LL: Yeah. And when I snarfed down the sandwich, I didn"t really enjoy it. I ate it so fast I didn"t even really taste it.
LH: 有时候我赶着写论文或是判作业，没时间吃饭，也会凑合着只吃几口炒饭填饱肚子。
LL: You know, since I haven"t had anything to eat since I snarfed down that sandwich, I am feeling hungry again.
LH: Larry, 我这儿有盒饼干，你先吃几块，来垫垫肚子罗。
LL: Thanks, Li Hua. That is really nice. But I"m so hungry, I"m afraid I"d snarf up your entire box of cookies.
LH: 都吃了也不要紧，我不在乎这盒饼干，不过光吃饼干可没什么营养。
LL: You are right, Li Hua. I really shouldn"t snarf up all these cookies.
LH: 不如今天晚上咱们找个餐馆，好好补一补，最近我一直在赶论文，也是忙得不可开交。
LL: I"d love to, Li Hua. But, honestly, I don"t have enough time to go out with you for a nice relaxing dinner. The deadline for the project is tomorrow, and I have just enough time to snarf down something before I go back to work.
LH: 既然明天就是最后期限，你没时间正经吃饭，那就更不能光啃饼干了，而是应该吃点儿有营养的。这样才能补充能量。
LL: Okay, I do have time to go to a fast food place.
LH: 拐角处就有一家面条店，保证你二十分钟就能回去上班。
LL: And snarfing down a bowl of noodles does sound better than snarfing down a box of cookies, Li Hua.
******
LH: 这家店的面条还真好吃。
LL: Yeah, But now I"m feeling a little sleepy. I think I am going to need to take a power nap before I go back to work.
LH: A power nap? 我知道nap是午觉的意思，可power nap是什么意思啊？
LL: A power nap is a short nap, maybe only fifteen to twenty minutes in length that people take in the middle of their work day to give them more energy, more power!
LH: 噢，就是15分钟，20分钟，打个盹儿的意思。你知道吗，Larry, 在中国睡午觉是很普遍的。我们上学的时候中午都会睡上半个小时左右。
LL: Taking naps isn"t as common in the U.S. as it is in China, but more and more Americans are taking power naps.
LH: 昨天晚上我看了一个节目，很有意思，里面说美国人现在越来越忙，晚上睡眠时间不够，所以白天需要take power naps，才能提高效率。
LL: Hey, I saw that report, too!
LH: 现在不少公司为了提高员工的工作效率，都在公司里设立专门供员工睡午觉的地方。
LL: I wish my company had places like that for us to take power naps at work.
LH: 你还记得吗，里面说有一家公司，给员工准备了鸡蛋形的午睡舱，还有舒缓的音乐，帮员工入睡。
LL: Yeah, I"d love to take a power nap in one of those.
LH: 但是打盹儿也要注意不能睡得太久。
LL: I guess that is true. If you end up sleeping too long, you can enter a deep sleep and wake up feeling drowsy and even sleepier than you did before you took you power nap.
LH: 好，到你公司了，你准备在哪儿小睡一会儿呢？
LL: Well, I think I will go back to work and take a power nap at my desk.
LH: Okay, Larry. 明天完成了手头的项目，给我打电话。
今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是 snarf, 是狼吞虎咽的意思。另一个是 power nap, 是打盹儿的意思。
美国习惯用语第252讲
今天我们要讲的两个习惯用语听起来都是很顺耳朵的话，但是这些话都是在故意恭维你，以便让你做讲话的人要你做的事。在这方面，最普遍的一个习惯用语就是：Sweet talk. Sweet就是甜的；talk就是讲话。Sweet talk里面的sweet这个字就已经把意思点出来了。Sweet talk听起来很顺耳，但是实际上是拍马，或过份的赞扬。Sweet talk可以作为名词，也可以作为动词。下面是一个例句。在这个例句里sweet talk是用做动词。这是一个爸爸在说他的一个女儿。
例句-1: You know, I think my youngest daughter was born with honey in her mouth! She can sweet-talk me into doing just about anything she wants me to do.
