纽约英语口语网新版
流行美语
第 57 课:folks; rag on

今天Michael和李华谈到和父母沟通的问题,李华学到了folks和rag on这两个习惯用法。

M: Hey look, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later. Bye. (sound of putting the phone down). Oh, geez!

L: 哎,Michael! 我不想打断你说话。

M: Oh don't worry about it, Li Hua. It was just my folks.

L: Folks? 你说你在跟谁说话?

M: My folks. Here "folks" means "parents".

L: 噢,folks就是指“父母”啊。听起来你好象不太想和你爸妈说话。这不太好吧?

M: I just get tired of talking to them, that's all. My folks call me two or three times a week to remind me to do things, like go to the dentist, or change the oil in my car. I am an adult now, and they don't need to do that.

L: 你爸妈每星期给你打两三次电话,提醒你去看牙医、换汽车的机油,那不是很好吗?哎,对了,Michael, 你去看了牙医了没有?你不是说牙痛吗?

M: Please, Li Hu, you sound just like my folks.

L: 你呀,真不领情。对了,用folks来称呼父母,这是不是不太礼貌啊?

M: No, its not impolite really, but it is very informal.

L: 噢,folks是很随便的称呼,但并不是没有礼貌的。哎,Michael, 一般是你会主动给你父母打电话,还是他们给你打电话啊?

M: Well, um. Usually my folks call me first! I don't have to call them!

L: 你不给他们打电话,那是为什么?

M: I don't usually have a lot to say to my folks. They call me so often, I have no new news to tell them. By the way, Li Hua, how often do you talk to your folks?

L: 怎么会和父母没话说呢?我和我爸妈每个星期至少要打两次电话呢。

M: Wow, that must be expensive.

L: 还好啦。我和我爸妈都有电脑,这样我们就可以通过电脑免费通话了。

L: 哎,你知道吗,Michael, 你真是应该多给你父母打电话。你们都住在同一个城市,不打电话太不应该了。

M: Li Hua, please stop ragging on me about my parents. I still visit them all the time!

L: 你说要我不要怎么啦?Ragging on? 那是什么意思啊?

M: I said, "Stop ragging on me". "To rag on someone" means "to scold or tease someone over and over."

L: To rag on someone就是说你不断地责备或者取笑某个人。嘿,我才提醒你两次,这样也算是ragging on you啊?

M: Well, not really. You're not as bad as my folks. They rag me all the time about all kinds of things.

L: 等等,你刚才说they rag me,那rag后面到底有没有on啊?你说清楚好不好?

M: Ok ok, stop ragging on me! "To rag" can be used with "on", or without "on." The meaning is just the same.

L: 噢,我懂了。哎,那你爸爸妈妈他们老是说你什么?

M: They rag on me about not cleaning my car, not eating right, drinking too much, not having a girlfriend, not going to church, not calling them, not calling my other relatives.

L: 哎,等等,等等。你说你父母说你不洗车,不吃健康食物、喝酒太多,还有,没有女朋友,又不去教堂,也不给他们打电话。哎哟,这批评还真不少啊。我的父母好象不怎么说我哎。

M: Well, anyway, its getting late. Want to get some pizza?

L: Michael, 干吗不自己做点健康食物呢?

M: First my folks, and now you. It seems like everyone wants to rag on me today.

李华今天和Michael一起谈到和父母沟通的问题的时候,学到了两个美国用语的用法。Folks是指父母;Rag on则是不停地批评和嘲笑他人的意思。