流行美语 (Popular American) 259

李华在帮彼得森教授看孩子。她急着打电话给Larry求助。李华今天要学两个常用语，pee and poo和handful¹.

LH: Hi, Larry, this is Li Hua. 你能告诉我pee and poo是什么意思吗？

LL: Sure, Li Hua, but first you have to tell me why you need to know what pee and poo means.

LH: 我今天帮彼得森教授看孩子。他一直跟我说I need to pee and poo, 可我又不懂是什么意思。

LL: (Laughs) I remember Professor Jones' little boy - his name is Scottie, right? What Scottie is trying to tell you by saying he needs to pee and poo', Li Hua, is that he needs to go to the bathroom.

LH: 哦，原来Scottie是要上厕所啊！你等一下，我马上带他去。

LL: It's no problem, Li Hua. Scottie is only two years old, and he may need some help going pee and poo.

(Flushing² sound)

LH: 好了！原来pee是上小号，poo是上大号的意思啊。没想到，我今天跟个两岁的小孩学了个新词。

LL: Scottie is a very good teacher, isn't he? I have to tell you, Li Hua, dealing³ with pee and poo is one of the reasons I don't want to have children.

LH: 就因为小孩要pee and poo, 你就不想要小孩？等你有了自己的孩子，可能就不会嫌小孩子pee and poo恶心了。

LL: That may be so, but I think I'll just settle for a dog instead.

LH: 养狗？可是狗也要pee and poo啊。

LL: But a dog goes pee and poo outside. It seems a lot easier to deal with than changing diapers.

LH: 即使是在户外，你不是也得把狗的poo收拾干净吗？否则邻居一定会对你有意见的。

LL: Then maybe I'll just have house plants. They don't pee or poo.

******

(Child's laughter and flushing sounds)

LL: It sounds like Scottie might be playing with the toilet, Li Hua. Boy, little Scottie is a real handful, isn't he?

LH: Scottie确实是在玩抽水马桶。不过，他可不是一只手就能抱起来的。他已经两岁多了。我两只手抱他都费劲。

LL: By saying Scottie is a handful, I wasn't talking about his size. I meant that he was behaving in a way that is wild and hard to handle and that he is keeping you very busy.

LH: 噢，你是说Scottie调皮啊。哎，你再等一下，我得去制止Scottie. (To Scottie) Come on, Scottie, let go watch some cartoons. (To Larry) 好了，卡通片肯定能让他安静一会。

LL: So, has Scottie been a handful all day, Li Hua? It sounds like babysitting him has been a lot of work.

LH: 确实挺累的。不过两岁的孩子可能都是handfuls⁴, 他们刚学会走路，对什么都好奇，但是又分不清对错。

LL: So, you are saying you don't think Scottie is any more of a handful than any other two-year-old.

LH: That's right, Larry. 我敢打赌，你小的时候一定也很淘气。

LL: Yeah, my mom tells all sorts of stories about how I was a real handful when I was little boy.

LH: 我能想象你小时候调皮的样子。你都干过什么坏事啊？

LL: Well, my mom tells me that once I got out a box of crayons and drew a rainbow on the wall of our kitchen. Then there was the time I brought a frog with me into bed.

LH: 你用蜡笔在厨房的墙上画彩虹？还把青蛙带上床？You really were a handful, Larry.

LL: Okay, I've admitted I was a handful when I was a kid. Now, what about you Li Hua?

LH: 我？我妈说我小时候可乖了。I was never a handful.

LL: I should have known! (More children's laughter) Hey, what is the little handful doing now?

LH: Uh-oh! Scottie拿着厕所里的手纸在客厅里到处跑，现在满地都是手纸。我得赶紧去收拾，不能跟你讲电话了。

LL: Well, Li Hua, you better go and deal with Scottie. What a handful! Talk to you later!

天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是pee and poo, 指小孩子上厕所。另一个是handful, 是指小孩子很淘气。
 

1 handful   

n.一把；少量，少数，一小撮

参考例句：

• We invited 30 people, but only a handful came.我们邀请了30人，但是只到了几个人。
• He pulled out a handful of coins from his pocket.他从口袋里掏出一把硬币。

2 flushing   

脸红

参考例句：

• The police succeeded in flushing the criminal from their secret meeting place. 警察成功地把这名罪犯从秘密据点赶出来。
• He turned away embarrassed, his face flushing red. 他难为情地扭过头去，羞红了脸。

3 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

4 handfuls   

一把（的量）( handful的名词复数 )； 用手抓起的数量； 少数人（或事物）； 难以控制的人（或动物）

参考例句：

• We shall take part in it as handfuls of dust and splinters of bone. 我们将是作为一撮尘土，几根枯骨参加将来的生活。 来自英汉文学
• He reached gloomily into one of his trees and picked handfuls of fruit. 他闷闷不乐地把手伸到一棵树上，摘下一把水果来。