LH: 我听说加个硬盘并不难，我觉得你真的可以在你的电脑上加点儿bells and whistles.
LL: Although sometimes it is possible to have too many bells and whistles!
LH: Bells and whistles还会嫌太多吗？
LL: Well, I was thinking of the cell phone I bought recently. It definitely came with all the bells and whistles. So many bells and whistles, in fact, I don"t even know everything it does!
LH: 你是说手机啊。我也有同感。现在的手机功能越来越多，很多我都用不着，也不知道该怎么用。
LL: But some people really like to have all the bells and whistles. Like my Dad. The last time he went shopping for a new car, it had to have all the bells and whistles.
LH: 车上能有些什么bells and whistles？
LL: He wanted a car with leather seats that heated themselves and had a built in global positioning system.
LH: 能加热的皮座椅，全球定位系统，看来车上也能有不少的bells and whistles.
******
LH: Larry, 你能帮我把这些软件装到电脑上吗？
LL: I am happy to help you load your software on your new lap top, Li Hua. You know I"m tech savvy.
LH: Tech Savvy? 我知道tech是technology科技的意思，那savvy呢？
LL: Savvy means to understand something very well.
LH: 所以你说自己tech savvy, 就是说你对电脑和高科技的东西很在行喽？
LL: That"s right. I"ve always been interested in computers, and as a result I am fairly tech savvy.
LH: 那太好了。我可一点儿也不tech savvy. 我就知道怎么用电脑写论文，发电子邮件，除此之外就一窍不通了。Larry, 除了高科技以外，还有什么东西可以说savvy吗？
LL: Oh, sure, Li Hua. We often say that some one who dresses well and has good fashion sense is fashion savvy.
LH: 噢，fashion savvy就是很跟得上服装的潮流。那我可以说fashion savvy吧。
LL: Oh, you definitely have fashion savvy, Li Hua. You always dress very stylishly.
LH: 这肯定是我祖母的遗传。我看过她的照片，穿得可漂亮了。She definitely had fashion savvy.
LL: A person can also have street savvy.
LH: Street savvy? 你是说会认路吗？或者是有方向感？
LL: No, no. A person with street savvy knows how people act in the city and how to be safe in parts of the city that might be a little rough.
LH: 噢，street savvy是说街头的生存能力，特别是能在那些比较乱的街区不惹麻烦。看来，tech savvy和street savvy我都学不来，有fashion savvy就行了。
今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是bells and whistles, 意思是附加的功能或是点缀品。另一个是savvy, 是指在什么方面很在行。
美国习惯用语第249讲
今天我们要讲的两个习惯用语都跟吃午饭有关系。午饭在英文里就是：Lunch美国人有一个很老的俗语，那就是：There"s no such thing as a free lunch. 这个俗语翻到中文就是：白吃午饭这种事是没有的。这句话现在已经成为美国人经常用的俗语了。它的含意当然要超越午饭这个范围。There"s no such thing as a free lunch的确切意思就是：世界上没有任何不付出代价就能得到的东西；也许当时你不用付出代价，但是迟早你得付，即便不是付钱，你也得为别人效劳来偿还。
美国的一些行业及劳工组织雇用一些游说的人去影响政府官员。这些人很愿意请官员们去吃午饭，或者带他们出去旅行。但是，他们期望这些白吃白喝的官员能够做一些对他们有利的事，以致回报。下面这个例句是一个国会议员在说话。
例句-1: I never let a lobbyist buy me a lunch or do any favor for me. Early in my political career I learned the truth of the old saying - there"s no such thing as a free lunch.
这个国会议员说：我从来没有让一个游说者请我吃过午饭，或者为我做什么事。俗话说，世上没有白吃饭的事。在我政治生涯的早期，我就懂得这句话的意思了。
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在美国，你经常可以看到free这个字，特别是在商业广告上。初到美国来的人往往会被这个字吸引，以为真的能拿到不要钱的东西。但是，仔细一看这个free都是有条件的。下面这个例句是一个到美国来不久的学生在说话。
例句2: Seeing the word "free" in ads used to excite me because I thought the store was giving away stuff. Later I learned that there"s really no such thing as a free lunch. They always want you to buy something and then give you some cheap gift to make you feel good.
