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今天李华和Michael 一起吃午饭 的时候，聊起了李华的室友小陈。Michael 在谈
话中教给李华两个年轻人常用的词：psycho 和laid back。
M: Hey Li Hua. You look a little upset about something. What's up?
L: 哎，还不是我的室友，她今天又找我的麻烦，说是以后再也 不让我做中国菜，
因为她受不了厨房里的油烟味。
M: She said what? Your roommate is a psycho! She's crazy!
L: 你刚才说她是什么？
M: I called her a psycho. P-S-Y-C-H-O.
L: 我猜想，a psycho 就是中文里常说的"神经病"，对吧？
M: That' right. Also, psycho was the name of a famous movie about a crazy person
who killed people in a hotel.
L: 嗯，我听说过[惊魂记]这部电影。不过，你说我室友是个 psycho，你不是真的
以为她发疯了吧？
M: Well, I guess she isn't crazy. Usually we just call someone with strange behavior,
and a bad unpredictable temper, a psycho.
L: Bad, unpredictable temper，无缘无故乱发脾气，哎呀，这简直说的 就是我室友
嘛。Michael，再给我举几个psycho 的例子好吗？
M: Well, my last boss was a real psycho. One time, I came to work one minute late,
and he yelled at me in front of everyone.
L: 真的？他当着很多人的面骂你啊。这种人真是有毛病。哎，你 可不可以想想
看，还有什么psycho 的例子呢？
M: Well, ask any American, and they'll probably tell you about some famous serial
killer, they are psychos.
L: 噢，psycho 也可以真的指一个心理变态的杀人狂。
M: That's right. We might call someone who kills people for no reason a psycho.
L: 这么说，我那个室友倒是没那么严重了，可我总得想办法和她 好好相处，你
说对不对，Michael？
M: Well, when is your apartment lease going to expire? You can always ditch your
psycho roommate and find a new one.
L: 好主意，我们公寓的租约还有两个月就到期了。到时候我就可以 搬出去了。
M: Well, let's look at the roommate wanted ads in the paper.
L: 你说我们来看看"寻找室友"的广告啊。让我来看看，这条广告 说Wanted:
friendly, laid back female roommate to share a two bedroom apartment。Michael，这
个"laid back"是什么意思啊？
M: Laid back, laid, L-A-I-D; back, B-A-C-K. Describes someone who does not get
angry or excited easily. This person doesn't want a psycho roommate.
L: 噢，laid back 是形容一个人个性比较随和，不会轻易发脾气。Michael，你觉
不觉得我脾气很好，很容易相处啊？
M: Well, I guess so. Usually you are laid back. But, not always...
L: 你这是什么意思，干吗吞吞吐吐的，有话直说嘛。
M: Well, remember when you got angry at your roommate for breaking your bicycle
and then blaming you?
L: 我承认那次我很生气，但那是因为我的室友先对我无理取闹啊。
M: And you certainly weren't very laid back when she tricked you on April Fool's day.
L: 就是嘛，那次也是因为她在愚人节捉弄我才惹我发脾气的。
M: Well and then your roommate.......
L: 够了，够了，别再提我的室友了，我每次生气都是被她害的。
M: You're right, Li Hua. She's the problem, not you. You'd better find a new, laid back
roommate.
L: 对，我们赶快看广告吧。你看这个广告说：Asian girl, seeks female roommate for
two bedroom apartment. Call Xiaoli Chen. 我的天 哪，这是我室友嘛 。她居然在瞒
着我登广告。真把我气死了。
今天李华学会两个新词，一个是psycho，指的是一个人行为反常，爱发脾气；另
一个是laid back，就是个性比较随和的意思。 |