VOA流行美语 Unit 50: PIECE OF JUNK / CHEAP

piece of junk

cheap

今天李华到Michael家里借用他的电脑。李华会学到了两个新词儿：piece of junk 和cheap。

M: Ok Li Hua, let me see if I can find that webpage for you.

L: Wow, 你的电脑上网真够慢的, 不知道是哪儿出问题了。

M: Actually, it's not the Internet connection, it is my computer. Its an old piece of junk and it is very very slow.

L: 它是一片什么啊？你的电脑出什么问题啦？

M: I said it's a "piece of junk". Piece, P-I-E-C-E; of junk. J-U-N-K. A piece of junk is something that is old and broken, or just doesn't work well.

L: 噢！我想起来了，junk就是你要丢掉的废物，像是旧的车胎或破烂的自行车。

M: That's right. In fact, I'd say my car is a piece of junk too. It's ten years old, it doesn't start half the time, and pieces are always falling off of it.

L: 你的车可不是一堆破烂呢。你倒是应该好好保养它。我叔叔在中国有辆用了二十多年的旧车，到现在还不是走得挺好的。

M: Well, some older cars are more simple in design, and easier to fix. It is hard to find parts for my car, and it isn't really worth the cost to fix it.

L: 嗯，那倒是。现在好些东西过几年之后就变成废物了，就好像我的'随身听'一样。

M: Your walkman is a piece of junk? I've had a Sony walkman for ten years, and it still works well!

L: 我的那一台可真的不行了，现在一动也不动；有的时候还把我的录音带给弄坏了。我真是应该买个新的了。

M: Yes, you probably should. If it damages your tapes, it's not worth using.

L: 别管我的了，你的电脑该怎么办？ 为什么不去买个新的来呢？像你这样的学生可得有台好电脑才行啊。

M: I might. Hey, wait a minute! What would I do with my old piece of junk computer? Maybe give it to a certain friend of mine?

L: 嘿，我可没那么说，不过要是还能用的话，我倒乐于拿走，也许我还可以用它来做功课。

******

L: 哎，Michael, 现在你不想换电脑了是不是？

M: Well, I could, but I am also too cheap to spend money to buy a new one.

L: 等等，你说你是便宜的？我以为只能说东西是便宜的，你是不是说你太穷了啊？

M: No no, that's not what I mean, even though that is true. When I say that a person is cheap, that means that they always try to avoid spending money, or always buy the least expensive thing they can find.

L: 噢，原来说一个人cheap就是说他很抠啊。嘿，那我还真得说你是够cheap的了。Michael, 你就是那种在餐馆里为了省一两块钱只叫杯白水当饮料的人。

M: What? You are calling me cheap!

L: 怎么了？ 这句话冒犯你了吗？

M: Oh, sorry. I should have told you: it is not very nice to call a person cheap. It also means that someone is not generous, or doesn't understand quality.

L: 噢，原来cheap还有爱捡便宜的意思。难怪你不喜欢被人说 cheap。

M: Anyway, I could say you are cheap, because you always use old things that other people give you. Like your bicycle, or that watch you have..

L: 可是，单单因为我不肯花钱，并不表示我就cheap啊。我只是个穷学生嘛。

M: Yeah, I shouldn't say you are cheap, that's not very nice. My roommate is really cheap, though. Nobody likes to go out to eat with him.

L: 真的吗？他怎么啦？

M: Well, if three or four of us order a pizza together, he always adds up exactly how much each person owes. He counts every cent!

L: 哇，那他也真够呛的，算那么清楚啊。

M: And he also never gives a full tip to restaurant waiters. He always gives them a little bit less than he should.

L: 他不肯给服务员该给的小费？我想我从这家伙身上了解到cheap的含义了。

今天李华从 Michael那儿学到了两个新词儿。Piece of junk就是指没用的废物；cheap在这里指小气、不肯花钱。