LL: That"s right. I started playing computer games when I was seven years old, and I still play computer games.
LH: 对了，Larry, 我一直想问你，听说你妹妹有新男朋友了？
LL: Yes, she is dating a new guy. But I"m a little concerned. I think this guy has been around. He is much older than my sister.
LH: 有经验不见得是坏事啊！
LL: Well, he has been around, but not in a good way. I think he has dated a lot of girls and may not be as serious about my sister as she is about him.
LH: 你是怕他不当真，让你妹妹伤心吧。那你妹妹呢？她有没有交过很多男朋友？
LL: No, not really. She is still very young. I wish she would wait until she has been around a bit before deciding she wants to get engaged to this guy.
LH: 别着急，Larry, 你妹妹绝顶聪明，她肯定能做出正确的选择。你要相信她！
今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是newbie, 是新手的意思。另一个是been around, 是老手的意思。
美国习惯用语第254讲
大家知道，世界上的人是各式各样的，有的人特别会说别人爱听的话，可是有的人特别善于吹毛求疵，挑别人的毛病。在这次节目里，我们就要给大家介绍两个形容这两种人的习惯用语。大多数人都说，人都是爱听好话的。既然如此，我们就先来讲一个善于说好话的习惯用语。To butter up someone. Butter这个字可能大家都早已知道，就是西方人经常吃的黄油。但是，在 to butter up someone这个习惯用语里，butter这个字是用做动词。To butter up someone并不是真的在某人身上涂黄油。作为俗语，to butter up someone是指对人不寻常地客气，过份地奉承，目的是在于赢得此人的好感，或者是要他给你一种特别的好处。To butter up someone这个习惯用语的形成可能是因为面包上涂了黄油味道就好多了，或者是因为黄油很滑溜，就像那些奉承别人的话听起来很顺耳那样。下面是一个公司的雇员在说一个会拍马的同事。
例句-1: Harry is working hard to butter up the boss to get that promotion. The funny thing is if he worked as hard at his job as he does at buttering up people, he"d have a better chance to get what he"s after.
这个人说：哈里为了被提升，正在想方设法地对老板拍马奉承。有趣的是，要是他干活也能像他溜须拍马那样下功夫的话，他想得到提升的机会就会更多。
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在这次节目开始，我们不是说了，有的人很善于讲别人爱听的话，但是有的人就是缺乏这方面的才能。下面这个例子里说话的人就是属于后面这类人的。
例句2: I believe some people are simply born with the talent of buttering up people. Don"t you think I haven"t tried. I did, but I felt so awkward about flattering people. So I"ve given up a long time ago.
这个人说：我相信有的人生来就有拍马奉承的本领。你别以为我没有试过。我试过，但是要我去说那些奉承别人的话，我总觉得很难受。所以，我早就放弃了。
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下面我们要讲的一个习惯用语是形容那种专门会挑别人毛病的人。这个常用语就是：Nitpicker. Nitpicker实际上是由两个字组成的。Nit虱子下的蛋，picker就是挑东西的人。A nitpicker就是一个专门因为一些不重要的小事而批评别人的人，也就是挑剔，吹毛求疵。这种人一般都不受欢迎。Nitpicker这个字使我们想起一个在笼子里的猴子，把所有的时间都用来抓虱子。我们来举一个例子。这是一个新闻机构的编辑在对一个记者说话。他说他并不想挑剔，但是他对这位记者的报导有些批评。他说：
例句3: I hate to sound like a nitpicker, but I found a comma missing in your third paragraph and another comma missing down in the tenth paragraph. Let"s try to be more careful from now on.
这个编辑说：我很讨厌听起来好像是在挑剔。但是我发现你文章的第三段里少了一个逗号，在第十段里也少了一个逗号。以后小心点。
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我们再来举一个例子。这是一个人在讲他的妹妹。
例句4: My baby sister Carol said that most of her classmates like her taste and compliment her every time she wears a new dress. The nitpicker who criticizes her is her best friend Laura. My sister thinks that Laura is simply jealous of her.
