例句-3: As soon as the gold was all gone, these towns went to the dogs almost overnight. Everybody moved away, and these places are ghost towns now, with the wind whistling through the empty houses and shops.
这句话的意思是：等到金子都淘光了，这些城镇一下子就被人遗弃，彻底完蛋了。那里所有的人都走了，剩下的只有风在吹过空房子和商店的时候发出的沙沙声音。
这是社会变迁造成的结局。但是，人为的结局更加悲惨：
例句-4: I always thought my friend Pete had a good future. But then he got hooked on heroin and lost his job and his wife--I never saw a man go to the dogs so fast!
这人说：我总以为我的朋友彼徳是很有前途的。但是后来他吸上了丨毒丨品，失去了工作，妻子也走了。我从来没有看到过任何人破落得那么快的！
流行美语第89课
今天Larry和Li Hua下课以后一起去吃午饭，Li Hua会学到两个常用语：threads和load up。
(campus noise)
LL: Hey, Li Hua, those are nice threads you"re wearing.
LH: Threads? - 那不是“缝衣服用的线”吗？哎哟，Larry, 你是说我的连衣裙开线了吗？
LL: No, no. Threads, when used in plural, is another word for clothes. I was just telling you that you are wearing nice clothes.
LH: 噢，原来thread用作复数--threads，就可以代表“衣服”。这倒挺合理的，因为衣服就是用线织成的嘛！你刚才说these are nice threads, 原来是夸我的连衣裙漂亮啊！
LL: That"s right!
LH: 谢谢你，Larry, 其实，这件连衣裙挺旧的了。 Larry，要是我说一件衣服，是不是要用单数thread?
LL: No. It"s always threads. I think that"s because even one piece of clothing is made of many threads.
LH: 说得也是，即使一件衣服，也是用很多很多线做成的，所以，还是要用复数 - threads.
LL: So, Li Hua, let me test you. If I say, "I went shopping yesterday and bought lots of threads", what does that mean?
LH: 这么简单的句子，还要考我。你是说“我昨天买了很多衣服”。Larry，你真的买了好多衣服呀？
LL：No, I was just giving you an example. I don"t go shopping for threads.
LH：你老是穿牛仔裤加T恤衫，怎么也不换换样子嘛？
LL: What"s wrong with the threads I"m wearing? Oh, please, Li Hua, my threads are just fine -- Jeans and T-shirt are comfortable.
******
(cafeteria sound)
LL：Hey, not many people in the cafeteria. That"s the benefit of coming late.
LH: 来晚了人少是没错，但是好东西可能也都给吃完了。哎，Larry, 我知道你饿了，可是你也不能一下子拿那么多嘛，你吃得完吗？
LL: I won"t have time to eat dinner until late, so I"m trying to load up on food now.
LH: 噢，今天你晚饭要很晚才能吃，可是，你说什么 - load up on food? 那是什么意思啊？
LL: To load, load up on something is to get a lot of it, usually so that you can store some of it for later.
LH: 噢，我明白了。你是想午饭多吃点，晚上就不会太饿了。哎，Larry, 除了说吃的东西，load up on还可以用在别的地方吗?
LL: Of course. Do you remember the storm we had last summer? Well, people were worried about losing power, so they loaded up on batteries before the storm.
LH: 去年夏天的那场暴风雨呀？我当然记得。就是啊，当时大家特别担心停电，所以买了好多电池 - We loaded up on batteries.
LL: Yup. Also, Li Hua, we can load up on sleep, too.
LH: 噢，除了可以说load up on food, load up on batteries, 我们还可以说load up on sleep, 意思是多睡觉、多休息。
LL: If you load up on sleep and vitamins, you shouldn"t get sick very easily.
LH: 是没错，多休息、多吃维生素，我们就不容易生病了，哇，Larry, 我看你装了整整两盘菜啊，要是我像你这样load up on food，我肯定早就发胖了。
LL: All right, Li Hua, what are you trying to say? You know I don"t load up on food like this everyday!
