LL: Well, it was worth a try! You’ve got so much to be psyched about, Lihua - you’ve got your new, cool job, a new place, and the best friend in the world to help you move your stuff!
LH: 还真是，好事都让我赶上了。
LL: I’m psyched for you.
LH: 那我们得庆祝庆祝。Now. What is something Larry would get psyched for...ah yes, - a free dinner! 晚上我请客。
LL: Larry certainly would be psyched about that! In fact, he’s so psyched that he can’t wait! This apartment hunting makes me really hungry.
LH: (Laughing) 别说，我肚子也开始叫了。那你想吃什么？
LL: I’d be the most psyched for some Burger King! Their new triple cheeseburger sounds delicious! What do you think?
LH: 汉堡王？太不健康了。这样好了，我点一份中餐，带到汉堡王去陪你一起吃。
今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是 Up for grabs, 可以得到的，待价而沽的。另一个是 Psyched, 指特别高兴。
流行美语第277课
李华在图书馆里埋头读书，为下个月的博士资格考试做准备。她今天要学两个常用语，quals和in the bag.
LL: So, Li Hua, how is the studying for your quals going? I can hardly see you behind those stacks of books.
LH: My qual? 你是说我的资格考试吗？
LL: That"s right - Quals is short for qualifying examinations.
LH: 还可以吧，不过马上就要考试了，我特别紧张。
LL: Oh? When exactly are your quals, Li Hua?
LH: 下个月！我只有不到一个月的准备时间了。
LL: One month is still quite a bit of time, Li Hua. What do you have left to do to get ready for your quals?
LH: 让我想想....我还有好几本书要读，而且还要做一些模拟试题。
LL: I know you"ll study hard, Li Hua, and you will have no trouble passing your quals.
LH: 谢谢你，Larry。我现在特别需要鼓励。
LL: Say, Li Hua, you know, doctoral students aren"t the only people who have quals.
LH: 什么，不光是博士生要通过资格考试，难道还有其他人吗？
LL: Athletes have quals, too. For example, if an athlete wants to be part of the Olympic team, he has to make the quals.
LH: 哦，你是说运动员啊。他们那叫资格选拔赛，比如说要想代表美国去参加奥运会，就要先过选拔赛这一关。
LL: You are right. The quals that athletes participate in are generally qualifying races or qualifying rounds of sporting events.
LH: 你知道吗，最近中国队在世界杯预选赛中输给了伊拉克。
LL: That"s too bad. I didn"t know China had lost. Who made it through the quals?
LH: 我知道入围的队有沙特阿拉伯-、伊朗、日本和韩国。
LL: See, you just have to work hard like these winning athletes, Li Hua, and you"ll have no problem with your quals.
LH: 好在我的资格考试在教室里就能完成了，我不用去跑马拉松。
******
LL: You really shouldn"t worry about the quals, Li Hua. I tell you, you have it in the bag, Li Hua.
LH: Hmmm....我皮包里只有钱夹、钥匙、墨镜、手机，怎么会有资格考试呢？
LL: Ha, ha. I didn"t mean you *really* had the qualifying exam in your bag, Li Hua. To have something "in the bag" means that you are guaranteed of success.
LH: 我懂了，你说I have the quals "in the bag" 意思就是说没问题，我肯定能通过。
LL: That"s right, Li Hua. You always study so hard. I know you"ve got it in the bag.
LH: 你真够朋友！不过，我对这次考试可没有百分之百的把握。可不是所有人都能考过的。
LL: Don"t think that way, Li Hua! You are going to do great!
LH: 可是你看看中国足球队。他们原以为稳操胜券，结果却败在了伊拉克队的手下。
LL: Well, it is sometimes true that people *think* they have something in the bag and it doesn"t quite turn out the way they thought it would.
LH: 就是说啊。所以，我绝对不能掉以轻心。
LL: But I don"t think that is the case with you, Li Hua. Say...I"ve got some news I"ve been meaning to share with you.
LH: 有什么好消息吗？你是不是升职了？ is your promotion in the bag?
