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流行美语
第 185 课:bottom feeder / bounce

李华和Larry正在讨论在报纸上看到的几个犯罪案件。今天李华会学到两个常用语:bottom feeder和bounce。

LH: Larry,你有没有看到报上说的那个被警察逮捕的毒贩?

LL: Yeah, that guy is a real bottom feeder. I hope that he goes to jail for a long time.

LH: 嗯,像这种坏人真应该被抓到牢里关起来。Larry,你刚才还说这家伙是个真正的bottom feeder,bottom是底层,feeder不是饲养员吗?这两个字怎么能合在一起,它们和那些坏人有什么关系?

LL: A bottom feeder is a really low, despicable person. That guy was selling drugs to kids, so he definitely counts as a bottom feeder.

LH: 噢,bottom feeder是形容一个很低下、很卑鄙的人。没错,报上说的那个人专门卖毒品给年轻孩子,简直太可恶了。我认为所有的毒贩都是bottom feeders.

LL: Unfortunately, there are a lot of bottom feeders in the world.

LH: 就是啊,这个世界还是有不少这种卑鄙的坏人。对了,Larry,这个bottom feeder是不是只能用来形容犯罪分子?

LL: It can be used to describe other people, too, but it's a very negative term.

LH: Bottom feeder还能用来形容其他人?那Larry,你给我举个例子。

LL: Well, some people think that lawyers are bottom feeders because they benefit from other peoples' misfortunes.

LH: 对,好多人都不喜欢律师,认为律师很卑鄙。我还听到过好多耻笑律师的笑话呢!可是,Larry,律师不也会保护我们的权利吗?

LL: That's true, but some people are upset by the fact that many lawyers get rich defending criminals.

LH: 噢,我明白了,人们之所以讨厌律师,是因为律师经常帮犯罪分子辩护,靠着打这种官司来赚钱。嗯,可是不管怎么说,我还是认为有的律师不能算bottom feeders。

LL: Some people think that tabloid journalists are bottom feeders because they invade the privacy of celebrities and they don't always verify stories before they publish them.

LH: 这我绝对同意,那些专门报道名人私生活的狗仔记者,真是够恶劣的。他们经常捏造有关名人的一些很荒谬,不确实的报道。只有卑鄙的人才会写出这样的东西来! They are real bottom feeders!

LL: Hey, Li Hua, it was fun discussing the news with you, but I've got to bounce. I have to be at the doctor's office by 2:00.

LH: 噢,你两点钟还得去看医生啊?那你得赶快走了。你说你要bounce,是那个拍皮球bounce a ball的bounce吗?

LL: "Bounce" can be slang for leave. I've got to bounce means that I have to leave.

LH: 噢,我懂了,to bounce就表示,得走了。你说你得要bounce,是因为你得赶着去那个医生诊所了。

LL: Hey, don't you have to bounce if you're going to make to class on time?

LH: 我的老天,现在都快两点了,谢谢你提醒我,我差点儿忘了得去上一堂课呢!看来我得赶紧bounce,赶快走喽!

LL: Well, I have a little bit of time. If we bounce right now, I can drive you to campus.

LH: 你肯定有时间把我送到学校?那就太好了,要不然,等我走到学校可能就要迟到了。

LL: Okay, are you ready to bounce now?

LH: 嗯,等一会儿,我只要进去把我的书和背包拿出来。

LL: Okay, I'll go start the car. Just come on outside when you're ready to bounce.

LH: 没问题,你先去发动车子,我拿了包就来!

今天李华学到两个常用语。一个是bottom feeder,这是形容那种下流卑鄙的人。另一个常用语是bounce,这是指要离开,要走的意思。