LH: Munchies? 让我看看？(翻塑料袋的声音)。薯条、花生、开心果，I don"t see anything called "munchies."
LL: Munchies is a general word for snacks or things to "munch" on, Li Hua. When watching a football game, I love to eat munchies like chips and pretzels.
LH: 噢，原来munchies是零食的意思！有不咸的吗？
LL: Yes, Li Hua, I do. In the refrigerator, I have some other munchies that I"ve prepared. I also made a vegetable tray and some sour cream dip.
LH: Wow, 你准备了这么多东西！ 看超级杯原来这么重要啊！
LL: Watching the Super Bowl is something many Americans look forward to all year. And part of the fun is inviting friends over to watch the game and share some munchies.
LH: 这跟中国球迷看足球世界杯差不多。他们也是围着电视机，边吃边看，热闹极了。
LL: Every body loves munchies. Speaking of munchies, are you hungry, Li Hua?
LH: 我确实有点儿饿了，不过我不想把这些零食打开，我们还是等客人都到了再说吧！
LL: Oh, don"t worry about it, Li Hua. There are plenty of munchies. Go ahead and open what you like.
LH: 那好，我先吃点花生，我最爱吃花生了。
LL: I"ve got a bad case of the munchies, too, Li Hua. But instead of peanuts, I think I"ll munch on some potato chips.
LH: A *case* of the munchies? 你拿的明明是一带零食啊！
LL: When I said I have a case of the munchies, I meant I was really hungry for snacks.
LH: Well, I guess I have a case of the munchies, too, Larry. 这些花生真是太好吃了。
LL: The trouble with munchies is that once you start eating them - it is hard to stop.
LH: 那我们还是忍忍吧，可别把这些零食都吃完了，否则一会儿看球赛的时候就没的吃了。
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LL: Thanks for helping me put out the food, Li Hua. I hope this is enough of a spread for the Super Bowl party.
LH: Enough of a spread? 这又是什么意思啊？你是说足够大家吃的吧？
LL: A spread does refer to food, Li Hua - and specifically food set out on a table for a party. And the goal is to have lots of food!
LH: 你准备的可真够丰盛的，That"s quite a spread, Larry. 你看，有薯条、花生、开心果、蔬菜、饮料、啤酒，真是应有尽有。
LL: Well, when one puts together a spread, Li Hua, you not only want there to be lots of food, but you also want the spread to look good.
LH: 所以说，spread不光是要准备充足的食物，还要摆放得整齐好看，让人看了赏心悦目？
LL: That"s right. Like for this spread, I put the snacks in nice bowls, arranged the vegetables so they look attractive, and got these festive football napkins and cups.
LH: 太棒了，Larry。我知道，你这一桌子食物，从盘子到纸杯，到餐巾纸，都跟橄榄球有关，最适合超级杯的party了.
LL: Thanks, Li Hua. I"m glad you like it.
LH: Larry, 你准备这一桌子东西要花很多钱吗？
LL: This spread wasn"t very expensive. But I have been to parties where the hosts clearly spent a lot of money on gourmet foods and expensive wines.
LH: 我还记得去年到市中心的一家大饭店去参加春节联欢活动。They had quite a spread!
LL: I bet it was some spread. You know how much I like Chinese food.
LH: 那明年咱们一起去，你可以亲眼看看！
LL: While the spread I put together isn"t as fancy as that, I just hope my friends will enjoy it.
今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是munchies, 是零食的意思。另一个是spread, 指丰盛的食物。
美国习惯用语第267讲
今天我们要讲的两个习惯用语都含有惩罚的意思。要是一个人是惩罚的对象的话，这两个习惯用语会使他感到很痛苦的。一个人在一生中没有受到任何形式的惩罚是很少的。小的时候做错了事激怒了父母而受到惩罚也是常事。例如像不准吃晚饭，不准出去玩等。不过，我们今天要讲的是成年人犯了错误，或做了违法的事而受到惩罚。
现在我们先来讲第一个习惯用语。To lower the boom. To lower就是把什么东西放低，boom在这里解释为帆船的帆下面的杠。用这个杠可以按当时的需要把帆升高或降低。要是一个人正在把杠往下放，而你的头正在杠下面的话，那个杠就会打到你的头。这可能使你感到非常痛。作为一个习惯用语，to lower the boom就是很严格的惩罚，或者是采取步骤严格地执行法律。下面是一个电台报导的一条消息。
例句-1: The new chief of police announced today that he was going to lower the boom on drug peddlers by putting a lot more officers in neighborhoods where the situation is worst.
