流行美语 第118课 - flunk / lose sleep over

李华正在家里批改中文班学生的考卷。Larry来找他。今天李华会学到两个常用语：flunk¹和lose sleep over.

(Paper rustling² sounds)

LH: (sighs) 唉，这两个学生又不及格了。这学期他们已经是第三次考试不及格了！

LL: What? You're flunking³ them? I thought I told you to go easy on your poor students.

LH: 你在说什么啊？flunk them? 什么是flunk?

LL: I said you are going to flunk the students. That means you're going to give them a failing grade.

LH: 噢！flunk就是给他们不及格分数啊，那你还真说对了。你看看他们的考卷！这能及格吗？

LL: Heh, let me see... whoa, that guy even wrote his own Chinese name wrong! If he can't even get that right, he's almost definitely going to flunk!

LH: 就是嘛！连自己的中文名都写错。我只能给他不及格了。等等，Larry，你先是说我flunk这些学生，给他们不及格，现在又说他们自己要flunk。这到底是谁要flunk谁啊？

LL: The word flunk can mean both "to give a failing grade to" as well as "to fail a course". So if you flunk that student, he will flunk the class. Got it?

LH: 噢，我懂了，flunk既可以指给学生不及格的分数，也可以指学生自己考不及格。那Larry, 你是不是也有过不及格的时候啊？

LL: What? No way! ...well, almost. Actually, I almost flunked⁴ my first beginner's Chinese class. But I managed to pass with a C.

LH: 我的天啊！只拿到C？你啊！八成和我这些学生一样懒散，不认真。我要是你的中文老师，绝对让你不及格的！

LL: Hey, I did my best! My first Chinese teacher even tutored me on her own free time. If it weren't for her, I would have flunked!

LH: 嗯，那是你运气，老师愿意帮你补课。我也愿意帮这些学生补习，可是他们经常连课都不来上，我能怎么办？

LL: They don't come to class? What a couple of idiots. Well, go ahead and flunk them, then.

******

LH: (Sighs) 唉！我真不知道该怎么处理那两个学生的成绩。

LL: Yeah, I'd go ahead and just flunk them. Don't lose any sleep over it, they deserve it.

LH: 你要我别怎么样？睡不着觉？你在说些什么啊？

LL: When I say lose sleep over something, I mean not to worry about it a lot.

LH: 噢，你这么说我就懂了。Lose sleep over something就是说你非常担心某件事情，而到了睡不着觉的地步。Larry，你真以为我会为这两个学生担心到失眠呐？

LL: Of course not. When we use this phrase, we are just exaggerating. I know you won't really lose sleep over something like this.

LH: 原来lose sleep over是有点夸张的说法。我虽然还不到失眠的程度。可是有时候我真觉得当一个老师压力好大，有好多责任呢！

LL: Most of your students seem to be doing pretty well, right? You aren't losing any sleep over the other students, are you?

LH: 没有！我有一些学生非常聪明，也很用功。

LL: That's good. That means the other two students are just irresponsible. There's no need to lose sleep over them failing your class.

LH: 对了，就这两个学生有问题。他们不及格也是他们自己的责任。Larry, 我听说你前几天回绝了一个工作机会。怎么回事呀？

LL: That? Oh, I'm not losing any sleep over that decision. I just don't have time for that job, I had no other choice.

LH: 没事就好。时间太紧张就别再给自己增加负担，读书还是比较重要的。

LL: That's right. I'd rather have a low income than flunk a class. That's the kind of thing I could really lose sleep over!

LH: 我真希望我所有的学生都像你一样，宁可钱少，也不能不及格。

今天李华学到两个常用语。第一个是flunk，意思是老师给学生不及格分数，或是学生考不及格。另外一个常用语是lose sleep over something, 是为某件事担心而到了失眠的地步。

1 flunk   

v.(考试)不及格(=fail)

参考例句：

• I will flunk him if my student doesn't learn the material in the course.如果我的学生没有掌握课程的内容，我就会让他不及格。
• If you flunk finals,you don't get the chance to do them again.如果你没通过期末考试，就没有机会再考一次了。

2 rustling   

n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的

参考例句：

• the sound of the trees rustling in the breeze 树木在微风中发出的沙沙声
• the soft rustling of leaves 树叶柔和的沙沙声

3 flunking   

v.( flunk的现在分词 )；（使）（考试、某学科的成绩等）不及格；评定（某人）不及格；（因不及格而） 退学

参考例句：

• Is there some school of the ear I'm flunking out off right now? 我是不是被什么听力学校淘汰了？ 来自电影对白
• Twelve freshman footballers were flunking classes and had to leave. 当时有12名高中一年级的美式足球（即橄榄球）队员没有通过考试而不得不离开。 来自互联网

4 flunked   

v.( flunk的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）（考试、某学科的成绩等）不及格；评定（某人）不及格；（因不及格而） 退学

参考例句：

• I flunked math in second grade. 我二年级时数学不及格。
• He flunked out (of college) last year. 他去年（从大学）退学了。 来自《简明英汉词典》