Larry到小燕工作的“金龙”餐馆去找她，发现餐馆里很忙。今天我们要学两个常用语，一个是jumping, 一个是joint.

(Sound of a busy restaurant)

LL: Hi, Xiaoyan. I was in the neighborhood and wanted to stop and say "Hi." -- Wow. This place is jumping!

XY: 没错，真是忙死我了，今天是星期五，每到星期五和星期六晚上，这是餐馆最忙的时候。

LL: So, Xiaoyan, you obviously know that when a person says a place is "jumping" - they mean it is very busy.

XY: 这我还能不知道，别忘了，我可是餐馆的领班。我早就知道，说什么地方jumping就是客人特别多，生意特别好的意思。

LL: Say, Xiaoyan, I'd like to stay and chat with you, but I know you have a lot of work to do. Is there a time when the restaurant isn't jumping?

XY: 你也知道，金龙是中国城生意最好的餐馆，从来就没有闲的时候。

LL: But surely there are times when "The Golden Dragon" is not as jumping as it is tonight.

XY: 相对来说，星期二晚上客人少一些，你要来吃饭，最好是星期二来。

LL: Okay, I will. See you later, Xiaoyan.

XY: 哎，别急着走啊！虽然客人多，但我还是可以休息一小会儿。你等等啊，我跟同事交代一下。(用中文跟另外一位带位小姐交代，对方用中文回答说，没问题。)

LL: Are you sure she doesn't mind working for you when the place is jumping, Xiaoyan?

XY: 没关系，就几分钟的时间，我怎么说也不能让你白跑一趟啊！

LL: That's nice of you, Xiaoyan. You know, I was hoping to have dinner here at "The Golden Dragon", but I didn't expect that it would be jumping like this. How long is the wait for a table, anyway?

XY: 现在来，差不多要等半个小时，再过一会儿，可能就要等上一个小时才有空位了。

LL: Thirty minutes to an hour? That's too long. Is there anyplace nearby I can have dinner that isn't jumping?

XY: 我听说街对面那家德国饭馆挺不错的，而且随时有空位，要不然你去那边试试看？

******

LL: Well, I guess I will have to try the German joint, Xiaoyan.

XY: 你刚才说joint, 我以前也经常听人这么说，joint到底是什么意思啊？

LL: "Joint" is a slang for "place" - and it is often used to refer to restaurants, clubs or other places of entertainment.

XY: 哦，我明白了，joint指的是饭馆、酒吧和夜总会这类地方。我今天又学了个新词。You should go to the German joint then.

LL: I'm just sad I can't eat at your joint, Xiaoyan. After all, the Golden Dragon is the best Chinese restaurant in town.

XY: 金龙确实是这里最好的中餐馆，但是我听说，对面那家德国餐馆真的很不错，不仅味道正宗，价格也很合理，你不会失望的。

LL: Say, Xiaoyan, maybe I can come back after I have dinner and you get off work, and we can go grab a beer at some joint nearby. What do you think about that?

XY: 好啊，你吃完饭再回来找我，如果到时候，客人没有那么多了，我就提前下班，怎么一起去喝两杯。

LL: Okay. See you later!

(Incidental music, door opening sound)

LL: Hello, Xiaoyan.

XY: Larry, 你回来了！Good to see you again.

LL: Good to see you, too, Xiaoyan. So, is this joint still jumping or has business slowed down since earlier this evening?

XY: 现在客人少多了，你等一下，我跟老板打个招呼，就可以走了。

LL: Do you know of any good joints nearby, Xiaoyan, where you can have a beer and listen to music?

XY: 我知道附近有一个爱尔兰酒吧，可以一边喝酒一边听爱尔兰音乐，气氛特别好。

LL: That does sound like fun, Xiaoyan. How do we get to this Irish Pub from here anyway?

XY: 走过去，三条街就到了。

LL: Well, let's hurry over to the Irish joint, Xiaoyan. I could really use a beer!

我们今天学习了两个常用语。一个是jumping, 是指一个地方客人多，生意繁忙。另一个是joint, 是指餐馆、酒吧、夜总会和俱乐部等消遣的地方。