这则消息说：新的丨警丨察局局长今天宣布，他将派很多的丨警丨察到贩毒最严重的地区去，以此来对那些贩毒者进行严格的管制。
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美国的犯罪率比较高。这是政府和公众都很关心的问题。人们在如何解决犯罪这个问题上议论纷纷。下面就是一个受害者在发表自己的看法。
例句2: I was robbed in broad daylight last year. The police caught the guy but set him free after six weeks. I don"t understand this, why can"t they lower the boom on these criminals so that they will think twice before they do something bad.
这个人说：去年，我在光天化日之下遭到抢劫。丨警丨察抓住了那家伙，但是关了六个星期就把他放了。我真是弄不懂,他们为什么不能对这些罪犯更严格一些。这样他们才会在干坏事前先考虑一下。
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上面那个受害者一定很愿意用下面这个办法来对待罪犯，但是没有一个罪犯愿意受到这种惩罚的。这种严厉的惩罚就是我们要讲的第二个习惯用语：To throw away the key. To throw away就是把什么东西扔掉，key就是钥匙。
美国的法律并不是全国统一的，各州有权制定自己的法律。但是，对大多数的州来说，最严重的惩罚恐怕就是把犯人关进监狱，然后throw away the key。大家也许已经猜出了to throw away the key是什么意思了。把犯人关进监狱，然后把监狱的钥匙扔掉。那当然就意味着这个犯人永远也出不了监狱了。也就是无期徒刑。
我们来举一个例子。这是一个人在告诉他朋友关于一件抢银行案件的判决。
例句3: You remember that man who shot three people when he held up a bank? The judge locked him up and threw away the key: she sentenced him to life in prison with no chance of parole.
这人说：你还记得那个在抢劫银行的时候打死三个人的那个罪犯吗？法官把他关进监狱，让他永远也出不来。她判他无期徒刑，连保释的机会都没有。
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刚才说无期徒刑在美国许多州是最严重的惩罚。这是因为美国有许多州是没有死刑的。应不应该有死刑是美国人争论的一个主题。有的人认为，尽管那些罪犯确实犯了严重的罪行，但是死刑是不人道的。然而，对那些受害者和某些公众来说，只有严厉处决才能控制犯罪率不断上升的趋势。下面是一个人在发表他的观点。
例句4: I don"t think to throw away the key is the answer to the ever increasing rate of criminal cases. We must impose death sentences on those murderers who kill people without even blinking an eye? Only that may stop them killing so freely.
这人说：我认为无期徒刑不是解决犯罪率不断上升的办法。我们必须对那些杀人不眨眼的谋杀犯处以死刑。只有那样他们才可能不再随便杀人。
美国习惯用语第268讲
今天我们要讲的两个习惯用语，一个跟手腕有关。另一个跟鞋子有关。我们先来讲第一个。A slap on the wrist. Slap就是打一下，比如说，a slap on the face就是打耳光。Wrist就是手腕。A slap on the wrist就是在手腕上打一下。在手腕上打一下并不怎么痛。
要是一个孩子伸手去拿他不该拿的东西，为了阻止他，他妈妈就很可能会在他手腕上打一下。作为习惯用语，a slap on the wrist就是轻微的惩罚，而且往往是指某人得到的惩罚要比他应该得到的惩罚要轻。
我们来举一个例子。一个喝醉了酒的人在开车的时候把别人的车撞坏了。双方都被招到法庭作证。被撞的人对法庭的裁决非常不满意。他说：
例句-1: I hoped the judge would send this guy to jail. But all he gave him was a slap on the wrist - he fined him two hundred dollars and suspended his driver"s license for 30 days.
这个人很不满地说：我本来希望法官会把这家伙送进监狱。可是，他仅仅让他罚款两百美元，吊销他的驾驶执照一个月。这真是清描淡写的惩罚。
在美国,酗酒的人开车是一个大问题。每年都有不少因为喝醉了酒开车而造成的车祸，有的导致受害者终身丧失正常生活的能力，还有的因此而丧生，给受害者的家庭和孩子带来莫大的悲剧。美国政府对酗酒驾车的人有各种不同的惩罚。
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