流行美語第73課
李華正在開車和Michael一起去學校。今天李華會學到兩個常用語：to be on crack和to get the hang of something。
L: 喲，我的天啊，我車後面的一個輪胎爆了！Michael, 一個輪胎爆了還能開一段路，對不對？
M: Li Hua!? Are you on crack? You can't drive with a flat tire, you'll ruin your car, and probably get in a wreck!
L: 哎喲，我也不想弄壞我的車，也不想出車禍。不過，你剛才問我Are you on crack？這是什麼意思啊? crack這不是一種毒品嗎？on crack不就是吸毒嗎？
M: Yes, "crack" -- as in "crack cocaine". "To be on crack" means to be high on cocaine. Of course, when I say, "Are you on crack?" I really mean -- "Are you crazy"?
L: 等等，這得弄清楚。你的意思是，to be on crack可以指吸毒，但是你剛才對我說的不是這個意思。你是說：我要在一個輪胎破了的情況下繼續開車，簡直是瘋啦！哎，你可得解釋清楚了，我從來不吸毒的！
M: Calm down, Li Hua. People use this phrase all the time. I was just alarmed that you would try to drive your car with a flat tire. You'd have to be on crack to do something crazy like that.
L: 噢，我懂了，你的意思是：我準是吸了毒才會想幹這種傻事 -- 輪胎破了還想繼續開車。Michael, 我們把輪胎換了吧。現在還來得及。
(sound of trunk opening, tools rattling, sound of car jack, etc.)
L: 說到發瘋，我認為George Wilkins才真是瘋了呢。我聽說他要到阿富汗一個村莊去給他的論文做實地調查。
M: He's going to be traveling in Afghanistan! Is he on crack? Can you imagine how dangerous that place must be right now?
L: 我也覺得真是太危險了。不過他想要當國際水準的人類學家。那他就得做出犧牲啦！
M: Yeah, well that Ph.D. won't be much good to him if he gets shot. I still think anyone who chooses to go to Afghanistan right now is on crack.... it's just crazy!
L: 就是，要在阿富汗給打死的話，什麼博士學位都沒用了。行了，輪胎裝好了，我們快走吧！
(sound of trunk closing)
******
L: (Horn honking) 噢，應該讓他先走。我開車的技術實在太差了。老是犯這種錯誤。
M: Don't worry Li Hua, you're not a terrible driver! You haven't been driving for very long. You'll get the hang of it, eventually.
L: 你說我最後會什麼？Get the hang of it？
M: I said you will "get the hang of it". "To get the hang of something" means to become proficient at something through practice.
L: 噢，to-get-the-hang-of-it就是多練習，多實踐，一些事情就會做得更好。這不就是中文裏說的“熟能生巧”嗎？但願你說得對，我多開車，技術就會改進嘍！
M: I know I'm right! Remember when you first started school, you had trouble with your writing assignments? I think you've gotten the hang of writing English essays now, right?
L: 就是哎，我剛來美國的時候不會寫學術報告。現在是好多了。
M: You've been living in the U.S. for some time now. You must have gotten the hang of a lot of new skills?
L: 嗯，我在美國已經三年了，是學到不少東西。
M: And you've gotten the hang of teaching, haven't you? Your students seem to like you.
L: 對呀，我在教中文方面也比較熟悉了。I've got the hang of teaching Chinese, 對不對？
M: Absolutely!
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是：to be on crack, 這可以指“吸毒”，但是也可以指：“你瘋啦！”。李華學到的另外一個常用語是：to get a hang of something, 意思是通過練習，熟能生巧。