LH：那倒也是！
今天李华从Larry那儿学到两个常用语。一个是threads, 在口语里表示“衣服”。另一个是load up on something, 意思是“大量储存某样东西”，比如load up on food, 就表示“吃得很多”。
「美国习惯用语」第九十讲
to let sleeping dogs lie
Every dog has his day
我们首先要讲的一个俗语对每个人来说也是一个很好的忠告：to let sleeping dogs lie。
To let sleeping dogs lie，从字面上来看，这个俗语的意思就是不要去惹正在睡觉的狗，因为睡着了的狗不会咬人。换句话说，也就是：要是采取什么行动会给自己或别人带来麻烦，那么最好还是保持现状，不要采取行动。下面是一个妇女在给她的朋友提出劝告：
例句-1: If I were you, I would not tell Nellie you saw her husband having lunch with another woman. It might have been perfectly innocent, but I"d let sleeping dogs lie.
她说：要是我是你的话，我就不会去告诉内利你看见她丈夫和另一个女人一起吃午饭的事。也许他们根本就没有什么事，所以你还是别惹麻烦。
下面这个例子说明每个人在采取行动前需要慎重考虑，要想到可能产生的后果：
例句-2: Can you prove that your neighbor stole your lawnmower? If not and you call the cops, he could make real trouble for you. Better to let sleeping dogs lie!
这句话的意思是：你有证据证明你的邻居偷了你的割草机吗？要是你没有证据，又去报了警，他可以给你制造好多麻烦的。你还是算了吧！
******
下面我们要给大家介绍的一个俗语是：Every dog has his day。Every dog has his day这个俗语的意思是：每个人总会有实现自己愿望的一天。比如，一个公司职员很想被提升，但是，他的愿望没有实现，而另一个同事却被提升了。回到家里，他的妻子听到这一消息后对他说：
例句-3: Darling, I know how upset you are that you didn"t get the promotion. But don"t take it too hard--your turn will come. You know what they say--every dog has his day!
他的太太说：亲爱的，我知道你因为没有被提升而感到很不高兴。你可别把这件事看的太重了。你以后会有机会的。就像他们说的：人人都有得意之时嘛。
下面的例子是关于一个作家找不到出版商出版他的作品，于是他的朋友就劝他：
例句-4: Okay, so this publisher sent back your manuscript. There are plenty of other publishers. You"ll find one who"ll buy it--remember, every dog has his day!
这个朋友说：行了，就算这个出版商把你的手稿退了回来，那还有好多出版商呢。你会找到一个愿意接受你作品的出版商的。别忘了，人人都会有机会的。
流行美语第90课
今天Larry和Li Hua一起听了有关环境保护的讲座。Li Hua会学到两个常用语：to buy something和to be sold on something。
(college hallway noise)
LH: 哎，Larry, 听了这个讲座，我觉得“全球变暖问题”真挺让人担心的。
LL: I don"t know, Li Hua... I just don"t buy the theory that global warming is caused by humans. There is a lot we just don"t know.
LH: 你说你不买什么？ 哎，没人想卖你东西啊？
LL: I said that I don"t buy that theory. That mean"s I don"t accept it as completely true.
LH: 噢，原来I don"t buy the theory就是“我不接受这种说法”。哎，那不就是我们中文里说的“我不买这一套”吗？得了得了，我没时间跟你争论。哎，你听说了吗 - 我们今年的学费要涨百分之10呢！学校说他们计划要翻修图书馆。
LL: What? That"s ridiculous. I don"t buy that excuse. They raised tuition last year by 5% to expand the stadium.
LH: 就是嘛，去年学校为了扩建体育馆已经把学费增加了百分之5了。Larry, 那你是不是能够再用I don"t buy it 给我举一个和学校没有关系的例子呢？
LL: OK. You know my friend Angela? She"s often late for class, and she always has different excuses. So finally one day, Professor Johnson said to her, "I don"t buy your excuses. I think you are just not self-disciplined enough!"
LH: 对，你那个朋友Angela，她老是迟到，而且总有借口。可是我不知道Johnson教授这么厉害，居然还公开说不相信她的话，还批评她是自己要求不严格。哎哟，那多不好意思呀。
******
LH: So Larry, 你打定主意去南京哪一所学校留学了吗？
LL: I don"t know. I guess I"m still not sold on that school.
LH: Sold? 那不是“卖东西”的“卖”吗？哎哟，“卖东西”和“留学”这有什么关系呀？
LL: No, silly! I said that I am not sold on that school. "To be sold on something" means to be convinced that it"s worthwhile, or it"s the best choice.