这个爸爸说：你可知道，我想我那最小的女儿生来就是嘴巴甜的。她会用甜言蜜语来让我做几乎任何她要我做的事。
这句话的英文里用的是：was born with honey in her mouth。这是指：她生来嘴巴里就有蜂蜜。我们在这里不必逐个按字面意思来翻，翻成：生来嘴巴甜也就可以了。
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有的人说，人人都爱听好话。这是人性。这话也许不错，但是也有一些脑子很清醒，不被好话所左右的人。我们来举一个例子。这是一个公司的主管在说他手下的一个雇员。在这个句子里 sweet talk是用做名词。这个主管说：
例句2: Alex has been working for me over a year. He never misses a chance to say what he thinks I want to hear. He hopes I"ll assign him nice jobs and eventually promote him. But I don"t buy that kind of sweet talk so I guess he"ll be disappointed.
这个公司的主管说：亚历克斯在我手下工作已经一年多。他从来不放过机会说他认为我要听的话。他是希望我指派他好的工作，最后提拔他。但是，我可不吃这种拍马奉承。我想他会失望的。
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下面我们要讲的一个习惯用语也是说好话的意思，但是跟sweet talk有一些不同。这个习惯用语就是：Snow job. Snow是雪，job一般的解释是工作，也可以指某一项具体的工作。A snow job的意思是不太诚实的话，为了使听话的人相信他，他往往在讲话里撒一、两个谎。A snow job往往是当一个人遇到麻烦的时候想用几句好话来洗刷自己的责任。我们来举一个例子。学校的老师要求学生今天交期终报告，但是有一个学生没有写，所以交不出来。这个学生说：
例句3: I"ve got to give the teacher a snow job to get her to give me another week. Do you think she"d believe me if I tell her I really wrote the paper, but the dog got it and ate it?
这个学生说：我总得说些什么理由好让老师同意再给我一个星期。要是我告诉她我确实写了报告，但是给家里的狗叼去吃了，你认为她会相信我吗?
狗吃了作业这个理由美国学生用的太多了，这都已经成了笑话。所以，这个老师恐怕是不会相信的。
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Snow job跟sweet talk一样可以当名词用，也可以当动词用。在上面这个例子里，a snow job是当做名词用。下面我们来举一个把snow job当做动词用的例子。这是一个正在找工作的女孩子约好到某个公司人事处去面谈，但是到了那天她把约会给忘得一干二净。下面是公司人事处主任在跟一个同事说话。
例句4: That girl didn"t show up for the interview. She said she felt so dizzy on her way that she could not drive anymore and there was no telephone around. But I have this uneasy feeling she"s giving me a snow job.
这位主任说：那个女孩到时候没有来面谈。她说她在路上感到头晕，没法再继续开车，周围又没有电话。可是我总有一种她在说假话的感觉。
流行美语第252课
Larry和李华在Larry的朋友Sam家开party。李华今天要学两个常用语，party foul和split.
LL: Gosh, I am SO sorry, Li Hua! I just spilled some of my drink on you. What a party foul!
LH: 没事的，Larry. 只不过是点儿汽水而已，一下就弄干净了。不过，什么是party foul 啊？
LL: A party foul is when you do something really embarrassing at a party - like spill your drink on someone.
LH: 噢，foul 在体育比赛里是犯规的意思，那 party foul 就是指开派对的时候出丑喽。
LL: Right, and nobody really likes to commit a party foul, but sometimes when you are having a lot of fun and there are a lot of people together in one place, it is easy to do something stupid.
LH: 发生 party foul 的时候，其他人会怎样呢？
LL: Sometimes they stare or it gets very quiet - or other times some one might yell, "Party foul!" And everyone will laugh.
LH: 那可真够丢人的。不过，洒点儿饮料不算什么，我见过更糟糕的party foul。
LL: Really? What is the worse party foul you"ve seen?
LH: 有一次我去参加朋友的婚礼。大家跳舞的时候，发生了我见过的超级party foul.
LL: Don"t keep me in suspense, Li Hua! Tell me about this party foul. What happened?
LH: 有个客人踩在了新娘的婚纱上，把婚纱撕掉了一大块。所有人都傻了，大厅里鸦雀无声。
LL: Yikes! That really is a major party foul. What happened then?
LH: 新郎和新娘处理得很好，他们知道那个客人一定很难堪，所以马上开了个玩笑，帮他解围。
LL: I think the most embarrassing party foul I committed was the time I went to a party in a suit.
LH: 穿西装去参加派对有什么不对吗？