LH：既然你有最好的票，那我们一定有primo seats, 最好的座位了！

LL: Yes, we do have primo seats. The tickets are for two seats right in front of the center-stage.

LH: 前排最中间，真是太好了，我们一定能看得特别清楚。对了，我们看的是哪一部歌剧啊？

LL: It is Verdi"s Aida. Since it is an opera in Italian, I guess it is appropriate to say it will be a "primo" experience.

LH: 我听说过，威尔第的《阿依达》是一部很有名的意大利歌剧，但是我从来没看过。

LL: Yes, Aida is a very famous opera, and I know you will enjoy it. I"ve also heard the tenor has a primo voice.

LH: Larry, 这两张primo tickets会不会很贵啊。

LL: Actually, no. I got a primo deal on the tickets. My friend bought season tickets to the orchestra, but couldn"t make this performance. He sold them to me for half price.

LH: 原来是你朋友买的季票，但是正好不能去，所以半价卖给你。That is a primo deal!

LL: And I was thinking before the opera, we could have dinner. I know a primo little Italian restaurant near the opera house.

LH: 意大利饭，太棒了！我最喜欢吃意大利饭了。

LL: I think you will find the food at this place is primo - Some of the best in New York City.

LH: 现在只有一个问题，Larry. I don"t have any primo clothes to wear! 周末先得去买一身正式点儿的衣服。

******

(After the opera)

LL: Wasn"t the opera amazing! I was glued to my seat the whole time.

LH: 什么？让我看看，你裤子上没有胶水儿啊，你怎么会一直粘在椅子上呢？

LL: I don"t actually have glue on my pants, Li Hua. When I said I was glued to my seat, I meant I was so fascinated by the opera I didn"t want to get up.

LH: 噢，我明白了，你是说歌剧太精彩了，你听得全神贯注。确实没错，特别是那个男高音，唱得简直太棒了。I was glued to my seat, too.

LL: It reminds me of this lecture about China I went to not long ago. The professor who spoke was very entertaining and charismatic.

LH: 你是说那个教授讲得太吸引人了，大家都坐在椅子上一动不动，听得聚精会神？

LL: Actually, not only was I glued to my seat, I was glued to his every word.

LH: 每个字？能让你这样的学生把他的每个字都听进去，这个教授一定很棒。

LL: He was really good, and he had a lot of interesting things to say about life in China today. What about you, Li Hua? What keeps you glued to your seat?

LH: 我最近正在看一部韩剧《朱蒙》，剧情太吸引人了，我一集接一集地看，根本放不下。I am glued to the TV set for hours.

LL: If you are glued to your television for hours, you have really become an American, Li Hua!

LH: 你为什么这么说呀？

LL: I think statistics show Americans on average are glued to their television sets for nineteen hours a week.

LH: 我简直不敢相信，美国人每星期要看十九个小时的电视，我可能连九个小时都看不了。跟看电视比起来，我更喜欢看书。

LL: Are you reading anything good right now?

LH: 我最近正在看一本畅销的侦探小说。I have been glued to every page!

今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是primo, 意思是最棒的。另一个是glued, 是指被深深吸引，全神贯注的意思。

日期：2008-3-6 10:25:36

美国习惯用语第248讲

在这次节目里，我们要给大家介绍两个都是以bottom这个字为主的习惯用语。Bottom就是底部，也就是最下面的地方。我们要讲的第一个习惯用语就是：To get to the bottom of something. To get to the bottom of something就是找出某件事情的真相。

我们往往会从不同的人那里得到不同的信息。那我们就得做出一个判断，究竟谁说的是实话，谁在说假话。在这种情况下，我们往往会用to get to the bottom of something这个习惯用语。比如说，在法庭上，一个法官听到双方的不同说法。法官就得想办法弄清楚这个案件的真正事实。

在家里，有的时候孩子打破了什么东西。他们就互相指责。这时家长就得弄个水落石出，弄清楚事实的真相。下面就是一个很生气的爸爸在说话。

例句-1: You kids keep blaming each other for breaking the window. Now sit down and answer my questions - I"m going to get to the bottom of this and find out who did it if it takes all night!

