例句-4: When our company"s sales began to decline three years ago, our president immediately recruited a number of young people. This fresh blood made a lot of difference -- now our sales have doubled.
这个人说：“三年前，当我们公司的销售量开始下降的时候，我们公司的总经理立即着手招聘一些年轻人。他们可真是我们公司的新鲜血液。现在，我们的销售量已经增长了一倍。”
流行美语第175课
Larry下课后在校园里碰到李华。他问李华需不需要去邮局。今天李华会学到两个常用语：fixing to do something和tricked-out。
LL: Hey, Li Hua, I"m fixing to go to the post office to mail a package. Do you need to buy stamps or mail something?
LH: Larry，你要去邮局寄包裹。这和修理东西有什么关系？为什么你说fixing to go to the post office？是不是你去邮局前，要先修什么东西啊？
LL: No. Fixing to do something means that you are getting ready to do it. "I"m fixing to go to the post office" means that I"m getting ready to go to the post office.
LH: 啊！我懂了，fixing to do something就是准备要做什么事。Larry，我从来没听过这种说法。
LL: It"s used all over the U.S., but it"s more commonly used in the southern states.
LH: 原来这是在美国南方常用的说法。Larry，我很想和你一块儿去邮局，不过我准备去图书馆，我想在晚饭前看点书。I am fixing to go to the library to study before dinner. Larry，我这么说对吗？
LL: Absolutely! Hey, did you notice how tired Professor Smith looked in class today? He looked as though he was fixing to fall asleep in the middle of his lecture.
LH: 是呀，今天Smith教授看起来好累，在课堂上讲课时好想要睡着一样。不过你知道吗？他正在为下个月参加马拉松赛跑作准备，也许他锻炼过度，所以才这么累。
LL: I didn"t know that he"s fixing to compete in a marathon? Wow, that"s impressive.
LH: 就是啊！我真难以想像他怎么能在上课之余还能找出时间来锻炼呢。
LL: No wonder he"s tired. I"d be exhausted.
LH: 嗯，对了，我得去图书馆了，一会儿见！
LL: Yeah, I"m going to go and mail this package before post office closes. They should be fixing to close up soon, so I had better hurry.
LH：那就快走吧！ 否则邮局关门了。你这包裹就寄不出去了。
******
LL: Hey, Li Hua. On the way to the post office, I saw Bob"s new car. It"s awesome! It"s totally tricked-out with every accessory you can imagine.
LH: What? 你说Bob的新车怎么样？什么是tricked-out？
LL: If a car, or boat, or other machine is "tricked-out", it means that it has all kinds of luxury accessories.
LH: 噢，tricked-out就是说汽车、船、或其他任何机器有各式各样的豪华设备。所以你刚才是说Bob的新车有各种新式的装置，很酷，是吧？
LL: Exactly. It has a satellite radio system, big speakers, special wheels, and an amazing paint job. It has a super turbo-charged engine, too.
LH: 哇，车上有卫星收音系统、大的扩音器、特殊的轮子....啊呀，我可不懂这些东西，但是听起来真的很酷！Bob"s new car really is "tricked-out."
LL: I can"t imagine what he paid for it. It must have been really expensive. I can"t wait until I can afford such a tricked-out car.
LH: 嗯，肯定是很贵。你想要这样的车呀？我可不一定想买这种豪华车。我比较喜欢实用的车子，价钱比较便宜，问题可能也比较少。
LL: A simple car would be less expensive than a tricked-out one. But why do you think it would have fewer problems?
LH: 当然啦！你车上的装置越多，就越容易出故障，修理起来一定也很贵。 这是必然的。
LL: That"s true. It"s probably more expensive to maintain a really tricked-out car because there are more things that could go wrong with it.
LH: 对呀，要维护一辆高级车肯定是很贵的。我的要求是价钱便宜，问题要少。
今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是fixing to do something, 就是准备要做某件事。另一个常用语是tricked-out，是形容一样东西很豪华，有各种新式的装置。
美国习惯用语第176讲
大家都知道人的正常体温是摄氏37度。可是，你们可知道，在不同的情绪下，人血的温度可能变得滚烫，或者变得冰冷。这当然是不可能的，只是形像化的比喻而已。然而，这也正是我们今天要给大家介绍的两个习惯用语。我们先来讲人体的血液在什么情况下会变得滚烫。To make one"s blood boil. Boil是沸腾的意思。也就是把水烧到滚开的程度。当然，一个人的血液是不可能煮开的，但是当什么事情让你非常生气的时候，你可以说：It makes my blood boil.
