流行美语 (Popular American) 306

李华来到Larry的公寓，两人一起吃晚饭。今天我们要学两个常用语： out of whack¹和such a wreck².

LL: -Achoo- I have been sneezing all day.

LH: 你没生病吧？

LL: No, I don't think I'm sick. I think I have allergies³. All the pollen⁴ in the air has got me feeling really out of whack.

LH: Out of whack? 你是说自己不舒服吗？

LL: Yes, Li Hua, out of whack means that I feel somewhat unwell, but it does not necessarily mean I feel sick. Out of whack means feeling not quite right.

LH: 这么说，上星期我眼镜找不到了，看东西模模糊糊的，就可以说 I felt out of whack?

LL: Yes, you very well may have been feeling out of whack. - Achoo-

LH: 你没完没了地打喷嚏，为什么不吃点儿治过敏的药呢？

LL: I hate taking those medicines. They always leave me feeling out of whack. I feel like I cannot even string together a thought when I take them.

LH: 没错，我也不喜欢吃治过敏的药，会觉得昏昏欲睡，所以我宁可象你一样，没完没了地打喷嚏。

LL: That makes sense. What would you like to have for dinner, Li Hua?

LH: 我找到了一个鱼香茄子的菜谱，好象不错，要不咱们试试看？

LL: That sounds great, let's take a look at it.

LH: 在我电子邮件信箱里，我得上网打印出来。

LL: Go right ahead.

LH: Hmmm. Larry, 你来看看，怎么印不出来啊？

LL: It looks like the printer is out of whack.

LH: 打印机也会不舒服，out of whack?

LL: Yes, in addition to a person feeling out of whack, a machine can also be out of whack. This means that the machine is not working properly.

LH: 太糟糕了，打印机坏了，那菜谱印不出来怎么办？

LL: How about you just read out the ingredients from the computer. That way we don't need to print anything. We will even save some paper.

LH: 只好这样了。那你听好了，我们需要茄子一个、肉馅半磅、还有，葱、姜、蒜....

******

酒足饭饱，Larry还在回味鱼香茄子的美味。

LL: Mmm, that was a delicious dish Li Hua, thank you for finding it.

LH: 一点儿也不费事，只要你喜欢吃就好。

LL: That was really good. Did you have enough to eat?

LH: 我都快撑死了。你还要吗？

LL: No, thank you, I can't eat another bite. I guess I should clean up. This kitchen is such a wreck.

LH: A wreck? 是什么意思啊？

LL: "What a wreck", means it is a complete mess.

LH: 我明白了，what a wreck就是乱七八糟的意思。那这么说，your apartment is often a wreck. 你的公寓永远都是a wreck.

LL: Yes, Li Hua, that is true, my apartment does often need cleaning, but I do try to keep it from becoming a total wreck.

LH: 可以理解，一忙起来就顾不上收拾房间了，我那儿可能还不如你了，我最近都不敢让朋友去。

LL: When you are busy it is very easy for your home to become a wreck.

LH: 没错。

LL: You should see my desk after I've just worked on a large new project. It is a huge wreck.

LH: 这我相信，那你不忙的时候，办公桌上是不是特别干净整齐？

LL: Well, no I can't say it is much better most of the time.

LH: 跟你公寓现在的样子差不多。

LL: Ouch! It's not that bad in here, Li hua, though I do admit it could use a good cleaning.

LH: 别当真，我跟你开玩笑呢！说真的，我的公寓现在才是a bit of a wreck.

LL: With all the papers you have been writing lately, I am not surprised that you have not had much time to clean up.

LH: Larry, 咱俩互助怎么样？现在我帮你整理房间，正好活动活动，消消食，明天你来我家，帮我打扫。

LL: That sounds like a great idea.

今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是out of whack，意思是身体不舒服，或者是说什么东西坏了。另一个是such a wreck，意思是乱七八糟。

1 whack   

v.敲击，重打，瓜分；n.重击，重打，尝试，一份

参考例句：

• After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食，卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
• He gave me a whack on the back to wake me up.他为把我弄醒，在我背上猛拍一下。

2 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

3 allergies   

n.[医]过敏症；[口]厌恶，反感；（对食物、花粉、虫咬等的）过敏症( allergy的名词复数 )；变态反应，变应性

参考例句：

• Food allergies can result in an enormous variety of different symptoms. 食物过敏会引发很多不同的症状。 来自辞典例句
• Let us, however, examine one of the most common allergies; hayfever. 现在让我们来看看最常见的变态反应的一种--枯草热。 来自辞典例句

4 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。