VOA流行美語 Unit 221:toast和wiggle room

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Larry和李華在談論州長競選的問題。李華會學到兩個常用語toast和wiggle room。

LL: If the Governor doesn't change his education policies, Li Hua, I think he is toast.

LH: 你說什麼？要是州長不改變他的教育政策，他就會怎麼吶？Toast不是烤麪包嗎？我想這肯定是一種比喻，不過，He is toast究竟是什麼意思呢？

LL: When I said "toast" I meant that he would be finished or done for. Basically, I think he will lose the election.

LH: 噢， He is toast就是他沒有希望了，完了。 Toast這個說法很生動。就像烤麪包一樣，麪包烤好了就會被彈出來，政府官員落選就像麪包被彈出來一樣。

LL: That is exactly right.

LH: 我們州的這位州長政績不錯，希望他能當選連任。 I hope he's not toast.

LL: Well, I'll agree with you that the Governor is very effective in many ways. But after he decided to raise taxes, most Americans were pretty dissatisfied. He's toast, I tell you.

LH: 我認爲他不會落選。你不是也認爲州長在各方面都很有效率嗎？增加稅收也是爲了改善教育呀。我倒覺得他的競選對手不行，他既不誠實，也稅收方面也沒有什麼好主意。

LL: I can see you and I aren't going to agree on this. Good friends shouldn't talk about politics. We don't want our friendship to be toast!

LH: Larry，你說的沒錯，再談政治我們兩個非成爲仇人不可。我們換個話題吧。你最近好像很忙，在忙什麼呢？

LL: Well, since you asked, Li Hua, if I don't finish the budget report I am working on by Thursday, then I am toast!

LH: 什麼？你要在星期四以前完成預算報告。今天已經星期三了。看來你是要完了。我要是你，今天無論如何不睡覺也要把報告寫出來。

LL: That is the best way to avoid being toast. Say, Li Hua, what about you？Don't you need to turn in a chapter from your dissertation to your advisor?

LH: 沒錯，瓊斯教授說了我非得在月底以前把我論文的第一章交給他，不然就算我這學期不及格。那我就完了。Then I'm toast.

LL: You *will* be toast, Li Hua. You won't be able to look for a job next year, and I know your parents will be very unhappy.

LH: 就是呀，書沒念好，父母不高興，我就真的完了。I will be toast!

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LL: Did you see the candidates' debate last night, Li Hua? The Governor really didn't leave himself any wiggle room on the tax issue.

LH: Wiggle room? Wiggle有搖動，擺動的意思。 Room是房間。你說州長在房間裏說話的時候搖來擺去？

LL: No, I meant that on the issue of taxes he left himself very little room to shift his position later.

LH: 你是說他在辯論稅收問題的時候沒有給自己留下回旋的餘地。他都說了什麼呢？

LL: He promised during the debate that if he was reelected he would not raise taxes.

LH: 他說當選後不會提高稅收？他實在不應當作出這個承諾。如果遇到自然災害、戰爭或是經濟惡化，政府怎麼能不提高稅收呢？

LL: You are exactly right. I can see he didn't leave himself any wiggle room there. Say, Li Hua, how is your dissertation chapter coming?

LH: 我的博士論文寫得怎麼樣了？哎，說起來很慚愧，我一直沒有時間寫。時間表排得滿滿的，沒有一點回旋的餘地。

LL: I know how that is, Li Hua. I am going to be working on my budget project right up until the last minute. I haven't left myself much wiggle room, either.

LH: 我看你是得趕緊寫那預算報告，要能在最後一分鐘寫出來就算你運氣。我這星期一定得寫完論文第一章。下學期我想減少教書的時間，這樣就會有多一點的時間來寫論文了。

LL: While having some wiggle room in your schedule is a good thing, are you worried about losing some of your income?

LH: 是啊，少教些書是會讓我有更多時間，不過我也擔心收入就會減少。

LL: I'm not very good at sticking to a budget. I always like to have some wiggle room in my budget for extra expenses.

LH: 我知道，規定自己一個月花多少錢是很難遵守的，總有要額外買些東西的時候。所以我總給自己留一些餘地，免得到時候沒有沒辦法。

LL: Yeah, I guess we can skip going out for ice cream for a while.

LH: 吃冰淇淋花得了多少錢！We have a lot of wiggle room for ice cream.

今天李華學到了兩個常用語。一個是toast，意思是失敗，或是俗話說完蛋。另一個是wiggle room，意思是迴旋或調整的餘地。