VOA流行美語 Unit 244:dud; oomph
Larry準備在公司彙報工作。事先想請李華幫他聽聽，看報告內容能不能吸引人。李華今天要學兩個常用語。一個是dud，另一個是oomph 。
LL: Thanks for agreeing to listen to my presentation, Li Hua. I really don't want it to be a dud.
LH: Larry, 什麼是 "dud" 呀 ?
LL: Oh, A dud D-U-D is something or someone that doesn't live up to expectations and is a disappointment.
LH: Dud就是讓人失望的意思。你是不是想讓我幫你聽聽，你的報告能不能吸引人啊？
LL: Right! I want my presentation to be lively and interesting. If it is boring and difficult to understand, it will be a dud.
LH: 願意爲您效勞！不過Larry, 你這人這麼幽默，不用聽我就知道，你的報告肯定不會枯燥無味的。
LL: You never know. I once worked with a woman who I thought was really funny, and at work we really got along. But then we went on a date, and it was a real dud.
LH: 你們約會的問題出在哪裏呢？
LL: It turns out that we didn't have much in common except work.
LH: 噢，我知道了，你們倆這叫缺少共同語言。That date really does sound like a dud.
LL: What about you Li Hua? Have you every gone out with a guy who was a real dud?
LH: Dud也能指人啊。那要這麼說，我可是遇到過真正的dud.
LL: How was this guy a dud, Li Hua?
LH: 他長得特別帥，可是我們倆出去吃飯，他從頭到尾都在沒完沒了地講他自己，根本不問問我喜歡些什麼。That date was a real dud.
LL: Kind of like a firecracker that doesn't go off! We also call fireworks that don't go off "duds."
LH: 沒錯，我們管不響的爆竹叫“啞炮”。我最喜歡放炮了，特別是春節的時候...
Larry, 你幹嘛呢？
LL: I am trying to get the slide projector to work. It looks like the light bulb is a dud!
LH: 那就別擺弄幻燈了。我光聽就行了。
LL: Okay, let's get started. Please be honest, Li Hua, and don't be afraid to tell me if you think my presentation is a dud.
LH: 你放心，我一定怎麼想就怎麼說。
******
LL: So, what do you think, Li Hua? Does my presentation need more oomph?
LH: Oomph? 這又是什麼詞啊！怎麼這麼難說。
LL: It is like "oom" from the word room, followed by an "F" sound. Say it after me, Li Hua. Oomph!
LH: (Imitating)"oom", "oom-f". Oomph, oomph 是什麼意思啊？
LL: When I asked if my presentation needed more oomph, I was asking if it needed something extra to make it more lively or interesting.
LH: 噢，你是說可以加點兒什麼，讓你的報告更精彩是吧。老實說，Larry, 我覺得有的地方確實有點兒枯燥，需要加點兒oomph.
LL: How do you think I could give my presentation more oomph, Li Hua?
LH: 比方說，你一上來可以先講個笑話，吸引聽衆的注意。然後講到一半兒有人開始走神的時候，你可以再講個你自己工作中的真實經歷，最好是幹過的什麼傻事。這樣你的報告就能更生動了。
LL: That's very good advice, Li Hua. I think doing those things will give my presentation the extra oomph it needs.
LH: 好，那現在換我了。我最近給中文課設計了一個網頁。你也幫我看看，要不要也加點兒oomph.
LL: Sure. I'm happy to look at it and tell you if it needs more oomph.
(Typing on keyboard...)
LH: Okay, here it is. Larry, 你覺得怎麼樣？
LL: Wow, Li Hua! Maybe your website has a little too much oomph!
LH: Oomph 還會太多嗎？
LL: Well, you used orange and pink together on the same page. Those colors make it hard to read.
LH: 粉紅色和桔黃色放在一起是太亮了，看上去眼睛有點兒不舒服，那我換換其它顏色吧。
今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是dud, 意思是令人失望的。另一個是oomph, 是吸引力的意思。
