VOA流行美语 Unit 39: FLIP OUT / OFF MY BACK

星期天，迈可和李华约在一道到户外市场去买东西。他们很自然地聊起前一天晚上各自做了些什么事。李华问迈可昨晚上干吗？

M: Man, last night I just vegged out in front of the TV all night.

L: 你说什么? 你说你在电视机前面vegged out? 是不是说你在电视机前面吃生菜？

M: No, no, no It doesn't have anything to do with vegetables! To veg out, V-E-G O-U-T, means to sit around and do nothing.

L: 噢，原来如此。"to veg out"意思是说无所事事，呆坐在那里。那你干吗不出去呢?

M: I was supposed to go out with some friends, but I was too tired after being at work all day. That's why I ended up vegging out in front of the TV all day.

L: 啊，原来你是太累了，昨晚你除了呆坐在家里，什么也没干。那么veg out 和英语里面另外一个形容：老是坐在电视机前的人是个couch potato一不一样呢?

M: Yes, it is similar to being a couch potato. However, if you are vegging out, that does not necessarily mean you are watching TV or eating like a couch potato does.

L: 那样的话，要是我去了公园，呆坐在那儿，啥事也没干, 那还能不能说我在公园里vegging out呢?

M: No, if you veg out you usually do so at home. You may be reading, listening to music, watching TV or just sitting there. Basically, your are not thinking of anything very complicated.。

L: 所以说要是你veg out的话，通常都是赋闲在家呆坐的。如果你累了一天，或者一直辛苦地在做一件事，看来你多半会翘起二郎腿，什么事也不做，休闲休闲了。

M: Yes, that's true. People often veg out after a long day of working or studying. Sometimes, they veg out when they should be working or studying, but then don't feel like it.

L: 噢，这样的话，听起来好像是当一个人该做某件事，却投闲置散，拖到以后再去做，那就是veg out了。

M: Yeah, you can also say"vegged"for short, as in "I totally just vegged last night in front of the TV."

L: 迈可，让咱们先停下来歇会儿吧。

L: 我真难以相信你星期六还得上班，我以为你是星期一到星期五上班呢。

M: Usually, I do only have to work from Monday through Friday. But my supervisor has really been in my face about getting this project done. I needed to get it done by Monday, so I decided to come in over the weekend.

L: 我懂得，你是说你的领导一直在逼着你做完你的工作。可是你是怎么说的？ In my face? 那是什么意思啊？

M: To say that my supervisor was "in my face" means that he has been giving me a lot of pressure about finishing the project. Just imagine someone who is standing close to your face, demanding that you finish something.

L: 要是你说某人是in your face的话，听起来可不是什么好事。像是他不断地在提醒你该做什么事。看来你的领导是个很难处的人啊。

M: Actually, he is not that bad. I really like him as a person. He is just very demanding when it comes to finishing work on time. He has an "in your face" personality.

L:这样说来，你也可以说某人有"in your face"的个性呐。

M: Yes, that means they have a very aggressive, direct personality. Someone like that usually doesn't care what other people think about their ideas.

L: 这样形容一个人的个性，听起来不太尊敬。

M: You're right, it's not a very nice thing to say about someone. You probably shouldn't tell someone directly that you think they have been in your face about something.

L: 谈到"in my face",大太阳正照在我脸上，可真把我晒得够呛，咱们到里边儿去找个阴凉地方吧。

M: Okay, how about getting some ice cream? There's an ice cream store right over there.

L: 好主意，咱们走吧。

今天迈可和李华一块儿去买东西，李华学了两个新词儿："veg out"和"in my face"."veg out"是说什么事也不做，完全轻松一下；"in my face"是一种咄咄逼人的态度或者个性。