我想这和中国话里的“火冒三丈”，“怒发冲冠”等说法是相似的。我们来举个例子吧！这是一个人在回忆伤心的往事。
例句-1: It happened three years ago, but it still makes my blood boil every time I think about how my girlfriend ran out on me and married some other guy without even telling me goodbye.
这人说：“我的女朋友抛弃了我去和别人结婚，甚至都没有跟我告别。虽然这已经是三年前的事了，但是每当我想起这件事，我仍然是火冒三丈。”
******
下面是一个人在告诉他的朋友他遇到了一件让他非常生气的事。他说：
例句-2: I went to a Chinese restaurant last week with a friend. The waitress was so rude we ended up yelling at each other. Then she refused to serve us. It still makes my blood boil just to think about it.
这位朋友说：“上星期，我和一个朋友去一家中国餐馆吃饭。那个服务员态度非常坏，结果我们吵了起来。后来她竟然不让我们在那儿吃饭。我想起这件事就生气。”
这里要说明的是，这种现象在美国是非常少见的，尤其在西餐馆里恐怕是不会发生的。有的人说，中国店里的服务态度比较差。这话是不是有道理还可以推敲，因为许多中国店里的服务员对顾客也是笑脸相迎的。
******
要是生气使你的血的温度升高，那么什么事情会使人的血变得冰冷呢？那就是害怕。那么在英文里，这个俗语是怎么说的呢：To make one"s blood run cold.
当一个人遇到生命危险的时候，他可能会害怕得发抖。比如说，要是一个怕鬼的人在突然见到什么像鬼的东西的时候，他就会非常害怕。在这种情况下，就可以用：To make my blood run cold.
我们现在来举一个例子吧。这是一个怕鬼的人在讲他的经历。
例句-3: As I walked into this old haunted house, I heard this terrible scream and my blood ran cold when I saw this figure in white rushing straight at me!
他说：“人人都说这栋老房子里闹鬼，当我走进去的时候，我听到非常可怕的尖叫声，还看到一个穿白衣服的人影直冲着我过来，真把我给吓得连魂都没有了。”
听众们，你们相信真的有鬼吗？对于这个问题，每个人恐怕会有不同的回答。
******
使我们害怕得手脚冰冷，魂不附体的并不一定是鬼。还有许多其他事情也会使我们非常害怕的。比如说，美国的犯罪率很高，人们对自身的安全都很警觉。下面就是一个女孩在告诉她的爸爸她当天碰到的事。
例句-4: While I was walking toward my car in the parking lot, two men in ski masks suddenly appeared in front of me, guns in hand. I was so scared that my blood ran cold. But they left in a hurry when they saw a police car coming.
这个女孩说：“当我在停车场正往我的汽车那儿走的时候，两个男人带着滑雪戴的面罩突然出现在我面前，手里还拿着枪。我真是给吓得手脚冰冷，魂不附体。不过，当他们看到一辆警车开过来的时候，就匆忙地逃走了。”
流行美语第176课
今天是星期一，Larry和李华约好上完课一块儿吃午饭。Larry告诉李华他周末做了些什么事。今天李华会学到两个常用语：set of wheels和the pits。
LL: Bob gave me a ride in his new set of wheels on Saturday. That car is so awesome. It rides like a dream!
LH: 你说Bob让你坐他新的什么？Set of wheels？你是在说Bob的新车吧？
LL: Yeah. "Set of wheels" or just "wheels" is a slang term for car. Or you can just say wheels. Bob"s new wheels are really cool.
LH: 噢，所以set of wheels或者wheels都可以用来指汽车。对了，Bob有没有告诉你，他花了多少钱买那辆新车？
LL: He didn"t say and I thought it would be rude to ask; but I know that a car like that costs at least $35,000.
LH: 那样的车至少要三万五千美元？那可真是一大笔钱哪！
LL: I suppose it"s worth it if you have that much money to spend. For people like us, who are still studying, it seems like a lot of money.