流行美语 (Popular American) 271

Larry跟李华一起吃中饭，他发现李华心情很糟糕。李华今天要学两个常用语，glum¹和chum.

LL: Hey, Li Hua. You haven't eaten any of your food. Why so glum?

LH: 如果你说的glum, 是沮丧的意思，那没错，我这两天心情确实很糟糕。

LL: Yes, glum means sad. So, what's wrong?

LH: 我上星期去面试，本来以为那家公司肯定会要我，结果他们却选择了别人，害得我这两天一点儿食欲也没有。 Glum可以用来形容我现在的情况吗？

LL: Yes, but I'm sorry to hear that you didn't get the job. We use the word 'glum' when we are sad and disappointed about something, but not something extremely serious, such as a death in the family.

LH: 我知道了，glum是用来形容情绪低落或是失望，但如果是特别严重的事情，就不能用glum了。这两天烦心事太多，老天爷也不帮忙，连着这么多天的阴雨天气。

LL: Don't worry - this will all pass eventually. Everybody gets glum at times.

LH: 你呢Larry? 有什么事会让你心烦意乱吗？

LL: Well, rainy days can definitely have an effect on me, but I'd have to say that beating the gloominess is more important than what makes me feel glum.

LH: 要想换个好心情可没那么容易，有人吃东西会感觉好起来，可是食物对我不起作用。

LL: Well, a lot of times, people resort to things or people they can count on when they're glum. For instance, I take a walk and listen to my favorite music, but I do this on my own. Others prefer to confide² in friends and family.

LH: 我就是；我往往会向朋友倾诉，或是看电视转移一下注意力，不过你说的出去走走，听听音乐好像也不错，而且还可以锻炼身体。

LL: That's true! I never thought of that! Maybe I should run and listen to music the next time I'm glum.

LH: (Laughing)只要能让心情好起来就行！跟你说说我感觉好多了，胃口也好起来了。不好，这饭菜都凉了，我得让他们帮我热热。(To waiter) Excuse me - do you mind heating this up for me? Thanks!

******

LH: 我以前听别人说，"Why so glum, chum." 就是问别人为什么看上去心情很不好的意思吧？

LL: Oh yes! We use that when we are asking a friend, 'hey, what's wrong.' 'Chum' means 'friend' or 'buddy,' especially when one male is speaking to another male. It's very informal.

LH: 哦，一般是男孩子之间说的，chum就是哥们儿，兄弟的意思。

LL: We say it this way because it rhymes, and it's intended to cheer people up!

LH: Why so glum, chum. 确实押韵。你知道吗Larry, 我真的很喜欢这次没有被录用的那份工作，我事先准备了好几个小时呢。

LL: So tell me what went wrong. Maybe if we talk about it you won't be so glum.

LH: 我当时特别紧张，可能是话太多了。我到得很准时，还带去了自己的简历和推荐信，现在回想起来，可能是显得太想得到那份工作了。

LL: Were you friendly with the people who were interviewing you? Were you all 'chummy' with them?

LH: 我跟他们很客气。你说的"chummy"是拉近乎的意思吗？

LL: Yes. It depends. Some interviewers like that, and others don't. A lot of it can depend on personality.

LH: 那Larry, 我们一起吃午饭，你帮我排解郁闷的心情，那咱们俩儿算不算是"acting³ chummy"呢？

LL: Good question. Since we are already friends, our friendliness⁴ comes naturally. Being 'chummy' is somewhat artificial, because it's between two people who don't know each other that well. So, we're not being 'chummy.'

LH: 所以说chummy是指本来不熟的人，好像显得关系很好，那用在咱们这种老朋友的身上，就不合适了。

LL: That's right. So, did you act chummy with the interviewer?

LH: 要这么说，我跟面试的人还真没有acting chummy. 我没有象老朋友那样，把自己的事情告诉他。Actually, he looked quite glum.

LL: It's a good thing you didn't say, 'why so glum, chum?' I don't think that would have helped you get the job!

LH: (Laughing)没错！你可真厉害，Larry, 被你这么一说，我的胃口马上就好起来了。我真得好好谢谢你！

今天李华学到了两个常用语。一个是glum, 指情绪低落。另一个是chum, 指好朋友。
 

1 glum   

adj.闷闷不乐的，阴郁的

参考例句：

• He was a charming mixture of glum and glee.他是一个很有魅力的人，时而忧伤时而欢笑。
• She laughed at his glum face.她嘲笑他闷闷不乐的脸。

2 confide   

v.向某人吐露秘密

参考例句：

• I would never readily confide in anybody.我从不轻易向人吐露秘密。
• He is going to confide the secrets of his heart to us.他将向我们吐露他心里的秘密。

3 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

4 friendliness   

n.友谊，亲切，亲密

参考例句：

• Behind the mask of friendliness,I know he really dislikes me.在友善的面具后面，我知道他其实并不喜欢我。
• His manner was a blend of friendliness and respect.他的态度友善且毕恭毕敬。