美國流行口語 第153課

今天李華和 Larry 在紐約市中央公園附近散步．路邊有許多小販在賣仿名牌的手提包和圍巾等東西．今天李華會學到兩個常用語： knock-off 和 running on empty.
LL: Li Hua, don't bother buying any of those. They're just cheap knock-offs.
LH: 可是這個手提包真漂亮吔！你看，上面還有名牌古姿的標記呢！你說這些都是便宜的 knock-offs．是不是說它們都不是真貨啊？
LL: Yeah. A "knock-off" is a fake¹ or imitation² of the real thing.
LH: 你瞧．我一猜啊就猜對了， knock-off 就是指假的、仿冒的東西．這些皮包當然不可能是真的啦！一個真的古姿皮包啊可是要上百美元呢！我根本就買不起！
LL: Well, if you can't afford the real thing, why would you want to buy a cheap knock-off?
LH: 買不起真貨的人才會買假冒品嘛！有的假冒品做的非常好，你不仔細看還分不出是真是假呢！你看，這個皮包啊還是很漂亮，而且也很實用呢！
LL: Well, it's your decision whether you want to buy a knock-off.
LH: 我很喜歡這個皮包．不過啊，我現在還不需要．算了吧！我想啊還是別買了。
LL: Hey, look that vendor³ is selling knock-offs of famous paintings. Some of them are pretty good.
LH: 真的吔！這些仿冒的藝術畫看起來和真品一樣，模仿得真像吔！不知道是不是那個賣畫的人自己畫的哦。
LL: It's possible. He might be an art student and practices his skill by making knock-offs of famous masterpieces.
LH: 在中國啊，也有很多學藝術專業的學生，他們會臨摹一些名畫，順便呢練習自己的繪畫技巧．所以你經常可以找到一些假的中國名畫呢。
LL: I know. When I was in China, I bought several and brought them back to my friends as gifts.
LH: 哦～，你在中國買這樣的仿冒品帶回來送人啊？不過啊很多美國人都不太懂中國的畫，說不定他們還以為你送給他們的是真品呢！
LL: The important thing is not whether the paintings were knock-offs but rather that they made my friends happy.
…………………………………………………………
LL: Wow, Li Hua. I'm really running on empty. Do you mind if we go back home now?
LH: Running-on-empty？什麼是 "running on empty" ？ 你不舒服，想回家啦？
LL: No, "running on empty" means that I'm exhausted⁴ and I don't have any energy. I feel like a car whose gas tank is empty.
LH: 哦～，你用汽車沒有油來比喻啊，我就知道了． Running on empty 就是很累、一點勁兒都沒有了．或許我們可以找點東西吃啊．你可以補充一下體力。
LL: That might help a little, but I really need to go home and get some rest.
LH: 對喔，你前兩天感冒才剛好，所以才會覺得 running on empty．好吧，那我們就買點東西吃．休息一下，然後就回家。
LL: That sounds like a good idea to me. When I'm running on empty, food and sleep are always the best remedies.
LH: 我也是呀！我啊只要一累，只要吃飽睡足了，馬上啊就能夠恢復體力了．我們這兩天啊都夠忙的．真是應該好好休息一下喔。
LL: It's kind of difficult to enjoy the park when you're running on empty.
LH: 沒錯．人一累啊，再好玩的事兒都提不起勁了。
LL: Hopefully, by tomorrow, I won't be running on empty anymore and we can enjoy a nice walk in the park.
LH: 今天你回家好好睡一覺，多吃一點有營養的東西，我保證啊你明天就會有精神了．如果你還想來公園散步，我一定奉陪！好，走吧！
 
　　今天李華學到了兩個常用語．第一個是： knock-off，是指“假的、仿冒的東西”．另一個常用語是： running on empty，是形容一個人“很累、體力不足”。

 

1 fake   

vt.伪造，造假，假装；n.假货，赝品

参考例句：

• He can tell a fake from the original.他能分辨出赝品和真品。
• You can easily fake up an excuse to avoid going out with him.你可以很容易地编造一个借口而不与他一同外出。

2 imitation   

n.模仿；仿制，仿制品；赝品

参考例句：

• It's not real leather;it's only an imitation.那不是真皮，只不过是仿制品。
• Young children learn how to speak by imitation.儿童通过模仿学说话。

3 vendor   

n.卖主；小贩

参考例句：

• She looked at the vendor who cheated her the other day with distaste.她厌恶地望着那个前几天曾经欺骗过她的小贩。
• He must inform the vendor immediately.他必须立即通知卖方。

4 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。