流行美语 第 91 课

期终考试今天全部结束，Larry 和Li Hua 准备开个party 来庆祝一番。Li Hua 会学
到两个常用语：without a hitch¹ 和chow down。
(household utensil² noise)

LH: Larry, 你看我们准备的东西够不够啊？这是我第一次请朋友来开party，要是
东西不够吃，那就糟糕啦！
LL: Calm down, Li Hua. I'm sure the party will go off without a hitch.
LH: 你说我们的party 会怎么样 - without a hitch - 那是什么意思啊？
LL: Oh, if something "goes without a hitch", it means that everything goes smoothly
and nothing will go wrong.
LH: 对，hitch 这个字也可以解释为"障碍"，那something goes without a hitch, 就
是"进展顺利"。
LH: Larry，你的意思就是我们的party will go off without a hitch，肯定能办好，不
会有问题...那我可不可以说：There won't be any "hitches"？
LL: No, No, Li Hua, you can't use it that way. You can only say that something "goes
without a hitch." This is an idiomatic³ expression. You can't generally substitute the
word "hitch" for "problem."
LH: 啊，原来something "goes without a hitch"是一个习惯用语，不能把hitch 和
problem 两个交替来使用。那想说什么事一帆风顺，我们就只能说：什么事情goes
without a hitch.
LL: Okay, Li Hua, now that you understand the phrase, can you give me an example?
LH: 我来想一想。有了。最近这次考试我觉得我考得不错 - My exams went without
a hitch.
LL: I wish I were as confident as you are. Now, can you give me another example of
how to use "without a hitch"?
LH: 嗯...我最近申请了暑期里到一个公司去工作。他们约我上星期去面谈。我觉
得那个面谈进行得挺顺利的，所以 - It went off without a hitch.
LL: Hey congratulations!
LH: Thank you, Larry. 哎哟，我们赶快准备吧。客人马上就要到了！
* *****
(party SFX)
LL: See, everybody is enjoying the party, I told you it would be fine.
LH: 嗯，大家好象都玩得挺开心。我原来还担心吃的不够呢，现在看来说不定还
做多了！
LL: I don't know about that. Some people are really chowing down. Hey, look at Jim,
he's eating one hot dog after another!
LH: 就是啊，我也注意到Jim 挺喜欢吃热狗的，可是你说什么？这儿有的人是在
chowing down? 什么是chow down 啊？
LL: Well, "chow" is slang for "food" and to chow down is to eat a lot and to do it
enthusiastically.
LH: 噢，chow 这个字在口语里可以表示"食物"。那么chow down 就是"吃得很多，
而且还兴致勃勃的"。那不就有点儿像我们中文里说的"狼吞虎咽"吗？
LL: Yep. Look, Jim has finished his hot dog. He's now moved on to eating a piece of
cake. He's definitely chowing down. He acts as though he hasn't eaten in days.
LH: 对，Jim 他刚吃完热狗，现在又在吃蛋糕了 - He is really chowing down. 好象
几天没吃饭一样的。哎，对了，Larry, 这也说明我们准备的东西受欢迎哪！
LL: That's right! See, Li Hua, I told you that the party will go off without a hitch.
LH: 哎，Larry, 说了这么半天了，你都吃什么啦？
LL: What have I chowed down? Well, I have been busy helping⁴ you and haven't got
time to eat yet.
LH: 哎哟，真是抱歉，你光顾着帮我招待客人，自己都还没顾上吃呢！
LL: That's OK. I think we should chow down now before all of the good stuff is gone!
LH: 好啊，那我们赶紧开吃吧，要不然好东西都没了！

今天李华从Larry 那儿学到两个常用语。一个是without a hitch, 表示事情"进展顺
利"。另外一个是chow down, 相当于中文里所说的"狼吞虎咽"。

1 hitch   

v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉

参考例句：

• They had an eighty-mile journey and decided to hitch hike.他们要走80英里的路程，最后决定搭便车。
• All the candidates are able to answer the questions without any hitch.所有报考者都能对答如流。

2 utensil   

n.器皿，用具

参考例句：

• The best carving utensil is a long, sharp, flexible knife.最好的雕刻工具是锋利而柔韧的长刻刀。
• Wok is a very common cooking utensil in every Chinese family.炒菜锅是每个中国人家庭里很常用的厨房食用具。

3 idiomatic   

adj.成语的，符合语言习惯的

参考例句：

• In our reading we should always be alert for idiomatic expressions.我们在阅读过程中应经常注意惯用法。
• In his lecture,he bore down on the importance of idiomatic usage in a language.他在演讲中着重强调了语言中习惯用法的重要性。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。