英语小达人 284 Nickel or Dime?

 　　Nickel or Dime¹?

　　5分钱还是10分钱？

　　Little Johnny used to hang out at the local corner store. The owner didn't know what Johnny's problem was, but the older boys would constantly tease him.

　　小约翰尼过去常在街角的商店附近闲逛。店主不知道小约翰尼有什么问题，但是年龄大些的男孩子们经常嘲弄他。

　　They would play a game with him, sometimes they would offer Johnny his choice bewteen a nickel (5 cents) and a dime (10 cents) in their open palms and Johnny would always take the nickel--they said, because it was bigger.

　　他们和他一起玩一种游戏作弄他，有时他们在掌心上放一个5分镍币和一个10分硬币让约翰尼选。约翰尼总是选5分的。他们说是因为5分镍币个儿大。

　　One day after Johnny grabbed the nickel, the store owner took him aside and said, "Johnny, those boys are making fun of you. Don't you know that a dime is twice as good as a nickel? Are you grabbing the nickel because it's bigger, or what?"

　　一天，在约翰尼又拿了5分镍币后，店主把他叫到一边问：“约翰尼，那些孩子在作弄你。你不知道十分硬币要值两个5分镍币吗？你选5分镍币是因为它大吗？”

　　Slowly, Johnny turned toward the storeowner and a big grin appeared on his face and Johnny said, "Well, if I took the dime, they'd stop doing it, and so far I have saved $20!"

　　约翰尼慢吞吞转向店主，咧嘴笑着说：“是这样的，如果我拿了10分硬币，他们就不会再跟我玩了。事实上，到现在我已经赚了20块钱了！”

　　重点讲解：

　　1. hang out

　　闲逛，逗留；

　　eg. I'm just going to the mall to hang out with some friends.

　　我只是要去购物中心和一些朋友闲晃而已。

　　eg. We usually hang out in the common after class.

　　我们放学后通常会在广场上消磨时间。

　　2. take sb. aside

　　（把…带或拉）到一边；

　　eg. Billy Ewing grabbed him by the elbow and took him aside.

　　比利·尤因拉着他的胳膊肘把他带到了一边。

　　eg. If he thought my work was going downhill, he promised to take me aside and tell me so.

　　如果他觉得我的文章在走下坡路，他承诺会将我拉到一边，告诉我实情。

　　3. make fun of

　　取笑；戏弄；拿…开玩笑；

　　eg. Don't make fun of me.

　　不要取笑我。

　　eg. People make fun of her because she always speaks foolishly.

　　人们嘲笑她，因为她常说傻话。

1 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。