說起這件事，我就會生氣。得了，得了，不談這個了吧！

M：I can't believe how poorly they are playing.

L：你說他們打得不好呀？ 說實話，我根本看不懂。我隻知道當地的球隊輸了三分，這就輸了很多啦！

M：Yeah, they have really managed to screw up this game.

L："Screw up"? 我不懂，這是什麽意思？

M："Screw up" means not to play well. The home team is certainly messing up.

L：噢，"Screw up" 就是打得不好。

M："Screw up," it means to mess up.

L：是不是隻能說打球時，或參加運動比賽時犯了錯誤？

M：No, it can be used to describe a lot of things. For example, I screw up on tests all the time.

L：噢，你考試老考糟也能用screw up來表示呀！這麽說，"screw up" 可以用的範圍很廣。 要是說一個人工作沒有做好呢？

M：He screwed up at work.

L：你老是和別人的關係搞不好，也能說是screw up吧？

M：Yes, that's why I don't date anymore. Because I screw up all the time.

L：原來是因為老跟別人搞不好關係，所以你就不交女朋友了。 Michael，你也別跟自己太過不去了。

M：I do screw up a lot; I make mistakes all the time.

L：我們都犯錯誤的，誰能不犯錯誤啊！我來給你介紹個女朋友吧！

M：Look, they are playing like that! What is wrong with these players.

L：嗨， 這些球員真的很糟糕，你看，他們已經輸了四分啦！

M：I hate this! They can't manage not to screw up tonight.

L：Michael, 盡管他們screw up，我們還是要keep cool! 也許還有希望扭轉局勢。

李華今天從Michael那兒學到了兩個常用語， 一個是：keep cool，意思是：冷靜一些，別太激動；另一個常用語是：screw up， 意思是把事情弄糟了。今天的[流行美語]就學習到這裏，我們下次再會。

(ZT)