流行美语
第139课:Mental / Pro

Larry到李华住的地方,去看她新领养的猫咪小雪球。今天李华会学到两个常用语:mental和pro.

LL: Snowball is adorable! She's so little and fluffy!

LH: 就是啊,我的猫咪小雪球是很可爱,可它也够疯的。你看看它把我的家具抓成什么样了!

LL: Oh, don't worry. Your cat isn't mental. All cats love to scratch furniture. You just need to give her a scratching post to scratch instead.

LH: 你是说有办法让小雪球不再抓我的家具?噢!谢天谢地。我明天马上去买你说的那种专门让猫抓的柱子。不然,我的家具都要完蛋了。对了,你刚才说小雪球不是mental,那是什么意思啊?

LL: To be mental means to be crazy.

LH: Mental就是发疯,疯狂的意思。所以你觉得小雪球很正常,一点也不疯啊?

LL: She's just being a kitten. You need to get her a scratching post. She also might be doing this because she's lonely when you're gone.

LH: Larry, 看不出来你对猫还有一套呢!你说小雪球太孤单了,才会到处抓,你该不是要我再领养一只猫和它做伴吧?你要真是那么想,那你可真的是mental,疯了!

LL: Well, maybe you could adopt an older cat that's a little calmer.

LH: 再领养一只大猫?你出什么馊主意呀!我绝对应付不了两只猫。那样,我会被逼疯的,成了mental。

LL: Okay, well then try getting her something to scratch. You should cut her claws, too.

LH: 对呀!我前天是要给小雪球剪指甲,可它像疯子一样,一直叫,一直抓我,最后还躲到床底下。

LL: Hmmm....maybe you need some professional help. When you take her to the vet to get her shots, then the vet can help you cut her claws.

LH: 我也希望兽医能帮忙。我真不知道怎么帮猫剪指甲。不过我怕小雪球到时候发疯抓人,连兽医都会受不了。

LL: Don't worry, I'm sure the vet sees mental cats all day long.

******

LH: 小雪球现在好多了。我带它看过兽医,也找了几本有关养猫的书。我现在比较懂得怎么照顾它了。

LL: See, you're already becoming a pro. Pretty soon, you'll be able to handle a whole house full of cats.

LH: 哎哟!一只猫已经够我头疼的了,一屋子的猫?甭提了!你刚才说我可以变成pro, 那又是什么意思?

LL: Pro is short for professional. If you say someone is a pro, it means that she is really good at something.

LH: 原来,pro就是专业的意思。嗯,我还不敢说自己在这方面很专业啦!

LL: That's understandable. You can't become a pro overnight. It takes time and practice.

LH: 当然喽!要当专业人员可不是一天一夜的事,需要花很多时间来实践,积累经验。
LL: Hey, I'm sure that Yao Ming got frustrated once in a while when he was training to become a pro basketball player.

LH: 姚明在训练过程中还会烦恼? 他根本不用练球,他是一个“天生的”篮球好手!

LL: Hey, even naturally talented people have to work hard to become a pro.

LH: 嗯,我从小就梦想成为职业排球运动员。能够在沙滩上打排球一定是件很过瘾的事!

LL: I'm sure it's not as much fun as it seems. Pro sports players have to work hard and they travel a lot. There's a lot of pressure on them to perform well.

LH: 是没有象我们想像的那样好玩。训练是很辛苦的,还要到处旅行,压力好大。可是,这些职业选手能赚大钱。那些美式足球和篮球明星,年薪都上百万呢!

LL: Don't you wish you'd get that much money for being a pro at caring for Snowball?

LH: 唉!专业管理宠物有什么好处?唯一的报酬就是有一只快乐健康的猫!

今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是mental,是指发疯,疯狂的意思。另一个常用语pro是指专业人员。

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