流行美语 第 50 课

piece of junk¹
cheap
今天李华到Michael 家里借用他的电脑。李华会学到了两个新词儿：piece of junk
和cheap。

M: Ok Li Hua, let me see if I can find that webpage for you.
L: Wow, 你的电脑上网真够慢的, 不知道是哪儿出问题了。
M: Actually, it's not the Internet connection, it is my computer. Its an old piece of junk
and it is very very slow.
L: 它是一片什么啊？你的电脑出什么问题啦？
M: I said it's a "piece of junk". Piece, P-I-E-C-E; of junk. J-U-N-K. A piece of junk is
something that is old and broken, or just doesn't work well.
L: 噢！我想起来了，junk 就是你要丢掉的废物，像是旧的车胎或破烂的自行车。
M: That's right. In fact, I'd say my car is a piece of junk too. It's ten years old, it doesn't
start half the time, and pieces are always falling off of it.
L: 你的车可不是一堆破烂呢。你倒是应该好好保养它。我叔叔在中国有辆用了二
十多年的旧车，到现在还不是走得挺好的。
M: Well, some older cars are more simple in design, and easier to fix. It is hard to find
parts for my car, and it isn't really worth the cost to fix it.
L: 嗯，那倒是。现在好些东西过几年之后就变成废物了，就好像我的'随身听'一
样。
M: Your walkman is a piece of junk? I've had a Sony walkman for ten years, and it still
works well!
L: 我的那一台可真的不行了，现在一动也不动；有的时候还把我的录音带给弄坏
了。我真是应该买个新的了。
M: Yes, you probably should. If it damages your tapes, it's not worth using.
L: 别管我的了，你的电脑该怎么办？为什么不去买个新的来呢？像你这样的学生
可得有台好电脑才行啊。
M: I might. Hey, wait a minute! What would I do with my old piece of junk computer?
Maybe give it to a certain friend of mine?
L: 嘿，我可没那么说，不过要是还能用的话，我倒乐于拿走，也许我还可以用它
来做功课。
L: 哎，Michael, 现在你不想换电脑了是不是？
M: Well, I could, but I am also too cheap to spend money to buy a new one.
L: 等等，你说你是便宜的？我以为只能说东西是便宜的，你是不是说你太穷了
啊？
M: No no, that's not what I mean, even though that is true. When I say that a person is
cheap, that means² that they always try to avoid spending money, or always buy the
least expensive thing they can find.
L: 噢，原来说一个人cheap 就是说他很抠啊。嘿，那我还真得说你是够cheap 的
了。Michael, 你就是那种在餐馆里为了省一两块钱只叫杯白水当饮料的人。
M: What? You are calling me cheap!
L: 怎么了？这句话冒犯你了吗？
M: Oh, sorry. I should have told you: it is not very nice to call a person cheap. It also
means that someone is not generous³, or doesn't understand quality.
L: 噢，原来cheap 还有爱捡便宜的意思。难怪你不喜欢被人说 cheap。
M: Anyway, I could say you are cheap, because you always use old things that other
people give you. Like your bicycle, or that watch you have..
L: 可是，单单因为我不肯花钱，并不表示我就cheap 啊。我只是个穷学生嘛。
M: Yeah, I shouldn't say you are cheap, that's not very nice. My roommate is really
cheap, though. Nobody likes to go out to eat with him.
L: 真的吗？他怎么啦？
M: Well, if three or four of us order a pizza together, he always adds up exactly how
much each person owes⁴. He counts every cent!
L: 哇，那他也真够呛的，算那么清楚啊。
M: And he also never gives a full tip to restaurant waiters. He always gives them a
little bit less than he should.
L: 他不肯给服务员该给的小费？我想我从这家伙身上了解到cheap 的含义了。

今天李华从 Michael 那儿学到了两个新词儿。Piece of junk 就是指没用的废物；
cheap 在这里指小气、不肯花钱。

1 junk   

n.废弃的旧物；破烂物

参考例句：

• I bought this old table in a junk shop.我在旧货店里买了这张旧桌子。
• They cleared out the junk room to make a tiny beds.他们将废品间清理用作小卧室。

2 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。

3 generous   

adj.慷慨的，大方的，慷慨给予的

参考例句：

• She was kind and generous.她心地善良，宽容大量。
• She was generous with her money.她很乐于仗义疏财。

4 owes   

v.亏欠，负债，感恩；感激( owe的第三人称单数 )；应把…归功于；欠…债；（对位高权重者）忠诚

参考例句：

• He owes a lot of money to Mr. Smith. 他欠史密斯先生许多钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》