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第59课:check sth. out; call sth.

流行美语第59讲

李华和Michael正坐在咖啡馆里喝咖啡。李华在看报。今天李华会学到两个常用语: check something out和to call something。

M: What's in the news today, Li Hua? (sound of newspaper rustling)

L: 有些什么新闻啊?噢,我没有在看新闻。我在看招聘人的广告,想找个临时工,赚点钱。

M: Hmm, let me take a look. Hey, check this one out!

L: 等等,让我看看。(read slowly) 招聘辅导两个孩子,要母语是中文的家庭教师。对了,Michael, 你刚才说什么:check this one out, 你是叫我把这报纸借出去啊?这儿又不是图书馆,而且,这报纸是我自己买的!

M: No, I said "Check this one out!" "To check something out" means "to look at something closely".

L: 噢,check something out就是“仔细看一看”的意思!那不就是“从图书馆里借书”的意思吗?

M: Well, that 's the formal meaning of "to check something out." However, the informal meaning is to have a look at something.

L: 原来to check something out可以指从图书馆借书,可是在不正式的场合就是“仔细看一看”的意思。那,这大概是非常口语的说法,对不对?

M: Right! Ok, check this advertisement out.

L: 看这个广告呀? Hmmm, 不行,不行,他们要找的家庭教师必须住在他们的地下室,还得要带孩子。算了算了吧!

M: You know, Li Hua, you can also use "check it out" when you want someone to notice something, or pay attention. It pretty much means, "Whoa, look at that!"

L: 噢,所以,你要让人注意什么事的时候也可以用check it out。是不是就象我们中文里说的:“你看哪!你看哪”的意思啊?

M: That's right. Whoa, check it out, Li Hua! That building across the street is on fire.

M: 什么?马路对面哪栋楼着火啦?哎,对呀,你看,那儿来了三辆救火车。哎哟,但愿没有人在那房子里。

******

M: Hey, check this out! Oh, I call this one!

L: 让我看看! (sound of paper rustling) 招聘一位研究生,带几个孩子去参观纽约的博物馆和参加文艺活动。报酬优厚!嗨,这个工作太好了!

M: No way, Li Hua! I already called this job!

L: Michael, 你说什么?你已经给他们打过电话啦?

M: No, that's not what I mean. I said, "I call this job." Whoever says "I call something" first has the first claim on whatever they called.

L: 噢,Call something就是谁先说要这样东西,那这样东西就归谁?你先说你要这份工作,所以这工作就是你的!嗨,Michael, 你可别忘了,你是在帮我找工作!

M: Actually, no one can call this job. We can both apply and see who gets it.

L: 就是嘛,没有人可以call this job. 谁都能申请这份工作的!

M: I know, I was just teasing you.

L: 哎,好了,Michael, 你再给我举一个to call something的例子好不好?

M: Heheh, Ok. When I was little, before my family went somewhere in the car, I would always yell, "I call the front seat!" My brother and I would always fight over who got to sit in the front seat.

L: 啊,你小时候还和你弟弟抢汽车座位呀! 你呀,要是call the front seat, 你就可以坐在前面。吓,你还真好意思呢!

今天李华又从Michael那儿学到两个常用语。 一个是to check something out, 在非常口语的情况下, to check something out是“仔细看看”的意思;另一个是to call something, 意思是:“谁先说,谁就有优先权得到某样东西”。
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