美国之音《流行美语》 361

　　Larry准备参加马拉松比赛，李华在帮他进行赛前训练。他们会用到两个常用语：on the dot¹和get a taste of one's own medicine
LH: Larry, 加油，就剩500米了！冲刺冲刺! 好..！
Larry: (Out of breath) How...did... I do?
LH: 成绩不错，但还是没进15分钟。
Larry: (Still a bit out of breath) Let me see that watch...Hey, this isn't above 15 minutes... this is 15 minutes on the dot!
LH: Dot? 点点？这个秒表是新的，上面什么都没有啊!
Larry: No, no. The watch is fine. I'm talking about the time. Look...it says 15:00. Exactly fifteen minutes...Fifteen minutes on the dot.
LH: 哦， on the dot就是“正好”的意思。你是说，你刚才的成绩是正好15分钟。可是Larry，我的意思是，你还是没有冲破15分这个关口。这样你下个月参加比赛时，名次是不会理想的!
Larry: I know, I know... wait a minute. Next month? I thought I had way more time to prepare than that!
LH: 啊？你忘啦？距离比赛还有整整一个月，30 days on the dot!
Larry: Well, at least I'm making progress...fifteen minutes is my best time so far. I think I'm done running for today. It's 5pm on the dot.
LH: 好吧，那今天就练到这儿吧。天儿也够热的，今天是35 degrees on the dot，35度呢!
Larry: Well, when you're running, it feels more like 40 degrees on the dot!
LH: 不过回家前，你还得做30个仰卧起坐。
Larry: You sure are a strict coach...how do you know so much about training?
LH: (得意地)我高中是田径队的，教练特严格，我都是跟他学的!严师出高徒嘛!
Larry: Oh really?? (pauses for a moment as if hatching² a plan) You know, Li Hua, there's a couple's race as well on race day. I think you and I should be a team!
LH: 双人跑？ 我也参加？那可不行，我整整10年没跑步了!10 years on the dot!
Larry: Hey, you've been making me run all over this track³ for the past week; I think it's only fair that you got to taste of your own medicine.
LH: 什么，taste of my own medicine? 我的药的味道？
Larry: Actually, you've been working me so hard, but now it's time for you to go through the same ordeal⁴ that you had put me through. In other words, you're getting a taste of your own medicine.
LH: 我明白了，get a taste of my own medicine就是自食苦果。你是说，这几天我逼你练得那么辛苦，现在你也要让我尝尝同样的滋味。
Larry: Right! Let's start early tomorrow...be here at 7 am on the dot. I can't wait to give you a taste of your own medicine!
******
第二天，Larry和李华开始了训练。
Larry: Come on, Lihua, just 500 more meters! Pick up your speed! And...you're done!
LH: (Out of breath) 时间怎么样？
Larry: Eighteen minutes.
LH: 啊？这么慢？ 18 minutes on the dot? 正好18分么？
Larry: No, not on the dot. More like 18 minutes and 16 seconds...
LH: 我要累死了，不练了不练了!
Larry: Now you know how it feels to taste some of your own medicine!
LH: 是啊，现在我体会到你的辛苦了。我真不该对你那么严格。
Larry: Good! Well, I guess I can tell you now...there's no couple's race.
LH: 根本就没有什么双人跑？!
Larry: Yeah, you were pushing me so hard...I just wanted you to get a taste of your own medicine.
LH: 为了让我自食苦果，你就用这招骗我？!哎呀，糟糕，刚才跑得太快，你妈妈送我的那条项链不知道什么时候掉了。
Larry: My mother's necklace?? That's been in my family for 100 years on the dot! Why did you wear that on a run?
LH: 哈! 你着急了吧! 项链就在我包里!怎么样， you just got a taste of your own medicine，你也知道被骗的滋味不好受了吧!
Larry: Indeed⁵...
今天李华学了两个常用语。一个是on the dot，表示“正好，精确地”。另一是get a taste of one's own medicine, 意思是“自食苦果”。

1 dot   

n.小点，小圆点；vt.加上小点，散布于，点缀

参考例句：

• The plane was just a dot in the sky.飞机当时只是天空中的一个小点。
• Flowers dot about our school.我们学校里到处点缀着鲜花。

2 hatching   

阴影，影线

参考例句：

• The government are hatching out a new plan to deal with rising prices. 政府正在制订一个对付物价上涨的新方案。
• But hatching time was drawing closer every day. 但是“收蚕”的时期一天一天逼进了。 来自汉英文学 - 春蚕

3 track   

n.轨道；足迹；痕迹；磁轨；途径；vt.循路而行；追踪；通过；用纤拉；vi.追踪

参考例句：

• The new race track is nearly six miles in extent.这条新跑道将近六英里长。
• The police are on his track.警察在跟踪他。

4 ordeal   

n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验

参考例句：

• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。
• Being lost in the wilderness for a week was an ordeal for me.在荒野里迷路一星期对我来说真是一场磨难。

5 indeed   

adv.真正地，实际上；确实，实在；当然，固然；甚至；真的

参考例句：

• I thank you very much indeed for this interview.我十分感谢您这次接见。
• I didn't mind.Indeed,I was pleased.我不在意，甚至还很高兴。