这个学生说：我过去一看到广告上有免费这个字就觉得很高兴，以为商店可能在送东西给顾客。后来我才知道真是没有不要钱的事。他们总是要你买点什么东西，然后给你一个不值钱的礼物让你感到很高兴。
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刚才我们说的是几乎不要钱的午饭，下面我们要讲的一个习惯用语是价钱很高的午饭。这个习惯用语就是：Power lunch. Power就是有力量的或是有权力的。那么，什么是 power lunch 呢？Power lunch就是有两个或更多的重要人物在一起吃午饭，但是他们并不是像一般朋友那样为了见见面，聊聊天而一起吃午饭；他们是为了谈生意，或其他工作上的事。
Power lunch一般是在很贵的饭馆里举行，因为请客的一方可以向自己的公司报销。在这种饭馆里工作是很好的，下面这个例句就给大家提供了一个很好的实例。
例句3: My brother works in a place that is very popular for power lunches. And he gets plenty of nice big tips because these people like to show off in front of each other.
这个人说：我弟弟工作的地方常常有要人在那里吃午饭。由于这些人要在自己的客人面前摆阔气，所有我弟弟经常得到很多小费。
在美国，到饭馆去吃饭要给小费已经成了必定之规。给多少小费是根据帐单上的总数。一般是总数的百分之十到百分之十五。但是人们往往给百分之十五。当然，这并不是硬性规定的，有的人给的很少，服务员就不会太高兴。有的美国人给的很多，经常给百分之二十的小费。
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我们再来举一个例子。这是一个人在说他的朋友。
例句4: For the first time my friend Leo, a rising young star in New York financial circles, got invited to attend a power lunch today. He said he didn"t enjoy it too much though because the big shots there scarcely noticed him.
这个人说：我的朋友利奥很年轻，他在纽约金融界越来越走红。今天，他第一次被邀请去出席一次全是要人参加的午餐会。但是他说他并不感到高兴，因为那些大人物根本没注意到他。
流行美语第249课
李华到Larry家借书，正好赶上Larry的朋友Dave打电话来 。她今天要学两个常用语, fed up和off the hook。
LL: That was just Dave on the phone, Li Hua. He is really fed up right now.
LH: Dave给你打电话，就是告诉你他吃多了吗？
LL: No, Li Hua. To be fed up is to run out of patience in a difficult situation and to become angry.
LH: 噢，fed up不是指吃多了，而是说受够了。
LL: That"s right. Dave has been having a bad day, and he has good reason to be fed up.
LH：他遇到什么倒霉事了吗？
LL: Well, Dave"s car broke down on his way to work today, and he called a tow truck to come and get him. He"s fed up, because he has been waiting for over an hour for the tow truck to arrive.
LH: 拖车一个多小时还没到。换成我，也会fed up.
LL: And Dave is also fed up with his car. This is the third time in the last month that his car has broken down.
LH: 一个月坏三次。那可真得换车了，难怪他说自己受够了。他给你打电话就是抱怨这些吗？
LL: He was hoping that if the tow truck didn"t come in the next few minutes I might be able to give him a ride to work. He doesn"t want his boss to get too fed up with him.
LH: 噢，原来是求你送他去上班。一而再，再而三地因为车子抛锚而上班迟到，确实会引起老板的怀疑。
LL: I don"t think Dave"s boss is completely fed up with him YET, but Dave doesn"t want to take any chances.
LH: 那当然了。他好不容易才找到这份工作，因为这个被炒鱿鱼，太不值得了。
LL: Yeah. Personally, I"m a little fed up with Dave right now, too.
LH: Dave有什么让你受不了的呢？
LL: Well, every time Dave"s car breaks down, he calls me to ask for a ride. I"m getting a little fed up with having to rearrange my schedule to keep helping Dave out.
LH: 确实有点儿烦。不过，他是你的朋友，大家应该互相帮助嘛！
LL: You are right, Li Hua. I shouldn"t get fed up with Dave. (Phone rings) It"s Dave on the phone.
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LH: Dave打电话说什么？