这个爸爸说：你们这些孩子打破了窗子，老是互相指责。现在你们都跟我坐下来，回答我的问题。我一定要把事情弄清楚，那怕我们一夜不睡也得弄清楚究竟是谁干的。

******

大多数美国人都用信用卡买东西。有的人身上现金非常少，买几块钱的东西都用信用卡。许多人都有好几种信用卡。这是因为每个信用卡都让你借钱。另外，发放信用卡的公司也不断设法提供各种优惠来吸引人们用他们的信用卡。百货公司也鼓励人们用他们的信用卡来买东西，所以一个人有十几张信用卡也是不足为奇的。可是，在使用信用卡方面也有不少弊病，有的不务正业的人通过各种方法来盗用别人的信用卡。下面就是一个例子。

例句2: I didn"t use my credit card last month. So I was shocked when I saw on the statement for last month that there"s a new balance of two thousand dollars. I"m going to get to the bottom of this and find out who used my credit card.

这个人说：上个月我没有用信用卡。当我在上个月帐单上看到我花了两千美元的时候，我真是大吃一惊。我得追根究底把事情弄清楚，找出到底是谁用了我的信用卡。

******

下面我们要讲的一个习惯用语也是以bottom这个字为主的。这个习惯用语就是：To scrape the bottom of the barrel. To scrape就是刮。Barrel是一个圆的桶。当桶里的好东西都给别人都拿走了的时候，你就不得不刮桶底剩下的东西了。下面是一个例句。这是在说战争时期征兵的情况。

例句3: At first only young, healthy, single men were taken for military service. But the war lasted so long they had to scrape the bottom of the barrel and take married men and older men with all sorts of health problems.

这句话翻译到中文就是说：最初，征兵的对象只是身体健康的单身年轻男子。但是，战争拖的那么久，他们不得不迁就地把那些结过婚的男人和那些有各种病的年纪大一些的男子征兵入伍。

这当然是在说以前战争期间的情况。现在，美国部队的组成跟过去相比有很大的不同。现在美国部队里有不少女兵，但是有的军校仍然全部是男生，有的人认为现在应该招收女生。另外一个有争论的问题是女兵参加实战是否合适。

******

美国的许多商店一般在年初冬天即将结束，春天马上来临的时刻进行大减价。有的大减价只有一天，有的两三天或一个星期。下面是一个人在对他的妹妹说话。

例句4: A couple of companies are having one-day clearance sales today. They have lots of stuff on sale at 50 to 70% discount. If I were you, I"d go early. If you go late in the afternoon after work, you"ll have to scrape the bottom of the barrel.

这个人说：有两个公司今天有一天的清仓大减价。有的东西的价钱降低百分之五十到百分之七十。要是我是你，我就早点去。要到下午上完班再去，那你可能就只能从卖剩下来的东西里去挑了。

许多美国人都利用这类减价的时候买东西。在季节转换之前，商店一般都要举行大减价，清理仓库，以便进货新的商品。清仓减价的时候可以买到非常便宜的东西。

日期：2008-3-6 10:28:24

流行美语第248课

李华刚买了一台笔记本电脑。她今天要学两个常用语，bells and Whistles和savvy。

LL: So, you got a new laptop computer, Li Hua? Wow! It has all the bells and whistles, doesn"t it?

LH: Bells and whistles？我怎么没看见这台电脑上有什么铃铛和哨子啊。

LL: Oh, What I meant was that your lap top has a lot of special features and extras that ordinary lap tops don"t have.

LH: 噢，我知道了，你刚才说的bells and whistles是指电脑上的DVD播放器和超宽屏幕等额外的功能。

LL: Yeah, that is right. Manufacturers like to put lots of bells and whistles on lap tops to entice people to buy them.

LH：没错，我就是冲着这些bells and whistles才买这台电脑的。你看，上面还有无线调制解调器和一个超大储存量的硬盘呢！

LL: When I bought a lap top computer last year, Li Hua, I did NOT get one with all the bells and whistles, and now I kind of regret it.

LH: 是啊，这些bells and whistles确实要多花点儿钱，可我觉得还是值得的。

LL: I suppose I can always add some bells and whistles to my basic lap top. I would like to have a bigger hard drive.