Larry準(zhǔn)備在公司匯報工作。事先想請李華幫他聽聽,看報告內(nèi)容能不能吸引人。李華今天要學(xué)兩個常用語。一個是dud,另一個是oomph 。
LL: Thanks for agreeing to listen to my presentation, Li Hua. I really don't want it to be a dud.
LH: Larry, 什么是 "dud" 呀 ?
LL: Oh, A dud D-U-D is something or someone that doesn't live up to expectations and is a disappointment.
LH: Dud就是讓人失望的意思。你是不是想讓我?guī)湍懵犅?,你的報告能不能吸引人?。?/p>
LL: Right! I want my presentation to be lively and interesting. If it is boring and difficult to understand, it will be a dud.
LH: 愿意為您效勞!不過Larry, 你這人這么幽默,不用聽我就知道,你的報告肯定不會枯燥無味的。
LL: You never know. I once worked with a woman who I thought was really funny, and at work we really got along. But then we went on a date, and it was a real dud.
LH: 你們約會的問題出在哪里呢?
LL: It turns out that we didn't have much in common except work.
LH: 噢,我知道了,你們倆這叫缺少共同語言。That date really does sound like a dud.
LL: What about you Li Hua? Have you every gone out with a guy who was a real dud?
LH: Dud也能指人啊。那要這么說,我可是遇到過真正的dud.
LL: How was this guy a dud, Li Hua?
LH: 他長得特別帥,可是我們倆出去吃飯,他從頭到尾都在沒完沒了地講他自己,根本不問問我喜歡些什么。That date was a real dud.
LL: Kind of like a firecracker that doesn't go off! We also call fireworks that don't go off "duds."
LH: 沒錯,我們管不響的爆竹叫“啞炮”。我最喜歡放炮了,特別是春節(jié)的時候...
Larry, 你干嘛呢?
LL: I am trying to get the slide projector to work. It looks like the light bulb is a dud!
LH: 那就別擺弄幻燈了。我光聽就行了。
LL: Okay, let's get started. Please be honest, Li Hua, and don't be afraid to tell me if you think my presentation is a dud.
LH: 你放心,我一定怎么想就怎么說。
******
LL: So, what do you think, Li Hua? Does my presentation need more oomph?
LH: Oomph? 這又是什么詞啊!怎么這么難說。
LL: It is like "oom" from the word room, followed by an "F" sound. Say it after me, Li Hua. Oomph!
LH: (Imitating)"oom", "oom-f". Oomph, oomph 是什么意思啊?
LL: When I asked if my presentation needed more oomph, I was asking if it needed something extra to make it more lively or interesting.
LH: 噢,你是說可以加點(diǎn)兒什么,讓你的報告更精彩是吧。老實(shí)說,Larry, 我覺得有的地方確實(shí)有點(diǎn)兒枯燥,需要加點(diǎn)兒oomph.
LL: How do you think I could give my presentation more oomph, Li Hua?
LH: 比方說,你一上來可以先講個笑話,吸引聽眾的注意。然后講到一半兒有人開始走神的時候,你可以再講個你自己工作中的真實(shí)經(jīng)歷,最好是干過的什么傻事。這樣你的報告就能更生動了。
LL: That's very good advice, Li Hua. I think doing those things will give my presentation the extra oomph it needs.
LH: 好,那現(xiàn)在換我了。我最近給中文課設(shè)計了一個網(wǎng)頁。你也幫我看看,要不要也加點(diǎn)兒oomph.
LL: Sure. I'm happy to look at it and tell you if it needs more oomph.
(Typing on keyboard...)
LH: Okay, here it is. Larry, 你覺得怎么樣?
LL: Wow, Li Hua! Maybe your website has a little too much oomph!
LH: Oomph 還會太多嗎?
LL: Well, you used orange and pink together on the same page. Those colors make it hard to read.
LH: 粉紅色和桔黃色放在一起是太亮了,看上去眼睛有點(diǎn)兒不舒服,那我換換其它顏色吧。
今天李華學(xué)到了兩個常用語。一個是dud, 意思是令人失望的。另一個是oomph, 是吸引力的意思。