LH: 噢，你是说这个party不热闹，了无生气啊。现在时间还早，也许一会儿就热闹起来了。
LL: I hope so. Speaking of places being dead today, I went into work for a little bit to get some things from my desk. There was no one in the office - it was completely dead.
LH: 那当然了，今天是除夕，没有什么人会去办公室的。
LL: I guess the college campus must be dead now, too.
LH: 不光是今天，期终考试结束后，学生们都回家过年了。The campus has been dead for two weeks.
LL: So, Li Hua, do you mind being on campus when it is dead like it is now?
LH: 确实有点孤单，不过人少也有人少的好处。比方说，图书馆里就特别安静。
LL: Oh, I bet the library is completely dead! I mean, who would be studying over the break?
LH: 我啊！不过你说的没错，校园里确实没有什么人，可是停车特别方便。
LL: I know what you mean about the convenience. This year I made sure to do my Christmas shopping at a time when the shopping mall was really dead.
LH: 圣诞购物季节，商店里到处都是人。I cannot imagine a mall being dead during the holidays.
LL: I went early on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Since most people work during those times, it was pretty dead at the mall.
LH: 这倒是个好办法，可以避开购物的人群，不用跟别人挤来挤去的。
LL: That"s right, Li Hua. Hey, look, the party isn"t so dead any more! Some more people have shown up, and the music has started.
LH: The party isn"t dead at all. 你想去跳舞吗？
******
LL: Sure, I"d love to dance, Li Hua. Now the party is really happening!
LH: 如果我没猜错得话，Happening是dead的反义词吧？
LL: You are right, Li Hua. It is the opposite of a "dead" party. A happening party is one that is lively and exciting - and where lots of different things are happening.
LH: 是啊，这个party好像一下子就热闹起来了。
LL: Frank has done a good job. It is because of parties like this that I love the holidays. Christmas and New Year"s are such happening times of the year.
LH: 就是啊，新年圣诞确实热闹，大家都跟亲朋好友在一起，不过我也很喜欢春天和夏天。
LL: Why do you like spring and summer, Li Hua?
LH: 放春假和暑假我可以到外地去，visit some more happening places.
LL: I can"t imagine a more happening place than New York City. I mean here in New York there is always something going on!
LH: 纽约确实很热闹，可是美国还有其他热闹的地方啊。
LL: I suppose that is true. I"ve heard San Francisco has a very happening art scene.
LH: 我就很想去旧金山看看。还有，我还特别喜欢美国的布鲁斯音乐，所以很想到孟菲斯去。
LL: I don"t know, Li Hua. I visited Memphis once, and I didn"t think it was a very happening place. But then again, I am not a fan of Blues music.
LH: 猫王的雅园就在孟菲斯。我一直想去看看。我想，他当年在雅园一定开过很多热闹的派对。
LL: Elvis was famous for his wild parties. Look, the party is really happening now.
LH: Come on, Larry. 我们去跳舞吧，这么热闹的party, 我可不想就站在这儿。Let"s go have some fun!
LL: Okay, Li Hua! Now this is my idea of a happening time!
今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是dead, 指了无生气。另一个是happening,指非常热闹。
流行美语第261课
Larry患了重感冒，李华带着鸡汤去看他。李华今天要学两个常用语，blah和bounce back.
LL: Hi, Li Hua, it is so nice to see you. I just wish I didn"t feel so blah.
LH: Blah? 你得的不是感冒吗？
LL: I do have a cold, Li Hua. But "blah" is a word that describes how you feel when you have a cold or are sick - Blah is the feeling you have when you are really tired and have no energy.
LH: 我知道了，blah是不舒服，生病时浑身乏力的意思。
LL: That"s right, Li Hua. I certainly wish I didn"t feel so blah. I haven"t been able to sleep very well with this runny nose and cough... (Cough, cough)
LH: 你好可怜。我知道睡不好觉的感觉。别说感冒了，就是平时，睡不好觉我都会觉得blah.
