現在大家可能都已經很熟悉Michael和李華了吧!他們倆都在紐約上大學。紐約有許多酒吧都是愛爾蘭移民開的。今天Michael要帶李華去看一個酒吧。Michael在講話時會用兩個常用語：to bum和turn-off。

L: 嗨，這兒好熱鬧啊!Michael， 在愛爾蘭酒吧里大家喝些什么呢?

M: People normally drink a large beer that is usually served warm.

L: 我可從來沒喝過熱的啤酒，一大杯也喝不了，要一小杯行不行?

M: Well, you can order whatever you want, but I need to bum a couple of dollars, if you don’t mind.

L: 隨便我要什么都行呀!那好，就來一小杯。對了，你剛才說要是我不在意的話，你想bum a couple of dollars, 那是什么意思啊?

M: What I mean is, can I borrow a couple of dollars from you.

L: 原來你要問我借幾塊錢!

M: Yes. But don’t use this word for big things. For example, you would not ask your friend, “Can I bum your car?”

L: 噢，在問別人借大的，象汽車之類的東西時，不能用bum這個字，bum 只能用在問人借小東西的時候。

M: Yeah, it’s usually used when asking for something small, like a piece of gum or candy.

L: 喲，你們美國人，怎么一片口香糖，一顆糖還要借啊?難道真的還要還嗎?

M: No, small things you don’t need to return, such as gum and candies.

L: 這很重要，因為在這種情況下，我們中國人就不說借了，我們大概會說：給一顆糖吧。

M: You are right Li Hua. But if you feel cold at a friend’s home and you asked to bum a sweater, then you would return it when you were going to leave.

L: 對，要是在朋友家感到冷要借一件毛衣，那一般都應該還的。所以，這要看情況，對不對?

M: Yes, if you will let me bum a couple bucks tonight, I promise to pay you back tomorrow.

L: 行，行，行，就借你兩塊錢，你問服務員要酒吧，我來付錢。可明天別忘了還我。

M: Okay. Two beers please!

L: 我以前有一個朋友，每次跟她一起出去，不管去看電影，還是去 喝咖啡，她總是問我借錢。

M: A girl I used to hang out with acted the same way. Whenever a group of us went out, she would always ask to bum money. It got to be a real turn-off.

L: 你也碰到過這樣的人哪? 等等，a real turn-off? 這是什么意思呀?把什么東西關掉?

M: No, a turn-off is something that repels someone.

L: 噢， 是一個讓人討厭的什么東西。 是不是指一個人的性格里有什么地方讓你不喜歡他?

M: Yes, that’s right. Let me give you an example. Your ex-boyfriend always smoked cigarettes around you, that was a real turn-off.

L: 是啊，我以前的男朋友跟我在一起的時候老是抽煙，那真是討厭。

M: A girl I once dated always interrupted me whenever I was talking. That was a real turn-off.

L: 對，你告訴過我，你從前的女朋友老是打斷你的話，讓你很討厭。 我還有一個朋友把臟衣服在房間里到處亂扔， that was also a turn-off.

M: See, you’ve learned how to use turn-off. By the way, I also have dirty clothes lying around my apartment. Does that bother you?

L: 哼，你也把臟衣服到處亂扔?你要是不打掃乾凈的話，別想請 我到你家去。

M: Ok, I’ll try to clean it up.

各位聽眾，今天李華從Michael 那里學到了兩個常用語，一個是： to bum，意思是借錢或其他東西;另一個是：a turn-off，意思是讓人討厭的地方。這次就到此結束，下次節目再見。