流行美语 第 49 课

在今天的对话中Michael 会教李华两个常用语：一个是under the weather，另一个
是to grab¹ a bite² to eat。

M: Hello?
L: 喂，Michael，你今天怎么了？我怎么在学校没看到你，打电话到你上班的地
方也没人接。你没事儿吧？
M: Oh, its nothing. I am just a little under the weather today, so I decided³ to take the
rest of the day off and really rest.
L: 什么？你说天气不好，所以你就请一天假。天气好好的吗，你干吗撒谎呢？
M: No no, I said "I am under the weather today". Under, U-N-D-E-R; The Weather,
W-E-A-T-H-E-R. Under the weather, it means⁴ sick.
L: 噢，under the weather 就是生病的意思啊，那你还不赶快看医生啊？
M: Oh, don't worry. It's not very serious. Usually when someone says that they are
under the weather, they mean they feel bad, but are not very sick.
L: 你的病不严重，那我就放心了。可是你为什么今天觉得under the weather 呢？
M: Last night I went out to eat with a friend. After dinner, it started to rain heavily⁵. We
didn't have umbrellas, and I had to walk to a long way back to my car in the rain. I
think I caught a cold, so now I feel under the weather.
L: 难怪了，你吃完饭就淋着雨走了那么长的路。哎呀，你以后可千万小心，万一
得了什么大病那该怎么办呢？
M: It's ok, Li Hua. I can take care of myself. That's why I am resting at home. That
reminds me, how is your mother doing? Didn't you say she was under the weather last
week?
L: 噢，我妈妈现在好多了。不过上星期可真把我们吓坏了。上星期一她突然说不
舒服，提前下班，第二天就开始咳嗽，浑身发软。
M: Oh no! You must have been worried she had SARS.
L: 没错，我家里人都担心她感染了萨斯。所以每个人都嚷着自己 under the
weather，不过啊，第二天我妈妈的情况好转，他们每个人也都觉得自己好了。
M: They were all thinking⁶ about SARS, so they also felt under the weather. In fact,
they were all ok.
L: 就是啊，他们觉得自己under the weather，我看纯粹是心理作用。
M: So why were you trying to call me at work today?
L: 我打电话想问问你今天晚上要不要一快去吃饭。
M: Well, I'd like to, but I really think I should stay at home tonight. Maybe this
weekend we can grab a bite to eat.
L: 你说我们这个周末吃什么？
M: I said we can "grab a bite to eat". Grab, G-R-A-B; a bite, B-I-T-E; to eat, E-A-T. It
means we can go out and have a quick meal somewhere this weekend.
L: 噢，grab a bite to eat 就是随便到那个餐馆吃一顿，对不对。
M: That's about right. To be exact⁷, it means to find some quick and simple food, like
fast food.
L: 啊？尤其指吃快餐啊，我可不想这样随便grab a bite to eat 。我想去个有气氛
的好餐馆。再说了，Michael，你也不应该老吃垃圾食物。
M: I know, I know. It's just that I often don't have a lot of time between classes and
work. So at lunchtime, I usually have to go to a fast food place and grab a bite to eat. I
don't have time to go anywhere else.
L: 如果你觉得中午时间很紧，那你就因该在家里把午饭准备好带到学校。你看，
你每天到外面grab a bite to eat，那样你的开销多大啊。
M: I don't always grab a bite to eat at fast food places. Sometimes I make lunch at
home. But it takes a lot of time in the evening, and sometimes I am busy then, too.
L: Michael，你真是太不会照顾自己了，冒着雨乱跑，整天吃垃圾食品，难怪你会
under the weather，以后你真的要好好照顾自己呢。

今天Michael 身体有点不舒服，就是under the weather:Michael 约李华等他身体好
了一起去grab a bite to eat，也就是随便到外面吃点快餐。

1 grab   

vt./n.攫取，抓取；vi.攫取，抓住(at)

参考例句：

• It is rude to grab a seat.抢占座位是不礼貌的。
• The thief made a grab at my bag but I pushed him away.贼想抢我的手提包，但被我推开了。

2 bite   

n.咬，咬伤，一口，刺痛；（= byte）字节，位组，二进位组，信息组；v.咬，刺痛

参考例句：

• The dog may bite at you.狗会咬你的。
• Let me have a bite.让我咬一口。

3 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

4 means   

n.方法，手段，折中点，物质财富

参考例句：

• That man used artful means to find out secrets.那人使用狡猾的手段获取机密。
• We must get it done by some means or other.我们总得想办法把它干完。

5 heavily   

adv.猛烈地；大量地；厉害地

参考例句：

• They fined him heavily.他们重罚了他。
• It snowed heavily last night.昨夜的雪下得很大。

6 thinking   

n.思考，思想；adj.思考的，有理性的；vbl.想，思考

参考例句：

• All thinking men will protest against it.凡是有思想的人都会抗议这件事。
• Thinking is mainly performed with words and other symbols.思想主要是用言语和其他符号来表达的。

7 exact   

adj.确切的，正确的；准确的，精确的；vt.强要，强求；急需，需要

参考例句：

• I need to know the exact size.我需要知道确切的尺寸。
• Do you know the exact date?你知道确切日期吗？