LL: Yeah, I"ve got a pretty good case of the blahs. I don"t feel like doing much of anything.
LH: 我给你熬了点儿鸡汤，或许你喝了会感觉好一些。
LL: Thanks, Li Hua. Mmmm...This soup is great, Li Hua. It has a lot of flavor - not like my mom"s soup. Sometimes her soup can be a little blah.
LH: 你妈的汤怎么会是blah? 我以为blah不是指浑身乏力吗？
LL: You can also use blah to talk about a thing. When referring to a thing, blah means something that isn"t very good or interesting.
LH: 你是说你妈熬的汤没味啊。你没当着她的面说过吧？
LL: Actually, I have. My mom"s blah cooking is a joke in my family. My mom really doesn"t like spicy food, so many dishes she cooks are very blah.
LH: 还好你没觉得我的汤也是blah. 你现在感觉怎么样？
LL: I"m feeling a little less blah, thanks to you, Li Hua. So, how has your day been, anyway?
LH: 没什么新鲜的。外面又湿又冷，我一直在家里批论文。I"ve been having a blah day.
LL: Say, have you had some of the soup you brought, Li Hua? It is just the thing to cheer you up when you are having a blah day!
******
LL: Now that I"ve had a nice bowl of hot soup, Li Hua, all I need to bounce back is a good night"s sleep.
LH: 你要bounce back弹回来，那一定得有张蹦蹦床罗。
LL: Ha, ha. That"s funny, Li Hua. While you can bounce on a trampoline, to "bounce back" means to recover from something. In this case, I am looking forward to bouncing back from this cold.
LH: 原来你说的bounce back是复原的意思。只要你多吃多睡，用不了多少时间，就会象原来一样生龙活虎。
LL: I am expecting to bounce back in a day or two. Then I will head back to work.
LH: 幸好你只是感冒。你知道我的一个学生得了肺炎。
LL: Wow! One of your students has pneumonia? That is a pretty serious illness. It will take several weeks before he will be able to bounce back.
LH: 还有，我另外一个学生上星期刚刚割了阑尾。I don"t expect he"ll be bouncing back very quickly either.
LL: You are right. It takes more time to bounce back from surgery or an injury than it does from a little cold.
LH: 真希望生病不会影响到他们的成绩。
LL: If they are good students and work hard, I am sure they will bounce right back from a few bad grades.
LH: 有时候，遇到让人失望的事情也很难重新振作起来。
LL: That"s true. It took my Uncle Bob a long time to bounce back from his divorce.
LH: 那你叔叔Bob离婚后是怎么重新振作起来的呢？
LL: Well, he stayed very positive through the whole experience, and instead of thinking about the divorce, he put his energy into spending time with his children and doing things he enjoyed. That really helped him bounce back.
LH: 保持积极的态度、多跟家人在一起，做喜欢做的事情。Larry, 这些真是好建议。
今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是blah, 指全身乏力或是没滋没味。另一个是bounce back, 指恢复过来。
流行美语第262课
李华和Larry一起去附近一家新开的中国餐馆吃自助餐。李华今天要学两个常用语：yum和yuck.
LL: There is so much good food at this buffet, Li Hua. I can"t wait to eat some of those spring rolls. Yum!
LH: 你说yum，那你肯定很喜欢吃春卷！因为我知道，yum在英语里就是可口，好吃的意思。
LL: Hey, Li Hua, you are right! Where did you learn about the word "Yum"?
LH: 我前不久跟一帮美国朋友去吃pizza，其中一个人刚咬第一口，就大喊yum！他说自己最爱吃的东西就是pizza.
LL: Well, I really enjoy eating spring rolls - especially when they are fresh. And these spring rolls look especially tasty. What makes you say "Yum!", Li Hua?
LH: 我最爱吃的菜是鱼香茄子，想想都会流口水。Yum!
LL: Well, I am afraid eggplant is not one of my favorites, Li Hua. I don"t find eggplant dishes to be very yummy.
LH: Yummy肯定是从yum来的吧！