这个人说：我的小妹妹卡罗尔说，她的同学当中，大多数人都很喜欢她的衣着打扮，每次她穿新衣服，她们都说好看。唯一批评她的是她的好朋友劳拉。我妹妹认为劳拉就是妒忌她。
流行美语第254课
Larry和李华在纽约参加长跑比赛。李华今天要学两个常用语，eat my dust和sore loser.
LL: It"s a good thing you"ve been training for this race, Li Hua. But you are still going to eat my dust.
LH: Eat your dust? Yuck. 吃你的土？这是什么意思啊！
LL: When someone says ""eat my dust," they are saying to their competitors in a race situation that they are confident they are going to win the race, leaving everyone else far behind.
LH: 赢比赛跟让别人吃土又有什么关系呢？
LL: Well, when you run, you kick up dust from the road. So, if I run very fast and you are behind me, you"ll be getting my dust in your face - and eating my dust.
LH: 噢，我明白了，跑在前面的人掀起的尘土，会落在后面人的脸上，原来是从这儿来的。不过，Larry, 我为今天的比赛已经训练两个多月了，也许你会eat my dust呢！
LL: But I"ve been running for years, and I"ve been in many races. And most of the time, the other runners end up eating my dust.
LH: 那也许你能象环法自行车大赛七连冠阿姆斯特朗一样，让其他人都ate his dust.
LL: Now that I think about it, Li Hua, I prefer to think of myself as the cheetah of the running world. As the fastest animal on land, all the other animals eat the cheetah"s dust.
LH: 你还真自信！大话说出来，可千万别落在别人后面噢。
LL: Actually, Li Hua. I am just joking. I"m not really the cheetah of the running world. There are so many runners in this race, I am pretty sure I will be eating someone else"s dust.
LH: 输赢并不重要，重在参与嘛！
LL: You are right, Li Hua. And since this is a race for charity, it doesn"t matter if you eat my dust - or I eat yours. In the end, everybody wins.
LH: 对呀，比赛收益全都要用来帮助无家可归的人。Okay, Larry. 准备好，你要eat my dust了！
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LL: Whew! That was a great race. Even though I didn"t place, I"m pretty happy about my overall time. I"m just disappointed by the guy who placed second - what a sore loser!
LH: Hmmm...得第二名的那个人好像特别不高兴，又跺脚，又挥拳头，嘴里还骂骂咧咧的。你说，这就叫sore loser吗？
LL: Yes, He clenched his fists and stomped around, saying things that weren"t very nice. That is a sore loser!
LH: 在中文里，我们说这种人输不起。
LL: But I don"t know why he was being such a sore loser, to place second out of the hundreds of people participating in the race should be something to celebrate.
LH: 就是啊。我要是得了第二名，一定乐死了。这种输不起的人，让所有人都觉得扫兴。
LL: It"s true. Do you remember when you were a kid, Li Hua - and you were playing a game? If one of the kids started acting like a sore loser, the game wasn"t so fun anymore.
LH: 我当然记得。小孩子都不愿意输。我有个外甥，一输就哭鼻子。
LL: Yeah, but most people grow up and become adults - and grow out of being sore losers.
LH: 但是有的人就是长不大，我就见过很多sore loser.
LL: That is true. I"m trying really hard not to be a sore loser myself.
LH: 你怎么会是sore loser呢？
LL: Well, I am kind of embarrassed that you beat me in the race, Li Hua. Especially since I told you that you were going to eat my dust. But I am not going to be a sore loser - I"m proud of you and how well you did in the race.
LH: 噢，原来是因为这个。谢谢你，Larry, 我确实花了很多时间为这次比赛做准备。
LL: Say, maybe we should celebrate the outcome by racing over to the ice cream store for an ice cream cone!
LH: 好啊！但是你肯定会eat my dust, 你知道我一见冰激凌就没命了。
今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是eat my dust, 是输给我的意思。另一个是sore loser, 是指输不起的人。
美国习惯用语第255讲