LL: You know, Li Hua, I think it is in the bag. My boss called me into the office and told me I was first in line for a promotion and that he was very pleased with my work.
LH: 恭喜你！Larry, 看起来你又要请客了。
LL: Thanks, Li Hua. I tell you what, after I find out my promotion is in the bag - and you find out your quals are in the bag, let"s go out for a big celebration!
LH: 好，一言为定。
今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是quals, 是资格考试，或是资格选拔赛的意思。另一个是in the bag,，意思是有百分之百的把握。
流行美语第278课
李华通过了博士生的资格考试。Larry涨了工资。两人一起去吃饭庆祝。李华今天要学两个常用语，go out和more than friends.
LL: It is so nice to be celebrating such happy events with you, Li Hua! And on such a wonderful evening, I have an important question to ask you.
LH: 重要问题？好，有什么问题尽管问！
LL: (Nervously) Uh...Well...I was wondering if you wanted to....go out with me.
LH: 出去干嘛？我们还没吃完饭呢？再说，外面又那么闷热。
LL: (A little embarrassed) Uhhh...Noooo. I don"t actually mean for us to go outside *right now*, Li Hua. By asking if you wanted to go out with me, I meant: Would you date me?
LH: 哦，原来go out with you是约会的意思。
LL: (Hopefully) Yes...So, would you like to go out with me, Li Hua?
LH: Larry, 我们做朋友这么久了，你现在要跟我谈恋爱，我还真觉得有些突然。
LL: We *have* been friends for a long time, Li Hua, and I realized that there isn"t anyone else I enjoy doing things with as much as you. That"s why I decided to ask you to go out with me.
LH: 我得考虑一下，因为这样一来，我们的关系就全变了。
LL: Well, it wouldn"t change things that much. If we are going out, we will still do all the things we do now: go to restaurants, see movies, and take trips to fun places.
LH: 你说得没错，那我们就不能跟别人约会了吧？
LL: That is generally the idea, Li Hua. When you go out with someone, you don"t usually date other people.
LH: 我现在倒是没跟什么人约会，可是...
LL: What? Is it that you don"t want to go out with me, Li Hua?
LH: 不是。我很喜欢你，我就是希望我们永远能象现在这么好。
LL: So, you will go out with me?
LH: 好，我愿意！
******
LL: This is so great! You"ve made me so happy, Li Hua. I was worried you were going to say you wanted to be "just friends."
LH: 我知道，如果女孩子不接受男子的追求，就可以说She wants to be "just friends." 只做普通朋友。
LL: How do you know about being "just friends", Li Hua?
LH: 以前我跟两个室友住在一起，经常说起交男朋友的事。
LL: So, what did your roommates tell you?
LH: 有个男孩约Nancy出去，可Nancy并不喜欢他，所以她就打电话给那个男孩，说更愿意做普通朋友。
LL: Well, Li Hua, it takes a lot of courage for a guy to ask a girl out on a date - and there is nothing worse than hearing a girl say she wants to be "just friends."
LH: 这我可不信。
LL: I guess you are right, Li Hua. A girl could say worse things!
LH: 不过我可以想象，被谢绝的男孩子的自尊心肯定会受到打击。
LL: That"s right. And that is why I am so glad you didn"t say you wanted to be "just friends", Li Hua, just a moment ago. I would have been sad.
LH: 如果不是"just friends"普通朋友，那我们是什么呢？
LL: Well, when a girl says she would like to go out with a guy, she and the guy become "more than friends."
LH: 也就是说我们原来是普通朋友，那现在开始约会，所以我们的关系已经不只是朋友，超越了朋友的界限了？
LL: Right, being "more than friends" is a way of saying you are dating someone. So now we are "more than friends."
LH: 两个"more than friends"的人做的事情，一定跟"just friends"的人做的不一样喽？
LL: Like date each other.
LH: 还有拉手，拥抱...
LL: Oh, look! It"s the waiter with our bill, Li Hua. Maybe we can continue this conversation later...