美國(guó)之音之流行美語(yǔ)Lesson 258 - bread / nest egg

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流行美語(yǔ)第258課

李華告訴Larry說(shuō)，她想多賺點(diǎn)錢(qián)，買(mǎi)機(jī)票回中國(guó)探親。李華今天要學(xué)兩個(gè)常用語(yǔ)：bread和nest egg.

LH: Larry, 我想回中國(guó)看看我父母。I need to make some more bread.

LL: You need to make more bread? I know you aren't a baker, Li Hua, so you must have learned that bread is slang for money.

LH: 沒(méi)錯(cuò)。那天我聽(tīng)一個(gè)朋友說(shuō)，他要跟父母借點(diǎn)錢(qián)，因?yàn)閔e was short on bread，缺錢(qián)花了。

LL: Well, Li Hua, how about you? Can you borrow some bread from your parents for a plane ticket home?

LH: 去中國(guó)的機(jī)票可貴了，我父母可出不起機(jī)票錢(qián)。要想回家，我唯一的辦法就是再出去兼一份差。

LL: Well, with the Christmas holidays coming up, there will be many opportunities for you to earn some bread.

LH: 是啊，快過(guò)節(jié)了，很多商店都需要人手，找份活兒應(yīng)該不難。

LL: I wouldn't think so, but if you do have trouble, I can always loan you some bread.

LH: 謝謝你，Larry. 但是不到迫不得已，我還是希望自己想辦法。

LL: Okay, I understand. So, Li Hua, have you thought about where you might want to work?

LH: 我想到百貨商店去打工，雖然那里的工作沒(méi)太大的意思，但是I'd really only be doing it for the bread.

LL: I think a department store is a good choice for you. Who knows? You may even be able to pay for your plane ticket to China and save a little bread.

LH: 我也是這么希望的。我教中文的工資實(shí)在是不多，總覺(jué)得錢(qián)不夠花。

LL: Well, I am very lucky to have my job at the architect's office. Right now, I am bringing in a good amount of bread.

LH: 你的錢(qián)都花在什么地方呢？

LL: Well, I spend a lot on monthly expenses, but I also try to save some bread every month and, if possible, invest it.

LH: 投資？看來(lái)你還挺有經(jīng)濟(jì)頭腦的，Larry.

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LL: Saving is important, Li Hua. I am trying to build a nest egg so that I can buy a house some day.

LH: 你要建一個(gè)窩里的蛋？(開(kāi)玩笑地說(shuō))那你什么時(shí)候變成小鳥(niǎo)??？

LL: (Laughs) No, no, Li Hua. A "Nest Egg" is a term for money put away in reserve for some special purpose - like getting married, buying a house, or retiring.

LH: 窩里的蛋怎么會(huì)指為結(jié)婚買(mǎi)房子存的錢(qián)呢？

LL: Well, as I understand it, a "nest egg" was originally a fake egg placed in a nest to attract birds to lay more eggs. By putting aside money as a nest egg, you hope it will grow and make more money.

LH: 噢，我明白了，窩里的蛋原來(lái)指的是假蛋，放在那里騙家禽多生蛋的，用來(lái)指錢(qián)，就好像是中文里說(shuō)的錢(qián)生錢(qián)的意思，放在銀行定期存款里就是個(gè)辦法。

LL: Yes, my parents have done this. But, they have also invested some of their nest egg in the stock market.

LH: 投資股市可有風(fēng)險(xiǎn)，我就聽(tīng)說(shuō)過(guò)很多老年人投資股市，結(jié)果賠得一干二凈。

LL: It can be, but my parents aren't investing in the stock market on their own. They have an investment company that is helping them manage their nest egg.

LH: 那就好，等我開(kāi)始在百貨商店打工了，I hope I'll have a nest egg, too.

LL: Well, I am building a nest egg to someday buy a house - What about you, Li Hua? What is your nest egg for?

LH: 我先得存點(diǎn)錢(qián)應(yīng)急，萬(wàn)一哪天車(chē)壞了或是生一場(chǎng)大病，手里有錢(qián)心里就踏實(shí)多了。

LL: That's a good plan. My older brother wants to build a nest egg for his children.

LH: Wait a minute, Larry. 你哥哥不是沒(méi)孩子嗎？

LL: You are right, Li Hua, but he has recently gotten married, and he and his wife want to have children. They will need to have a big nest egg for that!

LH: 是啊，養(yǎng)孩子真的需要很多錢(qián)，特別是大學(xué)學(xué)費(fèi)，做父母的確實(shí)需要提前做好準(zhǔn)備。

LL: Yes, they won't just need a chicken-sized nest egg - they'll need an ostrich-sized nest egg!

今天李華學(xué)到了兩個(gè)常用語(yǔ)。一個(gè)是bread, 指錢(qián)。另一個(gè)是nest egg, 是存下來(lái)的錢(qián)。